Dear friend,

As this new year begins, I find myself focused on fostering my spiritual grounding and fortification for the struggles ahead. The climate crisis and ecological 6th mass extinction crisis are upon us — what we do NOW, in 2019, will have tremendous ripple effects throughout the coming centuries. We must change. We must act.

We must come together as Unitarian Universalists to be a wellspring of action for environmental justice, climate justice, and the flourishing of all Life.

My prayer is that the year 2019 will go down in history as a time of rebellion, reclamation, reparation, and regeneration — for Justice and for Life on Earth. Because there is so much in this world worth loving and protecting. 

Will you join me and the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth in living out this calling? 

In faith,

Aly Tharp, UU Ministry for Earth Program Director

INSPIRATION

Climate Chaos or Social Change? Choose One.

UU Ministry for Earth’s Program Director, Aly Tharp, recently gave an inspirational TEDx Talk at her alma mater, Austin College, speaking of the importance of creating social transformation to avert climate chaos. In the talk, Aly speaks of the need for a social and philosophical paradigm shift, and the power of art and community action to help us get there.

ACTIVATION

Day of Solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en First Nation

January 8th is an International day of solidarity action with the Unist’ot’en & Gidimt’en Clans of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation who are under threat of invasion by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for defending their land and water from a TransCanada fracked gas pipeline. [photo courtesy The First Nations Canada]

Make Plans for Ethical Eating Day, January 11

In 2011, the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association adopted a Statement of Conscience on the issue of ethical eating. The UU United Nations Office has since been advocating for ethical eating as a necessary component of climate action in partnership with the Buddhist Tzu Chi  Foundation. The Tzu Chi Foundation is inviting the world community to eat a local and vegetarian diet on January 11th of every year, "Ethical Eating Day."

EDUCATION

Water Unites Us, with Rev. Mel Hoover and Rev. Rose Eddington

Mark your calendars for the next call in the Environmental Justice Practitioners Network Webinar Series, on Thursday, Jan. 24th at 4:30 pm Pacific / 7:30 Eastern. Reverends Rose Edington and Mel Hoover will build upon the stories and lessons learned that are shared in their chapter “Water Unites Us” in the current UUA Common Read, Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, & Environment. 

CONNECTION

 Learn How to Use Create Climate Justice Net in an Online Tutorial

The UU Ministry for Earth, in partnership with the Unitarian Universalist Association, launched Create Climate Justice Net in May of 2018 to provide a powerful set of networking, resource-sharing and communication tools for Unitarian Universalists and coalition partners working towards climate justice.

Throughout January 2019, there will be online site tutorials and Q&A sessions offered every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Pacific / 12:30 p.m. Eastern, and every Monday at 4 p.m. Pacific / 7 p.m. Eastern.

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HELP BUILD A STRONG UUMFE

UU Ministry for Earth depends on donations from individuals and congregations in order to empower bold action, partnership, and connections within and beyond Unitarian Universalism. Please give to support this vital ministry! All donations will be doubled by a matching fund until the goal of $20K is reached! 

Bonus treat!
Roasted Root Vegetables

Visit UU Ministry for Earth online at uumfe.org
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