Good morning friends — I’m reading a collection of poems titled “How To Love The World” (James Crews). The title itself has become my daily practice for now. It is one of the essential religious questions, at the edge of learning and growth. It seems that the more we know, or think we know, the harder it is to love the world. The “facts” are not very encouraging.
Buddhist teachings have addressed this question for centuries. They teach that what we call the ego – a major part of how we interact with and interpret the world – is biased according to its own needs. The ego in each of us interprets information to satisfy its limited needs and ignores everything else. This “ignorance” is the source of our suffering, they say, and suffering makes it hard to love the world. It takes a courageous outlook to “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by ignorance.”
I’m learning that daily practice is simply a way to try to love the world, every day, over and over again. It is a way to step aside from the ego, a little bit (though whether or not we are ever successful at that I do not know), and let ourselves be present to what is true and real in the moment, starting with breath, air, light, sky, earth, living and dying. Most days, I don’t have a good answer for how to love the world, but almost every day I am convinced that it is worth trying, worth the effort. And I’m pretty sure it can only be done by loving one thing at a time – one thing, and then another, and then perhaps another. Here in this small part of earth, where clouds move over the hills and the air is cool, I begin again by sending love to you all — Jill
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…
Mon 6-19, 4-7 PM, at Linn-Benton Community College. A Celebration featuring Black owned business expo, community tabling, guest speakers, vaccination clinic and more.
Thursday 6-22, 4 PM,“Climate Change: Past, Present and Our Ability to Impact the Future ” Climate scientists Dr. Rachel Licker and Dr. Mark Potosnak will share data and indicators of climate change, the impact of efforts to date, and future actions we can take to continue to address climate change.
Monday, 6-26, 6:30- 7:30 PM, Markus Kleber, a soil scientist at Oregon State University, to discuss Carbon Offset at the Neighborhood Scale.
Climate Action Team 5th-Thu Zoom
Thursday 6-29, 7-8 PM, Members and friends are invited to an informal follow up to April Earth Day Climate Service, which focused on developing relationships through care for Earth.
Climate Action Team Business Meeting
Thursday 6-22, 7:00 – 8:15 PM All members and friends interested in helping UUFC put into practice our declared (as per the printed order of service) dedication to climate action and climate justice are invited and encouraged to participate.
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 using this google form. Optionally, you may anonymously also share other recent climate action.
Ask Congress to Put a Price on Carbon in 2023. A carbon fee and dividend will drive energy innovation, giving every American community access to abundant, affordable clean energy at a predictable price.. With a price on carbon, polluters pay. People get a carbon cashback. It will:
help low and middle income people afford higher prices
keep Americans healthier and living longer by reducing air pollution
help reduce America’s carbon pollution 50% by 2030—putting us on track to reach net zero by 2050
Mercury is dangerous — it can do serious damage to a child’s developing brain. Yet we still allow it to pour from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants, where it then settles into nearby rivers and lakes. No more!. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering stronger limits on mercury pollution from power plants for the first time in a decade — and we must seize this opportunity to make sure they’re enacted. Tell the EPA: Enact strong limits on mercury pollution from power plants.
Greetings from New York, where the sky is orange and the air quality index hit a staggering 484 on Wednesday afternoon – nearly 200 points higher than what is considered hazardous for all living beings. The immediate cause of this crisis is wildfires in Canada, the real cause is the climate crisis. Citi Bank continues to pour money into the fossil fuel industry, fueling this crisis. They try to greenwash their actions, saying they care about climate change, but actions – and dollars – speak louder than words, and Citi is responsible for more than $330 billion in funding to fossil fuel companies in the last seven years. Please write to Citi’s leadership calling them out for their complicity in the climate crisis. Their CEO is Jane Fraser (jane.fraser@citi.com), their CFO is Mark Mason (masonm@citigroup.com), and board chair John Dugan (john.dugan@citi.com).
When insurance companies such as The Hartford insure new fossil fuel projects, they contribute to more extreme weather and climate disasters in our future, which in turn will require bigger insurance payouts. That makes no sense — but together, we have a chance to convince The Hartford to better protect both consumers and the climate by no longer underwriting fossil fuel projects. Tell The Hartford: Stop insuring climate risks.
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.
Climate Solution Happenings
Together we make a difference.
— Citizens’ Climate Lobby
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
What: Discussion with Dr. Markus Kleber on Carbon Offset at the Neighborhood Scale
When: Monday, June 26th at 6:30 PM
Where: In person in Room 7 at the Fellowship or by Zoom
Guest Speaker Dr. Markus Kleber
The Climate Action Team invites UUFC members & friends to meet with Markus Kleber, a soil scientist at Oregon State University, to discuss Carbon Offset at the Neighborhood Scale.
As the UUFC plans for cutting down some of the 60+ year old cedar trees along our eastern property line, the issues of sequestered carbon loss and possible onsite alternatives to carbon offset have been raised.
Dr. Markus Kleber, an OSU Crop and Soil Science Professor of Soil Science, has agreed to meet with those interested in this topic at 6:30 pm on Monday June 26 in room 7 at the Fellowship. Part of his OSU research effort is on organic matter turnover dynamics. Dr. Kleber will give us an approximately 30-minute overview on the current science of CO2 emissions and sequestration at various landscape levels and talk with us about possibilities on UUFC grounds. Are there are any options that really make sense?
Sunday June 11, 11:45 am, after the service. Meet in the back of the sanctuary.
Practice speaking out for LGBTQ+ people as and Ally. This workshop will be led by Lily Hislop as part of our Pride Month offerings.
We know that religious spaces haven’t always been welcoming places for all people, especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. The Unitarian Universalist Association has a history of standing up for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. Being welcoming means striving for radical inclusion, and creating spaces that honor every part of our identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Join us as we continue the work of being allies!
Probiotic Potluck: Eric Karbowski will demonstrate how to make a probiotic sandwich. Participants will then make their own sandwiches. As participants eat in fellowship, Eric will host a discussion of food as medicine, microbiomes, & using gardens to store carbon emissions while growing probiotics. RSVP to receive your assigned potluck ingredient. Participants should bring their own cutting boards and knives.
This event is organized by the Faith Based Climate Action Team. More info about this team here.
Star Trek and UU The UU Seven Principals align well with the values of the imagined future of the Star Trek Universe. Star Trek has a long tradition of producing shows that address challenging topics of our contemporary life using the guise of science fiction and alien civilizations to tell allegorical stories. The shows are not just entertaining (though they totally are); some of them dig into some really difficult issues that are worth sharing with others and starting some conversations around. We shared a curated list of relevant episodes from multiple Star Trek series’ dealing with racism, war, the nature of individuality and ones inherent rights, gender identity, the environment, homelessness and genocide. Each episode was briefly introduced, then watched, followed by some great discussion. We also had snacks. We met for 10 sessions on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month from February through June. At our first session two people came. At our last 16 people came. Over 20 people participated at least once. The ages of the participants ranged from mid 20’s to mid 70’s. We hope to resume this Connect Up activity in October 2023. Anyone can attend, you do not need to have prior knowledge of Star Trek or be a Trekkie to participate in this activity. Star Trek and UU was organized by Amy Ayers with the help of Tyson Bryant.
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…
