Finding your climate thing; Finding your climate community

All We Can Save Reflections

I spoke at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver on the topic of climate crisis this Sunday.

Among the controversial aspects is that the grand piano sat silent for the whole service.

Here is the text for my part of the service. The youtube video is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fejbdhtg_RQ&t=3665s

Mary Bennett

Unitarian Church of Vancouver

July 9, 2023

Truth Courage and Solutions

Big words. For a big problem.

The origin story of this book of 43 essays and 17 poems was what co-editor Ayana Elizabeth Johnson refers to as a “rage hike.” She and Katharine Wilkinson were out for a hike and started expressing their anger that there are so many solutions and people just aren’t taking them up fast enough to make the difference needed. 

In a TED talk titled How to Find Joy in Climate Action, Johnson echoes an earlier talk by Katharine Wilkinson called “How to Find Your Climate Thing.” 

Johnson says, people ask: What can I do? And she suspects they’re hoping for something small and manageable. Something that can be done “in the comfort of your own home.”  

Like eat a bit less red meat, buy a larger recycling bin or re-use your wrapping paper.

“That ship has sailed,” she declares.  Yes, keep on recycling and taking transit and avoiding food waste BUT WE ALL ALSO have to find a way to contribute to systemic solutions for the climate crisis. 

Rosemary has shared with you some of the impressive “wins” by our UCVancouver Enviro team. I believe it was formed at a weekend retreat, almost 30 years ago now. I was there!

At that time, someone actually spoke against starting a committee for the Environment, by saying, “But EVERY committee needs to think about the Environment.” Good point, actually. 

I’ve sometimes felt like a bit of a lightweight member of the team. My initiatives are things like starting book groups. 

I say all this as an introduction to the 3 questions Johnson suggests we all ask ourselves to discover what our “Climate Thing” is.

(Show Venn Diagram) 

1. What needs doing? WELL A LOT, actually. We can’t all do everything, so we need to ask a few more questions to find : what’s OUR THING? So number 2 is: 
2. Think about what you’re already good at. Who are the people in your network you could work with? Look around and JOIN something – before you think about starting something new on your own.  So, humble though it may be, I’m actually really good at starting book groups!  And I’m connected with people who want to join. 
3. I love this one. If you’ve taken a lot of time thinking about what needs doing and what you’re good at, you may wind up with a long and overwhelming list of things you SHOULD DO. 

Now, ask yourself: What gives me joy?  So this is like the Marie Kondo decluttering approach where you consider each item on your list and ask: does thinking about this depress or overwhelm me or: Does thinking about this spark joy?  

So as you look over your list and think about all the things that need doing and that you already have some skills and resources to support: ask yourself which of these spark joy? 

Her main point is: we need to all be committed for the long haul and if we’re doing things we think are good and necessary but we don’t actually get any JOY from doing them, we won’t continue for long.  Wilkinson in her talk uses the term “energy” – rather than joy. She suggests asking: does this give me energy back or drain my energy? 

So where the answers to those 3 questions intersect – that’s where YOUR climate thing is!

I admire the UCV activists who organize protests and even go to “jail for justice” as Pete Seeger sings. But that’s not my thing. When our UCV president Mairy Beam, was sentenced to house arrest the judge allowed her to “go to church.”  The potluck book and lunch club was born. One more reason for Mairy to “go to church”. With Nan Gregory’s leadership it’s still going 3 years later. 

So Johnson in her talk offers a VENN DIAGRAM with these 3 questions. I hope you’ll take it home and do your own draft. And maybe share with others. Ask them what’s their climate THING?

The more I get involved with the work of Johnson and Wilkinson the more I feel inspired and WELL CONNECTED to them. I think I’ll start calling them by their first names, Ayana and Katharine!

 In the Find Your Climate Thing talk Wilkinson shares a quotation by Rainer Maria Rilke which is one of my favorite messages:

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

― Rainer Maria Rilke

So if you don’t yet know what your climate thing is,  I offer you the challenge to LIVE those three questions and see what emerges.

The other part of this talk is about “finding your climate community.”  It may be RIGHT HERE. or as part of the Enviro team or one of their small groups. 

