Sustainable Living & Climate Action

Did you know that UUSE has been a certified Green Sanctuary congregation since the spring of 2006? The Green Sanctuary program was developed and begun by the UU Ministry for Earth for UU congregations. The program at UUSE was led by the Sustainable Living Committee with approval and involvement of the policy board, staff, various committees and the full congregation. Goals and projects were developed in four different areas: worship, religious education, sustainable living and social/environmental justice. Our Action Plan for 2005 included 15 different projects, heavily focused on our response to global warming. It included implementing recommendations from an energy audit, starting our children’s organic vegetable garden program, starting recycling and composting programs, working with other state and local organizations on common goals, and much more. The congregation-wide support and success of the program led us to seek out the greenest way we could afford to implement our planned building renovation and expansion project.

Between 2007 and the spring of 2010 we were deep into the planning, fundraising for and implementation of our building project. The Growth of the Green Sanctuary Program allowed it to become a project of the UUA. And by 2011 we were encouraged to apply for Re-accreditation. Our application for Re-accreditation included various projects in the areas of worship and celebration, religious education, sustainable living, and active environmental justice efforts, such as helping to pass CT’s first environmental justice law, working with local groups to start school and other community gardens and to help low-income residents benefit from CT’s Home Energy Solutions program. We documented all the work done in the UUSE building project including energy conservation work, our geo-thermal system and eventual solar panel system, and Energy Star certification with a 98% score in 2013, as well as various ecological landscaping projects, and the Peas and Love Veganic Garden. On February 17, 2013 we received the notice we were awarded Green Sanctuary Recertification. 

UUSE was the first accredited Green Sanctuary in CT and still the only Recertified congregation. As of 2020 at least 30% of all UU congregations are Green Sanctuaries, 5 of which are in CT. But now UUA has revised and begun a new version called Green Sanctuary 2030. The Sustainable Living Committee endorses this new project but needs new people to take on the leadership of such a project. Does this interest you? We welcome anyone interested in this or other projects of the Sustainable Living Committee to join us for our monthly zoom meeting on second Tuesdays at 7:00 PM. Let Anne Vaughan, LAnne.Vaughan@gmail.com know so you can receive an agenda and zoom link for the September 10th meeting.