We just returned from a trip driving through some northern California redwoods, impressed by the stunning beauty and majestic grandeur of these old-growth survivors. As rays of light shine through the darkness, so too are movements and actions that bring hope that help us face our climate crisis. These are but a few that have come to my attention: April 4, 2023, at 11 a.m. PDT - Richenda Fairhurst of Climate Cafe Multifaith will have a conversation with Dr. Rohany Nayan Fostering Friendships for People and Climate: Ramadan and Right Intention. "Dr. Nayan founded the Jariyah Foundation and invites us to hope together in the effort to build legacies with a positive and ongoing impact in local and global communities." Register here April 4, 2023, at 5 p.m. PDT - Ashland Climate Collaborative is having a Ride For Safe Streets and the Climate. Meet at the Plaza and ride your bicycle to the Ashland City Council Chambers to show support for a safe bicycle network in Ashland, OR. April 4, 2023, to May 2, 2023, from 4-7 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network is hosting a 4-week course on Tuesday afternoons: Creating Ecozoic Practice with Margie Abbott, RSM, "This experiential course contributes to a growing understanding that all life is interconnected and part of an evolving universe. It’s an invitation to fall in love with Earth, enter more deeply into relationships, and ignite sparks of compassion that lead to action." These practices contribute to Goal Six of Laudato Si’ (Ecological Spirituality) which invites changing language and developing prayer and ritual to mirror the interconnectedness of everything and the Spirit of Love permeating all matter. Register here. April 6-20, 2023 - Climate Reality Project is offering online video training Power Up Training: From Acts to Action, to leverage the IRA and Infrastructure Act. "I really recommend this training!! The information is invaluable, and you get connected to the hub and others both locally and internationally who are doing this work." ~ Richenda Fairhurst April 6, 2023, at 1 p.m. PDT. - Global Kinship, a project of Creation Spirituality, will present a Zoom webinar entitled Cosmogenesis and the Noosphere. This will be an interview by Jennifer Morgan of Brian Thomas Swimme, author of the 2022 book Cosmogenesis, Unveiling the Expanding Universe. Register here. April 8, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT -Southern Oregon Citizens' Climate Lobby meets at Pony Expresso in Ashland, OR. 175 Lithia Way, Ashland, OR 97520. The Speaker this month on the national call is Kajsa Hendrickson, the director of Future 500. To learn more and download the CCL April Action Sheet by clicking "Get the Action Sheet", click here, April 10, 2023, at 7-8 p.m, PDT on Zoom- Oregon Interfaith Power & Light Advocacy Team is having a monthly gathering. Guest speaker, Chris Smith, from the Just Crossing Alliance will be sharing about the I-5 bridge replacement project over the Columbia River. Click here for the Zoom link. If you haven't already, please fill out this form to indicate the virtual and in-person advocacy opportunities you want to and are available to participate in this month. April 10-16, 2023 - Food Waste Prevention Week is a nationwide event designed to raise awareness and engage with folks about solutions. Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality is a Sponsor of this campaign. Flavia Franco of Southern Oregon Food Solutions is leading the Composting Action Team at Ashland Climate Collaborative. April 12, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT -The next UCC Creation Justice Webinar is entitled Getting Ready for Earth Sunday: Resources for Congregations." will bring the lens of justice to food, the most immediate and tangible way that we connect with the natural world around us. In this webinar, Karyn Bigelow will introduce the resource and talk about specific ways churches can deliver a powerful message and experience on Earth Sunday. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time still sign-up, and we will send you a link to a recording of it. Register here. April 13, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT - Divest Oregon will deliver a Stop the Money Pipeline (STMP) petition to the State Treasurer in Salem demanding that he vote PERS shares at banks and insurance companies in favor of resolutions to stop funding fossil fuel companies. Divest Oregon will be meeting at 10 a.m. at 3155 Ryan Drive, Salem (Denny’s) to walk over to the new Treasury building together. Contact Gary before April 12 via email or phone to get more info. Over 40,000 people have signed a petition to ask Treasurers around the country urging them to vote YES on climate and Indigenous rights resolutions at banks and insurance companies. April 14 - 23, 2023 - Faith Climate Action Week is ten days in April during "Earth Month" when Interfaith Power and Light congregations focus on how we can all take action to protect our climate. This year's theme is Living the Golden Rule: Just Transition to a clean energy economy. Click here for a link to Oregon Ecumenical Ministries and Oregon Interfaith Power and Light. April 17-28, 2023 - Oregon Interfaith Power & Light (OIPL) Earth Week Advocacy meetings will be joining an IN PERSON advocacy day with the Building Resilience coalition on April 20, 2023. The Community Resilience Hubs coalition lobby day on April 25 has both VIRTUAL AND IN PERSON OPTIONS. There are also opportunities to attend and/or speak up to the Ways & Means Committee through their "road show" at locations around the state (mostly in person; the Salem event will be virtual and in person) April 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. PDT on Zoom - Climate Cafe MultiFaith will focus on Land Stewardship in Urban Community Settings and Beyond with guest Tiffany Jones. They will discuss "habitat-sustaining green design in urban landscapes, in unactivated city lots, community centers, and outside churches, temples, and other places of worship." Register here. April 18, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. PDT - Deloitte and Insider Events are presenting For a Better Future: Bridging Culture, Business, and Climate. "You’ll learn how the concepts of empowerment and circularity inspire climate action in the world of business and the larger culture. The speaker lineup will be a diverse set of cross-sector climate champions, such as climate justice advocates, circular fashion heroes, and businesses. Register here for the multi-session editorial conference to learn more about: -Sustainable style and how circular fashion is changing the fashion industry. -How businesses are partnering to impact the climate. -The role of biodiversity in coming together for a greener tomorrow. -How the sports sector is impacting the environment. April 18-26, 2023 - Heart Mind Institute LLC in partnership with Neurodynamic Institute LLC will present the Expanded States of Consciousness World Summit. with an interesting lineup of 60 video presentations over 8 days. Psychedelics, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, Plant Medicine, Breathwork, Meditation, Shamanism, and more… Dr. Fleet Maull, Ph.D. is the Founder of Heart Mind Institute LLC, a Master Trainer, Author, Consultant, and Executive Coach, steeped in contemplative wisdom traditions, the psychology of self-actualization, and current neuroscience, Previous Global Resilience Summits were held in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Maull also has created a membership Heart Mind Community. All this might be a little far out for most folks, but the thought of an emerging global mind intrigues me. April 19, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT on Zoom - UMCJ Movement Café meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month and this April meeting will discuss innovative creation justice activities happening in the United Methodist Annual Conferences. Come to learn more about the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement and share your own stories. Recordings and notes from previous Cafés can be seen here. Register here. April 20, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is hosting Earth Day Worship (live-streamed). The theme is Active for Earthcare! There will be meditation, song, and stories to honor the natural world and become Active for Earthcare – a call to engage in the face of the climate crisis. Register here. April 21, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. PDT - Rogue Community College is celebrating Earth Day 2023 at the Riverside campus (HEC) in Medford and the Redwood Campus in Grants Pass April 21, 2023, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. PDT - Earth Day Extravaganza at The Farm at SOU (next to ScienceWorks). There will be exhibitors, entertainment, an ecoquest adventure, educational mini-workshops, games, and more, all in celebration of the 52nd Earth Day. Sign up to volunteer. April 22, 2023, at 8 a.m. PDT - Join the UCC's first Earth Day Summit featuring the Rev. Jim Antal and an array of uplifting panelists and presentations focused on the theme "What's Possible?: Earth Day Stories of Hope. During this two-and-a-half-hour event a panel of grassroots organizers will share their success stories.Sign-up today for this free event! April 22, 2023, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PDT - SOCAN's Sustaining Climate Activists Project hosts monthly gatherings with social time as well as circling up and checking in with each other. Their April meeting will be in-person at Blue Heron Park, 4385 Pacific Hwy, Phoenix. Masks optional. Facilitated by Ken Deveney and Liz Olson. April 22, 2023, at 12 p.m. PDT on Zoom - Creation Spirituality Communities will host an Earth Day Labyrinth Walk. Mary Ann Wamhoff will lead us on a virtual labyrinth walk to apply Creation Spirituality to an ancient practice of moving meditation. No need to pre-register; Zoom Link here. April 25, 2023, from 6-7:30 p.m. PDT - SOCAN is having its monthly meeting in person at the Medford Public Library, 205 S. Central Ave, Medford, OR. Featured speakers will be members of the SOCAN Federal and State Project Team on the topic Salem 2023: What's up? April 25, 2023 - Oregon Just Transition Alliance is gathering Oregonians from all over the state to meet in Salem with our lawmakers to urge them to create Community Resilience Hubs to protect our communities before, during, and after climate emergencies. Register here. April 25-27, 2023 on Zoom - Ecumenical Advocacy Days is "an annual gathering of Christian advocates and activists who worship, delve deeply into the pressing issues of the day, and lift our voices by speaking truth to power on Capitol Hill. The theme of this year’s virtual conference is "Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All & Pursuing Peace." Workshops will include several related to creation care and climate justice." Learn more here. April 27, 2023, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. PDT - Citizens Climate Lobby Co-Leader Linda Tetreault will present a free talk on “Living and Working on the Front Line of Climate Change” at Gambrel Annex, 2082 East Main St., Ashland, OR.

