Covid-19 has a negative effect on clean energy

I’m sure you are all staring to realize what an uphill battle this is going to be for everyone when this pandemic is over. For the next administration, they are going to have to make some hard decisions on priorities vs investing in the future. For us at UUCR, we will have to wait until the price of oil is on par with solar technology. Also in that time, finding a solar company that’s still in business may not be that easy.

https://www.wired.com/story/covid-19-is-pulling-the-plug-on-clean-energy-jobs/

For those of you that timed solar right for yourselves, luck you!

A message from Environment Virginia:

Virginia just committed to 100 percent clean electricity by midcentury

This is an amazing victory. Virginia is the seventh state in the country to make such an ambitious commitment to clean and renewable energy -- and the very first state in the south.

Join us in thanking Gov. Northam for his leadership supporting this 100 percent bill.

Currently, renewable energy only makes up about 7 percent of Virginia's electricity. The Virginia Clean Economy Act puts us on track to increase our renewables to 30 percent of our state's electricity by 2030, by ramping up production and removing barriers for solar and wind.

It also requires the retirement of all fossil fuel plants and establishes a mandatory target for utilities to reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2045.

In short, this act has put Virginia on a path toward a future powered by truly clean and renewable energy sources.

We're thanking Gov. Northam for supporting this vision for a sustainable future. Will you send a message too?

For the first time in more than two decades, Virginia's General Assembly has stepped up to make climate and our health a top priority, putting this commonwealth among the frontrunners in the shift toward clean and renewable energy.

It's truly a proud day to be a Virginian -- Elly Boehmer, State Director

Wave of Global Engagement Building for Landmark Earth Day 2020

Virginia houses of worship lead the nation mobilizing their communities for climate action

Virginia—Earth Day Network (EDN), coordinator of annual Earth Day events, announces that faith organizations representing nearly 800 houses of worship across the Commonwealth of Virginia have become key partners for Earth Day 2020. Partners include the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, St. Augustine Catholic Church (Chesterfield), Temple Rodef Shalom (Falls Church), and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia.

April 22nd marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which, in 1970, mobilized more than 20 million citizens to demand action on the environmental challenges of the time.

Currently, Earth Day is observed in more than 190 countries and mobilizes one billion people and close to 100,000 organizations.

From JSTOR:

Five Steps to Making Your Garden a Carbon Sink

If the 81 million U.S. households with yards adopt these practices, they could absorb more carbon and help combat climate change.

https://daily.jstor.org/five-steps-to-making-your-garden-a-carbon-sink/

It's Earth Day! Please watch and share this message from Rev. Susan Frederick Gray, our Unitarian Universalist Association President.

ENERGY JUSTICE WORKSHOP

Would you like to learn how to make your own and others’ homes more comfortable while reducing climate pollution and saving money on energy bills?

Participants will be taught how to perform simple upgrades to achieve energy and water conservation. After reminding ourselves where our energy comes from and why it matters, this hands-on workshop will train participants of all skill levels to confidently undertake energy upgrades, including:

● seal air leaks around doors, windows, and electrical switch plates with foam adhesive and caulk

● install gaskets behind light switch and electrical outlet plates

● install faucet aerators and low-flow shower heads

● replace traditional incandescent light bulbs with more efficient, long-lasting LEDs

● install flow restrictors in toilets

● provide energy efficiency and water conservation education and outreach in schools, to community groups, and to individual residents and families in affordable housing apartments

The class will equip participants to improve their own homes and to volunteer with Rebuilding Together to help low income, elderly and disabled neighbors in Northern Virginia to reduce their energy bills, cut wasted energy, and have more comfortable homes.

If 10 or more persons are interested, this workshop will be presented to UUCR this Spring or Summer by members of Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS) Available to ages 13+. Please RSVP. Contact Jackie Grogan jackietg@gmail.com if you have questions.

Green Sanctuary Chairperson Stepping Down

Arlene Krieger will be stepping down as Green Sanctuary Re-certification Task Force Chairperson, effective as of April 29, 2019. Due to her heroic efforts and cooperation from many congregants, UUCR is now very close to completing the recertification process.

We are extremely grateful to Arlene for her service to the SoActJust Committee as chair of Green Sanctuary. She will be sorely missed, but at least she promises to stay involved in activities related to climate justice.

If you are interested in volunteering for the position of leader of our Green Sanctuary efforts, please contact Annie Simpson at as6699@hotmail.com.

Plastic bag recycling campaign

The UUCF Climate Action Group (CAG) is launching a campaign to send plastic bags to Trex, a composite decking company.

Want to help prevent plastic bags and other plastic materials from ending up in our oceans, landfills and in the stomachs of our wildlife?

Please start saving plastic grocery bags, LDPE/HDPE plastic wrap, newspaper bags, bread bags, product wrap, cereal liners, food storage bags, ice bags, pellet bags, produce bags, dry cleaning bags, grocery bags, case overwrap, packaging air pillows and salt bags. WHILE IT IS STILL BEST TO REFUSE AND REDUCE THE USE OF THESE PLASTICS, we now have a constructive way to dispose of them since many local waste recycling companies won’t accept them.

What is Environmental Justice (EJ)?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines EJ as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people (regardless of race, color, national origin, or income) with respect to the development, implemen-tation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.

