Sustainable Living "A frequent entry point into a faith-based approach to caring for the Earth is through a recognition that a lifestyle of endless consumption denies us of the very satisfactions of life the marketing industry tries to attract us with . . . Once there is an understanding of the gravity of the crises, and a personal commitment to change, the next step is deciding just what action is necessary and most likely to be effective. This is the path of compassion and connectedness to other beings and is another critical link in developing a practice of environmental commitment . . ." ~ Green Sanctuary Program Manual

"Where the Locals Go " coupon books produced by Sustainable Connections. This books provides coupons for a variety of products and services from participating local businessess. The Green Sanctuary has been selling these books for the past two years now.

"The Better World Shopping Guide " by Ellis Jones. This book provides social and environmental ratings on many products, services and companies.


Who gets an "A" in electronics? Apple, Sony, Aiwa and Kodak. Who gets an "F"? GE (General Electric)!

How about Chocolate? Equal Exchange (A); Newman's Own (A-); Cadbury (B-); Hershey's (C+); Ghirardelli (C); Dove (D+); Swiss Miss (D-) and last but not least, Nestle (F).

Before you shop, check this handy guide to ensure your decisions are supporting socially and environmentally responsible companies.

Roasted Vegetables by Mary Gibson

Green Bean and Fennel Ragout by Jonna McConnell

Audrey's Spinach Quiche by Kathy Ing

Tequillaberry Salad by Kay Witter

Old-Time Buffalo Stew by Deb Cruz

Yogurt by Ro Donelson

Cucumbers & Yogurt by Ro Donelson

Blackberry Cobbler by Linda Fels

Blackberry Frozen Yogurt by Linda Fels

Whatcom Farm Map & Guide 2007: Comprehensive Guide to local food suppliers, agricultural supplies and resturants.

Another listing of local suppliers and distributers can be found in the Sustainable Connections' Buy Fresh Businesses

GSP Chairs Linda and Deb meet with SSC and Erin and conducted a waste audit. As a result of that audit there will be a few changes being made to how we will be handling our waste. For starters, each room in the building should have two waste cans: one for paper recycle and one for landfill. All receptacles will eventually be relabeled and we ask that everyone pay close attention as to where you are throwing your disposables and to not remove the cans from the rooms. We will be adding new receptacles for bottles/cans and we've signed up for the FoodPlus program which recycles a variety of products like pizza boxes, paper towels, etc. We will be reducing the size of the big landfill receptacles out back so it'll be very important for everyone to place recycled materials in the appropriate receptacles. More information about these changes will be announced later as the changes are instituted, for now be aware of the following:

Darker Blue receptacles: Mixed Paper - These receptacles are already labeled
Brown receptacles: Landfill - These are for items that are not recyclable
Black: Plastic and glass containers - These receptacles are already labeled.

One of the large receptacles in the kitchen has been designated a "Food Recycling" receptacle and has special biodegradable bags that are used in it. There are 3 5-gallon "Food Recycling" buckets available for use as well. All receptacles are labeled with the "Food Recycling" label. FoodPlus containers can be pulled out and used at all our social and programming events, for paper napkins, food scraps, bones, flower trimmings, coffee grounds, wax paper-lined food containers or cups (that don't include plastic or foil parts) - just read the yellow "FoodPlus" stickers to remind you what can and cannot go into these bins! The 5-gallon buckets fit into the dishwasher for sanitizing after use, and are great to spread around the kitchen for food trimmings next time you are cooking for a BUF event!


We know it's difficult to keep the bins sorted out when you're running around either preparing for or closing down an event, especially the Food Plus items, but we're asking that everyone make a concerted effort to get waste materials in the right bins.

Be on the look out for the Zero-Waste movement. It's the topic for this year's Sustainable Connections activities and events. The GSP will be watching for new ways to bring BUF as close to Zero-waste as possible.

Using a wide variety of media (pamphlets, website, Order of Service inserts, forums, workshops and bulletin boards), team members will engage the congregation in an ongoing, educational conversation on the many ways to reduce how much consumer goods we use and effective ways to reuse and recycle. We will be working with a local non-profit organization in our neighborhood, RE Sources, which is building a sustainable living center and has any number of resources for us to draw upon. Details on topics and their presentations will be worked out this summer and posted here. Also any RRR activities and events will be posted here.

