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Global Warming

Global Warming Resources

At General Assembly 2006, UUs passed a Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming (download a printable PDF version).

Check here often for updates and new ideas.

Global Warming, One Year Later

a summary of congregational responses to the threat of global warming

The list that follows is a compilation of actions reported to UU Ministry for Earth during 2006 and actions reported by the 154 participants in the General Assembly 2007 program "Global Warming, One Year Later" co-sponsored by the UUA Commission on Social Witness and UU Ministry for Earth. After a brief introduction and overview of the Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change adopted at the 2006 General Assembly, participants were asked to break into smaller groups by districts and to address two questions: 1) What is the best thing your congregation has done/is doing to address climate change? and 2) What has been the major challenge in engaging your congregation on this issue, and how did you resolve it, if you did? It is important to note that numerous congregations in various permutations did many of the actions below; so what follows is a compilation of ideas and action steps rather than a numerical tally of actions. UUs across North America have clearly taken seriously both the need and the urgency to implement the Statement of Conscience.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOUR CONGREGATION HAS DONE/IS DOING TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE?

Education:

Showed An Inconvenient Truth. Almost all congregations reported doing this and many showed other climate-change-related films (some congregations organized community-wide film festivals)
Hosted electric car demonstrations, some offered free rides in newspaper articles
Hosted Union of Concerned Scientists and other expert speakers from local universities and colleges and environmental organizations
Sponsored the new discussion course from the Northwest Earth Institute called "Changing Co2urse" www.nwei.org
Held RD green principles class
Launched educational efforts to encourage driving less, use public transportation more, eat local, buy "green" cars, reduce junk mail, and eat vegetarian or less meat
Hosted simple living workshops and simplicity circles
Organized a "transportation adventure" field trip to experience and learn to use various forms of local public transportation
Hosted Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow's "Evolution of the Universe" workshop
Took field trip focused on retrofitting older or historical buildings
Offered Adult RE course on political consequences of oil dependence

Congregational Actions:

More than 30 congregations applied for UU Ministry For Earth Green Sanctuary candidacy
Many congregations conducted environmental audits of church properties
Put green sanctuary/Earth ministry work at board level with members on all major church committees
Installed timed thermostats
Installed hot-water-on-demand water heater
Planted trees on property and/or in community, took Ten Tree Challenge
Sold seeds and native plants
Installed system to use run-off water from building/parking lot for gardens
Made annual auction green-themed
Installed water management system
Created gardens, some organic, some organized and maintained by teens
Committed to building an environmentally sound new building
Became certified as an Audubon Natural Wildlife Habitat, RE project
Made church property part of a nature conservancy
Held vegetarian potlucks
Changed to silver and china and away from disposables
Held worship services devoted to global warming and its challenges (some led by youth groups)
Put map in directory to facilitate carpooling
Conducted professional energy audits of buildings
Added insulation, and/or replaced caulk around doors and windows, installed weathers tripping, and converted to cellular window shades.
Performed the play Mother Earth vs. The Earth?s People (available in UUMFE Global Warming Action Kit, Vol. 1)
Organized an invitational gallery art show on the theme of global warming
Youth attended a Youth Con on global warming
Partnered with congregational building committees to advocate for green building practices, energy efficiency, and, in some cases, renewable energy options in new building and remodeling plans
Offered ride sharing/alternative transportation options plans for Sunday services
Led field trips to sites such as energy-neutral houses, a passive-solar/solar-electric house, and a local farmers? market.
Green columns in newsletters, green tips in order of service
Recycling bins in church
Replaced venetian blind window covering with insulating/reflecting blinds
One new sanctuary is LEED certified, at least one other new sanctuary will be LEED certified
Made new building addition green by using geothermal heat
Created community investment program with micro loans for insulation upgrades
Joined interfaith power and light
Minister of re started "cool deeds" program
Began planning for an environmental justice program
Committed line item in church budget to support wind power in NM through the Blue Sky Project
Replaced furnace
Committed to making congregation carbon neutral, calculated congregational footprint

