Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world
Let’s Talk Trash
Different products for sandwiches and storing food. (Lynne Hawkins photo)
Sharing Earth-friendly Products and Practices To Reduce Your Trash
These are recommendations from the Climate Action Committee and other church members. Take a look, and feel free to research these products as well as alternative ones.
Battery recycling
We are always asked how to get rid of old batteries. Check with your community’s trash/recycling guidelines.
In Attleboro, some batteries can be brought to the recycling center others can be safely put in the trash, here’s their Battery Disposal Guide.
Laundry, dishwashing, cleaning
- Tru Earth products and Earth Breeze products. Laundry and other cleaning products without the plastic bottles and ingredients that are good for the environment.
- Yes! Located on Massachusetts Ave in Arlington is a source for eco-friendly living. They help you reduce waste by selling eco-friendly alternatives for self-care products, home goods, refills and fun.
Paper product alternatives
- Who Gives a Crap Bamboo toilet paper, toilet paper made from recycled paper, forest-friendly tissues, paper towels made from recycled paper, and Dream Cloths (reusable, washable, paper towel alternative. Bamboo is more sustainable than trees.
Reusable batteries
- Pale Blue Earth is a new generation of reusable batteries that uses a USB connection directly to the battery. Most major brands have a reusable option that includes a separate charger.
Lunch box and food storage
- Plastic-free gift guides Plastic Pollution Coalition is a non-profit communications and advocacy organization that collaborates with an expansive global alliance of organizations, businesses, and individuals to create a more just, equitable, regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.
- Yes! Located on Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington, shop at their store or online. Yes! helps you reduce waste by selling eco-friendly alternatives for self-care products, home goods, refills and fun.
- Silicon food covers, an eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap and foil, these lids are made from heavy-duty silicone that can be used in the freezer, fridge, oven, microwave, and dishwasher.
- Suction lid set that turns any bowl into a storage container.
Composting, worm composting
- Composting tips from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
- Indoor worm composting how-to from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
- Worm composting tips from Yankee magazine,
Environmental Research, ratings on products
- Environmental Working Group consumer guides to help you learn about the hidden health dangers in your food, water, and everyday products to make better decisions. Areas of focus: food and water, farming and agriculture, personal care products, household and consumer products, energy, family health, toxic chemicals
- Yuka, an app that scans food and cosmetic products, providing health ratings and healthier alternatives
We are a Green Sanctuary
Murray Unitarian Universalist Church is a Green Sanctuary accredited by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The Green Sanctuary Program provides a path for congregational study, reflection, and action in response to environmental challenges. It provides a structure for congregations to examine their current environmental impacts and move towards more sustainable practices in ways grounded in Unitarian Universalism.
In May 2017, we submitted a proposal, with 12 projects in four focus areas: Worship and Celebration, Religious Education, Sustainable Living, and Environmental Justice. Once our projects were completed, we submitted our evaluation and were awarded accreditation in June 2020.
Recent Climate Actions by Our Team
Our team meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. via zoom. Anyone is welcome to join us. Use the contact form below if you have any questions or would like to be part of the team.
Find out how we are taking action
We have a page called Take Action where our members and friends share the actions that they take, large or small, that are intentionally done to help lessen their impact on the Earth.
Sustainability by Design
This was the title of the talk given by Mike Davis, chairman of the Attleboro Sustainability Commission, on April 1, 2024. This was sponsored by our Clara Barton Guild.
Green Heating and Cooling for Our Homes
A virtual event hosted by the Murray UU Church Climate Action Committee
An Introduction to Heat Pumps, Tuesday, May 31, 2022
An introduction to heat pumps, with Jim Nail, from HeatSmart Alliance, a volunteer organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of energy-efficient heat pumps in Massachusetts’ homes and buildings. “Heat pumps” may sound like an exotic new technology, but they are already widely used in Europe, Asia, and increasingly the United States. And here in Massachusetts, they are the preferred form of heating and cooling to help the state fight climate change — and for homeowners burning oil, propane, or using electric resistance heaters to save money.
That said, replacing an existing heating/cooling system or water heater can be a time-consuming and confusing process, especially if you aren’t familiar with heat pumps. Jim will bring you up to speed on what heat pumps are, why they are the best choice, the incentives available through MassSave to lower their cost, and the steps to take to upgrade your home to them. In addition, he will describe the HeatSmart Alliance whose volunteer coaches can guide homeowners through this process.
Massachusetts Climate Solutions, a Virtual Legislative Climate Justice Forum
On January 25, 2022. Our Murray Climate Action Team co-hosted this event, in collaboration with Attleboro’s State Representative Jim Hawkins and our UU Mass Action advocacy program. Four state legislators were on the panel, including Representative Jim Hawkins, Senator Paul Feeney, Representative Adam Scanlon, and Representative Joan Meschino, who authored one of the bills that we reviewed. We educated the community about legislative solutions for climate change and environmental justice, via a platform of six bills that are supported by a large coalition of organizations: Mass Power Forward.
Murray Climate Change Café
This was via zoom on Nov. 8, 2021. Co-led by Robi Rose, Barbara Clark, and Judy DePue. Climate Cafés are safe spaces for people to get together to talk and act on climate change, to share our concerns and our hopes, along with options for action and sharing of actions others are already taking.
Field Trip
We went to the “Revive the Roots” farm in Smithfield, RI to learn about their use of regenerative agriculture practices on September 27, 2021.