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Green Sanctuary |
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The Green Sanctuary Program is a UUA program that encourages congregations to practice the UUA’s Seventh Principle: respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. The program is a means by which congregations can work toward focusing on the theological, spiritual and ethical aspects of human activities that affect the health and sustainability of the living earth. Each participating congregation completes at least 12 projects in four focus areas: · Worship and Celebration · Religious Education · Environmental Justice · Sustainable Living.
The first step is to conduct an environmental audit, providing a snapshot of where the congregation stands with respect to its environmental behaviors. An action plan of projects/events is developed and is submitted to the UUMFE. Once the plan has been completed, the voting membership of the congregation, or Board, must vote on its application to the UUMFE for certification as a Green Sanctuary Program. Heritage formally became a candidate on July 30, 2008. View application. |
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Sustainable Living
Sustainable living includes waste reduction, reduction of toxic substance use, energy conservation, and waste conservation. Below are some ideas for a more sustainable life-style.
· Reduce, reuse, recycle! · Use CFL (compact fluorescent lighting). Be sure to dispose of these properly. Learn more about proper disposal or, HUUC has a collection box above the coat rack. · Dispose of hazardous waste properly. For Hamilton County residents, the 2008 Hamilton County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program will be open Saturday, March 1 through Saturday, November 22. Drop-off locations are located in Spring Grove and on Cincinnati-Dayton Rd. Learn more about this program, including drop-off times and days of operation. · Got a TV set? Almost 99 out of 100 American households do. And with the transition to digital TV broadcasts and the growing popularity of HD and flat-screen television sets, many of those households are getting newer, bigger TVs. But how much do you know about how that new TV will affect your carbon footprint? Are America's couch potatoes warming more than their sofa cushions? Take this quiz to find out. · Plant drought resistant plants in your landscape. Learn more. · Recycle ink cartridges. There is a container on top of the coat rack to collect these. Learn more. · Recycle building materials at Cincinnati’s Building Material Re-use Center. Learn more.
For more ideas on sustainable living, visit these organizations:
· ReSource: an agency that provides merchandise and support services to qualified non-profit members through collaboration with businesses and non-profit entities. Learn more. · Green Energy Ohio is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally and economically sustainable energy policies and practices in Ohio. GEO is the Ohio Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). Learn more. |
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Environmental justice
Environmental justice is part of environmentalism. It is completely consistent with the UU commitment to social justice. We can‘t solve the problems of ecology without facing the problems of inequity. All justice work is environmental work as much as is recycling or organic eating.
Current projects sponsored by the HUUC Green Team:
Mill Creek Project: Because Earth justice acknowledges that environmental impacts fall first and most severely on those who receive the least of the benefits and are mostly powerless to effect changes, this project will work in solidarity with residents of Cincinnati in the Spring Grove Village area to mitigate the effects of air pollution. We will work directly with ECO, Environmental Community Organization, to support residents who issue complaints against major violators of the Clean Air Act. In partnership with ECO, we will develop and adapt materials to send to residents in areas where toxic odors are a problem. We will meet with residents to understand the problems they face. We will educate ourselves and help to educate others about their rights vis-à-vis the Clean Air Act, how to follow up on complaints, and how to effectively work with their neighbors to hold polluters accountable.
Letter writing campaign: Of all the major Department of Energy sites across the nation that are under order for an environmental cleanup of toxic hazards, Piketon (Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant) is the only site that has never had a Citizens Advisory Board. Southern Ohio Neighbors Group seeks a voice for the community in plans for future uses of the site. One option is a reprocessing plant which would remove plutonium from spent fuel rods. Local residents are concerned that the Piketon plant will simply be a nuclear "dump" "Most of the radioactive material (now stored in Piketon) was shipped from Fernald and Hanford (Wash.) to meet cleanup deadlines at those facilities. Heritage members will sign petitions to stop the nuclear dump at Piketon. The petitions will be forwarded to the Department of Energy. |
