Overview

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) began the Green Sanctuary Program in 1989 to provide a structure for congregations to examine their environmental impacts and move towards sustainable practices grounded in Unitarian Universalism.

UUFN formally adopted the program and was accredited by the UUA in 2011.

Green Sanctuary Team

The Green Sanctuary team welcomes members and friends to participate in initiatives. For more information on how you can get involved, contact greensanctuary@uufn.org.

Focus Areas

Worship and Celebration:

  • We celebrate our endeavors in alignment with the UU Seventh Principle.
  • We strengthen our connections between spiritual practice and Earth consciousness through worship.

Religious Education:

  • We work to develop mindful attitudes and practices about sustainability among children and adults in our community.

Sustainable Living:

  • We strive to use fewer resources and make more intentionally sustainable choices.
  • We model ways in which we can treat the earth more gently.

Environmental Justice:

  • We acknowledge that marginalized communities are often hit first and hardest by climate change and environmental crises.
  • We strive to shift from providing charity to working in solidarity with these communities.
  • We partner with these communities to address both human and environmental needs.

Highlights of Initiatives and Community Partnerships

Worship and Celebration:

Religious Education:

Sustainable Living:

The UUFN has been a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat® since March 1996, and is the first congregation in Delaware to receive NWF Sacred Grounds™ certification, in 2020.

  • Energy-efficiency improvements to the building
  • Discontinued plastic ware and bottled water at events
  • Energize Delaware energy audit in partnership with UD

Most UUFN Sustainable Living initiatives are currently on-hold due to COVID-related restrictions. The current emphasis of the Green Sanctuary program is on “Personal Responsibility” with the overall goal of getting people into the recycling habit.

The DSWA Newark Recycling Center Pencader is a convenient recycling drop off location:

470 Corporate Blvd
Newark, DE 19702
1-800-404-7080
Hours: Mon. - Sat. 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Past Sustainable Living Initiatives:

  • “Magazine Exchange” and sustainability information table during Sunday coffee hour
  • Earth Day “Car show” to promote high efficiency vehicles.
  • “White New Year” Styrofoam recycling event for UUFN’s Polystyrene Recycling Program.
  • Annual Smoke detector Battery recycling initiative, recycling a hundred pounds of batteries each year
  • Used suitcase collection for a children’s facility.
  • People were encouraged to drop off clean used plastic ware from home into bins provided by Eco Plastic Products for recycling into consumer products.

Environmental Justice:

  • 2017: Coordinated UUSC’s Guest at Your Table program for inhabitants of Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea forced to relocate because of climate change.
  • 2018: Sponsored Citizens’ Climate Lobby Wilmington-Newark Chapter’s screening of “Saving Snow”

Resources

Recycling Information:

UUA Climate & Environmental Justice:

  • UUA Green Sanctuary
  • UU Ministry for Earth - UUMFE:  http://www.uumfe.org. An excellent website with information on environmental issues: Including upcoming events; films; books, and other resources.

Delaware Environmental Organizations

Useful information to keep us in touch with our community of environmentalists: