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Green Sanctuary Action
Allen
Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church
Portland, ME
Unitarian Universalists, as a whole, hold to the
conviction that all existence is interconnected,
and thus interdependent. But in the Allen Avenue
Unitarian Universalist Church of Portland, Maine,
it was the youth of the congregation who reminded
the church of this tenet, and urged them to act
on it: launching a successful educational campaign
on the long-term effects of nuclear weapons testing
and development in 1986 that moved the church
to declare itself a nuclear free zone. In 1992,
the church declared itself a “Green
Sanctuary,” dedicated to promoting awareness
of environmental issues and protecting the living
Earth.
Skit, "The Trip to Boston,"
presented at Allen Avenue
Church prior to the
Alternative Energy Fair
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As a Green Sanctuary, AAUUC focuses on the spiritual
and ethical aspects of human actions that impact
the earth in a number of different ways: through
conservationist, sustainable living at home and
in the church; the promotion of recycling programs;
active public-education and advocacy programs
such as letter-writing campaigns and publicizing
their efforts to local newspapers; incorporating
environmental concerns into religious education
and worship through field trips and annual Earth
Day observance; and a dedication to broader environmental
justice that includes hosting speakers on topics
ranging from toxic waste or the effects of globalization
on the environment, to the plight of refugees
or the potential to be found in green energy.
Though AAUUC’s outlook is global, some
of their most important teaching comes from the
very local example they set at home. In the church
itself, significant efforts have been made to
use only reusable goods and energy supplies, and
to discourage “throw-away,” wasteful,
or ecologically unjust items. To this end, they’ve
switched from paper plates and cups to cloth napkins
and china for church functions; installed energy-efficient
light fixtures and sold the same to parishioners
for home use; switched to green power sources;
educated church-members on home-energy audits
and alternative transportation options; sponsor
a local food co-op; use only fair-exchange coffee;
and provide information on recycling and help
to parishioners in recycling specific items such
as batteries, mercury, or printer ink cartridges.
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