Act for the Earth

The Act for the Earth Ministry Team is committed to helping Unity Church-Unitarian be a leader in climate action, environmental justice, and sustainable living through educational offerings, hands-on projects, policy initiatives, and opportunities for reflection and celebration. For more information about the Act for the Earth Team email UnityActfortheEarth@gmail.com.

Plastic Crisis Challenge

What was once a futuristic, affordable product for the post WWII generation, has become a global pollution catastrophe. The United States comprises just 4% of the world's population, yet we use 24% of the Earth’s resources and have the highest rate of plastic waste (300 pounds annually) per person in the world. Join Unity’s Act for the Earth Team as we explore the devastating effects our plastic use has on oceans, ecosystems, wildlife, and the people who live near plastic production plants. Watch for weekly updates over the next two months — including a Plastic Crisis Challenge — as we invite you to join us in assessing our individual and collective potential for change!

Film and Discussion: The Story of Plastic (90 min)
Friday, October 14 • 7:00 p.m.
In-person in Robbins Parlor and online via Zoom
This powerful film presents the story of our current plastic crisis, from fossil fuel extraction to disposal, the damage caused to people and animals, and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it. You can watch the film ahead of time on Amazon Prime and join the conversation at approximately 8:40 p.m.

The Immortal Plastic Bottle with guest Mary Kosuth
Wednesday, October 26 • 7:10 p.m.
In-person in Parish Hall and online via Zoom
What are plastics and how did they become such an integral part of our daily lives? Since its invention over a century ago, when many believed in nature’s boundless capacity to buffer the byproducts of industry and provide an infinite supply of raw materials, plastics have quietly grown evermore abundant and diverse. This presentation will examine the current science to reveal the hidden costs of convenience and offer solutions that work.

Mary Kosuth is a PhD candidate in the Environmental Health Sciences Division at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. She completed an M.S. in Public Health in 2018 after publishing a paper about anthropogenic debris in beer, salt, and global tap water. In an effort to contribute to our understanding of the synthetic polymer’s biogeochemical cycle, she is presently focusing her attention on method improvement, remediation in wastewater, and atmospheric testing in both urban and remote settings.

Truth Telling and Healing:
Indigenous and Environmental Justice Series

September 2022 – April 2023
Sponsored by Unity's Act for the Earth and the Indigenous Justice Community Outreach Ministry Teams

At the beginning of all our worship services and congregational events, we give a land acknowledgement, the last line of which states:
We acknowledge the ongoing injustices that we have committed against the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations, and we wish to interrupt this legacy, beginning with acts of healing and honest storytelling about this place.

This is a powerful statement. To begin our journey as a congregation to interrupt these injustices, the Act for the Earth Team has joined the Indigenous Justice Team in sponsoring a seven-part monthly series on Truth Telling and Healing. Indigenous spirituality and ways of life have included a deep connection to the earth since the beginning of time. We know that to save this planet, we need to learn from and join its indigenous populations, and in particular our state of Minnesota, to reconnect to the land.

We invite you all to this seven-part series that will be kicked off with a Wellspring Wednesday program on September 28. All programs will be offered in-person and online.

In the fall we will go deeper into acknowledging the injustices toward the Indigenous people of Minnesota, by learning about the painful history of which most of us only have a vague knowledge. We will begin the process of telling the truth and taking responsibility for our part in historical injustice and the complicity that continues into the present:

SEPTEMBER 28: Indigenous History in Minnesota
NOVEMBER 1: 7:00 p.m.: Relationship to Land: Treaties Made and Broken
NOVEMBER: The Role of Religion: Colonization, Missionary Work, Boarding Schools

Beginning in January 2023, we will learn about the language, cultural, and spiritual healing that is underway in the Dakota and Ojibwe nations and reveal the repair that is needed individually and within our congregation to interrupt the legacy of injustice:

JANUARY: Indigenous Healing: Language, Culture, and Spirituality
FEBRUARY: Land and Reparations
MARCH: Honoring the Treaties and Saving the Earth
APRIL: Our Part in Owning and Healing

We are collaborating with historians, Indigenous leaders, and activist organizations to create and deliver these sessions. Unitarian Universalist and Indigenous spirituality reflections and sharing will be included in all seven sessions.

Canopy Connectors 2022

Unity Church-Unitarian’s Canopy Connectors are offering 75 trees, for free, to homeowners in the Summit-University-Rondo neighborhood. The area is defined as that within the boundaries of University and Summit Avenues to the north and south, and Lexington Parkway and Marion Street to the west and east. We will help those adopting trees every step of the way, from arranging for utility lines to be marked in your yard, to planting your tree in the fall. Interested in caring for a free tree? Learn more about our trees and then fill out the form to claim one for yourself.

Help Get Out the Vote!

Climate Change and the Military

Friday, November 11 • 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Online via Zoom
Act for the Earth invites you to a presentation by Vince Dijanich, a Vietnam veteran, long-time nuclear activist, and climate change activist with Veterans for Peace. Vince will describe the environmental and climate impact that our military imposes on the earth — as much destruction and greenhouse gas emissions as some whole countries produce. The presentation will be followed by a discussion on solutions. Please join us on Veterans Day for discussion of a topic that is not usually addressed in other climate forums.

What We Do
We work to engage the congregation through education, action and advocacy.

Help Unity Church become a UUA certified Green Sanctuary
Continue to support the Children’s Garden and new Pollinator Garden
Educate the congregation to be better earth stewards
Sponsor monthly films and presentations
Provide opportunities for Unity Congregants to act on environmental initiatives
Nurture our relationship with the earth
Celebrate successes!

Action Teams: Get Involved
What is our place in this world? How do our purchasing habits and lifestyle choices affect the earth? How can we engage the congregation to act for the earth? Whatever your strengths and interests, there is room for you on our Action Teams:

The Stop Climate Change Action team is working on initiatives to lower GHG emissions individually and as a congregation, and to enhance carbon sequestration. It also will foster healthy consumer and food choices. Contact Priscilla Morton: prismorton@comcast.net
The Stop Extinction Action Team is working on initiatives that promote habitat, sustainable agriculture, and making the earth safe for life. Contact Anna Newton: asnewton3@gmail.com
The Ensure Justice Action Team will help other Action Teams include justice in all their efforts. This team will also promote independent justice events and activities where needed. Contact Jean Hammink: jhammink@earthlink.net

Learn About Pollinator Gardens

The Pollinator Garden at Unity Church with Kathy Sidles
Unity Pollinator Team members growing, planting and maintaining the Unity pollinator gardens in summer 2021.

Pollinators 101 with Barbara Porwit
A review of native plants, pollinators, and gardens, with University of Minnesota Master Gardener slides.

Pollinators in my Garden!
A short slideshow of Cathy Peterson's home gardens.