Social Action
We strive to put our UU principles into action through service, education, and advocacy. We promote and support activities which empower us to shape safe, sustainable communities within our Fellowship, our cities, our country and worldwide. We meet in the lounge on the second Sunday of each month from 12:00 to 1:15 to plan, prioritize, and organize. Everyone interested in social action work is welcome and encouraged to attend.
- For the 2010/2011 church year:
- In response to the difficult economic times we will focus this year on basic human services with particular concern for those areas hit by our local and state budget cuts.
- Chair is Jessica Spaulding
- Trustee is Walt Main
- Meetings on 2nd Sunday of each month, 12:00 — 1:15
To stay informed join the Social Action email list
Current Programs
- Sustainable Grounds Project
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Imagine our Fellowship grounds landscaped with edibles, natives and drought tolerant plants using little water and no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Imagine educating our children and ourselves about healthy soil and environmentally responsible gardening practices. Imagine working together as a community to make our grounds a beautiful and inspiring example of sustainable practices. Imagine being a resource in sustainable gardening practices for the larger community.
The Social Action and the Building & Grounds committees are pleased to announce a joint Sustainable Grounds Project to make that vision a reality.
- UUFLG Tee Shirts
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Want to spread the word about UUFLG and let people know that we care about social action? Our new UUFLG tee shirt will make a stylish statement! Available in sizes from 6 months - 4X, and women's plus sizes. See Jessica and Ryan Spaulding or Connie, or order directly from our Cafepress shop:
http://www.cafepress.com/uuflg - Green Practices
- We envision our Fellowship as a model of environmental responsibility and sustainability. To move us closer to that vision we are developing a set of policies and guidelines that the Fellowship can use to ensure that we factor concern for the environment into all our congregational activities and decisions. Our first step was gathering your input. The results of the Green Practices Survey are now available here..
- Global Warming Challenges
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Be part of the solution! We challenge you to take action now to reduce your energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Each of the seven challenges below (all in PDF format) is doable by most people without major expense and each can reduce your monthly greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 0.5%. Do them in any order you want but try to do them all. Pass these ideas on to your friends and family and get in the habit of thinking about the global warming impact of everything you do.
- Share-the-Plate
- On the third Sunday of each month we share the Sunday offering with a local non-profit organization that provides service, advocacy or direct action that reflect our principles and values. In the last quarter we donated $224 to Death Penalty Focus, $235 to San Jose Peace and Justice Center and $233 to Sacred Heart Community Service. This quarter we will be Sharing the Plate with St. Luke's Pantry, Friends Outside and the Ministerial Discretionary Fund. If you would like to suggest an organization contact Connie or Jessica. To view the Share-The-Plate policies and procedures in pdf, click here
- Ink/Toner Cartridge and Cellphone Recycling
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The project to recycle inkjet and laser cartridges as well as
cell phones has been taken up by the Tuesday morning Chalice
Circle. Used cartridges bring up to $4.50 each. Help the Chalice Circle
raise funds for the Fellowship and help the environment at the same time by collecting cartridges
and cell phones and dropping them off in the container at the Fellowship. - You personally may not use many cartridges but you can still be a big contributor. Ask your friends and family to save them for you, post a notice in your condo or apartment complex, let members of your clubs and organizations know that you are collecting them, post a notice where you work. Have other ideas about how to collect cartridges? Let us know so we can share them with everybody.
- Please bring only cartridges and phones that we can recycle. They must have a label with the brand and number. Remanufactured cartridges are not recyclable, and Epson cartridges are no longer eligible.
- To see if yours can be recycled, go to www.fundingfactory.com and click on the red "Qualifying Lists" at the upper right, or www.ecyclegroup.com and click on "Pricelist." (Not all cartridges are taken by both companies.) If you don’t have internet, or have other questions, contact Anne Winter.
- Shipping materials reuse
- Even better than recycling, your packing 'peanuts', bubble wrap, foam blocks, foam wrap, and wine shipping containers (Styrofoam or cardboard) can now be reused. Bring them to AIM Mail Center, 15559 Union Ave (next to Safeway), or give them directly to Paul Yeadon at the Fellowship. Please DO NOT leave them at the Fellowship building as there is not enough space to store them. For more information see the (pdf) flyer:Reuse of Shipping Materials
- In the wider community
- While keeping our focus on local action we also work on issues in the wider community through the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of California and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
- UULM-CA Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of California is a statewide justice ministry that serves to empower the moral voice of Unitarian Universalist values in the public arena. to stay informed about California legislative actions visit http://www.uulmca.org and sign up for the e-newsletter.
- UUSC the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is a nonsectarian organization that advances human rights and social action in the United States and around the world through a combination of advocacy, education, and partnerships with grassroots organizations. UUSC supports programs and policies that promote workers' rights, advance the human right to water, defend civil liberties, and preserve the rights of those affected by humanitarian crises. To learn more visit http://www.uusc.org.
- Annual Peace Essay Contest
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Each year some of the winners of the Annual Peace Challenge, founded by UUFLG member Charlie Walton and sponsored by The San Jose Peace and Justice Center, present their winning essay, poem, play or film to the UUFLG congregation. These Santa Clara County students in grades 9 through 12 amaze and inspire us with their thoughts on how we can achieve peace in the world. The recording of 2009 presentations by Cynthia Huang, Noama Iftekhar and Junaid Ahmed is available in MP3 format.
- National River Cleanup Day
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On May 16th UUFLG members put their principles to practice by cleaning up Oak Meadow park in our own Los Gatos. We picked up a lot of trash and helped clean out a large abandoned transient camp along Los Gatos creek. See http://www.cleanacreek.org/ for more information and how to participate in upcoming cleaning events.
- Costal Cleanup Day
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For the second year in a row on September 19th UUFLG members put their principles to practice by participating in Costal Cleanup day cleaning up Vasona park in our own Los Gatos. We picked up trash, along the Los Gatos creek at Vasona park. See http://www.cleanacreek.org/ for more information and how to participate in upcoming cleaning events.
- Pick pears for the hungry
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On August 22, 2009, sixteen UUFLG members and friends picked and sorted a van full of fresh pears in the Los Gatos Hills. This fruit, which otherwise would have been wasted, was donated to local food agencies to feed the hungry in our community. See http://www.villageharvest.org/ for more information about the Harvest for the Hungry program.
Past Activities
Address: 15980 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos, CA 95032
Phone: (408) 358-1212
Email: admin@uuflg.org