The Green Sanctuary committee at University Unitarian Church is working to engage our entire church community in practices that embody our UU seventh principle: Respect and care for the interdependent web of life of which we are a part.

We are working to fully, creatively integrate the seventh principle in our worship and religious education for all age levels. We organize a wide variety of projects and activities on topics such as transportation, alternative energy, pesticide awareness, sustainable food, and environmental legislative advocacay. We are also making our church practices more sustainable – more "green." And you can help! Explore these pages to learn more. Get in touch with contact people directly, or fill out our interest form [0].

Current activities

"Greening" our church practices: We are encouraging recycling, composting, and environmentally friendly products, and working to reduce waste, toxics, and energy consumption. To get involved with waste reduction efforts, contact Deejah Sherman-Peterson at 206-363-4604. To help with native, sustainable landscaping at UUC, contact Nancy Bowen-Pope [0].

Projects and initiatives: We have a variety of projects and initiatives underway. Some are one-time, and some are ongoing.

• Education: A wide variety of educational activities [0] are ongoing for people of all ages.
• Sustainable, healthy food: Join with others at UUC to learn about the food that nourishes us, and to eat local [0].
• Pesticide-free zones: Declare your support for pesticide-free yards and help create awareness for using safer gardening alternatives. In partnership with Washington Toxics Coalition [1]. Contact: Elaine Willey [1].
• Transportation - "Getting Around Green:" Do you bike to church? Ever wished you could carpool on Sunday? Green Sanctuary is working to help congregants reduce car trips. Contact: Laura Kennedy Gould [1].

Partnerships:

• Support of fair trade: Green Sanctuary supports the efforts of UUC's Economic Justice committee [1] to raise funds for microlending through the sale of fair-trade goods, and to promote local, sustainable businesses.
• Advocacy: Through Washington UU Voices for Justice [2] and Earth Ministry [3] (an ecumenical environmental organization), we can tell our elected officials in Olympia that we want environmentally sound, sustainable policies.