We are excited to announce that the Unitarian Universalists of the Blue Ridge (UUBRidge) has been designated a Green Sanctuary congregation by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) after several years of efforts by the Environment and Social Justice Committee, now chaired by Lisa McQuail, and many other UUBRidge members and friends. 

In announcing the designation, UUA Climate Justice Organizer Rachel Myslivy said:

I really enjoyed reading your application materials and learning about the diverse work you’ve been doing in your congregation as part of your Green Sanctuary projects. I’m pleased to award you Green Sanctuary certification! I am impressed at the ways your congregation adapted to Covid restrictions and also your local partnerships and work on food justice. It’s clear that you’ve done the hard work of integrating Green Sanctuary topics into the broader congregational engagement and programming. Excellent!

Addressing food insecurity by providing locally grown vegetables to the Page and Rappahannock food pantries and to individuals and families directly became our major Green Sanctuary effort over the past three years. The Covid pandemic complicated working directly with people, but gardening, and food harvesting and distribution could be accomplished outdoors and keeping physically distanced. 

Thousands of pounds of produce have been provided to the Rappahannock and Page food pantries or harvested directly and used by local residents. Donated seeds are used in the community gardens, and also provided to those wanting to grow vegetables at home. Last summer, Free Market Fridays were initiated, offering information on nutrition and food preparation along with free vegetables and distributing USDA-provided meals for school-age kids and milk for families.

We have partnered with many local groups and individuals in this project. 

In Page County, the Page Alliance for Community Action, other local groups, schools, and individuals have worked on the community garden project, which has expanded from one to three communities. ESJ and UUBRidge Board member Will Daniels has been involved in the project since it began in 2020. He and other members have volunteered, along with groups of college and high-school students, youth from a local recreation center, Master Gardeners, and local residents.

A fenced garden was donated by a UUBridge member in Rappahannock County. ESJ member Ellie Clark, with help from UU members and other volunteers, has donated plants, planted and maintained the garden, and harvested produce for the Rappahannock food pantry.

ESJ members also have adopted several miles of local road sections for trash clean-up efforts. Several times each year, small groups of us gather to clear trash from the roadsides, keeping plastic and other waste out of local waterways while improving the visual aspect of the rural landscape.

Individually, we plan to continue these efforts into the future, as well as taking new actions in accordance with this UUA statement on Climate and Environmental Justice:

All life is interconnected. From the forest to the sea to humanity itself, each thread of being is woven into a single fabric of existence. We embrace nature’s beauty and are in awe of its power. We care for our environment so that it may sustain life for generations to come. We do this in partnership with those most impacted by environmental destruction, who are often marginalized in the larger culture.