Events

Times of events are subject to change.

Blue Vinyl, film screening
* 3:00 PM in the Living Room
The hazards of bio-accumulation, pollution, and the makeup of what we commonly hope are benign plastics are tackled in this documentary. Watch the film and then engage in discussion with your fellow viewers

Bounce House
* 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM on the Front Lawn
Tons of fun for the kids! Rental of the bounce house has been generously donated by ABC Hardware, Rental, and Special Events.

Bounce House


Citizens for Regional Transit Presentation
* 2:00 PM in the Chapel
Citizens for Regional Transit is committed to creating a broad base of support for the improvement and expansion of bus and rail transit for all citizens of the Niagara Frontier.
The purpose of the organization is to build an understanding of the benefits of transit by facilitating public participation through educational events, information sharing and other outreach efforts.

Climate Change
Erie County Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP)
* 5:30 PM in the Chapel
Erie County is developing an equity-centered Community Climate Action Plan to identify actions the County can take to mitigate climate impacts and to help the community adapt to our changing climate.

Clothing Closet
* 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM in the Classroom Wing
Help our Clothing Ministry clear out their summer items to make room for winter clothing. Recommended donation of $1 per item.

Eating Green Café
* 12:00 Noon to 7:00 PM in the Emerson Room
Tasty food options including grilled hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, vegan dogs, Impossible burgers, salads, chicken salad,  hummus plate with veggies, cookies, chips, and sodas.

Face Painting
* 2:00 PM at the Activities Tent
Have your face painted by artist Meg Sabella.

Folk Dancing
* 2:00 PM in the Parking Lot (In the event of rain, this will be in the Emerson Room)
Get your heartbeat up and have some fun learning traditional folk dancing with Martha Malkiewicz

Free Room
* 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM Classroom Wing
Come and look through the room of donated items and take home any item you could use, for free!

Goatscaping
Let’s Goat Buffalo
* Ecology Center
The term “goatscaping” means grazing goats to manage vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner. Goatscaping greatly reduces the use of toxic herbicides, and because the goat digestive process effectively sterilizes seeds and reproductive plant matter, they are an ideal treatment for invasive plants.
Let’s Goat Buffalo offers grazing services within suburban, urban and rural environments. Whether it’s a small plot that needs to be cleared, a commercial property that has become overgrown and high-risk, or a park that has become less accessible to the public, our herd is prepared to help!

Green Poetry
* 1:00 PM in the Living Room
Bring a nature-inspired poem to share or simply join in to hear poems shared by others and discuss what they mean to you.

Harvesting Compassion: Empowering Change with Sustainable Food Choices
Penelopes Place
* 1:00 PM in the Chapel
In this talk we will explore the profound impact our food choices have on the environment. Discover how compassion and conscious decisions at mealtime can sow the seeds of change, nourishing not only our bodies but also the Earth. We’ll unravel the interconnected web that links our forks to the health of the environment and the welfare of animals. Learn how you can become a catalyst for transformation, one meal at a time.

Kids Fun Zone
* 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM on the Front Lawn
Kids play tent with hula hoops and other outdoor toys. Water and string cheese for the kids. Conveniently located next to the bounce house.

Labyrinth Talk and Experience
* 3:00 PM in the Ecology Center
Learn about labyrinths and their use in walking meditations. Then explore our three labyrinths and experience their meditative qualities yourself!

Outdoor walking meditation labyrinth


Learning The Species Around Us…
* 2:00 PM in the Ecology Center
Learning to identify plant and animal species groups is a key step in Restoration Ecology. In this walk, tour, and design thinking session, we will explore the species in the Waterhouse Ecology Center preserve. We will learn about forest succession, and identify plants and animals as we talk about the land’s future species ecology. Come prepared to walk, hike off trail, and explore (covered shoes and pants advised). If you have a smart phone, look for “Seek” and “iNaturalist apps–Optional. (Led by Eve Louise Tulbert, STEM teacher and curriculum developer)

Nature Mandalas
Earth Foraged Art
* 12:00 Noon at the Activities Tent
Using supplied earth foraged materials, visitors will have an opportunity to create and photograph their own nature mandalas. Through hands-on guidance, participants will be introduced to a five-step process for developing “immersive awareness” that leads to greater visual sensitivity, and the spiritual/healing value of combining creative outer work and contemplative inner work. Take away materials provided.


