The PacYM Climate Action Map
Throughout Pacific Yearly Meeting, Friends are responding to the planetary crisis with effective action. We've asked Meetings and Worship Groups to tell us what they are doing so that others in PacYM, and others whom we would be of service to, can find inspiration, share experience, and coordinate our actions to greater effect.
Below you will find a space to fill in, using this form and including a photo from your Monthly Meeting or an action. Here is a way to share with others how you are finding yourselves led, what questions your asking, what you are doing, and aspiring to do. As our UwN committee has been visiting Monthly Meetings, here are some of the things we've heard about so far.
As the spaces below are filled in by Monthly Meetings, you will be able to click on the map below to learn more about the environmental work of each of them. You may also contact Meetings directly to learn about their work and climate concerns using the email address of each available here on the Pacific Yearly Meeting website. And please share your own or your Meeting's work using this form.
- Building infrastructure in their local communities to recharge aquifers and create habitat for native species
- Participating in nationwide and international campaigns for climate justice
- Building relationships with the indigenous peoples of California
- Engaging in citizen participation processes to shape public environmental policy
- And much else we look forward to learning about
As the spaces below are filled in by Monthly Meetings, you will be able to click on the map below to learn more about the environmental work of each of them. You may also contact Meetings directly to learn about their work and climate concerns using the email address of each available here on the Pacific Yearly Meeting website. And please share your own or your Meeting's work using this form.
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Larry Strain, Strawberry Creek
February 5, 2023 Name Larry Strain Email [email protected] Meeting or Worship Group Strawberry Creek Meeting, Berkeley, CA Please describe your own and/or your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism. Work on the Climate Crisis and Climate Justice. Peace Earth Care and Social Witness Committee Power, Privilege and Race. a Subcommittee of Worship and Ministry Committee The Peace, Earthcare, and Social Witness (PESW) Committee's primary function is to facilitate Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting's public witness for peace, justice, and environmental concerns. Care for the natural world has become a natural extension of the historic Quaker concern for peace and justice. We refer to SCMM’s Earthcare Testimony (2010). We recognize ongoing racial, economic and social injustices in our society call us to witness and act to right these injustices. We are guided by the Testimony on Equality (PYM Faith and Practice 2001) and SCMM’s Minute on Engagement to Uproot and Dismantle Racism, (2020) Since 2019, the Power Privilege and Race (PP&R) Subcommittee of Worship and Ministry has been hosting adult ed sessions, book readings and screening documentaries on racism and privilege. In 2020 they led the effort to write the Minute on Engagement to Uproot and Dismantle Racism which was adopted by our meeting in 2020. Over the past couple of years, particularly since our meeting adopted the Minute on Engagement to Uproot and Dismantle Racism in 2020, PESW committee has focused on bringing together the linked concerns on racial, economic and social injustice with the climate and ecological emergencies we are facing. One of the ways these came together was in the spring and summer of 2021 when PP&R, hosted a series of selected readings from and queries on Braiding Sweet Grass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which offered new insights on how we hold the world and our place in it. In the Fall on 2021 PESW committee hosted an Adult Education session titled the Climate Crisis: Spirit calls us to act. We used Rebecca Solnit’s article in the Guardian “Ten ways to confront the climate crisis without losing hope” as a starting point and created a session for our meeting that addressed the urgency of the climate crisis; presented an understanding carbon emissions, what needs to be done and what is being done; how to communicate about the climate crisis; climate justice and how the climate crisis is related to privilege, consumption, and impacts on disenfranchised communities and communities of color. We considered the following queries: Do personal actions matter; what are we as Quakers to do; Despair and Action, Corporate, institutional and community actions. The session was well attended and well received and in the Spring of 2022 we hosted a follow up session to present the Philadelphia YM report entitled Moving forward Together in the face of Climate Change”, a very detailed call to action that calls on us to expand work in five areas. - Activism – Advocacy, direct action and public witness - Education – info, webinars, traveling ministry on the causes and costs of climate change - Reducing their Carbon Footprint – as individuals and as a community - Finances – responsible purchasing and investing - Mourning Loss / Instilling Hope –the need for spiritual grounding & community support In January 2023, PESW , PP&R and a representative from PacYM Indigenous Concerns subcommittee presented the Documentary The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code by Steven T. Newcombe (Shawnee, Lenape). This program is part of an initiative of the Indigenous Affairs Subcommittee of PacYM. The 60-minute film was followed by discussion, including breakout groups with queries. This Doctrine, was the justification for the seizure of lands of Indigenous Peoples in North America—and throughout the world—on the basis that they were not Christian, and therefore had no rights, and could be displaced, enslaved, even killed, and that the land and its natural resources could be seized, dominated, exploited as well. Queries • How could I or do I experience the Doctrine of Christian Discovery in my daily life? • How does today’s film bring light to our commitment to Uproot and Dismantle Racism? In what ways? • Where do we go from here? We are in the process of coming up with a follow up sessions to address where we go from here. Please add any ideas, concerns, questions, or tools and resources that you have found helpful as well. Climate action requires climate justice and there can’t be climate justice without racial justice. Hop Hopkins, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Sierra Club, said it clearly: “You can’t have climate change without sacrifice zones, and you can’t have sacrifice zones without disposable people, and you can't have disposable people without racism.” https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/racism-killing-planet Marge Gianelli, La Jolla
