Mission

Seventh Principle, West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church; First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
The importance of sustainability at the West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church and First Unitarian Church of Cleveland is founded on their Seventh Principle: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” This is accomplished through active environmental stewardship by the individual and the congregation, within the congregational community and the world at large.

Carism, Congregation of St. Joseph
In 1650, the Sisters of St. Joseph were founded for the purpose of fostering unity among people and with God. This is practiced in communal and individual life styles with the goal to live more sustainably through a combination of conservation, eco-friendly economics, eco-spirituality, healthy living, and eco-justice.

Religious Leader

Rabbi Bernstein, Congregation Shaarey Tikvah
Rabbi Bernstein believes that attention to the current environmental crisis is a religious and moral imperative. As human beings we have a responsibility for stewardship of God’s Creation. As such, Rabbi Bernstein devoted a service to the theme of stewardship preceding Rosh Hashanah, showing a portion of the film Renewal. Rabbi Bernstein and the accomplishments of Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in terms of sustainability efforts have been written about in the Cleveland Jewish News multiple times.

Dean Tracy Lind, Trinity Cathedral
Trinity Cathedral has become a leader in the movement towards becoming a more sustainable congregation since Dean Lind’s arrival, including her shepherding the building of the successful green building project at Trinity Commons.

Educational Groups

River’s Edge, Congregation of St. Joseph
The Congregation of St. Joseph sponsors River’s Edge, a conference and learning center that offers environmentally themed programs open to the public. These offerings promote an integrated understanding of sustainability and sustainable living.

City Fresh East, Young Adults Chavura, Congregation Shaarey Tikvah
CityFresh East at Shaarey Tikvah, started by Young Adults Chavura, promotes greater stewardship. This includes reducing the use of fossil fuels and a community-wide effort to purchase locally grown produce that reduces their carbon footprint.

Events

Northwest Earth Institute Courses, First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
Courses open to the public pertaining to different aspects of the environment and sustainability. Courses included Healthy Children, Healthy Planet, Choices for Sustinable Living and Global Warming, and will continue in the spring to include Menu for the Future.

Festaviv, Temple Tifereth Israel
Temple Tifereth Israel hosts Festaviv, an arts festival, each spring. In 2009, the theme is sustainability and the environment. Through this festival people will be able to learn about the environment and sustainability through the arts.

Green Building

Recycled Buildings, Crown Point Ecology Center
A barn is being used for storage and an office space is entirely heated by passive solar. The scraps from the construction of this building were used entirely to build a chicken coop. The two cabins available for intern use were constructed entirely from recycled materials.

Improved efficiency, Green Road Synagogue
They have replaced two HVAC units with more efficient models and plan to replace the rest. They are considering incorporating solar power into the renovation.

Transportation

Sustainable site, Beth El The Heights Synagogue
Instead of moving east with suburban sprawl, the founders decided to re-build an old building in Cleveland Heights, within walking distance of some of its congregants. Also, a member of the congregation donated a bike rack.

Green Team Carpool Dream Goal, Trinity Cathedral
One of the Green Team’s three dream goals is to have a carpool system that would allow congregants in the same neighborhoods to communicate via email to set up carpool systems. Hopefully this effort will reduce the carbon footprint of the regularly attending congregants from as far as Avon, Akron, and Leroy.

Waste Reduction

Composting, First Unitarian Church of Cleveland
First Unitarian Church of Cleveland composts grass and kitchen scraps for use in vegetable and memorial gardens.

Knitting Pearls, Trinity Cathedral
Trinity’s Knitting Pearls are reusing plastic grocery bags to knit durable shopping bags, which are given free to interested members of gathered community.

Grounds

Certified Backyard Habitat on 41-acre grounds, Congregation of St. Joseph
Congregation of St. Joseph is situated on 41-acres on the edge of the Metroparks. There are no chemicals (pesticides or fertilizers) used on the grounds; ornamental lawn is being reduced to save energy; the wild space is certified as a backyard habitat with foxes, deer, dogs, cats, native birds and groundhogs; there is a community garden on the grounds. Trails are made of permeable material and benches were made from recycled plastic. Their water conservation project is studying water runoff and erosion on grounds to reduce this damage and conserve water.

Community Garden, Trinity Cathedral
Community garden tended by congregants provides local food to nourish the homeless and hungry at the Sunday hot lunch program.

Purchasing

Carbon Offsets, Plymouth Church
Carbon credits purchased in April were enough to make all of theirs Sundays carbon neutral.

100% Post-Consumer Recycled, Trinity Cathedral
Trinity Cathedral has switched over in the past year to 100%post-consumer recycled paper products for all bulletins and stationary. The paper used in the restrooms is also made from recycled materials.

Green Committees

Green Group, Christ Episcopal Church
The congregants of Christ Episcopal Church are just as involved in sustainability initiatives as are clergy leaders. While the Green Group is still in its infancy, it aspires to tackle sustainability in the church building to make it more environmentally-friendly through financial assistance, collaboration, and personal physical labor. When the congregants see an opportunity for a more sustainable practice, they speak up. Instead of using disposable cups at post-service coffee hour, they requested the use of ceramic mugs and donated earth-friendly cleansing products to clean the mugs for reuse.

Renewable Energy Committee, Congregation of St. Joseph
The Renewable Energy Committee consists of 15 voluntary members, both Congregation of St. Joseph community members and community members concerned with the environment. They consult with experts on different energy plans. For example, they are currently consulting with Bill Doty of Doty and Miller Architects to build a solar-thermal array to heat indoor pool. The group helps to formulate policy and procedures as new initiatives develop.

Green Initiative, Plymouth Church
The first event that the newly formed Green Initiative sponsored was a tour of the Dandelion House. The monthly newsletter now features a ‘Green Corner’ with tips on why and how to live greener. Soon the Green Initiative will take part in the E4S faith-based organizations SI group.

Environmental Task Force

Green Team, Trinity Cathedral
The transformation of the Environmental Task Force into the Green Team at Trinity Cathedral demonstrates the congregants continuing concern for the environment and desire to be as sustainable as possible. The Environmental Task Force worked very hard to ensure the environmentally-friendly status of the renovated Trinity Commons. The Green Team will continue to work with congregants and the Church to promote sustainability and a greener lifestyle both at church, in the community, and at home. While a new organization, it hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of the church and congregants, and also to educate the community and congregants alike through examples and demonstrations about how and why to live green.

Larger Initiatives

Green Sanctuary Committee, West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church
The Green Sanctuary Committee of WSUUC, based on the 7th Principle, is applying to become a certified Green Sanctuary Church through a certification program administered by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Only one church in Ohio currently has attained this certification (Hopedale UU Community).

Energy Star, Green Road Synagogue
Green Road Synagogue’s partnership with Energy Star will help it in future development of greener and more sustainable practices within the congregation.