Temples assess how green they are with the Green Hongwanji survey

65 Shades of Green: How much do we love our planet?
A report on the Green Hongwanji Survey feedback

Submitted by Dexter Mar, Green Hongwanji Committee Chair

At the 2016 Hongwanji Legislative Assembly, the temples voted to try and become more environmentally responsible and, as an expression of our Buddhist values, take actions to save our planet. At the recent 2017 Hongwanji Legislative Assembly, held in February, the first “Green Hongwanji Survey” was shared for all temples to assess how they are doing and get ideas on how to improve. Twenty-two temples (about 65%) have completed their surveys so far. Hopefully, 100% will join in this effort.

Here are the results for the top 11 temples (plus Pacific Buddhist Academy & Hongwanji Mission School). The total possible points are 65, so even for the top scoring temples there are plenty of new ideas to implement in the coming year. The survey is a self-assessment to help temples determine “their shade of green”.

green survey results, with HMS, PBA, and Kahalui with highest scores

Are you “minty” or “emerald”? We all aspire to be as dark green as possible.

If your temple has not yet completed a survey, you may download a fillable form from the Green Honwanji survey Google Drive folder. The completed surveys are also posted in the same folder, so temple members can find out what their temples are doing, as well as get an idea of what other temples have done.

For instance, most temples have switched from older to newer light bulbs, started to recycle at refreshment gatherings, and purchased energy efficient products.

The HHMH Green Team’s mission is to support the temple’s own efforts through information and educational support. So if your temple needs information on what kinds of cleaners are really green or how to select replacements for Styrofoam and plastic cups, plates and utensils, please reach out to any committee member: Rev. Jan Youth, Rev. Shindo Nishiyama, Karen Kikukawa, Van Velasco, Rev. Eric Matsumoto, Margie Kaiser, Rev. Toshiyuki Umitani, Dexter Mar, David Atcheson

See the surveys or download the fillable survey form on Google Drive »