February 6, 2023 Name Marge Gianelli Email [email protected] Meeting or Worship Group La Jolla Monthly Meeting Please describe your own and/or your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism. WE ARE NOT ALONE When La Jolla Spiritual Nurturing Committee envisioned a climate series, the threshold question was: does climate change include a spiritual component? If so, in what way? Thich Nhat Han's inspirational book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet led us to an approach that formed the basis of the first session in our climate series. The author tells us that not only does climate change have a spiritual dimension, but spirituality is the most important element in addressing our relationship to the earth. We live in an individualistic environment in which people are separate beings, our actions motivated by our needs and wants, propelled by forces over which we have little control, Thich Nhat Han encourages us to open our minds through mindful meditation, so we can awaken to infinite possibilities. We can see that we are not separate from the trees, sky, water but that we are all one entity, not individual objects of persons, but living, changing, adapting parts of a natural world. Earth can renew itself, transform itself, heal itself and heal us. Every moment we participate in the future of the Earth and everything we do today contributes to the planet's health and vitality. Our meeting participants enthusiastically concurred. The second session of our three-part climate series was inspired by the COP26 meeting that took place in Scotland towards the end of 2021. The Spiritual Nurturing Committee searched for a way to share with Meeting the world-wide concern expressed by so many countries for the health of our world and their suffering due to climate change. We found that many religious organizations were working world wide, not only through compassion resources such as food and medical supplies, but also through addressing the causes of climate change. We started with a definition. Climate Empowerment: Capacity of individuals to understand the systemic drivers of climate change; to actively engage in the transformation of these systems and then to participate in meaningful individual and collective personal and political action in response. Climate Change and its Impact To open the session, we asked participants tricky questions about global climate change and its impact. We answered them by opening a site on our computer which created a visual emotional response. Examples: What country in the world is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions? Which large countries refuse to engage meaningfully in climate talks? Which continent is most affected by climate change? Name the countries most affected by climate change according to the climate risk index. Name the countries that have accepted the most refugees. What countries have the most displacement by disasters in 2012? It was a very effective way to show the severity and depth of the problems we are facing. Most were surprised to learn the the answer to the first question is China, but the US is close to catching up. The most uplifting part of our session was viewing the websites of religiously affiliated organizations that are actively working to off set the effects of climate. Using the online application zoom, we examined many websites in the course of the meeting. Lutherans www.luthernworld.org: Brazil and the rainforest; Anglicans https://anglicanalliance.org: reforestation: Asia-Pacific www.UNEP.org: green house gas reduction: Vatican www.laudatosirebolution.org: work in Central America; South African www.safecei.org; infrastructure work following cyclone destruction It was gratifying to learn of all the diverse activities the religions of the world are involved in. The second session ended by listing successful climate innovations currently in the development of in progress that we'd recently read about. Quakers Work on Climate. (third session) So much can be said and there are so many resources dedicated to this topic. To explore what Quakers are doing, we invited long time Quaker environmentalist Mary Ann Percy to visit us on zoom from her home in Washington State. Mary Ann had just returned from participating in the "Stop Line 3" Movement organized by Quaker organizations, meetings, and churches to resist the construction of the black tar sands pipeline. She spoke of the joyful solidarity she felt with the community as they blocked drills and other equipment from destroying the earth. Mary Ann also showed us the many ways we can become involved. Some of the resources she shared are : QEW present https://quakerearthcare.org/workshops/; Joanna Macy videos on www.youtube; Western Friend http://westernfriend.org/new-story-earth; Quakers in Britain http://www.quaker.org.uk/our-work/economic-justice/the-spiritual-basis-for-Quaker-climate-action; Quaker United Nations organization http://quaker.org.uk/documents/taking-action-for-climate-justice-2021 WE ARE NOT ALONE, the title of this article, is the message behind all the information the Spiritual Nurturing Committee found and shared on climate change. Our earth is in trouble, but many of us are seeking way to participate in changing what we know must be changed. The drivers of climate change are systemic. Together we look for a better way to live on this earth. Billie Hamilton, Sacramento
