We’re proud to announce that The UU Church of the Lehigh Valley received Green Sanctuary certification in September 2005. Since the Green Sanctuary Committee was formed in 2003, members have worked diligently to create a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly world by making our church buildings greener, raising awareness in the congregation about living more lightly on the earth through education and service projects, and by becoming a model of environmental stewardship in the Lehigh Valley. We’ve also tried to save the church money via improved building efficiency and energy conservation. It’s been a remarkable team effort.

The following is a breakdown of our accomplishments over the past three years in each of the required program areas (Worship and Celebration, Religious Education, Environmental Justice, and Sustainable Living).

Worship and Celebration  

Current Accomplishments

• Celebration of Animals service (October 2, 2005)
• Sermon and concert by Jim Scott, former Co-Chair of the UU Seventh Principle Project in 2000, about Green Sanctuary Program. (May 22, 2005)
• Solstice Service (December 19, 2004)
• Celebration of Animals service (October 3, 2004)
• Sermon: “Making Peace With the Earth” by Ministerial Intern Heather Janules on the need to reconcile with the multi-faceted quality of nature. (July 11, 2004)
• Environmental reading during Sunday service June 6, 2004 to publicize Native Plant sale.
• Sermon: “WWJD: What Would Jesus Drive ” by Rev. Len De Roche on ecology and automobiles (April 25, 2004)
• Celebration of Animals service (October 2, 2003)
• Sermon: “Trees I Have Hugged: Five Lessons of Being of Nature” by Chaplain Resident Veronica Froelich (April 27, 2003)

Religious Education

Current Accomplishments

• Public program: showing of “An Inconvenient Truth”—Al Gore’s hit movie about global warming. (October 20, 2006)
  Native Plant Sale, open to community for purpose of education and outreach. Proceeds help to buy more native, non-invasive plants for church grounds (September 16 & 17, 2006)
• Public program, “Community Supported Agriculture: Making the Connection between Farmers, Eaters, and the Land,” Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club (June 7, 2006).
• Native Plant Sale (Mother’s Day, May 13 &14, 2006).
• Public program, “Don't Trash That Trash, including panel of solid waste and recycling experts. Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club (http://www.pennsylvania.sierraclub.org/lv/HomePage.htm) (May 11, 2006)
• Public program “Depleted Uranium Weapons: Health and Environmental Dangers”¬ Speaker: International Depleted Uranium Weapons expert Dr. Doug Rokke. Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club and LEPOCO (http://lepoco.org/) (April 12, 2006)
• Public program: showing of film Walmart: The High Cost of a Low Price. Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club (February 22, 2006)
• Participated in UUA Study/Action Issue for 2004-2006, “Threat of Global Warming.” Submitted comments (March 2006). Resulting statement will become official international UUA policy on global warming.
• Public program “Mountaintop Coal Removal.” Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club (November 15, 2005)
• Native Plant Sale (October 15 & 16, 2005).
• Co-sponsored (with Sierra Club) several hands-on natural building/straw bale workshops. Workshop leader: green architect Sigi Koko (www.buildnaturally.com). (Fall 2004- Spring 2005)
• Religious Education class for senior high youth group taught by Dan Poresky, Alliance for a Globally Sustainable Healthy Environment or AGSHEN (http://www.agshen.org). (May 1, 2005)
• Native Plant Sale (plants courtesy of Russell’s Garden) (May 7 & 8, 2005)
• Green Sanctuary webpage added to church website (April 2005)
• Speaker from the Lehigh Valley Authority, a non-profit public water and wastewater utility spoke to RE classes about the importance of water and how to conserve it: http://www.lehighcountyauthority.org. (October 24, 2004).
• Religious Education class for elementary kids taught by Dan Poresky, AGSHEN (http://www.agshen.org). Discussed importance of trees and made “One With the Earth” buttons. (August 2004).
• Native Plant Sale, plants courtesy of Edge of the Woods Nursery (http://www.edgeofthewoods.biz) (June 6, 2004)
• Published free booklet in April 2003, offering tips on recycling, reusing and reducing. Offered to congregation and community groups, including the Macungie Women’s Group (May 2004)
• Breakfast Forum on native plants with Sue Tantsits from Edge of the Woods Nursery (May 23, 2004)
• Talk on native plants for kids in Religious Education classes by Ilse Stoll Zinnes (May 30, 2004)
• Community program: “Local Food Systems at Risk” with Brian Moyer, who owns Green Haven Farm in Berks County and is on the board of the PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture (http://wwwpasafarming.org). Co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club and the Penn State Cooperative Extension of Northampton County (http://www.northampton.extension.psu.edu) (April 28, 2004)
• Green Building Lecture Series on sustainable architecture/green building techniques with green architect Sigi Koko (http://www.buildnaturally.com). Five-part series co-sponsored with the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club (Fall 2003/Spring 2004).
• Breakfast Forum on recycling by Tom Marshall of the Bethlehem Recycling Center (http://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/recycle) (November 9, 2003)
• Breakfast Forum on wind energy by Laura McIlvain of Community Energy Inc.(http://www.newwindenergy.com). (October 12, 2003)

