CLIMATE COORDINATOR REPORTS, FEBRUARY 2024
CONSTITUENCY COORDINATORS
Jewish Constituency Climate Report.
February 2024
Prepared by Cherie Brown with support from Rachel Landsberg and Julie Saxe Taller
There are three of us working together as a team to lead the Jewish Constituency work on the Unified Climate Goal. Rabbi Julie Saxe Taller, Rachel Landsberg, and myself, Cherie Brown.
The three of us meet monthly to discharge together, review actions we agreed to take in the previous month, and plan actions to be taken in the month ahead.
In the spring of 2023, we announced on the RC Jewish List that we would be launching Jewish discharge support groups on the climate. RC Jews could sign up either for a support group focused on counseling Jews in RC on climate issues- or a support group focused on being Jews doing wide world climate work. About 60 Jews signed up. We set up 8 support groups. 7 groups are for discharging on being a Jew in wide world climate work; one group is for discharging about counseling RC Jews on climate issues.
These groups were initially intended to go until mid October 2023, when we were scheduled to have a Jews and Climate emergency workshop.
Shortly after the Israel Gaza war broke out in October 2023, we realized we had to shift the focus of the weekend to focus on discharging on the war. Cherie led Diaspora Jews; Tim led Israelis; Diane, Dorann, and Cherie led a webinar on being Allies to Diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews. Azi and Dvora led a webinar on being Allies to Palestinians.
In December, we regrouped, polled all the Jews leading the climate support groups. Many of the groups are continuing, a few of the groups are being combined. One of the key goals for these Jewish climate support groups is discharging on the RC Unified Climate goal.
Several years ago, a new Jewish wide world organization, Dayenu formed to build Jewish support for wide world climate work. They set up Dayenu circles in cities across North America. A Dayenu circle is a local group of Jews working together in the wide world on climate campaigns.
I decided to set up an RC support group for RC Jewish leaders who wanted to start a Dayenu circle in their synagogue or Jewish community and support each other to bring RC practices and listening exchanges to those Dayenu Circles We have about 12 active RCers in this group. It’s been a powerful place to discharge and share what we are learning in working with wide world Jews on climate.
For example, move your money is a campaign with the wide world Dayenu organization. ( take money out of banks that support fossil fuels). A few of the RC Dayenu circle leaders brought to our RC support group for Dayenu leaders the challenge they were finding for Jews in their local Dayenu circle who are too scared about survival ( a key Jewish struggle) to endorse the move your money campaign.
I, in turn, have had many meetings with the wide world Dayenu Circles program director to share with her what the Dayenu Circle RCers are learning. It’s been a powerful RC/ wide world partnership.
Since the Israel Gaza war broke out, there has been a noticeable increase of antisemitism within many climate justice organizations. We three Jewish climate coordinators have done three things to date to raise awareness and get everyone discharging on this. Rachel, Julie, and I convened a discharge/ sharing our thinking session with all of the leaders of the RC Jewish support groups working on climate issues. We discharged and thought about two questions:
1). Where have you seen antisemitism in climate work recently? For example, one person said the Jews in her wide world Dayenu Circle are wanting to drop out of climate organizations because they were finding so much antisemitism there.
2). How can we as Jewish RCers discharge and take the antisemitism on in helpful ways within climate organizations. We came up with several ideas that we are now implementing
- Cherie has been leading a weekly leadership clinic for RC Jews since the Israel Gaza war broke out. One of these leadership clinics was recently devoted to discharging on how to take leadership around the antisemitism we were seeing within climate organizations
- Cherie, Julie, and Rachel are offering a facilitated invitation only conversation in April for Jewish climate activist leaders in the wide world who lead Jewish climate organizations based in the U.S. The goal of the session is to listen to each other about antisemitism in current climate work and strategize ways to keep antisemitism from dividing the climate movement.
3). Plans are in the works to lead a series of webinars in RC both for PGM Gentiles and for White Gentiles on the issue of antisemitism in climate wide world groups and wide world justice groups.
