Congregational Focus 2021Environmental Action Working Group Engagement Strategies 1- Sunday Earth Speaks Series 2 - EAWG Advocacy & Workshops & Webinars Hope In Action: A Pathway to Resilience, Self Care and Earth Care Workshop scheduled for Saturday February 27 from 10:00 am to 12:30pm Register HERE 3 - Green Sanctuary ACCREDITATION ** SCROLL DOWN ** |
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Sunday Earth Speaks Series
Presented on the Third Sunday of each month, 9 a.m.
LINK to CURRENT EARTH SPEAKS FORUM PRESENTATIONS Meeting ID: 825 9494 8434 Passcode: 216394
MOST RECENT FORUM
January 17, 2021 - Green Sanctuary with Karen Brammer
Our Environmental Action Working Group is launching First Unitarians Ottawa's newly revised Green Sanctuary - 2020 as a key ingredient in our opportunity identification, assessment and engagement process.
www.uua.org/environment/sanctuary/green-sanctuary-2020-faithful-response-climate-urgency
The FirstU Coordinating team invites you to hear Karen Brammer, the UUA’s Climate Justice Senior Associate with the Organizing Strategy Team. Her work allows her to engage in the deepest vision of what we as UUs hope to become. In addition to working on connecting UUs with frontline partners, she also manages the Green Sanctuary Program.
CHECK OUT THIS INSPIRING 'SING FOR CLIMATE BELGIUM ' YOU TUBE clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGgBtHoIO4g
SEE LIST OF PREVIOUS FORUMS
Presentations from Graham Saul, Jane Wilson, Mike Fletcher and Maury Prevost.
Call to Action - updated January 22nd
Hope In Action: A Pathway to Resilience, Self Care and Earth Care Workshop scheduled for Saturday February 27 from 10:00 am to 12:30pm
In the midst of concurrent global crises, a COVID pandemic, a climate emergency, feelings of loss and grief, how do we respond with clear eyes and a wise heart?
On Saturday February 27 from 10:00am to 12:30pm; we are offering support "Hope in Action: A Pathway to Resilience, Self-care and Earth-care" Workshop.
Robin, our Facilitator will guide us through a process for composting our pain, fear and anger into qualities that allow us to respond to the challenges of these times with care and integrity. Please note this workshop is capped at 20 participants.
REGISTER HERE
ENVIRO-ACTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR!
1. Evaluate your carbon footprint at carbonfootprint.com - Home of Carbon Footprinting and choose one thing you plan to do to lower your carbon footprint. (If you require help, contact Mike Fletcher or Margaret Linton at EAWG@firstunitarianottawa.ca.)
2.Participate in PhotoVoice: Hope in Action: Choose two photos, one distressing and one calming, and tell the related story of hope by answering these three questions; why did you choose these photos, what were your feelings; what is one action I can take to help Mother Earth become healthier?
3. Join the PhotoVoice Group on Facebook at Unitarians for Climaction (contact Maury Prevost at photovoice@firstunitarianottawa.ca to be invited to join). Post your carbon footprint action and/or your photos and story at PhotoVoice . If you are not on FaceBook, send these to Maury at photovoice@firstunitarianottawa.ca. He will post them for you.
ENVIROBITS:
Promises don’t cut emissions; laws do. The federal government’s proposed climate bill shows a path to meet a 2030 climate target. But current climate laws to date come nowhere close to meeting this goal. Three sectors dominate the emissions chart…electricity, oil and gas, and transportation. Canada has shown it can enact laws needed to virtually eliminate climate pollution from the electricity sector within 25 years. It now needs to act just as quickly to control the two remaining super-emitting sectors. Read more: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/01/18/opinion/canadas-2030-climate-plan-good-bad-ugly
Over time, food Sovereignty and resilience to climate change has been threatened by the privatization and consolidation of seed production. Linnaea Farm of B.C. is setting up a seed library to save, catalogue and lend out seeds to keep them in the public domain and ensure they adapt under changing local climate conditions. It is one of many small seed banks across Canada. In addition, a number of sustainable farmers are cooperating through the Canadian Organic Vegetable Crop Improvement Variety Trials Network (CANOVI) to grow adapted and publicly available seeds. Read more: :https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/08/18/news/seed-libraries-rewriting-book-food-sovereignty-and-climate-change
ENVIRO-ADVOCACY BE HEARD!
