October 1, 2009
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Dear Friends of Environmental Justice,
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Welcome to our second issue of Environmental Justice News. It is officially autumn now, and if you can't feel it in the air outside, maybe you can feel it with the start of the church year, the school year, and with congress back in session.
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I am the new Program Associate for Environmental Justice, through a partnership between the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth and the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. I recently finished an AmeriCorps*VISTA year in Lawrence, MA, working on food justice and environmental education. I am thrilled to be here in the Washington Office for Advocacy, supporting UU involvement in environmental justice issues, locally and nationally. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for these monthly newsletters.
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In This Issue:
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Resources and Activities
The Human Right to Water-UUSC
Climate Change: What's Going on in Government?
Action Items Summary
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Environmental Justice News is a collaborative effort between: UU Ministry for the Earth UU Service Committee UUA's Green Sanctuary program UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy
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In faith,
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Rowan Van NessProgram Associate for Environmental Justice
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(1) Resources and Activities
-UUMFE: International Day of Climate Action-October 24, 2009Social justice, creation-care, stewardship, Earth community, beloved community - there are many ways we can name and express our moral and spiritual perspectives on climate change. UU Ministry for Earth invites UUs to join with us in prayer, meditation, action, and celebration on October 24, 2009, in our collaboration with 350.org in a day of action for climate justice. This date is an important milestone in the path to an effective international treaty on climate change to be negotiated in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December. Groups around the globe will call on the world's leaders to commit to decreasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in Earth's atmosphere to below 350 parts per million, the stable and safe upper limit for the world's people, creatures, and future generations. Bill McKibben, co-founder and director of 350.org, has specifically called for UU involvement; watch the 45-second YouTube video
here.
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For more information about the International Day of Climate Action, visit the
UUMFE website. We have included ideas for events your congregation can organize, links to our partner organizations, and a
registry for our collaboration with 350.org. Let us know what your congregation is planning! Also, please register at
350.org and sign the "Interfaith Call for 350."
RenewalDuring the month of September congregations should check their mailboxes for a copy of the interfaith film Renewal and "Renewal: A Guide for Screening and Using the Documentary" these are being provided to all UUA congregations. This resource has been provided in hopes that it will be used to inspire congregations to participate in environmental and environmental justice work. In the coming months, the UUA will be collecting stories to see how congregations used the DVD.
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If you have not received your copy, first check with your congregational administrator and then contact greensanctuary@uua.org for a replacement copy. For more information visit the
Green Sanctuary website or the
Renewal website.
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New Report on Responsible Investing in the Water SectorThe Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility has released a new report for church investors about responsible reporting for the water sector, called
"Liquid Assets". UUSC contributed the chapter on the human right to water. Forward this report to your finance committee and other colleagues and contacts and encourage them to use this to evaluate their investments.
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Human Right to Water Bottles - on sale now!Bring the water justice wave to your holiday celebrations and show your colors -
buy a human right to water bottle and support the efforts of organizations like
El Moviminto Mi Cometa - one of UUSC's partners, who has brought a
ground breaking case against InterAgua (former Bechtel Subsidiary, now VEOLIA owns the shares) before the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman responsible for overseeing investment disputes with communities and MIGA guarantees. Mi Cometa also worked to put the human right to water clause in the
new Ecuadorian constitution (which also protects the rights of the environment, native peoples, and much more). Mi Cometa is now working to implement the constitution in the new water law.
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(2) The Human Right to Water-UUSC-
AB 1242 - Human Right to Water Act of California - 2009
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The
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the
UU Legislative Ministry Action Network of California, and many grass roots environmental, social justice, and human rights organizations have worked together to bring forward a historic bill in the California legislature over the past year -
AB 1242, the Human Right to Water Act of 2009. Read about the
great co-sponsors of the bill like the Environmental Justice Coalition on Water and the Community Water Center. When UUs jump into water justice together, we make a bigger splash! Unitarian Universalists with human rights and water policy expertise helped to shape the bill, and the organizing reach of UUSC and UULM Action Network brought it to the attention of thousands. If the bill is signed by the Governor, the impact will not only help move water justice forward in California, it will ripple out to other states and around the globe.
