Unitarian Universalist Ministry For Earth (UUMFE) will have its Monthly Spiritual Gathering on Zoom on March 7, 2023, at 4 p.m. PST. Register here. "This is a time for us all "to ground, recenter, and imagine what is possible in a world in need of repair." This year to draw us more closely into alignment with Earth-based philosophies, UUMFE will follow the Lunar Calendar. Disaster Response: Community Care and Climate Adaptation "How have congregations in California, New York and Louisiana responded to the reality of extreme weather and climate disruption over the last ten years? How can the UUA assist during a disaster crisis? Click the YouTube video below to learn more! “We need to put greater emphasis on what it means to be bound to one another in an interdependent web.” ~ Widening the Circle of Concern's Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change

United Church of Christ's monthly Creation Justice webinar on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 10 a.m. PST will be: Leaky Stoves and Deadly Gases. Register here. "After the health and climate effects of gas stoves received scrutiny and discussion in recent months, a "culture war" erupted. In the media and social media, gas stoves became a "hot topic." In this webinar, we will seek to put this "heated debate" within its proper ethical context in terms of environmental justice, public health, and concerns about methane pollution." Annie Carforo from WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Michael Johnson from Berkeley Air will talk about what was learned from a pilot program that documented what happened when public housing apartments in the Bronx had their gas stoves replaced with electric induction stoves. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong from Mothers and Others for Clean Air will talk about the threats posed by methane pollution and what must be done to regulate emissions. Ultimately, this webinar will prepare faith communities for informed action in caring for our neighbors and our planet. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, sign up, and UCC Environmental Ministries will send you a link to a recording. This monthly installment of Creation Justice Webinars is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council.

In 1967, when I was just entering graduate school at UCLA, history professor Lynn White Jr. had his article The Historic Roots of our Ecological Crisis published in the magazine Science. White claimed that the source of the environmental problems is religious in nature: “Since the roots of our trouble are largely religious the remedy must also be essentially religious. We must rethink and re-feel our nature and our destiny." Ilia Delio says in her 2019 website post: Warming, Warming, Gone! Who Will Survive Climate Change? "The problem lies as much within us as outside us. Indeed, the problem in the public forum begins in the personal arena. If it is a problem of politics and public policies, it is also fundamentally a problem of religion." "We need structural and pastoral changes in religious practices and worship, essentially a renewal of religion for a planet in crisis and in evolution. Basically, we need a 'new religion of the earth', one that celebrates interdependency, divine immanence, mutuality, and shared future (among other values.)" ~ Ilia Delio Although Delio has hope for the future she is not optimistic about the likelihood of religion transforming humankind with sufficient rapidity to address our current climate crisis. "The internal theological divides (translate=internal wars) of both Catholic and Protestant churches preempt a renewed religious sensibility which leads me to suggest that the future looks grim for the western world which is fundamentally built on Christian principles" "I do not think the first world will survive the dire consequences of global warming; however, I do think the third world will survive and rebuild." ~ Ilia Delio Our Western way of life is not sustainable, but perhaps countries in the southern hemisphere may lead the way to sustainability while they will also have to adapt to the reality of an increasing ecological imbalance they did not create. So what is the basis of this "new religion of the earth?" Explore Ilia Delio's Center for Christogenesis - an "online educational resource and a spiritual organization that serves an axial role in our time, bridging faith, science, culture, and community... The Center builds on the ideas of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and seeks to actualize his vision of emerging wholeness for a new vitality of the spirit. Ilia Delio, OSF is a Franciscan Sister of Washington, DC, and American theologian specializing in the area of science and religion, with interests in evolution, physics, and neuroscience and the import of these for theology. Click here for an interesting story on her personal evolution. Delio is the author of over twenty-three books including The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution (2013), Making All Things New: Making All Things New: Catholicity, Cosmology, Consciousness (2015), Re-Enchanting the Earth: Why AI Needs Religion. (2020), and The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science, and the Human Journey (2021). Delio's 2014 book, From Teilhard to Omega: Co-creating an Unfinished Universe, is "an edited volume of essays by 13 of the finest scholars on science and religion. She challenged each writer to apply Teilhard's insights to the needs of the current age." The Teilhardian concept of “Omega”—upon which our Center’s vision and work is based—is understood not as destination, but as deepening toward a more unified future. Omega is the revelation of God as the fullness of love, the dynamic center at the heart of all Creation." ~ Ilia Delio New Creation is "the Center for Christogenesis online magazine dedicated to deepening our awareness of God, Cosmos, and Humanity in a scientific age." “What is God Today?” is "an Omega Center video series featuring interviews with Ilia Delio on the meaning of the divine in the 21st century and what God is doing in our midst. Ilia explores major themes of her work and shares a vision of God, cosmos, and humanity that can help heal our troubled world and reveal religion as the most exciting energy of our time." Hunger for Wholeness is a podcast with Ilia Delio and Gabi Sloan. "Together we can change the direction of this world by revitalizing our essential religious roots and orienting human evolution toward the fullness of love and justice, toward Omega." ~ Ilia Delio January 23, 2023

