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The Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) was signed by Governor Kate Brown two years ago by executive order EO 20-04. Brad Reed, Campaign Manager for Renew Oregon says, "OCAP mobilized a broad array of state agencies to respond to the climate crisis and make a transition to a clean energy economy in multiple sectors including transportation, public health, clean energy & buildings, natural & working lands, and to hold the state’s largest climate polluters accountable." Highlights of the Plan include: 🏭 The Climate Protection Program took effect on January 1, 2022. 🚛 Two major Clean Trucks rules passed. 🌡️ Worker protection from extreme heat & wildfire smoke rules are nearly finished. 🌲 First time in state history, we have a concrete goal for Oregon's forests, wetlands, and agricultural lands to capture and store millions of tons of greenhouse gases. 🔥 The "Future of Methane Gas" is under discussion.. "One thing I know is these kinds of things get better when people show up to demand change.". With great regard for Governor Brown’s leadership and the hard work from directors and staff at the state agencies, I can’t think of a single one of OCAP’s many highlights that hasn’t gotten better because people like you showed up to write an email, make a public comment, testify in front of a commission, or share your story with decision makers." #ORClimateAction

Empathy and respect. That is what will result in better conversations between conservatives and liberals according to 2015 research by Robb Willer, sociologist at Stanford University and Matthew Feinberg, Assistant Professor of organizational behavior at the University of Toronto, co-authors of How to Make Effective Political Arguments. “Research suggests such moral rhetoric is largely ineffective for persuading those who do not already hold one’s position because advocates advancing these arguments fail to account for the divergent moral commitments that undergird America’s political divisions.” Willer cited a 2007 study by Jesse Graham, Jonathan Haidt, and Brian A. Nosek: Liberals and Conservatives Rely on Different Sets of Moral Foundations. They found that liberals consistently showed greater endorsement and use of the Harm/care and Fairness/reciprocity foundations compared to Ingroup/loyalty, Authority/respect and Purity/sanctity foundations, whereas conservatives endorsed and used the 5 foundations more equally. Put another way, liberals should appeal to values of moral purity, patriotism, respect for authority and loyalty in trying to persuade conservatives, while appealing to the values of fairness, preserving the environment and doing no harm are more likely to persuade liberals. Daniel Schultz writes about How Liberals Should (and Should Not) Talk about Values: “Start with a story. Drop the labels, the identities, the principles, and tell a story. As it unfolds, let the values come through…People will listen to a concrete story and absorb its message much more quickly than an abstract argument. The goal is to find powerful stories that prompt people to understand the world in a different way. It’s really hard to do.” “Morality contributes to political polarization because moral convictions lead individuals to take absolutist stances and refuse to compromise.” But moral reframing (being more careful about how we communicate) can lead to greater cooperation and collaboration. After all, we are all in this together. #conservatives #communication #liberals #moralvalues #Respect #storytelling #politicalpolarization #Empathy

On November 17, 2022 the Creation Justice Church program of the United Church of Christ (UCC) had a one-hour YouTube webinar on Becoming a Creation Justice Church. Click here to watch the webinar. "As Christians, this is our first calling in the Bible. It is also a calling that has been integral to the DNA of the UCC as a denomination and the historic role played by the UCC’s Commission for Racial Justice in launching the environmental justice movement. In the face of the climate crisis," ~ UCC Creation Justice Church program As the UCC’s Minister for Environmental Justice, the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt introduced the program and hosted four church leaders who have helped lead their church into becoming Creation Justice Churches: Barbara Smith-Bacon from First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sarasota, Florida Rev. Robert Grabill from the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College Rev. Nancy Leckerling from First Congregational Church in Guilford, Connecticut As a member of the SNEUCC Environmental Ministry Team, Rev. Leckerling was instrumental in expanding the Conference's "Green Congregations" program for UCC churches, and IREJN’s "Green Houses of Worship," a four-tiered recognition program for environmental ministry. Claire Stiles from Lakewood United Church of Christ, St. Petersburg, Florida Rev. Berndt spoke about the four elements of discernment: 1. theology and worship; 2. institutional life and practice; 3. circles of awareness and advocacy; and 4. connecting to a broader movement. He offered a strategy addressing these elements in each quarter of the year. This webinar is part of a special series of Thursdays for the Soul webinars focused on twelve Just World Covenant programs in the United Church of Christ. One of these programs will be featured on the third Thursday of each month. "The Creation Justice Church program has provided a path of active hope for a growing number of congregations." ~ UCC Creation Justice Church program

COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, scheduled to end Friday, November 18, 2022, lingered as nations clash. As NPR puts it, "The main sticking point in negotiations centers on the issue of loss and damage – the question of what developed countries, which contributed the most to climate change, owe to smaller, developing countries, which are suffering its effects now." Before coming ill with COVID, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry noted on November 17th: "Seventeen of the 20 countries in the world most affected by climate change are in Africa. Collectively, they've contributed roughly 0.55% of all emissions warming the world." Vulnerable countries have very little power to affect what rich countries do, shy of walking out on negotiations. Finally on November 20, 2022, the UNCC issued the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan. which: "Recognizes that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires rapid, deep and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43 per cent by 2030 relative to the 2019 level. Also recognizes that this requires accelerated action in this critical decade, on the basis of equity and the best available scientific knowledge, reflecting common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty..." "Reiterates Articles 2, 4, and 9 of the Paris Agreement and highlights that about USD 4 trillion per year needs to be invested in renewable energy up until 2030 to be able to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and that, furthermore, a global transformation to a low-carbon economy is expected to require an investment of at least USD 4–6 trillion per year..." "Let’s be clear. Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this COP did not address." ~ UN Secretary General The Guardian reports: China and US renew commitment to tackling climate crisis but differences remain. Xie Zhenhua said he’d had ‘very constructive discussions’ with John Kerry at Cop27 but there’s no change on finance issues "Overall progress to address global warming and pay for its effects is looking grim. Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half this decade to avoid runaway sea level rise, deadly heat waves, mass extinction of animals and plants and a variety of weather disasters. Right now, countries have collectively promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by only about 3% by 2030. ~ NPR Professor Jem Bendell's blog post of November 18, 2022- Capitalism Versus Climate Justice – thoughts on my first and last experience of climate COP said we have "a capitalism and consumer culture problem... we are beginning to see a global ‘disaster capitalism’ where businesses are seeking subsidies from the state for their various schemes... the failure of humanity to bend the emissions curve over the last 30 years is because of the dominant expansionist logic of global capitalism that it is so widely ignored." Colombian President Gustavo Petro gave a speech at COP27 where he made it very clear we can’t tackle climate separately from "the exploitative and extractive global systems that serve the rich." COP27 was the first time Professor Bendell mentioned ‘Deep Adaptation’ (seeking to reduce harm and save more of the natural world while/despite anticipating the breakdown of most modern societies in the near term) as an ethos and framework at a UN event. In November 2021 Bendell co-wrote with Rubert Reed about the ‘Davosification’ of COP calling for system change - "the Davosified elite at COP26 have no intention of a significant course-correction." "The climate agenda must be reclaimed from elites" ~ Professor Jem Bendell Click here to listen on SoundCloud as Michael Dowd narrate Bendell's recent blog post. On a positive note, a October 26, 2022 New York Times Magazine article by By David Wallace-Wells Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View says "scientists believe that warming this century will most likely fall between two or three degrees. (A United Nations report released this week ahead of the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, confirmed that range.)" "Thanks to astonishing declines in the price of renewables, a truly global political mobilization, a clearer picture of the energy future and serious policy focus from world leaders, we have cut expected warming almost in half in just five years." ~ NY Times Magazine Image: IAEA Imagebank, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Oregon Coast Energy Alliance Network (OCEAN) is "a cross-cultural community-based organization with the mission to explore the opportunities and challenges of floating offshore wind and other advanced energy technologies. Learn about floating offshore wind systems of tomorrow on the OCEAN website - guiding principles, challenges, potential ecological impacts, newsletter, and membership "OCEAN is promoting a “bottom up” process of front-loaded stakeholder engagement designed around our coastal community perspective and interests. Their goal is to inform and influence coastal energy projects and policies when they are in the earliest, formative stages to maximize the benefits to our coast’s citizens, ecology, and economy." Learn more about oceans and climate from the SOCAN website, which has 94 posts related to the subject!.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! A table grace from BrianMcLaren.net. "For this breath, for this heartbeat For this meal with these companions For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For sun and rain, for soil and season, For ocean, mountain, forest, meadow, For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For all to whom this food connects us From field and farm to store and table For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts. For bread and wine upon this table For this deep mystical communion For the web of life of which we’re part We give thanks with all our hearts."