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This month UUs lifted up water justice in worship, and collected over 2500 postcards and letters which were delivered in buckets to the Governor's office by "La Gotita" (the water drop - mascot of UUSC partner
FENTAP - the Water and Sanitation Workers of Peru) to ask the Governor to sign AB1242.
Watch La Gotita dance in a video by the UULMCA about AB 1242 - send it along to your CA contacts, ask them to
call or write to the Governor to encourage him to sign the bill.
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With the UN Climate Summit this past week in New York, things are heating up around the issue of climate change. President Obama's address Tuesday morning at the UN Climate Change Summit spoke generally about the need for climate change and the need for industrial nations to take a lead in reducing carbon emissions and supporting developing countries whose survival depend on both a growing economy and a clean planet.
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With the high levels of greenhouse gases industrialized countries have already contributed to the atmosphere, there is debate around whether they owe the rest of the world a "climate debt," especially when developing countries will be the bigger emitters in the future. While there seems to be agreement that something should be done, the questions of how and how much remain divisive. Cooperation between the advanced and the emerging economies will be essential to making the climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December meaningful. Read the New York Times article
here.
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Senators Boxer and Kerry have been putting together a
climate change bill which is expected to be introduced this week and address the nation's energy foundation; U.S. economic competitiveness; the health of the environment; and national security. This is the biggest piece of environmental legislation to be going through Congress in a generation and has the potential to make major shifts in our energy sources and the redevelopment of our economy. As the US economy is rebuilt, it needs to create opportunities and funding for people to learn and perform jobs that help us transition to using cleaner energy and environmentally-friendly construction.
As people of faith, and guided by the
2006 Unitarian Universalist Statement of Conscience on the threat of Global Warming/Climate Change, we need to put our faith into action. President Obama has made the call for each person to do what they can to grow our economies without endangering the planet. To make sure this bill includes provisions for the Green Construction Careers Demonstration Project and Funding for the Green Jobs Act, we need to make our voices heard NOW. Our partners at the 1Sky Campaign have made it easy for you to call your Senator -- just visit
1Sky to get some talking points and to get connected to your Senator toll-free.
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(4) Action Items Summary
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Get the Governor to Sign AB 1242 - The Human Right to Water Act of 2009! This month UUs lifted up water justice in worship, and collected over 2500 postcards and letters which were delivered in buckets to the Governor's office by "La Gotita" (the water drop - mascot of UUSC partner
Watch La Gotita dance in a video by the UULMCA about AB 1242 - send it along to your CA contacts, ask them to
call or write to the Governor to encourage him to sign the bill.
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Ensure Your Church is Investing Responsibly The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility has released a new report for church investors about responsible reporting for the water sector, called
"Liquid Assets". UUSC contributed the chapter on the human right to water. Forward this report to your finance committee and other colleagues and contacts and encourage them to use this to evaluate their investments.
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Demand Strong Climate Change in Upcoming Bill! With a new climate change bill expected to appear in the Senate soon, we need to make sure it is strong. President Obama has made the call for each person to do what they can to grow our economies without endangering the planet. To make sure this bill includes provisions for the Green Construction Careers Demonstration Project and Funding for the Green Jobs Act, we need to make our voices heard NOW. Our partners at the 1Sky Campaign have made it easy for you to call your Senator -- just visit
1Sky to get some talking points and to get connected to your Senator toll-free.
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ACTION Needed NOW on America's Red Rock Wilderness Act At the 2009 UUA General Assembly, delegates voted to
Support America's Red Rock Wilderness Act as an Action of Immediate Witness. Well, now it's time for action!For the first time in the 20-year history of this bill, a hearing has been scheduled for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act in the House Natural Resources Committee, Public Lands Subcommittee, for Oct. 1, 2009. Right now a simple act of witness could do wonders to support this bill. Please contact your local congressional representative and tell them you support America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. Encourage members of your congregation to do the same! For more ideas and assistance in taking action, visit the
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
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Make sure you congregation participates in the International Day of Climate Action Visit the
UUMFE website for ideas, then register your action with
UUMFE and the Interfaith Call for 350 at
350.org.
