ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION/COMMENT

LEAD

WHEN

W1-Include Honoring the Earth in  more services

Revise Mission Covenant Statement which is part of each Sunday service to include the Earth.  Add something like: “we honor Earth and the interdependent web of all existence;” Revisions to the South Church’s  mission and mission covenant statement will be organized by Strategic Planning in the spring and need to be approved by the Congregation.

GS - Judy Miller,  Strategic Planning – Amy Criswell, Eric Lipsitt, Congregation

Spring 2008, Nov. 2008

PETITION TO CHANGE MISSION COVENANT STATEMENT IS BEING CONSIDERED FOR A VOTE AT ANNUAL MEETING IN NOV. 2009

W2-Arbor Day/Earth Day service

GS will take the lead on the Sunday morning service which will have  an Arbor Day theme. Flo Reed, President of Sustainable Harvest(SHI), the benefactor of our major Environmental Justice project,  will be the featured speaker.

GS team, WA – Jennifer Whitten, Musician – Jon Prichard, SHI – Flo Reed

April 20, 2008

SERVICE CONDUCTED AS SCHEDULED

Blessing of the Animals

Rev. Roberta will take the lead on a Blessing of the Animals service in late August/early fall. 

Rev. Roberta, Sandra Greenfield, Director Lifespan Faith Development 

August or Sept.

2008

PLANNED FOR SPRING 2009

W3-Interfaith Sustainability Service

Judy Miller and Jon Pritchard, as South Church members of the  Interfaith Sustainability Team(IST), will be working on planning the  Piscataqua Region Interfaith Sustainability Conference, to be held from  Oct.17 – Oct.19, 2008.  As the final part of the Conference,  South Church will do the Sunday morning service with a theme of  Sustainability and featuring the Jewish Harvest Festival Sukkot.

GS and IST - Judy Miller, IST - Jon Prichard, Rev. Roberta

Oct. 19, 2008

SERVICE CONDUCTED AS SCHEDULED

ACTIVITY

DESRIPTION/COMMENT

LEAD

DATE

RE1 - Sustainability Adult Spiritual Enrichment  classes

John Carroll, Professor of Natural Resources at the University of New Hampshire(UNH) speaking on Oil Before Food, the Relationship of Food and Oil

GS - Diane Woods,  ASE  - Bret Newbury, UNH – John Carroll

Jan. 20, 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

Home Energy Audit Workshop by Laurel McEwen of Stepping Up Green. The workshop will explain how to do a home energy audit of electrical, heating and hot water systems and develop a plan to reduce home energy carbon emissions and energy costs. 

GS - Judy Miller, ASE – Bret Newbury, Laurel McEwen – Stepping Up Green

Feb. 20, 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

RE2 – Green Web Workshop

This workshop, run by Promise the Children (www.promisethechildrenuu.org) teaches social justice through climate change and gives youth the skills to advocate for change.  The Sr. Youth started to develop an action plan to make energy efficiency improvements to Karnan House.

GS – Wes Tator, RE Sr. Youth – Dan Beausoleil, Promise the Children – Meryl Baier

Feb. 3 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

RE3 – Minds Alive! book reading and signing

As part of South Church’s Minds Alive! Lyceum lecture series and in collaboration with RiverRun, an independent Portsmouth local bookstore, and Slow Food Seacoast, South Church will host a book reading and signing by Frances Moore Lappe, the author of “Diet for a Small Planet” and “Hope’s Edge”.  Her current book is “Getting a Grip, Clarity, Creativity and Courage in a World Gone Mad.”

GS - Skye Maher, Judy Miller, River Run – Michele Filgate, Seacoast Slow Food – Michelle Moon

March 18, 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

RE4 -Intergenerational Activities

An intergenerational evening program will be held in April.  The film “Arctic Tale” will be shown. 

GS –Wes Tator, RE Intergenerational Activities –  Jeanne Daniels

April 19 , 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

An educational intergenerational picnic and walk at Creek Farm, a Portsmouth preserve maintained by the Society for the Protection of NH Forests(SPNHF), is planned for May.  The walk will be led by a naturalist from SPNHF and there may also be a speaker from the Shoals Marine Laboratory.

GS – Skye Maher, RE Intergenerational Activities – Jeanne Daniels, SPHNF Creek Farm Naturalist

May 18, 2008

COMPLETED AS SCHEDULED

RE5 - Pocket Garden Tour educational offerings

In expanded efforts to educate gardeners on ways to live gently on our planet, we will be offering professional advice on organic gardening, soil amending, composting, native vs. invasive species and water use. 

