Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
1034 SW 13th Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 595-9392
Application for Green Sanctuary Candidacy
| Congregation: | Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento |
| Street Address: | 2425 Sierra Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95825 |
| Website: | www.uuss.org |
Green Sanctuary Contacts: Christine Bailey and Joan Rubenson
Senior Minister: The Reverend Douglas C. B. Kraft
Our Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento is believed to have started taking root during the California Gold Rush of 1849 when so many New Englanders came to California to "strike it rich", settle families and make new lives for themselves. According to information compiled in the newly-published In Good Times and Bad — The Story of Sacramento's Unitarians 1868 – 1984, the very colorful history of UUSS probably extends from the time of the Gold Rush, although the formal founding of the UUSS as the First Unitarian Church of Sacramento took place on Sunday, March 29, 1868.
With our newly published compilation of UUSS history we have a better understanding of congregational challenges throughout the decades and of the people who met those challenges with perseverance, resourcefulness, and dedication. We are now a congregation of about 400 members with our own 6.4 acre campus. For 140 years, the Unitarian Universalist Society has been a voice for reason and progressive faith in Sacramento. We are an interdependent, intergenerational community, supporting one another on our individual journeys for truth and meaning, and accepting the diverse views that enrich us.
Our UUSS Mission states, "We come together to deepen our lives and be a force for healing in the world". We feel that one of the greatest challenges to our current congregation is the future of our planet and how we will address this as a spiritual community. Recently our congregation participated in a one day workshop, "Searching for the Future". Well over a hundred people participated in goal setting. With information on big areas of interest (synthesized into interest categories) various task force groups are coming together to study the issues surrounding the specific categories, to collaborate with relevant groups of people and then to make specific recommendations for the future at UUSS. These recommendations will flow into a more overall strategic plan. Of all of the goals listed, about 12% of them were related to the Green Sanctuary in terms of making the buildings energy efficient, having a smaller carbon footprint, becoming a zero energy and self-sufficient facility, and getting the Green Sanctuary accreditation. This congregational interest in caring for our living Earth is, we believe, very encouraging.
In the Spring of 2007, Pat Naylor, a member of the Social Responsibility Committee, noticed the Green Sanctuary designation on a UU website and thought it seemed like something our congregation would enjoy working towards. She spoke with the senior minister and other interested members, then enthusiastically gathered an impressive number of environmentally concerned people as a Ministry for Earth group. This energetic group put together an Earth Day 2007 environmental fair, and in the summer of 2007 some performed the play "Mother Earth vs. World's People — Perhaps the Most Important Trial in the History of Civilization" as a Sunday worship service.
Two members of this original group, Christine Bailey and Joan Rubenson, met together several times in the summer of 2007, resulting in a commitment to serve as co-chairs of the new Green Sanctuary Task Force, a sub-committee of the Social Responsibility Committee. They recruited three other UUSS members, Shirley Hines, Barbara Hopkins, and Dorothy Mitchell to serve with them as a kind of planning team. The first meeting of the Green Sanctuary Task force was held on September 30, 2007 and has continued meeting monthly. There are now many UUSS members and friends involved in the Task Force and all members of the society are encouraged to be a part of this enthusiastic group of people dedicated to our vision: We come together to restore our Earth and renew our spirits in harmony with our seventh principle: "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part".
The information for the UUSS Green Sanctuary environmental assessment (EA) was compiled by some of the members of the Green Sanctuary Task Force and Property Management Committee, our Business Manager, Religious Education staff , the Chair of the Religious Education Committee, and an energy engineer from our neighboring Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis. Except where otherwise noted, the EA generally describes UUSS activities between July 1, 2005 and January 2008. Following is a summary of the EA.
The UUSS ministers and worship committee deeply understand that we are all children of the Earth and exist in total interconnectedness. Because of this understanding, our Sunday services regularly include song, prayer, meditation and sermons to express and investigate the intertwining of humans, all other living beings and Earth.
