If your church currently has Green Sanctuary status, what advice do you have for others who are seeking it?

2nd Unitarian Church of Chicago

  • We are working on it.

Countryside Church UU
Currently we are in the process to obtain Green Sanctuary status.

  • Committee leaders should become thoroughly familiar with the GS manual found on the UUA website before beginning the actual process.
  • Network with churches who have already achieved GS status (local churches or on-line).
  • Use the GS manual for examples of surveys and audits to create the necessary forms. Or request permission to use the surveys and audits used by other churches, rather than trying to re-invent all the materials.
  • Put the congregational survey on-line if at all possible. It will be much easier to tabulate.
  • The committee chair (or co-chairs) needs to coordinate the process, while project leaders head each sub-committee in charge of individual activities.

Northshore Unitarian Church

  • We are currently working on this status. It is an all church project this year and last year

Unitarian Church of Evanston

  • There is a Green Sanctuary group within the congregation and UCE has achieved this status as an environmental church. They've done good work with changing how we do things at UCE in terms of environmental impact from small ways to larger ones.
  • We actually went through the process of examining a geothermal alternative when it came time to raising funds for a new heating system. Unfortunately, it was too expensive and we opted for new boilers, etc. instead. But, it was a good learning experience for us
  • They are a resource within the congregation for environmental issues. They are also working with a larger Coalition within Evanston on environmental and sustainability issues. Please consult with Dick Whitaker or Andrew Fisher for more details.

UU Society of Geneva

  • We are in the process of applying for Green Sanctuary Status