Good news is a powerful motivator for action, & there‘s lots of good news about climate mitigation, adaptation/resilience, and justice. Here’s a sample…
To help assess the engagement of UUFC members and friends in faith-based climate action and to encourage such action, please anonymously share the number of the actions below you take this week using this google form. Optionally, you may anonymously also share other recent climate action.
ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil drilling project in the western Arctic will add hundreds of millions of metric tons of carbon pollution to our atmosphere. These jaw-dropping emissions are virtually guaranteed to accelerate the climate crisis, resulting in more harm to communities already in distress from unnatural floods, droughts, wildfires, and storms. And it’d be a disaster for Arctic wildlife like polar bears, caribou, and migratory birds. Construction work in the Arctic has stopped because ice roads melt during the spring and summer. No roads mean no heavy machinery. This is our chance to overwhelm ConocoPhillips with letters of opposition they can’t ignore.Demand ConocoPhillips Stop Arctic Drilling.
At a hearing on an emergency motion filed by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on May 18, Western District Court Judge William Conley stated that it was only a matter of time before the 70-year-old Enbridge Line 5 crude oil pipeline that runs across the Bad River Band’s territory would be shut down. (Judge declares Line 5 pipeline will be shut down:”It’s just a question of when”). The Bad River is eroding fast, which will expose the pipeline. Stand with the Bad River Band and join us in making calls for an immediate shutdown! Call the Pipeline Hazardous Materials and Safety Line National Response Hotline 800-424-8802
Critics have often labeled online petitions as another form of “slacktivism,” pointing to their low-risk nature that doesn’t commit its signers to any further action other than the click of a button. But it’s exactly that ease andaccessibility which makepetitions powerful tools, Clark-Parsons says. “Both research and anecdotal evidence tell us that most people will not take part in activism that requires great risk or high levels of commitment,” Clark-Parsons said. “What critics refer to as ‘slacktivism’ can actually create an alternative outlet for those who would typically not get involved in any movement at all.” With the help of petitions, organizers and movement leaders can visualize who their supporters are and who are “the people who agree with their mission but aren’t willing to take major actions to support it just yet,” she says.
Towards Net Zero: Monitor your use of fossil fuels and resulting carbon emissions. <Info>, <Sign up>
To help assess the engagement of UUFC members and friends in faith-based climate action and to encourage such action, please anonymously share the number of the actions below you take this week. Optionally, you may anonymously also share other recent climate action. <Share>
Act For A Climate-Smart Farm Bill. This year, as faith-based actors, we have an essential role in showcasing that faith advocates see a moral imperative for a proposal that shifts to a greener, more sustainable, regenerative approach. Please take action: Review our Handout, send a message using our <online letter platform>, and distribute an Action Poster.
Join us in calling on Toyota to stop lobbying against climate change provisions and join other automakers in pledging to deliver 100% electric vehicles by 2035! . Toyota ranked among the “world’s most obstructive companies on climate policy” of 2022, with oil giants like Exxon Mobil and Chevron. <Toyota: It’s time to answer the call.>
With the House of Representatives passing HR1 (the “Polluters over People Act”), the bill now moves to the Senate. Although top Senate Democrats and the White House have signaled they’re against the full bill, they may still want to pass a core element of the bill in an effort to fast-track fossil fuel development and extraction. This would roll back foundational environmental laws and regulations that safeguard Native communities. Together, we must demonstrate massive public opposition to HR1 and any actions meant to remove Native voices from critical policy decisions, <Sign & Send>
Critics have often labeled online petitions as another form of “slacktivism,” pointing to their low-risk nature that doesn’t commit its signers to any further action other than the click of a button. But it’s exactly that ease andaccessibility which makepetitions powerful tools, Clark-Parsons says. “Both research and anecdotal evidence tell us that most people will not take part in activism that requires great risk or high levels of commitment,” Clark-Parsons said. “What critics refer to as ‘slacktivism’ can actually create an alternative outlet for those who would typically not get involved in any movement at all.” With the help of petitions, organizers and movement leaders can visualize who their supporters are and who are “the people who agree with their mission but aren’t willing to take major actions to support it just yet,” she says.