In order to help bring people together and have an alternative to traditional communion we occasionaly use Norbert Capek's 1923 Flower Communion Ceremony. We also use drama and music to help us experience our eco-kinship. For instance, in August 2007, the play "Mother Earth vs. World's People - Perhaps the Most Important Trial in the History of Civilization" was performed for our Sunday service. Another Sunday service in 2007 featured Jim Scott, an acoustic guitarist, singer, and composer of music that celebrates our connections with each other and with nature.
To help the whole congregation focus on our impact on the planet, in 2007 the UUSS Ministry for Earth held an Earth Day fair with activities related to recycling, energy conservation, vegetarian diet, planting trees, animals and agriculture, food choices and global warming, water, and solar ovens.
An additional way that we emphasize our bond with Earth and its cycles is to each year celebrate the solstices with the adaptation of an ancient ceremony and a potluck. At times a labyrinth has been rented for the ceremony and used for a walking meditation.
During December 2007 and January 2008 we conducted an online survey for our congregation members and friends to review their own individual practices and behaviors which use natural resources and/or impact our environment. We felt that taking the survey might help each of us raise our level of awareness and sometimes motivate us to action we might not otherwise take. Seventy-nine people participated in the survey.
The survey gave us reasons to celebrate. Nine out of ten survey participants do a lot of recycling — metal cans, glass food containers, plastics, newspapers, mail and other paper, and cardboard. Over half say they will try harder to purchase recycled paper products and almost that many will try harder to use re-usable towels, rags, wipes, and napkins. Sixty-five percent have replaced their incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent light and another 26% say they will try harder to do this. Three out of four don't use air-conditioning or have set their thermostats for 75 degrees or higher. Regarding our food choices, over 80% said they have reduced their consumption of meat and poultry or will try harder to do so. Over 90% said they usually buy locally grown food and organic food or they will try harder to so.
The survey also said we want more information on many of the ways we can reduce our ecological footprint such as solar energy, composting, reducing or eliminating outdoor watering, planting native plants which require less water, on-demand water heaters, purchasing biodegradable and non-toxic cleaning products, and avoiding endangered species of seafood.
Transportation seemed to be a difficult area to reduce our energy usage. Over half said that it was not practical for them to use public transportation or car-pool or van-pool to work. On the positive side, over 80% said at replacement time they either will or will try to substitute a higher mileage vehicle and consider hybrid or bio-diesel.
In the area of Adult Enrichment, programs have been offered in Solar Cooking and Personal Energy Conservation. In October 2007, we hosted author and geography professor Robert Christopherson who spoke to the congregation about the latest scientific consensus on global climate change. In November 2007, ten people in the congregation participated in the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) discussion course Voluntary Simplicity. In January 2008, another ten held a second NWEI course: Global Warming: Changing CO2 Course.
Other intergenerational activities have included the educational displays and activities on small changes individuals can make to help lower the impact on global climate change, including information about carbon footprint, solar cooking, shopping and eating for sustainability, 10 Tree Challenge, and making a wind-powered pinwheel (April 22, 2007); showing and discussion of "An Inconvenient Truth," April 29, 2007; showing and discussion of "Who Killed the Electric car?," May 27, 2007; and a "Water Tasting" comparing various kinds of bottled, filtered, and tap water and providing information on the environmental cost of bottled water, June 3, 2007.
An effort is made to include environmental awareness as an implicit as well as explicit part of our religious education curriculum at all times. Children typically include recycling and care for the environment as part of the classroom covenants that each class creates at the beginning of each year. Efforts are made to use recycled and reused materials for craft activities and to have students recycle their classroom papers and other materials.
The following were specific lessons devoted to environmental concerns during the time frame on which this EA focuses: Summer 2005: "Roy G. Biv: "Seventh Principle I": Read The Lorax, discussion, made key chains to sell as a rainforest fundraiser and "Seventh Principle II": Read Birds Build Nests, discussion, made birds' nest cookies. 2005-2006 Church Year: During the course of a month each grade level explored the web of interdependence and participated in a "Garden Day," joining with members of the congregation to work on the UUSS grounds. Summer 2006: Creation Stories: During the summer of 2006, thirteen creation stories were studied from cultures around the world. Each of these stories sought to explain the creation of the earth, its creatures, and natural phenomena. Some contained more explicit conservation messages as well. 2006-2007 Church Year: One of the holidays studied by the 1st-2nd grade class was Tu B'Shvat, the "New Year of the Trees," which is celebrated in Israel by the planting of trees. The preschool and kindergarten class focused approximately one-third of their lessons around the natural world. Summer 2007: Summer of Seuss: "The Lorax: Respecting the Environment."
Four times per year the congregation hosts up to four families that are participating in the Family Promise Sacramento program which aids homeless families and addresses specific reasons for homelessness. Congregation members serve on the Board of Directors and advisory groups as well as provide volunteer support for the Family Promise day center. Additionally, once per month two separate crews help to cook and serve a noontime meal for up to 800 persons for Loaves and Fishes. Once per month a group provides the ingredients and prepares a full dinner for 100+ residents at St. John's Shelter for Women and Children.
A limited pilot program has been started to provide families who complete Family Promise with a start up supply of CFL light bulbs, information on proper disposal of the bulbs, and tips on energy conservation. There is some limited continuation of a program to provide water tasting (a comparison of bottled to tap water), an overview of the issues regarding bottled water, and reusable water bottles to participants in the Family Promise program.
UUSS members and friends help to cleanup and maintain a mile of one of our local treasures and natural areas - our American River Parkway. Our congregation uses fair trade coffee.
The congregation or individual members are involved with several organizations which offer potential for education and action on local environmental issues. The UUSS is a member of the California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL) which provides forums regarding a wide range of environmental topics. Individual members of the congregation are involved in organizations such as the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) a consortium of environmental groups, the Sierra Club, Effie Yeaw Nature Center, and Master Gardeners and are anxious to engage the congregation in the programs of these organizations. These congregation members can bring their skills, knowledge, interests, concerns, and opportunities for environmental action and education to the Green Sanctuary Program and to others in our church.
There seems to be interest in organizing to be more of a force for action in the community and in the larger world related to sustainable living issues and environmental justice both for humans and for Earth's other creatures.
UUSS uses Waste Management, Inc. to recycle its paper, plastic, metal cans, and glass products. We have two large recycling containers for plastic, cans, and glass located in the mail hall. Paper products such as orders of service, mail, cardboard and other paper products are recycled. We do not have any specific policies on recycling but we will look at developing a comprehensive policy in the coming year. The UUSS recycling program is primarily implemented by custodial and office staff. Large recycling containers were recently purchased to assist with collection of bottles and cans. UUSS recycling level of compliance is about 75%. The congregation has begun using reusable plates, glasses, and flatware for some church dinners.
We attempt to purchase non-toxic cleaning supplies when appropriate. Operational supplies such as office products, paper plates and napkins, copy paper, cleaning products are usually purchased in bulk from Staples or similar store. UUSS uses large amounts of white and colored paper products for Orders of Service, Blue Sheet, Unigram, copies for committees, special events, etc. Most of the office paper products are acid free and contain at least 30% post consumer waste recycled paper. Purchases are generally based on cost savings, products that are easily available in bulk, and on recycled content. We do not have specific policies on purchasing recycled content supplies, non-toxic cleaning products, and material for sustainable resources. However, the majority of our purchases are environmentally friendly as awareness in the congregation is high on our responsibility to be stewards of our environment.
First of all, here are some cold hard facts. To get these numbers our Chief "Grasshopper", with great dedication and time input, measured our grounds, calculated the size of these areas, and made a map of it. Our campus comprises 6.4 acres. About 2.3 acres are "green" i.e., lawn and trees or natural vegetation.
| Item | Percentage of 6.4 Acres | Approx. Sq. Feet |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn & tree area | 50% |
155,000
|
| Parking | 25% |
77,000
|
| Areas left natural* | 10% |
31,065
|
| Buildings | 5% |
14,000
|
| Play Areas | 4% |
12,426
|
| Paved walks & patio | 1.8% |
5,000
|
| Driveways & access | 1.7% |
3,800
|
| Creek | 1.5% |
4,000
|
| Gardens | 1% |
2,700
|
| Total campus area | 100% |
310,650
|
*This overlaps with lawn and tree area.
Our landscaping is maintained almost exclusively by hard working church volunteers: 27 really green "Grasshoppers" who mow, trim, rake, and generally maintain the tree and lawn areas, a volunteer master gardener who installs and maintains Mediterranean and native flowers and shrubs in the planting beds, and four to five "Waterbugs" who water the planting beds.
We have approximately 190 lovely trees growing on our campus in varying sizes from vigorous young saplings to fully mature giants such as our grove of vernerable old blue oaks. Our forest is beautifully diverse with 18 species including 5 native species which carry on the legacy of California before humans arrived. This large number of trees acts as a natural air conditioner in the summer, with the dense green canopy providing shade from the intense valley sun. Throughout the year the canopy functions as a filter, removing air pollutants before they can get to our lungs.
The eastern perimeter of the campus has a bit of a wild feel that is created by a dense green canopy made up of some of the above tree species and a number of shrub/tree types that have been allowed to grow to a small tree height. These large shrubs include privet, oleander, and cherry laurel.
In addition to the above trees and shrubs the grounds are graced with at least 50 other types of plants which provide a rich garden feel as they come into bloom. Over a dozen of these are native species. Native species not only give much pleasure but provide much needed habitat to our local wildlife. Our forest is great for bird identification (a mixed flock of about 25 Robins and as many Cedar Wax Wings decorated our campus on a recent fall Sunday) and sometimes at night you may see raccoons, opossums, etc. out for an evening stroll on our grounds. In addition to being wildlife friendly most native plant species can live with little supplemental watering and don't require fertilizer.
A small creek which runs in winter and spring encourages various forms of wildlife to use it as habitat. Ducks sometimes use it during this time, and last year our creek was home to a duck family including 15 babies. The site currently supports some wildlife in an urban setting.
Water for the UUSS campus comes from a combination of surface and well water depending upon the season. The ground water we use comes from a well behind Loehman Plaza. The surface water we use currently comes from Folsom Lake and is treated through another water district before coming to us. Our water supplier also recently installed the infrastructure needed to enable them to supply our water from the American River water intake at Sacramento State College if it is needed in the future. Water is a precious commodity in California and almost 20% of the electrical energy used in California is used to treat and deliver water.
The following chart shows, by month, water use for the UUSS campus (including kitchen, restrooms, drinking, landscaping, etc.). Units are CCFs: one CCF = 100 cubic meters of water or 748 gallons.
| 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July |
447
|
316
|
452
|
| August |
481
|
370
|
395
|
| September |
329
|
246
|
193
|
| October |
146
|
204
|
|
| November |
129
|
68
|
|
| December |
58
|
36
|
|
| January |
38
|
27
|
|
| February |
24
|
22
|
|
| March |
60
|
31
|
|
| April |
35
|
24
|
|
| May |
144
|
159
|
|
| June |
250
|
311
|
Our campus comprises 6.4 acres. About 2.3 acres are "green," i.e., lawn and trees or natural vegetation. Of this about 2 acres are irrigated, a small portion automatically, the remainder with moveable hoses and sprinklers. Some of the irrigated acres have been automatically watered but the mechanisms are no longer working due to systemic breakdowns. Current plans call for repairs and expansion of the present automatic segment. The balance of the "green" area is not watered but is mowed seasonally to prevent fire hazards. This includes our grove of blue oak trees which does not have to be irrigated at all because of their low water demands.
A great deal of the water we use is for our landscaping. Planting bed watering is thoughtfully done. The beds are watered once each week with soaker hoses. In 2008 there are plans to cut back irrigation time in some beds to once every 10 - 14 days. Other beds are either hand watered with a watering wand or they get by on lawn irrigation water.