“Resilience Hubs are community-based locations that nourish existing relationships and trust in the community to help prepare for the impacts of climate change and other disruptions.” For those who attended EMO's Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit 2023, you might remember a brief discussion of Resilient Communities Cohort for Congregations. Links were listed at the bottom of my Recap, but you may have missed it or are still not sure what it's all about. Cohort teams from across the state will be meeting via Zoom on the third Tuesday of each month from 6:30–8:30 p.m. from February through June 2023. The first Zoom gathering is coming up on Tuesday, February, 21, 2023, so please let Cherice Bock know if you are interested in participating in a local group of 3-7 people. Click here to send her an email. The following is information from Cherice: Why? Our wisdom traditions affirm the sacredness of the Earth. Yet today, our hearts ache alongside the Earth and our neighbors, as communities across the Pacific Northwest face ever more frequent and severe disasters: wildfires, floods, extreme drought, 100-year storms, and heat waves. To what new forms of grieving, living, and being does this destabilizing reality of climate breakdown call us as people of faith and fierce love? How might we prepare, protect, and regenerate our communities in the face of such threats? How can our faith communities, congregations, and faith-based organizations participate in hubs and networks for resilience in our communities? Join us as teams across our region come together to explore these questions and begin the work of building resilience alongside our broader communities. What is the Cohort? What will we do together? We will listen to the stories of ourselves, our ancestors, our communities, and the land. What do these stories unveil about how we got to where we are today? Why do others amongst us find themselves in such different circumstances? What might these stories reveal about how we can move, together, toward greater resilience in the face of climate breakdown and disasters? We will learn practices and postures that nurture collective resilience. The health and well-being of ourselves, our congregations, our neighbors (human and other species), our shared watersheds and waterways, and our common home, Earth, are inextricably intertwined. We will name and work to unlearn ways of working, worshiping, and consuming that makes us all more vulnerable to disasters — and especially those ways of acting and relating to one another and the earth that result in disproportionate burdens and impacts most often to poor and working-class people, Indigenous people, racialized communities, and immigrants and refugees. We will discern and traverse pathways to greater resilience — identifying, advocating for, and beginning to implement concrete changes to the physical-material, spiritual, and relational infrastructure of our communities in support of equitable mitigation and adaptation. Along the way, each team will develop and start to implement a context-specific plan of action for how your particular community can become a stronger node of resilience within a growing network of resilience hubs across the region. What is the commitment? Come as a team. Register at least 3 (and up to 7) members of your congregation or community to participate together as a team. Two gatherings a month. Cohort teams from across the state will meet via Zoom on the third Tuesday of each month from 6:30–8:30 pm from February through June 2023 (2/21, 3/21, 4/18, 5/16, 6/20). One gathering a month in-person or online with just your team. Contribute to sustainability. A suggested contribution of $100 per person. Funds will be used to pay for honorariums for our guest speakers and to reimburse various facilitation costs. Our Cohort Design Team will provide: Community, Connection, & Content. The first hour of each gathering will focus on stories, as we learn about resilience and the impact of climate change from members of immigrant and Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous communities in our region. During the second hour, we’ll share practices we can use to build more positive resilience in our own communities. Accompaniment. Each Cohort Team will be matched with a Companion who will meet with and walk alongside your team as you translate and practice what you are learning through the Cohort into your own local context. Opportunities for Ongoing Support. Teams that complete the Cohort will have the opportunity to access a mini-grant to support a Resilience project in their own community. Next Steps: Register: Fill out this form. Along with simple information questions, there are four questions that require a short response (you might plan 15-20 minutes to fill this out). We know many of you are still in the process of building your team. As you confirm participants, please forward this link and have each person fill out the registration form. This will help us streamline communications and plans. Form Your Team: As you pull together your team to engage in this work (at least three people from each community) consider who could serve as host or co-host. This point person (or people) will take responsibility for convening your team as needed, coordinating with your Companion, and communicating with the Cohort Design Team. Questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to SarahL@OregonSynod.org or cbock@emoregon.org

