JANUARY ENVIRONMENTAL CALENDAR – PLUS MORE!
Curated by Victoria Guest for the SNEUCC Environmental Ministries Team
Make your New Year’s low-carbon resolution!
GreenFaith invites everyone who lives in global North countries to join in Time for Living the Change, a season to make your New Year’s low-carbon resolution and live it out between the 1st and 31st of January. Individual behavior change alone can’t save the Earth. But aligning our lives with what we believe is central to our faiths, and principled personal commitment is vital to every social movement. During ‘Time for Living the Change,’ you’ll select one behavior change from the areas that make the biggest impact - transport, diet, and home energy use. There are many opportunities for you to choose from, along with inspiring testimonials that are honest, concrete, and spiritually rich. Check out this website.
Greenfaith: Take Action Together in 2022
In addition to its January program, Time for Living the Change, Greenfaith will offer in 2022 a global faith-in-action call regarding deforestation, an interfaith summit on climate finance, and a Sacred Season of Climate Justice. If you’d like to learn more or to help with planning, please visit https://greenfaith.org/take-action-together-in-2022/.
No time to waste…Feb. 2 is right around the corner!
If you are a MA resident and can do only one action in this January, check out mapowerforward.com/legislative-action and contact your state legislators on behalf of critical environmental justice and climate bills. Bills not reported out of committees by the Feb. 2 deadline will die, so acting this month is essential. Find your legislators here. To coordinate your messaging with others, RSVP for the Mass Power Forward Virtual Day of Action, Thurs., Jan. 27, with 9 AM calls to legislators and a noon virtual action. MPF is composed of over 200 Mass. climate and environmental justice groups, including faith groups. Options to prepare yourself for contacting your legislators include:
The Face of God film begins January 6!
“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.” ~ St. John of Damascus
Check out this new film produced by the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration,. Creation Justice Ministries recommends this film about God and nature, faith and climate change, and the experience of Orthodox communities around the world facing and experiencing changes in their lives now. This is a film about beauty, ecology, theology, sanctity, our relationship to the natural world, love, asceticism, and always it is about the radiant living icon of the face of God in creation. The website also includes ample resources and interviews with leaders in the Orthodox community.
Discover the language of trees ~ Tuesday, January 11 at 1 PM
Sign up for On Trees, a conversation between Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees), Jessica J. Lee (Two Trees Make a Forest), and Sumana Roy (How I Became a Tree), three authors whose work embodies the language of trees, hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment and Orion Magazine. More here. If you missed the "Celebrating Old Growth" the first episode of this series, it is well worth viewing.
Climate Revival! Launching a year of climate justice and resilience!
Thursday, January 20 at 7:30-9 PM
Join Creation Justice Ministries virtually to launch a year of “Resilient Creation & Restored Communities: Voting for Climate Justice in 2022!” At this event, we will LEARN what’s at stake for our communities and climate in 2022, COMMIT to a year of engagement for resilience and restoration, and PRAY for a revival of climate justice.
More here.
Tell EPA to cut methane pollution
Interfaith Power and Light urges people of faith to submit comments to the EPA as they develop new rules on methane emissions. Please ask that the strongest possible safeguards be implemented. Language you may use (or edit) is provided. Submit your comments by January 14!
Creation Justice Ministries asks us to submit a comment on the NOAA America the Beautiful Report, which outlines the pathway to 30% by 2030. Comment here. You may use
the language they provide (below) and edit with your own thoughts:
As a person of faith, I am committed to protecting God's Earth as well as the health and well-being of my neighbors. The proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will have a severe negative impact on the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on. NEPA has been very successful in protecting public safety and has been an important tool for frontline environmental justice communities. Shortening the period of environmental analysis for upcoming projects, cutting the length of impact studies, and limiting the discussion of the indirect, direct, and cumulative impacts of a potential project will create environmental damage and imperil public safety. For the sake of people, eco-systems, and all of God's creatures who roam the Earth, I urge you to prevent the proposed rollbacks to NEPA from being implemented.
Wildness & Spirituality for the Common Good
January 15 – February 18
A joint offering of The BTS Center and School of Global Citizenry, this five-week, online course is for everyone who wants to deepen their relationship with the elements of wild nature and to consider how that relationship might sustain and enrich their work in the world. Find more information and register.
Bending Toward Justice 2022
Saturday, January 22 ~ 9 AM – 12 Noon • Zoom (free)
Join the Diocese of Western Mass. for their third annual gathering to pray and discern the work of justice in this place, at this time. Sponsored by the Social Justice Commission of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, this online gathering is open to all who work for justice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care will be leading two breakout groups on creation justice! Other breakout groups will focus on gun safety, refugees, anti-racism, Poor People’s Campaign, and more. Please join us! Keynote: The Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Episcopal priest at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City and Director of Spiritual Formation of Trinity’s Retreat Center. More information.
