Community & Social Concerns
faith in action - local initiatives

Economic Justice Task Force / VOICE
Food Donations
Fair Trade Coffee
Green Sanctuary
Green Sanctuary Tips
Notes from Rev. Tim Ashton
The Western NY Peace Center's Latin American Solidarity Committee

Economic Justice Task Force: VOICE-Buffalo affirms that the pursuit of the common good is the fundamental organizing principle of a good society. ALL citizens of our neighborhoods, city and region deserve the opportunities and resources to live in healthy communities.

VOICE is currently working on identifying the issues that the members feel we should concentrate on in the coming year. The theme is "Visions of a Just Community." All member organizations and congregations will be asked to participate in this planning and then attend the Public Meeting in October.

The Economic Justice committee looks forward to working with church members who have an interest in social justice work. Look for our schedule of activities planned for September and October. - Pat Burke

Monthly Meetings
Any church member can attend a VOICE meeting. It is usually held on the third Monday at 7 PM sharp. Each month there is an interesting speaker. Those interested can meet at church and car pool. It is always at a different church.

Book Reading
The Economic Justice Task Force will not be sponsoring a book reading this year. However, there is a book we recommend: The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, by David C. Korten
Korten shows how the world today is ruled by an Empire comprised of large corporations and their owners, whose goal is the accumulation of power and wealth at the expense of the well-being of mankind. Empire results in misery for the many and fortunes for the few, and now it threatens the very future of humankind. Korten reviews world history and the development of democracy from the standpoint of gender and religion as well as politics and economics. His theory explains why we have constant wars, poverty and environmental degradation. Korten sees hope for change to an Earth Community. He instructs us how we can move toward an egalitarian, sustainable and democratic way of life. We must define our values, speak our beliefs and band together with like-minded groups and institutions. The time for action is now. Carol Wells

Become Part of the Economic Justice E-mail Network! The Economic Justice Task Force (EJTF) has established an economic justice e-mail network. Participants receive periodic articles and information of interest in the area of economic justice via e-mail. For example we forward newsletters from the Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community and announcements from VOICE Buffalo. *A lot of this information (and certainly the perspective represented) is frequently not available from public media outlets.*

If you are interested in receiving e-mails with information about economic justice issues just send an e-mail to Margot in the church office to request that you be added to the e-mail list. Margot’s e-mail address is: uuamherst@roadrunner.com.

Food Donations
Please continue, or begin to bring in donations for the food pantry. Bring your donations of non-perishable foods to our UU church and deposit them in the large wicker basket next to the Welcome Desk.
The Food Pantry at University Presbyterian Church also needs volunteer workers. Duties include packing food bags, stocking shelves, and waiting on customers. You could also have a sit-down job checking the eligibility of the customers as they come in. Can you spare one Tuesday or Thursday afternoon each month?
Talk to me or to Mickey Tannehill at church, or call Gerry Grisante or Melinda Hutchison.- Jack Howell

Drink Fair Trade Coffee
Fair trade coffee costs a little more that the big brands, but purchasing it helps economic sustainability for thousands of itinerant farmers in Latin America and elsewhere. At the same time, you get a bonus: better taste.

Orders will be taken on the first Sunday of the month for second Sunday delivery. If you won't be at church on that Sunday, there will be coffee order blanks on the Social Concerns bulletin board in the lobby. You can fill one out anytime and leave the order in the Economic Justice mailbox.

Attention all Decaf Coffee Drinkers Did you know that drinking decaf coffee has been linked to health problems, probably because of the strong chemicals that are used to decaffeinate it? You can avoid this risk by drinking Mexican Natural Decaf, which grows naturally with no caffeine, so it is not processed in any way. Carol Wells

Green Sanctuary
Green Sanctuary Progress: The earth is our home. We are part of this world and its destiny is our own. The Green Sanctuary program provides a framework for congregational study and reflection, plus individual and collective action. Although people sometimes disagree on specific enviromental issues,they virtually all accept the call to action that affirms our seventh principle in which we "promote respect for the independent web of all existence of which we are a part."

Using Wind Energy - We need your contribution!
For the past two years our church has purchased windpower to offset our electricity use. This purchase has been made with contributions separate from Annual pledges. If you are interested in contributing to ensure that we continue our greener efforts, please send a check to the church office made payable to "U.U. Church of Amherst" and indicate "Wind Energy fund" on the memo line. The yearly cost for this wind energy is $1600.
- Brenda Young, Environment Committee

Walter Simpson, Our Man in the Field: Buffalo News printed Walter's piece on "Going Climate Neutral: It's Possible to Adopt an Earth Friendly Lifestyle". It can be found here, http://www.buffalonews.com/367/story/327672.html. But the sidebars on how my family achieved climate neutrality and on resources appear to be unavailable at this link -- so please see on this page's own side bar!. Please feel free to circulate widely. Thanks! Happy Earth Day!