" According to Brad Reed, Campaign Director for Building Resilience, "Our buildings and homes account for more than one-third of the state’s greenhouse gas pollution. And they aren’t just toxic for our air. Too many buildings leave us vulnerable to the very climate-fueled weather that they contribute to — exposing Oregonians, particularly frontline and lower-income communities, to choking wildfire smoke and extreme heat and cold." The Building Resilience Campaign Kick-Off to help move Oregon away from dirty fossil fuels by building healthier, more affordable, and resilient communities will be on Zoom Wednesday, February 15, 2023, from 6-7 p.m. PST. Learn more about our bills in the 2023 legislative session from policy experts, hear from special guest speakers, and find out ways you can get involved! RSVP to get the Zoom link If you have any questions please contact the event planning team: Britney VanCitters (britney@olcv.org) at Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Ana Molina (ana@ojta.org) at Oregon Just Transition Alliance; and Becca Phelps (becca@uniteoregon.org) at Unite Oregon. "No matter who we are or where we live, Oregonians deserve homes and buildings that are healthy, affordable, and safe against the effects of extreme weather. But right now, too many of our homes and workplaces don't protect us enough from climate change harms, like the extreme heat and wildfire smoke. The way we heat and cook with fossil fuels is making things worse and more expensive, especially for lower-income and frontline communities." Unite Oregon is "advocating for statewide action so new construction is built smart from the start to be healthy and resilient while cutting energy waste and lowering bills. We're also working to make it easier and more affordable to update current homes and buildings to protect us from climate harm and transition to clean, efficient electricity. "Oregon's legislature must take action in 2023 to give more Oregonians access to more resilient and safer homes and buildings." *Note: BuildingResilence.org is password protected, but their email shows a physical address of 1390 SE 122nd Ave, Portland, OR. 97233, which is for Unite Oregon. Building Resilience campaign email links include Renew Oregon, @BuildResilient_, and buildingresilience_ Oregon Environmental Council is located at 537 SE Ash Street Suites 205 and 206, Portland, OR 97214

Image from the film's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/youthvgovfilm On Thursday, February 23, 2023 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PST Rogue Climate Cinema Project is offering a Celebrate Youth Leadership event, which includes a free, in-person film screening of Youth v. GOV. After the film there will be a panel discussion about local youth climate justice organizing efforts. The screening and discussion are at Southern Oregon University Stevenson Union (Room 323), 1250 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 RSVP at this link to attend the free event Youth v. GOV is the story of the Juliana v. The United States of America constitutional lawsuit and the 21 youths, ages 14 to 25, who are taking on the United States government. Since 2015, the legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust has been representing these youth in their landmark case against the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights to life, liberty, personal safety, and property through their willful actions in creating the climate crisis that the youth will inherit. Also check out the SOU Climate Justice Conference on February 24-25, 2023

From: Cherice Bock, EMO/OLIS Re: Oregon HB 2601 (The Treasury Investment & Climate Protection Act) There is a hearing coming up this Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023 at 1 p.m. PST in the House Committee On Emergency Management General Government, and Veterans (a sub-committee of the Ways & Means Joint Committee) regarding HB 2601. If you are not able to appear in person to give testimony here's a one-click email you can send your legislators, and/or copy and modify.. Background talking points, sample testimony, and submission details can be found in this testimony toolkit. Key Talking Points Provisions of HB 2601 compared to the Treasurer’s plan announced in Nov 2022 Here is the OLIS page for HB2601. Divest Oregon coalition’s three key demands to the Oregon State Treasury are reflected in HB 2601. Here is what Divest Oregon has written: "The Oregon Treasury has a fiduciary responsibility to protect all of Oregon's investments for the long term, including those in public employee retirement funds such as PERS. The current Treasury investment strategy leaves investments critically vulnerable to fossil fuel-related climate risk. The Oregon Treasury invests $137 billion in the people of Oregon, and at least $5.3 billion is in fossil fuels. The time to act is now. Shifting Oregon Treasury holdings from risky fossil fuels to climate-safe investments protect PERS recipients, Oregon's valuable natural resources, and our collective future. HB 2601, the Treasury Investment and Climate Protection Act, instructs the Treasury to quickly move to climate-safe investments, using an environmental justice framework: Immediately: End all NEW investments in fossil fuels since they pose a financial, health, and climate risk to Oregonians. Over two years: Clean up all the public investments. Exit from the worst public carbon-intensive holdings within six months, and all the largest fossil-fuel producers within 2 years. By 2035: Phase out ALL remaining fossil fuel investments, including private ones. Immediately: Require transparency. Since it invests our money, the Treasury must provide detailed quarterly reports to the public and the legislature. We deserve to know that the Treasury’s investments protect our pensions and our future. Why a bill to tell the Treasury to exit from fossil fuel investments? The funds of PERS and the Oregon Treasury are at risk. Those funds should be put into climate-safe investments that increase our resiliency as a people and as a state. The Treasurer’s plan to exit from fossil fuels by 2050 is too weak and too slow. It has been clear for years that institutions need to protect the returns of their pensions by divesting from fossil fuels. The data just keep accumulating, and even the Treasury’s climate risk assessments show that PERS retirement funds’ returns are at risk because of these investments. Meanwhile, fossil fuels are a dying industry and investments in that sector will be ever more difficult to sell. The urgency of the climate crisis demands that we act now. Only rapid and drastic reductions in greenhouse gases can prevent widespread devastation and extreme weather, and time is running out. A report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued a rock-solid conclusion: There can be no new fossil fuels in a net-zero by 2050 pathway. Simply stated, our financial institutions must immediately halt all financing of fossil fuel expansion and phase out all fossil fuel holdings."