Here's a brief list of online and Rogue Valley in-person activities that may be of interest to you. Check back as this post will be updated as we get additional information. May 2, 2023 at 11 a.m. PDT - Climate Cafe Multifaith digs into the funding and resources available through government grants and mandates to address environmental injustice and climate change. Within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) $369 billion dollars is allocated to address environmental justice, energy solutions, emissions reductions and climate change resilience. Register. Click here for a link to the Vimeo recording if you missed the in-person gathering. May 4, 2023 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. - Rogue Climate is having Cinema Project - an in-person, free event at the Rogue Climate Office (205 N. Phoenix Rd. Suite G, Phoenix, OR, 97535). Click here to RSVP "The Rogue Climate Cinema Project is a series of film screenings about climate justice, hosted in collaboration with Working Films. This screening features the film We Still Here, which tells the story of young residents from Comerío, Puerto Rico, who take action in their community in response to their government’s poor emergency relief management during Hurricane Maria." "After the film, there will be a panel discussion about experiences with community organizing and disaster relief efforts in the Rogue Valley over the last couple of years–and current opportunities to get involved in Southern Oregon." May 5, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - Unitarian Universalists Ministry For Earth's online monthly Spiritual Gatherings help us ground, recenter, and imagine what is possible in a world in need of repair. To draw us more closely into alignment with Earth-based philosophies, UUMFE follows the Lunar Calendar. They gather, via Zoom, on the Full Moon to nourish our spirit with a time for reflection and small group sharing. Bring a pen and some paper. Register here. May 8-11, 2023 - GreenFaith is presenting No Faith in Fossil Fuels, A Climate Finance Summit. "From May 8-11 people of faith will gather to learn about how banks and asset managers continue to invest in the fossil fuel industries that are destroying communities in the U.S. and around the world – and then find out how to hold these financial institutions accountable. Together, we can commit to taking the bold steps necessary to effect real change." Find the complete agenda here. Register here. May 11, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT on Zoom - Join Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill, Executive Director of The BTS Center, for a lunchtime “Let’s Talk!” conversation with Rabbi Natan Margalit, author of the 2022 book The Pearl and the Flame: A Journey into Jewish Wisdom and Ecological Thinking and founder of the non-profit Organic Torah. Register here. May 10, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - Unitarian Universalists Ministry For Earth will celebrate International Biodiversity Day with a new curriculum: “May You Survive and Thrive” - a multi-generational, arts-based family ministry curriculum designed to cultivate and sustain ecological awareness within and between congregations and communities. Join in to learn more about how you can use this in your congregation, family, and community. Register here. May 13, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT - Southern Oregon Citizens' Climate Lobby will be meeting at Pony Expresso in Ashland for their Monthly Meeting and to hear the national call with Adam Simon, Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan. Each month volunteers around the world gather locally for group meetings to do four things: Learn, Celebrate, Practice, and Act. Learn more and download the CCL May Action Sheet by clicking "Get the Action Sheet", click here May 16, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. PDT - BTS Center is having an online gathering for trained spiritual directors and spiritual companions: Spiritual Direction for a Climate-Changed World with Justin Ferko, Rev. Dr. Stephanie Perdew, and Rev. Dr. Wanda Stahl. Stephanie trains other spiritual guides through the Spiritual Guidance Training Program of the Siena Center of the Racine Dominicans, Racine, Wisconsin. Most recently, Wanda served on the faculty and as Director of Contextual Education at Boston University School of Theology where her favorite moments were engaging with students exploring questions of meaning, purpose, and vocation. There is a $35 fee with scholarships available. Register here. May 16, 2023, at 11 a.m. PDT - Climate Cafe Multifaith discusses Sacred Sanctuary: The Fight to Save Oak Flat (efforts of the San Carlos Apache and other tribal leaders to stop a proposed open-pit copper mine.) Register. May 18, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT - Artis Imogene Drummond presents Walking and Wandering: An EcoSpiritual Journey, sharing her three-month pre-pandemic “walkabout” in Scotland and Spain. Register here. May 23, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - Deeptime Network presents The Sacred Depths of Nature, a free book celebration with eminent biologist and religious naturalist Ursula Goodenough upon the release of the new edition of her classic book, Click here for info and to register! May 30, 2023, at 6-7:30 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's Monthly Meeting (at the Medford Public Library) will focus on what other climate change groups in the area are doing. They plan to offer a panel with one representative from each of the invited groups. The program title is - Climate Action in the Rogue Valley: What are regional organizations doing?