Teachers, retired teachers and all those interested in protecting our environment. Write an open letter to the OTPP or the CPP encouraging them to divest from fossil fuels and seek out greener investments. https://www.shiftaction.ca/shiftotpp
For more on green investing: see Adam Scott’s Seminar: https://group78.org/
Ongoing Action: Fridays for Future Ottawa
FirstU on Social Media Unitarians for Climaction
Hope In Action: A Pathway to Resilience, Self Care and Earth Care Workshop scheduled for Saturday February 27 from 10:00 am to 12:30pm
In the midst of concurrent global crises, a COVID pandemic, a climate emergency, feelings of loss and grief, how do we respond with clear eyes and a wise heart?
On Saturday February 27 from 10:00am to 12:30pm; we are offering support "Hope in Action: A Pathway to Resilience, Self-care and Earth-care" Workshop.
Robin, our Facilitator will guide us through a process for composting our pain, fear and anger into qualities that allow us to respond to the challenges of these times with care and integrity. Please note this workshop is capped at 20 participants.
REGISTER HERE
ENVIRO-ACTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR!
1. Evaluate your carbon footprint at carbonfootprint.com - Home of Carbon Footprinting and choose one thing you plan to do to lower your carbon footprint. (If you require help, contact Mike Fletcher or Margaret Linton at EAWG@firstunitarianottawa.ca.)
2.Participate in PhotoVoice: Hope in Action: Choose two photos, one distressing and one calming, and tell the related story of hope by answering these three questions; why did you choose these photos, what were your feelings; what is one action I can take to help Mother Earth become healthier?
3. Join the PhotoVoice Group on Facebook at Unitarians for Climaction (contact Maury Prevost at photovoice@firstunitarianottawa.ca to be invited to join). Post your carbon footprint action and/or your photos and story at PhotoVoice . If you are not on FaceBook, send these to Maury at photovoice@firstunitarianottawa.ca. He will post them for you.
ENVIROBITS:
Promises don’t cut emissions; laws do. The federal government’s proposed climate bill shows a path to meet a 2030 climate target. But current climate laws to date come nowhere close to meeting this goal. Three sectors dominate the emissions chart…electricity, oil and gas, and transportation. Canada has shown it can enact laws needed to virtually eliminate climate pollution from the electricity sector within 25 years. It now needs to act just as quickly to control the two remaining super-emitting sectors. Read more: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/01/18/opinion/canadas-2030-climate-plan-good-bad-ugly
Over time, food Sovereignty and resilience to climate change has been threatened by the privatization and consolidation of seed production. Linnaea Farm of B.C. is setting up a seed library to save, catalogue and lend out seeds to keep them in the public domain and ensure they adapt under changing local climate conditions. It is one of many small seed banks across Canada. In addition, a number of sustainable farmers are cooperating through the Canadian Organic Vegetable Crop Improvement Variety Trials Network (CANOVI) to grow adapted and publicly available seeds. Read more: :https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/08/18/news/seed-libraries-rewriting-book-food-sovereignty-and-climate-change
ENVIRO-ADVOCACY BE HEARD!
Teachers, retired teachers and all those interested in protecting our environment. Write an open letter to the OTPP or the CPP encouraging them to divest from fossil fuels and seek out greener investments. https://www.shiftaction.ca/shiftotpp
For more on green investing: see Adam Scott’s Seminar: https://group78.org/
Ongoing Action: Fridays for Future Ottawa
FirstU on Social Media Unitarians for Climaction
GREEN SANCTUARY ACCREDITATION
"The Green Sanctuary Program is one way that Unitarian Universalist congregations in Canada and the United States live out our seventh Principle and recognize our responsibility for environmental and climate justice. Through it, congregations examine their environmental impacts and move toward more sustainable practices grounded in Unitarian Universalism."
