It's time for us to get to work! We encourage all congregations to get involved. Check out the information here  on our site and plan a work party.  We invite a representative of your congregation log in and complete the brief registration form. We are using a form similar to the Earth Day registry, because for the first time we could see how many UU congregations were participating and what they were working on. 

Each of the three Districts received a $500 matching grant. Individuals and congregations within each District are helping to fund the $500 match. The Districts have administered a survey of the environmental interests and needs of their congregations and all are planning fall conferences to address those needs.  http://uuministryforearth.org/Support_for_Districts. 

The Green Sanctuary Program of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) invite you and your congregation, as you come back together for the church-year, to dedicate a few moments, a worship service, a month, or a year to reflect on the recent disasters in the Gulf of Mexico.  Many congregations...

Lutherville, Maryland, July 20, 2010 — Today, Interfaith Power and Light announced the winner of this year’s Cool Congregation contest. Towson Unitarian Universalist Church (TUUC), in Lutherville Maryland, accepted the $5,000 cash prize for the most reduction in energy use. Carel Hedlund, Chair of TUUC’s Green Sanctuary Committee,said, “our actions focused on three areas: energy efficiency of our building, educating our members on ways...

UU Ministry for Earth is pleased to announce the selection of Lori Sands of the Ginger Hill Unitarian Universalist Congregation (GHUUC) of Slippery Rock, PA as the 2010 Guardian of the Future.   This year congregations were asked to nominate someone who:  inspires new understanding and behavior in others; builds environmental justice within their congregation & community; makes care and celebration central to their life; and has a transformative impact on the congregation and/or wider community.

What a GA! Environmental issues were represented in so many of the events, services, and business sessions.  Many of the sessions were videotaped and are online at http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/2010/index.shtml.   Two Actions of Immediate Witness were passed on environmental issues: "Gulf Coast Environmental

 Matter of Trust is coordinating donations of old hosiery, pantyhose, stockings, clipped hair, and fur from pet groomers. Read the instructions and sign up to be notified when more is needed. Right now volunteers in the Gulf are working their way through MOUNTAINS of your generous donations, so Matter of Trust is asking people to wait for an alert before sending anything.  Read more for the answers to questions....

If you are coming to General Assembly in Minneapolis, we invite you to come meet us in person. Come to the booth #429 or our workshop on Thursday morning.  Or join us for a screening of "No Impact Man" on Friday evening. We look forward to seeing you at one of our scheduled events.

UU Ministry for Earth joins its voice to the many Unitarian Universalists, environmental groups, aid organizations and others who are horrified and concerned about the disaster unfolding in the Gulf from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  We encourage our members and congregations to commit to actions that will provide assistance to those who are and will be injured by the spill and to efforts to lessen the environmental consequences of the disaster. 

The latest issue of the UUMFE newsletter is now available online. Articles include information on Environment & Justice Workshops, UUMFE's Annual Meeting, and the Energy, Peace and Justice Study Action Issue at General Assembly; Reconciliation Ecology; Earth Day Excitement; and much more. Check it out!

A Message from Rowan Van Ness, UUMFE Program Associate for Environmental Justice:

As we wrap up Earth Day 2010, we need your help. Please complete the short Unitarian Universalists and Earth Day evaluation form. There are only six questions, and it provides essential feedback so that we can provide practical, relevant resources for you to use for Earth Day and beyond. We’d sincerely appreciate your participation!  Please fill this out by mid-May, if possible.

Need ideas for 40-40-40? Check out this jam-packed calendar brimming with ideas from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Bridgeport in Stratford CT.  This energetic congregation has planned an entire calendar of events and activities for the 40-40-40 celebration! Thank you, UUCGB, for sharing this great work.

If you are in the Washington area, join with other UUs to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a rally on The National Mall, Sunday, April 25, 2010, 11:00 am-7:00 pm. 

GREAT news! Not quite a ban, but the EPA has decided to drastically curtail mountaintop removal coal mining, effective immediately! This is a huge step forward in terms of environmental justice, as this particular form of coal mining is highly destructive to the mountains and the health of the people living in the area.

