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Olympia Brown program designed to inspire environmental consciousness
By Lee Roberts
Selling and consuming fair trade coffee and sharing magazines might seem like small steps when it comes to the big job of caring for the planet we live on. But when such efforts are made by many people over a lifetime, they too can make a difference in preserving and protecting our environment.
These efforts, as well as larger, more far-reaching ones, are part of the Green Sanctuary program at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, 625 College Ave. Started a couple years ago by then intern minister Laura Horton, Green Sanctuary is a group of 15 to 20 people within the Olympia Brown congregation who are working to inspire environmental consciousness and activism both within and outside the church.
Their program is part of a nationwide effort of the Unitarian Universalist Association called The Seventh Principle Project. The project's name refers to one of the seven principles that Unitarian Universalists believe in which reads: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." That respect is what the Green Sanctuary program is all about. It aims to create respect for the Earth by:
* Building awareness of societal environmental issues.
* Motivating people to community action on environmental issues.
* Building connections between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness.
The group at Olympia Brown is doing so through a variety of initiatives ranging from battery, fluorescent bulb and computer recycling programs to removing invasive species from area forest ecosystems. Green Sanctuary also offers educational programs for members and the wider community about issues such as wind-powered electricity generation and the effect of under-inflated tires on gas mileage.
They are currently offering a series of discussion sessions on "Voluntary Simplicity," which looks at ways for people to reduce their general consumption without feeling deprived. Such discussions are one way the Green Sanctuary group aims to solve the puzzle of how to get more information out to people about what they can do to help the environment, said Melissa Warner, co-chair of Olympia Brown's Green Sanctuary. By presenting the information in different formats, the group hopes to get people to pay more attention to such issues.
"Sometimes you need to figure out ways to help people hear things a little differently," she said.
Warner and co-chair Jeff Sytsma lead the core group which attends meetings and plans and coordinates activities. When it comes to a specific project or event, other members or the congregation are encouraged to join in. Reaction to the group's efforts have been good so far, according to project organizers.
In May, for example, Green Sanctuary asked the congregation to participate in Sustainable Transportation to Worship Month by finding alternative ways to get to church. The goal was to reduce the amount of gasoline used and the amount of greenhouse gas produced.
Some folks biked, others walked and some took the bus or carpooled, resulting in more than 100 alternative trips to church. Not a bad turnout for a congregation of 340 people. And, the results were a savings of 425 miles (or about 16 gallons of fuel) and 400 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Sytsma said.
In addition to their connections with the nationwide Green Sanctuary program, the Olympia Brown group is also working with other faith-based environmental groups in this area. They have been doing projects with the Eco Justice Center, run by the Racine Dominicans. And they have established a relationship with the local Green Congregation program, a group of Lutheran and Methodist churches which are organizing their own environmental action groups.
For more information about Green Sanctuary programs, visit the Net at
http://www.uuaspp.org
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| Green Sanctuary sidebar 9-24-05 | Conner, 50th 9-24-05 |