Earth cookies baked by Linda Hammer-Brown, served at the Earth Summit. On February 5, 2023, from 1:30-5 p.m., PST Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) and Oregon Interfaith Power & Light hosted their 10th annual Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit 2023. The theme was: "Care for Our Common Home: Building Neighborhoods for Climate Resilience." The zoom Plenary portion was coordinated by Cherice Bock, Creation Justice Advocate with EMO. Twenty-seven of us gathered from the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon at First Presbyterian Church of Medford. More than ecumenical or Interfaith, this was an "Inter-spiritual" event - local networking among members of several faith communities, those "spiritual, but not religious." and concerned climate activists professing no specific faith tradition. We gathered in recognition that "individual action is not going to solve the climate crisis - It's about communities working together." We have been talking about this for decades, but we still don’t seem to get it right." "Change has to come from the heart, not just the head - everything is interrelated.” We were welcomed by Rev. Murray Richmond, Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, and Bob Morse of the Ashlands Friends Community in Ashland, who served as MC. Caren Caldwell read an indigenous prayer. A fun afternoon highlight was Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein from Temple Beth Israel in Eugene who led us in a kinetic, Tu BiShvat, body prayer: Let’s learn from the trees today. Together New Orleans - Abel Thompson and Asia Ognibenepresented how Community Lighthouses are creating climate resilience communities in Louisiana. Together New Orleans' vision is "to build the nation's largest network of solar + storage resilience hubs at churches and community centers across south Louisiana." They are a broad-based organization of organizations, breaking barriers that ordinarily divide us. Started 4 years ago, Together New Orleans officially launched as a non-profit in 2021 with $120,000 in pledges and 54 members. Then hurricane Ida hit the coast in August 2021 causing $75 billion in damage and 107 deaths, most of which occurred because of power outages, heat-related emergencies such as cardiac arrest, or CO2 poisoning, Together New Orleans set out to build the infrastructure, and train teams so they know their equipment and neighborhoods. To date, they have raised $9 million for Phase 1 for 16 locations, with plans to grow ultimately to 86 locations throughout the state of Louisiana. They are connecting with people in their neighborhoods and not just within congregations Warm Springs Community Action Group - Chris Watson Executive Director of this group described the Commissary Project on the Confederated Tribes of Warms Springs reservation in Oregon. Oregon Interfaith Power & Light Advocacy Team - Sign up to receive action alerts, opportunities for training, and invitations to participate in lobbying and advocacy efforts around climate and environmental justice during Oregon Legislative Sessions. Resilient Communities Cohort for Congregations - they will start meeting each month from Feb-June 2023 on the third Tuesday, learning practical actions. State Legislation - Oregon State Representative Khanh Pham discussed various proposed bills related to climate change and resilience: How we properly utilize our forests is probably the most important issue for Oregon. Many Oregon forests are privately owned by Wall Street firms. The Senate version of the proposed legislation will offer carrots (financial benefits to owners.); the House version will have more sticks. Transportation is about access to opportunity. Transportation emissions are the number one source of climate pollution in Oregon. Traffic fatalities are also up. The gas tax is declining as people are moving to electric vehicles. Divest Oregon Coalition's efforts to have pension funds divest from fossil fuel stocks will face obstacles. The Oregon Treasurer is against it. The Senate has no appetite for this although legislation will probably pass in the House. OR HB 2990 Community Resilient Hub bill directs Oregon Health Authority to develop and implement grant programs to support resilience hubs and networks in Oregon. The bill. being presented jointly by Rep. Pam Marsh and Rep. Pham, will have both hubs and districts (which have not been divided up yet) administered by OHA with solar resources in the hubs. This is supported by Unite Oregon. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's new president Frank So was introduced. Rev. Richenda Fairhurst, chairperson of the Creation Justice Committee at EMO/OIPL closed the online portion of the gathering. Richenda encouraged those who can donate generously to EMO. Richenda hosts Climate Cafe Multifaith on Tuesdays twice a month, with extras on occasion. They share topics, inspiration, and friendship at the intersection of faith and climate change. Find more about the Climate Cafe Multifaith at faiths4future.org/climate-cafe. The online Zoom Plenary is covered in the YouTube video above. A description of the in-person presentations and discussion is summarized below. Rogue Climate - Alessandra de la Torre and Maeve Hogan from Rogue Climate spoke about Community Resilience Hubs. In a survey of 160 participants (101 from Jackson County), most felt safest in their homes, schools, churches, and medical centers. When emergency services falters is when the power goes out. Wildfires, smoke, and earthquakes are top concerns. Food, refrigeration, mental health services, and child care are concerns. It is important for people to be temporarily housed where they have trusted relationships. Rogue Climate prepared a Community Resilience Guidebookfor people and organizations who are passionate about environmental justice, care about emergency preparedness and resilience, and want to see a more just future for ourselves and our neighbors. Rogue Climate is advocating to Stop GTN XPress. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) largely ignored more than one thousand public comments by concerned community members who oppose TC Energy’s GTN XPress project. Rogue Action Center - Nicole Greider said Rogue Action Center focuses on justice issues related to climate - the people who are most impacted are underserved. She has been part of the disaster relief team for 2 years. They are doing a mapping project. Rogue Food Unites has storage for water and a truck. Ashland Climate Collaborative - Lorrie Kaplan told us ACC focuses on home electrification; water conservation; transportation; and food waste/composting. They are trying to change the social norms. ACC was set up in Ashland because of the city's Community Action Plan of 2016. Neighbors are less likely to talk about climate change so it will be easier to bring it up as they organize Neighborhood Group in 2023. Zero Food Waste Act and the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act - Flavia Franco spoke about two bills sponsored by U.S. Senator Cory Booker and others “to reduce the amount of food wasted in the U.S. and to redirect food waste to composting projects.” National Food Waste Prevention Week - April 10-16, 2023 - A Florida collaborative “to educate and inspire real cultural change around food waste in order to help families save money, reduce the negative impact of food waste on the environment, and address hunger in our communities.” Rogue Food Unites - community values; shopping local; and working with local restaurants MRE (meals ready to eat). Oregon Climate Action Hub - Their goal is to “build individual and community capacity for action, and encourage each of us to live in ways that create a vibrant future for all.” Find an organization; collaborate; look for work; take action; change policy; meet up. Find them on Facebook; and Instagram. Emergency Preparedness - Jackson County Emergency Management has links to emergency preparedness Resources. Rick Bonetti mentioned that Rogue Valley Manor has been organizing cottage neighborhoods for emergency preparedness and there is a Resident Preparedness Group Manual with links to some useful general information. Rogue Valley 2020 Fire Resources - A local Realtor compiled a list of resources available to victims of the Almeda fire. Oregon Climate Equity Network - coalition members about some of the key climate policy bills—and why it's so important for families to raise their voices for climate justice! PCUN - Their mission is to “empower farmworkers and working for Latinx families in Oregon by building community, increasing Latinx representation in elections, and policy advocacy on both the national and state levels.” Oregon Environmental Council - OEC “brings Oregonians together to protect our water, air, and land with healthy solutions that work for today and for future generations. Founded in 1968 by concerned Oregonians across the state, they are a membership-based, nonpartisan nonprofit.” Just Crossing Alliance - “The Interstate Bridge Replacement is our region’s largest transportation investment in half a century. It should be centered on social justice, environmental justice, climate justice, and fiscal responsibility. The Just Crossing Alliance is a partnership of environmental, environmental justice, and sustainable transportation organizations who have endorsed a statement of values for the project.” Neighbors for Clean Air - “Neighbors for Clean Air envisions an Oregon where every community has clean and healthy air to breathe.” Divest Oregon - “The PERS pension is funding climate change by investing in fossil fuels. It’s a financially bad investment for your retirement savings and the planet. You can do something about it!” Building Resilience - “Improving Oregon’s Homes and Buildings for our Climate and Communities.” Climate Bills at the 2023 Oregon Legislature (on YouTube) The young people from Rogue Climate left at 5 p.m. to attend a Zumba class at their Phoenix location, reminding us that we need to have fun and find joy to be truly resilient. What's next? There was a lot of information presented so a process of discernment is necessary to determine how to collaborate and work together. If you are interested in participating in the 2023 Resilient Communities Cohort but want more information click here. If you are ready to join fill out this form. If you are interested in a monthly Climate Cafe meet-up in Ashland, let me know. Thank you to all who contributed to making this event a success!