Preaching Hope in a Climate Emergency: A Lenten Conversation with Jim Antal and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Tuesday, March 15 ~ 10 –11 AM • Zoom (free)
If the world’s average temperature will soon shoot past the 1.5ºC target to ensure climate stability, how do we preach about hope? Geared to the season of Lent, this informal, hour-long conversation will provide a space for reflecting on Gospel hope, keeping in mind the systemic challenge of keeping fossil fuels in the ground and the connections between racial, economic, and environmental justice. We’ll touch upon a few lectionary readings for Lent, and there will be opportunities for questions and discussion. This ecumenical event is open to all preachers.
For more information – including a short list of recommended readings – and to register, access the website. (NOTE: This event replaces the one originally scheduled for January.)
2022 American Climate Leadership Summit
March 28-31 • Zoom
Only 6% of Americans talk about climate change regularly, even though 78% are concerned. We know that climate change is already affecting us, and that every person every day can be part of the solution. Your climate leadership can make a difference. You can help inspire more Americans to climate action. Sign up to participate in the 11th Annual American Climate Leadership Summit (ACLS 2022) which will take place virtually March 28-31, 2022. ACLS 2022 is for climate leaders of all levels. Save the date and register now!
T
hird Act Launches!
If you are over 60 and missed the launch of Third Act, being organized by Bill McKibben and Akaya Winwood, you can view it here and visit their web site. Plans include a faith working group.
Rights of Nature” Enforcement Case in Tribal Court
In case you missed it, a recording of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights webinar, The First Rights of Nature Case Goes to Tribal Court –The Case for Manoomin (Wild Rice), is now available. It is a comprehensive look at the White Earth case to enforce the rights of manoomin (wild rice), Manoomin v. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the first rights of nature enforcement case to be brought in a tribal court, part of a growing movement to bring the rights of nature into law. Learn more.
Check out the Year in Climate News: The Summer that Scared Scientists by Bill McKibben from the New York Times without a paywall in The New Yorker.
Curated by Victoria Guest for the SNEUCC Environmental Ministries Team
Make your New Year’s low-carbon resolution!
GreenFaith invites everyone who lives in global North countries to join in Time for Living the Change, a season to make your New Year’s low-carbon resolution and live it out between the 1st and 31st of January. Individual behavior change alone can’t save the Earth. But aligning our lives with what we believe is central to our faiths, and principled personal commitment is vital to every social movement. During ‘Time for Living the Change,’ you’ll select one behavior change from the areas that make the biggest impact - transport, diet, and home energy use. There are many opportunities for you to choose from, along with inspiring testimonials that are honest, concrete, and spiritually rich. Check out this website.
Greenfaith: Take Action Together in 2022
In addition to its January program, Time for Living the Change, Greenfaith will offer in 2022 a global faith-in-action call regarding deforestation, an interfaith summit on climate finance, and a Sacred Season of Climate Justice. If you’d like to learn more or to help with planning, please visit https://greenfaith.org/take-action-together-in-2022/.
No time to waste…Feb. 2 is right around the corner!
If you are a MA resident and can do only one action in this January, check out mapowerforward.com/legislative-action and contact your state legislators on behalf of critical environmental justice and climate bills. Bills not reported out of committees by the Feb. 2 deadline will die, so acting this month is essential. Find your legislators here. To coordinate your messaging with others, RSVP for the Mass Power Forward Virtual Day of Action, Thurs., Jan. 27, with 9 AM calls to legislators and a noon virtual action. MPF is composed of over 200 Mass. climate and environmental justice groups, including faith groups. Options to prepare yourself for contacting your legislators include:
- Mon., Jan. 10, Mass. Sierra Club Training, 6:30-8:30 bit.ly/3pR2X9s
- First hour: Learn more about the bills
- Second Hour: How to Lobby
- Thurs., Jan. 13, Racial Justice/Climate Justice Training with UU Mass Action and MPF 6:30-7:30 RSVP
- Week of Jan. 17, Lobby Meetings in Key Committee Districts, with Sierra Club and MPF. Save the date and receive regular updates.
- Thurs., Jan. 27, Virtual Day of Action, 9:00 a.m. calls, and noon virtual action RSVP.
The Face of God film begins January 6!
“The whole earth is a living icon of the face of God.” ~ St. John of DamascusCheck out this new film produced by the Orthodox Fellowship of the Transfiguration,. Creation Justice Ministries recommends this film about God and nature, faith and climate change, and the experience of Orthodox communities around the world facing and experiencing changes in their lives now. This is a film about beauty, ecology, theology, sanctity, our relationship to the natural world, love, asceticism, and always it is about the radiant living icon of the face of God in creation. The website also includes ample resources and interviews with leaders in the Orthodox community.
