Green Sanctuary’s November Call to Action – Sustainable Gift Giving

The Green Sanctuary’s theme for the year is We Are Better Together, taken from Bill McKibben’s book of the same name. In that spirit, we invite UUS members and friends to join us in our November call to action – Sustainable Gift Giving.

If you google sustainable gifts, you will find hundreds of sites willing to sell you green items crafted by indigenous artisans or sourced from ecologically managed resources. That is one way to approach sustainable gift giving. Just be sure to check the legitimacy of the companies and organizations marketing these products.

Here are two other ways to make your gift giving more sustainable. Give cash. Seriously. The person can get exactly what they want. It minimizes the wasted time, materials, and energy inherent in an unused gift. Just be sure and write a nice note in the card. The other thing you have to give is your time. Make something – cookies, a family recipe book, or a holiday ornament. Sign up to help with a chore – cleaning a basement, watching children, or fixing something that is broken. Give an experience – teach a skill, share a meal at new restaurant, propose a movie night.

To learn more about sustainable gift giving, and to share your own ideas, join Green Sanctuary on Sunday November 19 at the All Ages RE Activity following the service. We will have a discussion group and an all ages craft activity.

While this call to action is for individuals, Green Sanctuary also needs your feedback about what projects and programs we should take on collectively as a church. Look for opportunities to fill out a survey and help us move forward with our 7th Principle.