Here's a brief list of various online and Rogue Valley in-person activities this summer that may be of interest to you. Check back as this post will be updated as we get additional information. June 1, 2023, at 1 p.m. PDT - Global Kinship is presenting Towards A Global Ethic with Stephen Avino, Executive Director of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and Kusumita P. Pederson, author and UN advocate. Register here. Global Kinship Webinar happens on the 1st Thursday of the month and is sponsored by CSCommunities.org The purpose is to "explore the emerging Noosphere as it emerges through us." "Global Kinship, Exploring the Emerging Noosphere addresses the phenomenon of the complexification of human creativity, technology, and consciousness that has evolved within our species - from the first "Aha!" moments of the earliest tribes to this rapidly rising consciousness and interconnectivity among humans around the world." "Through technology, culture, arts, economics, medicine, sociability, the human heart, and a shared concern for our ecological fragility, we are quickly becoming a global community." One hundred years ago, Pierre Teilhard and Vladimir Vernadsky predicted that Earth, through us, would grow a new layer beyond the geosphere and biosphere. They named this layer the Noosphere. To participate in this meeting of the minds, we need to pay attention to what is happening both inside and outside of us. June 1, 2023, from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's Ashland Climate Action Team will learn more about Ashland’s Climate & Energy Action Plan (CEAP), review the projects we identified last month and talk about our meeting format as we go forward. June 2, 2023, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. PDT. - SOCAN’S Medford Climate Action Team meeting will focus on supporting the Medford Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Planning (CCARP) and other activities to support Medford’s efforts to address climate change. June 6, 2023, at 11 a.m. PDT - Climate Cafe Multifaith discusses "When your neighbor says No" - The Yakama tribe fight to save Goldendale, WA, from constructing a hydroelectric pumped-storage energy project. Addressing climate change is a moral imperative. Register. June 5, 2023, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's Talent Climate Action Team meets monthly on the 1st Tuesday at the Talent Public Library or Talent Community Center. The meetings include a short presentation on issues of interest to those living in Talent followed by updates from the Talent Action Groups. June 6, 2023, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. PDT - Medford UCC has a newly formed Creation Justice Team. Find out what's happening with the Team in the Fireside area of Lidgate. June 6, 2023, at 5:45 p.m. PDT - Rogue Climate is inviting people to attend the Ashland City Council Meeting at the Council Chambers, 1175 E Main St., and support youth organizers who are advocating for the city to adopt an “emissions standard” ordinance that puts a limit on the amount of harmful emissions that new residential buildings can produce. Rogue Climate is bringing communities together to stop the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal and transition to renewable energy. You can connect with Rogue Climate on Facebook or follow the campaign to stop Jordan Cove LNG on Facebook at No LNG Exports. Rogue Climate is also on Twitter and Instagram. Please consider becoming a monthly donor to keep this rural movement for climate justice strong and growing. June 7, 2023. at 10 a.m. PDT - Climate Central is presenting a media briefing "Using Attribution Science to Cover Weather/Climate Connections." Want to know the climate connection to your weather? This media briefing will bring together experts to help journalists understand the advancements in attribution science and resources to incorporate in your reporting. Recordings will be provided to all registrants. Register here. Speakers will include: Anthony Leiserowitz, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication Friederike Otto, Imperial College of London, World Weather Attribution Roop Singh, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Andrew Pershing, Climate Central June 7, 2023, from 6-7 p.m. PDT - Rogue Climate is inviting community members to their office (205 N. Phoenix Rd., Phoenix, OR) to 1) give testimony at the virtual public hearing about Avista (the gas utility company that services most of Southern Oregon) hope to raise the rates of customer energy bills by 8.1% starting this November 2023; 2) to attend the virtual public hearing on zoom; and 3) submit a written comment by email to the Public Utility Commission by filling out the form at the end of their webpage linked here. June 10, 2023, at 10 a.m. PDT - Southern Oregon Citizens' Climate Lobby meets Saturday at Pony Espresso in Ashland, OR. All are welcome. The Speaker this month on the national call is Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350. To learn more and download the CCL June Action Sheet by clicking "Get the Action Sheet", click here June 11, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PDT - Deadline to sign up for Pachamama Alliance's Game Changer Intensive, "an 8-week online course that will prepare you to engage in effective collective action toward a just and sustainable future; transform your concern for the world into action." Orientation will begin June 13th and the course will continue through the week of August 8th. Register here. June 17, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT - The Great Turning Summit - inspiring stories from the movement toward a life-sustaining society. This is a doorway to "pivot toward a livable future, a collaboration between millions of people and the more-than-human world. This summit will offer up a healthy dose of honoring and inspiration, highlighting the good works of communities from all over the world. Featuring Joanna Macy, Lyla June, Pat McCabe, brontë velez, Lydia Violet, John Seed, Vahisha Hasan, MaMuse, Leilani Navar, and more!" Register for free. June 19, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - SOCAN's Jacksonville Climate Action Team meets monthly on the 3rd Monday in the Jacksonville Public Library Community Room. Anyone interested in climate action in Jacksonville is invited to attend. June 20, 2023 - Klamath-Siskiyou Wildland Center reports that June 20th is the deadline for the public to make public comments, regarding President Biden's mature and old-growth Executive Order. Both the Forest Service and BLM have announced a proposed pathway for protecting our remaining ancient forests once and for all, This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to call for permanent protections for federal mature and old-growth forests from logging. June 20-22, 2023 - Elders Climate Action is hosting an open screening of the documentary film To The End. Limited tickets are available for this event so reserve yours today! June 21, 2023, at 11 a.m. PDT - Interfaith Power & Light is having a webinar Learn How to Finance Solar at Your Congregation. If you aren't able to attend, you can still register, and IPL will send the recording out to everyone who registered. REGISTER HERE "Learn more about the different ways congregations can finance solar from Jerry Bernstein, author of IPL’s Solar Financing for Congregations. Then we’ll take a deeper look at one of the options that allow a congregation to install solar with no up-front costs, called power purchase agreements." "Andreas Karelas, the Executive Director of RE-volv will explain how these agreements benefit a congregation and why they are still a good idea, even with the new government support for nonprofits to go solar. Andreas will also offer a sneak peak at how the new government bonuses will likely be distributed to congregations going solar." "RE-volv is a climate justice nonprofit that helps nonprofits in underserved communities across the country go solar while raising awareness about equitable climate solutions and training the next generation of clean energy leaders." "Then we’ll hear from an IPL solar congregation on how they got started, overcame challenges, and successfully cut their energy use with solar." June 25–July 2, 2023 - The Institute on Religion in the Age of Science is having its 2023 IRAS Conference at Star Island, NH: The Wizards of Climate Change: How Can Technology Serve Hope and Justice? According to Roger Brown, the Conference will be streamed for the cost of IRAS membership e.g. you must join $40. June 26, 2023, at noon - The Oregon Chapter of the Illinois Valley Sierra Club, Williams Community Forest Project, Sustainable Rogue Valley, and RCC Earth Club are inviting everyone to join them at Alba Park, 301 E. Main Street, Medford, to help protect our climate forests from logging. "Keeping our older trees in the ground is a critical climate solution! Your presence will make a difference. Let’s gather a big crowd to raise up the message to the public and the media: Bring a picnic, enjoy live music, and get updated on forest protection efforts. Celebrate the forests that provide cooling shade and clean water for all creatures!" "Forest-themed costumes and colorful signs are encouraged. Also, sign this petition (to be delivered at the rally to staffers for Senators Wyden and Merkley) asking for funding for proven community-based wildfire safety solutions instead of backcountry logging." https://www.cascwild.org/take-action-call-on-senators.../ June 27, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT - Elders Climate Action is having their National Call with Our Children's Trust: Climate Justice in Hawai’i: Youth Have a Right to Live Healthful Lives in a Sustaining Climate. Hear from Rylee Brooke, a plaintiff in Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and attorneys, Kimberly Willis and Joanna Zeigler, to learn about this landmark climate lawsuit. Register Now June 27, 2023, at 4 p.m. PDT on Zoom - Join Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, Mariko Middleton, and others from the global Order of the Sacred Earth as we come together to listen, share, and support one another within this growing movement. There are many ways to plug into our network as we create more avenues for cross-pollination and community support so please come with an open heart and mind! Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 June 27, 2023, from 5-6 p.m. PDT on Zoom - Ashland Climate Collaborative is having a webinar: Are We Moving Toward a 100% Electric Ashland? The Rogue Climate's youth-led Action Team and their supporters filled the City Council Chambers on June 6th. Ashland youth climate activists are pushing the City to restrict "natural" gas (methane) hookups in new homes. At the same time, more and more residents are converting their homes to 100% electric, eyeing the financial incentives coming our way through the Inflation Reduction Act. Register Here. June 27, 2023, at 6 p.m. PDT on Zoom - The June SOCAN monthly general meeting will focus on the efforts of Divest Oregon to bring the Treasury more in line with the wishes of the majority of Oregon citizens. The program will feature Rory Cowal from Divest Oregon who will discuss the reasons for divestment, the efforts of Divest Oregon to achieve it, what the next steps will be subsequent to the failure of HB2601 during the 2023 session; and what we can do individually to invest conscientiously. There is no charge for joining the ZOOM meeting, but participants must register at the link on the SOCAN calendar event: https://socan.eco/event/divest-together/ June 28, 2023, at 4:45 p.m. PDT - IRAS is presenting a webinar: Overshoot: The World beyond 1.5°C​. Presenter Wake Smith is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is also a Lecturer at Yale, where he teaches a course on climate engineering. That course material was published in book form in March 2022: Pandora’s Toolbox: The Hopes and Hazards of Climate Intervention. This IRAS webinar is FREE, but registration is required. Register here. Register for June 28 We Other Summer Events of Interest July-September 2023 - Human Energy Project's Science of the Noosphere will investigate the relevance of this deep evolutionary perspective to the social, technological, and ecological challenges humanity faces in the contemporary world." This project is "directed by David Sloan Wilson, one of the foremost living evolutionary scientists who, like Teilhard de Chardin, includes all aspects of humanity in addition to the biological world as within his scientific purview." Apply to the class by filling out this application form. Space is limited to 100. They are "looking for participants who are eager to learn and reflect upon the noosphere and their own worldview." More information regarding the class can be found here. August 14–18, 2023 - The 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions will be held in Chicago, August 20, 2023 - Sustainable Rogue Valley and RCC Earth Club will host a film/conversation event. Also scheduled for October 15, 2023.

