Repeal H.R.1 Now!
Thanks to everyone who stopped at our table in the community room and signed our commitment to the Covenant for our Future. We see our involvement in this as an opportunity to have a larger voice with other faith communities [...]
Share Your Concerns with Your Representatives
This is a great time to tell your congressional representatives and senators what you think and find out if they are holding town halls you can attend. UUSJ has a letter-writing campaign that you can participate in by going HERE. [...]
Earth Ministry: Get the Plastic Out
When you wash petroleum-based fabrics like polyester or fleece, tiny particles of plastic can be discharged into our wastewater and ecosystem. There are now filters available to attach to your washing machine that filter out plastics. Member Sally Hensel has [...]
Earth Ministry: How long does it take for our garbage to decompose?
It depends on various factors such as exposure to heat, water, air, light, and friction etc. For example, is the material out in the open or in a plastic bag in a landfill? How do scientists estimate how long it’ll [...]
Earth Ministry: Environmental Organizations
Many organizations are doing great work to protect our natural resources by fighting climate change on a practical level and through lobbying. Your Earth Ministry team came up with some of their favorites. They also looked at executive compensation and [...]
Social Action Update: Standing for Justice and Democracy
In these challenging times, civic engagement is more important than ever. Across the country, people are rising up to defend democracy, justice, and human dignity. Whether by rallying in the streets, writing letters, or calling elected officials, each action we [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Over-fertilizing
Excessive fertilizing of grass, gardens, and farm fields has caused a very large dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America?!). The subcontinental divide, which separates the Mississippi regional watershed from the Lake Michigan regional watershed, runs through [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Lower your Final Carbon Footprint
Traditional burials involve toxic embalming fluids and a casket made of stainless steel, bronze, or copper or a hardwood such as ash, aspen, oak, or poplar. The lining materials could be velvet, polyester, or satin. While cremation uses less land [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Get the Lead Out!
Water is life. The water lead crisis in the nation is jeopardizing its citizens' health. Lead can come from water pipes, faucets or fixtures. According to a US News and World Reports article in May 2023, WI ranks 10th in [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Preventing Food Waste While Shopping
We’ve previously mentioned how food waste contributes to climate change by producing methane in landfills. Most of us don’t give much thought to the food we throw away, but in addition to methane, it also wastes the human and energy [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Too much light?
Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythm and lowers melatonin production, which helps us sleep and boosts our immune systems. 99% of people living in the US and Europe don’t live under dark skies. Wildlife is also affected by our desire to [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Beefless Mondays?
According to this NPR article, lots of people making small changes in our diets might be able to help save the Colorado River: https://www.npr.org/2024/09/09/nx-s1-5002090/colorado-river-water-climate-change-beef The river is being stretched thin from overuse and climate change. 7 Western states rely on [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Want your food waste not to go to waste?
Each year, more than one-third of the U.S. food supply goes uneaten. often finding its way into landfills where it contributes significantly to methane emissions. 58% of methane emissions are from food waste. Methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more [...]
Earth Ministry Tip: Greener Christmas Shopping
Your Earth Ministry team posts weekly tips for a possible action you can take, or something to learn, to help us be better stewards of our planet. Here are some suggestions for how to find some greener gifts: Think green [...]
December’s Split the Plate Partner: CAGE
The Unitarian Universalist Church West (UUCW) has chosen CAGE: Community Agricultural Growing Experiences as December's Split the Plate partner, a decision made by the youth in the Religious Education (RE) program. CAGE, initiated by Andre Lee Ellis, is committed to [...]