Northern Oregon, east of Mt. Hood has recently gained some attention as a leader in renewable energy with Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility - the first wind-solar-battery hybrid plant in the United States. Located in Lexington, Oregon this facility is owned by Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy. The Bonneville Power Administration which constructs electric facilities necessary to transmit power, is also the federal marketing agent for power from all of the federally owned hydroelectric projects in the Pacific Northwest including the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River. BPA now markets the electricity from thirty-one federal hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River and its tributaries, as well as from the Columbia Generating Station, a nuclear plant located on the Hanford Site in eastern Washington. The map above shows the location of Oregon's electric power generation by type and major transmission lines in FEMA's Region X . It also shows a threat to the electric power grid from a future megathrust earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) . The FEMA report gives this dire warning: "During the 2016 Cascadia Rising Exercise, which considered a catastrophic 9.0 earthquake and tsunami event that resulted in the destruction of the infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest coastline, the unprecedented challenges associated with the restoration of energy infrastructure were recognized. It is expected that a complete societal collapse could result from an extended mass power outage lasting longer than several weeks to months. Extensive mass care support and requests for life sustaining services can be expected to be overwhelmed in a catastrophic event." According to OEM, the last major (8.0-9.0 magnitude) Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami occurred in 1700. "History has shown, and scientists confirm, this quake occurs, on average, once every 200 to 500 years." The Oregon Department of Energy has links to help you Get Ready. Also isit ready.gov to learn more about emergency preparedness. The Great Oregon ShakeOut will occur this year on 10/20/22 at 10:20 a.m. Your involvement inspires others to practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On or other protective actions and to become better prepared to survive and recover! Register here. Download the FEMA Mobile App, which allows you to receive real-time weather alerts, send notifications to loved ones, locate emergency shelters in your area, and more.

October 1, 2022 at 12 p.m. PDT on Zoom, the Work That Reconnects Network is presenting a webinar Ecological Civilization: Humanity's Transformational Alternative. Register Here.* October 2 to November 6, 2022 - GreenFaith is organizing Faiths 4 Climate Justice, a month-long, global, multi-religious campaign to address climate justice. October 4, 2022 11 a.m. PDT on Zoom. - Pushed to Poverty: Women, Girls, and the Climate Crisis. Richenda Fairhurst's Faiths4Future welcomes international human rights attorney Nesha Abiraj, Diplomatic and Advocacy liaison to Stop Ecocide International who works with communities of faith to address the climate crisis by ending ecocide. Register here. October 4, 2022 4 p.m. PT on Zoom - Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth presents Fighting Climate Change - Student Movements Globally. Hear how your voice and your congregation can be a critical part of the advocacy for change. Register here. October 4, 2022 7-8:30 p.m in person - Candidates Forum on Climate and Environment. at Medford Public Library, 205 S. Central Ave., Medford. Meet & Greet from 8:30-9:00 p.m. Organized by SOCAN. Invited: U. S. Congressional District 2: Cliff Bentz (R), Joe Yetter (D) Jackson Co Commission Position 1: Rick Dyer (R), Denise Krause (D) Jackson Co Commission Position 3: Al Densmore (I), Colleen Roberts (R) October 6-7, 2022 - BTS Center is offering online Convocation 2022: Imagination and Collective Liberation for a Climate-Changed World. Register here. October 7, 2022 The Climate Reality Project is presenting 24 Hours of Reality: Spotlight on Solutions and Hope. For 24 hours straight they’ll be sharing stories about ways people are tackling the climate crisis in our communities. Register here. October 8, 2022, 10:00 a.m PT at Pony Espresso in Ashland - Southern Oregon Chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby gathers for national Zoom link and Stephen Perkins and Quill Robinson from the American Conservation Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing young people around environmental action through common-sense, market-based, and limited-government ideals. October 11, 2022, 11 p.m. PT - Richenda Fairhurst's Faiths4Future presents Nonviolent Direct Action: Why youth are walking out and organizing, a conversation with William H. Morris climate organizer with GreenFaith and Victoria Wingell, forest campaigner for Oregon Wild. Register here. October 12, 2022 10 a.m. PT on Zoom - UCC Creation Justice webinar How Faith Communities Can Benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act. Register here. October 12 & 26, 2022 6-8 p.m. PT on Zoom - Water Solutions Summit - Continuation of a series hosted by the Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance held on Wednesday evenings. This Summit is an overview of our regional watersheds and water issues. Call 541-530-8454 or email info@southernoregonpachamama.org for more information. Register here. October 18 - November 15, 2022, 2:00-3:15 PT on Zoom - GreenFaith and The BTS Center are hosting a 5-week book study of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet (2022). Join an interfaith conversation on how to dismantle systems of oppression to protect people & planet. Intersectional Environmentalist (IE) is a non-profit, "climate justice collective radically imagining a more equitable + diverse future of environmentalism". "IE focuses on achieving climate justice, amplifying historically excluded voices + approaching environmental education, policy, and activism with equity, inclusion and restorative justice in mind." Register here. October 18, 2022, 7-8:30 p.m PT in person - Candidates Forum on Climate and Environment at Medford Public Library, 205 S. Central Ave., Medford. Meet & Greet from 8:30-9:00 p.m. Organized by SOCAN. Invited: Senate District 3: Jeff Golden (D), Randy Sparacino (R) House District 4: Christine Goodwin (R) House District 5: Sandra Abercrombie (R), Pam Marsh (D) House District 6: Dan Davis (D), Kim Walden (R) House District 56: Jonathan Chenjeri (D), Emily McIntire (R) October 20, 2022, 6 p.m. PT on Zoom - Circle Faith Future and Faiths4Future are hosting a special meet the authors event: Wake Up, Take Heart: A Creation Care Study for the Local Church. Authors Rev. Bob and Anita Dygert-Gearheart will join us for a virtual conversation about the curriculum Wake Up World, sharing about what inspired them and how the curriculum could be used in community. Register here. October 25, 2022, 6:09-7:00 p.m. PT - SOCAN Monthly Meeting: Climate-induced Forest Change. Register here.