GREEN SANCTUARY Tips
1. Shop locally for the holidays. Search for local merchants at buffalofirst.org/marketplace
2. Improve your home energy efficiency before the end of the year and qualify for tax credits up to $500. See www.energystar.gov
3. Read or give books on environmental topics
See www.environmentaldefense.org
4. Purchase LED holiday bulbs for your holiday lighting. For info in LEDs and other more energy efficient bulbs visit www.eartheasy.com
5. Holiday cards and gift wrap. Use email cards, recycle old cards, use cloth or newspaper for wrapping, use reusable bags for gifts

To get more information contact the committee chairs, Pat Burke or Carol Wells; join the committee or attend a meeting; see the Social concerns bulletin board; or go on-line at uuministryforearth.org.

More Tips from the Green Sanctuary Committee Be Vocal! No recycling bin in your workplace, gym, or public space? Ask why not. Are computers left on all day at school, library or other public place? Ask why they are not set to sleep mode. The EPA has estimated that using "sleep mode" reduces a computer's energy consumption by 60-70 %. If this was done on a large scale, it could save $2 billion on electric bills & reduce carbondioxide emissions by the equivalent of five million cars. Turn off your computer monitor when not in use (screen savers do use energy). For information on setting your computer for energy savings, visit http://www.energy-solution.com/off-equip/configuring-monitors.html.

Junkmail and telemarketing is mostly a waste of time and resources. About 62 million trees and 25 billion gallons of water are used to produce a typical year's worth of junk mail in the United States. Worst of all, it puts you at greater risk for identity theft because each pre-approved credit offer that's sent to you is another invitation for someone to open a credit line in your name.
If you are interested in reducing your junk mail, the following is information from the website: www.globalstewards.org. There are many solutions offered here, don't be daunted. We have only used Credit Bureaus Main Opt-Out Line (888 567-8688) and it alone has made a big difference.
1.Contact the Direct Marketing Association to be removed from many companies' mass marketing mailing lists for up to five years. Learn how at www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing.
2.Call the following companies directly to ask to be removed from their mailing lists: Val-Pak Coupons (1-800-676-6878), America Online Discs (1-800-827-6364), and Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes (1-800-645-9242).
3.Every loose-leaf bundle of business or super-market fliers must be delivered along with an address postcard. Locate this address card - the cards usually have an advertisement and a photo-graph of a missing child (ADVO is the most common). Mail the address card to the address printed on the card and ask to be removed from their mailing list. Your letter carrier's routine is to give each house a bundle of fliers so, once you stop receiving the address card(s), tape a"No Bulk Mail" sign inside your mailbox. You can also opt-out online at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html.
4.To stop receiving unsolicited credit card and other credit related offers, gather your current address, other addresses from the last two years, and social security number(s). Call the credit reporting industry's toll-free number, 1-888-567-8688 (24 hours a day). Make a separate phone call for each social security number. Listen to all options before making your selection (the last option mentioned lets you remove your name from the list permanently). A letter will be mailed asking you to confirm your request.
5.Your credit card company probably sells your name the most often. Call and ask them to stop. Also make the same request of your bank and any other companies from which you purchase pro-ducts or services on a regular basis (for example, magazines, phone service, and gas & electric).
6.Create a place to store all unwanted mail. Once a month, call the local or toll-free numbers on the mailings and ask to be removed from their mailing lists (toll-free area codes are 800, 888, 877, or 866). This is the most effective way to get off mailing lists. If there isn't a local or toll-free number but there is a postage-paid return envelope, tear off the mailing label and enclose it in the envelope along with a request to be removed from their mailing list. Mark envelope "ATTN: Customer Service". Another option: write"refused" or "refused: return to sender" across the address, cross out the bar code, and drop in any mailbox. If it is 'First Class' mail, it will be returned to the sender. If it is 'Presorted Standard' (3rd class) mail, there is an 80% chance that you will be taken off the senders mailing list. Recycle all leftover unwanted mail (rip credit offers in half first).
7. Product warranty cards are often used to collect information on your habits and income, for the sole purpose of targeting direct mail. They are not required in most situations - avoid sending them.
8. Avoid filling out "Contest" cards – these are almost always fishing expeditions for names.
9. Whenever you donate money or order a product or service, write in large letters: "Please do not sell my name or address". Most organizations will properly mark your name in their computer.
10. If you would like more help with reducing your junk mail, check out organizations like 41pounds.org.
We hope these suggestions help. Paula Mumm and David Krause

Enviro News Letter
Looking for some new and exciting activities for the winter? The Enviro News Letter is posted on the Green Sanctuary bulletin board in the lobby of our church. It includes many listings of activities open to the public, including outdoor ones (hiking, X-county skiing, birding, bicycling) with many activities for families and children. Take a look!

