Earth Care Initiative

This group meets to discuss, plan, and execute projects that will ease the burden of climate change on our planet, acting locally. Let us know if you are interested in joining the core team, which meets monthly, or want to be added to the list of those interested in keeping up with our activities.

Get Involved – May 

Community garden with sunflowers and raised beds in front of residential buildings under a partly cloudy sky.May’s Share-The-Plate recipient is Alice Fitz Community Garden

One of the Richmond’s more recent community gardens, Alice Fitz Community Garden was founded in Manchester by neighborhood residents in 2019. The garden currently has twenty individual plots, two community beds, a large pollinator garden, flower beds, and multiple fruit trees. In 2024, a grant from the City’s Public Art Commission provided funding for the construction of a tool shed and shelter over the garden entrance that houses several mutual aid stations, including a free seed library. The shed and shelter will eventually highlight the neighborhood’s history through imagery and text.

EDUCATION / EARTH CARE
Want to learn about native and invasive plants?
Did you know oak trees are one of the best plants to support caterpillars?
Want free native plants? (limited number for each service)

Stop by our table after the service on May 10 and 17 to learn about resources you can use to create environments supportive to wildlife.

Past Perennial Events and Initiatives – April

Earth Care Service: “Return the Blessing” by Rev. Anna Tulou. – April 19 2026

Some elements of the service included:

Opening Hymn: #203 “All Creatures”

Elements chant:

Earth my body

Water my blood

Air my breath

And fire my spirit

Closing Hymn: #1064 “Blue Boat Home”

Earth Day Buy Nothing was Saturday April 18! See pictures.

Logo with the text "Friends of Byrd Park" on a light green background.

April’s Share-The-Plate recipient was Friends of Byrd Park
The Friends of Byrd Park are citizen stewards of Byrd Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Place, and at 275 acres, the largest park in the City of Richmond.

We’re pleased that the Share the Plate Committee selected Friends of Byrd Park (FOBP) as the recipient for April. To help connect First UU with the Park, the Earth Care Team is sponsoring short adventures in the Park after services on April 12, 19, and 26.

Want to explore how the FOBP is using naturalist approaches to maintaining and beautifying the Park? Bring your walking shoes and meet us in the lobby at 11:15. We’ll have you back at church within the hour. Families welcome!

  • April 19: Reforested area near the picnic shelter
  • April 26: Carillon Mall

UUMFE’s 2026 Earth Day Worship Service happens on Wednesday, April 22nd at 5 pm PT/ 6 pm MT/ 7 pm CT/ 8 pm ET on Zoom. Our service will weave music, meditation, poetry, storytelling, and theological reflection on this year’s theme, “Sentience Surrounds Us.”

Earth Day event graphic with butterfly and text about the event details.

Transcribed Text:

Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth
Sentience Surrounds Us
AN EARTH DAY WORSHIP RITUAL
8:00 pm EDT • 7:00 pm CDT • 6:00 pm MDT • 5:00 pm PDT
APRIL 22

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