Unity Earthcare

Our Green Team is not currently meeting. However, we are continuing to honor this covenant.

We continue to collect batteries for safe disposal, collect Styrofoam recycling and continually monitor our building and operational practices for energy efficiencies, sustainable practices and support of our environment.

Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing's Earthcare Covenant

We are committed to bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and positive human presence this planet as the guiding principle of our times.

HISTORY and BACKGROUND

One of the Core Values of Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing is Stewardship.  And one of the most critical areas of stewardship is in regards to our planet earth.  Unity Worldwide Ministries offers a 3 tiered certification for Unity ministries to become Unity Earthcare Congregations. The Spiritual Growth and Development Ministry Team is about to embark on certification for our Unity community.  It will be an open invitation to do things differently. It will involve asking ourselves a lot of questions! How can we make a smaller footprint on our planet?Do we need to have paper bulletins each week?  Are we ready to give up bottled water and use a water dispenser and reusable cups?  

There are 3 progressive levels of certification

Level A Earthcare Covenant - The Congregation signs a convenant creating a sacred trust between the congregation and Spirit by expressing a conscious awareness of our oneness with creation and a commitment to care for our earth.  This becomes a significant component of the ministry.

"Our consciousness reveals that all creation is connected as one.  The story of creation reveals that we are to be good caregivers of the creation.  As a people of faith, we commit to a renewed reverence for life and respect for the interdependent web of all existence.  We honor our spiritual commitment to the care, support and defense of the balance between our individual needs and those of nature. We envision a world in which everything has intrinsic value and where all beings are assured a secure and meaningful life that is ecologically responsible and sustainable.  We agree to transform our individual and congregational lives into acts of moral witness, discarding harmful habits for new behaviors that demonstrate our respect for the harmony and interconnectedness."

  Level B  EarthCare Commitment - As a congregation we will incorporate prayers for our planet, as well as develop an ecological vision for our community.  To complete this level, we will develop and action plan and take an energy audit of our building.

Level C  EarthCare Congregation - This final level for certification requires the completion of a minimum of 9 earthcare activities.  This includes education of earthcare practices, including spiritually responsible behaviours such as eating, our energy footprint, minimizing waste, recycling, reusing, and reducing wherever possible.

Stay tuned as we begin this journey of becoming a Unity Earthcare congregation!  Below are some areas we will taking into consideration

Climate Change

As humanity has been primarily responsible for climate change, we affirm that it will be humanity which will co-create a vision of the environmentally conscious use of energy and our planet’s fragile resources. We joyfully participate in our God-given role as good stewards of the Earth. Through prayer, mediation, church or spiritual center-inspired activism, and the skillful use of media, we affirm that the Unity movement is a world leader in advancing the growth of environmental consciousness and right action.

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a spiritual practice. It raises our consciousness of how we care for ourselves and the earth. It helps restore our sacred relationships with the earth, animals and all creation.