Green Sanctuary Team
of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, NY
Who We Are
As a subcommittee of the Social Responsibilities Council, GST was begun as an effort to make our church more sustainable. Since these early efforts, our goal has become to preserve the global environment on which all life depends by working to make the Earth sustainable and by addressing climate change.
Unitarian Universalist Seventh Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Join us on a Greenie Bike Ride for Saturday May 18th, 2024. EVERYONE and ANYONE is invited. Meet at 9:30 AM at the Pearl Street trailhead of the Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail to bike its entirety ending in Voorheesville, or start at the Hannaford parking lot on Delaware or the Delaware CVS to bike part of the trail, heading toward Voorheesville. Everyone then heads back down the trail and stops at Swifty's for lunch at 11:30 AM. Lunchies only are welcome, too! The rain date is May 25, and call Hugh at (518) 588-6708 to find out if the ride is cancelled.
Take Action–Things You Can Do
GST continues to recycle a number of items in the cloakroom that cannot be recycled otherwise. See the entire list, which includes our extensive list of Recycling Tips.
Read our Compendium of Green Tips on how to be more “green.”
Influence the NY State Legislature by supporting the Climate Jobs and Justice Package. Some quick actions now are HERE.
Align your money with your values. GST presented a hybrid workshop on how to divest your bank accounts, investments, credit cards, and insurance from fossil fuels. It’s not too late to visit the Divestment Webpage and get started.
Current Initiatives
Recent forums and articles written by members are on our History page. Many have been recorded.
Earth Day launching of our campaign to make Albany UU green; UU members help us begin by taking the renewable energy Survey. Contact our Chair (see the footer, below).
Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE). See our Working with SHARE page.
Our Accomplishments
GST was begun in 2003 by Amy Lent and Thayer Heath as the Green Sanctuary Committee. Albany UU was accredited in 2008 as a Green Sanctuary by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. See our History page for more background and a (partial) list of accomplishments, such as our 2012-13 Solar Panel Installation and our 2013-14 Anti-fracking Resolution, along with a list of forums the GST has sponsored and articles by our members.
Officers
Chuck Manning, Chair
Barbara Spink, Recording Secretary
David Musser and Barbara Spink, Webpage Administrators
Carol Butt and Chris Bystroff, Social Justice Team Liaisons
Marty Hotvet, Religious Education Council Liaison
Chris Bystroff, Forum Coordinator
Hugh Johnson and Sandy Steubing: Facebook Administrators