The United Church of Christ’s Creation Justice Webinar series, on the second Wednesday of each month, "brings leaders in the field of environmental justice into conversation with an interfaith audience seeking to put their values into action as caretakers and protectors of God’s creation." The topic of this month's Creation Justice Zoom Webinar on Nov 9, 2022 at 10 a.m. PT is Centering Africa at COP27. Register here. This webinar will "center the climate concerns and issues faced by Africa, the continent that bears the least responsibility for the climate crisis yet is most vulnerable to its destructive impacts." The United Nations Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Conference COP27 will take place November 6-18, 2022 where leaders from the world’s nations will be convening in Egypt. While this summit has been described as "the African COP," activists from the continent have asserted that they are already being shut out." "A prominent concern for African nations at COP27 is the matter of who will pay for the increasing losses and damages inflicted by the climate crisis. Over the past 50 years, climate exacerbated drought has led to a loss of an estimated $70 billion in the Horn of Africa and southern Africa, while the cost of rising sea levels is projected to reach $50 billion by 2050 for islands and coastal areas." "Of far greater significance than what can be expressed in monetary amounts is the enormous loss of life that has occurred. Over the past 50 years, drought led to the loss of over a half million lives, while flooding has claimed the lives of 20,000.." Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt, Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and Rev. Michael Malcom, Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council will moderate these three panelists on November 9th: Ineza Umuhoza Grace from the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition Dr. Tinashe Gumbo from the All Africa Conference of Churches Rev. Michael Kalito from Theological Education by Extension in Zambia (TEEZ). Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and UCC Creation Justice will send you a link to a recording of it.

