Green Sanctuary September News

Post Author

Jan Weaver

UUA Climate Revival Event! Save the Date – November 16 and 17 (Saturday and Sunday)

On Saturday we plan 5 interconnected activities to move from an extractive age to an era of climate justice and collective liberation. We will:

1. Drawing a RICH PICTURE of community thriving
2. Building a SYSTEMS MAP that takes our challenging realities into account
3. BUILDING CAPACITY for community care
4. Using SACRED CIRCLEs to chart a course for transformative action
5. Forming INTERDENDENT COMMITMENTS to change. On Sunday we will gather to celebrate our hard and hopeful work.

September Better Together – Reduce Your Energy Use

Each month of Better Together we have actions that members of the congregation can take to address climate Mitigation, Adaptation, Resilience, and Justice. Our focus for the fall is Mitigation to reduce carbon emissions, the primary cause of climate change.

1. Audit your home energy use. The ways to for individuals to reduce their home energy use are too many and too dependent on personal circumstances to just list tips. However, whether you are a renter or owner, you can learn something new about your home energy use with a DIY home energy audit.
   
   DIY audit – https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/do-it-yourself-home-energy-assessments
   
   Johnson County Free Home Energy Audit – https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/news/planning-development-and-sustainability/energy-efficiency/2024-01-18/johnson-county-residents
   
2. Take a bus ride. Even if you have an EV, or use a bike, or walk most places, make a plan to take the bus. Besides reducing your CO2 emissions, taking the bus gives you a chance to see how buses fit into a city’s transportation system and to support public transit initiatives in your community. Iowa City and the UI CAMBUS are free. Coralville’s bus system is free for kids under 5, seniors, and those with disabilities.
   
   Iowa City – https://www.icgov.org/government/departments-and-divisions/transportation/transit
   
   UI CAMBUS – https://transportation.uiowa.edu/cambus/routes
   
   Coralville and North Liberty – https://www.coralville.org/166/Bus-Schedules-Route-Maps
   
3. Change a public policy. Keep in mind that free energy audits and public transit are the result of the personal efforts of other interested citizens to change policy. So you need to add changing public policy to your personal efforts to reduce energy use. Find out what your city, county, state, and national governments are already doing to address climate change and then find groups working to push them towards more change.
   
   Iowa City – https://www.icgov.org/government/departments-and-divisions/climate-action-outreach
   
   Coralville and North Liberty do not have focused initiatives
   
   Johnson County – https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/department-of-sustainability
   
   Iowa – Iowa’s most recent initiative ended in 2011, but you can check out the Iowa Environmental Council  2024 legislative priorities at https://www.iaenvironment.org/get-involved/legislative-landing
   
   USA- https://voteclimatepac.org/117th-congress-climate-scorecard/

Our September Meeting Will be Hybrid!

Green Sanctuary is planning an in-person meeting at church Wednesday September 11, 7 pm but we also have a zoom option at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88132264216  for folks who prefer it. Contact Jan Weaver – jan.weaver57@gmail.com for more information or to get on our email list.

Upcoming Related Events

Iowa City Climate Fest – September 23-28 – Rain, Hail, Snow Monitoring Network, Transit Trivia at Big Grove, Community Sing and the Movie Scale of Hope at the Chauncey + voter registration, Create a Personal Electrification Plant at the Library, Non-Profit Nerd Out at the Senior Center, and EVs at the Market. https://www.icgov.org/government/departments-and-divisions/climate-action-outreach/climate-fest