Oregon Interfaith Power and Light (OIPL) is making plans for next year's Earth Day April 22, 2023 and Faith Climate Action Week April 14 - 23, 2023. "Faith Climate Action Week is IPL’s annual program of climate-themed worship services and sermons that spans ten days of activities in celebration of Earth Month. This is IPL’s premier event to create a mass movement of people of faith and conscience preaching, teaching, and acting to heal the climate." "The theme of 2023’s Faith Climate Action Week is Living the Golden Rule: Just Transition to a Clean Energy Economy.” They will examine our responsibility to transition to energy sources that safeguard our common home, and how our faiths call us to respond with just solutions for all." "Sign up to be notified when the pre-printed Organizer’s Kit becomes available. The kit will include an Action Guide with information on the faithful call to care for our neighbors by ensuring a just transition to a clean energy economy where the well-being of workers and frontline community members are prioritized." "In the kit, there are suggested short films, an updated climate change fact sheet, faith-based discussion materials including a special multi-faith Golden Rule poster, and suggestions and resources for how to engage in supporting local action. Faith Climate Action Week 2023 online offerings include resources for sermons, talks, worship services, a film screening kit for the 2023 featured film, and more." Reserve your pre-printed Faith Climate Action Week Organizer’s Kit here. "As people of faith and conscience, we are called to ensure a just transition and create a life-giving economy and society where the interconnected community of all life can thrive in a safe climate." ~ Interfaith Power & Light OIPL is an EMO project that "engages the faith community to strive for accountability in our individual and collective energy decisions in an interdependent world."

