Local church helps spawn eco-faith movement

By ERIC LINDBERG — Sept. 22, 2009

Solar panels recently installed on the roof of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Santa Barbara’s church represent not only a major step toward reducing the organization’s carbon footprint but also a growing eco-faith movement in Santa Barbara.

Beginning as a conversation among members about lessening their environmental impact and growing into the solar array project, the focus on energy efficiency at the religious society has since snowballed into a larger undertaking to involve other faith groups in promoting eco-friendly practices.

“I’d say it’s symbolic of a greater effort in the community rather than the success of this single project,” said Ivor John, chair of the society’s recently created Green Sanctuary Committee. “It’s a visible manifestation of what we’re trying to do.”

Efforts by society members have led to the establishment of a “Clean/Green Energy Fund” through the Fund for Santa Barbara to serve as a resource and pool of money for other local nonprofits and religious organizations seeking to make their facilities more energy efficient.

And while organizers with the Unitarian Universalist Society are already considering other ways to achieve carbon neutrality at their Santa Barbara Street campus, they are increasingly optimistic that other groups will use their efforts as a model.

“It is really exciting how things that just start as reflective conversation at church on Sunday morning can ultimately start a much bigger transformation that goes far beyond us,” said Rev. Aaron McEmrys, parish minister at the society.

It all began with the launch of the yearlong Green Sanctuary project with a grant from the Bower Foundation — an effort to get the congregation talking about environmental issues and sustainability. The venture started very small, such as urging society members to turn off the lights in their homes when leaving a room or installing energy efficient appliances.

Many of the younger members of the organization took to the concept vigorously, said Don Bushnell, longtime society member and past dean of Fielding Graduate University.

“They became our internal police,” he said, describing how the children would report back if their parents weren’t practicing what had been preached. Bushnell is doing his part as well — putting clothes out on a line to dry, buying a more efficient washer and installing energy-efficient lighting.

With members of the society working on their personal carbon footprints, organizers came up with the idea of reducing the church’s environmental impact and jumped into the solar array project. After convincing a wary Historic Landmarks Commission, the society recently completed the installation and receives 30 percent of its electrical needs from the array.

“This is just the first step,” Rev. McEmrys said. “We have some big plans coming up in the next few years.”

While still in the planning stage, church organizers hope to install another solar array on a building at the campus that will provide all the energy needed by the Unitarian Universalist Society.

After making the initial commitment to being a “greener” congregation, the reverend said it is incumbent upon them to continue taking baby steps forward. He added that the concept of environmental preservation fits into a number of the church’s guiding principles.

“Walking softly on the earth, living responsibly and helping build a sustainable society is for us not just a practical stance, but a religious one as well,” Rev. McEmrys said.

A belief that all life is interconnected, as well as a basic respect for the worth and dignity of all people, demands that members of the church seek out ways to reduce their consumption, he said.

“We need to live in a way that will not only make it possible for us to live on as a species, which is going to be tough enough, but also to make sure we treat the rest of creating with love and care and respect,” he said. “Our fate is kind of bound up in the fate of everything else that lives.”

In an effort to pass along that message, society members decided to put together a fund for other religious groups and nonprofits to draw upon while taking similar steps toward energy efficiency. John said he sees it as a way for the society to “pay it forward” and support the burgeoning eco-faith movement.

“All of these faith communities share one thing in common, and that’s a concern for the environment,” he said.

He said there are already other churches getting involved with the effort and putting together projects to be funded by the Clean/Green Energy Fund. Once enough funds are collected, a committee will sift through the proposals and determine which should be supported.

The Unitarian Universalist Society agreed to donate its collection this past Sunday to the fund as a first step toward building up the account. An anonymous donor has also offered to match any contributions through the end of October, up to $5,000.

“It’s really an important time for us to shake the trees right now and try to grow the fund,” John said, adding that those interested in supporting the effort can send tax-deductible donations to the Clean/Green Energy Fund at the Fund for Santa Barbara.

He also praised the work of the Community Environmental Council, which has made strides to encourage the faith community to become involved in projects that improve energy efficiency.

“They are also a key player here in helping to initiate and promote these types of projects,” John said.

Looking back on the progress made in the past year or so, church organizers said they are pleased that their seemingly small efforts have blossomed into a larger movement.

“Hundreds of us have made real commitments to making changes in how we live our personal lives,” Rev. McEmrys said. “From here, we’re going to be contributing to and really supporting the green energy fund so that we can hopefully make it more possible and more attractive for other religious communities and organizations to do what we’re doing.”

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Abundant thanks : 9/22/2009

Abundant thanks to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Santa Barbara for moving in this direction. Your presence in our community is a blessing. Vaya con Dios y vaya con Gaia tambien.

Marc McGinnes

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internal police!? : 9/22/2009

Encouraging kids to rat out their parents for not following the PC path. You make me sick

enviro-jungend

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