In this YouTube video on emergent spirituality, stand-up philosopher and prolific author Tim Freke presents a new worldview in which God is not the source, but the destination. He opens with the radical idea that time does not pass, but accumulates, and with characteristic energy and passion, he suggests that reality is information, emerging first as matter, then as biology, and now as a distinct immaterial level – as spirit. Meaning, volition, magic and immortality belong exclusively to this level. This Emergent Spirituality offers a life-enhancing understanding of the deep purpose of existence, and can heal our modern soul crisis. The talk was given at SAND 2017. Science And Nonduality (SAND) "is a community inspired by timeless wisdom, informed by cutting-edge science, and grounded in personal experience. We come together in an openhearted exploration to further our individual and collective evolution. New "ways of being" emerge. We embody our interconnectedness and celebrate our humanity."

Palisades wildfire in Topanga CA May, 2021. Photo by Amir AghaKouchak/UC Irvine. A study released June 12 2023 by a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists shows that Anthropogenic climate change impacts exacerbate summer forest fires in California. The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Nearly all the recent increase in summer wildfire burned area is attributable to human-caused (anthropogenic) climate change. The team modeled the climate drivers of summer wildfire activity in California and found that "the drivers of increasing summer burn area are all anthropogenic."Anthropogenic simulations yielded burn areas an average of 172% higher than natural variation simulations." Although repeated wildfires consume fuel and limit the activity of subsequent fires in the same area, the team estimated that "the next decades (between 2031 and 2050) may see a further increase in the average summer burn area in California of up to 52% more than current average burn areas." Insurers are rethinking property coverage in areas of California. As of this writing, The Guardian reports "huge swaths of the US continue to face extreme weather as temperatures persist into the triple digits in the south and south-west while smoke pollution is blighting the midwest.... [and] This year’s wildfire season is the worst on record in Canada, with some 76,000 sq km (29,000 sq miles) burning across eastern and western Canada. With much of Canada still experiencing unusually warm and dry conditions, “there’s still no end in sight”," On the positive side, on December 5, 2022 LLNL finally achieved fusion ignition via lasers, perhaps opening the way for an unlimited, clean energy source, less than a decade away, with resources of deuterium and tritium in the ocean. Fusion drives the sun and stars. This effort over decades involving thousands of brilliant minds around the globe represents an expression of the expansion of the noosphere or planetary mind. LLNL's Earth and Atmospheric Science research teams also tackle complex issues related to national security challenges such as ensuring the resilience of energy delivery systems. They do atmospheric modeling and "risk assessments that enable public safety personnel to effectively respond to atmospheric dispersions of hazardous chemicals." Techno-optimists are encouraged that science and a technology-enhanced global mind might still avert an environmental catastrophe.

