“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them”.Albert Einstein
The Planet Circle established a Green Sanctuary Team in November of 2008.In the search by the Planet Circle for an appropriate UU response to taking responsibility for the planet, we found the Green Sanctuary Program developed by the UU Ministry for Earth, an affiliate of the Universalist Unitarian Association.
The goals of the Green Sanctuary Program are:
1. Build awareness of the significance and complexity of environmental issues
2. Encourage personal lifestyle changes
3. Engage in community action on environmental issues
4. Strengthen the connection between the spiritual practice and Earthconsciousness
5. Work to heal environmental injustice
In addition, a congregation may choose to include one or more of their own goals, such as attracting new members, enriching a particular program area, or highlighting a specific issue such as global warming or species extinction.
The Green Sanctuary Program is based on the assumption that it is possible to create the future we want, and that we can “get there from here”. It is about change, commitment and interaction as a congregation. More importantly the Programis about encouraging individual church members to examine and to make changes in their personal lives as well as their church lives. It is about recognizing that our spiritual orientation shapes how we see ourselves in the world, how we relate to one another, and how we respond to the interdependent web of all existence. The Green Sanctuary Program is a collective effort, not just a personal project for the most committed environmentalists in the congregation. It is about all of us, according to our talents and capacities, coming together to create the Earth community we have envisioned.
The Green Sanctuary Program was adopted by a unanimous vote at the AGM on May 24, 2009, and involves many individual congregants as well as church groups and committees including; Communications, Property, Music, Religious Education, Vestry, Youth, Fellowship and others. The Green Sanctuary Action Plan explains the broad range of projects; something for almost everyone to get enthusiastic about! The Green Sanctuary Team will work as a facilitating committee for the Program, not control it. This exciting endeavour requires vision, whole-hearted endorsement and participation from Vestry, committees and the membership of this church. This is a wonderful opportunity to live our Seventh Principle: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part". A full action plan has been developed and can be seen on the Green Sanctuary Action Plan web page.
We ask that the membership embrace the vision of the Green Sanctuary Program and that we willingly embark and participate on the journey towards becoming a certified Green Sanctuary Congregation. Please read the Action Plan and see how you might choose to participate; Community gardening perhaps? Working with the children? A Local Harvest Dinner? Contact the Green Team Coordinator (Margaret Galbraith) or any of the project contact people listed in the Action Plan for more information.
“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.”Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Green Sanctuary Program was adopted by a unanimous vote at the AGM on May 24, 2009, and involves many individual congregants as well as church groups and committees including; Communications, Property,