Helping Individual UUs Living More Sustainably:

Youth conducted survey, ?How did you get to church?
Calculated personal carbon footprints and committed to reducing emissions and, in many casing, offsetting the portion that could not be reduced (see Carbonfund)
Many sold CFLs as fundraising project for green sanctuary projects or youth groups
Created buying club to make energy-efficient appliances more available
Created black footprint poster which represents 50,000 tons of CO2 - as actions are taken by individual members, footprint is being covered with white stickers representing units of carbon reductions
Tire pressure reading and pumping up events and education actions
Bike tune-ups and clinics to encourage bike riding
Created a bike coop that lends bikes
Bike-to-Church Day
Solar heating for hot water, installed solar panels
After An Inconvenient Truth, 150 families in congregation changed to green electricity option

Community action and advocacy:

Advocated with other liberal faiths to make city council a green council
Working with local organic CSAs (community sustainable agriculture)
Participated in "STEP IT UP 2007"
Organized community awareness events; partnered with coalition of community organizations, local experts, and local businesses
Supported state legislation on renewal energy and energy conservation
Worked with local governments to join the cool cities campaign, and hosted Sunday coffee-hour presentations on the cool cities program
Supported UU Legislative Ministry efforts in Florida and California related to global warming
Organized letter-writing events to support legislation to end mountaintop-removal coal mining, protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge against oil drilling, and establish a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions.
Sponsored alternative gift fairs that included sales of reusable water bottles, arbor day foundation?s adopt-a-tree gift cards, energy-conserving holiday lights, and reusable grocery bags made of recycled materials.
2 congregations have adopted village adversely affected by global warming, one in Alaska. In this cong. Children write to their congressional reps about how global warming is affecting their friends.
One congregation gave 1000 CFLs to farming community with info pamphlets in English & Spanish; another purchased 120 CFLs and is donating 10 per month to local food bank.
Organized film series and workshops for community

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MAJOR CHALLENGE IN ENGAGING YOUR CONGREGATION ON THIS ISSUE, AND HOW DID YOU RESOLVE IT, IF YOU DID?

Large congregation, members don?t read newsletter
Changing deeply ingrained habits of life and consumption
Maintaining interest in environmental issues
Church resists taking a stand
Folks are sometimes depressed/discouraged/paralyzed
It?s great to partner with the larger community, but you can lose the congregational spark
People can feel guilty, turned off. We have to support one another through that.
Need grounding in our sense of place, because so many of us come from elsewhere
Building design issues
Money to do things right
Lack of imagination and passion/ being green still seems like a cottage industry
Making the connection between industrial agriculture and climate change
Our committee sometimes works in secret, appears exclusive and not accessible
Science vs. Tree-hugger disagreements
Difficulties in cleaning up after events, (people-power, etc) results in use of disposables
Bringing this issue into our worship
Apathy
"We are too well-educated", "More-righteous-than-thou" attitudes
People are "resistant" to this issue, overwhelmed, in denial
Need to combine the civil rights movement with Earth justice
Need for continuity throughout church
Need this issue to be institutionalized
Make caring for earth part of the liturgy
Need to respond to many issues
Leader burnout, not enough volunteer energy

Implementing the UU Statement of Conscience on Global Warming

Order the CD-ROM Global Warming Action Kits

Global Warming Action Kits, Vol. 1 & 2

Most documents on both CDs in this kit are created in Microsoft Word to allow easy tailoring of the content to the needs of your congregation. The materials are already formatted with color and clip art to make it quick and simple to get the members of your congregation engaged in addressing climate change- just print and act! Click here to order online or to download an order form.