UUA defines an Environmental Justice Project as

• A congregational activity promoting environmental justice and conducted in solidarity with one of the communities affected by climate change.

• Intentional work that shifts us from “charity to solidarity”: thinking and partnering with negatively impacted communities instead of providing short term assistance.

Environmental justice is working to restore equity and balance that has been damaged by those parts of human society that depend on domination of others and on the extraction of resources without regard to the impact on the rest of the beings on our planet.

Common Read: Justice on Earth

Here is a quote from the book that is our Common Read, Justice on Earth:

"More than 20 million people participated in Earth Day on April 22, 1970. ...Earth Day became the first opportunity ... to join a national demonstration to send a major message to public officials-to tell them to protect our planet. [It]...led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, enactment of the Clean Air Act of 1970, and an upgrade to the Clean Water Act of 1972 during ...Nixon's administration. [Earth Day from its beginnings]...addressed the entrenched racial inequality in the United States. It took specific organizing by people of color to prove that their communities were treated differently than white ones, leading to disproportionate health, environmental, and economic risks. The impetus for the environmental justice movement was to address environmental racism."

Because environmental issues are a large part of racism, people of color and the poor suffer the most from dumping and contamination from Love Canal to Flint. It is now so clear as never before. People of color take the brunt of pollution.

For those who can attend the discussion of our Common Read (whether or not you have read the book), we will discuss the first half on Thursday November 8th, 2018, at the church from 7:00 -8:00 pm. Another session will be scheduled for a Sunday after the service for the rest of the book. It's an easy and short read.

Common Read Flyer

Can you accept the Plastic Free Challenge?

The world's overuse of plastic is devastating our planet. Read about Fairfax County Action Network and its Plastic-free Challenge here. See what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint by using less plastic.

China stopped accepting recycling from other nations

Read this disappointing new development in global recycling efforts on Mother Nature Network:

• https://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/recycling/blogs/soon-cant-ship-recycling-china-thats-problem

Your Campsite Is Destroying Nature. Here's How Not to ...

From: www.outsideonline.com

If you made one of the nearly 331 million visits to a national park in 2017, it should be no surprise that getting outside is decidedly in right now. That’s a good thing for our collective health, because recreating in the great outdoors can lead to lots of benefits: improved physical, mental, and emotional health. (Continue reading at the link above.)

Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

You are invited to participate in a Northern Virginia interfaith climate organization, the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (FACS), https://www.faithforclimate.org, a network of more than 70 congregations throughout Northern Virginia, working on local solutions -- actions that individuals, congregations, and local jurisdictions can take -- to reduce energy waste and energy use.

Reducing your carbon footprint by reducing the trash you generate

She cut her weekly trash down so much it fits in an unbelievably small jar:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/she-cut-her-weekly-trash-down-so-much-it-fits-in-an-unbelievably-small-jar/2018/07/06/a062bd26-73d9-11e8-805c-4b67019fcfe4_story.html

Giving Up Hope Won't Save the Planet. Ending Poverty Might.

We haven't inherited this planet from our parents; we've borrowed it from our children. Read this NBC news article by Jane Goodall.

Introduction to the Green Sanctuary Program

Created in 1989, the Green Sanctuary program is a path for congregational study, reflection, and action in response to environmental challenges. It provides a structure for congregations to examine their current environmental impacts and move towards more sustainable practices grounded in Unitarian Universalism.

To date, 254 or 25% of Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations have achieved Green Sanctuary accreditation, with another 70 in process. They support one another as they strive to embody environmentally just principles and improve the condition of our planet.

Each congregation performs a self-assessment, writes a plan, and completes several projects across four focus areas: Environmental Justice, Worship and Celebration, Religious Education, and Sustainable Living. The goal is to engage a two to three year process of bringing congregational culture into greater alignment with environmentally aware faith and practices. Green Sanctuary accreditation is a formal recognition of a congregation’s service and dedication to the Earth.

• Calling us to simply to do our part through small steps carried out consistently, with faith in our power to make a difference. Religious leaders from most of the world’s faith traditions claim that our environmental crises may be the greatest moral challenge facing humankind in the 21st century.
• Considering the long-term impact of our individual and communal practices and behavior. Green Sanctuary congregations learn how their choices can damage or enhance our environment, weaving related moral, emotional and spiritual issues into worship. This creates space to care for and help one another in challenging times.
• Identifying as a faith community with a historic and deep commitment to justice that respects the interdependent web of all existence. We understand that caring for the Earth and all of its inhabitants is a critical ingredient in building true justice.

Program Organization

In 2015, after recognizing the need to directly connect environmental sustainability with racial and economic justice, Green Sanctuary became part of the UUA’s Multicultural Growth and Witness staff group. Part-time staffing is supplemented with consultants and a large cadre of volunteers including an Advisory Group, Review Teams, and Coaches.

Green Sanctuary’s parent organization, UU Ministry for Earth, and participation in the Commit2Respond coalition provide environmental expertise and movement building capacity.

Program History

The Green Sanctuary program began as an outgrowth of the Seventh Principle Project, a UUA-affiliated environmental organization created in 1989. In 1991, the Seventh Principle Project published the first Green Sanctuary Handbook, introducing UU congregations to a process intended to integrate environmental consciousness into UU faith communities.

Since then, the program has undergone six revisions, ensuring it remains relevant in supporting congregational responses to environmental and environmental justice issues.