Greenfaith is promoting a Multi-faith Climate Justice Symposium on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, 7-9 a.m. PT Register here. This event is organized by the Laudato Si Movement, GreenFaith, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, and Supreme Muslim Council of Kenya, and co-sponsored by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). This half-day symposium will introduce the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, its pillars, and the religious foundations for its support. Treaty Initiative is an emerging campaign for a binding international agreement that would be a complement to the Paris Agreement. Such a Treaty would require: An immediate end to new fossil fuel projects A rapid transition to 100% renewables and a fair phase-out of fossil fuels A just transition to an environmentally sustainable future for workers and communities most affected by climate change and by this transition These three pillars are what is required to address the climate crisis in a manner that reflects widely shared religious and moral values and consistent with what science tells us must be done to avoid truly disastrous climate change impacts. The Treaty Initiative has already attracted support from over 100 Nobel Laureates; 40 cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Sydney; 250 parliamentarians including elected representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan; over 1,000 NGOs and 2,500 scientists and academics. Interpretation for this event will be provided in Swahili, Spanish, and French. Register today to reserve your spot!

The ecoAmerica report, Mental Health and Our Changing Climate, produced with their partner the American Psychological Association, takes a revealing look at the anxiety that climate change has created in our nation’s youth as well as adults. At a time when positive action is most needed, it offers concrete, helpful suggestions to strengthen resilience. "A majority of Americans support action to ensure a healthy future for ourselves and our children. America has the wherewithal to lead our nation and the world to ensure that the social determinants of health — and mental health — are supported versus hindered by the state of our climate, communities, and natural places." ~ ecoAmerica To hear the major findings of this report from the authors and to preview the action steps for communities, individuals, practitioners, and policymakers watch the video. Read the full report HERE. and share on Social! "Now is the time to elevate faith’s leadership role in providing inspiration, hope, and commitment with respect to our duty to care for creation." ~ Blessed Tomorrow Additional Mental Health and Climate Resources Mental Health - Our Changing Climate Impacts, Inequities, Responses (2022) American Climate Leadership Summit session 5 Steps to Effective Climate Communication resource and handout My Neighbor is Hurting: How to Serve Those Experiencing Climate Stress and Grief (A Blessed Tomorrow Let’s Talk Climate episode) May is Mental Health Awareness Month blog featuring guidance for building community resilience against the climate change impacts on mental health #ClimateChangesMentalHealth, #MentalHealth #ClimateChange

On November 3, 2022, 9 a.m. PDT on Zoom - Institute For The Future (IFTF) is having a Foresight Talk: How to Forecast Environmental Change without Being an Environmental Scientist. Register here "How do you comprehend the future of climate change at a planetary scale? Join IFTF Distinguished Fellow Mike Liebhold to learn how he uses combinatorial forecasting and systems thinking to track changing ecosystems, behavioral systems, and core technologies such as green computing and climate modeling. Drawing on his decades of experience, Mike will walk us through the current planetary crises he’s tracking and share a few concrete methods for tracking them." "Mike Liebhold is now retired but actively researching the applications of technology to restore future planetary environmental health. Previously, Mike served from 2003-2019 as Distinguished Fellow and senior technology researcher at the Institute for the Future, interpreting technological underpinnings of tomorrow’s world, including whole systems, data networks, immersive media, spatial and contextual computing." ITFT has has a newly redesigned website. Check it out. You will probably want to download ITFT's 2021-2031 Map of the Decade called Building Climate- Positive Organizations. The Map is a series of deep-dive forecasts designed to help your organization identify opportunities for transformation that you can act on today to become climate-positive." IFTF offers courses on Futures Thinking, Collaborative Foresight, Forecasting Skills and Urgent Optimism on Coursera. Coursera also has nearly 200 courses on climate change from various universities, some of them free! What a great resource!

Tuesday, October 18, 2022 is the deadline for Oregon voter registration for the November 8, 2022 General Election. If you are already registered you will have received a Voter' Pamphlet from the State of Oregon. Oregon Ecumenical Ministries (EMO) has also published in The Voice it's Voters Guide to 2022 Oregon Ballot Measures where they explain why they recommend YES votes on all four measures: Right to Health Care - Vote YES on Measure 111 Remove Slavery as Punishment for a Crime - Vote YES on Measure 112 Government Accountability - Vote YES on Measure 113 Reduction of Gun Violence - Vote YES on Measure 114 EMO has adopted a Statement of Social Principles that guides their public policy work. In this statement, they have identified core principles and areas of social concern, including: Peace and Global Justice Human Rights & Religious Freedom Environmental Stewardship Economic Justice Family and Community Well-being Public Witness and the Common Good "Our faith traditions call us to be thoughtful and active advocates for peace, social justice, human dignity and environmental stewardship. EMO seeks to empower people of faith and all Oregonians to fulfill their role in the democratic process." Please thoughtfully consider arguments offered by both supporters and opponents of each measure. Engage the wisdom of your own tradition and engage in a thoughtful process of discernment in exercising your civic duty to vote, "Voting is not only our right, it is our power.” ~ Loung Ung Oregon League of Conservation Voters has also recommended YES votes on statewide ballot measures 111, 112 and 113 as well as endorsements for other political candidates. Vote411 brought to us by the League of Women Voters Education Fund has personalized voting information if you enter your address. Note: Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon does not speak for The Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon; they release all public policy statements through the Oregon Catholic Conference.