Kay Witter and Deb Cruz, along with the church administrator Erin Malone, performed the main portion of an audit that was required by the GSP. The audit showed us the church has been fairly good at recycling a variety of materials, with, of course, room for improvement. Our use of products with recycled content paper above 30% recycled material and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and landscaping products, needs further examination and proposals. Although we are good about conserving electricity and energy, we need work in our transportation and water conservation efforts. Switching to compact fluorescent bulbs and installing ceiling fans in the sanctuary are already showing reductions in our energy costs. We have gardens, located on church property that are used for growing vegetables that are donated to Maple Alley Inn, a local soup kitchen that uses our facilities twice a week. One area that greatly needs attention is environmental education. This will be one of the primary focuses of the Reduce/Reuse/Recycle team and will be incorporated into other team efforts, as well. A review of the church's resources (church library) will be conducted at a later date. As part of the Earth Day Celebration, the GSP audit was modified for personal use. Personal audit sheets were distributed and included an insert on memberships and books to be completed and submitted to the GSP team. A detailed review of the audit results will be conducted and then proposals to correct any deficiencies will then be explored.

The theme for the months of March and April was Local Food. A variety of information on local food was made available during the Grand Coffee Hour throughout the month. Some examples of the information displayed can be viewed here. We were also fortunate enough to have a few CSA members available to talk with congregational members and answer questions about the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

Whatcom Farm Map & Guide

Whatcom County Community Supported Agriculture Farms

On February 3 and 10, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. in Rm 1, GSP and Lifelong Learning co-sponsored the film "Digital Dump: Exporting Reuse and Abuse to Africa" as part of the Inquiry Sunday series.

On February 24, 2008, the Green Sanctuary sponsored an E-waste drive. Sanitary Service Company (SSC) ran a pilot program through March for its Bellingham customers. The program collected electronic waste which was then taken to Genesis Recycling located in Aldergrove, BC for reuse and recycling. Members were encouraged to bring in all their unused electronic devices and components for recycling.

On October 16, 2007, several groups put together a "Breaking of the Bread" gathering with the design of the new building as its focus. The prospective plans were drawn up and presented to attendees. The plans were generally very well received. Modifications are yet to be made and will hopefully be finalized by the middle of January 2008.

On June 30, 2007, several members of BUF got together in the church's van and headed out on Sustainable Connections annual tour. This annual tour showcases homes and businesses and their efforts to be come environmentally friendly. Vendors and contractors are available throughout the many, many sites on the tour.

The Women's Alliance sponsored a sale of goods donated by members of the congregation. This activity helped us to meet our GSP goals and encouraged everyone to reduce their consumption of new products and increase reuse of existing products. Goods not purchased by the end of the sale were donated to an organization in need.

RE Sources, Inc. empowers children and adults in the Pacific northwest region to do all we can to protect our home. By providing key information, citizen trainings and workshops, and volunteer-led field programs, RE Sources helps community members actively safeguard our marine waters, rivers, lakes, beaches and air. In fact, RE Sources now oversees a number of programs designed to reduce air and water pollution and encourage waste reduction and recycling throughout the region.

RE-Sources.org ~ 1155 N. State St., Suite 623 ~ Bellingham, WA 98225 ~ Phone: 360-733-8307~ Fax: 360-715-8434

Sustainable Connections works with local, independently owned businesses that have the autonomy to make any transformational change in their business that they can imagineÉ reexamining where we buy goods and services, how we consume energy, grow and distribute our food, build homes, and even, how we define success in business.Ê Sustainable Connections is supporting a community of innovators in green building, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, supporting independent businesses in town centers, and mentoring a new breed of entrepreneurs that have designed their business with a sustainable vision.

http://sustainableconnections.org ~ Bellingham Towers, 119 N. Commercial Street, Suite 350, Bellingham, WA 98225 ~ 360.647.7093