February 4, 2023, from 9 a.m. to Noon the Rogue Basin Water Action Community will have its 2023 Kick-off Event at the Medford Library Large Meeting Room, 205 S. Central Ave. The event is free and open to everyone. Click here for more information. February 5, 2023, at 1:30–5:15 p.m. PST- The tenth annual Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit will take place in faith communities all over Oregon on Sunday afternoon February 5th. The theme for this state-wide event, organized by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, is "Care for Our Common Home: Building Neighborhoods for Climate Resilience." In Rogue Valley, our Rogue Valley Interfaith Action Group will be hosting a local gathering at First Presbyterian Church, 85 S.Holly Street, Medford, OR 97501 at 1:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Registration is $25; Students are $10; scholarships are also available. Register here. February 7, 2023, at 11 a.m. PST - Climate Cafe Multifaith meets on Tuesdays twice a month, with extras on occasion. We share topics, inspiration, and friendship at the intersection of faith and climate change. On Feb. 7th we dive into a conversation about oceans with Byron Walker. We will explore ocean science, a little ecology, some theology, and maybe even a little ‘end times.’ Find more about the Climate Cafe Multifaith at faiths4future.org/climate-cafe. February 7, 2023, from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. PST - Rogue Reimagined will have Community Listening Sessions at the Talent Community Center, Dinner will be provided. February 8, 2023, at 10 a.m. PST - the monthly installment of UCC's Creation Justice Webinars will address the Land Back Movement, which has been succinctly described as the generations-long struggle to put “Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands.” Register here. February 15, 2023, at 10 a.m. PST- the next Movement Cafe centers on the United Methodist Earthkeepers. The Movement Cafe is part of a grassroots movement within the United Methodist Church and will run on 3rd Wednesdays. Learn more about the Movement Cafe and register. February 20, 2023 - Urgent Optimists starts a fictional future simulation known as Welcome Party,” where ten years from now. in 2033. nations are welcoming immigrants relocating from places in the world made "unlivable" by a worsening global climate emergency. Join this simulation to spend 10 days in the future of climate migration. Play begins 2/20/2023 after the 10-day simulation of journal writing. February 21, 2023, at 11 a.m. PST - Climate Cafe Multifaith meets on Tuesdays twice a month, with extras on occasion. We share topics, inspiration, and friendship at the intersection of faith and climate change. Find more about the Climate Cafe Multifaith at faiths4future.org/climate-cafe. February 23, 2023, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PST - Rogue Climate Cinema Project is offering a Celebrate Youth Leadership event, which includes a free, in-person film screening of Youth v. GOV. and a panel discussion about local youth climate justice organizing efforts. February 24-25, 2023 Southern Oregon University is having Climate Justice Conference 2023 "to discuss, learn, and take action toward centering racial equity and social justice in the climate change resistance and resilience movements. The goal of the conference is to accelerate the pace with which a racial equity lens is integrated into regional climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts."

Cherice Bock, Creation Justice Advocate for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) has invited our Rogue Valley Interfaith Climate Action Group and Rev. Richenda Fairhurst (EMO's Creation Justice Committee Chair who lives in Ashland) to participate in an Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit 2023. The theme will be Building Neighborhoods of Climate Resilience. The Summit is scheduled for February 5, 2023 from 1:30-5 p.m. PST with the local gathering at First Presbyterian Church of Ashland, located at the southeastern corner of Walker and Siskiyou Blvd. Save the date! EMO's last annual Earth Summit was held in Portland in 2017 and was subsequently restricted by Covid 19, but in 2023 it will be a hybrid event with both Zoom and regional, in-person gatherings held around the state. The initial plenary Zoom session will be arranged by EMO with speakers addressing how faith communities can help neighborhoods during climate-related emergency events. This will be followed by time for local participants to get to know one another and discuss how faith communities can plan local actions for organizing neighborhoods. The Summit will end with a public witness such as a silent vigil and candle lighting. Statewide climate resilience legislation in Oregon is currently being proposed by Representative Khanh Pham in the northern part of the State and Representative Pam Marsh. working with Rogue Climate. Unite Oregon leads a fight for social justice in Oregon "by empowering communities ignored by the powerful." They focus on six interrelated issues: Climate Justice; Housing Justice; Community Safety; Education Equity; Economic Justice; and Health Equity. Oregon Just Transition Alliance (OJTA) "is a movement of communities facing environmental racism, climate change, and economic exploitation – the frontlines of injustice and the frontlines of change." Cherice expects to email more organizational details in early December 2022. For more information about the Summit contactor Cherice at cbock@emoregon.org or 503-314-7908 or Richenda at richenda@circlefaithfuture.org and follow this Rogue Valley Voice blog for updated information.

From Maig Tinnin at Rogue Climate: "Federal regulators did not hold a public hearing on TC Energy’s GTN XPress fracked gas pipeline expansion–so communities are holding one instead." On Monday, February 13 at 5:00 p.m. PST, join community members, elected officials, physicians, and climate justice advocates in a People’s Hearing hosted by the coalition to Stop GTN XPress.This will be a hybrid virtual and in-person hearing. Attend in person at the Rogue Climate Office, 205 N. Phoenix Rd., Phoenix, OR 97353 RSVP or attend on Zoom RSVP The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) largely ignored more than one thousand public comments by concerned community members who oppose TC Energy’s GTN XPress project. Attend the hearing to give your testimony, which will be shared directly with FERC to send the strong message that people in the Northwest oppose new fossil fuel infrastructure. Hear from community leaders and advocates from across the Northwest (including US Senator Jeff Merkley) about why they are coming together in the fight to #StopGTNXPress. Want to learn more about GTN XPress and the gas industry’s latest strategy to use pipeline expansion projects to quickly push new fossil fuels through communities across the Northwest–and the country? Watch this video, and RSVP for the People’s Hearing today to stop this dangerous proposal."