Science informs us that climate change is happening, it's human-caused, it's getting worse and it is causing disruption and suffering. The climate crisis is the most urgent, but long problem humanity has ever faced. It is an existential threat to human civilization and all living creatures in the biosphere. There are several very effective non-sectarian, non-profit, climate activist organizations based in the Rogue Valley or with local chapters here such as SOCAN, Ashland Climate Collaborative, Rogue Climate, Pachamama Alliance, Citizens Climate Lobby, Some are focused on practical, science-based technical solutions; some are education-oriented, intended to raise awareness of global climate issues; some are intended to build local community activism; some support youth and BIPOC activism; while others are primarily political advocacy and lobbying efforts at the state and federal level. There are also many state-oriented climate advocacy groups addressing specific issues such as the preservation of old-growth forests, State legislative agendas; and divestment from fossil fuel investments., etc. Drawdown, "the world's leading resource for climate solutions," catalogs and prioritizes the impact of the myriad of actions that can help reverse global warming. Regeneration, the latest iteration from Paul Hawken "puts life at the center of every thought and action." It offers "a punch list of personal, group, or institutional actions that you can, want to, and will do." Some movements such as the Human Energy Project want to influence a transition into a new, positive, emerging, evolutionary, science-based cosmology and global worldview of the noosphere - a third story. This effort is aimed at restoring a long-term vision of the future - a vision of hope about our potential as a human species to penetrate into ideas beyond our experience and improve our conscious response. So what special contributions do spiritual communities bring to climate solutions? Foremost is our calling to love our neighbors and future generations and be good stewards of all of creation. It is our moral and ethical responsibility to protect those who are most vulnerable and disadvantaged and don't have a voice - climate injustice is a force that amplifies every other social injustice. We need to incarnate the changes we long for and proclaim truth in the public square. Faith-based groups are certainly not unique in recognizing and responding to this global, ethical challenge, but they must contribute to solutions, as an important part of their witness. Nationally, there are faith-based organizations such as Interfaith Power & Light, GreenFaith, Creation Justice Ministries, and ecoAmerica. At the state level, there are interfaith organizations such Oregon Interfaith Power & Light (OIPL) and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO). Numerous denominational and non-Christian religious organizations are also focused on Creation Justice. Faith communities need not reinvent the wheel in coming up with ideas to spread awareness of Creation justice actions appropriate for their congregations. Here are some examples of organizational practices from the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement; Unitarian Universalists; and the United Church of Christ. Top Twelve Actions Elizabeth Williams of the United Methodist Greater Northwest Conference Earthkeeper developed a list of the Top 12 Actions for the UM Creation Justice Movement, broken down into examples for individuals, faith communities, and governments, as well as examples of organizations working in those areas. Facilitate Motivate Educate Advocate Reallocate Detoxicate Anticipate Accentuate Eliminate Contemplate Rejuvenate Activate Creation Justice Tips - Free, monthly tips for churches to use in their worship bulletin, church newsletter, weekly emails, and more. Creation Care Network - Join others who are engaged in environmental justice and build your local grassroots community - this is an online platform to help members of The United Methodist Church and established ministry partners put creation care and environmental justice values into action. Join the UM Creation Care Network here. Movement Cafe - This is a UM informal, virtual space to facilitate connection and conversation about creation care and justice issues. Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is "a seedbed for spiritual grounding and education that inspires deep practices of Earth care, justice and flourishing for all." They have a Newsletter; Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages. Embodiment - Spiritual Gatherings; Recordings; Worship and Small Group Resources; and Food For the Spirit. Empowerment - Workshops; Recordings; Curriculum; Young Adults; BIPOC Enagement - Support for Activists; Resources; Actions; Partners; and a Blog. United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Ministries - Learn more about their history, the Creation Justice Church program, Earth Day resources, the Pollinator Newsletter, Creation Justice Webinars, and the work of the UCC Council for Climate Justice. Environmental Minister Brooks Berndt. has written the book Cathedral on Fire - a climate crisis handbook that focuses our attention on the vitally needed gifts that churches can offer for the climate crisis. Three Great Loves is a resource document for pastors and churches.

A study by Berkeley researchers Christoper Jones and Daniel M. Mammen studied the Spatial Distribution of U.S. Household Carbon Footprints Reveals Suburbanization Undermines the Greenhouse Gas Benefits of Urban Population Density. They found consistently lower HCF in urban core cities and higher carbon footprints in outlying suburbs. Their study used national household surveys to develop econometric models of demand for energy, transportation, food, goods, and services. The models were used to derive average household carbon footprints (HCF) for U.S. zip codes, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. The figure above shows the relative proportion of HCF due to travel, home, food, goods, and services. Use their calculator to modify your personal HCF. Even if car fuel is reduced by having an electric vehicle, other factors remain. Carbon footprint profiles of almost all U.S. zip codes, cities, counties, and states are available on the project Web site, http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/carboncalculator, and an interactive mapping Web site, http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/maps. The December 13, 2022, New York Times article The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped notes: "A map of emissions linked to the way people consume goods and services offers a different way to view what’s driving global warming. Usually, greenhouse gases are measured at the source: power plants burning natural gas or coal, cows belching methane, or cars and trucks burning gasoline. But a consumption-based analysis assigns those emissions to the households that are ultimately responsible for them: the people who use electricity, drive cars, eat food, and buy goods." As previously noted, Molly Kawabata says, "The fossil fuel industry has promoted the "individual carbon footprint" to deceive the public and turned the table of responsibility from those who are causing the problem onto individual users. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that a "lawsuit – filed in the US federal district court of Puerto Rico – evidence of the conspiracy dates back to 1989 when the defendants, which include ExxonMobil, Shell, BP and Rio Tinto, individually and through trade association formed the Global Climate Coalition (GCC) as a “not-for-profit corporation to influence, advertise, and promote the interests of the fossil fuel industry by giving false information to their consumers and the public at large”.

From June 20-22, 2023 Elders Climate Action is hosting an open screening of the documentary film To The End. Limited tickets are available for this event so reserve yours today! When you register you will receive a link to screen To The End on your own any time between June 20–22. Watch with your children and (older) grandchildren, friends, and neighbors. This film captures the rise of a new generation of leaders behind the most sweeping climate change legislation in US history. Filmed over the course of four years, the documentary includes up-to-the-minute footage of last year‘s historical climate bill, the Inflation Reduction Act. Following four important changemakers—including: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Varshini Prakash, climate activist Rihana Gunn-Wright, climate policy writer Alexandria Rojas political strategist "This film allows us to witness the fear, struggle, and desperation youth are feeling in their fight for a livable future amidst the challenges of politics, power, and climate change." The open screening will be followed on June 22, 2023 at 4 p.m. PDT by an intergenerational panel discussion. Because this panel involves youth, this discussion will not be recorded so plan to attend virtually. After the panel discussion, participants will have the opportunity to join breakout rooms and discuss personal reactions and strategies for action in small groups. "Our youth activist allies will discuss what it takes to push through their fears to protect their own future, and the tactics they are using to raise their voices and make change. They will discuss why elders have a duty to the youth to stand with them in this fight." Elders Climate Action (ECA) is a project of Elders Action Network based in San Jose, CA. They "are determined to do all they can to leave a sustainable planet for future generations. ECA is non-partisan, and does not support, endorse, or advocate for any political party or candidate." They "work to inform, inspire, and engage others to take action on the climate crisis." They "actively support the youth movements springing up in the United States and throughout the world."

