Green Team 2008 is for you!

Do you already drive a car powered by your own sense of self-satisfaction? Or are you burning coal in your home fireplace on wood-burning restriction days?

Doesn't matter! The Green Team has ideas for every level of environmentalist from novice to Ed Begley.

Founded in 1996, the Green Team Project is a grass-roots environmental non-profit project of the Tides Center that focuses on environmental education and community outreach. Its mission is to help individuals and small businesses lower their environmental impact and save money through their every day practices. This six session program promotes positive change and supports behavior and attitude change in a fun, supportive and non-judgmental manner.

We will be forming our 2008 Green Team soon. The organizational meeting will be held after the service on Sunday, February 3rd.

What can you expect?

• save between $60 and $500 per year
• cut your junk mail by up to 75%
• reduce your garbage by 30%
• reduce your energy bill by 25%
• cut your water use by 30%
• reduce your auto fuel use and eliminate one ton of air pollution per year

What's required of you?

• attend all six session (every other week over a three month period)
• $25 for materials
• commitment to have fun while making the world a better place

Sign-up sheet in the sanctuary.
Molly

Molly Gustafson, 2008 Green Team Coach

Recycling Has Officially Arrived at CUUC

How can you help? Before you throw something away at CUUC, look at the item in your hand and decide if it is trash or recyclable. Then throw it in the appropriate bin.

What is recyclable? Paper products that can be “torn”. This includes paper, magazines, junk mail, krispy cream boxes, and post-it notes. This DOES NOT include corrugated cardboard. Also, soda cans, bi-metal steel cans, glass, and plastic bottles # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6.

What can you do to help out A WHOLE BUNCH? Volunteer to sort the recycling and set the bins at the curb. Recycling will be picked up at 7am every other Tuesday. Starting with Tuesday October 2nd, then October 16th, October 30th, etc. We need volunteers to come in Monday afternoon or evening, or early Tuesday morning, sort the recycling into the paper vs. plastic/glass/metal bins and set them at the curb. Suzanne will bring the bins inside. If you already have an activity at the church on a Monday and are willing to spend an extra 15 minutes this might be an easy way for you to help the church out in a BIG way.

Please see the sign up sheet at the back of the church for more details..

- Tracy Leonard, Green Team Chair

Green Team Training

My wife, Molly, and I just finished the Green Team training. We thought we were rather “green” already. Even so, the Green Team training showed us a lot more we could easily do to make a difference. The exercises and discussions covered the topics of waste, water, energy, chemicals, and transportation. Each chapter had a worksheet to help us estimate how much we consume. When you see your life in quantitative measures it changes your perspective of the quality of that life.

Molly and I have found that being green is not necessarily harder or more expensive. We have simply changed the way we do some things. The training is more of a buffet of ideas for living greener. We chose the solutions that made sense to us. Some of the best ideas are the easiest. We found the following ideas really helpful.

• Recyclables that are not accepted by your waste service can be taken to the single stream recycling dumpster behind the King Soopers near the church.
• Bring a mug to work instead of tossing out a disposable cup each day. Consider a similar solution for all the plastic utensils and paper plates or bowls in your trash.
• Buy produce that is grown closer to home. It saves on water, fuel for transportation, and supports local economies. Plus, it is likely to be better for you.
• Elect to receive bills, financial reports, and the CUUC Newsletter electronically to save paper.
• Keep a cloth grocery sack in the car. If you need it you will already have it.
• Elect that all or part of your energy come from wind. The difference in cost is minimal and we send a message to energy producers that Green is important.
• Compact Fluorescent bulbs use a lot less energy and some newer bulbs are available with better color. You can change the world by changing a light bulb.

- Eric Gustafson, Member of the Green Team