Earth Ministry

Bruce Davis & Walter Weiss, co-chairs
Heidi Mordhorst, communications

RRUUCEarthMinistry@gmail.com 

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I. MISSION

As a UUA Green Sanctuary, RRUUC is committed to creating a religious community that operates fundamentally in harmony with the Earth, as we are called to do by the UUA’s Seventh Principle, respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The Earth Ministry (formerly the Environmental Task Force) focuses on education for action, raising RRUUC’s awareness about reducing climate change impacts in the congregational building, at home and in our county and state. We work for environmental justice for those disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. The Earth Ministry will call upon all, in a loving and respectful way, to take the actions necessary to preserve the earth as a sustainable home for humanity and all living beings.

II. ACTIVITIES

Earth Ministry meets monthly on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 11:30am, both in person and on Zoom. Activities are available to fit members’ various schedules and interests. They include:

  • Ensuring sustainable operations at RRUUC: Periodically reviewing church operations to determine if they are being performed in an environmentally sustainable manner; and recommending improvements in operating practices where indicated. This includes spearheading the effort to improve the energy efficiency of the building, the shift to running the building on renewable electricity already generated elsewhere and managing the exploration of generating new additional renewable electricity on our roof via onsite solar.
  • Supporting Green Sanctuary re-accreditation: Supporting the Green Sanctuary Team in encouraging the actions required of RRUUC and its members to qualify RRUUC for Green Sanctuary re-accreditation.
  • Supporting worship services as needed: Providing support, when requested, to the ministers, religious educators, and RRUUC staff in planning and providing worship services.
  • Educating the congregation on key sustainability topics: Offering or supporting environmental workshops or presentations at RRUUC’s annual retreat, for Contemporary Issues Forum events, and other events as needed.
  • Offering advocacy opportunities on sustainability topics: Informing RRUUC members about local, state, and national legislation supported by the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministries and encouraging support for and providing steps to take to effectively advocate for recommended legislation.
  • Engaging with local, regional, and national sustainability focused organizations: This includes participating in the Montgomery County Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (MC-FACS).
  • Promoting environmental justice.
  • Providing an annual report of Earth Ministry activities to the Board of Trustees.