Lack of awareness of environmental issues never seemed to be a problem within our congregation. Knowing what to do and how to be effective were the issues. The Green Sanctuary program has helped us focus the congregation's energies in supporting sustainable agriculture, has helped us "walk our talk" by doing what it takes to build green, and has helped us understand the power of ongoing small group activities (classes and circles) in making real changes, not only in congregational life, but our personal lives.

We have been very pleased to see the changes members are making in their lives. Many are building green in their home constructions and remodels. Use of alternative transportation is becoming the norm. People pride themselves in sharing how local and organic their dishes are for our potluck gatherings. People are becoming more active in the greater community projects, events and organizations. While some members are just starting this journey, others are constantly asking us, the Green Sanctuary Team, to push the congregation even further.

Many BUF members do not need much motivation. For those who did, the combination of classes, guest speaker forums, web site, simplicity circles and Sunday informational table, kept the issues in front of them. Basically you could not hide from us. We also helped focus the congregation on specific activities for community action. Bellingham is a very active city environmentally and many times there are multiple events on the same day. We combed through them and by using our various communication media (web site, bulletin board, order of service inserts, GSP email group and Sunday information table), encouraged members to participate where we could make an impact.

The purpose of our recent Pachamama Alliance symposium was to build such a connection. The workshop actually goes one step further and includes social justice in the mix. This has been our goal since the beginning with the earth-based worship services, the December 2008 showing of the film "Renewal" (which depicts various religious traditions and their faith's call to environmental action) and incorporating the environment as an integral part of religious education. For both the "Renewal" and Pachamama projects, we even extended invitations to the outside faith community to participate and hope to build or be part of an interfaith movement to bring back the spiritual connection to the natural world.

We believe we have built awareness of both local and global food security issues among our members. Our education projects, simplicity circles, guest speakers and Sunday information table helped us achieve that. Rectifying injustices takes time and patience and many small steps. We give members a way to make those small steps while staying encouraged. And we try to find different ways of making progress. There is a myriad of environmental justice issues and activities in our area and we are supporting as many as we are able. Not everyone can plant salmon friendly trees by a creek, so we have fundraising opportunities with our yearly Green Sanctuary choice for a Social Justice collection. We have food bank bins always ready in the church foyer. A gardener can grow an extra row for the food bank and another member can support a local farm by buying a CSA share. Some members have taken permaculture classes while others attend city or county meetings on local land use issues. It's our belief that it is imperative to get as many people as possible working on whatever aspect of the food security issue that ignites their passions.

The disappearance of resistance to building "green" for our upcoming expansion is the most important benefit. We started out with opposing sides to the argument "Can the extra cost be justified?". Now everyone expects us to build as environmentally responsible as possible. This change in attitude is spilling over into other areas as people are using alternative transportation, eating locally grown organic foods, exchanging water conservation ideas and inviting each other to events in town. It is the resistance to change that is disappearing.

Another important benefit has been the depth with which we are grasping the issues we are faced with. Our realization that environmental, social and spiritual issues are inextricably bound together has allowed for more creative action as diverse groups find common ground on which to learn and act. We have discovered we can no longer treat issues as solely a social, spiritual or environmental one and expect to accomplish anything. Only by recognizing the interconnectedness of the different aspects of an issue can we really begin to formulate effective action plans that will bring us closer to a viable solution with the support necessary to bring it forward.

Reaching every member household to make changes has the been the biggest challenge. Some still think the whole Green Sanctuary program is geared solely toward the new building expansion. It doesn't affect them or their lives. The term "green sanctuary" hindered our ability to convince some that this is about changes in their lives too, not just the building. We did try different methods and event types so everyone could participate. We are making progress and those who participate in our small group activities – simplicity circles and NWEI classes have made the most progress.

People are so busy that it is sometimes difficult to be heard above the roar of daily life. Bellingham is a very active community with multiple events held most days. Many of our members serve on boards or as staff for local environmental and social justice organizations. The connections we are building between groups and issues are improving the situation. There is still the problem of overload. So we are trying to focus congregational efforts so people have a sense of accomplishment.

Many believe our biggest benefit is the concentration of effort in the environmental justice arena. As a congregation we tend to be scattered in that everyone has their own cause. Our Food Security For All project brought together our organic gardeners, local food supporters, land use experts, hunger advocates and those pulling for farm justice. This project not only brought our Green Sanctuary, Social Justice and Lifelong Learning programs together; it helped revitalize all of them.

The change in attitude about building green is another area of positive change. While there were many who pushed to incorporate "green building", there was resistance because of the perceived expense. Hiring a new architect and general contractor with experience in green building has opened us up to many possibilities and choices. Education and awareness of green building practices and solutions has also contributed to the congregation feeling much more comfortable with the concept of building green and in many cases, many are very excited about the project.

We are in planning discussions now on the next phase of our program. We plan to continue our focus on Food Security For All because of its effect on so many issues about which people are concerned which include water quality and conservation and land use. We are working with the social justice team to lobby for a paid staff position dedicated to social and environmental justice. We will continue the small group activities (classes and circles) because that is where we see real personal change happening. We will also continue our networking with the other organizations and faiths and increasing our presence in the greater community. For the next year or so much of our focus will be on our building expansion, its construction phase and monitoring the decisions made along the way. Once it is completed, we hope to be a community center for holding even more events.

We plan to continue to expand our connections with the wider Bellingham and Whatcom County communities by co-sponsoring and hosting events, working with the new transition town initiative group - Transition Whatcom and becoming an official member of the local business group, Sustainable Connections, with whom we already work. Recognition as a Green Sanctuary can only heighten our visibility and credibility in the community. We are hoping to reach out to other faith communities and the accreditation will help there as well.