Our Mission
Central to our mission is the UU Seventh Principle:
“The respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”
It is our goal to bring our church into sustainable harmony in the use of resources obtained from the Earth and do our part to maintain that balance.
Basic Info
Meeting Time: First Tuesday of each month at 5:00pm
Meeting Location: UUSF Center,
see chalk board for room
Contacts:
Margaret Pearce  | Marc Theobald | Larry Danos
Church Membership Required: No, all welcome. Dues? None
Solar panels power the FUUSF Church & Center
(click image for larger view)
Green Covenant
The First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco voted on the Green Sanctuary Covenant on October 30, 2011.
How to Get Involved
We welcome anyone who wishes to work with, learn from or share their knowledge with our community. Feel free to contact any member, inquire at the church, or show up at our next monthly meeting (5:00pm on the first Tuesday of the month).
Green Film Festival - August 2011
During the month of August 2011, we invite members and friends to attend the Green film series featuring energy, water, and environmental justice issues. See the schedule of films on the flier: Green Film Festival 2011.
What is Green Sanctuary?
The First Unitarian Society of San Francisco is a candidate for certification as part of the Unitarian Universalist Association's Green Sanctuary program and part of our work is in support of that effort.
We draw your attention to the UUA's Green Sanctuary program at: www.uua.org/leaders/environment/greensanctuary/index.shtml. Our Society is working for Green Sanctuary certification. The link above explains the program, and a copy of the Green Sancturay Manual can be accesed as well.
In launching our web page, the Committee has begun the process of compiling and acknowledging earth-friendly actions, celebrations, and achievements within and around our congregation and center.
For example, we applaud the recent installation of a solar electrical power generating system here at the center. Please share with us your perspectives about sustainable practices in our midst - what we're doing right, and what we can do better.
South facing panels in the foreground
Solar Power Project at FUUSF
An energy audit was commissioned for First Unitarian Universalist Church and Center. The auditor's recommendations included installing solar panels for electric power. Through the efforts of the Board of Trustees and the Solar Task Force committee, the panels were installed. Power production started at the beginning of January, 2011.
How could the church afford solar panels?
Solar panels are still relatively expensive. The estimate for our panels was $141,936.00. The State of California would provide a rebate in the amount of $16,650.00 and the City of San Francisco would also provide an incentive of $28,005.00, leaving a balance of $97,281.00. Rebates of more than 30% of the cost made this an ideal time to move forward if funding could be found.
Fiscal year 2010-2011 presented financial challenges for the church. The broader economic situation impacted the funding for our solar panel project.
The solar task force turned to the Society for Community Work (SCW) for help. SCW recognizes the impact of climate change on our environment and honors the UU principle of respect for the interdependent web of existence. Installing solar panels was an important step for putting this principle into action.
West facing solar panels at FUUSF
SCW (www.societyforcommunitywork.org) offered to help finance the solar panel project with a generous loan of $97,281 with terms that allowed for repayment at a rate lower than the savings from cost of electricity which the solar panels replaced. The church would save money by accepting the loan and installing the panels! We had our new solar panels.
Solar Panels Installed!
Our new solar system was designed and built by Luminalt Solar Energy Solutions. It provides 18.7 kilowatts of photovoltaic power, using a combination of west and south facing arrays with a total of one hundred 215 watt panels. The complete system consists of 40 south facing panels and 60 west facing panels, all with a 10 degree tilt and mostly concealed from view. Each of the arrays is arranged in 10 panel strings, with each set of 2 strings connected to a 4000 watt Inverter, with 5 inverters altogether. The inverters, which convert DC power into AC power, can be seen inside the garage near the entrance while the panels may be seen from the courtyard, as shown in the accompanying photos.
Presentation for the congregation by Luminalt Solar Energy
The total power generation from the solar panels will reduce our need for PG&E power for much of the time. However, in order to make the most of our investment, we will need to continue to use lighting systems and other electrical energy responsibly as we will be continuing to rely on purchased PG&E power during our peak periods.
Cake was served to celebrate, but of course!
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