Environmental Justice

 Current Accomplishments

• UUCLV honored for environmental work by Circle of Stones Ritual Theater Ensemble (http://www.circleofstones.org) during performance of original play, The New Earth, at the Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University (April 21, 2006).
• Organized book recycling effort. Church members hauled away dozens of boxes of old books belonging to Gateway School for donation to libraries or recycling at Bethlehem Recycling Center. (October 2005)
• Adopted “One With the Earth” symbol developed by AGSHEN (http://www.agshen.org) for Green Sanctuary Committee printed materials. AGSHEN hopes to make this a universal symbol to promote respect for the earth and all its inhabitants (2005).
• Adopted “One With The Earth” ‘Please Recycle’ symbol and ‘Don’t Waste Paper’ symbol from AGSHEN to be used throughout church building to remind members and tenants the importance of recycling and conservation in creating a sustainable world for all (2005).
• Annual donation of native plants to Coalition for Alternative Transportation (CAT) (http://www.car-free.org). Talk by Ilse Stoll Zinnes on native plants. Church and CAT members participated in planting along the Lehigh towpath near low-income housing projects in Bethlehem and spread coneflower and tickseed seeds along other nearby bike trails. (May 15, 2005)
• Donation of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs to Turning Point shelter (December 2004)
• Donated 50 native plants to Jacobsburg State Park (Fall 2004).
• Annual donation of 100 native plants to Coalition for Alternative Transportation (May 29, 2004)

• Become member of Alliance for Sustainable Communities of the Lehigh Valley (http://www.sustainlv.org) and team up on various issues involving education, community outreach and legislative issues.

 Sustainable Living

 Current Accomplishments

• Implemented recycling program for empty ink cartridges, toner cartridges and obsolete cell phones. Empties sent to www.emptysolution.com for refund. Proceeds donated to the church. (Spring 2006)
• Joined with Buildings & Grounds Committee and Dan Poresky of AGSHEN on a heat conservation project, including labeling thermostats and construction of thermal window panels for Community Room and RE Building windows. (Winter 2006)
• Purchasing 1,200 kWh of wind-generated power per month from Community Energy Inc. (http://www.newwindenergy.com), representing 25% of total electric usage.
• 100% of paper products used in church building contain post-consumer recycled content (office paper, toilet paper, paper towels)
• Using environmentally-friendly low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint as needed throughout church buildings.
• Ongoing fundraisers selling Fair Trade coffee, energy saving compact fluorescent lightbulbs (cfls), and water-saving products, including flapperless toilets and faucet aerators from USA Landlord (http://www.usalandlord.com) to help fund “green” initiatives.
  Installed cfls in all light fixtures that can handle them (i.e., those without dimmer switches or areas with high-wattage needs). Bulbs from USA Landlord. Savings alone from switching to cfls in the sanctuary pays for the additional cost of wind power at $360 per year.
• Using soy ink in office risograph machine.
• Using non-polluting, non-toxic hand soap in bathrooms.
• Using 100% green cleaners for floors from Green Clean.
• Worked with Buildings and Grounds Committee to reduce air leakage from old windows in Religious Education building and improve energy efficiency (2005).
• Installed recycled panel doors for second floor closets to maintain historic architectural look and environmental goals (2005).
• Conducted waste audit through Bethlehem ’s Recycling Center. Developed comprehensive recycling guidelines beyond City’s recommendations with AGSHEN in 2004. Updated and printed in booklet form in 2005. Church is now recycling a dumpster-load or more of trash each month, dramatically reducing amount dumped in landfills.
• Received $11,235 grant from Sustainable Energy Fund (www.sustainableenergyfund.org) to install 10 solar light tubes from Solatube Inc. in third floor classrooms and hallways to reduce electric usage (June 2005) (http://www.uuclvpa.org/light.htm). Will dramatically improve lighting in dark rooms and hallways while saving an estimated $200 or more per year in reduced electrical use and reduced need for light bulb replacement.
• Installed energy-efficient air-conditioning unit with puron refrigerant (not freon), a safer, non-toxic, non-ozone-forming, environmentally-safe alternative. Energy Star’s Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) boosted from 7.5 to 13, for estimated 38% savings on cooling costs per year (e.g., If spend $1,000/year with old system, will spend on $615/yr with new) (April 2005)
• Developed comprehensive guidelines for purchase and use of cfls with AGSHEN. Published in booklet form. (January 2005)
• Converted 50% of church grounds to non-invasive native plant species, including black-eyed Susans, Monarda, purple cone flowers, and Canadian wood anemone. Also planted 8 native evergreens along alley beside church. (2004) Converted an additional 20% in 2005.
• Worked with Buildings and Grounds Committee on installation of an energy efficient roof on Religious Education building, including a white heat reflective membrane and R=30 insulation. (2004)
• Won Bethlehem ’s Green Ribbon Award for Recycling in December 2003. UUCLV featured in the City’s recycling newsletter in February 2004.
• Featured in recycling commercial by Bethlehem Recycling Center. Shown during 2004 and 2005 on local cable stations.
• Featured in UU World Magazine for winning Green Ribbon Award (July/August 2004 issue)
• Performed 2 energy audits in 2003—1 by local energy expert and a more comprehensive audit by the Interfaith Coalition on Energy (http://www.interfaithenergy.com) with grant money from Sustainable Energy Fund (http://www.sustainableenergyfund.org).
• Replaced 3 regular-flush toilets with low-flow toilets (2003).
• Installed bike rack at Wall St. entrance. (2003)