Attached to this application is the comprehensive energy audit of UUSS campus buildings and recommendations for making the campus energy efficient.
All of the projects in our Action Plan relate either to our UUSS Mission Statement: "We come together to deepen our lives and be a force for healing in the world"; or our UUSS covenant which says in part: "we...travel together with ...helping hands ...we seek spiritual growth..." or the UU Seventh Principle regarding respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
1. Our minister emeritus, Eileen Karpeles, devoted the Sunday service before Earth Day to the Ministry of the Earth. This service was held on April 20, 2008.
2. Our minister, Doug Kraft, will devote one or more sermons to caring for the Mother Earth. The service(s) will be presented throughout the 2008-2009 year.
3. In 2008, a labyrinth committee will be formed with the goal of securing funding for an outdoor or indoor canvas labyrinth whichever is most economically feasible. This labyrinth will be used for a variety of worship-based celebrations including walking meditation and the celebration of the winter and summer solstice. Laurie Jones is the lead person on this.
4. In 2008-2009, a series of workshops will be held to educate the congregation on the meaning and use of a labyrinth. Laurie Jones will head up this ongoing committee.
5. Within the next two years we would like to convert a small piece of our landscape to a natural habitat for growing native plants that will attract butterflies. This will be a quiet setting for reflection and may double as a Peace Garden. Candace McFarland will be the lead on this project with help from many of the Green Sanctuary and congregational members. With the experience we get from this project, we hope to continue with the natural landscaping of our UUSS campus — to one that uses less water — in future years.
6. We are developing an Earth-based curriculum for our RE children to be taught in 2008-2009. Our curriculum will draw from sources including: "We are all Connected, 7th Principle Butterfly and Creepy Crawlies RE Lessons for children of all ages, created by Stefani Scott. As we explore the natural world with our children, we believe we'll be building awareness that all living things are interconnected as stated in our 7th UU Principle, Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Many members of our congregation will be involved in this exciting year of learning inspired by our current Minister for Education, Connie Grant, and to be led by our newly-hired Family Minister, Roger Jones, with the assistance of our RE Committee.
7. We plan to help children as well as adults learn the basics of recycling commonly used objects and materials. We will do this in a creative, fun way that will involve many members of the congregation testing our recycling knowledge. It will be accomplished within the 2008-2009 church year and will be lead by Joan Rubenson and Shirley Hines.
8. We plan to partner with the Defenders of Wildlife so that we can learn more about protecting animals in the wild, restoring America's native wildlife, and safeguarding habitats. Jeanabeth Halley will be the lead on this project. We plan on having a guest speaker from the organization visit the combined RE group in the Fall or winter season of 2008-2009. We will "adopt an animal" (a donation program of the organization for which the children will received stuffed "class mascot" animals of their own choosing) with funds that are raised with a Care for the Earth art project.
9. We will set up a small task force of Green Sanctuary members to research information on the items from our UUSS Individual Green Survey for which at least 20% of the 79 respondents stated that they wanted to learn more about a particular topic. Joan Rubenson will be the lead on this project.
10. Our UUSS Web Manager will add a new link to the UUSS website for our Green Sanctuary Task Force with various pages to help us communicate, educate, and collaborate more effectively. Bob Oyafuso will be the lead on this project and the Green Sanctuary planning team will assist him in developing the web link pages. This project will be accomplished in the church year 2008 - 2009.
11. Making holiday decorations has been an annual holiday event at UUSS for several years, but will be expanded using more natural and recycled materials and educating people on how recycling (instead of buying) can reduce our collective carbon footprints. Joan Rubenson and Shirley Hines will be the lead on this project projected for December, 2008.
12. During one or more of our RE Sunday classes for children we will learn about how we can make a difference in a democratic society. We will have the children in first grade and higher write post cards to their Senators and Representatives asking them to always vote for a healthy planet when given a choice. Joan Rubenson and Shirley Hines will lead this project.
