Congregation forms committee to propel ‘green’ church choices

BANGOR – Another step is about to be taken in Bangor to reduce the carbon footprint of faith communities. The Unitarian Universalist congregation has formed a Green Sanctuary Committee, which this fall will present to the church’s governing council an action plan to create a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle among its membership, specifically in its use, maintenance and improvement of its facilities and in its networking with similar programs in other churches and synagogues in the Greater Bangor community.

There is wide agreement in the world’s scientific community that the production and accumulation of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the global atmosphere, the result of increased use of fossil energy by humans, is contributing to climate changes that could affect the environment’s sustainability.

The Green Sanctuary Program, an initiative sponsored by the Lyme, N.H.,-based Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, seeks to encourage and assist congregations throughout North America in carrying out their commitment to an environmentally sustainable Earth.

The UUME indicates that such a ministry is about “choosing to live in a way that nurtures life, builds relationships and rejects material consumption as the sole determinant of happiness.”

One of the initial projects of the local committee, chaired by Bangor resident Libby Norton, will be to conduct an environmental audit of the congregation’s current practices regarding energy usage patterns, compliance with local recycling procedures, church policies that govern purchasing and investing, landscaping policies, religious education and programs in environmental justice. An action plan will be developed based on the audit results.

The Unitarian Universalist Green Sanctuary program is one among several initiatives in faith communities across Maine to help people make lifestyle choices that promote a sustainable Earth environment.

For several years now, for example, Maine Interfaith Power and Light has been engaging the faith communities and people of Maine in energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable energy.

The Maine Council of Churches also is sponsoring several environmental initiatives, including congregational EarthCare Teams that support groups and individuals who are “greening” their sanctuaries and homes.

The Rev. Brad Mitchell is interim minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor.