Green Sanctuary January 2025 News
Climate Justice Revival (CRJ) Updates
The CJR participants came up with ideas for 11 groups to follow up on climate justice intentions. After posting their ideas in the Sanctuary on Saturday, people had a chance to sign up for what they wanted to work on. We left them up for Sunday morning and got even more sign-ups. After that, Kirk, Sally, and Jan split up the lists and contacted all the folks who signed up by group with an outline for how they can get started. The groups are:
- Social Justice Education* – Increase Social Justice in Jr. and Sr. High School
- Difficult Conversations* – Be a community space for difficult conversations
- Giving – Increase the culture of giving at UUS and beyond
- Fix It Workshops – Have classes/workshops on how to fix things
- Nature Education – Nature walks and education
- Garden – Start a community garden to support those who need food
- Engage with Diverse Groups* – Provide opportunities for engagement with diverse groups
- Woodlands*- Improve health of our woodlands and improve tree canopy in Coralville
- Diversity* – Give attention to building diversity in our congregation
- Resiliency – Complete plans for becoming a resiliency center
- Sustainability – Take what we learn about sustainability and bring it deeply into our homes
The first step for any group was to have someone take on leadership, and we have leaders for the starred groups listed above. Â Each group was paired with one or more UUS teams to help make sure efforts are coordinated with the rest of church programs. The leader’s job is to call the first meeting where the group comes up with its specific purpose, and designates people to fill the roles of leading meetings, keeping a record of decisions, and managing communication inside the group and with the UUS team they are paired with.
If you are interested in joining a group, or helping lead it, please email Jan at jan.weaver57@gmail.com.
January Better Together
Each month of Better Together we have actions that members of the congregation can take to address climate Mitigation, Adaptation, Resilience, and Justice. Winter’s focus is Justice and Equity. For January the specific focus is to Aid the Refugee and Immigrant. We need to understand how our actions directly and indirectly upend the lives of others and act on them responsibly.
Begin by checking out the January Social Justice column for Three Things You Can Do to Support Immigrants. Sally Hartman spells out how you can Use Your Voice, Make Connections, and Take Action NOW, that you can’t do when it is too late.
What is the connection between climate change and migration? The Migration Policy Institute identified 33 million displacements related to natural disasters in 2022 but found that most movement was within borders. By the end of the year, most displaced persons were home. The flood waters recede and you go back home and rebuild.
However, the gradual changes produced by climate change are likely to affect migration patterns in far different ways. For example, just a degree or two increase in average temperature may make a formerly productive region unsuitable for a widely planted crop. It may increase water demands in already water stressed areas. It may cause the spread of insect vectors of plant and animal diseases because winters aren’t cold enough to knock their populations back. This slow but unavoidable change in crop productivity will drive people away from their homes permanently because there will be nothing to come back to.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now. Plant your metaphorical tree now by taking your 1st or your 20th or your 100 step to reduce your climate impact. You will find suggestions and resources in back issues of the UUS newsletter in the Green Sanctuary column.
Electric Vehicle Enthusiasts
Join a Public Email Discussion List centered around electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging, EV life.
Help promote Electric Vehicles and Plug In Electric Vehicles. Open to anyone interested in Electric Vehicles
To subscribe to this list, send an email to ev+subscribe@uusic.org. You will get a reply email verifying your request. Then just click ‘Join This Group’ button. Or if you have a google account, visit https://groups.google.com/a/uusic.org/g/ev , and click ‘Join Group’.
Social and Environmental Justice (SEJ) Sunday January 12
Green Sanctuary is collaborating with the Social Justice Team to hold Social and Environmental engagement activities on second Sundays. Look for this sign and help us make good trouble by writing a letter, penning a postcard, or signing a petition for a SEJ cause. (SEJ is pronounced “sedge” like the plant.)
Our January Meeting Will be on Zoom!
Green Sanctuary is Wednesday January 8, 7 pm at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88132264216.  Contact Jan Weaver – jan.weaver57@gmail.com for more information or to get on our email list.
