A livable future depends on our collective action today: September Update from Create Climate Justice & Green Sanctuary 2030
As Unitarian Universalists, our commitments to justice, equity, interdependence, and collective liberation call us to bold, transformative climate actions - as demonstrated by the ways our congregations are reimaging together in the many ways. The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, UUA President, urges all of us to weigh in against the EPA’s attempts to rescind the foundational 2009 Endangerment finding.
Alongside our Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team, I call on all people of faith and conscience to register your opposition to rescinding the foundation for federal climate action. The public comment process is open now and the need is both immediate and urgent. Together, we can halt this destructive rule before it takes effect. The stakes could not be higher: the lives of our neighbors, the health of our planet, and the possibility of a livable future all depend on our collective action today.
Due to the public interest in testifying, the EPA had to add additional public hearings and extend the public comment period. Our efforts are working, AND we must continue to take action to protect our communities. There is so much we can do to fight these attacks on climate actions while building resilience in our communities so we can hold together when disaster strikes:
Share Pres. Sofía’s statement on the Endangerment Finding via your congregation’s newsletter and through community networks.
Prepare your remarks: review the Climate Action Toolkit for guidance (here is my testimony).
Submit a public comment urging the EPA to protect the Endangerment Finding. The EPA is accepting public comments through September 22.
In addition to the message guidance in the Toolkit above, review the Federal Register guidance for public comments.
Rally your fellow UUs, interfaith colleagues, friends, and family to submit a public comment.
Write a letter to the editor in support of protecting the Endangerment Finding
Distribute a press release stating that your congregation supports protecting the Endangerment Finding
Share the UUA’s Facebook post on social media or review the toolkit for sample social media posts.
Renew your congregation’s commitment to climate justice through the revitalized Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice process.
Find community with other UUs working to transform our communities through climate justice by joining a Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meeting.
In solidarity,
Rachel
Rachel Myslivy
Climate Justice Strategist, UUA Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team
Join the Green Sanctuary Revitalization
The NEW Green Sanctuary offers a flexible, manageable, and impactful process for UU congregations answering the moral call to address climate disruption and transform our communities through climate justice. For years, UUs have undertaken extensive efforts to reduce energy usage and preserve natural areas. Now, we need to expand our climate actions to respond to climate injustice while building community resilience, and we need to do the work together.
Green Sanctuary’s FOUR ESSENTIALS FOR CLIMATE ACTION support congregations to rise to the challenges of our times and fulfill our moral commitments. Taking action on Congregational Transformation, Community Resilience, Justice, and Mitigation ensures that our climate work is balanced, responsive, and comprehensive.
Yearly Recognition encourages ongoing actions that deepen over time - which is exactly what we need to consistently advance our climate justice goals. With just ONE REQUIREMENT for recognition, the new program encourages more action, less paperwork. You can apply for annual recognition once your congregation engages in at least one action per Essential.
Image description: Poster with a colorful gradient background and a table to display annual recognition of climate actions. There are four rows for the Four Essentials for Climate Action and five columns for the years 2025–2029, with outlined placeholders to add stickers for each Essential, each year. Green Sanctuary 2030 Mobilizing for Climate Justice. Our congregation is committed to transforming our community through climate justice. Congregational Transformation: Working together to improve the ways we organize and collaborate (fire with heart). Community Resilience: Cultivating communities of care to prepare for and respond to climate disruption (people holding seedling). Justice: Partnering with those most harmed by climate change to cultivate thriving communities (hand holding scales). Mitigation: Reducing emissions from energy usage, transportation, waste, and consumption (down arrow with caution sign and up arrow with heart).
This September, every U.S. congregation will receive a poster to help you celebrate your good work. The poster provides a way to visually represent the progress on your climate justice ministry while also educating the congregation on the Four Essentials.
When you achieve yearly recognition, we’ll mail you stickers for the Essential(s) you’ve completed. Because the work of climate justice is intersectional by nature, much of the work your congregation is already doing can build towards Recognition!
For 35 years, UUs have led the way on faith-filled climate actions. Let us recommit to climate justice so we can lead the way for the next 35 years!
Questions? Email ClimateJustice@UUA.org.
Join the Green Sanctuary 2030 Community!
The Green Sanctuary 2030 Community comes together for shared learning and mutual supports on the third Wednesday of the month, except December and over the summer. This year, we miraculously scheduled the whole season before the first meeting, so you can RSVP for them all now!
Image description: A meeting schedule with text bubbles on a background of yellow and orange fall leaves, next to a green block with white text and a chalice with a leaf flame. Green Sanctuary 2030 Community Meetings. 3rd Wednesdays, 1pm HT - 3pm AKT - 4pm PT - 5pm MT - 6pm CT - 7pm ET. Aug. 20 Creating a Hub of Community Resilience in Clemson, South Carolina. Sep. 17 UUA Strategies to Advance Climate Justice. Oct. 15 Claiming Our Power to Fight for a Clean Energy Future. Nov 19. Carbon Neutral by 2050. Jan 28 Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration! Feb 18 Green Sanctuary for our Kids. Mar 18 Building Team Capacity with a Friends of Green Sanctuary Group April 15. Roling out a Mobile Resiliency Hub in Atlanta, GA
This fall, we’ll have conversations on UUA strategies for climate justice as well as presentations by congregations creating hubs of community resilience, fighting for a clean energy future at the public utility commission, and working towards carbon neutrality by 2050. We’ll kick off the spring meetings with everyone’s favorite the Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration, followed by discussions on ways to expand our GS work to include our kids and by creating a Friends of Green Sanctuary group. We’ll end the season just like we started: with a focus on building a resiliency hub - but this one’s on wheels!
Hosting watch parties for GS meetings is a great way to bring your congregation into greater understanding and engagement.
You can RSVP for any (or all!) of these meeting and watch the recordings at SideWithLove.org/ClimateJustice
Join the Sun Day National Mobilization!
Sept. 19-21, 2025
Shine your light. Rise for justice.
Image description: On a dark green background are the words: Faiths4ClimateJustice:, followed by the logo for Sun Day, which includes the word “Sun” in red, a stylized graphic of a sun, then the word “Day” in red. Below reads: Shine a light for climate justice.
On September 19-21, people around the United States will join together to launch a bold new chapter in the fight for climate justice. Sun Day is a day to sound the call to solar and renewable energy. As people of faith, we know that fossil fuels are no longer the way to go.
Here’s how to get started:
Sign up, take action
Fill out this Sign-Up Form to tell us how you plan to participate. This unlocks access to our GreenFaith Soular Power Leaders Calls—a supportive space to share ideas, get inspired, and grow this movement together.
Explore the Action Toolkit & Sermon Resources
The Toolkit has everything you need—event ideas, how-to guides, and instructions for setting up your event on the map through ControlShift. Use it to plan GreenLight actions, host a community event, or start something brand new!
Download sermon resources and help your community rise for climate justice.
Put Your Event on the GreenFaith Map
Check out the Upcoming Sun Day Events on the GreenFaith US Calendar.
