Part 1 – The Providence Climate Justice Plan

Three Providence team members describe how they developed a true Climate Justice Plan; rare find in the U.S because its strong on both justice and emissions reductions. Monica (a UU), Leah and Court describe the Collaborative Governance model and a recipe to build the right plan for your community. The whole Racial and Environmental Justice Committee (REJC) committed to the process in order to get a plan that everyone wanted and would be unbreakable. Indeed, the plan is already working by preventing pollutants in the most burdened communities of Providence.

 

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Participants

• Leah Bamberger, Director of Sustainability, City of Providence
• Court King, Climate Justice Policy Associate, City of Providence
• Monica Huertas, Racial and Environmental Justice Committee (REJC) for the City of Providence, Member, Religious Society of Bell Street Chapel (UU)
• Zak Mettger & Lisa Maloney, Green Team Facilitators, First Unitarian Church of Providence with Shout Out to member Steve Ahlquist
• Aly Tharp, UU Ministry for Earth Program Manager, Member, Wildflower UU, Austin, TX
• Doris Marlin, Lay Leader, Strengthen Local Climate Commitments (SLCC), Member, All Souls Church UU, Washington DC

References and Resources

1.  The City of Providence Climate Justice Plan (Nov 2019)

Link also includes:

• Future Stories
• 2018 GHG Inventory
• Climate Justice and the Just Providence Framework
• From Engagement to Collaborative Governance, and more

2. Targeted Universalism Policy and Practice
Powell, john, Stephen Menendian and Wendy Ake, “Targeted Universalism: Policy & Practice.” Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, University of California, Berkeley, 2019.

3. “Small is All” from Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds, Author: adrienne maree brown

4. Grist article,  Providence shows other cities how environmental justice is done.
By Zoe Sayler on Nov 1, 2019

5. American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, just 24 of 75 major U.S. cities address equity outcomes in energy and climate planning. Providence, Seattle, and Minneapolis are the only three to earn full points on the council’s Clean Energy Scorecard. P. 80

6. Uprise RI

 

Part 2 – Building from the Providence Example

This session builds from the Providence example and describes one of many “all of the above” strategies for change makers working for climate justice. We hear more from the Providence team and merge their lessons with the goals and resources of the Strengthen Local Climate Commitment (SLCC) Campaign. Participants learn to enhance engagement in their communities and achieve measurable emissions reductions and justice objectives. The workshop highlights six UU change makers and their effective local coalitions. The SLCC toolkit and resources provide templates for outreach to elected local representatives, how to hold them accountable for the climate commitments they have already made, and how to build connections with neighbors.

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Participants

• Eric Goplerud, UU Congregation of Fairfax, VA
  Board Chair, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, FACS
• Rev. Dr. Kate Walker and the Climate Team of Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church, Alexandria, VA
• Walter Weiss, River Road Unitarian Church, Bethesda MD, Director, MC_FACS, Montgomery County Maryland Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
• Bill McPherson, University Unitarian Church, Seattle, WA, Climate Lead, JUUstice Washington
• Gary Piazzon, UU Congregation of Whidbey Island, WA, Social Environmental Justice Council Co-Facilitator
• Dick Boyce, UU Church of Columbus Indiana, Chairman Environmental Acton Team
• Doris Marlin, All Souls Church UU, Washington DC. Lay Leader, Strengthen Local Climate Commitments (SLCC)

And Video clips from Part 1 Participants

References and Resources

1. Organizations Referenced:
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions (Northern Virginia) FACS
Montgomery County Maryland MC_FACS 
JUUSTice Washington, the UU state action network for Washington
People for Climate Action
King County Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C)
Coalition of Unitarian Universalists State Action Network (CUUSANS) 

2. Create Climate Justice Networking Framework
How to create an account in CreateClimateJustice.Net 

3. Strengthen Local Climate Commitments (SLCC)
SLCC Group in Create Climate Justice Networking Framework (Easily join the network by setting up an account in Create Climate Justice, then search for SLCC Resources) KEY SLCC RESOURCES TO GET STARTED ARE NAMED:

1 Read This FIRST:  Guide to SLCC Resources

2 Slides for Intro to SLCC Strengthen Local Climate Commitments

3 SORTABLE Climate Commitment LOCATIONS

4 SLCC TOOL Kit PreFinal May2020

5 SLCC TOOL Kit Appendix PreFinal May2020

Stay SLCC informed by RSVP at – www.uumfe.org/act/slcc

 

Part 3 – Create Climate Justice – Weaving it All Together

This third session weaves the lessons of Part 1 and Part 2 with the Create Climate Justice networking framework. Participants will learn about the unique and ongoing work supported in the framework and discover the range of potential available. The UU Movement is banding together ministries for ecological & social justice in partnership with frontline impacted communities. Together averting catastrophe & creating climate justice – a thriving and just world for all.

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Participant

Aly Tharp, UU Ministry for Earth Program Manager, Member, Wildflower UU, Austin, TX