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Green Sanctuary 

Respect For The Interdependent Web of All Existence of Which We Are A Part

Welcome To USG Green Sanctuary
In the spirit of the principles of Unitarian Universalism and in collaboration with USG members, we hope to integrate the 7th principle more fully into the life of our congregation. The integration will touch our church, our community, and the daily decisions of each USG member.

Our goals are:

• To build awareness of environmental issues within the congregation;
• To generate commitment for personal lifestyle changes;
• To engage the congregation in community action on environmental issues;
• To connect spiritual practice with environmental consciousness;
• To build awareness of environmental injustices and work to rectify them.

Green Sanctuary Program
The UU Ministry For Earth describes a Green Sanctuary as “a congregation that lives out its commitment to the Earth by creating a sustainable life style for its members as individuals and as a faith community.”  The program begins with an Environmental Audit and continues with congregational projects involving Worship, Religious Education, Environmental Justice, and Sustainable Living.  The program technically ends with accreditation by the UU Ministry For Earth, but our hope is that it will continue as a springboard for environmental activism and earth-friendly actions. 

For more information, visit the website of the UU Ministry for Earth.

Environmental Audit
The first part of the process, the Environmental Audit of the church and its grounds, is complete.  The Buildings and Grounds Committee has obtained professional recommendations on increasing energy efficiency.  Other subjects of the audit include recycling practices, earth-friendly cleaning supplies, and the many ways in which we currently integrate respect for the Earth in religious education, worship, and social services.  This wil be an ongoing process to look for continuous improvements.

Congregational Projects
The most important part of the process is undertaking multiple projects that honor our commitment to respect the interdependent web of all existence. Some of these projects have been an important part of the life of our congregation for many years.  Others are new and a direct response to the climate crisis.  These projects include the following:

Worship and Celebration

• Earth-based celebrations (solstice, equinox)
• Sunday Worship Services focused on the 7th Principle

Religious Education

• Course offerings from the Northwest Earth Institute
• Children’s semi-annual landscaping and plantings on USG grounds
• Environmental Resources Table during Hospitality Hour

Environmental Justice

• The Tioga Mural Art Project in North Philadelphia (Contact Joe Walsh, joewalsh2@hotmail.com)
• The Northwest Philadelphia chapter of RecycleNOW (Contact Carolyn Scott, cwelchscott@gmail.com)

Sustainable Living

• Energy saving measures for the church (Contact Al Parker, alaric9@yahoo.com)
• Selling locally produced honey and supporting beehive population (Contact Anaiis Salles, salles.anaiis@yahoo.com)
• Working to purchase alternative energy sources at USG (Contact Joe Walsh, joewalsh2@hotmail.com)
• Restoring and maintaining USG’s landscape (Contact Kati Parker, alaric9@yahoo.com)
• Publishing "Green Tips" in weekly USG announcements (Contact Kristina Victoreen, kmv2009@live.com)

Each project is an opportunity for personal involvement and a springboard for raising environmental awareness.  Many take us out of the church walls and into the larger community.

Environmental Activism
We would like the process to include both educating ourselves on current environmental issues and providing contacts with local environmental groups.  The Philadelphia area is alive with environmental organizations that are addressing myriad issues.  We are partnering with such organization on several congregational projects and hope to develop more partnerships.

Time To Act
None of this will happen without your support.  That support includes helping to develop projects, participating in projects developed by others, and talking to other church members about the importance of being a Green Sanctuary.  Please contact us with your own questions and concerns.  Most important, join in USG’s effort, in any way you can, to respect the Earth and save it for future generations.

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