Two great spiritual teachers (Matthew Fox and Andrew Harvey, join to discuss Our Global Dark Night With Joy, Resolution, and Passion on April 9, 2022 10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PDT and 2 - 4:00 p.m. PDT with an Integration Session April 23, 2022 10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PDT. "Our workshop is an unique opportunity to merge our interconnected visions." ~ Andrew Harvey As longtime spiritual friends, both of these master teachers welcome this unique opportunity to merge their interconnected visions of how to meet our global dark night with joy, resolution and passion: to put love into action, to preserve both our planet and the democratic institutions and practices that can still effect vibrant solutions and birth transformative possibilities. Don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to come together with like minded people concerned with humanity during this volatile time. For details and registration click HERE

The following is an excerpt from a memo on April 13, 2022 from Dr. Edward Viljoen, Spiritual Leader, Centers for Spiritual Living: "We envision a world in which resources are valued and cared for." "We must resist the easy path of quoting from scripture, mediation, or manifestation on one day and then accepting the destruction of our climate the next. We must act on our values and beliefs together, as people of diverse faiths and spiritualities, for our common home.” ~ Greenfaith.org "Holi. Vaisakhi. Ramadan. Passover. Holy Week and Easter. Vesak. Naw Ruz. Ridvan. Billions of people attend these spiritual observances from March 17 to May 6 each year. Also occurring during this time are Earth Day, World Water Day and Equinox, and Centers for Spiritual Living’s recommended global theme for April 2022 is "Living Everyday Wonder: Creativity." "During this season of spiritual observances worldwide, we see the opportunity to join GreenFaith’s multi-faith invitation to connect climate justice and planetary wellness with our spiritual principles, values and CSL's Global Vision. (GreenFaith is a worldwide, multi-faith, climate and environmental movement that encourages spiritual responses to global issues.) " "Although climate change causes continue to be debated, it is still a matter that calls for people across cultures and religious traditions to work together to find a solution. Therefore, we invite our communities to respond to this call in three ways that connect our principles, values and Global Vision to action: Acknowledge the imminent danger to life that global warming poses. (See the resources collection from GreenFaith here. By talking to friends, neighbors and family, we help raise the awareness of something important to all of us." "There is an inherent discomfort in talking about matters so significant in scope and complex in nature. Still, without the potent creative power of sharing our thoughts, concerns and aspirations for our planet, it is easy to let this critical matter remain unattended. An effective way for members and friends to contribute to a solution is to talk about climate change by expressing their thoughts, not as representative of an organizational perspective, but because each voice has something of value to contribute to our understanding. (From the CSL Global Vision: We envision a world that respects and honors the interconnectedness of all life.)" "Encourage political and business leaders to join in a robust and responsible response to global warming. By taking your concern to the people who represent you and who do business with you, you exercise your power of influence for good. Drawing on our core values and in a spirit of compassion, love and justice, we expand the narrative of emphasizing the good to include appropriate action." "We can join our Science of Mind voices with those of our multi-faith friends who call for an end to new fossil fuel projects and deforestation and a rapid, just transition to a sustainable future." "We can add our messages or sacred rituals for planetary wellness to this holy season." From the CSL Global Vision: We envision a world where personal responsibility joins with social conscience in every area of the political, corporate, academic and social sectors, providing sustainable structures.) "And, most importantly, engage in focused spiritual practice with a clear sense that all these actions can and do have a positive, beneficial effect on the future of life on our planet. Members and friends of CSL are activated by a vision of a healthy, loving world — one in which there is an emphasis on sound planetary stewardship. A clear sense of this vision can guide the focus of our prayer, and prayer, we hold, is the primary tool for shifting consciousness." "Therefore, we invite members and friends of CSL to contemplate the Global Vision, to allow it to shape your prayers and thereby inform you as to which appropriate actions are yours to make. If you and your CSL community plan to host a Sacred Season for Climate Justice event and would like to have it listed on GreenFaith.org, please use this online form to register your details: Organize an Event | GreenFaith" Centers for Spiritual Living Global Vision We envision all people, all beings and all life as expressions of God. We see a world in which each person lives in alignment with their highest spiritual principle, emphasizing unity with God and connection with each other; a world in which individually and collectively we are called to a higher state of consciousness and action. We envision humanity awakening to its spiritual magnificence and discovering the creative power of thought; a world where every person discovers their own personal power and ability to create an individual life that works within a world that works for everyone. We envision a world in which we live and grow as one global family that respects and honors the interconnectedness of all life; a world where this kinship with all life prospers and connects through the guidance of spiritual wisdom and experience. We envision a world where personal responsibility joins with social conscience in every area of the political, corporate, academic and social sectors, providing sustainable structures to further the emerging global consciousness. We envision a world where every person has enough food, a home and a sense of belonging; a world of peace and harmony, enfranchisement and justice. We envision a world in which resources are valued, cared for and grown, and where there is generous and continuous sharing of these resources. We envision a worldwide culture in which forgiveness is the norm. We envision a world which has renewed its emphasis on beauty, nature and love through the resurgence of creativity, art and aesthetics. We envision a world that works for everyone and for all of creation. Spiritually Motivated Social Engagement Committee Resources Climate Change Is Threatening the Fight to End Extreme Poverty: United Nations (globalcitizen.org) Why Climate Change and Poverty Are Inextricably Linked (globalcitizen.org) How Are We Going to Kickstart Global Climate Action? (globalcitizen.org) Statement_COP21 (actalliance.org) Loss of Biodiversity: The Burgeoning Threat to Human Health - PMC (nih.gov) The Crisis of Planetary Health: Reflections From the World Religions (georgetown.edu)

