Climate Action Team
The Climate Action Team meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6 pm via Zoom. All are welcome. Contact Kathy Kassner at kathrynkassner@gmail.com for more information.
Mission
The Climate Action Team (CAT) of the UU Catskills is dedicated to addressing the urgency of the climate crisis and ecological collapse through grassroots activism and educational campaigns. CAT aims to help the congregation and greater community mitigate and adapt to threats to the environment in an effort to build a more just and sustainable world.
Solstice Community Solar Fundraiser: UU Catskills is once again partnering with Solstice to help our community members lower their electricity bills! Solstice helps individuals sign up for the New York Community Solar Program, which allows households and businesses to reduce their electricity costs and support green energy without installing solar panels on their home. The program is voluntary and free to join.
Thanks to our partnership with Solstice, everyone who signs up before April 1, 2024 will receive a $50 VISA gift card, and UU Catskills will also receive $50 per sign up, providing needed resources for our community.
For more information click on: Solstice Fundraiser.
Green Sanctuary Committee Now Forming: We are now forming our congregational leadership and volunteer committee for the Green Sanctuary initiative at UU Catskills. Please contact Kathy Kassner (kathrynkassner@gmail.com) to learn more and see how you can share your talents for this important congregation-wide effort.
Junior Climate Action Team: In October 2023, we launched Junior CATs, a series of once-monthly workshops for kids aimed at empowering them as young environmentalists. If you are interested in participating, or getting involved by leading or co-leading a session, please contact: Jane Podell, janepodelluu@gmail.com, or Kathy Kassner, kathrynkassner@gmail.com.
Opportunities to be an Environmental Steward:
Learn about Clean Power at: New Yorkers for Clean Power (NYCP). NYCP is focused on advancing solar, wind, energy efficiency, heat pumps, and electric vehicles, as well as creating jobs in these industries for all communities in New York. You can find a ‘Clean Energy Coach’ on their website: NYCP-Coach. View a presentation by Tom Konrad, a Clean Energy Coach, here: Clean-Energy
Divest from Fossil Fuels: Learn how to move your finances from funding fossil fuel extraction, production and distribution and instead direct your bank deposits, insurance premiums, and investment portfolios into funding local businesses and farms, affordable housing, and development of renewable clean energy. Go to rivers-mountains-greenfaith.org for more information.
Shop Eco-friendly: Shop at Tru Earth where you can purchase eco-friendly cleaning products with 20% of the total sales value donated back to UU Catskills!
Write Local Supermarkets: Contact Hannaford or your local grocery store to ask them to stop using non-recyclable, single-use plastics. Download a sample Letter to Hannaford here.
The Seven ‘R’s to Rethink Waste:
Refuse - Don't consume what you don't need and avoid excess packaging and plastic that is not recyclable.
Reduce - Buy in bulk, shop at local farmers' markets, and make your own products.
Reuse - Bring your own bottles, mugs, and food storage containers.
Repair - Visit your local Repair Cafe repaircafehv.org.
Regift - Donate unwanted items.
Recover - Compost food scraps to recover energy and make gardeners’ black gold!
Recycle - Know your program and follow the recycling rules. Learn more about why, how, and what to recycle in Ulster County in Ulster County on the Resource Recovery Agency including their “Recyclopedia” directory for specific items.