It is no longer possible to separate environmental concerns from those of social justice. Equitable access to a stable climate, clean air, potable water, and safe food are core human rights and civil liberties currently at risk for all humans on the planet -- threats to these basic rights are an unparalleled humanitarian challenge.

"Perhaps the greatest justice issue of all is intergenerational theft. The Eighth Commandment says "Thou shall not steal," but every day we live unsustainably we steal from our children and their children."
- Rev. Fred Small. First Church Unitarian, Littleton, MA

Remembering Mahatma Gandhi's admonition, "Be the change you want to see," we recommend this starting point for Personal Practices for Earth Stewardship. At the congregational level, our Fellowship has joined the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for the Earth, California Interfaith Power and Light, and has achieved certification as a Green Sanctuary.

The Unitarian-Universalist Association Statement of Conscience on Global Warming/Climate Change responds to this imperative:

 "As Unitarian Universalists, we are called by our Seventh Principle to affirm and promote 'respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.' We envision a world in which all people are assured a secure and meaningful life that is ecologically responsible and sustainable, in which every form of life has intrinsic value. In other words, Unitarian Universalists are called to defer to a balance between our individual needs and those of all other organisms. Entire cultures, nations, and life forms are at risk of extinction while basic human rights to adequate supplies of food, fresh water, and health as well as sustainable livelihoods for humans are being undermined.

"To live, we must both consume and dispose. Both our consumption and our disposal burden the interdependent web of existence. To sustain the interdependent web, we must burden it less while maintaining the essentials of our lives. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are painful omens of how racism, sexism, and poverty worsen the effects of global warming/climate change. Our world is calling us to gather in community and respond from our moral and spiritual wealth; together we can transform our individual and congregational lives into acts of moral witness, discarding our harmful habits for new behaviors and practices that will sustain life on Earth, ever vigilant against injustice."

- Excerpt from Statement of Conscience: Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change - adopted by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (June 26, 2006)

As a part of our environmental justice witness, we are participating in a major cyber march on Global Warming. The President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Rev. Bill Sinkford says: "I join this cyber march against global warming, and encourage other Unitarian Universalists to do so, because it is an act of faith to speak out on behalf of our earth. For hundreds of years, our theology has been radically incarnational—we do not understand the Holy to be separate from this life, on this planet, made manifest in concrete acts of caring for one another in our mutual vulnerability. As we sing out praises for the beauty of the earth, we also sing out commitment to protect that beauty."

Fortunately, the solutions to global warming are things that will also help us achieve clean air, safeguard public health, promote economic diversity and job growth, ensure sufficient, sustainable energy for all, and in the long run save our society millions of dollars. Here in California's central valley, our need for clean air and energy sustainability dovetails precisely with the call to reduce emissions that harm our children and our lungs. The UU Fellowship of Visalia has covenanted with the California Interfaith Power & Light to to be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. If you know a group interested in viewing the video Lighten Up which shows how faith must address this hugely important issue, please contact us.

Recycle Your Used Printer Cartridges Here

Next time you have an empty inkjet printer cartridge, don't throw it away. Just put it in a plastic bag or the original cartridge box and bring it to a Visalia UU Fellowship meeting. We will recycle it, and our Fellowship will receive up to $4 for each cartridge with a print head. (Sorry, Epson printer cartridges without print heads don't qualify.) Save energy! Reduce Pollution!