Green Sanctuary Progress & Accomplishments
To participate, contact Dorian Tippet or Nancy Hofland.
Environment Justice | Sustainable Living | Worship | Religious Education
CERTIFICATION APPLICATION PROCESS
- Workshop with Catherine Jesch on starting a Green Sanctuary Program; included other churches.
- Application submitted and accepted 2007.
- PUC web pages for Green Sanctuary set-up.
Participation in environmentally-oriented community projects
- Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy - restoring the natural habitat.
STATUS: participates once monthly
To participate, see PVPLC Volunteer Day schedule. - Wilmington Community Garden - help with 3 plantings.
STATUS: halted; Conoco Phillips didn't follow through on water. - Representative to South Coast Interfaith Council Social Justice Committee meetings.
Representatives at South Bay Los Angeles 350 Climate Action to plan and participate in the worldwide Amazing Waving Human Tide Line demonstration to reduce CO2 omissions on October 24, 2009.
Scientists say that 350 parts per million
CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit
for humanity. Learn more about 350:
what it means, where it came from,
and how to get there.
Representatives to Transition South Bay LA meetings: - Adams School Garden
STATUS:Group gardening sessions every week at 10 AM. To volunteer, email transitionsouthbayla@gmail.com. - Simplicity Workshops planning
- Showing of the Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Representatives in Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition to improve safety and interconnectedness of bike lanes in South Bay. Grew out of the 350 South Bay Coalition.
- Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy - restoring the natural habitat.
- Created Peace/Anti Nuclear Weapons group.
- Information Table & Letter Writing Table on patio Sundays
Promote education and involvement in the Sierra Club Open Space Task Force's effort to clean up and restore the Palos Verdes Landfill to a public passive multi-purpose recreational area. May 2009 public meeting held at PUC. Consultation meeting February 24, 2010 6:30 pm at Rancho Vista Elementary School.- Participants at Clean Up, Green-Up Campaign kick-off on January 21, 2011.
- Two Green Sanctuary Co-coordinators attended the screening of "Climate Refugees" on January 24, 2010. The film illuminates the human face of climate change as civilization now finds itself facing the confluence of overpopulation, lack of resources and changing climate. Climate Refugees was the centerpiece film at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen (December 2010); the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2010.
- Participate in the Communities for a Better Environment Wilmington Campaign along with PUC's Social Justice Committee.
Audits by the Electric, Gas and Water companies to assess PUC's energy use.- Retrofit by water company to replace four toilets, four faucets and possibly the urinal.
STATUS: completed. - Retrofit of PUC by electric company through CPEEP to improve efficiency of electricity use. STATUS: complete.
- Audit of church members and staff regarding their resources use, covering solid waste, transportation, energy use, water use, toxic substances, food choices and seeking justice in these areas STATUS: ongoing; assess the areas requiring education and/or further action.
- Exploration of food choices: Community-wide talk by Rex Bowlby, author of Plant Roots, on "Was Jesus a Vegetarian?" conducted April 18, 2008.
In cooperation with Facilities Committee, researched and supported purchase of commercial dishwasher for church to eliminate use of disposal cups. STATUS: dishwasher installed and in use.- Bicycle rack installed in PUC parking lot.
- Plant a fruit tree on PUC church grounds.
STATUS: in progress 
Information provided on how to wrap Christmas without paper, using reusable cloth, furoshiki-style. How-to video on furoshiki gift-wrapping.- Learned from community member cooking with solar cookers. Made two types.
- Learned from community member John Jeavons' approach to growing vegetables.
- Speakers series with Jay Edie on Peak Oil and Global Warming September - December 2010.
- Screening of "A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil" held January 8, 2011.
- Dan Wang spoke about Peak Oil and how it relates to the work PUC is doing with Transition South Bay L.A., February 12, 20011.
- Explored what is ethical eating and environmental justice beginning February 13, 2011. Continues every Second Sunday of the month.
- Screening of "FLOW: For the Love of Water", a documentary about the global crisis we face as Earth's fresh water supply constantly diminishes, on February 26, 2011.
- Learned about the benefits of eating local foods and how to culture foods from Jeanne Peters RD. March 19, 2011.
- Screeing of "Gasland", a filmaker's questioning look at the safety of the natural gas drilling technology of "fracking" or hydraulic fracturing, held June 11, 2011.
- Attended West Basin Municipal Water District Tour, July 9, 2011.
- Sermon topic on environmental issues:
- August 10, 2009 Service: Web of Life skit
- Rev. Sally Bingham gave sermon on environmentalism
- Created Environmental Covenant Group.
STATUS: meets monthly, information sharing. - Frequent articles in The View newsletter with environmental tips, etc.; offshoot from the environmental covenant group.
- Unshopping Project: to encourage exploring new possibilities for gift-giving and to reduce consumerism in general.
STATUS: started. - Conducted workshop series on Living Green by Kathleen Jacecko of Teaching Green
STATUS: Conducted 5-class series February - June 2009; well-attended, approx. 50 attendees in total
- Tooling around town in (Green) Style: Reduce the impact of getting yourself from here to there and go a long way toward greening your life.
- Helping the Earth with Every Bite: Thank Mother Earth for her delicious bounty by choosing foods that nourish the body without harming the Earth.
Making Your Home a Friend to Mother Nature, Part I: Make your home resource-friendly and energy efficient. - Making Your Home a Friend to Mother Nature, Part II: Water: Conserve it and keep it clean.
- Stemming the Tide of Toxics and Trash: Reduce the flow of natural resources to landfills; detoxify your life and the environment.
- Large banner to be displayed on church patio on Sundays mornings to call attention to "green" topics.
STATUS: in progress - Speaker Jay Edie on "Peak Oil", September 2009.
- "Low Carbon Diet" class series to provide education on how to be part of the global warming solution.
