Environmental Justice
God calls us to be careful stewards of the the earth and to protect it for its own sake and for future generations.
Environmental Justice
We believe that peace and justice is God's plan for all creation. The Environmental Justice Team is part of UCP's Justice & Peace Ministry. Our Environmental Justice Team and congregation is dedicated to advocating for God's planet so that all of God's children can equally share in the goodness of Creation. If you are interested in getting involved with our Environmental Justice Team, contact us!
OCTOBER 2024 PLASTIC CHALLENGE!
What’s a plastic challenge? And why?
Single use plastics are a big problem for our world and our health. The reasons are many: plastic is made from and with fossil fuels; the floating garbage patches in our oceans are mostly plastic; it leads to forever chemicals and micro plastics in our water, food and bloodstream... Avoiding them is one way we can live out our mission to care for God’s creation.
So for October, our team is joining a larger community challenge to greatly reduce the plastics, especially single use ones, that we use. The goal of this 1-month challenge is to raise awareness of all the sources of plastics in our lives and possible alternatives. Contact us to learn more.
Two good books to provide inspiration:
Living Without Plastic, by Brigette Allen and Christine Wong
Year of No Garbage by Eve O. Schaub
UPCOMING & RECENT EVENTS
Lake Anne Park Clean Up: third Saturday of the month at 9:30 AM
United Christian Parish recently adopted Lake Anne Park as a way for the us to help keep our community clean. Join others from the community on the third Saturday of the month to pick up litter. Meet at the park (11301 North Shore Drive, Reston).
AN EARTH CARE CONGREGATION
United Christian Parish is certified as an Earth Care congregation. To receive certification, recipients must meet certain criteria demonstrating a care for sustainable developments for environmental justice in four categories: worship, education, facilities and outreach.
RECYCLING WEBINAR
On October 17, 2022 the Environmental Justice Team hosted a webinar answering your top recycling questions. The webinar was led by Erica Carter, Solid Waste Management Outreach Specialist from the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program.
EARTH DAY SERVICES
Annually we celebrate God’s creation and our roles as stewards with a special worship service, around the time of Earth Day.
Watch the past two Earth Day services below:
resources
USEFUL RESOURCES ON RECYCLING
Guide to recycling for children: www.oberk.com/recyclingforkids
Fairfax County Recycling Information: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/recycle
A Way to Recycle 3D printer waste: https://printeriordesigns.com/pages/recycling
USEFUL RESOURCES ON CLIMATE MATTERS
Fairfax Country Climate Action ideas: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/environment-energy-coordination/latest-news/climate-action-checklist
RECYCLING WEBINAR
On October 17, 2022 the Environmental Justice Team hosted a webinar answering your top recycling questions. The webinar was led by Erica Carter, Solid Waste Management Outreach Specialist from the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program.
Take Action
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Serve the Community
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