Green News
On Saturday, January 10, the Board convened a Ministry Council meeting. The meeting focused on the relationships between groups and programs, as well as the sphere of activity for each group, and how to revise the current organizational structure to reflect our current programs and committees. I grant you, a meeting to discuss an org chart may not sound like a good time, but a clear understanding of how each group relates to the whole helps us present ourselves to visitors. I was also reminded that we are a very active congregation with many groups and programs.
One other insight was that the understanding of the goals and scope of the Green Sanctuary Program has diminished, as has the knowledge of the effect the program has had on our congregation and the role of the Green Sanctuary Committee.
We were accredited as a Green Sanctuary in 2012, but environmental awareness and activity started several years earlier with the formation of the Earth-centered Worship Committee in 1999-2000. We created the first Winter Solstice celebration and Summer Solstice celebration. During the 2000-2001 church year, the committee became the Earth-centered Activities Committee to reflect an expansion of our scope. During a congregational visioning meeting in 2010, a group decided to work toward accreditation as a Green Sanctuary. The ECAC became the Green Sanctuary Committee, whose role was to manage and encourage environmentally sound practices in congregational life and in members’ private lives. While we were accredited in 2012, the work of expanding sound environmental practices, of mitigation and restoration, is ongoing.
The focus of the program is to encourage our congregation to grow in appreciation and care for the natural world and all who depend upon it. In detail, that meant congregational transformation in four areas: worship and celebration, religious education, sustainable living, and environmental justice. Some of the activities and programs did not have direct involvement of the Green Sanctuary Committee, but all are the result of the changes in congregational culture due to the Green Sanctuary Program.
To foster a spiritual connection to the earth, we continued the two Solstice celebrations. Our minister at that time, Rev. Hilary Krivchenia, was closely involved in creating ways to foster a spiritual connection to the natural world. We added directional tea lights around the chalice (yellow in the east for the element air; red in the south for the element fire; blue in the west for the element water; green in the north for the element earth) and began marking Earth Day with a Sunday service and including references to seasonal changes as they occurred throughout the year. The Green Sanctuary Committee also led several summer services focused on the spiritual foundations for environmental work. This fall, we added a Samhain [SOW in] celebration (the last harvest) to the list of worship services, and Revs Pam and Karen led a Beltane celebration (the start of the growing season) in May.
Sustainable living is where most of the accomplishments have been. The projects include:
- starting an organic garden to the north of the building (let me tell you about my adventures with a roto-tiller) and encouraging gardeners to donate their crop to the Palatine Food Pantry (we donate over 200 lbs. of vegetables each season)
- starting the Book Circle in 1999 to focus on environmental books (although we have widened our scope, environmental writing continues to be a large part of our reading)
- installing a bicycle rack to the north of the building
- placing recycling bins in the kitchen
- convincing the congregation to switch to china plates, metal flatware, and cloth napkins and tablecloths (we already used china mugs and a commercial dishwasher).
- contracting with a commercial composter, Collective Resource, for food waste that can’t be placed in a backyard compost pile or worm farm (by subscription)
- spearheading the placement of solar panels on the roof and of a current project to add more panels
- holding an annual Earth Month event since 2014 to foster knowledge about sustainable living and education about climate change
- changing the lighting to more energy-efficient lights
- partnering with Faith in Place on various events, for example, from 2011 – 2018, hosting a Winter Farmers’ Market, hosting the annual Eco-Ambassador program for high school students, publicizing the annual Environment and Spirituality Summit, and hosting watch parties for the Summit keynote address.
- publication of the Green News articles, beginning in 2025.
- ongoing restoration efforts in the one-acre prairie on the east side of the building, including a burn in March of 2025
- participating in the Palatine Cool Cities Sustainability Fair in 2025 and exploring other ways to collaborate
- the formation of Interfaith Green Partners to foster and coordinate environmental action among local houses of worship (the group became inactive after several members stepped back for personal reasons)
- ongoing support for changing our landscaping to native plants
- ongoing encouragement for members of the congregation to make changes in diet, lifestyle, and consumption that are environmentally focused.
- hosting a Winter Farmers’ Market in November from 2011 to 2018, inspired by the Faith in Place Winter Farmers’ Market
- participating in a program to recycle used prescription bottles started by Southminster Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights
Integrating environmental themes into the Religious Education program has been more of a challenge. Initially, the person in charge of children’s religious education was supportive, but personnel changes have made it difficult to continue adding environmental themes to the curriculum. We have sponsored several events for the Coming of Age group and the Sr. High Youth group. We also assist in an RE seed-ball project to support the restoration of the prairie. We have led discussions of Spiritual Ecology and of Braiding Sweetgrass as part of the Adult Faith Development program.
Environmental Justice has also been a difficult area to work in. One of our members spoke at a meeting of the Palatine Township Board about creating cooling centers and received a very, shall we say, cool reception. Likewise, the Palatine Library was unenthusiastic about becoming a cooling center. One member of the congregation began a project to work with the Palatine Library, the Palatine Park District, School District 15 (including Sundling Middle School on Smith Rd.), and CCUU to form a network for environmental projects, such as composting, and placing solar panels on buildings and over the parking lot to the south. Unfortunately, this project proved to be difficult to manage and has gone into hiatus. We continue to look for projects in this area.
The Green Sanctuary Program itself has changed over the years. The accreditation process has been streamlined, and there is more emphasis on mitigation and on adaptation and resilience than in earlier versions.
As is clear from this article, the Green Sanctuary Program has had an impact on all aspects of our congregational life, as is the point of this program. The role of the Green Sanctuary Committee is to support and facilitate projects throughout the congregation and across all ministries. The work of creating a sustainable congregational life remains ongoing, and as climate change accelerates and the effects become more strongly felt, we can be of service to the wider community by highlighting our commitment to environmental action.
~ Leslie Peet