GREEN SANCTUARY ACCREDITATION

In April, 2007, following a presentation by Pat Burke, committee co-chair, the congregation voted to approve an application to the Green Sanctuary Program. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst, New York has completed the 16 pledges made in our application, as outlined in the following report and applied for Green Sanctuary Certification through the Green Sanctuary Program of the U.U.A.. A congregational vote was needed in order to affirm a commitment to environmental sustainability and our Seventh Principle.

The Green Sanctuary Program seeks to:

1. Build awareness of societal environmental issues among UU's.

2. Generate commitment for personal lifestyle changes.

3 Motivate UU''s to community action on environmental issues.

4. To build a connection between spiritual practice and environmental consciousness.

5. To build awareness of and rectify environmental injustices.

Because our strategy was to work through standing committees as much as possible, many members of the congregation contributed. We particularly wanted to thank members of the following committees: Religious Education, Music, Sunday Guest Speakers, Building Maintenance, Grounds, Memorial Garden, Adult Programs, Women's Circle, Endowment, our Choir and especially, Social Concerns. Because Economic Justice is a category included in Green Sanctuary accreditation, many of the activities listed were accomplished in cooperation with that committee. We would also like to thank Pastor Tim Ashton for his help and encouragement.

You are invited to read our final report (a microsoft word document) which lists all of the completed activities for accreditation & certification.