If the world’s average temperature will soon shoot past the 1.5ºC target to ensure climate stability, how does one preach about hope? How does one preach about taking moral responsibility for addressing climate change? Focused on these two questions, Rev. Margaret Bullett-Jonas held a lively 30-minute conversation on climate preaching with her friend and colleague Rev. Dr. Jim Antal. Hope Hope is out superpower Live into a new story Be honest to ourselves Process grief in community Courage will begin to take root as we live into a new story Gratitude (for being given the opportunity to make this happen) will keep hope alive “Hope is inseparable from our own actions. [Hope] isn’t given; it’s grown. Waiting to act on climate change until we have hope is like waiting to pick up a shovel until we build callouses on our hands. The hope never arrives until we get to work.” ~ Tim DeChristopher from “Working Up Hope,” in Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, ed. Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, p. 148) Moral Responsibility Social & economic justice International justice Inter-generational justice Racial justice Inter-species justice Their discussion also included brief comments on how to preach the lectionary texts assigned for the Third and Fourth Sundays in Lent. Links: Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas’ Website: https://revivingcreation.org/ Rev. Jim Antal’s Website: https://www.jimantal.com/ “Sacred Season for Climate Justice” Climate Crisis Preaching: Selected Resources Margaret’s 2019 sermon on the Prodigal Son Recent climate news: InsideClimateNews.org

"Third Act is people over the age of 60 — “experienced Americans” — determined to change the world for the better. We muster political and economic power to move Washington and Wall Street in the name of a fairer, more sustainable society and planet. We back up the great work of younger people, and we make good trouble of our own." Th!rd Act is currently promoting two Programs: Protect the Vote and Bug the Banks. From the end of March to the beginning of May 2022 is a sacred season when many of the world’s religions celebrate holy days. Because of this, Third Act Faith, GreenFaith, and Exodus Alliance have been celebrating these events by using the symbolism of our traditions to call for the end of investing in the fossil fuel industry. On March 28, 2022, Bill McKibben, Molly Brown, and Rabbi Arthur Waskow were in conversation about ways that people of faith can join in, with Nana Firman from GreenFaith moderating. Th!rd Act has two upcoming events: Let's Get Started - On April 25th, 2022, from 1:30 p.m. PDT to 2::30 p.m. PDT Third Act Lead Organizer Bob Fulkerson will explain Working Groups and how you can plug into Third Act organizing. RSVP for that event here. Monthly All-in Event - On April 27th, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. PDT to 6:00 p.m. PDT join Third Act’s monthly all-in event with special guests, music, and movement highlights. They’ll share campaign updates, what’s up next, and how you can plug in over the coming weeks. RSVP for that event here. Bill McKibben is a contributing author to the New Yorker Magazine titled Annals of a Warming Planet.

