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The Green Sanctuary Movement& UUCS
Adapted from UUA presentation with thanks to Robin Nelson, Program Manager, Congregational Stewardship Services, UUA
Ask these questions: 1. How does this issue/program relate to the church mission?2. How can this program provide for multiple ways for the children and youth, as well as adults of differing interests and abilities, to be involved?3. Do we have the resources to carry out the program?4. How can this program help our church grow stronger and stand taller in Spartanburg and in the TJ District?
Opening Readingby Sydney A. Morris
Brothers and sisters in creation, we covenant this day with you and with all creation yet to be;
With every living creature and all that contains and sustains you;
With all that is on the Earth and with the Earth itself;
With all that lives in the waters and with the waters themselves;
With all that flies in the skies and with the sky itself;
We establish this covenant, that all our powers will be used to prevent your destruction.
In wilderness is the preservation of our world
What is the "Green Sanctuary"?
A comprehensive program –a journey—towards a more earth-aware and earth-caring lifestyle for our church community, bringing in everyone from the pagan to the tech-savvy.
Not just changing light bulbs (which is one small but worthwhile effort) but a UUA-developed program which encompasses both worship and action
How does this program relate to the church mission?
Religious leaders from most of the world’s faith traditions have claimed that these environmental crises may be the greatest moral challenge facing humankind in the twenty-first century. Environmental problems affect poor people in the developing world and in developed countries more than they affect the middle class right now.
They affect animals, plants, and eco-systems;
they destroy our earth.
Honors our Seventh Principle
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a partPractice environmental stewardshipBecome better stewards of the Earth.
Overview
Green Sanctuary Program Basics Requirements for Green Sanctuary Accreditation We're Getting Greener! UUCS Resources: Our People
Background Information
Originally founded and managed by the UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE)First congregations accredited in 2002July 2008 UUMFE transferred the Green Sanctuary Program to the UUA Office of Congregational Stewardship ServicesSeptember 2009, Green Sanctuary Manual, 5th Edition, available free-of-charge on UUA website
UU Congregations
1 Re-Accreditation Process125 Accredited Green Sanctuaries115 Candidacy Congregations
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Total 241 Congregations
Program GoalsStrengthen the connection between spiritual practice and Earth consciousness.Build awareness of the significance and complexity of environmental issues.Encourage personal lifestyle changes.Engage in community action on environmental issues.Work to heal environmental injustices.
Steps to becoming a Green Sanctuary
1. Establish a GS program team2. Conduct an environmental
assessment3. Create an action plan4. Apply for GS candidacy5. Review feedback from a GS
Review Team
Steps to becoming a Green Sanctuary6. Make appropriate modifications
to your action plan7. Complete your action plan8. Apply for GS accreditation9. Receive recognition as a Green
Sanctuary10.Complete the re-accreditation
process every 4-5 years
Environmental Assessment
This is an assessment of where your congregation is at this point in terms of environmental stewardship.
Where are you starting from?Congregational AssessmentProfessional Energy Audit
UUCS Resources: Our People!Jack Seitz, Political Science Professor at Wofford, Author of "Global Issues, An Introduction" and long-time Sierra Club leader Charlton Hall, culture artist, author on environmental issues, cob builder and the Executive Director of the Mindful Ecotherapy Organization. Don Rollins, Minister at two previous congregations while they worked on the Green Sanctuary programAnd, of course, others …We have many talented, able, and hard-working people. This program can be done one step at a time!
Four Focus Areas
Worship and CelebrationReligious EducationSustainable LivingEnvironmental Justice
Action Plan – Worship + Celebration
2 Projects Required
Action Plan – Religious Education
2 Religious Education projects required – 1 for adults, 1 for children/youth
Action Plan – Sustainable Living4 Sustainable Living projects required.
1 energy conservation-related.
Sustainable Living
Projects can cover grounds, parking lot, location,transportation, facilities, kitchen, food, recycling/reuseables, office and cleaning supplies, energy use, investment policies, congregation policies, congregation committees, etc.“The children in our RE program not only took initiative in helping with the church grounds, but also reached out to help an elderly couple with their yard work”
First Unitarian Soc. Schenectady, NY
“The formation of a Green Team was the spark that set into motion a wide range of progressive environmental movements within the church”
UU Charleston, SC
“There is much more energy around making a difference.”
UU Church, Fairfax, Oakton, VA
Action Plan – Environmental Justice2 Environmental Justice projects required 1. A major collaboration with another congregation or organization.
What is Environmental Justice?The human affirmation of our place within the interdependent web of all existence.Pursues simultaneously the protection of natural systems and the ecological health of human communities, specifically disadvantaged, oppressed, and indigenous communities
while building relationships to create a larger impact.
Green Sanctuary meets Homelessness
Info & photos from Chuck Hall
Cultureartist.com and Barefootbuilder.com
A Group Effort Creates Sustainable Housing-- great for all ages
“Our recognition as a Green Sanctuary enhances our ability to make positive contributions to our community.”
A UU church in Mass.
“We are forming partnerships with other churches and faiths.”
UU Church in Eugene, OR
How can this program help our church grow stronger and stand taller in Spartanburg and in the TJ District?
The Green Sanctuary Movement: Summary
The UUA is getting greener! 1 in 4 UU congregations across the country are formally involved in the Green Sanctuary Movement.List-serve for Green SanctuariesCongregational Stewardship BlogEnvironmental Justice Newsletter
The Green Sanctuary MovementGreen Sanctuary Manual, updated in September 2009District and Regional opportunities to partner with other congregationsSupport and Updates from Congregational Stewardship Services
Reading by Vern BarnettI pledge allegiance to the earth On which I stand,and to the environment Of which I am a part,one planet in a Process, with soil, water and air like one body,indivisible, with resources to be
cherished and protected by all.
Questions?
Resources Online
http://www.uua.org/leaders/environment/greensanctuary/index.
shtml
http://congregationalstewardship.blogs.uua.org/