GS and Pocket Garden Committee – Roddy Cole

June 20 – 21, 2008

MASTER GARDENERS PARTICIPATED

RE6-Minds Alive! Environmental speaker

As part of South Church’s Lyceum, Minds Alive!, one of the speakers will be an environmental speaker.

GS - Skye Maher, Rev. Roberta

Fall 2008

DAVID KORTEN SPOKE IN JUNE 2008 ON HIS BOOK “FROM EMPIRE TO EARTH COMMUNITY”

ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION/COMMENT

LEAD

WHEN

S1- Tree Challenge 

Field trip to harvest and ball up tree seedlings and plant them in other locations.  The trees will be planted a location that needs trees in Portsmouth or possibly at the Interfaith Hospitality Network Habitat for Humanity houses.

GS - Skye Maher, Roddy Cole

  10/21/ 2007 and spring 2008

PLANTS AND TREES PLANTED AT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPLEX ON JUNE 1, 2009

S2-E1-Calculate Carbon Footprint for church and Karnan House

Using the method learned in the Energy Efficiency Workshop held in the spring of 2007, lay the groundwork for measuring future energy enhancements by establishing a baseline of carbon emissions at South Church using our utility bills.

GS - Peter Somssich

Jan. 2008

COMPLETED

S3-E2- Implement several recommendations from the Oil and Electric Energy Audits conducted during the Environmental Audit

Several of the recommendations made in the energy audits have been implemented since the Environmental Audit and others are in process.  These will be documented in our Application for Accreditation.  Major changes will be contingent on completing the Building Assessment and a Capital Fund Campaign.

GS - Wes Tator, Skye Maher, Church Administrator – Julie Frank, Building Committee – Jeanne Daniels, Board of Trustees

Ongoing

PARTIALLY COMPLETED – DETAILS WILL BE IN THE CERTIFICATION REPORT

S4-E3- Conduct a PSNH lighting Audit and implement recommendations

A recommendation from the Environmental Audit was to have a lighting audit done by PSNH.  This has been completed and a report produced with recommendations.  This has been reviewed by Peter Somssich of the GS Team and Julie Frank, Office Administrator.  A  partial implementation has been contracted out.

GS - Peter Somssich, Church Administrator – Julie Frank

11/26/ 2007,      Winter/ 2008

DEFERRED DUE TO A SPACE UTILIZATION STUDY AND IMPLEMENATION OF OTHER BUILDING ENHANCEMENTS

S5-Require that  green options be considered when making building improvements

Propose a policy to the Board to require that when building improvements are done that environmentally sustainable options are considered. 

GS - Skye Maher, Wes Tator, Board of Trustees

Spring 2008

POLICY BEING DEFINED

ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION/COMMENT

LEAD

DATE

EJ1 Holiday Alternative Gifts Bazaar

Sell fair trade products including environmentally friendly products and other alternative gifts at church bazaar open to the public.  This was done for the first time in Dec. 2007 and will become an annual event.

GS - Diane Woods, OA’s – Mary Burke

First Sunday in Dec.

FAIR HELD AS SCHEDULED

EJ2- Selling and promoting Equal Exchange products and promoting and fundraising for  Sustainable Harvest International(SHI)

As our major year long environmental justice project, we will sell Equal Exchange fair trade coffee, cocoa and chocolate at Coffee Hour once a month for 1 year and donate proceeds to SHI to plant trees in developing countries in Central America.  During the year there will be other fundraisers for SHI and promotions of Equal Exchange and SHI as listed below.

GS Team, SHI – Flo Reed, Equal Exchange

2008

Sell a donation by Transfair of  bouquets of roses to promote fair trade flowers on  Valentines Day to raise money for SHI.

GS – Diane Woods, Judy Miller, Transfair

Feb. 14, 2008

Serve Equal Exchange fair trade coffee at the South Church Kitchen Auction which will be open to the public.  Have educational displays of Equal Exchange fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate and Sustainable Harvest International.

GS – Roddy Cole, Judy Miller, Auction Food Committee. – Kari Pritchard

Mar.29 2008

There will be a second offering at the Earth/Arbor Day service for SHI.

GS – Diane Woods

April 20, 2008

We hope to have the junior and senior youth and/or other groups participate in fundraisers for SHI to be defined during the year.

Others to be determined

$2300 COLLECTED FOR SHI OVER THE YEAR – ENOUGH TO BE THE MAJORITY OF THE SUPPORT FOR 11 FAMILIES IN BOOM CREEK, BELIZE