Green Sanctuary Committee Meeting August 8, 2005 Attendance: Chris Hodge, John Dittman, Tom Swigart, Marney Bruce, Marie Sauter, Sue Singley, Jessica Turner, Sandra Smith-Gill The Committee discussed the next steps involved in applying for acredidation as a Green Sanctuary. Green Sanctuary Program (from 3rd Edition 2003) 7th Principle Project 1. Set up a Green Sanctuary Committee and create a charter 2. Conduct an Environmental Audit 3. Begin Program Design in four Focus areas with 12 projects or program activities required: Worship and Celebration Religious Education Environmental Justice Sustainable Living 4. Create an Action Plan for program activities in focus areas for the overall effort of the congregation to achieve GS accreditation 5. Enroll as a Green Sanctuary Candidate. This is a congregational commitment. Application will cost $100.00 and includes a one-year membership in the Seventh Principle Project. 6. Begin implementation of the GS program. 7. After completing all activities in the Action Plan (usually over a one - two year period), congregation votes to submit application for accreditation. Submit package. Application for Green Sanctuary Candidacy Congregation Name and Address, website Green Sanctuary Contact information Minister or Congregational Leader Congregation size Green Sanctuary Committee o Attach committee charter o # Members on the committee o What interests do members represent? Environmental Audit: Describe how the audit was accomplished and what environmental practices were included. List major recommendations. What are follow-up actions planned? Action Plan: attach Action Plan, with 12 activities / projects covering 4 program areas. Action Plan will include time-line targets and identify lead coordinators for each of the 12 activities. Communication Plan: demonstrates how GS Committee plans to: o Share practical information about environmental issues and sustainable living strategies with congregation o Invite participation in program activities o Collaborate with other groups, organizations or communities within and beyond congregation. The Committee agreed that there are several steps involved: A) Beginning to fill out the application including on-going projects and B) listing projects which the church listed during the Greening Workshop as projects which the church may be willing to undertake in the future-the CPC has asked us to list these in terms of the 4 wishes. C) both the application and list of possible projects must be presented to the Board for approval, should any of the proposed projects be approved, these may be included on the application. Sandy has agreed to coordinate filling out the application and typing up the list of action items for the board, this will be presented to the Committee for approval and consultation prior to presenting to the Board. Marney presented some information on Fox Haven, http://www.foxhavenfarm.org . Fox Haven is an educational sustainable farm in Jefferson. It holds Programs to educate farmers and members of the community on sustainable growing techniques. For instance they have a program on the American Chestnut. One of the wishes from the Greening workshop was to learn more about local Native American Tribes and integrate some spiritual practices into congregational worship. Archaeologist, Spencer Geasey, has been surveying indigenous rock shelters. Apparently Mr. Geasey has a video and would be delighted to put on a program at Fox Haven for Green Sanctuary members. He would like to set a date for the program. He would like us to work in partnership on program for indigenous peoples. Tom will coordinate a master list for possible dates in September or October. Sandy reported on coffee sales. Coffee prices to us have gone up by 30cents per bag. Our spies have reported that Safeway sells the same coffee same size bags for $10 per package. We will have to raise our prices to make up the difference and continue to make enough profit to make this program cost effective as a fund-raiser. The current price raise affects the profit the church makes by 20%. Sandy made a motion to raise the price of the coffee to $9. Tom suggests $9 per bag or 2 packages for $17. With the provision that we sell out of the coffee purchased at the old price. Sandy also suggested that we donate some teas to the kitchen to encourage tea drinkers to drink organically grown and fairly traded teas. Sandy is interested in adding wild rice and native american rice to the table. Should we expand into other products? Wild rice, nuts, chocolate, organic seeds? If so, we should make the additions seasonal. Equal Exchange has a new blend, Celebration of Women. Thunder Island Coffee Company packages Coffee and Tea. Sandy will make the announcement in the Unison and Weekly Announcements. Also, she adds, a box of 6 bags of coffee disappeared from under the table in July. She hopes and the rest of the committee also hopes, that the box has merely been misplaced and will show up. Sue said that though she had originally passed along the coffee sales to Sandy and Tom, will be unable to take it back this Fall. She also says that Sandy is doing such a terrific job with it and displaying the coffee so well, that she would be glad if Sandy could keep the project going for the present. Sandy will keep the program but will need help on days that the choir sings, the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Tom suggests that we change meeting days to the 1st Tuesday of the month. The next meeting will be Sept 6. Marie says that Dick Menzer will put up the bluebird houses in September. Marie researched the matter and determined that the back side of the grounds against the farmers field along the wild area would be best for bluebirds. But, if the field is sprayed with pesticides, that may not be a good idea. The houses should ideally not face a structure, but should not have pesticides blown into them either. Sue reported that the Master Gardeners Program has set up and adult RE Program with Nancy Hutchins. The dates are listed on the Green Sanctuary website. The Fall Adopt-A-Road clean-up should be set up soon. Tom will contact the YRUU to see if they would like to take care of some of their community service hours for an October Clean-Up. We need to get the Fall/Winter and Spring Clean-Up days scheduled and find groups willing to sponsor them. Caring Circle #15 took over the church for the month of August. They are doing flowers, tidy trouping, making coffee, and greeting. Would the Green Sanctuary be interested in taking over a month? Marney has been taking care of the water retention meadow-patrolling for undesirables. She cut down the cockleburrs, the ragweed, and has found some poison ivy. She suggests digging up the thistle. She suggests planting Maximillian Sunflowers because deer don't eat them. She can get common milkweed seeds and jewelweed. Dick asked us to make a wildflower meadow over the drainage field. We'd like to use cardboard on top of the grass, and dump leaves and compost on top to kill the grass prior to planting the wildflowers. Marney has butterfly weed seedlings she can transplant when the ground is ready. Sue will hold onto the cardboard boxes from the preschool deliveries until such a time as we can get a group to work on the meadow. Jessica found a dead brown bat in the narthex and held a small funeral at an undisclosed location. Flowers may be donated to the church in memory of the former flying mammal. Marney brought in healthy food items for the table, brochures and magazines. The North West Earth Institute Study Guide discussion group has a new guide: Healthy Children-Healthy Planet. CSA Surplus Phone # (301)834-7520. Sylvia Ehrhardt Organic Farm.