I am always impressed with the desire of Unitarian Universalists to find
ways to put their environmental values to work in their personal lives, in
their congregations, and in the larger world.

As most of you know, the Green Sanctuary Program asks a congregation to do
at least two environmental justice projects as part of their quest for
accreditation. This continues to be the area of action that causes the most
consternation. Initially, we didn't provide very much help in this area
because we still hadn't actually worked out what it should mean. By the
time we published the fourth edition of the GS Manual last year, experience
and reflection got us closer to an understanding of what this focus area
should ask of us. That Manual contains a much more thorough explanation,
some of which is reflected in the responses of some of your messages in this
string. If you don't yet have a copy, you might want to obtain one, even if
your congregation is not currently working on accreditation or planning to
do so.

That said, here are a few comments in response to the current discussion.

Nearly all environmental issues have some implications for environmental
justice, but the way we respond to environmental issues often has no direct
connection to furthering justice in the world. Often it's hard to see how
an EJ project proposal is more than sustainability or education. The list
of projects Gayla created includes several that would fall into these
categories (recycling of various waste products, promoting use of recycled
products, replacing light bulbs and appliances, and eliminating toxics for
cleaning and landscaping, for example, and book discussions, or speakers
with discussion groups, etc.). A good exercise would be to go through the
list and pick out those that aren't really directly addressing justice.

Other projects may be touching on justice, but are focused inwardly, so that
the effort improves awareness and sustainability for the congregation, but
does nothing to support those suffering injustice and whose voices are not
heard in the community. Many of the energy conservation actions are in this
category, along with organic potlucks, field trips to nature sites, green
building programs, and so forth. These activities are necessary, and often
help pave the way for real justice action, but are not by themselves the
kind of action we would like to see for the EJ focus area.

In our definition, environmental justice acknowledges that environmental
impacts fall first and most severely on those who receive the least of the
benefits and are mostly powerless to effect changes. Preventing or
mitigating those impacts should be the objective of our EJ projects. This
requires building relationships with those who suffer, and finding ways to
work in solidarity with them. Examples are provided in the Manual from some
of the Green Sanctuary congregations for this type of project.

We also see Earth justice as extending beyond human societies to include all
beings who inhabit this planet. So habitat preservation and restoration
would be appropriate projects for this type of injustice (going beyond trash
pickup along a highway or stream).

You may want to start with a fairly small scale project that raises
consciousness about a particular injustice in your community, and follow it
up with a more sustained and proactive response that emerges from your
relationship with a community that is suffering from an issue you wish to
address. An educational program with a speaker or film might trigger
interest in factory farming or some aspect of climate change. This would be
followed by a letter writing campaign on pending legislation, or testifying
at a local public hearing on the issue. In the process, you would begin to
work with a community that is impacted, to see how your life-style can be
changed to reduce the impact, and how public policy needs to be changed to
prevent future injustices.

The CAFO project Mary Jo Burk mentioned would be a great example. The
energy efficiency project Jay Barns mentioned would be another one. Several
Green Sanctuary churches have provided light bulbs and non-toxic building
supplies for low income communities or Habitat for Humanity projects to make
sure these residents can get the advantage of cost savings, reduce their
contribution to global warming, and live in more healthy homes.

And the resource guide being developed for the Study/Action Issue on Ethical
Eating that Vicky Talbert mentioned will be an excellent resource. Much of
it offers sources for information and study, but it also includes ideas for
addressing various justice aspects of our food system. It's also a good
model for addressing other justice issues, so if you don't want to focus on
food, you can help your congregation learn about and take action on some
other pressing issue.

I am in the process of developing an Environmental Justice Tool-kit for
congregations to support your EJ work. The tool kit will contain examples
of successful projects and tips for organizing your activities. It will
also have a bibliography and links to websites for various EJ issues and
organizations actively working on them. Release date for this package is
set for February. In the meantime, if you need some help right away and
don't yet have a copy of the Fourth Edition of the GS Manual, send me a
quick note and I'll send you the 3-page excerpt of the EJ section from the
Manual.

Keep on sharing your ideas and projects on this list. Your experiences will
help your colleagues in other congregations start their creative juices
flowing, insuring that more UUs will join the efforts to make this world
both more sustainable and more just.

Blessings on your continued work to heal the Earth and your community.

Katherine

Rev. Katherine Jesch
Director of Environmental Ministry
UU Ministry for Earth, Portland, Oregon
Katherine.Jesch@uuministryforearth.org
503-595-9392