The Institute on Religion in the Age of Science is having its 2023 IRAS Conference at Star Island, NH, from June 25–July 2, 2023: The Wizards of Climate Change: How Can Technology Serve Hope and Justice? According to Roger Brown, it will be streamed for the cost of IRAS membership e.g. you must join ($40 for first-time members). This conference will "critically examine how technology can be developed, deployed and governed responsibly, to address climate change in ways that foster hope and justice. We will respectfully engage a multiplicity of world views, including religious perspectives, as we learn how countries throughout the world determine and apply climate and technology policies." Monday, June 26 – Technology and Religion: Wizardry and Prophecy Tuesday, June 27 – Public Engagement around Climate Change and Intervention Wednesday, June 28 – Uncertainty about the Future of Climate and Technologies Thursday, June 29 – Responsible Development and Regulation of Technology Friday, June 30 – Deploying Technologies to Foster Justice and Equity Saturday, July 1 – Curating Sources of Hope in Regard to Technology The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a co-sponsor of the conference. AGU members will receive a discounted registration rate. Read for more details.

"My conversation with Greta Thunberg brought together scientists and spiritual thinkers to take a fresh look at the environmental crisis that we are all facing. From this came 'A Future We Can Love'—a book offering hope to all. Join us in creating a brighter future." ~ June 13, 2023 Tweet from Dalai Lama. A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts and Minds "shares the words of these two great figures, generations apart, bringing them into dialogue with dozens of visionary scientists, activists, and spiritual luminaries." These include: Dalai Lama (Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader) Greta Thunberg (Swedish environmental activist) Joanna Macy (environmental activist, author, and scholar of Buddhism) Vandana Shiva (Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalization author) Paul Hawken (environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, economist, and activist) Katharine Hayhoe (Canadian atmospheric scientist, political scientist, science communicator, and Christian) Matthieu Ricard (French Buddhist monk, writer, translator, and photographer) Lyla June, (indigenous scholar, community organizer, and artist) Diana Beresford-Kroeger, (medical biochemist, polymath and author) Kritee Kanko, (climate scientist and Zen teacher) Dekila Chungyalpa, (interfaith environmental leader) Willa Blythe Baker, (Buddhist teacher) Rabbi Steve Leder ( In an excerpt from her June, 2023 book, A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts and Minds, Susan Bauer-Wu explains that "in order to find solutions to the climate crisis, we must first prioritize compassion." "More than a feeling, compassion is a call to action because it taps into a sense of responsibility and requires us to think beyond the immediate and beyond ourselves. It takes courage to open our eyes and unplug our ears to hear this call, let alone answer it." ~ Susan Bauer-WuFutue

On June 7, 2023, UCC is launching The United Church of Christ + Blessed Tomorrow Climate Ambassador On-Demand Training. The United Church of Christ is partnering with the Blessed Tomorrow Ambassadors Program to offer training that will equip you with the knowledge, hands-on experience, and resources to feel comfortable talking about climate change and act confidently on climate solutions. With this online training and a network of like-minded leaders, you will be able to engage your community, the public, and policymakers to inspire climate solutions that help protect our families and communities now and ensure a prosperous, just, and secure future. You will have 6 weeks to complete this 4 hour class of video presentations. Upon completing the training, you will be invited to sign the Ambassadors agreement, to become a Climate Ambassador. Signing up gives you access to tools, resources, and events to act and advocate for climate solutions. It also gives you access to a private online community of Ambassadors from across the nation who are passionate about being a voice for climate solutions. This online community is for sharing and collaboration and is also where you will access the support and resources for the Climate Ambassador program including the slides from the training and talking points to use in your own climate action. Register here with the code UCCBTAmbassador

"Le gout de vivre" or zest for life is a theme frequently used by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin to refer to the life force that animates evolution. It is a generative idea that as Paulo Freire puts it, "can touch people so deeply that it can stir them into effective action for creating profound social change." It refers to great enthusiasm and energy and a quality of excitement and piquancy - eagerness, keenness, and drive. It is a dynamic energy and movement, an aliveness that spurs us on, nourishes and sustains human attitudes, inspiring further action, growth and development. In the 2014 book From Teilhard to Omega: Co-Creating an Unfinished Universe (Ilia Delio, editor) Ursula King wrote chapter 11 titled The Zest for Life. This chapter explores Teilhards "large vision of hope, a new understanding of the Christian faith, a world in evolution, a passion for looking toward the future, and a conscious commitment to take on the responsibility of working toward a greater unification and higher evolution of the human species... a 'response-abilility' toward ourselves and others, the environment, nature, the earth, the human community, and Ultimate Reality, however named, often called the Spirit, or in theistic traditions, God." Ursula King writes "It was Teilhard's particular passion to draw special attention to the spiritual energy resource that we need to draw upon in order to feed the zest for life. Nowhere is this more strongly expressed than in his 1950 essay "The Zest for Living." "The zest for life - the will to live and love life to the full, and contribute to its growth - is an indispensable requisite for the continuity of life, especially in the form of a higher, more conscious, and spiritual life. It also shows itself in the development of a more integrated, stronger global human community that will give priority to promoting more equity, justice, and peace as well as a planetary ethic." One hundred years ago in 1923 Teilhard spoke of the Noosphere (the emergent world of global thought) and his absolute belief in the forward march of thought ("or of Spirit, if you like.). In his 1937 essay "Human Energy" Teilhard discusses the significance, organization, and maintenance of human energy, The Human Energy Project portrays a Third Story in the YouTube video above. It draws upon First Story sensitivity to the sacred; the Second Story of scientific processes and modern technological solutions; into a Third Story which "aims to find the common bond between the First and Second Story and create a meaningful direction for our shared future." Our human energy, thoughts, and activities influence the direction that the world takes. A few days ago I was contacted by filmmaker Alan Honick, who is currently developing a major documentary project based on the Human Energy Project's Science of the Noosphere; it will investigate the relevance of this deep evolutionary perspective to the social, technological, and ecological challenges humanity faces in the contemporary world." Honick told me about this project, "directed by David Sloan Wilson, one of the foremost living evolutionary scientists who, like Teilhard, includes all aspects of humanity in addition to the biological world as within his scientific purview." Honick also mentioned plans for an online course in July and a Human Energy Project Conference in Berkeley later this year as part of the 100th Year Celebration. Is anyone interested in participating as part of a small team of 3-5 people? Find out more information about the Master Class to be led by David Sloan Wilson from July-September here. According to the Liturgical Calendar May 28, 2023 is Pentecost Sunday or Whitsunday - a story of a sending by the Spirit with "tongues as of fire" to the ends of the earth with vision and prophecy about a new reality, where people of all nations are fully communicating and understanding one another. Marcus Borg saw Pentecost as an upending of the story of the Tower of Babble where people were divided against one another. I choose to interpret the Pentecost story through the lens of a Third Story worldview - "a dynamic energy and movement, an aliveness that spurs us on, nourishes and sustains human attitudes, inspiring further action, growth and development." What feeds your zest for life? Note: Ursula King is also the author of Spirit of Fire: The Life and Vision of Teilhard De Chardin, a book on the spiritual power of Teilhard's vision of divine presence in matter and the evolving universe." This is a book about "one of the true prophets of our age, bringing Christian theology into creative dialogue with the new cosmology, expanding the dialogue between religion and science, and opening up profound dimensions of the human condition." Another Ursula, (Ursula Goodenough) wrote the 2023 book, which I have yet to read: Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved. "The book presents an accessible and engaging account of our science-based understandings of Nature, with a focus on biology and ecology, and then suggests ways that this account can elicit abiding and enriching non-theistic spiritual responses, generating a religious naturalist orientation."

