Green Sanctuary
OUR MISSION is to inspire and facilitate personal, congregational, and community efforts toward environmental sustainability. We promote the seventh UU Principle, "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” by:
- Raising awareness of environmental issues
- Working to deepen the connection between spiritual practice and daily choices
- Encouraging responsiblelifestyle choices for individuals
- Collaborating on sustainable, efficient practices at UTUCC
- Promoting pro-environment policy changes
The Green Sanctuary Committee takes a multifaceted approach to environmental advocacy. The goal of all of our activities is to actively engage our congregation in order to deepen their knowledge about environmental issues and to make changes in their own lives that better reflect our interdependent relationship with the Earth. We host workshops on a variety of environmental topics, we screen films, we lobby down in Springfield, we teach RE classes, we start community gardens, we host a CSA, we run discussion groups, we publish weekly green tips, and we help you to raise backyard chickens. If you have an earth-related passion that you want to share with the congregation, the Green Sanctuary Committee stands ready to embrace your activism and help you bring it to fruition.
The Committee also works toward making Unity Temple a sustainable institution that acts on its stated values in a concrete way. We have helped UT move toward greener building practices, such as minimizing disposable kitchen and food service items, purchasing green cleaning and office supplies, promoting fair trade, increasing recycling, and beginning to compost. We had an energy audit of the building done and will be working with staff to implement its recommendations. If you have any suggestions for increasing sustainability at UT, join our team and turn your ideas into action.
The leadership and members of Unity Temple have long been active in promoting environmental responsibility and engagement on many fronts. The Committee seeks to have that work acknowledged in a public way and is applying to the UUA to officially recognize Unity Temple as a Green Sanctuary. For more information about the UUA’s Green Sanctuary program and the application process, go to www.uua.org/leaders/environment/greensanctuary/index.shtml.
We invite you to join us at our monthly meetings!
For more information on the work of the Green Sanctuary Committee email green@unitytemple.org.
