Green Sanctuary Candidacy

History:  At the April 4, 2006, meeting of the UUFVB Board, the Social Justice committee received unanimous support for embarking upon the Green Sanctuary program!  Susan Winters and Nancy Stiefel are its co-chairs. The program will lead to the certification of our Fellowship by UUA organization, UU Ministry for Earth.  A Task Force with a broad representation from many Fellowship committees was assembled. 

The next step was to conduct an audit of Fellowship practices in many areas including energy usage, energy conservation, water conservation, recycling, waste reduction, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, socially responsible purchasing and investing policies, landscaping policies, use of toxic chemicals, and environmental religious education for children and adults.  All of these areas plus our worship services relate to the seventh UU principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.  They also relate to the 2006 Statement of Conscience passed at General Assembly in June: The Threat of Global Warming.

The third step was to write an Action Plan of at least twelve projects to be implemented by the congregation and its committees to observe more environmentally responsible practices.  These projects fall within four categories:  sustainable living, worship and celebration, education, and environmental justice.  The Action Plan was submitted in December 2006. Then we began the process of accomplishing our Action Plan which was dependent on the participation and support of every member and friend of the Fellowship. After 2 1/2 years of working on our goals, we submitted our application for accreditation.  In June 2009, we received our certification from the UUA Green Sanctuary office!

Ongoing Activities: 

• Sign the 1-2-3-Pledge* and get a green sticker on your UUFVB name tag.
  *(1-2-3-Pledge is an Acrobat (.pdf) file:  < Click Here > to download the free .pdf reader.)
   
• Kick the plastic bag habit and buy a sturdy cloth shopping bag (made by our own Task Force members) in the Fair Trade Corner.

• Shop at area Farmer's Markets for fresh local/organic produce and seafood. 

• Recycle spent ink cartridges at the Fellowship office.

• Donate craft items to Reuse Exchange to reuse them and keep them out of the landfill.

1. Switch to Ecosoft toilet tissue and paper toweling with 100% recycled content.
2. Include recipes for green cleaning solutions in the 2007 UUFVB cookbook.
3. Provide information about sources of organic produce and locally grown/caught organic or non-organic food on the website.
4. Reduce overall Fellowship energy usage by 15%.
5. Use recycled-content office paper; recycle office paper and cardboard.
6. Participate in the annual Fair Trade Bazaar each December selling environmentally responsible items and providing environmental literature.
7. Encourage the use of potted plants, native plants, or home-grown and arranged flowers and greens as an alternative to commercially grown non-organic cut flowers for donated Sunday flowers on the chalice table.

Worship and Celebration (2 required)

8. Designate Earth Day as an annual congregational worship service.
9. Participate in another worship service each year, such as Winter Solstice.

Religious Education (2 required)

10. Implement an annual overnight outing (known as Lagoon Night) for our children at the Environmental Learning Center in Wabasso. 
11. Implement a multi-session adult film series on environmental topics inviting the public or other congregations.
12. Provide 4^th Friday Potluck program speakers on environmental issues for half of the ten yearly programs during the 07-08 fiscal year including the summer meetings.

Environmental Justice (2 required)