New for 2007! Global Warming Action Kit Volume 2

The Global Warming Action Kit Volume 2 contents reflect the high level of activity in UU congregations in 2006 and includes:

"Our Warming World" Art Show. Includes background on the inspiration for this event, step-by-step guidelines to follow, and photos of six pieces from the show.
Prayer Flags for the Planet, A beautiful idea for a community activity that gives members of your congregation the opportunity to focus their prayers and intentions to heal the planet. Placed on your church grounds, they may bear witness to our love and concern for Earth.
"Final Exit", a new play by Doug Stewart. Doug wrote "Mother Earth vs. The World's People" for Vol. 1. Now he is back with a 10-minute dialogue between Mother Earth and St. Peter.
Sing Out! Folksinger Dan Berggren's "Power from Above" and Linda Pelham's "Care for Me" with recorded songs, sheet music, and lyrics, plus some new words to old tunes.
Global Warming Services, a collection of six sermons and services
Walk 'n Roll to Church. Ideas from congregations across the country on how to get to church and church activities in a more sustainable fashion. Includes many useful templates.
Deepening the Global Warming 1-2-3 Pledge - Steps 4, 5 and 6
Global Warming Films . Includes a large annotated film list
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs and LED Lights. Ideas on how to hold a sale in your congregation, information on how to select and dispose of correctly, and a clever holiday idea promoting LED lights.
Community Library Project. Ideas for setting up an Environmental Educational Resource in your public library.
and more!

Also Available, Global Warming Action Kit Volume 1

This bestseller of 2006 includes:

"Mother Earth vs. World's People - Perhaps the Most Important Trial in the History of the Civilization" by UU Doug Stewart. A fun but thought-provoking play regarding global warming in which Mother Earth brings World's People to court, charging them with grievous personal harm and denial of the civil right to a fruitful existence.
A generous collection of quotes relating to the global warming.
Global Warming1-2-3. A simple-but-effective method for personally beginning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Ten Tree Challenge. A proven plan for restoring and/or establishing green areas of our carbon dioxide-devouring friends - trees. Applicable for all ages.
20% Footprint Reduction Toolkit. A set of worksheets for congregations and individuals to track their energy use and carbon emissions with a goal of reducing energy use by 20%.
UUMFE Clean Power Pledge
Carbon Offsets and Green Power. An introduction to the UU Ministry for Earth/Carbonfund.org partnership, which allows congregations, and individual UUs to first offset all possible carbon emissions and then to offset those which remain.

Commit to learning about and acting upon the ethical dimensions of global warming.
To begin, read the text from the GA 2006 workshop:
Beyond Science: Ethical/Religious Dimensions of Global Warming.

Science Behind the Threat of Global Warming

The Science Behind the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change is a UUMFE reference for use with the new UUA Statement of Conscience on Global Warming/Climate Change.

Climate Change News from Chad Tolman

To receive Climate Change News each month by e-mail,
just send an e-mail message to:
climate_change_news-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
The list is moderated, so only climate change issues are posted.

UU Global Warming E-Mail List

UU Ministry for Earth has organized an e-mail list for addressing issues and actions related to the 2004-2006 Study Action Issue on the threat of global warming. Its purpose is to help UUs share technical information about the causes and implications of global warming while encouraging participants develop appropriate strategies for individuals and congregations to combat its dangers. To join the list, visit the UUA website: http://www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/globalwarming/

Response to Global Warming

from the First Unitarian Church , Portland, Oregon

Global Warming Q & A
1-2-3 Program Pledge
Individual Action Tips

Additional Resources from UUMFE

Statements at 2004 General Assembly
A Religious Response to Global Warming
Actions for Individuals, Ministers, and Congregations
Video and Audio Resources
Environmental Book List
Additional Reading Materials
Earth and Spirit Songbook
Environmental Quotations
Environmental Web Sites

From the UUA Washington Office

Small Group Ministry Session:
Hotel Earth and the Threat of Global Warming

Beyond Science: Ethical Religious Dimensions of Global Warming (GA 2006 workshop)

Take the
10-Tree Challenge

Reduce Your
Carbon Footprint

Join the Global Warming e-mail discussion list