Submitted by Cil Knutsen on behalf of the Climate Justice Team.
The Climate Justice Team (CJT) grew out of The U’s interfaith climate work and the Climate Justice Revival held in September 2024. We are now formally charged with both leading and coordinating efforts to address climate change through the lens of social justice. Our intrepid members are Blythe Eaman, Hillary Fandel, Cil Knutsen (Co-Chair,) Freia Schwander, Stephan Schwander, Nelia Sellers, and Silke Springorum (Co-Chair.)
Initial Efforts – Come by our table display at Connection Café to learn about Composting! We also work on navigating the dizzying amount of information about Reducing, Recycling & Reusing waste streams at home and The U. We have learned that every pound of material diverted from the Newark Incinerator is a step toward Climate Justice. Who knew that recycling coffee grounds is an anti-racist act!
Key Points from Our Charter – We advocate science-based policies and actions to remedy the impacts of climate crisis, particularly on marginalized communities, with a view to compassion, justice, and equity.
To create a just and sustainable future for all, we focus on Congregational Education & Mobilization; Community Outreach & Partnership; and Advocacy & Policy Engagement to
- Promote ecologically sustainable practices
- Expand our collective knowledge about environmental issues
- Engage respectfully with communities most impacted in a participatory manner.
- Mobilize and engage in grassroots efforts to reduce carbon emissions and unsustainable consumption.
- Advocate for long term systemic change for climate justice.
We aim to be a voice for environmental justice within our congregation, the communities in which congregants reside, and actively support the communities we are directly impacting with what we do (or don’t do.)
Guiding Principles
- Interdependence: Recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings and the planet’s ecosystems.
- Justice and Equity: Center the voices and experiences of marginalized communities most impacted by climate change.
- Compassion: Act with empathy and care for all people and the natural world.
- Action and Transformation: Commit to continuous learning, collective action, and systemic change with special focus on undoing patterns of racism imbedded in current environmental approaches.