Our Mission Statement:

To educate our congregation and community and take action on climate and environmental justice issues.

Keep informed by following our Climate Action Posts!

Committee Responsibilities: Our projects vary each year. Important accomplishments of recent past:

2023: Completed Fundraising for Solar Panels. Installation of panels producing up to 14kW electricity in August!

2024: Completed form submission, and many follow ups with IRS, seeking 30% Federal Rebate for purchase of Solar Panels. If we can get this rebate, it will be purposed to other carbon reduction initiatives in our 200 year old house of worship.

Evaluation of building insulation financed by Mass Save. We chose not to go forward with the offered vendor-program out of concerns about the product offered (potential ill effects on a structure as old as ours), and construction complexity of sealing the attic space.

2025: Received the 30% Federal Rebate and put into savings as we examine our next steps to limit carbon footprint of UUSR. Regretfully, this program was suspended by legislation in 2025, so UUSR was very fortunate.

Began net-metering with our electric utility upon full adoption of Mass DPU policy (23-140). Implemented Schedule Z with 5 church members, who will receive credits for the significant surplus electricity production by UUSR’s solar facility. In return, members consent to donate a discounted amount of these credits back to the church, thus forming a model for financially incentivizing the ownership of solar panels in churches.

2026: Full church property evaluation for Energy Efficiency by Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, with comprehensive report delivered in May. Engaging with insulation company immediately to evaluate ceiling thermal barrier approach.

Climate Change Is Real! There is no debating that point.

In March 2021, a Climate Action Group was established at UUSR. In January 2023, the Climate Action Group officially became its own committee, no longer a sub-group of the Social Justice committee. We began by talking to other churches who had climate committees such as the Annisquam Village Church’s Creation Care Team and the First Parish UU in Arlington. Then, we met bi-weekly, researching global, national, statewide, and local issues, and joining organizations such as the Rockport Green Community Task Force, Cape Ann Climate Coalition, and UU Mass Action. All are welcome to join us.

Our Climate Action Updates will keep you informed about things YOU can be doing, as well as endeavors taking place in our beloved house of worship. We hope this helps us all to become educated and to TAKE ACTION!

A new report from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication suggests that there is a gulf between the fear Americans feel about climate change and what they are willing to do to fight it.

We want to provide effective communication that will turn concern into tangible reaction.

Please read the Climate Action Bulletin. Provide us with feedback. Consider joining our Climate Action Committee and, most importantly Take Some Action. When we work together, we can set achievable, meaningful goals and make the change we want to see!