- State Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale
- Jen Myers (Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity)
- Lindsey Berk (ACORN)
- Alex Hilliard (Community Member)
S.148, “An act relating to environmental justice in Vermont,” was signed into law on May 31, 2022. This panel covered what the law says, its requirements, the roles Vermont state agencies have in putting this into practice, and how community groups can support and help achieve its goals.
The climate crisis and pandemic have highlighted disparities in food, transport, technology access, housing, and energy affordability, mainly how some Vermont communities and populations are more impacted than others. We learned about Vermont’s new environmental justice law and discuss how, individually and collectively, we can work together towards its fulfillment of not only its requirements but its aspirations.
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Green Sanctuary Ministry also invites you to participate in a free, three part webinar, offered by the UUA Side With Love – Climate Disaster Response Team. This training series is geared towards congregations who are committed to being responsive to the needs of their broader communities in times of crisis and disaster.
When disaster or crisis strikes, many of our members turn to their congregations for support – tangible and spiritual. Our congregations are spaces of faith development, prophetic power, and community care.
Our congregations – your congregation – can and continue to provide shelter, offer respite, and literally save lives.
When our congregations are truly rooted in our Unitarian Universalist values, the work of collective liberation naturally follows. We know that as spiritual leaders and ministers within our congregations, you are shaping communities that, each and every day, strive to deepen their commitment to our faith’s values and calls. That is why we are writing to you today with a critical invitation to your congregation to live into the hope and courage of our faith.
Our Climate Disaster Response series is geared towards congregations who are committed to being responsive to the needs of their broader communities in times of crisis and disaster. Our approach with this series is honest and full of care – we know that climate disaster impacts all of us in different ways, so how can we face that reality with a prepared understanding of our relationship, responsibility, and power to support those who are most impacted? From grounding ourselves in the climate risks most prevalent in our communities, to developing plans of action, to staying in conversation with our faith peers, this series is designed to turn the overwhelming nature of climate disaster into a known and collectively addressable entity. Rooted in the belief that shared knowledge and faith are essential to Beloved Community, this series will provide the climate activists and teams in your congregation with essential tools to build a climate disaster preparedness approach that lifts up the best of Unitarian Universalism in your community.
* Tuesday, September 27 [4]: Climate Disaster Response: Assessing Climate Impacts & Making Connections (7pm ET/ 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT)
* Tuesday, October 25 [5]: Mobilizing for Action (7pm ET/ 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT)
* Tuesday, November 15 [6]: Community conversation (7pm ET/ 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT)
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