Rosey and I are in one of two All We Can Save circles that were formed this spring using the 10-session guide created by Katharine. People commit to reading the book but when you get together you explore together “generous questions”, read some poetry and have “deeper conversations”.  Our group has met four times and I always leave feeling uplifted and, well, joyful!  

Both our in-person group and the zoom group are sitting out for the summer. However, since others have expressed interest in joining in, we’re offering a couple of “drop-in” sessions over zoom, giving people who want to join in a chance to catch up. Send me a note if you’d like more information.

I am one of 12 local Unitarians who recently sent a letter to the Canadian Unitarian Council with this message:

We acknowledge that the issues of racism and climate change are inextricably linked. What influences one necessarily influences the other.

Climate change, however, is of such immediacy and immensity that it cries out for immediate and immense attention.  If we fail to ensure an environment that SUPPORTS human health, our children and grand-children – REGARDLESS of their race – will be sentenced to a highly precarious existence and/or premature death.  

I’ll close with this quotation from Heather McGhee

Inequality and climate change are the twin challenges of our time, and more democracy is the answer to both.

—————-

Rosemary Cornell’s Presentation: Why Climate Action Should be a Priority

r-cornell-presentation-july-9-2023-ucvDownload

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Letter to the CUC

July 5, 2023

(sent by email to Executive Director and Board President)

Greetings,

A number of us, all members of the Unitarian Fourth Principle Group, (unitarian4thprinciple.wordpress.com) are moved to address the CUC’s Goals and Strategic Priorities.  Specifically, we reject the inclusion of environmental action as a subset of the Eighth Principle (Individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions).

We acknowledge that the issues of racism and climate change are inextricably linked. What influences one necessarily influences the other.

Climate change, however, is of such immediacy and immensity that it cries out for immediate and immense attention.  If we fail to ensure an environment that SUPPORTS human health, our children and grand-children – REGARDLESS of their race – will be sentenced to a highly precarious existence and/or premature death.  

We suggest that the CUC resolution ‘CUC Goals and Strategic Priorities’ be reframed so that the Strategic Priority of ‘Effective environmental actions and climate initiatives that minimize and mitigate the effects of climate change.’ be the SECOND Strategic Priority.  Please see below for the suggested Strategic Goals Section

By what process will the CUC now re-work the Goals & Strategic Priorities?  What opportunities are there for input?

Thank you for your attention.

 (12 signatories – Feel free to adapt or forward on your own behalf.)

 —-

This would mean the Strategic Priorities section of the Resolution reads;

A. Strengthen the national fabric of our Unitarian congregations and communities by: 

a Nurturing and enhancing innovation and sustainability; 

b Strengthening ministry and shared ministry; 

c Developing, curating and focusing on Canadian resources to advance religious exploration, spiritual growth, and congregational resilience in a multigenerational context; and 

d. Ensuring that the CUC and its member congregations and communities are well positioned to welcome and embrace those who seek Unitarianism. 

B. Justice and equity

I Undertake the following environmental initiatives: 

Enacting environmental justice through respectful stewardship practices which include:

i Effective environmental actions and climate initiatives which minimize and mitigate the effects of climate change.

ii Consulting and collaborating with Indigenous communities in order to advance policies and practices which end environmental racism

II Live into the Eighth Principle of individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions through

a.     Truth, Healing and Reconciliation
i) Uncolonizing ourselves and our processes; 

ii) Supporting First Nations / Indigenous self-determination and initiatives

iii) Acting on repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery

b. Identifying systemic barriers to full inclusion and acting on dismantling 

these in ourselves and our institutions;

III. Refugee support 

C. Sound financial management 

All these goals and strategic priorities shall be achieved with sound financial management, including sustainable revenue sources, to continue the work of building vital Unitarian congregations and communities. 

---

The service description

Mary Bennett and Rosemary Cornell

How can you make a difference in changing the direction of climate change? What can Unitarians do–whether locally, regionally or nationally? How can you talk about the climate crisis to people who seem uncommitted to change? These and other questions will be explored by Mary Bennett and Rosemary Cornell, members of the UCV Environment Team. Mary and Rosemary are in a 10-session circle inspired by the work in “All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis.

