Connecting and inspiring an active community of UUs for environmental justice, spiritual renewal, and shared reverence for our Earth home.
We envision a world in which all people make reverence, gratitude, and care for the living Earth central to their lives. Our purpose is to inspire, facilitate and support personal, congregational and denominational practices that honor and sustain the Earth and all beings. We affirm and promote the seven principles of the UUA, including: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” UU Ministry for Earth is an affiliate organization of the UUA, and as, such is a separate not-for-profit with an independent Board of Directors. The concept began in 1989 with discussions about how to make the Seventh Principle of the UUA more central to members, congregations and the Association. The first edition of the Green Sanctuary Handbook was published in 1991 blending religious celebrations, education, administration and community action. In 1999 Rev. Fred Small inspired a national environmental program and by 2002 The Seventh Principle Project incorporated and the Green Sanctuary program began accrediting congregations. In 2005 the organization changed its name to Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. UUMFE was instrumental to the passage of the landmark Statement of Conscience on the threat of Global Warming/Climate Change. In 2008, UUMFE gave the Green Sanctuary program to the UUA to administer and began refocusing on environmental justice while still providing support to congregations with their earth ministry. In 2009, in partnership with the UU Office of Advocacy and Witness, Rowan Van Ness became the first Environmental Justice intern in the Washington DC office as an employee of UUMFE.
• Follow up on the 350 International Day of Climate Action on October 24th by providing advocacy and information around climate change legislation and the December summit in Copenhagen • Develop and provide Earth Day Sunday materials to congregations (the theme for 2010 is Ethical Eating and the packet will be ready in January) • Produce Environmental Justice guides and other resources to challenge and support UUs to take up this important work • Partner with District staff in supporting their congregations in the work of caring for and celebrating Earth following the model in the Northern New England District and with a challenge grant from the UU funding program • Sponsor and conduct an Environmental Justice workshop at General Assembly, in collaboration with the UUA Office of Advocacy and Witness • Publish three newsletters and monthly e-newsletters • Celebrate successes including congregational stories, UUMFE’s Guardian of the Future award, and more than twenty years of UU Ministry for Earth history • Collaborate with UUA President Peter Morales and other UU leaders to continue to incorporate environmental justice into the work of our congregations
As an independent non-profit organization, most of UUMFE’s funding comes from memberships, donations, grants, and resource sales. A special targeted gift, given to us through the UUA, supports the new Program Associate in Environmental Justice position. All other UUMFE programs, projects, resources, and staff depend upon our own fundraising efforts. The UUMFE board has set a goal to hire a half-time executive director in 2010. This new position will increase our capacity to serve UUs and congregations. It will also support our small Board, other dedicated volunteers, and part-time staff with necessary management skills and direction. We need your help in writing this new chapter for UUMFE. Here are the many ways you can support our work: • Become a member or renew your membership at http://www.uuministryforearth.org/join_order_online • Consider a higher membership level or make a donation for a specific purpose • Join the fifteen Parents for the Planet, a special giving level for people who can make gifts of $1,000 or more to UUMFE • Provide match money for the challenge grant to support UUMFE partnerships with Districts • Ask your congregation to have a special plate collection for UU Ministry for Earth • Volunteer to write a story about environmental justice work in your congregation • Ask how you can get involved with environmental justice in your community, your congregation, and your faith tradition.
The new UU Ministry for Earth is intending to be a connector--supporting and inspiring individuals, congregations, ministers, UUA leadership and staff, and other UU organizations to lift up voices for Earth from within our denomination. From its beginnings in 1999 as the Seventh Principle Project, UUMFE has sought to both influence UUs at all levels to make the Seventh Principle (respect for the interdependent we of which we are all a part), more central to their lives and theology. A step in that direction was the gift of UUMFE’s Green Sanctuary Program to the UUA, thus making Earth care more mainstream within the Association. We now feel called to continue serving as the leading edge of UU environmental theology, practice and justice by collecting the wisdom and experience of all sectors of Unitarian Universalism and making it available to individuals, congregations, Districts and the Association. In order to meet this new calling, we know we need to transform the way we operate to take advantage of current technology that allows for the sharing of information and its dissemination in new ways. Thus, we are revamping our website to be a place where resources can be shared and created for everyone’s use. We will be changing our staffing model to give us the support that will be needed to implement this vision. We are asking you to help us by sharing your expertise and stories. So, we invite you to collaborate on the new Environmental Justice Guide by helping review and add to this publication. As we continue our transformation we will be inviting you to participate in more ways to build the wisdom and voice of earth care within the UUA and in the larger world.