Green Sanctuary Program
2007- 2008
Program
Philosophy
The
Cedars congregation embraces the goal of “taking care of the Earth because it is
our home.” The words are from the affirmation recited at each Sunday service,
and became the theme of a Sunday service in the fall of 2005 that marked the
first steps toward forming a Cedars Green Sanctuary Program, which was patterned
after the national program sponsored by the UU Ministry for Earth.
Program
Statistics and Framework
Barry Peters chairs the committee, which meets monthly to plan activities and
review results. The group also conducts spirited discussions by e-mail and
telephone between meetings and in preparation for special events.
Activities
After more than two years of program activity, the Cedars congregation voted to
apply to become certified as a Green Sanctuary Congregation in January 2008.
The Cedars
Green Sanctuary Program started in 2005 as a joint effort of the Social Action
and Adult Programs Committees. From the beginning, Green Sanctuary program
activities reached out not only to the congregation, but also to the broader
community of Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap. As a result, the Green
Sanctuary program not only increased the congregation’s awareness and action for
environmental justice and sustainable living, it also led to the formation of a
widely-recognized community nonprofit organization called Sustainable
Bainbridge.
Rev. Katherine
Jesch of the UU Ministry for Earth came to Cedars in November 2005 to provide
inspiration and leadership for the formation of the Green Sanctuary Committee,
which was subsequently approved by the Cedars Board of Trustees. Since then,
the Committee has conducted the following programs and actions:
·
Green Sanctuary Earth Day Sunday Services: April 2006 and 2007
·
Earth Day 2006 Community Festival for 250 people at the local Playhouse:
Speaker: Local Author David Korten, on “The Great Turning: …To Earth Community.”
·
Interfaith partnering, multi-congregational, and community events:
o
With Eagle Harbor Congregational Church (UCC): Environmental film series, with
five films, including The Great Story: Eco-theologian Thomas Berry
o
With Suquamish Congregational Church (UCC): University of Washington journalism
professor, David Domke, Reclaiming the Moral High Ground.
·
Home study courses for two groups of 12 participants: 9-week courses reading
from the Northwest Earth Institute’s Choices for Sustainable Living.
·
Development of a children’s RE Green Sanctuary study day curriculum
·
Community Service Day: Restoring Wildlife Habitat
·
Education on Environmental Issues in the Washington State Legislature, with Rev.
Carol McKinley of Washington UU Voices for Justice
·
Green Tips: a monthly series of sustainable living tips in the newsletter and
website
·
Workshop: What Are the Alternatives to a Gas Guzzler?
·
Workshop: Green Home Supplies
·
Workshop: Water Conservation at Home, and Why It Matters
·
Workshop: Home Energy Audits and Energy Conservation
·
Ecological Footprint Survey: An online survey of individual lifestyles and
practices in which more than 70 members of the 150-member congregation
participated.
Having
completed the set of projects required for Green Sanctuary certification, the
Committee’s planned ongoing Green Sanctuary activities for the 2007-08 church
year include:
·
A
three-month occasional series of Sunday Service personal testimonies on the
meaning of a Green Sanctuary
·
A
Sunday Service led by a Committee member on: We are the Leaders We’ve Been
Waiting For
·
A
congregational workshop led by a Committee member on: Change the Story;
Change the Future
·
An environmental book and film discussion group, starting with Omnivore’s
Dilemma
·
Discussion leadership at a community event on growing food locally in the
community.