Interfaith Power & Light and its partners are hosting a Zoom webinar: Planning the Energy Future of your Congregation on February 21, 2023, at 10 a.m. PST. "The webinar will address the importance of benchmarking or creating a snapshot of your facilities’ energy use to shape your congregation’s plan to cut energy costs and care for our Sacred Earth. This is the first step to making a plan to take advantage of federal funding for energy and resiliency improvements from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will be available later this year. Click here to register. "Jerry Lawson, the National Manager of EPA’s Energy Star for Small Businesses and Congregations, will explain the EPA’s free energy tracking tool, Portfolio Manager, which is the gold standard in the field of energy tracking. The Islamic Center of Evansville in Indiana successfully utilized EPA's Portfolio Manager receiving the Energy STAR certification in 2021." "For smaller congregations who prefer a simpler tool, Sarah Paulos, IPL’s Program Director, will explain IPL’s Cool Congregation carbon footprint calculator. Tom Hackley, from People’s Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan, will share the congregation’s well-conceived plan for reaching zero carbon emissions by 2030, as an example of a congregation that has already made a plan. People’s Church is a Certified Cool Congregation that has already achieved a 20% reduction towards their 100% goal." Find the recording of the December 2022 webinar, Federal Funding Resources for Nonprofits and Houses of Worship: An Overview, and other resources on IPL’s Resource page.

February 8, 2023, at 10 a.m. PST - the monthly installment of UCC's Creation Justice Webinars will address the Land Back Movement, which has been succinctly described as the generations-long struggle to put “Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands.” Register here. In this webinar, organizers and practitioners within the movement will place the struggle within the context of dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery and the ongoing work of reparatory justice. Current efforts will be discussed and lifted up in discerning how the movement can be advanced today. Speakers will include: Katerina Gea from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery and pastor of Wild Church Fresno. Sarah Augustine from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery; author of The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery. Angie Comeaux from Hummingbird Springs Farm, the Bvlbancha Collective, and Okla Hina Ikhish Holo (People of the Sacred Medicine Trail). The webinar is co-hosted by the Rev. Dr. Brooks Berndt who serves as the Minister of Environmental Justice for the United Church of Christ and the Rev. Michael Malcom who serves as the Executive Director for Alabama Interfaith Power & Light and the People's Justice Council. Even if you cannot make the webinar at its scheduled time, still sign-up, and they will send you a link to a recording of it.

The Unitarian Universalist Young Adults for Climate Justice caucus is looking for support as they will be heading to New Orleans in April 2023 for a climate justice convergence hosted by Power Shift Network. The theme of the convergence is "Resilience Over Climate Abuse." which will cover five themes; Movement History and Political Education Healing Spaces and Community Care Using Art in Our Work Skill Training to Strengthen Resilience Centering Lessons from the Gulf Coast "This is an opportunity for members of UUYACJ to deepen their knowledge, put justice into practice, and build meaningful connections with other climate justice activists. In order to make this trip possible, they need to raise $3,300 by February 5th. Currently, they are at 46% of their fundraising goal." Power Shift Network is an intergenerational network of organizations and campaigns that center on the diverse young people most impacted by the climate crisis." They have a diverse membership.

