Environmental Justice Ministry
Thanks to our elementary school friends for suggesting this guide to becoming more eco-friendly, The Money-Saving Guide to Going Green at Home !
Would you like to lessen your carbon footprint by eating locally farmed fruits & vegetables, support a local business, and help raise funds for UUCA? Then please sign up for our new Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) fundraiser with Tanaka Farms! Every other Sunday you will pick up your CSA box of fruits & vegetables at UUCA, and the church will receive 10% of the purchase price of each box. All you need to do is sign up!
Sign up link: https://csa.farmigo.com/join/tanakafarms
Choose Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim from the site list
Choose box size and create an account
Exclusive signup code UUCHURCH for $15 off the first box
At its 2020 Spring Congregational meeting, UUCA members voted to have the justice ministry focus on environmental issues. We have EJM committee meetings the fourth Sundays of alternate months at 1:00pm in person & on Zoom. You can also follow the UUCA EJM on Facebook and Twitter for relevant news articles and local events. Thanks!
Green Sanctuary 2030
At its 2020 Fall Congregational meeting, UUCA members voted we begin the process to become an accredited Green Sanctuary with the UUA. Each congregation performs a self-assessment, writes a plan, and completes projects across: Environmental Justice / Climate Justice, Worship and Celebration, Religious Education, and Sustainable Living. Learn more about Green Sanctuary 2030 (GS2030) here.
Spring 2021 Congregational meeting - phase one, congregational profile, completed and submitted. UUCA profile is posted on createclimatejustice.org
Fall 2021 Congregational meeting - phase two, congregational opportunity assessment, completed and submitted for review to UUA Green Sanctuary team
Spring 2022 Congregational meeting - phase three, draft action plan, completed and submitted for review to UUA GS2030 review team.
Please enjoy our Native Plant Garden on the north side of our R.E. building when you next visit UUCA in person.
At its April 18, 2021, meeting the UUCA Board voted to support HR 2307 - the Energy Innovation & Carbon dividend Act - Read the resolution
Environmental Justice Ministry committee meetings are held the 4th Sunday of alternate months at 1:00pm in person & on Zoom.
Environmental Justice sermons
On the 2nd Sunday of each month we will hear from a speaker on an Environmental Justice, UU the Vote, or other Social Justice related topic. Recordings of previous presentations can be found on UUCA's Facebook page.
May 8, 2022 - Gary Butterfield, Veterans for Peace : How Does Militarism and the Climate Crisis Impact UU’s 7th Principle - Respect for the Interdependent Web of All Existence? How does US militarism affect the climate crisis? Did you know that the US military is the world’s largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases? What can we do about it? Gary Butterfield is a Vietnam-era veteran, a member of 1st UU Church in San Diego and a member of 350.org in San Diego.
April 10, 2022 - Earth Day: In recognition of the 52nd Earth Day later this month, our own Environmental Justice Ministry committee members will ask us to reflect on mitigation, adaptation & resilience, justice, and congregational transformation as we prepare to enter the “action phase” of our Green Sanctuary 2030 accreditation process.
March 13, 2022 - The Life and Accomplishments of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers with Michele
February 13, 2022 - Side with Love
January 9, 2022 - Clean Up Kingspan with Lucas Hernandez from Kingspan Light & Air, Julian Posadas & John Murphy from SMART-Union, and Adam Overton from CLUE.
December 12, 2021 - "Santa Ana River: A Personal Retrospective," with Phoebe Amos
November 14, 2021 - "Greta Thunberg," with Gerri McNenny
October 10, 2021 - "The Benefit of Native Plants," with Nicholas Hummingbird
September 12, 2021 - "People to Respect," with Michele
August 8, 2021 - "Air Pollution," with Dr. Shahir Masri
July 11, 2021 - Community Choice Energy with Antonia Castro Graham
June 13, 2021 - "Housing Elements & You", Cesar Covarubias, Kennedy Commission
May 9, 2021 - En-ROADS Climate Simulation with Tony Green
April 11, 2021 - "Water, Water, Everywhere, but What If You Couldn't Afford To Drink?" with Randy Kokal, on the Poseidon desalination plant.
Organizations to join:
Residents for Responsible Desalination ( R4RD) http://www.r4rd.org/
Orange County Coastkeeper (OCCK) https://www.coastkeeper.org/
Azul – https://www.azul.org
Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry, California https://uujmca.org/volunteer/
What Can You Do to Stop Poseidon?
Call and write Governor Newsom: (916) 445-2841 https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/complete.php
Write the Orange County Water District: exploreoceandesal@ocwd.com
Call and Write Your City Council: Web link for Anaheim City Council-https://anaheim.net/173/City-Counci
March 14, 2021 - Orange County Environmental Justice with Keila Villegas. OCEJ are developing grassroots leadership and advancing an environmental justice agenda within the ancestral homelands of the Acjachemen and Tongva Nations, now known as Orange County, California.
February 14 - Side with Love
January 10, 2021 - "Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act," with Ken Bodger, Citizens Climate Lobby.
Pledge to be a Faith Climate Justice Voter. "There are deep inequities and racial injustices in our communities and nation. This is a moment for fundamental change. We need leaders who share our values of loving our neighbors and caring for Creation and are committed to ending structures of oppression, ending environmental injustices, and tackling climate change."
Vote in every election! Every OC registered voter will receive a mail in ballot, and no postage is necessary to return it by mail through USPS or drop it off in a ballot drop box location around Orange County. To learn more go to Orange County Registrar of Voters.
Solar Power System
Our solar power system was put into operation on Nov. 13, 2009, supplying about 40% of our energy needs. Several local officials congratulated us on installing this environmentally friendly system.
The Sierra Club's Energy Task Force presented us with the "Solar Powered Building" decal shown here. By September, 2017, our roof-mounted solar panels had produced over 69,000 KWhrs of power, reducing CO2 emissions by over 59 tons.
Service, Education, Witness, Advocacy, and Justice opportunities at UUCA
In person meetings at UUCA have been cancelled until further notice. Off site service opportunities have been scaled back, as well.