Mary Bennett has been attending UCV since 1989 and was the Executive Director of the Canadian Unitarian Council from 2000-2008. She’s part of the Earth Spirituality Group at UCV and coordinates a Metro Vancouver Zero Waste book group where she first discovered the book All We Can Save.

Rosemary Cornell is a retired Biochemistry professor (SFU). She was drawn to the UCV community in late 2018 after meeting some inspiring Enviro-Team members at climate rallies and other front-line action, such as resistance against TMX. She is a member of the Environment, Zero-waste, and gardening teams.

——————

An invitation

We will host an introductory zoom session on August 26, 2023, at 12 noon Pacific for those who are interested in considering being part of a 10-session All We Can Save circle.

Contact me at zerowasteunitarian@gmail.com if interested in receiving detils and the zoom link.

Lots more at allwecansave.earth

All We Can Save – an update

My small IRL group for the All We Can Save circles met last week and now I’m eagerly looking forward to this coming Monday. I may even “sneak” onto the bi-weekly zoom group as well, as I did previously.

I’ll be a co-leader for a worship service at Vancouver Unitarians on July 9th with one of our group members.

Here’s the very short sermon I shared at Beacon Unitarian in New Westminster BC. https://beaconunitarian.org/

If you’d like to be in an All We Can Save circle via zoom, let me know, and our leadership team would love to support you.

All of the materials can be found at allwecansave.earth

All We Can Save – the book, the circle, the poems

Every now and again I fall in love with a book. OK, frequently, but this one is definitely staying the course.

I was introduced to the book “All We Can Save” – an anthology of 43 essays and 17 poems – through the Metro Vancouver Zero Waste group.

Why that book? I was asked recently, when trying to encourage someone to join our zoom introduction on April 22 @ 10 a.m. Pacific.

When I hesitated, she said, “Well, I’m reading the book and I notice it’s all written by women. Is that it?”
Me: “That’s part of it.”

The co-editors are so inspiring and passionate! I admit I haven’t actually finished reading the entire book. Unlike the friend mentioned who reads all the books from the monthly book group, but doesn’t attend the zoom gatherings I tend to poke around youtube eager to “meet” the authors and then try to talk other people into reading the books so I can chat with them. (The book group is a “low barrier” one–reading the books is encouraged but not required.)

So for Earth Month, this April, I’m part of several groups exploring (affirming and promoting) this book in many ways.

1. As mentioned, an introductory zoom will be held Sat. April 22 @ 10am Pacific. We’re especially wanting to invite people who are interested enough to at least consider starting up a 10-session circle in their own congregation or circle of friends.
   
2. The CUUWA Poetry group that meets every Saturday and Sunday from 9-9:15 am over zoom will feature some of the 17 poems from this anthology. (We read the poem 3 times with some silence and brief sharing between each reading). I did some digging and found that most of the poems had a youtube reading either by the poet herself or by someone else inspired by the poem. Here’s my google sheet if you’re interested. And here’s the youtube playlist I’ve compiled so far.
   
3. My good friend Teresa and I will be leading the worship service at Beacon Unitarian at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 23. It’s hybrid–I’ll actually be there, but you’re invited to join in via zoom. The title is “Truth, Courage and Solutions”, the subtitle of All We Can Save.

I’m the social media “expert” (My son laughs when I tell him I’m known as an early adopter in my circle of friends) so I’ve also set up some other ways to connect.

I’ll be posting excerpts from the book every day during April (“Earth Month”) on the Facebook group Green Unitarians.

As a related thought, I’ve been wondering for some time why I’m one of only 2 people who’s on both the Environment Team (7th Principle) and the Earth Spirit Group (6th Source).

The UK Unitarians (Unitarian Transformers) are starting a monthly group for “Ecospirituality” – and perhaps that’s where the Pagan Unitarians who like arts and crafts and ritual and the environmental activists who push for societal and governmental change might meet up.

I’ll be attending at 11 am Pacific (7 pm in UK) their one-evening-a-month (morning in Vancouver) Eco-Spirituality Connections gathering over zoom.

Interested in any of this? Please comment or send me a note.