13. We will hold at least two to three additional Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) discussion groups in 2008 and 2009. Discussion guides books are provided by NWEI. NWEI programs encourage participants to explore their values, attitudes, and actions through discussion with other people. These programs are organized around three key principles: an earth-centered ethic promoting individual responsibility for the Earth; the practice of engaged simplicity to enrich life and reduce personal impact on the Earth; and a dedication to living fully in place and protecting the unique bioregion in which we live. Courses offered include: Global Warming: Changing CO2 Course, Choices for Sustainable Living, Menu for the Future, Voluntary Simplicity, Healthy Children-Healthy Planet, Discovering a Sense of Place, and Exploring Deep Ecology. Lead person: Dorothy Mitchell.
14. Read and discuss books that will address and support the necessary psychological transitions that occur as we make behavioral changes toward sustainable living. Start an open-ended book group/club whose participants will read and discuss books that address this issue. The group will also compile a list of books most relevant to this topic and select new books for discussion. (Examples: "How to Want What You Have", "Want What You Have Workbook" both by T. Miller; "A New Earth" by Ekert Tolle.) Bonnie Jacobson will coordinate this group along with others. This project will start in the summer or fall and continue to meet on a monthly basis.
15. In 2008 and 2009 once or twice a year we will bring in qualified speakers to provide science presentations on the interdepdendent web of life or environmental justice or sustainable living issues. Lead persons: Bill Becker and Christine Bailey.
16. Eating Locally Grown Fruits and Vegetables — 30 Day Challenge. The goal of this project is to encourage participants to eat locally grown fruits and vegetables. The project scope would focus on a 30 day challenge to eat fruits and vegetables that are produced within a specified range, for example, 100 miles from Sacramento. This is sometimes referred to as the "100 Mile Diet" and those who follow this diet are called "locavores". Eating local foods helps reduce transportation and other costs, and supports the local and regional economy. Materials for the project would include information about local food sources, such as community supported agriculture (CSAs), farmers markets, coops, local farms, local food producers. At the end of the 30 day challenge period we could do a survey to track how well participants were able to meet the project goals. We could report back to the congregation about our success in eating locally. This project will take place in summer 2008. Lead persons: Theresa Hammond & Peter Kosar.
17. "Green Plates" — Co-Lead Karen Hirsch. How UUs can "green their plates" and eat in a more earth friendly and compassionate way. We could do outreach and education through handouts, a web page/site, recipes (perhaps a cook-off!), video screenings, tabling, speakers, and more. Every day, we can make choices about what we eat that can have a profound impact on the planet and all its beings. We can eat in season, locally, organically, and low on the food chain. We can commit to doing so at every meal, or as often as we feel is feasible. A UU congregation in Portland OR took on an initiative such as this, with great success. There are many great resources out there to help people learn about how to eat in a more sustainable and joyful way. And considering that eating is something that we all (or most of us) do every day, our actions really makes a difference. Summer or fall 2008 and ongoing.
18. What is composting? The benefits of composting and how to build an effective pile will be presented in workshops on consecutive Saturdays in March 2008 by Annie Kempees, a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County. The workshops will be open to the entire congregation. One of our long range plan goals is to "model financial and environmental stewardship of the facilities and grounds."
19. Wise Water Pest Control. This workshop focuses on how waterways are polluted by pesticide use and remedies you can take to lessen pesticide load in the environment. Annie Kempees, a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Sacramento County, will be presenting the workshop in late spring or early summer of 2008. This workshop will be open to the entire congregation. This project also relates to our long range plan goal to "model financial and environmental stewardship of the facilities and grounds."
20. Adopt and act as stewards of one mile of the American River Parkway by committing to the American River Parkway Foundation to perform at least 20 hours of volunteer service on the UUSS mile per calendar quarter. This year UUSS adopted a mile that is close to our campus so that more people can participate. Once each month we will hold a Second Saturday cleanup of this mile of the parkway. This effort will be publicized in our weekly and monthly newsletters, on our web site, and on our Green Sanctuary bulletin board so that all who are interested may participate. Additional activities such as natural history walks of the area, tree and acorn plantings, and invasive plant mitigation may be offered to the congregation. The project is led by David Dawson and stewardship of the mile near our campus began in January 2008 and will be an ongoing effort.