Green Tips
Eliminate unwanted catalogs! Catalog Choice provides a free service to help you eliminate the retailer catalogs that you no longer want to receive. Simply register at their site, choose the retailer and provide the names on the mailing label for that retailer. Catalog Choice contacts them on your behalf. Share the link with others and we can reduce the 19 billion catalogs mailed out annually. Currently, approximately 53 million trees are used for paper in catalogs and carbon dioxide emissions equal the annual emissions of two million cars. Visit www.catalogchoice.org now and put an end to that bulging mailbox.
and . . . .
Recycle styrofoam peanuts. You can recycle your styrofoam packing peanuts at any UPS store.
and . . . .
Do-not-call Registry Legislation has been passed by the House and the Senate to make permanent the registrations on the do-not-call registry (maintained by the Federal Trade Commission). Once the bills have been reconciled, people will only have to register one time. Families can register home phones or cell phones at www.donotcall.gov or 1-800-382-1222.

Notes from Rev. Tim Ashton: May 2007 (Tim's current notes are always shown in our newsletter.) Social Justice Underpinnings for the U.U. Church of Amherst
Our church was founded in 1954 by the newly merged Unitarian & Universalist churches in downtown Buffalo. After failed attempts to revive the Universalist Church, merger and a new start in a growing suburb seemed like the best next-step for advancing the ministry of Unitarian Universalism in metro-Buffalo.

Because of its founding, even though we are a suburban church, our congregation has always felt itself a part of the metropolitan area. And this heritage has continued to influence our outward social concerns expressions: we become involved in projects that are based on urban-suburban interrelationships.

Within these urban-suburban concerns, three foci usually emerge at our church: economic justice; environmental issues; and inter-cultural, -ethnic, and -religious relationships.

Recently it has occurred to me that sprawl is a general issue that significantly effects both urban and suburban populations. Further, I believe that managing sprawl is an effort that will lead to progress in our three social concerns foci: economic justice, environmental awareness, and intercultural-interfaith relationships.

What is sprawl? Sprawl is simply unmanaged and unplanned development moving ever further out from the central city. On the city and now also first-ring suburb side, it leaves in its wake vacant property, depopulation, and city residents, especially, who find themselves ever further from job opportunities.

On the suburban side, unmanaged growth degrades the suburban environment which looks more and more like a badly planned city. Everyone drives greater distances, and business struggle to find the full compliment of their workforce easily at hand.

The creation of sprawl is particularly expensive for a no-growth economy and population, enormous amounts of money are spent on new infrastructure, the maintenance of that infra-structure, and new institutions (schools, for example) that have constantly to be built. In short, it costs ever more to do what we are already doing. The basic solution to sprawl is to focus development on existing infrastructure, particularly, roads and utilities and to attractively aggregate institutions, commercial and residential property.

As we manage sprawl, we will find solutions to economic inequities, means to control the destructive environmental impact of development, and avenues to a more cohesive inter-racial/cultural/ethnic community. And further, it is interesting to note that our three foci, economic justice, environmentalism, and inter-cultural/racial/ethnic relations, also nicely align to the three social justice issues of the National Council of Churches, succinctly described as Poverty, Planet, and Peace, the Three P's of the NCC's outreach and witness, as described by General Secretary Bob Edgar during his spring 2006 visit to Buffalo.

From a Unitarian Universalist standpoint, our sense of participation in and concern for wider and wider circles of community is particularly expressive of three of our Seven Principles: 1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person; 6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all; and 7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

We are a part of something bigger. Our efforts will make a difference. I think we are beginning to be aligned in ways that will amplify the effect of our concern, service, and witness. Tim Ashton

A list of sermon references from recent Sundays:
1) The Erie Niagara Framework for Regional Growth - a plan for limiting sprawl in our region . Download a copy at www.regionalframework.com/docs/ final plan
2) Blueprint Buffalo - a plan for addressing abandoned buildings. Download a copy a www.lisc.org/buffalo/assets
3) Blueprint Buffalo Policy Brief. Download a copy at www.lisc.org/buffalo/assets
4) Authentic Happiness by Martin E. P. Seligman
5) NonZero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright

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Our newsletter has been divided into two parts for quicker viewing. Part 1 will contain all church faith-related activities, including sermons, messages from the minister and religious instruction. Part 2 will contain all other activities of church life.