February 7, 2023 Name Billie Hamilton Email h[email protected] Meeting or Worship Group Sacramento Friends Meeting Please describe your own and/or your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism In recognition of the increasing need to focus on the needs of our planet, in 2022 Sacramento Friends Meeting approved elevating the Eco-Spirituality Interest Group to the status of a Standing Committee. The Committee has been focusing on inspiring and educating our Meeting on environmental issues, including monthly presentations on issues such as the devastating effects of fast fashion, water issues in California, considerations in purchasing an electric vehicle, reducing car idling, replacing your lawn and greening your finances. A new section of the Meeting library has been created highlighting books on climate change and the environment and we have a book group that meets monthly. We have tabled at local events, sent Meeting approved letters to Congress, and begun compiling a resource list to help Friends find resources to green their lives. We collaborate with organizations such as Citizen’s Climate Lobby, 350 Sacramento and Third Act and Sacramento Unitarians. One of the most exciting projects is that we are bringing the Loving Earth Project to the United States. The Loving Earth Project was created by Woodbrooke Friends in honor of the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow. Friends were asked to identify someplace that they loved that was in danger of climate destruction. Participants from all over the world created cloth panels illustrating their chosen issue. Over 500 panels were submitted and displayed at COP 26, including eight from our Sacramento Meeting. We are bringing 100 of the panels to the United States in honor of Earth Day 2023 where they are scheduled to be displayed at several locations in Sacramento, Chico and Fresno. Karen campos, live oaks
The Environmental Action Committee of Live Oak Friends Meeting is committed to honoring the Quaker testimony of stewardship of the earth. Our climate project for FY 2024 will be nanoplastics reduction via legislative action and educational means. Research on nanoplastics' impact on humans is in its introductory stages but studies have shown they are prevalent in everything from seafood to plants to human infants' stool. Studies show that nanoplastics have caused brain damage and behavioral disorders in fish, hinder growth in zooplankton, and damage reproduction rates and cause intestinal inflammation in mice. Testing on human tissue, scientists have found that microplastics can lead to cell degradation. This emerging research has led us to prioritize pursuing nanoplastic reduction. We are also liaising with the Friends in Unity with Nature Committee of Santa Cruz Friends Meeting on their project on the global climate impact on drought and accompanying water shortages. Please add any ideas, concerns, questions, or tools and resources that you have found helpful as well. Our committee stays current on news regarding nanplastics research and climate change. |
Gayle Matson, Chico
Name Gayle Matson Email [email protected] Meeting or Worship Group Chico Friends Meeting Please describe your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism. Last year we joined other faith communities in Chico to make our Meetinghouse available as a summer cooling center and overnight winter shelter for unsheltered people and their pets in our community. This year we will be exploring how to make our Meeting a "climate resilient hub" for the community. We had an energy audit of our building and are working on implementing recommendations to reduce heating and cooling loss in the Meetinghouse. As part of the Pac YM Unity with Nature Committee I have collaborated with Quaker Earthcare Witness to co-facilitate an Eco-Grief Worship Sharing Group for Friends and remain committed to helping Friends acknowledge and identify the complex feelings associated with the climate crisis as a way to move from grief and distress to active hope. (Jan 10, 2023) Nancy Glock-grueneich, Santa Cruz
January 10, 2023 Name Nancy Glock-Grueneich Email [email protected] Meeting or Worship Group Santa Cruz Please describe your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism. Our "Stormwater Stewardship" project has occupied us off and on for the past couple of years, first ascertaining that we are exceptionally well positioned to gather water from surrounding neighborhoods and guide it to a nearby aquifer (helping refill it and preventing saltwater infusion.) Our FUN Committee will have two educational meetings in Spring, one on this project, and another on Friendly Water, looking at how we can help Friend's Meetings and others in Kenya, Uganda, Congo and India. This will, we hope, kick off some further educational sessions and inquiries into other ways our Meeting can be involved with climate resilience and recovery. We are also working with our local water district and city to use our initiative as an example to prompt other faith communities and others to help out with issues of water stewardship and other resilience questions. Finally, we look forward to exploring ways that the eco-grief work might be made available in our area as the result of involvement in it starting with Friends in our Meeting. Keith Runyan, Strawberry Creek
February 2, 2023 Name Keith Runyan Email [email protected] Meeting or Worship Group Strawberry Creek Please describe your own and/or your Meeting's climate projects, interest areas or activism. While I'm currently between meetings, my ministry primarily concerns planting seeds for a movement centering wisdom, healing, and radical nonviolence that might create the heat behind a flashpoint that has the potential to turn the tides of the Anthropocene Extinction and initiate a Great Turning. Please add any ideas, concerns, questions, or tools and resources that you have found helpful as well. Review the work of Bayo Akomolafe and Daniel Schmachtenberger. |
