Congregational Resolution To Apply for Green Sanctuary Status from the UUA Ministry of Earth

Whereas the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton adopted Ends Statements on October 9, 2007 that include:

• Members and friends of the UUCP strive to create the beloved community, building a sense of wholeness in ourselves, our congregation, and our world.
• We seek to create a more compassionate, sustainable world.
• We deepen our sense of respect for and connection with all living things by living in better balance with the natural world.
• We offer a variety of means, both financial and experiential, through which congregants can apply and promote the values inherent in the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, including: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Whereas our congregation is concerned about human impacts on the earth, in that:

• Climate disruption, particularly warming of the atmosphere, accelerated by atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide from excessive burning of fossil fuels, is perhaps the most significant current environmental threat to the ability of our planet to support life and has the potential to seriously disrupt ecosystems and human societies everywhere; and
• The predominant heat-trapping (i.e., greenhouse) gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and tropospheric ozone, and all are increased either directly or indirectly by human activity; and
• Buildings and vehicles account for the release of approximately three-fourths of greenhouse gases, air pollutants, water pollution, and habitat alteration; and
• Among household activities, three areas place the greatest burden on the environment: (1) space heating, hot water, and air conditioning; (2) appliances and lighting; and (3) water, sewage, and solid waste disposal; and

Whereas the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Green Sanctuary program addresses these issues by encouraging its congregations to undertake concrete and significant actions to expand their awareness of environmental issues and reduce their negative impacts by:

• Focusing worship services and celebrations on earth awareness;
• Emphasizing earth awareness and sustainability in religious education programs;
• Addressing environmental justice issues individually, as a whole congregation, and in cooperation with the broader community;
• Taking steps to make our building and our behaviors more sustainable in terms of energy use, water use, other resource use;

We now therefore resolve to request approval of our candidacy for Green Sanctuary Status from the UUA Ministry for Earth and, over the next two years, to work both as a congregation and as individuals towards receiving accreditation as a Green Sanctuary.

(2008.April.13)