Environmental Responsibility and Action

Our Congregation’s Mission Statement

The Winchester Unitarian Society (WUS) is a welcoming, caring community devoted to spiritual growth, social transformation, and environmental responsibility. We are active in our commitment to the 7th Principle of Unitarian Universalism: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

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Ways to Get Involved

Choose a Project or Join a Group:  Send an email to Phil Coonley (coonley@me.com) or Sue Doubler (suedoubler@gmail.com) to let us know of your interest in any of the projects listed below, or to learn more about our congregations’ environmental action groups. These groups include the Green Sanctuary Committee, Building and Grounds Team, Social Action and Outreach Committee, Repair Cafe Team, Spirituality and Nature Covenant Group, and more.

Pursue Environmental Justice:  Participate in organized advocacy and action to support the work of GreenRoots, a community-based organization dedicated to improving and enhancing the urban environment and public health in Chelsea and surrounding communities.

Work Toward Net Zero WUS Buildings:  Participate in projects to reduce our buildings’ use of fossil fuels, such as insulating the Religious Education wing, exploring the use of geothermal heat pumps, and modernizing our solar panels.

Reduce Use of Fossil Fuel on our Grounds:  Sign up to use rakes or electric leaf blowers at Spring and Fall CleanUps, and to help tend our flower, herb and vegetable beds.

Advance WUS Recycling:  Facilitate WUS recycling and keep congregants alert to changing recycling guidance. Support manufacturers taking responsibility for disposal of their packaging. 

Create Community Educational Programming:  Collaborate with local churches and environmental groups to create programming on environmental challenges and solutions. Our recent six-part Climate Solutions and You series averaged more than 70 participants per session.

Create Opportunities for Congregants:  Create opportunities for WUS congregants to learn about the solutions we can employ to improve our own environmental sustainability.

Support Local Activism:  Join WUS members in various local initiatives, such as pursuing a bylaw to limit the use of gas powered leaf blowers or improving reuse and reducing waste at the Repair Cafe. 

Advocate for Mass Environmental Policy:  Join Green Sanctuary members in Mass350 MetroNorth node and UU Mass Action to influence Mass climate legislation.

Some of Our Environmental Achievements

  • Installation of solar panels on the congregation’s building (2012).
  • Upgraded our heating system, which included a switch from oil to gas (2007).
  • Commitment to buy 100% green electricity from renewables whenever our solar panels produce less energy than we need (2019).
  • As of 2019, our carbon emissions were down 60% from 2005 and our total energy costs were at 3.6% of our budget, which is one-sixth of what some Massachusetts churches spend.
  • By the end of 2020, 30 WUS households had switched to 100% local, renewably-sourced electricity. This step avoided adding about 310 metric tons of further pollution to the Earth’s atmosphere.
  • After our 2019 and 2023 Rummage Sales, we ensured that remaining items were donated or recycled responsibly, including fabric, metal and plastic. This kept more than 325 bags and boxes of unwanted items out of the landfill. 
  • Created a “Toward Zero” monetary account in 2019, in which contributions are restricted to the “use in planning and implementation of steps leading toward a zero or negative church carbon footprint.”

Our Environmental Goals

The Green Sanctuary’s immediate goal is to encourage WUS to commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions and total sustainability in the building and all congregational activities.

Green Sanctuary 2022-23 Annual Report