Not Just A Pretty Face: Medicinal value of Native Plants
CW Native Plant Farm
* 4:00 PM in the Chapel
Native plants, trees and bushes are critical to ecological resiliency and biodiversity. Native plants have an additional value as they have been used medicinally by indigenous populations for centuries. This presentation will discuss medicinal natives and their many uses while also touching upon some important herbs that can be grown in container gardens or sunny borders. Many of these medicinal plants are important food sources for pollinators and critical to the environment

Owl Power, film screening
* 12:00 Noon in the Living Room
For centuries, owls have captured our imaginations. With their haunting calls and charismatic faces, these birds remain popular but mysterious because it’s rare to catch more than a glimpse of one in the wild. Unlike their cousins, the hawks, eagles and falcons, owls are the only bird of prey to hunt effectively at night and they have evolved a range of special abilities that allow them to do so.

Putting Art into Ecology Matters
* 3:00 PM at the Activities Tent
Award winning artist, Elizabeth Leader, will guide us in art activities under the tent.
We can sketch, draw and paint something we discovered in the real life forest.
Art materials will be provided. No previous art experience necessary and all ages are invited.
The aim is to deepen our connection with all the species around us.


Reduce & Reuse Basket Raffle
* 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM Lobby
Extensive basket raffle with over 100 baskets, composed of donated new and like-new items in need of a new home.


Rock Painting
* 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM at the Activities Tent
Create your own painted rocks as part of The Kindness Project. The purpose of The Kindness Project is simple: to cultivate connections within communities and lift others up through simple acts of kindness. Paint a rock with a special message or picture and share it with the world!

Sacred Space
john Snodgrass
* 6:30 PM in the Chapel
Indigenous spiritualities are strongly rooted in specific locations. Rather than battle over a single place called “The Holy Land,” indigenous cultures each consider their own habitat to be the sacred center. And while some religions seek answers to life’s questions in printed scriptures, the tribal search for meaning involves learning to “read” the land and skies. How can we deepen our spiritual connections to the specific land and climate of Western New York?

Self-guided labyrinth walk & meditation
* Ecology Center
Enjoy self-guided walking meditation in our three labyrinths or find a shady spot to sit and commune with nature while settling your mind.

A Squirrel’s Guide to Success, film screening
* 5:30 PM in the Living Room
For centuries, owls have captured our imaginations. With their haunting calls and charismatic faces, these birds remain popular but mysterious because it’s rare to catch more than a glimpse of one in the wild. Unlike their cousins, the hawks, eagles and falcons, owls are the only bird of prey to hunt effectively at night and they have evolved a range of special abilities that allow them to do so.

Stories Near & Far with Lorna Czarnota
* 1:00 PM at the Activities Tent
Enjoy a mix of nature and multicultural stories as told by WNY storyteller, Lorna Czarnota.

Traditional Teachings of the Good Mind
Native American Community Services of Erie & Niagara Counties
* 3:00 PM in the Chapel
This presentation will help people to better understand the traditional Haudenosaunee concept of living with what is referred to as Ganigohiyo or Ganikwi:yo – a Good Mind. It is something that is intended to positively affect our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and behaviors. It is a way of living, a way of being – a daily discipline. It is a personal and collective power for achieving skä·noñh – a state of peace and well-being – in which peace can be defined as balance and harmony within ourselves, with each other, and with all of the natural world.

Vendor Row
* 12:00 Noon to 6:00 PM on the Front Lawn
Visit our vendors to meet businesses and organizations that can help you to live green.

Vox Terra
* 12:00 Noon in the Chapel
My purpose is to expose the hidden agendas that drive climate, environmental denial; as well as anti-peace, pro war policies and attitudes; and to lay out a vision for what a more peaceful, economically stable, and greener economy would look like. My goal is to get people running their political beliefs through a filter of “what is in interest of the long-term survival of our species.”

Wild Meditation
* 1:00 PM and 5:30 PM in the Ecology Center
Join UU Amherst’s “Church of the Wild” meditation group in communing with nature and experiencing meditation in the wild areas of our Ecology Center.