Discover the language of trees ~ Tuesday, January 11 at 1 PM
Sign up for On Trees, a conversation between Peter Wohlleben (The Hidden Life of Trees), Jessica J. Lee (Two Trees Make a Forest), and Sumana Roy (How I Became a Tree), three authors whose work embodies the language of trees, hosted by The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment and Orion Magazine. More here. If you missed the "Celebrating Old Growth" the first episode of this series, it is well worth viewing.
Climate Revival! Launching a year of climate justice and resilience!
Thursday, January 20 at 7:30-9 PMJoin Creation Justice Ministries virtually to launch a year of “Resilient Creation & Restored Communities: Voting for Climate Justice in 2022!” At this event, we will LEARN what’s at stake for our communities and climate in 2022, COMMIT to a year of engagement for resilience and restoration, and PRAY for a revival of climate justice.
More here.
Tell EPA to cut methane pollution
Interfaith Power and Light urges people of faith to submit comments to the EPA as they develop new rules on methane emissions. Please ask that the strongest possible safeguards be implemented. Language you may use (or edit) is provided. Submit your comments by January 14! Creation Justice Ministries asks us to submit a comment on the NOAA America the Beautiful Report, which outlines the pathway to 30% by 2030. Comment here. You may use
the language they provide (below) and edit with your own thoughts:As a person of faith, I am committed to protecting God's Earth as well as the health and well-being of my neighbors. The proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will have a severe negative impact on the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on. NEPA has been very successful in protecting public safety and has been an important tool for frontline environmental justice communities. Shortening the period of environmental analysis for upcoming projects, cutting the length of impact studies, and limiting the discussion of the indirect, direct, and cumulative impacts of a potential project will create environmental damage and imperil public safety. For the sake of people, eco-systems, and all of God's creatures who roam the Earth, I urge you to prevent the proposed rollbacks to NEPA from being implemented.
Wildness & Spirituality for the Common Good
January 15 – February 18A joint offering of The BTS Center and School of Global Citizenry, this five-week, online course is for everyone who wants to deepen their relationship with the elements of wild nature and to consider how that relationship might sustain and enrich their work in the world. Find more information and register.
Bending Toward Justice 2022
Saturday, January 22 ~ 9 AM – 12 Noon • Zoom (free)
Join the Diocese of Western Mass. for their third annual gathering to pray and discern the work of justice in this place, at this time. Sponsored by the Social Justice Commission of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts, this online gathering is open to all who work for justice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Missioner for Creation Care will be leading two breakout groups on creation justice! Other breakout groups will focus on gun safety, refugees, anti-racism, Poor People’s Campaign, and more. Please join us! Keynote: The Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones, Episcopal priest at Trinity Church Wall Street in New York City and Director of Spiritual Formation of Trinity’s Retreat Center. More information.
Preaching Hope in a Climate Emergency: A Lenten Conversation with Jim Antal and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
Tuesday, March 15 ~ 10 –11 AM • Zoom (free)If the world’s average temperature will soon shoot past the 1.5ºC target to ensure climate stability, how do we preach about hope? Geared to the season of Lent, this informal, hour-long conversation will provide a space for reflecting on Gospel hope, keeping in mind the systemic challenge of keeping fossil fuels in the ground and the connections between racial, economic, and environmental justice. We’ll touch upon a few lectionary readings for Lent, and there will be opportunities for questions and discussion. This ecumenical event is open to all preachers.
For more information – including a short list of recommended readings – and to register, access the website. (NOTE: This event replaces the one originally scheduled for January.)
2022 American Climate Leadership Summit
March 28-31 • Zoom
Only 6% of Americans talk about climate change regularly, even though 78% are concerned. We know that climate change is already affecting us, and that every person every day can be part of the solution. Your climate leadership can make a difference. You can help inspire more Americans to climate action. Sign up to participate in the 11th Annual American Climate Leadership Summit (ACLS 2022) which will take place virtually March 28-31, 2022. ACLS 2022 is for climate leaders of all levels. Save the date and register now!
T
hird Act Launches!If you are over 60 and missed the launch of Third Act, being organized by Bill McKibben and Akaya Winwood, you can view it here and visit their web site. Plans include a faith working group.
Rights of Nature” Enforcement Case in Tribal Court
In case you missed it, a recording of the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights webinar, The First Rights of Nature Case Goes to Tribal Court –The Case for Manoomin (Wild Rice), is now available. It is a comprehensive look at the White Earth case to enforce the rights of manoomin (wild rice), Manoomin v. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the first rights of nature enforcement case to be brought in a tribal court, part of a growing movement to bring the rights of nature into law. Learn more.
Check out the Year in Climate News: The Summer that Scared Scientists by Bill McKibben from the New York Times without a paywall in The New Yorker.Author
Vicky A. Guest
The Rev. Victoria Alford Guest is co-chair of the SNEUCC Environmental Ministries Team and former pastor of the First Congregational Church in Natick, MA.