And finally, we see the discharge work we are encouraging every RC Jew to do since October 7 at every RC Jewish workshop and in every RC Jewish support group to hold out fully being behind both peoples ( the Palestinian people and the Israeli people) as a key part of our overall Jewish climate work plan.
As long as the Israel Gaza war continues, there is little attention for activists to focus on climate. The war has huge consequences for the climate. So rather than seeing it as a distraction to the important work on climate, we recognize that Jews- and everyone else discharging on the war now is critical for climate work
And with all of this, we continue to work with the leaders of the Jewish climate support groups to include discharge on the Unified Climate Goal in all Jewish climate support group meetings.
Cherie Brown, Jews
I've been the elders climate coordinator for a year and this is what I've done
- stay close to Jerry (she's been diverted from the ILRP work a lot this past year)
- not take any "elders and climate" initiative without her direct involvement
- be on her team (meets monthly for an hour, I counsel her for about 45 minutes there)
- help her think about climate (and class) in the elders work
- help her find my replacement - ideally someone she can have a real connection with who is not a white protestant Mainer.
It seems like many climate coordinators have seen their role as visibly engaging with the group about climate. That has NOT been the role as Jerry and I have developed it. In fact, I'm sure that almost no one even knows that I am the climate coordinator for elders.
I am coming to the workshop, and if you intend to have me speak for 3 minutes, it will take me 20 seconds to say the five things listed above and then I can laugh in embarrassment for the rest of the 3 minutes. If that seems useful to you, go for it, and if you choose to have different people on your panel, I will breathe a little easier but try to get the embarrassment session anyway.
Looking forward to seeing you in 3 weeks.
Mike Newsom, Elders
REGIONAL COORDINATORS
In my role as a climate coordinator, I've focused on raising awareness about the climate emergency and our organization's stance.
Within communities, ongoing classes include dedicated moments for discussing the latest global and national climate change information, providing a platform for members to share thoughts and emotional releases .
I've ensured every member has access to the Unified Climate Goal document by promoting its understanding and application in their classes.
Over the past four years, Caroline New, Beth Cruise and I have led monthly 90-minute support group classes, facilitating discussions and emotional releases related to climate issues and the unified goal in various constituencies.
I've engaged in thoughtful discussions and active listening sessions with all communities, centering around the Unified Climate Goal. Additionally, I've initiated a Listening Project focused on this document.
Love,
Chioma Okonkwo, West Africa
I think 2 things - one is to back the leader of the climate emergency support group in Southern Africa, Rudo Phiri and the other is to get the Unified goal translated into 4 languages.
Since the Pre-World in Nigeria in 2017 I have encouraged Rudo to lead on this topic, trying to make a dent in the internalised racism and sexism that tells her she isn't powerful, intelligent and the right person for the job. I counsel with her before the monthly group and I host it, so she is confident that someone will be there with her on the day. I managed to get her to the Basic Science webinar and she has a much bigger understanding now. She has also now applied to attend the Climate Leaders' workshop. I will be supporting her with ubuntu for that workshop also.
The second thing is supporting small teams to get the Unified Goal translated into Lozi (one of the Zambian languages), Shona (one of the Zimbabwean languages), Seswati from Eswatini/Swaziland and isiZulu (one of the languages of South Africa). But more than just getting the translations done, it has meant the translators have a big understanding of the UG. One person said "I now have every word in my mind because I had to find the right words in my language. At our recent regional workshop the culture share included 3 women reading a paragraph from their translation. The response was lots of cheers and applause.
My aim is to get as big a group as possible to the workshop with Janet in South Africa in September and for the participants to have done quite a bit of discharge on the topic, including the basic science.
Love
Roslyn Cassidy, South Africa
As climate emergency coordinator, I’ve taken five main actions:
- Back RC leaders/teachers in our area. Monthly sessions to help them get their attention on the climate emergency, in hopes of mobilizing them so that they will carry this topic to their classes.
- Back two scientists in our area who do climate-related work in the wide world. Occasional sessions. Hopefully, this fortifies them so they have better attention in their professional lives, which leads to greater impact. And hearing of their efforts and impact energizes me!
- Design and lead a 4-class series first with my RC class, and now with 12 folx in our region. The experience is based on something called “The Week”. See this 2-minute preview video.