Global Kinship will present a Zoom webinar entitled Cosmogenesis and the Noosphere on April 6, 2023, at 1 p.m. PDT. This will be an interview by Jennifer Morgan of Brian Thomas Swimme, author of the 2022 book Cosmogenesis, Unveiling the Expanding Universe. This Zoom gathering "addresses the phenomenon of the complexification of human creativity, technology, and consciousness that has evolved within our species." Register here. Global KInship, Exploring the Emerging Noosphere, is sponsored by Creation Spirituality Communities and meets every first Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. PDT, Creation Spirituality is "about reawakening mysticism and protecting our planet." Creation Spirituality Communities (CSC) is a non-profit, "community of people working to integrate human existence with a healthy, sustained planet" - "a network of individuals and communities who experience our own spiritual paths in connection to the evolving paradigms of the universe." Through study, community, and practice, Creation Spirituality Communities create opportunities to deepen our compassion, justice, creativity, and vision for cultural transformation so that we all might experience our sacred connection to the Spirituality of Creation. Creation Spirituality "envisions a world where all humans live in an aligned and healthy relationship with Creation. We have an evolving and common global consciousness and practice of a loving & respectful relationship with Creation. By honoring all spiritual traditions, we enliven the interconnected web of life. We model open, and emerging perspectives by focusing on Creation itself and advocate for justice for all forms of life. We reclaim our original blessing." On February 2, 2023 Matthew Fox spoke on a Creation in Crisis Zoom webinar about Jung, Teilhard, and Creation Spirituality where he shared some lessons he learned when he wrote "Gifts from Teilhard to Jung and Further Convergences.” Teilhard de Chardin considered modern religion "enfeebled." He extends some needed medicine from the Creation Spirituality lineage to address humanity's need to evolve further - and in the process, reinvent religion. Teilhard calls for the “divinization of the universe," the sacredness of matter, and the naming of the Cosmic Christ. Teilhard de Chardin coined the term Noosphere. Christ is not Jesus's last name. The Cosmic Christ refers to the one through whom “all things hold together” (Col 1:17). This understanding is embraced not only by some Catholics but also by various Protestant denominations including some Episcopalians and even some Baptists. From The Human Energy Project: "The Noosphere is a layer of thoughtfulness enveloping the Earth. The word comes from the Greek noos (mind) and sphaira (sphere). The Noosphere is the third stage of Earth’s development, after the geosphere (think rocks, water, and air) and the biosphere (all living things). The three spheres build on each other: For example, life in the biosphere needs the geosphere to survive (matter, water, and air), and thinking needs to be embodied in the biosphere, via the living brains of human beings and our technology. So the Noosphere can be seen as the rise of a planetary superorganism integrating all geological, biological, human, and technological activities into a new level of planetary functioning."

On May 1, 2023, the New York Times reported ‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead. "Dr. Geoffrey Hinton said he has quit his job at Google, where he has worked for more than a decade and became one of the most respected voices in the field, so he can freely speak out about the risks of A.I. A part of him, he said, now regrets his life’s work." "“It is hard to see how you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things,... the race between Google and Microsoft and others will escalate into a global race that will not stop without some sort of global regulation.” Dr. Geoffrey Hinton In the March 23, 2023 YouTube video above, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is interviewed by Walter Isaacson about A.I.’s impact on life, politics, and warfare, as well as what can be done to keep it under control. Schmidt thinks "We are on the cusp of a new revolution that is going to change our world in a really profound way - much more so than people think," and "at a pace faster than we have ever seen." Schmidt, together with Henry Kissinger and Daniel Huttenlocher wrote the 2021 book The Age of AI and Our Human Future. We now have OpenAI with ChatGPT-4; Google with Bard and its new Magi Project; Microsoft's new AI-powered Bing search engine chat mode for Edge browser; and Elon Musk is ramping up his efforts to compete with OpenAI, the ChatGPT developer he helped found, even as he calls out the potential harms of A.I. In a 2023 TED Talk, computer scientist Yejin Choi "demystifies the current state of massive artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT, highlighting three key problems with cutting-edge large language models: Extreme-scale - "AI models are so expensive to train, and only a few tech companies can afford to do so. So we already see the concentration of power." Safety. - "We are now at the mercy of those few tech companies because researchers in the larger community do not have the means to truly inspect and dissect these models." Their massive carbon footprint and environmental impact. "We need to make AI smaller, to democratize it. And we need to make AI safer by teaching human norms and values." ~ Yejin Choi "AI is trained on: raw web data, crafted examples custom developed for AI training, and then human judgments." It is the human feedback on AI performance that is essential to input. Government regulation to control AI is the appropriate, immediate, actionable, coordinated, global response, but where to get the political will to do so? And what are the human norms and values that need to be taught to AI? How can we encourage a long, "deep time" view of human's role in evolution, and accelerate a unified global worldview and the noosphere? How do we quickly mobilize an evolutionary hope for the future? The challenge appears to be even more immediate than the global climate crisis. Maybe the superior "intelligence" of generative AI can be harnessed to save humanity from extinction if the international community can add guardrails to prevent bad actors from exploiting the new technology. As Dr. Goeffrey Hinton said on PBS Newshour May 5, 2023 "We should realize that we are probably going to get things more intelligent than us very soon and they will be wonderful. They will be able to do all sorts of things that we find difficult, so there is huge positive potential in these things, but of course, there are also huge negative possibilities and I think we should put more or less equal resources into developing AI to make into making it more powerful and into keeping it under control to minimize bad side effects."