21. A committee will be formed in fall or winter 2008 to look at the challenge of an elderly membership many of whom no longer drive. Some of these people are in nursing homes. This committee will look at where these people are located and the feasibility of setting up a car-pooling schedule. Aggie Vawter is the lead person on this project which will be ongoing.
22. UULM Carbon Challenge. We will join with our statewide UU Legislative Ministry in the effort for UUs in California to lose 1,000,000 pounds of carbon emissions by Earth Day 2009. We will do this by forming Carbon Rings of five to eight households to build community and help each other decide how we can reduce our carbon footprints. These Carbon Rings will be formed and meet between Earth Day 2008 and Earth Day 2009. Lead person: Christine Bailey.
23. In 2008 Eric Ross will make a presentation on behalf of the environmental group, Save Our Sandhill (SOS) Cranes, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit involved in education and advocacy regarding Sandhill Cranes and environmental issues with the goal of raising consciousness about a local species of concern and the threatened habitat of this bird species in the Pacific Flyway for UUSS'ers in general and Green Sanctuary/Ministry for the Earth participants specifically.
24. In 2008 Eric Ross will work with UUSS members to set up opportunities for them to do volunteer work for ECOS (the Environmental Council of Sacramento), a network/consortium of environmental advocacy groups in the Sacramento area who are involved in, among other things, sponsoring Earth Day celebrations locally and involving themselves in environmental advocacy before local, County, State and federal agencies to protect and save the remaining farm and wilderness in the area along with promoting smart growth and the in fill of already developed lands in Sacramento and surrounding counties.
25. Jerry Hostler and Dorothy Mitchell will organize vegetarian evening dinners in 2008 for Family Promise guests during at least 2 visits during the year. Other volunteers will also be recruited in order to provide a variety of dishes. A printed handout of the recipes will be provided to the families.
26. Nancy Oprsal, Don Coan, Pat Naylor and Dorothy Mitchell (others to be recruited) will organize a demonstration of solar cookers to be held after services during the summer.
27. Beginning in March 2008 we will provide containers on campus for the congregation to recycle cell phones and printer cartridges. Linda Hoganson is the lead person.
28. We will revamp the lighting, sound and wiring in our Sanctuary in a manner that saves energy. We will save energy by replacing one of the old fixtures (2 x T12 lamps — 1.5" in diameter) with two new fixtures that have (1 x T8 lamps — 1" in diameter). It is estimated that we will save about 20% of the power consumed by the old lamps. The total estimated saving is 13,845 kWh per year. In addition to these factors, the T8 lamp life expectancy is twice that of the T12 lamps, so the materials cost is lower and the amount of material to be disposed of is reduced. We will also save a significant amount of money and labor by changing the lamps less frequently. Terry Troop leads this project.
29. In addition to project #28, we will attempt to implement many of the low cost or no cost energy audit recommendations. The major energy audit recommendations will be considered by the Searching for the Future visioning task force and the property management committee as they work with the congregation to identify plans for our buildings over the next five, ten and 15 years and beyond.
30. During the development of the Green Sanctuary Project and in the Searching for the Future visioning process, many in the congregation expressed a desire to explore ideas for a more natural habitat and gardening options on the UUSS grounds including changes that reduce water usage. As with project #29, these issues will be considered by the visioning task force and the property management committee as they work with the congregation to identify plans for our buildings and grounds.
31. We will promote sustainable living practices in our UUSS congregation by setting up an information table on Sundays for the purpose of distributing "green" reminder ribbons to attach to nametags and also to distribute information on how to reduce our carbon footprints. Diane Kelly-Abrams began this project in March 2008. Information will be distributed monthly and a joyful, caring attitude toward our beautiful Earth and its fragile nature will be fostered.
