We are Better Together – Green Sanctuary Theme for the year
At our Earth Day service last April at UUS, Rev. Diana read from Bill McKibben’s newest book, We Are Better Together. McKibben, a well-known environmentalist and activist, reminds that we share the responsibility to address climate change and our changing planet. It is critical that we act collectively to protect our beautiful, fragile, besieged world. The Green Sanctuary (GS) Team agreed to make it our theme for this program year. We invite UUS members and friends to participate in some or all of our “Calls to Actions.”
Changing habits can be challenging but in small steps and with support, change will occur. Together at UUS, we can make a difference. As Will Grant suggests in Drawdown, if you have already made an ecological change, encourage a friend or family member to make the change as well.
Each month in the newsletter, look for an article on a specific topic of actions to take. At the end of each month, we will conduct a pom-pom poll to see how many of these actions we have undertaken together.
Actions for October
1. Think about your transportation. Walk, bike, take the bus (now free in Iowa City). Carpool and combine errands when possible. Avoid idling your vehicle for more than 5 minutes. Purchase a more efficient vehicle – hybrid or electric. Drive the speed limit, or even less, on the hi-way.
2. On October 15th at 11:30 am after the service, visit UU Society’s holy ground! Actually, this is a “hole” or trench, called a bio retention cell. Our three bio cells at UU Society channel stormwater runoff through shrubs (that are also pollinators) and a soil mixture that filters the water before it enters the groundwater. Join the GS Team as we discover the intricacies and mysteries of our bio cells in a tour led by Deb Schoelerman and others from the GS Team. Children will be invited to engage in a nature scavenger hunt. Meet in the atrium. All are welcome to join!
3. Join the GS Team and UUs from across Iowa to interact in a Drawdown Eco challenge project in the month of October. To participate, join our on-line team and throughout the month report your ecological actions and learning. There are eight categories of eco actions to choose from. Here are the steps to join the UU team called the “Swine Republic UUs”:
- Go to the website: drawdown.ecochallenge.org
- Click on teams and write in a search for Swine Republic UUs.
- Scroll down and click on Join This Team
- On the top of the page, click on the blue ecochallenge.org for action choices.
Contact Sally at sallyahartman@hotmail.com if you have any questions! We have UU team members from Davenport, Des Moines and Clinton. Invite your relatives, friends, and neighbors!
Never underestimate the collective impact of small changes.
