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Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church
A Welcoming
Congregation
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Green Sanctuary
The Sustainability Book Group will take a break over the summer months. We will resume meeting on September 17 with a discussion of Michael Pollan’s recent (2008) book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Our November selection will be Getting A Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want by Frances Moore Lappe’ (2010). Newcomers are always welcome and the kettle will be on! Please join us. Contact Leslie Marshall or Herb Hethcote for more information.
Hot Tips for a Cool Planet These hints come from the Green America e-newsletter for April 22, 2010 (Earth Day):
1. Borrow, Trade, or Buy Used The greenest thing you can do is to not buy new at all. Use our resources for inspiration on how barter or cooperate for just about anything: books, movies, clothing, food, home repairs, and more. [This becomes very appealing when you think about your favorite paperback books costing between $8.00 and $15.00 new and priced between $0.50 and $1.00 at the frequent library sales (or the whopping difference between a new and used hardcover book) and borrowing something means you get two pay-backs: you don't have spend any capital and you don't have to find a place to store it.]
2. Grow Your Own Food When you plant your own garden you can ensure that your food is organic and healthy, and since there is no transportation involved, there are no climate change emissions. A National Gardening Association study found that the average family spends $70 a year on maintaining a vegetable garden, and grows $600 worth of harvest.
3. Green Your Energy at Home Switch your light bulbs, fire your clothes dryer, and unplug small appliances that draw electricity even when they're turned off. There are many strategies for pursuing energy efficiency, which reduces the amount of power you'll need to produce to go all the way, with wind or solar.
4. Give Your Car a Break If only one percent (1%) of car owners in the US did not drive for one day a week, we would save an estimated 42 million gallons of gas per year, and keep 840 million pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
5. Buy Used, Organic, or Sweatshop-free Clothes Instead of heading to the mall for new clothes, you can buy stylish clothing at thrift and resale shops, or purchase new clothes that are sweatshop-free, organic, and/or Fair Trade from responsible clothiers. (Find companies in the Green Pages or in our Guide to Ending Sweatshops.)
6. Buy Organic and Fair Trade Personal Care Products Make-up and body-care products have been linked to allergic reactions, birth defects, even cancer. Many products contain oils and extracts that are harvested and produced in a way that harms the environment and exploits workers. Look for organic and Fair Trade products instead.
7. Buy Green Home Products Household cleaners, paints and stains, furniture, carpets, and many other items contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which have been linked to cancer, endocrine disruption, and eye irritants. Instead, make your own cleaners from safe, household ingredients, or purchase greener cleaning products.
8. Support Local Green Businesses Spending money at locally owned businesses keeps more money in your community, with some research demonstrating more than three times as much money staying the community, and a growing number of local businesses are going green. The new ZIP code search function at the Green Pages (see URL above) can help you find local, green businesses near you.
9. Invest in a Greener Future You can invest in socially responsible mutual funds that earn competitive returns and promote corporate responsibility. You can also break up with your mega-bank and put your savings into community development banks and credit unions that invest in jobs, housing, and social services in local communities.
The Green Sanctuary Committee appreciates having the congregation use the special marked container to dispose of their empty used compostable Eco-Cup at the end of Sunday coffee hour. Now we invite everyone to step it up a notch during our social time together by always bringing our own reusable cups to the coffee hour on Sundays and using the Eco-Cups only as a backup or for visitors.
Cut your energy use when searching the web: bookmark and use Blackle, a black background version of the Google search engine, at www.blackle.com.
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