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late... Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: ‘too late.’ . . . Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter—but beautiful—struggle for a new world.”~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Cherice Bock of Oregon Interfaith Power & Light (OIPL) Advocacy is inviting people in Representative Pam Marsh's district to a virtual meeting with her scheduled for Friday, April 21, 2023 at 11:00 a.m, PDT with a prep meeting right beforehand at 10:45 a.m. Here is the meeting link for both meetings. Please let Cherice know if you're available and plan to attend cbock@emoregon.org or 503.314.7908. You can also invite others you know in her district to attend. This is only a 15-minute meeting, so EMO will mainly emphasize that we want her to focus on pending climate and environmental justice legislation. Depending on where certain bills are at this point, OIPL advocacy may emphasize one or another of their priority bills more strongly. Richenda Fairhurst says: "Sometimes I think I get happy and comfortable resting in the good fortune I feel to have Rep. Marsh as our representative when it comes to issues like climate justice. Yet, at the same time, I think it helps to have opportunities to share our thanks (if we are thankful) our support (if we are supportive) our concerns (whatever we feel is important to share) and any questions we have as constituents in constituent meetings. This Friday is an opportunity for such a meeting: 10:45 prep and 11:00am meeting." Wednesday, May 10, 2023 - Oregon Interfaith Advocacy Day will be in Salem, OR. "There is power in knowledge and strength in numbers. Attend issue briefs and workshops on advocating for compassionate legislation followed by meetings with state legislators. Talking points and legislative appointments will be provided. ISSUES Climate & Environment, Criminal Justice Reform & Gun Violence Prevention, Healthcare, Housing & Homelessness, Hunger, Immigration & Refugees SCHEDULE Morning Session: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Afternoon meetings with State Legislators: Times will vary. LOCATION St. Mark Lutheran Church, 790 Marion St. NE, Salem, and the Oregon Capitol Building. QUESTIONS Learn more at emoregon.org/events or contact EMO at emo@emoregon.org, (503) 221-1054. LEARN MORE & REGISTER Please register by April 28th. Use EMO's secure registration form. General registration is $20, students $10 (to cover the cost for lunch); scholarships are available.

April 26, 2023, at 12:00 p.m. PDT - Pachamama Alliance will present a webinar Resilience and Possibility in These Times: Solving the Climate Crisis with Per Espen Stoknes. Per Espen Stoknes is an internationally recognized climate psychologist, author, and economist, he has devoted his career to exploring how humanity can build a better future for the planet and its people. His work has been featured in Pachamama Alliance programs and in the recent book, Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity, Per embodies grounded optimism which is a commitment to actually ending the climate crisis. Pers will "discuss the psychology of climate action; his vision for a regenerative economy; and the way out of the climate crisis that reboots our global economic system so it works for all life. Click here to register to:JOIN THE CALL

Cosmologist, Dr. Brian Swimme's 2022 book Cosmogenesis: An Unveiling of the Expanding Universe is the story of an unfolding universe, one that inspires awe, wonder, and mystery. From the publisher's book description: "From the host and cocreator of PBS’s Journey of the Universe, [the book is] a fresh look at how the rich collision between science and spirituality has influenced contemporary consciousness." "The understanding that the universe has been expanding since it's fiery beginning 14 billion years ago and has developed into stars, galaxies, life, and human consciousness is one of the most significant in human history. It is taught throughout the world and has become our common creation story for nearly every culture. In terms of the universe’s development, we humans are not only economic, religious, or political beings. At the most fundamental level, we are cosmological beings." "Cosmogenesis is one of the greatest discoveries in human history, and it continues to have a profound impact on humanity. And yet most science books do not explore the effects it has had on our individual minds. In Cosmogenesis, Brian Thomas Swimme narrates the same cosmological events that we agree are fact but offers a feature, unlike all other writings on this topic. He tells the story of the universe while simultaneously telling the story of the storyteller. Swimme describes how the impact of this new story deconstructed his mind and then reassembled it, offering us a glimpse into how cosmogenesis has transformed our understanding of both the universe and the evolution of human consciousness itself". Listen to Ilia Delio and Gabi Sloan's February 23, 2023 podcast interview of Brian Swimme on Cosmology and Evolution. They discuss the potential of matter in relationships, Teilhard de Chardin’s vision of the noosphere, technology’s role in human evolution, the development of consciousness, and planetary life. Listen to the Reimagining Podcast with Dr. Brian Swimme, a pioneering cosmologist and mathematician. Dr. Swimme converses with Dr. Theodore Richards, the Co-Director of Wisdom Projects. Dr. Brian Thomas Swimme is the Director of the Center for the Story of the Universe and a professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oregon in 1978 for work in gravitational dynamics. He brings the context of story to our understanding of the 13.7 billion-year trajectory of the universe. Such a story, he feels, will assist in the emergence of a flourishing Earth community." Swimme was also host and cocreator of PBS’s Journey of the Universe, a fresh look at how the rich collision between science and spirituality has influenced contemporary consciousness Swimme is the author of several other books in addition to Cosmogenesis, His other published works include The Universe Is a Green Dragon (1984); The Universe Story (1992, written with Thomas Berry); The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos (2019); and.Journey of the Universe (2011, with Mary Evelyn Tucker). “We belong to a dynamic unfolding universe that inspires wonder, awe, and creativity.” ~ Brian Swimme

Deeptime Network will be offering a 4-week Zoom course on Creating Ecozoic Practices, on Tuesdays, April 4 - May 2, 2023, from 4-6 p.m. PDT. Participants in this course, led by Margie Abbott RSM, "will experience that sense of communion with the larger creative field and develop practices that are needed for our time." Margie is the author of four Earth ritual books all of which show how her understanding of science, theology, and cosmology have evolved over the years between 1996 and 2022. Her 2020 book is Cosmic Sparks: Igniting A Re-Enchantment with the Sacred. "This course will bring to life Goal Six of the Laudato Si’ Seven Year Platform: ECOLOGICAL SPIRITUALITY." The Power of Practices that foster Cosmogenesis in Our Lives The Components of Practices How to Reframe Traditional Forms How to Create Unique Practices Practices for Eco-activism Practices to Evolve Consciousness "Thomas Berry created the term "Ecozoic" to describe an era following the current Cenozoic Era, one in which humans have a mutually enhancing relationship with Earth. How do we tap into the deepest part of ourselves to create personal and communal practices that will help birth an Ecozoic Era? Registration fee (without PD Hours) is $195 with Early Bird pricing of $145 until March 28th Click here for info and to register