Climate Justice Month

From World Water Day (March 22) through Earth Day (April 22) -- plus a bonus week of action! -- Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith and conscience are taking collective action for climate justice:

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Climate justice is a global fight to dismantle the paradigm that disadvantages marginalized people and approaches Earth as supply source and sewer rather than a system of interdependent life -- a single, beloved community. Climate justice pays deep attention to those most affected by climate change to find transformative solutions grounded in profound connections with Earth and each other.

Climate Justice Month 2015 focused on spiritual grounding and making commitments. Climate Justice Month 2016 centered water justice, honoring International climate commitments, reclaiming our democracy, and personal reflection through poetry.

Today, we begin to shift the way we understand and approach the world. The program for Climate Justice Month 2017 is inspired by Joanna Macy'sSpiral of the Work That Reconnects -

"The activist's inner journey appears to me like a spiral, interconnecting four successive stages or movements that feed into each other." -- Joanna Macy

The Spiral of the Work that Reconnects is a spiritual practice that can help individuals or communities to find deeper levels of authenticity and actualization.

Climate Justice Month 2017:

Week 1: Opening to Gratitude

Week 2: Honoring Our Pain for the World

Week 3 & 4: Seeing With New Eyes

Week 5 & 6: Going Forth

CHECK OUT THE FULL CLIMATE JUSTICE MONTH TOOL-KIT!

Week 1: Opening to Gratitude - March 22 - 28th

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Spiritually grounding and opening to gratitude is a powerful way to sustain and nourish your spirit, your community, and your work. We begin Climate Justice Month by opening to gratitude.

Commit2Respond: This World Water Day, the US Department of Interior (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management - BOEM) sold hundreds of thousands of mineral acres to fossil fuel corporations for deep sea fossil fuel extraction in the Gulf of Mexico in a lease auction (a regular, bi-annual event). CONTACT Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke and BOEM on Twitter or leave a contact your congressional representatives to say, “We need to re-think the way we are wholesaling our Gulf of Mexico waters to fossil fuel corporations.”

Important Dates

Spring Equinox: March 20

Spring seemed to arrive six weeks early for some of us this year (February 2017 was the second-warmest February in 137 years of modern record-keeping), which is all the more reason to celebrate and witness theSpring Equinox. This Equinox -- the first day of Spring in the Northern hemisphere and first day of Autumn in the Southern hemisphere -- is a sacred time in many faith traditions. Let us welcome the changing of seasons with gratitude.

World Water Day: March 22

Mni Wiconi - “Water is Life” - is a message that has shaken the consciousness of the world, and centered the prayers and actions of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock. Water is a sacred source of life. The UU Young Adults for Climate Justice will host a virtual worship (by web and phone), at 8:30pm Eastern / 5:30 Pacific, to celebrate World Water Day (RSVP HERE) as part of their 100 Worships for Climate Justice campaign. All are invited to attend, or to practice gratitude for water in your personal spiritual practice on March 22nd and for the duration of Climate Justice Month.

Preparing for the March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice: March 23 Webinar

7:30pm Eastern / 4:30 Pacific

RSVP HERE to attend or receive the recording.

 

In Washington D.C. and sister cities around North America, people will be marching and meeting on April 29th for a People’s Climate Movement March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice --- bringing together people of many diverse sectors and struggles. Join a webinar on March 23rd, at 7:30pm Eastern / 4:30 Pacific, with Rev. Karen Brammer (Manager of the UUA Green Sanctuary Program) and Aly Tharp (Programs Coordinator of UU Ministry for Earth & UU Young Adults for Climate Justice) to learn more about how you can participate in the People’s Climate Movement - March for Climate, Jobs, and Justice on April 29th, alongside Commit2Respond and a large number of activists of faith.

 

Readings & Resources

 

Education, Culture, and Worship:

Resources on Coming from Gratitude from Joanna Macy

The Radical Gratitude Project by Barbara Ford, Unitarian Universalist

Five Fold Path of Gratitude meditation by Dennis Rivers

Water Justice Trinity Institute 2017 Reading List

Water Communion Ritual for Justice-Making

Water Justice Ritual

Children’s Water Communion

Water Flows” by Thich Nhat Hahn

The 72 Names of God: Technology for the Soul, Yehuda Berg, p. 170-171, 2004, Kabbalah Centre International

 

People’s Climate Movement Preparation:

RSVP to go to the March on the Commit2Respond Website

Young Adult Program: GROW Climate Justice - Washington D.C. 4/27-30th

People's Climate Movement Organizing Toolkit

People’s Climate Movement Website


Climate_Justice_Month_Square_Graphic_8.png  Change  your Social Media profiles for Climate Justice Month! Check out our full selection  of images in our Climate Justice Month Google Photo Folder!

Designs created by Abigail Clauhs, a Unitarian Universalist young adult and seminarian.

CHECK OUT THE FULL CLIMATE JUSTICE MONTH TOOL-KIT!


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  • commented 2016-03-01 18:09:58 -0500
    Glad to see UU’s move forward to address climate change, the most important justice issue of our time—or one might argue, any time. We’re way past changing our light bulbs—it’s time for direct action, including civil disobedience.