Learn about the latest in building materials and equipment as well as improved construction methods. A wide variety of vendors will be showing exciting new products. Watch a fun cooking demonstration on an induction stove, tour the Better Building Coach that features energy-saving mechanical systems. Be sure to check out the Renter’s Corner, featuring many moveable items geared to make your life better. <Press Release> <Flyer>
Sun 16 Apr:
Earth Month service @ UUFC. Building relationships through care for our Earth
As people of faith and conscience, we are called to promote the dignity and worth of all people. The Farm Bill — an enormous multibillion-dollar agriculture and nutrition bill passed every five years, presents a unique opportunity to create solutions that better protect our planet, and support farmers as they grow and harvest healthy food for all. For too long, powerful corporations have influenced what farmers grow, often pushing farms towards conventional agricultural practices that contribute to harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Through the Farm Bill, Congress can champion a transition to support farmers towards more sustainable practices that help mitigate climate change, instead of contributing to it. It is imperative we shift our agricultural policies to better support farmers in creating a more sustainable and just future for all of our neighbors. <Register>
Each month, the Fellowship’s Social Concerns team selects a nonprofit organization to support. Then, Sunday offerings for the month support that organization.
Thanks for your Sunday contributions that help our larger community!
Here are some thank you letters we have received from nonprofit organizations we have supported through our monthly Social Concerns.
Faith, Hope, and Politics – an historical overview of how the U.S. got to where we are today, what our national and local potential futures are, and what we can do – individually and collectively – to make a difference, now. There is no more urgent time than now to understand the churning forces we are experiencing. The speaker, Dr. Ruth Miller, www.ruthlmillerphd.com, serves as a minister to UU and Unity congregations on the Oregon coast. She has written over 25 books and is committed to helping us see our way through this current political dilemma. Presented at UUFC on Oct 23, 2022.
Group Dynamics: Responding Skillfully When Hard Stuff Happens
February 2022
In these times of necessary distancing, strong emotions lie unexpectedly closer to the surface, and many of us have become more vulnerable in community than is comfortable. Even in the best of times, upset and hurt can be caused despite our best intentions, even when we are in agreement. Meaningful dialogue when true differences or disagreements are present often can be difficult, and in these times has become particularly fraught. It’s become easier and less painful to simply withdraw than to stay engaged, hoping that things will somehow magically change.
And yet. Religious community is where we practice the art of belonging, helping each other to grow and deepen our spiritual lives, understanding that all thriving must be mutual. In that spirit, UUFC is offering this practical, skills-based training, which focuses on helping to increase our collective ability to compassionately navigate disagreement and strong emotions. We’ll consider “group dynamics,” especially ways to respond skillfully and with care when emotions start to run high and hard stuff begins to happen. These situations are always possible — perhaps even more so now as everything we do carries more worry for the world and adds to our personal burdens.
Come, let us learn more about how to thrive, together.
If you missed this workshop, you can watch the RECORDING here.
Some of our neighbors and some members of our UUFC community have asked about the Black Lives Matter banner that hangs outside on our building. What does support for Black Lives Matter mean for a faith with “Universalist” in our very name?
“To proclaim that Black Lives Matter is not to say that other lives do not. In this church we celebrate the inherent value of every life. Each life matters, but not all lives are equally at risk. Black Lives Matter is an attempt to spotlight and interrupt the persistent patterns of institutional racism which always leave persons of color on the margins, more vulnerable, with less protection. Black Lives Matter insists that the Beloved Community will not be achieved while these differences persist. Black Lives Matter calls us to solidarity in the service of justice. Black Lives Matter is an affirmation that we have not…yet…given up on the American Dream.”
-Rev. Bill Sinkford
Rev. Jill McAllister’s response to controversy with the UU Minister’s Association.
A daily blog by Nicole Cardoza where you can sign up to receive a daily email on a variety of topics aimed at addressing systemic and interpersonal practices that uphold white supremacy and systems of oppression; resources to support your education; and action you can take to practice anti-racism.
Black Lives Matter initiative working for policy change to address police killings, excessive force, profiling and racial discrimination, and other problems in law enforcement.
A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. UUA Common Read 2015-2016.
An NPR podcast “hosted by journalists of color, [which] tackles the subject of race head-on. We explore how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between.”
The racial profiling, police brutality, voting restrictions, and mass imprisonment of African Americans and other people of color in the United States (dubbed the “New Jim Crow” by civil rights advocate and scholar Dr. Michelle Alexander) is a moral outrage. “As Unitarian Universalists (UUs), our dedication to global justice, equity, and dignity leads us to join hands across lines of race, class, age, and geography and work for an end to the injustices faced by black people in our communities, so that every person is treated equally under the law and has a fair chance at life.” UUA on Black Lives Matter
