In 2021, BRUU was one of the first two UU congregations to earn reaccreditation with the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Green Sanctuary under the Climate Justice Program. BRUU has been at the forefront of the Green Sanctuary movement from the beginning; we earned accreditation in 2004 as one of the pioneering congregations in the original program.

Ever since, we’ve been on a sustained journey of reducing our environmental footprint.  Our general approach has been to demonstrate approaches at the congregational level, and then to challenge our members and friends to pursue the same goals at home.

At the congregational level, we’ve

• Funded a professional energy audit for our building, which produced a detailed action plan and list of priorities.
• Worked through the audit’s priorities, implementing a series of energy efficiency projects on lights; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC); building insulation; motion-activated switches; appliances; and other equipment.
• Bought an infrared camera to detect areas with poor insulation in the building envelope, and improved our insulation.

These measures have helped us reduce our energy use, which is the biggest driver of our carbon footprint. To neutralize the remaining footprint, BRUU has been purchasing high-quality carbon offsets Terrapass: Verified Carbon Credits to Offset Carbon.

Having shown that this approach is effective, we’ve encouraged our members and friends to do their part to fight climate change through our Carbon Footprint Challenge. This challenge, launched in 2021, is still underway, and many of BRUU households have taken the challenge!

Here’s how it works:

Step 1.  Calculate your household’s carbon footprint.  The main drivers of emissions are typically home energy use and your vehicles.  You can use the EPA Greenhouse Gas (GHG) calculator or the TerraPass calculator to figure out your baseline.

Step 2. Decide which actions you’ll take to reduce emissions. The types of actions you can take include:

• Turning your thermostat in summer to 75 degrees F or above.
• Buying Energy Star lights and appliances.
• Using BRUU’s infrared camera to determine and fix heat loss in your home.
• Buying “Green Power” from Dominion or NOVEC to get renewable energy as your source of electricity
• Installing solar panels on your house to get zero-carbon electricity
• Buying high MPG vehicles and using public transportation when it’s available
• Recycling everything that can be recycled

Step 3. Estimate what your footprint will be after you take these actions, and buy carbon offsets to neutralize your remaining footprint. The EPA calculator provides a menu of actions and allows you to estimate how much you’d reduce emissions through each. Terrapass and other reputable offset providers sell offsets.

BRUU’s current carbon footprint is about 66 tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, and we pay about $660 ($10 per ton) for offsets.  Household carbon footprints are much smaller.

If you’ve already joined the BRUU members and friends who have taken the challenge, thanks for your support!  If you haven’t, the Green Team respectfully requests your consideration.  This is a relatively straightforward and inexpensive way to do your part to fight climate change. Mother Earth thanks you!

(More about the Green Team at BRUU.)