Green Sanctuary

What is the “Green Sanctuary” Program?

In September 2007, the Prairie Lakes Unitarian Fellowship held its official “kick-off” toward becoming designated as a Green Sanctuary, and have been pursuing planning, information-gathering, and implementing since then.

“A Green Sanctuary is a congregation that lives out its commitment to the Earth by creating a sustainable life style for its members as individuals and as a faith community. Sustainable living is not about our material comfort (though these choices are an important part of the overall life style); it is about choosing to live in a way that nurtures life, builds relationships, and rejects material consumption as the sole determinant of happiness.” UU Ministry for Earth

The program was launched in the fall of 2000 by the Seventh Principle Project, the UUA-related environmental organization (Seventh Principle quoted above).

Program Goals
• 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.
Program Activities
The Green Sanctuary Program includes a total of twelve activities in four program areas. Congregations must complete at least twelve activities or projects spread over the four program elements. Some projects will be one-time events; others will be on going over a period of months. The four program elements, and the number of projects required in each, are:
• Worship and Celebration (2)
• Religious Education (2)
• Environmental Justice (2)
• Sustainable Living (4, including at least 1 energy conservation activity)
Two additional activities can be selected from any of the four program elements. One social justice project will be a major on-going activity in collaboration with another congregation or organization to address an issue of environmental justice in your community or in the world.

In October 2008, we were granted “candidacy” into the program, based on our written application materials and action plans. We are currently in the phase of implementing those plans. Some of the activities already completed: A personal “green” audit developed and provided to PLUUF members and friends; a rain barrel-making’ party’ which included a number of individuals from other communities and resulted in 10 new barrels, two of which were put into use at PLUUF (08/2008); purchase and use of a composter for degradable waste at PLUUF (09/2008); join the Adopt-a-Highway program (first clean-up, 09/2008); assisted the 1st Congregational Church of Ripon with its Fair Trade booth during the community-wide event ‘Dickens of a Christmas’ (12/2008); created an intra-congregation Tool-Sharing Network (01/2009)… Earth-centered Sunday services are offered periodically through the year.

When we have implemented the plans included in PLUUF’s application for candidacy, we will apply for ‘Green Sanctuary’ status. This designation will be included in Fellowship materials, and noted in the Central Midwest District and UUA print and online directories. More importantly, this designation will represent an ongoing commitment by our spiritual community to model and live out Unitarian Universalism’s Seventh Principle (above).