Faith-based climate action 7/1/23

Weekly Serving of Good News, July 1

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…

Sat 1 Jul

Tribes sign historic agreements for hunting, fishing rights in Oregon

Oregon lawmakers make a play for more federal climate money

PVC is Toxic and Hard to Recycle, OSU Researches May be Able to Fix That

Biden administration raises record $105 million in Nevada solar energy auction

Climate Change Made the Texas Heat Wave More Intense. Renewables Softened the Blow

South America’s largest floating solar farm is now paired with hydropower

China’s solar is now at twice the capacity of its coal power

Virtual Power Plants Are Coming to Save the Grid, Sooner Than You Might Think

Offshore Wind Industry Readies Self For Seaweed Revolution

Company makes major breakthrough in solving one of the biggest issues with EVs

Amazon deforestation has begun to slow since Lula took over in Brazil

Supercharged geothermal energy could power the planet

New Pivot Bio Report Shows Promise of Biofertilizer

New study reveals key to sustainable, eco-friendly, next-generation polymers

Save the Date!

Mon 3 Jul, 6:30 – 7:30 PM, In person UUFC social hall, or Zoom

Climate Connect Up: The Climate Action Team invites members and friends to join in viewing and discussing the 15 min solutions-oriented video from Project Drawdown Making it Happen. The discussion will focus on what we can do locally. * We recommend in-person participation. We do our best with Zoom, but …. Climate Connect Up Video Discussion Zoom Link

Questions: michael.a.hughes1951@gmail.com

Thu 27 July 7:00 – 8:00 PM

The Climate Action Team invites members and friends to share and discuss actions we are taking to reduce our personal carbon emissions and to influence local, state, and nation policy and legislation. Questions: michael.a.hughes1951@gmail.com Climate Action Team Zoom

Mon 7 Aug, 6:30 – 7:30 PM, In person, UUFC social hall, or Zoom*

Climate Connect Up: The Climate Action Team invites members and friends to participate in a Home Retrofit Clinic, presented by Nancy Everson, that will focus on the benefits, logistics, and incentives available for switching from fossil (aka natural) gas to electricity for heating, cooling, cooking, and water heating. * We recommend in-person participation. We do our best with Zoom, but ….Questions: michael.a.hughes1951@gmail.com

Climate Connect UP Home Retrofit Clinic Zoom

Climate Action Opportunities

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.

Sat 1 July

Environment Oregon

Tell Procter & Gamble: Switch to forest-free products to help save the boreal forest. The North American boreal is our planet’s largest intact forest. Logging is steadily flushing these trees down the toilet. Destroying this bountiful forest is a disaster. P&G should move away from virgin wood fibers and incorporate more recycled and forest-free fibers in its home paper products, including Charmin toilet paper, Puffs tissues and Bounty paper towels. Urge P&G to commit to protect the boreal and reduce the amount of virgin wood fibers in your tissue products by 50% or more by 2025.

Native Organizers Alliance

As climate change accelerates, it costs more money to make sure wildlife populations thrive. The strain on Tribal communities responsible for managing a significant amount of America’s prime wildlife habitat is especially tough, because Tribes cannot access one of the biggest pools of money to pay for the work. The bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) would change that. RAWA would, for the first time ever, give Tribes annual federal funding for wildlife research and conservation. It’s a big deal and with 8 Republicans already co-sponsoring, we have a real shot of overcoming a Senate filibuster to get the 60 votes needed to pass it. Tell your Senators to co-sponsor and pass RAWA

Native Organizers Alliance

Indigenous communities in Alaska are fighting back against a massive open-pit gold mine, which would threaten the way of life and crucial food sources for tribes in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. In this remote region of Alaska predominantly Indigenous Yupik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan communities depend completely on traditional and customary uses of the lands, waters, and fish and wildlife resources. Despite widespread community and Tribal opposition and the Alaska Department of Health identifying severe health concerns, the federal government rubber stamped federal permits for the project. We cannot weaken environmental review processes and sacrifice our communities for corporate profits. Instead, we need more Native input — and free, prior, and informed consent — in crucial policy decisions that affect our lands and waters. And we’ve got to hold President Biden accountable to his promises for Nation-to-Nation government consultation with tribes. Send a message to the White House: Revoke a Trump-era permit for the Donlin Gold Mine and begin a thorough, Tribal-led environmental review process for the project. START WRITING

Climate Solution Happenings

When people join together to collectively advocate for climate solutions, they become part of powerful forces that can bring about society-wide changes. For example, the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL), a nonprofit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy climate change organization, empowers everyday people to work together to build support in Congress for national bipartisan solutions to climate change.

By focusing on shared values rather than partisan divides, Citizens’ Climate Lobby builds relationships with community leaders and with federal elected officials and with Congress, always starting from a place of respect, gratitude, and appreciation. Citizens’ Climate Lobby believes that relationships based on mutual respect and understanding are what bring lasting climate change solutions. CCL provides training, tools, and support for volunteers to build such relationships and to promote climate solutions that have appeal across the political spectrum.

Shared by Deborah Clark

Member UUFC Climate Action and Corvallis chapter Citizens’ Climate Lobby