I enhanced “The Week” by weaving in the Unified Goal and RC tools, and added a 4th session specific to RC, emphasizing ending systems of oppression.
- Session monthly w/ another climate emergency coordinator. Mutual support, think and listens.
- Take many “climate sessions” to model vulnerability, discharge, deciding, and taking action. Share successes and struggles showing up as a “budding” climate activist in the wide world.
I feel that #1-3 have made the biggest difference.
Best,
Suzanne Plaut (Colorado, USA)
Since becoming a Climate Emergency Coordinator for my region in the East of England:
- I recruited two smart, supportive women, one from each end of the region, to assist me and we have continued to work together well as a small, committed team
- We have sent out information about some of the resources about climate which are available to us as RCers
- Between us we have led several classes for the community, mostly focussing on the Unified Goal
- We led a class at the recent regional workshop which highlighted SAL activities and resources
- We invited RCers to join two of us for 3 ways to think and discharge about our climate work, but there was little take up
- We now hold monthly drop-ins for anyone to come and share time, these have been reasonably well attended
Love, Sheena
I have started a group for RC.ers who want to take initiative around climate emergency. We have met now once a month for one year, a group of 5. I think that has been important, that we stick together and keep going.
Two of the leaders in the group has led some open evenings on "climat and social justice", with both white and global majority leadership and participation.
One thing that we have just started, is an open discharge group on climate emergency, that we take turn in leading. The group meet once a month.
I also led a regional teacher and leaders workshop last weekend, where unified goal was central to the workshop. I think the work we had done in the groups played a role for how the unified goal could be addressed at the leaders workshop.
We have been thinking about listening projects, about supporting one of us as an activist, what we can do to back her and to use RC tools in different organisations.
love /Eva
I am leading a climate activists group in our region. I’ve been doing two things each time, which have been well received. First, we talk about successes, no matter how small, and things people are pleased about in their work. Then I invite people to think about—and share with each other—what is true about themselves regardless of how they feel, and to bring that knowledge awarely into their discharge time. On an issue that’s so easy to bring up feelings of insignificance and despair, people are hungry for anything they can use as leverage against it.
Pamela Haines
I took on the role of climate coordinator jointly with Shannon Coggins in our Region, Cornwall and South West England. We were part of a team of seven white women leaders in the Region, all elders with mixed class backgrounds and together we took turns leading, assisting and zoom hosting monthly workshops and 3 Regional workshops. I think having this team spread the awareness of the Unified goal across the region which was then also being taught and discharged on in other classes and support groups. The “gang of 7” also met periodically to connect, discharge and plan. Everyone has stayed committed to this project and we have another leader in the group so we are the gang of 8. Even though Shannon has gone with her family overland (no flying) to Australia she still is able to occasionally join us on zoom and keep in touch.
Our next challenge is to promote “Climate moments” in our Regional project starting in March for four months where all leaders in the region will be leading two or three ongoing classes that all co-counsellors are invited to while support groups are suspended. The Unified Goal will be shared even more widely through this project.
Much love and thank you for all your encouragement
Jill Coleman
Climate Change Activism in North Central Area, Lagos
From inception, we have focused on engaging Climate moments at our fortnightly meetings. We highlight key indices of the climate change / crisis to create and sustain awareness on current happenings.
I encourage members to engage in continuous discharge on the Unified Goal; as well as taking up climate change activism in their communities/ places of abode. We notice and interrupt non-environmental friendly activities.
We recognise the place of greenery in sustainable environment and so have encouraged members to plant trees and maintain gardens wherever possible. We encourage feedback and updates at our meetings.
I personally embarked on tree planting where I reside; and gifted some neighbours seeds and nurseries while encouraging them to plant and nurture same.
We are on the verge of reaching an understanding with the state Ministry of Agriculture on the prospects of teaming up with them during their yearly tree planting exercise.
Our activities have also included listening projects and school visitation where we focused on climate change, and put up short drama sketches to communicate the message.
I recently led a topic group on War & Climate and Wide World Liberation where I highlighted the nexus between War and the Climate Emergency.
