Earth Care

We are an earth care congregation

   We are committed to deepening our shade of green by
  • making Unity Kitchener as ecologically friendly as possible from our building to policies and best practices
     
  • educating our congregation so that each person can make a positive impact on the environment in their personal and business lives.

Our Earth Care Covenant

We hold a currency of consciousness that all of creation is connected as one. The story of creation reveals that we are to be good caregivers of the creation.  As Unity people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence. We honour our spiritual commitment to the care and support of the balance between our individual needs and those of nature. We envision a world in which everything has intrinsic value and where all beings are assured a secure and meaningful life that is ecologically responsible and sustainable.  We agree to transform our individual and congregational lives into acts of which reflect our spiritual commitments, transforming harmful habits for new behaviors that demonstrate our respect for this harmony and interconnectedness.
We declare our covenant with God to walk upon the Earth lightly, for the greatest good for all of creation.

This covenant has been personally adopted by a third of our congregation.  Our allegiance to the earth (photo to right) is posted in lobby with small take-home cards.

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In 2010, Unity Kitchener won the first ever Unity Earth Care Award, and became certified as a Green congregation.  

HISTORY OF GREEN AT UNITY KITCHENER

The following is a summary of our on-going greening journey:

2011

  • Spring and summer monthly Sunday lobby educational exhibit on environmental themes
  • Exploration of solar panels

2010

  • Evolution of the front gardens to reduce lawn care, increase sustainability, increase species diversification and incorporate native species, and make it more inviting/comfortable as a rest spot.

2009

  • Added "environment" to statement of core values
  • Adopted Ecologically friendly purchasing practices;
  • Adopted Earthcare Covenant
  • Hosting Tri-City Community Gardens Kick-off Event
  • Tithed to Old Forestation Jesuit Project
  • “Ecoholic” book carried in bookstore

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2008

  • Green Team begun
  • Green Team members take the information they learn and share it in their workplaces
  • Installed automatic power-down on computers
  • Replaced paper toweling with cloth towels
  • Set up a car pool board for ride exchanges
  • Cancelled all usage of herbicides and pesticides on lawns
  • Encouraged the use of the electronic newsletter (50% of mailing list converted)
  • Celebrated Earth Day with a movie night showing “The Story of Stuff” and “An Inconvenient Truth”
  • Invested in cloth napkins to replace paper disposable ones.
  • For 6 Sundays between services, showed a series on “Green Videos” on different topics such as green gardening, shopping, cleaning, etc.
  • 45 Members of the congregation took a 120 day challenge not purchase any new, non-consumable goods.
  • Subsidized reusable plastic and stainless steel water bottles with a Unity logo to promote their use in place of disposable water bottles.
  • June – published a special edition Ecological newsletter
  • Held a 100 mile potluck picnic to encourage buying food locally
  • Held a Good Earth Fare to explore how items could be reused as something else instead of trashed
  • Set up poster board in lobby to share green “tips” and added a column on green tips to the monthly church newsletter.
  • Set up kitchen composter bucket
  • Recycle batteries for the community
  • “Buy Local” map in lobby
  • Environmental segment added to newsletter and website

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2007

  • Tithed to the replanting of trees project
  • Replaced 30 year old, leaky windows with new thermal windows
  • Replaced 20 year old refrigerator with new, energy efficient model
  • Replaced old photocopier with new energy efficient model
  • Gifts to newcomers:  LCD Light bulb to encourage the use of LCD bulbs in people’s homes
  • Recycle ink cartridges, cell phones

2006

  • Replaced two old toilets with three low flush toilets (Additional bathroom installed)
  • Refinished bookstore cabinets rather than replacing
  • Recycling bins place on every floor

2005

  • Major renovations:  recycled material which was taken out – cedar wall board, old kitchen cupboard, lighting fixtures made into Candle Holders

2004

  • Replaced office light bulbs with LCD
  • Replaced sanctuary lights with halogen an LED
  • Created community garden plots on site – reduces mowing and pollution

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2003

  • Paperless service – with few exceptions use only the overhead projector
  • Turn grassy hillside into a perennial flowers garden – no more mowing, pesticides, fertilizer, etc.
  • Replaced all disposable plastic utensils with metal useable one

2002

  • Replaced radiant heat gas ceiling furnace with in floor hot water heating
  • Outdoor composter

2001

  • Circulation Day:  God's garage sale began as an annual event to reduce things going to landfill. 

2000

  • Replaced Styrofoam cups with ceramic ones
  • Began using overhead projection for music instead of printing off words
  • Quit printing bulletins for order of service

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