So what is this GIST team all about anyway?

Well, here at the UUA we support and serve more than 1,000 Unitarian Universalist congregations and communities, and share our values with the rest of the world. One of the values we share is a concern for the environment – as the 2006 Statement of Conscience says “Life on this planet will be gravely affected unless we embrace new practices, ethics, and values to guide our lives on a warming planet.” And one of the programs that we provide to support our congregations is the Green Sanctuary program.

The GIST team is about finding ways to support us – the UUA staff – in being the change that we want to see. We are looking for ways to facilitate reducing the environmental impact of the way we work, and in some cases live.

OK, so I just scared some of you readers. Hang on, we aren’t going force anyone to do anything crazy – we’re not going all “No Impact Man” on the staff.

As it says in the very beginning of Chapter One of the Green Sanctuary Manual

“Most of us are aware of the enormous environmental challenges our world faces today… We may feel overwhelmed by the enormity of these problems….Yet none of us is called to solve the world’s problems on our own. We are called simply to do our part, through small steps carried out consistently, with faith in their power to make a difference.”

It’s OK to be overwhelmed. You’re in a lot of very good company. Our hope is that we can make it feel OK to start wherever you are – whacko treehugger or diehard consumer – and start the journey with us. Understand the issues a little more. Figure out what steps make sense for you or your staff group. Figure out how we can work together and support each other to be a little bit lighter on the planet.

You read all the way to the end of our first post. That’s a step. Thank you, and welcome to the journey!