"Wake up in a world that is working together to move one billion people across borders. Get ready to pick your new destination." I belong to a future simulation group known as Urgent Optimists, coordinated by The Institute For The Future (IFTF). The group is led by Jane McGonigal, Director of Game Research and Development and leader of IFTF’s public membership program, Urgent Optimists at IFTF. Jane is the author of the 2022 book Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything - Even Things That Seem Impossible Today.. On February 6, 2023 we start a fictional future simulation known as Welcome Party,” where ten years from now. in 2033. nations are welcoming immigrants relocating from places in the world made "unlivable" by a worsening global climate emergency. Join this simulation to spend 10 days in the future of climate migration. Play begins 2/20/2023 after the 10-day simulation. Although the scenario is fictional, it is plausible based on real signals of change and future forces that already exist today. Welcome Party may sound extreme to you, or ridiculous, at first. It may feel shocking, hard to imagine, full of “unthinkable” possibilities. That’s intentional. It is designed to help you get better at thinking the unthinkable and imagining the unimaginable before it happens — so you can respond more creatively and strategically to whatever future challenges you might face. Here is a description of the scenario: "Today, we face a growing climate migration crisis. But what if we flipped our way of thinking upside down? Let’s imagine another ridiculous, at first, possibility: a world in which climate migration is no longer seen as a great crisis but as an urgent solution. In this future, it no longer makes sense for most people to live in one country their whole lives just because they were born there. The freedom to move is recognized as a fundamental human right, and keeping people trapped behind borders is considered a barbaric, outdated practice. Financial support is available to anyone who needs to relocate because of climate change. It’s not just a matter of what’s fair. It’s also about fueling economic growth and innovation. More migration gets more people to where they can maximize their potential and make the biggest contributions to society. And most countries need more workers, not fewer. In this world, governments no longer ask how we limit migration. They ask how we maximize its benefits. Some of the smartest and most creative people in the world are putting all their energy into figuring out the logistics of mass migration: How do we quickly help hundreds of millions of people move somewhere they can be happier and healthier? Which places will have the safest climates? How can we make room there for all of us? Not everyone is on the move in this future. The rest of humanity is learning how to make others feel welcome and at home somewhere new. In fact, the art of welcoming is now ranked by online learners as the most useful and desirable practical skill to master, ahead of computer programming, data science, and even health care. It turns out that a “soft” skill may be the most essential one for humanity’s future. Migration in this future is no longer an individual burden or a dangerous, illegal journey. It’s coordinated, intentional, and strategic— the whole world working together to build vibrant, thriving societies. The climate journey you choose to take, if you do move, will bravely make your family’s new history for generations to come. How might we get to a world like this, where a crisis becomes a solution? What new kinds of political actions and social movements could lead us there? What would it feel like to live through the first waves of coordinated, intentional mass migration? What will be our greatest sources of happiness, comfort, and resilience, if we decide to do the hard work necessary to make a climate-safer life for all? That’s what we’re going to try to find out in simulation #2: “Welcome Party.” We have to free our mind, imagine what has never happened before and write social fiction. ~ Muhammad Yunus, social entrepreneur and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Sunday, February 5, 2023, from 1:30 to 5:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 85 S. Holly Street, Medford, OR. Join other people of faith in the Rogue Valley who care about the environment and climate justice! Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon's tenth annual Oregon Interfaith Earth Summit will take place in faith communities all over Oregon with the theme, "Care for Our Common Home: Building Neighborhoods for Climate Resilience." This hybrid event will start with a Zoom Virtual Plenary Session at First Presbyterian Church, followed by an in-person discussion and local vigil. We will hear from a leader of Together New Orleans; watch a video about the Commissary Project at Warm Springs, OR; EMO will describe their Resilient Communities Cohort for Congregations and the OIPL Advocacy Team; and Oregon Representatives Khanh Pham and Mark Gamba will speak about the 2023 legislative session. Following the Plenary we will hear from Rogue Climate and Ashland Climate Collaborative with local host Bob Morse facilitating in-person discussion focusing on relationship-building and how communities of faith can participate in community and climate resilience in our neighborhoods and regions. Each regional gathering will end with a climate vigil from 5-5:15 p.m. REGISTER NOW at https://emoregon.org/event/earth-summit-2023/ $25 general; $10 student rate; scholarships available too. Learn more and register: EMOregon/events

Rogue Reimagined will have Community Listening Sessions on February 7, 2023 from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. at the Talent Community Center, Dinner will be provided. This is an event by the Jackson County Community Long-Term Recovery Group (JCC LTRG) and the city of Talent, Oregon A collaborative disaster recovery planning process for the 2020 Almeda and South Obenchain fires, ROGUE REIMAGINED wants to hear from you to develop projects to RECOVER, REBUILD, and REIMAGINE our valley. Examples of recovery projects could include: fire-safe education, improving evacuation routes, affordable housing, forest land fuels management, etc. Step 1 began in October 2022 with interviews of staff, elected officials, steering committee, and community stakeholders. Rogue Reimagined is now in the Step 2 phase with the website launch, community online survey, public listening meetings, and an open house workshop. Step 3 in March-April 2023 will be the creation of a user-friendly document to address the progress and future priorities for recovery and public presentations to share the document. "Together we can develop a community-based, post-disaster vision and a path to get there. Shape the vision of our rebuild by attending a community listening session." Learn more at RogueReimagined.org Resource links are on their website.

The Ashland Climate Collaborative is a 501-c-3 non-profit "formed in 2021 to serve as a hub for community-based action to reduce our climate footprint and build a resilient community." They have four Action Teams: Electrification - homes, organizations, and businesses Transportation - electric vehicles and making biking/walking safer Water - conservation Composting - food waste They aim "to facilitate the convening of self-defined organizational networks to share best practices, solve problems, forge partnerships, and activate as needed. Examples could include faith organizations, professional associations, neighborhoods, community clubs, and more." In 2023, Ashland Climate Collaborative is launching Neighborhood Climate Action Networks and volunteers are needed! This is being designed for "local organizations, businesses, and neighborhoods to come together to accelerate climate action and integrate it into standard practice. They are planning to have "a pilot program with 6-10 neighborhood groups that will meet for about 3 hours once a month to discuss how homeowners can address new climate challenges like drought and fires and review ways to lower household greenhouse gas emissions." Find out more at their website or Facebook page.