As Unitarian Universalists, we gather together to find support and sustenance in community and also to find meaning in our lives. We derive this meaning from many sources: from each other, from the world around us, and from the many religious and philosophical sources all peoples draw on. Our congregation, in particular, draws strongly on the philosophies of humanism and naturalism. These areas lend themselves powerfully to the Green Sanctuary Program, which focuses on the interface between humanity and the natural world.

Green Sanctuary congregations are dedicated to around living out the UU Seventh Principle of "affirming and promoting respect for the interdependent web of all existence" through the celebration and protection of the environment. The Green Sanctuary Program is sponsored by the Seventh Principle Project and provides a framework for congregational study and reflection, plus individual and collective action for responding to that call. The five goals of the Green Sanctuary Program are:

· To build awareness of societal environmental issues among UUs.

· To generate commitment for personal lifestyle changes.

· To motivate UUs to community action on environmental issues.

· To build a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness.

· To build awareness of and rectify environmental injustices.

Two years ago at the 2002 Annual Meeting, our congregation voted to participate in this program through the Candidacy segment and to explore for ourselves whether or not Accreditation was compatible with our Fellowship. We have made some changes to our Fellowship as part of this program. We have improved our energy use, implemented recycling programs, switched to Fair Trade products, and more, but a lot of the Green Sanctuary process has been simply increasing awareness of what is already part of our Fellowship.

Therefore, the Social Justice committee proposes that we take the next step. We propose that we join the network of churches that share our commitment to the environment and seek Accreditation as a Green Sanctuary.

Accreditation as a Green Sanctuary would involve the following:

· Green Sanctuary would remain an official item on the Social Justice Committee agenda (Due to the size of the fellowship, we have chosen not to form a separate GS committee)

· The congregation would maintain the practices implemented over the last three years and implement new programs as needed (an outline of what we have done and will do is outlined on the Social Justice segment of the Fellowship website: http://www.uufom.org/SocialJustice/GreenSanctuary/).

· We would join a network of other congregations involved with Green Sanctuary (to learn more about the Seventh Principle Project (SPP) network, you might check out their website at http://www.uuaspp.org/ or take a look at the Green Sanctuary manual, available in the library)

· We would commit to a $100 annual membership fee to support maintenance of the SPP network, workshops & lectures at General Assembly and other forums, etc.

The Social Justice Committee would like to thank all of you for your support of this program, and we look forward to your vote at the October 2004 Annual Meeting.

From the Social Justice Committee,

Heather Cleland-Host (co-chair)

Jackie Anderson (co-chair)

UUFOM Green Sanctuary FAQ

(Questions about Green Sanctuary here at UUFOM?)

UUFOM GREEN STEPS

(Report on UUFOMs Environmental activities)

SPP website (http://www.uuaspp.org/)

(For more about the Seventh Principle Project (SPP)) 

Back to main Green Sanctuary Page