Updates On Our Green Sanctuary Effort

Cleanin Supplies

Cleaning Supplies The first task assigned to the FUSF Green Committee was the selection of cleaning products for use within the sanctuary, RE Wing and office. This was a challenge as many members of FUSF suffer from allergies, asthma or are chemically sensitive. Two different types of cleaning solutions (one custom mixed by the FUSF Green Committee and one commercially available) were selected for evaluation.

Both cleaning products use natural ingredients such as vinegar, essential oils and citrus. The commercially available products are manufactured by Melaleuca: The Wellness Company (www.saferforyourhome.com). These are high quality natural products that utilize pharmaceutical grade tee tree oil as the primary ingredient. The results and feedback for both products has been positive with NO reports of allergic reactions.

Bring Your Own Plate

The 'bring your own plate' appeal to make the Thanksgiving Pot Luck Dinner event a green one was an overwhelming success; people brought their own dinnerware, the limited stock of FUSF dinnerware proved to be sufficient, the dishwasher operated flawlessly and the event produced only a small amount of trash. Our goal now is to secure a supply of matching dinnerware to service all FUSF food related events. The Committee is leveraging resources such as FreeCycle (www.freecycle.org) and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association in an effort to find serviceable items that can be reused. Other ideas include a 'buy a plate' or 'plate registry' type of fundraiser.

Paper Goods

The Committee is working to insure that all paper products used at FUSF are made from recycled materials containing a high percentage of post-consumer waste. Surprisingly, there are many options available. The challenge is finding a source that can supply all (or most) of the supplies at a reasonable price. The Committee first contacted other local UU congregations in hopes of joining together to increase our purchasing power and obtain deeper discounts. The next step is to contact local suppliers, obtain quotes and select a vendor.

Compostable Dinnerware

The Committee would love to see reusable dinnerware use all food related events sponsored FUSF, such as The Coffee House, but that can't happen until FUSF has sufficient inventory. In the meantime, alternatives such as compostable dinnerware made from wheat gluten or corn are being evaluated. These are know as 'benign biopolymer resins'   (www.sustainablebizness.com/greenplastics.htm) and commonly referred to as 'green plastics'. They look, feel and perform exactly like their petroleum based counterparts, but break down into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass at a rate comparable to newspaper. The Committee is including these products as part of its search for paper goods vendor.

Grounds Care

Our goal is to foster an ethic where our church property serves as a natural sanctuary fully complimentary to our spiritual sanctuary and the belief systems it represents. This has already been accomplished in the layout of our facilities. Of our 11 acre property, less than 25% has been developed, the remainder being preserved in its natural state as a natural resource.

Our church building is sited to present a passive buffer protecting natural areas from noise and activity of vehicles as well as active use areas for pedestrians. Parking lots are designed to treat runoff in stormwater basins prior to entering wetlands. Some of these basins have been allowed to revert to natural vegetation, offering habitat value to our natural cohabitants. Native River Birch and Red Maple have been planted to further provide habitat and perches for our winged friends.

We also have prepared a long term Landscape Plan to assure that Green practices are implemented in a phased manner as our property evolves. Our Grounds Committee will use this plan as a benchmark as they go forward on various projects.

We've prepared an action plan for future use of the site here. We also have a guide for regular property maintenance here, which can likewise serve as a guide for homeowners wishing to use environment-friendly lawn care practices.  Green Lawn Care

Guide UU Ministry for Earth: Green Sanctuary Program

This Green Sanctuary Program (www.uuministryforearth.org/gspoverview.html) is large effort, requiring the creation of action plan, audits and a formal accreditation. Other UU congregations in the area are in the first phases of the program. The First Parish Church UU of Northborough (www.firstparishnorthboro.org), has graciously offered to share what they've learned. This program is an ambitious undertaking that will test the commitment of the Green Committee and resolve of the congregation as a whole. This is a longer term initiative that the Committee will be considering to implement in the future..