In October FirstU Board approved the EAWG's proposal to apply for Green Sanctuary Accreditation. Read on to learn more about this progressive and thoughtful UUA programme.
"The Green Sanctuary Program is one way that Unitarian Universalist congregations in Canada and the United States live out our seventh Principle and recognize our responsibility for environmental and climate justice. Through it, congregations examine their environmental impacts and move toward more sustainable practices grounded in Unitarian Universalism."
In October FirstU Board approved the EAWG's proposal to apply for Green Sanctuary Accreditation. Read on to learn more about this progressive and thoughtful UUA programme.
GREEN SANCTUARY 2020
A UU FAITHFUL, WHOLE-CONGREGATION RESPONSE TO CLIMATE URGENCY
Congregations engage leaders, members, and friends in bold, urgent, and effective climate-action and climate-justice work that moves the congregation in a long-term cycle of congregational work and re-evaluation on climate justice that starts with awareness/assessment, moves to inspire and plan, then leads to bold, effective action that contributes to each of the following three Green Sanctuary program goals:
MITIGATION, ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE and JUSTICE
The EAWG thanks Karen Brammer, Manager UUA Green Sanctuary Program for her climate urgency leadership and service.
MITIGATIONis action to reduce the causes of global warming. Mitigation is essential for climate justice and a livable future without disastrous climate impacts.
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ADAPTATION & RESILIENCEfor natural systems, the congregation and the larger community. Adaptation is the process of (a) reducing vulnerabilities to the harmful effects of the climate-change (b) making the most of potential beneficial opportunities associated with positive responses to the crisis. Resilience is the capacity to maintain function in the face of external stresses created by the climate-change crisis.
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JUSTICE
Working in partnership with communities who are addressing the reality that the greatest impacts of the climate crisis are disproportionately imposed on those (a) least responsible for the crisis (b) with the fewest resources with which to face the crisis, and (c) future generations.
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And in case you missed it..
THE PARIS ACCORD: A FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY: The Paris Accord has shown itself to be both inclusive and resilient. Despite the United States’ withdrawal (soon to be reversed), its 196 countries represent those who produce 97% of global emissions. However, they have fallen short of expectations. Global emissions have risen; fossil fuel production is still rising and we continue to destroy the world’s carbon sinks. As a result, global temperatures have gone up, and extreme weather worldwide has increased. But there is good news. Renewables now make up 90% of new energy generation, oil prices have plunged, and many countries have identified a new target of “net zero emissions” by 2050. Canada celebrated the anniversary with the announcement of their new climate plan. But good intentions make little impact; the question is “how do we make it happen”?
READ MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/08/the-paris-agreement-five-years-on-is-it-strong-enough-to-avert-climate-catastrophe?utm_source=eml&utm_medium=emaq&utm_campaign=MK_CN_MonthlySingleContributersCanvas&utm_term=Email_CNNewsletterControl131120&utm_content=variantA
A MORE EFFICIENT TARGETING OF GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES: The federal government has recently proposed support of home retrofits for energy savings. But to implement this efficiently it requires a new approach to effectively determine what each household needs. Rather than using a top-down provincial measuring of carbon emission inventories, new data science, machine learning and housing energy modeling techniques could achieve a more precise and usable bottom up method of determining a carbon score for each home and cost-effective energy savings opportunities.
READ MORE: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/12/14/opinion/canada-home-retrofit-2050-carbon-targets
SO WHAT ABOUT TRANS MOUNTAIN? In a Dec 8, 2020 report, Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux, concluded that the Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline, which the government purchased in 2018, and its expansion project, remain profitable only if Ottawa takes no further steps to combat climate change, and if the world demand for oil remains high. These are both unlikely. In addition, predicted costs are rising. Meanwhile environmental activists claim that the Trans Mountain Expansion Project is bulldozing trees on unceded territory and threatening sacred salmon streams.
