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Sustainability

UUS:E is committed to ongoing efforts to save our planet through green action. We are a certified Green Sanctuary.

March

Green Sanctuary News 

Join us on Sunday, March 3, from 1 – 2 PM in the main Meeting Room, for our first Climate Café! SAVKAT will provide us with an informal presentation and Q&A about the solar options available to us through our UUSE agreement with SAVKAT. Join us if you are interested in learning about solar installations and would like to ask questions and hear from UUSE members who have already gotten installations.

Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available, and everyone is welcome to bring a “brown bag” lunch.

Related to solar, here is a bit of “testimony” I recently sent in to the Energy and Technology Committee at the state legislative office building in support of the expansion of solar options in CT.

I am deeply concerned about the natural environment that our human community lives in and depends on and the future of this natural environment for all of us. I strongly support and request that you promote the expansion of solar options throughout Connecticut. There are so many ways I see everywhere that solar energy could be utilized, but there was not nearly enough money allocated to incentivize commercial projects in 2023.

 

One excellent opportunity for expansion is to add solar to houses of worship. About 12 years ago as part of a major renovation and expansion of our meeting house at the Unitarian Universalist Society East in Manchester, we were able to add solar with the help of a grant we got from earlier incentives available to us. Our congregation, like many others, has a strong belief in protecting the Earth. And we have realized for a long time how much the burning of fossil fuels has impacted the climate and the health and well-being of vulnerable people as well as the amazing biodiversity we are part of. Our congregation is continuing to support the growth of solar by promoting it to our members through agreements made with a solar installer. Some of us don’t own homes, or our roofs won’t work with solar, but we want to help it expand wherever possible. Please do whatever you can to incentivize solar and make it more accessible for people in all walks of life including commercial properties, houses of worship, and low-income households.

Thank you,

Janet Heller, Manchester, CT

 

You can help write letters like this or send very short messages or phone calls to support solar and other environmental concerns by getting connected online with one or more state organizations.

This one I just wrote was suggested to me as a member of IREJN: https://irejn.org/

Another great group that works on such legislation is CTLCV: https://www.ctlcv.org/

And nationally we have CCL: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/.

Each group can give you info to make it easy to use your voice to support what you care about. We don’t have time to give up trying!

 

Go Solar!

The Sustainable Living Committee is thrilled to report that UUSE has contracted with Connecticut solar provider, Savkat, to resume our popular solar program! Savkat has agreed to donate $25 to UUSE for every appointment and $1,000 for every signed solar contract. The program begins immediately, and is available to all UUSE members, family, and friends. Just tell them you were referred by UUSE!

 

We will be hosting several informational sessions with our Savkat representative on Sunday mornings during coffee hour to answer any questions congregants may have. If you're interested in learning more about getting solar installed, you can make an appointment at this time. 

 

Already know you want to reduce your carbon footprint by installing solar? You can contact our Savkat representative, Jordan Bernstein, right away! His contact info is below.

 

Thank you for caring about our planet!

 

Jordan Bernstein

Lead Manager 

203.441.7961

Jordan@savkat.com

www.savkat.com 

Schedule a Meeting
The SAVKAT Solar Logo

Green Actions You Can Take

  • Join our ecological landscaping team

  • Help with recycling and composting

  • Help sell "Fair Trade" coffee, tea, and chocolate after Sunday services

  • Help with the annual organic veggie garden

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