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What should CUCC do in the next decade of our work for Justice in a Changing Climate?

Carbon farming the children's
Plant a Row for the Hungry garden
Below are descriptions of the ideas raised at the Cleaner, Greener, Better World Showcase.  What would you like to help CUCC do next?  Click on read more  below to look at the ideas, then tell Gary Smith or any member of the JCC what interests you.
  • Showcase presentations
  • Ideas from our conversation
  • Ideas from people who could not attend
Gary Smith, chair of the JCC, (smithgk@mindspring.com)
JCC members:  Lena Gallitano, Ron Howell, Judy and Paul Kiel, Marty Lamb, Adrienne and John Little, Maria Mayorga and Jason Myers, Grady McCallie, Jane Smith, Jim Smith, Skip Stoddard

Showcase presentations:

Pre-weatherization - presenter:  Gary Smith, Community UCC
If you would like to participate in pre-weatherization workdays, email Gary Smith at smithgk@mindspring.com.  He will email you about the next workday and you can let him know if you are available to work.

Your bottle means jobs - presenter:  Blair Pollock, Your Bottle Means Jobs
Your bottle means jobs website      Take the recycling pledge   
Short video to share         Blair Pollock's slides for the presentation

    Coming soon:  Curbside recycling guidelines from every municipality in Wake County.

    Carbon farming - presenter: The Rev. Stephanie Allen, Church of the Nativity

    A video explaining carbon farming:


    Church of the Nativity is creating ZeroWasteChurch.org, with monthly actions for individuals and congregations and links to "how to's."

    UCC and 350.org collaboration - presenter:  Karen Bearden, 350 Triangle
    You can subscribe to an occasional (about one/month) email calendar of actions on climate change by sending your email address to Karen Bearden chickadeebirders@earthlink.net.

    Here is an example of upcoming actions from the November 10 calendar.
    Solar Holler and Coalfield Development Corporation videos - presenter:  Jane Smith, Community UCC
    Green the Church videos - presenter:  Jane Smith, Community UCC
    Just Show Up for Justice! - presenter:  Summer Cullen, Community UCC
    This initiative launches January 2018; watch the CUCC newsletter to learn how to sign up.

    Ideas from our conversation:


    Spiritual connection to the planet:  What can we do to help people have a spiritual connection with the planet?  How can we do this weekly in worship?

    Recycling:  Do "our" rental units (CCLIHC?  RICH Park?) have adequate opportunities for recycling?  In general, how can we make recycling in apartment complexes more feasible? Could we assist our municipalities to improve their recycling information?  How can we encourage our municipalities to encourage more recycling and less trash collection?  What can we do to improve recycling at CUCC by our members and building users?  Can we inspire CUCCers to pull plastic bottles out of the trash and recycle them?  [Maria is going to call Raleigh about whether we can recycle caps on containers.]

    Composting:  Could CUCC members together subscribe to a composting service with a place to deposit the recycling at CUCC?

    Your bottles mean jobs:  Could we bring information about this job-creating program to other churches in our conference and assist other denominations at their judicatories?


    Ideas from people who could not attend:

    Shirley Birt:  Toward Climate Justice:  An Interview with Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP’s environment and climate justice program, and Mr. Basav Sen, the climate justice project director at the Institute of Policy Studies
    Shirley Birt submitted this interview/conversation for those who want to think about economic solutions from the perspective of activists working alongside high climate change impact/low wealth/power communities.  After defining "climate justice," Ms. Patterson and Mr. Sen discuss a series of analysis and strategy questions through an economics/jobs lens which is not middle class.  If you are not a "big picture" person, skip to minute 39:30 for a quick tour of successful efforts in low-wealth, low-power communities to adapt to climate change, address long-time problems (like food insecurity), and hire neighborhood people.

    Paul Kiel: "I’d love to see more on the economics... in terms of business opportunities and impacts. What are the economic impacts of action or not acting – from the perspective of a business person?  Where are the opportunities to make money with this issue?  Having solar companies come and speak to us was excellent in that regard.  And I’d like to see more."

    Mike Schafale:  "There may be still some "lifestyle" changes we could do in the church itself, and that we could encourage our members to do.  Like, I find lights left on quite a lot when nobody is there."

    A word about the Cleaner, Greener, Better World Showcase and Celebration:
    The weekend of Nov. 11-12 the Justice in a Changing Climate Task Force sponsored a weekend filled with ideas to spark our imaginations.  Saturday's showcase featured projects from other groups.  On Sunday, Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler participated in a Q and A and preached at 10:30 worship.  This weekend seemed the perfect way to celebrate our first ten years of work on climate change especially as it impacts low-resourced people and to launch our next round of work.