READ MORE: https://theenergymix.com/2020/12/09/tougher-climate-policies-make-trans-mountain-a-money-loser-parliamentary-budget-officer-warns-sign-on/ AND STILL MORE https://theenergymix.com/2020/12/11/trans-mountain-poised-for-tree-clearing-despite-promise-to-protect-burnaby-salmon-habitat/
DID YOU ATTEND ADAM SCOTT’S WEBINARS ON GREEN INVESTING? (available https://group78.org/) How do Canada’s major banks measure up? Bankers say they know they must decrease their carbon footprint and have developed policies to evaluate the environmental, social and governance risk (ESG) of investments, but in the 4 ½ years since the Paris agreement on climate change, fossil fuel lending has grown at all five major banks providing over $130 billion in financing to oil and gas companies.
Desjardins Largest Financial Cooperative in North America to Stop Coal Industry Investments - READ MORE:
https://ieefa.org/desjardins-largest-financial-cooperative-in-north-america-to-stop-coal-industry-investments/
THE PARIS ACCORD: A FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY: The Paris Accord has shown itself to be both inclusive and resilient. Despite the United States’ withdrawal (soon to be reversed), its 196 countries represent those who produce 97% of global emissions. However, they have fallen short of expectations. Global emissions have risen; fossil fuel production is still rising and we continue to destroy the world’s carbon sinks. As a result, global temperatures have gone up, and extreme weather worldwide has increased. But there is good news. Renewables now make up 90% of new energy generation, oil prices have plunged, and many countries have identified a new target of “net zero emissions” by 2050. Canada celebrated the anniversary with the announcement of their new climate plan. But good intentions make little impact; the question is “how do we make it happen”?
READ MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/08/the-paris-agreement-five-years-on-is-it-strong-enough-to-avert-climate-catastrophe?utm_source=eml&utm_medium=emaq&utm_campaign=MK_CN_MonthlySingleContributersCanvas&utm_term=Email_CNNewsletterControl131120&utm_content=variantA
A MORE EFFICIENT TARGETING OF GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES: The federal government has recently proposed support of home retrofits for energy savings. But to implement this efficiently it requires a new approach to effectively determine what each household needs. Rather than using a top-down provincial measuring of carbon emission inventories, new data science, machine learning and housing energy modeling techniques could achieve a more precise and usable bottom up method of determining a carbon score for each home and cost-effective energy savings opportunities.
READ MORE: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/12/14/opinion/canada-home-retrofit-2050-carbon-targets
SO WHAT ABOUT TRANS MOUNTAIN? In a Dec 8, 2020 report, Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, Yves Giroux, concluded that the Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline, which the government purchased in 2018, and its expansion project, remain profitable only if Ottawa takes no further steps to combat climate change, and if the world demand for oil remains high. These are both unlikely. In addition, predicted costs are rising. Meanwhile environmental activists claim that the Trans Mountain Expansion Project is bulldozing trees on unceded territory and threatening sacred salmon streams.
READ MORE: https://theenergymix.com/2020/12/09/tougher-climate-policies-make-trans-mountain-a-money-loser-parliamentary-budget-officer-warns-sign-on/ AND STILL MORE https://theenergymix.com/2020/12/11/trans-mountain-poised-for-tree-clearing-despite-promise-to-protect-burnaby-salmon-habitat/
DID YOU ATTEND ADAM SCOTT’S WEBINARS ON GREEN INVESTING? (available https://group78.org/) How do Canada’s major banks measure up? Bankers say they know they must decrease their carbon footprint and have developed policies to evaluate the environmental, social and governance risk (ESG) of investments, but in the 4 ½ years since the Paris agreement on climate change, fossil fuel lending has grown at all five major banks providing over $130 billion in financing to oil and gas companies.
Desjardins Largest Financial Cooperative in North America to Stop Coal Industry Investments - READ MORE:
https://ieefa.org/desjardins-largest-financial-cooperative-in-north-america-to-stop-coal-industry-investments/
