What distinguished UUP’s 2008 Fall Delegate Assembly from past DAs? The answer could be found in the color green.

Actually, the green theme really began two weeks before the delegates gathered in Albany, when the 34-page DA mailing left UUP in a way other than mail. Rather, the contents reached the union’s nearly 300 delegates via the Internet, using UUP’s LeaderNet site. Delegates had been informed earlier they’d be getting these materials through this alternative, eco-friendly means.

“Not only did we save on postage and paper, our carbon footprint was smaller,” explained UUP Secretary Eileen Landy. “We have a social responsibility toward our planet. Some of our members are on the cutting edge of environmental issues. We should set an example if we can.”

But the goal to be green went further. Delegate L. Eric Wildrick of Purchase volunteered the idea that the substantial amount of paper distributed at the DA be recycled, and he provided much of the physical labor to accomplish that, assisted by Albany Chapter President Candace Merbler, Executive Board member Caroline Bailey of Environmental Science & Forestry, and Landy. Mission accomplished, as the UUP volunteers collected hundreds of pieces of paper and deposited them in recycling receptacles provided by The Desmond.

Building on the success in the fall, the 2009 Winter Delegate Assembly promises to go a step beyond. Landy said that instead of having bottled water at each table during the plenary sessions, water coolers with biodegradable drinking cups will be available, eliminating the need to dispose of hundreds of plastic bottles. The hope is that more volunteers will come forward to participate in the recycling effort.

Just getting to the DA is getting greener. Landy said more chapters are sending delegates by bus rather than using individual vehicles. “We are encouraging carpooling for chapters where buses are not practical,” she said.

Realizing that the possibilities for going green are many, Landy is looking for suggestions for how UUP can expand its grip on green. Members are invited to call her in the union’s Albany office, or send e-mail to elandy@uupmail.org.

— Donald Feldstein