Story Cross-posted from Davis Enterprise.  February 17, 2015

Community Invited to March 7 Conference

Do we have a moral obligation to take action to protect the future of a planet in peril?

By Lynne Nittler

Kathleen Dean Moore posed this question to 100 world visionaries — the Dalai Lama, Thich Naht Hanh, Bill McKibben, E.O. Wilson, Wendell Berry, Thomas L. Friedman, Barak Obama and more — and published the articles they submitted in “Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril.” All essays were donated, and all proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward the climate movement.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed his foreword “to the people of all the world.”

Their verdict? A resounding yes! Yes, for the sake of the children; yes, for the sake of all forms of life on the planet; yes, because justice demands it; yes, because the world is beautiful; yes, because our moral integrity requires us to do what is right.

Given the current historic drought in California now entering its fourth year, and the prediction of increasing periods of drought expected in the decades ahead, people of faith are turning their attention to the climate crisis. On Saturday, March 7, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.  members of Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice will present the third annual Interfaith Climate Crisis Conference titled “Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril.”

Members of all faiths and the public are invited to explore what people can do together to slow their own contributions to climate change and to lead the whole community to a more sustainable future. Registration now is recommended.  Click for the complete schedule and workshop choices and more about Kathleen Dean Moore.

The program features Moore, a writer, environmental advocate and moral philosopher, who is devoting her working retirement years to climate talks and action. After her opening address, she will join an intergenerational panel who will present their own views of effective climate action locally and regionally, and then take questions.

Following a climate-friendly lunch, nine workshops will cover several avenues for advocacy on climate justice issues as well as practical ways to lessen personal impact. Laura Sandage, Lorraine Visher and the Free Range Singers will lead opening, noontime and closing songs.

Working  together

Gerry Braun, a newcomer to the conference this year, voices his high hopes.

“I’ve had opportunities, even traveling around the world, to communicate the science and technology of climate action  over a couple of decades,” he said. “I’ve concluded that individual and local climate action is the key to sustained, long-term action, and confronting the moral imperative is the key to individual and local action.

“I hope to draw inspiration for my ongoing local clean-energy work from the keynote speech and also from rubbing elbows with like-minded people of faith.”

“I hope to draw inspiration for my ongoing local clean-energy work from the keynote speech and also from rubbing elbows with like-minded people of faith.”

New resident Carol Warren joined the Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice, explaining, “As a person of faith, I feel a strong need to work with others in the community who share my view that climate change is not just a political or environmental issue, but a moral one.

“The issues can seem so daunting if we’re working individually. Working with others provides opportunities for action and support in this vital work.”

“The issues can seem so daunting if we’re working individually. Working with others provides opportunities for action and support in this vital work.”

Kathleen Dean Moore

Moore’s nature books have won the Oregon Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Award and the Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award. Her work is published in magazines such as Audubon, Discover, The Sun and the New York Times Magazine.

She serves on the boards of directors for the Orion Society, the Oregon Humanities Magazine and the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska. Moore also teaches writing workshops in beautiful places, from wilderness Alaska to the Apostle Islands, and she takes her philosophy students into nature to find their place there.

In recent years, she has become a much sought-after speaker on how to address climate change and meet our moral obligations to the future.

Find a link to Moore’s recent books, website and talks atwww.cooldavis.org/events.

Intergenerational Panel

An intergenerational panel will take Moore’s belief that we have a moral obligation to protect the life systems of the planet that sustain us, and bring the idea closer to home. Each panelist will describe their own views of the climate crises and their ideas for effective climate action.

Panelists include:

* Former Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza, assistant director for the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Students and the Energy Efficiency Center;

* Emili Abdel-Ghany, director of California Student Sustainability Coalition and leader in the UC divestment movement, a recent UC Davis graduate; and

* Katie Sanger, a senior at Davis High School and a member of the Acme Theatre Company.

*Dang Zhao – Humphrey Fellow from China, Public Meteorological Service Center, China Meteorological Administration

Workshops

Jim Cramer, an organizer of the last two interfaith conferences, said, “Last year’s conference reinforced my awareness of the urgency of action on climate change and encouraged me to believe that meaningful action is possible. This year’s conference is reminds us that climate change involves wild fluctuations in extreme weather conditions, not just global warming.

“We need constant reminders of the urgency of the situation and also practical guides as to what we can do. This year’s conference should contribute to both goals: motivation and meaningful action.”

“We need constant reminders of the urgency of the situation and also practical guides as to what we can do. This year’s conference should contribute to both goals: motivation and meaningful action.”

The two afternoon sessions of four workshops each offer a range of ways to address climate change and find both motivation and meaningful action.

Practical workshops include “Personal Transportation Options,” “Making Net-Zero Fun,” “Zero Waste Home” and “Recycling in Davis.”

Stephanie Carucci explains, “In our Meatless Monday workshop, we’re introducing a fun way for congregations and the community to try Meatless Mondays.  It’s one thing we can do for the health of the planet that will also save us money, conserve water and ease world hunger.”

Curious readers can go to www.cooldavis.org/events to full descriptions of “The Civil Rights and Wrongs of Climate Change: An Environmental Justice Perspective,” “The Ant and the Rubber Tree” and the special youth track for grades 7-12 presented by C.A. House intern Hannah Trumbull and other UC Davis students.

Adds Cool Davis Executive Director Chris Granger, “Climate change is already disrupting things we take for granted — water, crops, weather, availability of resources. Faith institutions are one of the places where people come to talk about changes happening in their daily lives, including instability and economic hardship.

“We have a responsibility to provide leadership to help guide families through this crisis. Faith groups have a vital role to play in building resilient communities.”

Yolo Interfaith Alliance for climate Justice members

The conference is sponsored by the Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice, which consists of nine Davis congregations: Green Task Force of Davis United Methodist Church, Green Sanctuary Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, Green Faith Action Team of Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Care for God’s Creation Commission of the Episcopal Church of St. Martin, Davis Friends Meeting, Davis Community Church, St. James Gospel Justice Group of St. James Catholic Church, and most recently University Covenant Church and Congregation Bet Haverim.