Here is a list of events updated on May 9, 2010. There are 153 congregations registered in thirty-eight states, including four in Canada and one in Cuba. Even though Earth Day 2010 is past, look here for some great ideas for next year. If you your congregation is participating in 40/40/40 or activities associated with the Ethical Eating CSAI, you'll find many ideas for that as well. 

Here is a letter we just received from Vicky Talbert, UUMFE’s Representative to the Ethical Eating Congregational Study Action Issue Core Team, announcing the “40/40/40” project – 40 UUs in a congregation commiting to actions for Earth for 40 days in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Read on to learn more.

Dear UUMFE Supporter,

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with a community screening of "No Impact Man." For screenings taking place between April 18th and 25th, you can purchase a low-cost ($50) community-screening license from the No Impact Project that includes two free hard cover copies of "No Impact Man" the book and a screening toolkit. Get started here.

The Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is pleased to present a series of "green papers" on the broad topic of environment and justice, as well as specific focus areas such as food, climate disruption, environment and health, and animal welfare. The papers are meant to stimulate thoughtful comment, interaction, and action by UUs who are involved in and concerned about the history, connections, and future of environmental and justice work. You are encouraged to log in and post your comments on the papers.

From the UU Justice Action Newsletter: More than 500 mountains and 1.5 million acres of land have already been destroyed by mountaintop removal coal mining and Appalachian coalfield residents face frequent catastrophic flooding, pollution, and loss of drinking water. Residents and supporters from across the US are asking for an end to mountaintop removal and an investment in sustainable economic alternatives for Appalachia.

The latest issue of the UUMFE newsletter is now available online. Articles include information and ideas for Earth Day 2010, the launch of UUMFE's Environment and Justice 'Green Papers,' news about partner grants for Districts, congregational stories about 'ethical energy,' and much more. Check it out!

The Resources tab, your path to resources to help you and your congregation take action, was renamed "Take Action" and all the Earth Day information was moved. The Earth & Spirit tab was renamed Reflections. We removed the tab for "Environment & Justice" because it applies to all of our actions. We added a new tab to consolidate the list of publications and online resources we recommend. Some stories allow comments. To comment on a story, please log in on the Home page with a username and password.

For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, we are inviting UU congregations to join us in lifting up the role our faith can play in making the production and consumption of food more just. We’ve put together information and suggestions on issues ranging from the field to the table, with links to congregational stories, worship materials, ideas for actions in your own community. Register your Earth Day events with us and don’t forget to tell us how they go! Get started here.

Dear Friends,
We have some good news to share – UU Ministry for Earth has received a grant of $9,650 from the UU Funding Program, which will allow us to continue our work around environment and justice. We need your help to cover the UUMFE portion of the program budget. UUMFE needs to raise about $7,000 to meet our commitment to make environment and justice resources available to congregations.

Due to the overwhelming response, registration for this course is closed. UUMFE is providing a free online course led by Rev. Gail Collins-Ranadive, an experienced facilitator of online workshops. Picture this: You are standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River. Our Earth’s story opens beneath your feet; you are peering down into nearly two billion years of planetary history. Yet the worldview that frames the culture beyond the Canyon walls, the ‘cosmology’ that most of us were raised in, claims that the world was created in six days some six thousand years ago.

Now it's time to focus directly on the people making the policy! Recommend Action: Call the White House on Monday, December 7th! Set up a Call-In Table during coffee hour this Sunday (before Copenhagen) so people at your congregation can easily contact the White House to share their support for strong and just climate action! Talking points and info on how to set up a call-in table are available on the UUA website at http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/environmentaljustice/climatechan...

Bill McKibben and his 350.org team orchestrated a wildly successful International Day of Climate action on October 24. Now UUs have another opportunity to join the world from December 11–13 in a weekend of climate action – “The World Wants a Real Deal” – during COP-15, the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In partnership with tcktcktck and Global Climate Campaign, 350.org is organizing candlelight “Vigils for Survival” around the world on Friday, Dec. 11 or Saturday, Dec. 12.

The 350.org International Day of Climate Action is coming up on October 24th! More than 50 congregations all over the country are participating in actions. For more information on UU participation in the International Day of Climate Action, please visit our Issues & Actions 350 page and read more to see how the UUA is publicizing this important day.