32. Free cycling. Two members, Shirley Hines and Linda Roye, will set up a venue for want ads in which people advertise to give away items they no longer use and wish to give away and other people can advertise items that they are looking for. This may be set up as a link to the Green Sanctuary page of the church web site or may be on paper in a section of the monthly newsletter, the Unigram. This project, which will be ongoing, relates to recycling and the conservation of materials.
33. David McMorris will develop a recycling policy for the UUSS campus sometime in 2008 or 2009.
34. The ten tree project. We planted two trees on our grounds during the "Interfaith Tree Planting Ceremony" on Arbor Day, March 7, 2008. We will partner with the California Interfaith Power & Light (CIPL) to encourage other faith communities to accept the challenge of planting ten trees at churches and homes. This project promotes awareness of the value of trees to absorb CO2 gases and reduce the adverse impact on global warming and supports the community program to plant five million trees by 2015. We also collaborated with the Sacramento Tree Foundation on this project. Timeline is continuous as we care for the newly planted trees and explore possibility of planting more trees. Project leaders Barbara Hopkins and Pat Naylor are working with Anne Kempees on this project.
35. Reusables for food service at UU events. Although UU food service relied on "reusable" supplies for decades we changed to disposables because of the convenience of clean up, particularly dishwashing. The Green Sanctuary committee influenced discussion about changing the supplies used for meal service at UU events that ties in with the UU principle of interconnected web and sustainability. Project plans to date include the continuous education and publication to encourage reusables for as many events as possible. The Reusable Committee will continue to work on developing a "reusables policy" with specific procedures for implementing the return to reusables and to recruit volunteers for dishwashing and maintenance of the tablecloths. Reusables Committee members include Barbara Hopkins, Kimberly Ayers, Joyce Chadd and other Green Sanctuary members. This is an ongoing project for UUSS.
36. The Green Sanctuary Task Force is partnering with two interfaith organizations, the California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL), Sacramento chapter and the Interfaith Service Bureau of Sacramento (ISB) in keeping with the UU position of interconnected web of joining together with other faith groups to address common issues. Green Sanctuary members are active members with these groups and contribute to their regular meetings and events. The objective is to encourage faith communities to become informed and encourage their congregations to take action to expand citizen support of global warming issues and legislation. UU Green Sanctuary members will assist in the community Earth Day table for CIPL in April 2008. This partnership is coordinated by Green Sanctuary committee members. The timeline for this interfaith partnership is an ongoing effort.
37. Sharon Kamber is doing research and gathering information on how to use Sacramento's regional mass transit system. This information will be available to all church members. This project will be ongoing throughout 2008.
38. We will coordinate letter writing and email campaigns supporting effective and just government actions to reduce climate change. Christine Bailey will be lead for the federal government aspect of this project. Others at UUSS may step forward and take the lead to help make our voices heard on this issue at the state or local government levels.
39. RE classes will decorate reusable shopping bags on Easter morning, 2008, to sell to congregational members at a later date. We believe this will help raise awareness about saving the Earth's resources. Janet Lopez and Liz Leavy lead this project.
40. Partner with Soil Born Farm Urban Agricultural Project, a certified organic farm in the City of Sacramento that models and teaches sustainable agricultural methods (www.soilborn.org). We will share half of the June 2008 Sunday services' offering with them, invite them to speak to the congregation about what they do, and learn how we can possibly use a small section of our own UUSS land to raise a community garden. Their activities include improving food access in underserved neighborhoods in Sacramento, a social justice goal that we hope to emulate over the next two years as we work through our future visioning and strategic planning process.
41. Develop and creatively demonstrate information (on a Sunday in June of 2008) to help congregational members choose eggs produced from chickens which have been treated humanely under environmentally safe conditions. This project will be educational in that it will teach people how to interpret terms such as organic, free-range, cage free, natural or organic on the egg carton so that they may purchase the "greenest" eggs. Shirley Hines will develop this project idea, based on information sent out on a UUSS listserve by Chuck O'Neill.
We communicate within the congregation in the following ways:
We will communicate with groups, organizations and communities beyond our congregation in the following ways: