Tips for a greener holiday!

Image credit: Petr Kratochvil via www.Gaderinge.com

With all of the twinkling lights, decorated trees, beautifully wrapped presents, and yummy foods, the holiday season is a time for family, friends, joy and hope.  However, many of our traditions are not so "joyful" for the planet.  Luckily, there are small changes we can all make to help make our holidays a little "greener."

1. Use alternatives to wrapping paper (or just don't wrap it!).  The wrapping can be part of the gift - a scarf, a reusable box, mason jar and reusable bag are all great options.  If you have kids, using some of their artwork as wrapping paper or tags is a touch that family members will love.  (Just get their permission first!)
2. Reuse or recycle wrapping paper, bows, and tags that you receive.
3. Use LED holiday lights.  If your lights are old or you are buying new lights, get LED bulbs - they use less energy (up to 80% less) and last longer.  They also don't heat up like traditional lights, so may be a safer bet for your tree.  Solar powered lights may also be a great option for outside.
4. Eat local, organic, and in-season.  When preparing your holiday meals, focus on local and organic produce, pasture-raised poultry and eggs, and grass-fed meats.  Your alcohol can be green too - biodynamic or organic wine, organic brews - if you can get local, that's great.
5. Recycle your live tree  Montgomery county will turn your cut Christmas tree into compost or mulch if you leave it by the curb on recycling day.  You can find more information here: http://m.montgomerycountymd.gov/SWS/how/christmas-trees.html
   
6. Use soy or natural beeswax candles instead of those made from paraffin wax (a petroleum product). 
7. Send holiday cards over email - you can save money, time, and paper!
8. Use reusable bags for your holiday shopping.  Most of us already use reusable bags at the grocery store - bring them for your other shopping too!
9. Consider giving environmentally and socially conscious gifts You can find many handmade, fair trade items, items made from recycled materials, and used items both online and in person.  Also consider non-material gifts such as a trip, class, experience, or even a gift of your talent and time.
10. If you are traveling, unplug appliances, turn down the thermostat and turn off the water heater.  This is self-explanatory, save your wallet and the environment!

Doing some or all of these things can be your gift to the earth and its people this holiday season! 

 

Fair Trade and Unitarian Universalism

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/nov/04/multinations-development-fairtrade-report

  
What is Fair Trade?
"Fair trade is an approach to business and to development based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks to create greater equity in the international trading system." www.fairtradefederation.org   Fair trade promotes safe working conditions, environmental responsibility, and economic growth

There are many different organizations that certify and label goods as fair trade.  
In this area, I most commonly see the Fair Trade USA label.  Products that are certified fair trade by Fair Trade USA must meet the following requirements:

• Fair prices
• No GMOs (genetically modified organisms)
• No hazardous chemicals
• No child labor 

Each label may have slightly different requirements, but all have at their heart financial, environmental, and community fairness.

My Alter Eco chocolate bar is certified by Fair Trade USA

Fair Trade and the UU Principles
Buying fair trade items is one way to practice several of the UU principles:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; and
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Many of the goods we buy may have come from workers who work in horrible conditions, and/or make so little that they cannot support themselves and their families.  Child labor still exists (as does slavery, but that is a post for another day.)  In buying goods labeled fair trade you know that a fair portion of that money is going to the person who deserves it.  It also encourages farmers and manufacturers to behave responsibly in terms of the environment - working within the interconnected web instead of fighting or poisoning it.  You can learn about how the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee promotes fair trade here.  

How to buy fair trade?
The most common fair trade items are coffee and chocolate, but there is also jewelry, home decor, body care, olive oil, and more.  When shopping in your local grocery store, you can look for one of the many fair trade labels.

Alternatively, you can shop at a store (in person or online) that carries fair trade goods, such as Ten Thousand Villages or Serrv.  You can search the online directory at Fair Trade Federation to find businesses and products that are fair trade.

Buying fair trade is truly one small way you can contribute to creating a world community with peace, liberty and justice for all. 

Solar Power!

If you have visited UUCR in the past few months, you have probably heard that we now have solar panels on our roof!  This achievement was years in the making and is another way to demonstrate our congregation's commitment to respecting the interconnected web of life and thinking ahead to the next seven generations.

Our solar panels are a 32 kilowatt system, which is expected to generate 30 percent of the congregations energy needs.  Of course, we are always looking for ways to further decrease our footprint, but we thought it was important to celebrate this momentous step. 

Here are a few pictures from our Solar Power Celebration on Sunday, September 27:

Thank you to everyone who worked hard to make UUCR's solar panels a reality!

Apps for Green and Socially Responsible Consuming

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ibm/2015/01/12/the-internet-of-things-will-transform-retail-as-we-know-it/

 Here's an easy, 'tech-friendly' way to shop green and socially responsible: There are a variety of phone and computer apps that allow us to quickly check up on the best brands and companies. Some allow us to quickly scan a barcode to get ratings while you're out shopping. From a review of several web articles, the top apps seem to be GoodGuide, and BuyCott.  The following article gives a brief description and link to these and several such companies.    https://www.freelancersunion.org/blog/2014/04/22/cool-green-apps-help-you-shop-ethically/.  

In addition, if you subscribe to groundswell.org you'll get several in-depth articles on responsible consuming.  Of course, we always encourage you to do your own research and really think about what you are supporting through your spending, but these apps can help when the choices are many and confusing.  Thanks for directly making a difference with what you buy!

 

Where to Buy Gas? Green and Socially Responsible Consumerism

Welcome to the first post in the Green and Socially Responsible Consumerism series.  The purpose of this series of short articles is to help us UUCRs better put our money where our principles are, and NOT put it where they AREN'T! Warning: Changing habits of a lifetime takes sacrifice, but the rewards of a better world are priceless!  

This first installation has taken a while, and a lot of asking, web-searching and thinking on how to best grow "Green and Socially Responsible Spending" in our UUCR congregation and beyond.  I've been reluctant to put any information forth until it was optimally concise, powerful, valid and reliable.  Since I found that such might take forever, the following is a reasoned start toward that, with a plea to your hearts to help us put even better info out there (see feedback note below)!

The best information found so far has been from a website called Green America: The Responsible Shopper. 

Where is the best place to buy gas for your car? 

The first item we are highlighting is gasoline.  The following page from the Green America site shows what they find to be the best place to buy gas for your car: Responsible Shopper, Oil & Gas. 

Unfortunately, the best choice, Sunoco, is far from 'good' but it is the lesser of several 'bads' (it received a D, as opposed to a D- or F). We might as well get used to this, as many of our most frequent and high expenditures will be for products that have no 'good' choices. At least we'll be supporting the best efforts of companies, and making a real dent in the profits of the worst offenders.  Future blogs will similarly rate other common consumer products.  Let me know which ones YOU want Green and Socially Responsible ratings on!

(For feedback and suggestions on this and future green and socially responsible spending articles, please write timothylfrancis@gmail.com)