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Unitarians Go Green with New Booklet

July 10, 2008 — The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. John is on a mission to help St. John get greener by publishing a booklet called Smart Guide to Island Housekeeping.
"We're trying to build community interest in a sustainable lifestyle," editor Gail Karlsson said.
The booklet came to life thanks to the efforts of the Unitarian's Green Sanctuary Committee.
"We're helping to educate the community about ways to be greener," said Suki Buchalter, who heads the committee.
While new and longterm island residents are the target audience, the booklet has information that applies in all locations.
Smart Guide to Island Housekeeping is a collaborative effort by several Unitarian members and friends of the organization. The cover, done by Unitarian member and well-known St. John artist Lisa Etre, depicts an island cottage with a solar panel on the roof, laundry drying on the clothesline and a composting bin in the side yard.
Smart Guide to Island Housekeeping starts out with advice about adjusting to island life.
"Almost everything has to be shipped from a long way away and there is no place to put stuff you don't want," the authors wrote.
The booklet stresses that nearly everything anyone does has an impact on other residents. Additionally, the writers note that not everyone who lives on St. John is affluent and enjoying life at the beach.
"Many people are working hard just to have a modest standard of living," they wrote.
Smart Guide to Island Housekeeping includes an entire section on picking compact-fluorescent light bulbs. There's another that features tips from the Island Green Building Association on ways to do less harm to the environment when building.
The section on keeping clean includes advice to buy Energy Star appliances because they conserve energy. The authors point out that leather shoes and belts go green from mold if they're not used regularly. They also point out that lizards eat mosquitoes and spiders eat bugs, but their webs are messy.
Smart Guide to Island Housekeeping provides information on making your own non-toxic household cleaners.
For island residents, the booklet tells people where to recycle batteries, used oil, tires, old computer equipment and aluminum cans. In the case of the aluminum cans, people have to go to Sanitary Trashmoval Services near Cyril E. King Airport to recycle them, since St. John currently has no facility.
The Unitarians request that anyone interested in working on its green initiatives call 776-6332. Fellowship membership is not required.
The booklet is available at uufstjohn.orgor stop by the St. John Inn in Cruz Bay to pick up a copy. Donations are accepted to pay for future printings.
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