Later in the year, I will lead a 3-hour workshop on Healing From War & Genocide, in Nigeria, and will again be devoting some time to highlight the connection between War and the Climate Emergency.
Onii Nwangwu-Stevenson
Coordinator, North Central Organized Area,
Lagos, Nigeria.
I am the Climate Coordinator for Connecticut, USA.
My main approach has been to meet quarterly as a group with the four Area Reference People and the two Care of the Environment Support Groups leaders in our region. We each share the climate-related activities of our groups and discuss future plans.
We have a number of climate activists in our communities and I have reached out to them individually to connect and discharge on the activities we are undertaking. At a recent regional workshop, I asked that those currently active or thinking about becoming active around the Unified Goal to contact me. I now have a list of about 20 RCers who want to connect and support each other around this goal.
Five of us are active within Third Act and have been supporting the recent launch of the Connecticut chapter of that organization. CT RC also has a significant presence in our local NAACP chapter, which has been quite active on environmental justice issues.
Hedley Freake
I am Leonard, climate coordinator in Togo. With these sentences I come to
talk a little about my activities in recent months in Togo and the
challenges I face in my activities.
Brief overview of my country:
Togo, for those who do not know it, is a small country in West Africa
located between Ghana and Benin with a small area of 56,600 km2 with a
population of around 8 million,600 inhabitants and rich underground with
the exploitation of marble, iron, bauxite, uranium, chromite, gold,
diamonds, rutile (titanium oxide), manganese oxide and kaolin (China earth), and phosphate. Despite this great wealth, the population is extremely
poor with a poverty line of 80 percent of the total population. a country
where sometimes finding 1 dollar and sometimes represents a fortune. what
explains this high poverty rate with all this wealth cited among so many
others? the main cause is oppression; the oppression of colonialism in
complicity with the oppression of members of the government who have been
in power for almost 60 years.
my work with my community in recent months.
my work with ma has been based primarily on encouraging relief from the
oppression of colonialism because we cannot find adequate solutions to the
climate crisis without fighting the very cause of the problem which is
colonialism. We organize meetings every two weeks to encourage venting of
fear, anger, discouragement and any form of feeling we have against
colonialism.
Most of my community is peasant and is directly experiencing the effects of
the climate crisis without sometimes realizing it. they sometimes explain
it in other terms by talking about the change in nature. previously they
knew exactly when it was supposed to rain and when the drought would come,
currently they are confused because the drought is becoming long with
subsequent flooding, they are finally losing their culture with losses
estimated at 12,000 tonnes of crops and more than 10,000 hectares
devastated by floods or sometimes escape with a low yield. famine has
therefore evolved since 2020 to date. the second action is the planting of
trees. the community initiated the planting of 250 trees in 2020 and we
have a small forest that we maintain today. moreover the majority of our
forests are devastated for commercial purposes of members of the government
but the populations often use firewood and charcoal for cooking, we have
therefore initiated training in the manufacture of ecological charcoal in
order to limit cutting down trees. Since 2020, we have also initiated a
tree planting project in schools where we had invited Felix from Cameroon.
The project is entitled ''my tree'' where each child chooses a fruit that
they like and we help them plant this tree at school. the child finds
pleasure in watering this tree and wants it to grow faster than that of his
friend and this constitutes a challenge for him. each time he hates to eat
his fruit so he is obliged to take care of it. This project allowed us to
have 200 additional trees in the schools. it is focused on children because
we believe that adults are busy looking for their daily bread with their
precarious economic situation and will not have time to water a tree. We
are thinking of other actions which we will come back to in a few months.
our difficulties
The difficulties we face are mainly discouragement because many are eager to find a stable economic situation and become discouraged and slow down actions. then we have difficulty developing the project on a large scale because of the country's bad policy and corruption who think that we receive external subsidies to carry out the actions and do not hesitate to ask you for their share. and finally, despite the project to manufacture ecological charcoal, some people still cut down trees to make charcoal for commercial purposes because they need the money and do not want to use ecological charcoal for commercial purposes because this is still unknown to the public. population and low quantity product.