Emergence Magazine website has a beautiful, informative, poetic and touching tableau of stories using video, images, music and text about sugar maples, paper birch and red spruce: They Carry Us With Them: "The Earth now has an atmospheric CO2 concentration of 419 parts per million, the highest the planet has seen in three to five million years. In 2019, NASA stated that eighteen of the nineteen warmest years on record had occurred since 2001." "Around the world, scores of species of trees are moving north, or west, or upslope. Some species are losing ground, others are gaining it. In the eastern United States, eighty-six species of trees are currently on the move. Pines, spruce, and firs are generally heading north; oaks and maples are heading west. Here in Maine, seven of the ten most common species of tree are predicted to have moderate to severe reductions in suitable habitat within a century." "What do these changes to our forests mean? What are the trees taking with them and what is arriving in their wake? What is the relationship between the trees’ migration and the ecological systems and human communities that they are leaving behind? What does the movement of these beings reflect back to us in the present and foreshadow for the future?" The primary cause of declining biodiversity, at least in recent times, is the appropriation, colonization, and intensifying use of lands already inhabited, used, and reshaped by current and prior societies." ~ Darren Ranco* Emergence Magazine hosts "a variety of online and in-person programs and events aimed at providing a space where our wider community can connect through the power of story and explore the connections between culture, ecology, and spirituality. Thaey have an online book club, workshops, retreats, immersive leadership courses, gallery installations, conversations with contributors, and live pop-up events. *Ranco is associate professor of anthropology and coordinator of Native American Research at the University of Maine, one of the SSI participating faculty, and a member of the Penobscot tribe—contributed to a paper entitled People Have Shaped Most of Terrestrial Nature for At Least 12,000 Years,

Temple Emek Shalom and SOHEVA are having a Community Earth Day Celebration on Sunday, April 24, 2022, Noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Emek Shalom/Grace Point Church parking lot, 1800 Main Street, Ashland, Oregon. This fun, free, informative event for the whole family offers opportunities to test drive electric vehicles, enjoy food trucks, music and activities for kids. It will feature more than a dozen organizations committed to environmental protection and a healthy planet. “Although Earth Day officially falls on April 22nd, we chose Sunday, April 24th to make our event accessible to everyone – adults, kids, the whole family, This event is a great opportunity to come together, learn, try new technology first-hand, and celebrate the importance of a healthy planet.” ~ Pete Jorgensen, event organizer A major highlight will be the opportunity for licensed and insured drivers to test drive electric vehicles including the Arcimoto FUV manufactured in Eugene, OR, and the Mustang E and Kia Niro EV, which are sold locally by Lithia Motors’ Green Cars division. More than a dozen organizations committed to environmental protection will be on-hand to share helpful information and answer questions about green practices and technology. PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS to date include representatives from: City of Ashland Conservation Division and Conservation Commission Southern Oregon Climate Action Now Rogue Climate Action Team (County High Schools) Southern Oregon Land Conservancy Truth to Power (Ashland High School) Klamath Bird Observatory Ashland Solar Coop Rogue Produce’s Community Compost Program Southern Oregon Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Association ArciMoto of Eugene Lithia Green Cars Piccadilly Cycles MORE FUN: Kids can take home seed kits, and everyone can enjoy CABA Empanadas and Lions ice cream treats from local food trucks, and wonderful music from professional musicians! Bring your water bottle for free refills from Crystal Geyser. IN ADDITION, Learn how La Clinica’s many programs can benefit you. PLEASE SUPPORT THE ASHLAND EMERGENCY FOOD BANK BY BRINGING NON-PERISHABLE FOOD DONATIONS. Add to iCal | Add to Google Calendar Tags: