CC Climate Hope Affiliates: EastBay Chapter
Climate Hope Affiliates are dedicated to advancing and protecting climate-related federal legislation (such as the recent EPA funding bill) by letter writing, in person or online meetings with our CA members of Congress, and the media. The EastBay Chapter meets online on the 2nd Monday each month from 6:30-7:30pm. Another great way to participate is to join the online 3rd Saturday of the month Webinar from 10 to 11am, where you will hear from national experts on many environmental issues, and have the opportunity to ask them questions. Here is our national resource page:
https://www.ucc.org/chapter-
The goal of the UCC Climate Hope Affiliates is to empower people of faith and conscience to address the interconnected crisis of climate change and societal injustice. The EastBay Chapter includes co-chair Catherine Kessler, members Nancy Taylor, Jim Schubert, Pastor Laurie Manning and others from 2 other UCC churches. For more information or for links to join future meetings, cath.kessler@comcast.net.
The climate crisis is not a moral issue located in a distant future. It is a life and death struggle right now. It is a justice issue right now. Not everyone suffers equally from the pollution of the fossil fuel industry. The inequities of our society are reflected in who bears the cost of pollution. These inequities take many forms whether it is racial and economic disparities witnessed in communities or the impacts of toxic air emissions on the bodies of the young and old. In Climate Hope Affiliates, we find our moral center in responding to these injustices.
The goal of the UCC Climate Hope Affiliates is to empower people of faith and conscience to address the interconnected crisis of climate change and societal injustice.
This UCC program that began in 2025 is designed to facilitate our local CHA group in meeting with our congressional representatives, in using the print and online media, and otherwise engaging the public to intensify climate change action, especially as it affects social justice. Our main focus in the past year has been to influence Adam Schiff, Lateefah Simon and Alex Padilla to speak out and vote to adequately fund the EPA, instead of cutting by 50% per Donald Trump’s goal. The EPA funding eventually was only reduced by 3.5%.
Nationwide we have 11 Chapters and more are forming. Our Eastbay chapter has met with Adam Schiff’s and Lateefah Simon’s staffs to let them know our positions on climate issues and that their votes are important to us. A member of our Eastbay chapter has written a 1-minute speech for Lateefah Simon to read to the House of Reps. We will be meeting with her staff soon about this. Our chapter includes Skyline, Niles Discovery Church in Fremont, and First Church Berkeley.
But our Chapter has only 6 members currently and we are looking to grow ; We need: someone to help monitor the news media for editorials or letters so that we can counter with our letters; letter writers ; more people to table at events or farmer’s markets.
If you believe that we can accomplish more together than on our own; and that the urgency and size of the climate crisis require that Congress act accordingly, please join us for our monthly meeting and our monthly National Webinar.
Mission
Our mission includes stewardship of church buildings and grounds with an emphasis on best environmental practices. We recognize the fragility of the earth and our own capacity to do harm. It is urgent that, as earth’s stewards, we make a commitment to our children and future generations to minimize our impact on the earth. We also recognize the need to support environmental justice in our local and global community. We believe that climate change is a critical global challenge and we are committed to meeting that challenge by advocating to limit carbon emissions, energy efficiency and transitioning to a clean energy economy. We believe that fossil fuels belong in the ground.
We will promote mindfulness in our use of energy, water, and all other activities that impact the environment: our worship services, education programs, maintenance of buildings and grounds, service to our community and in our individual lives.
Our Activities include the following:
- Reduce our energy and water use
- Protect the natural beauty of our land by planting local native plants and restoring our site by removing invasive exotic plants.
- Present an annual Earth Day Sunday service
- Create a walking trail on our property
- Protect children and adults by limiting exposure to toxic chemicals at our Church
- Educate our congregation about earth stewardship
- Hold movie nights to view and discuss films about environmental justice.
- Keep the church grounds clean, weeded, and thriving.
- And more…!
Initiatives and Action
These are issues, actions, and forums that we’re taking part in or initiated.
- No Coal in Oakland
- No Fracking in California
- Save Knowland Park
- Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
- MLK Day Community Action
- Movie nights – see our calendar (Previously viewed: Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything, The Wisdom to Survive, and Before the Flood)
- Educational forums; “Water: A Local Concern”.
- Pope Francis’s encyclical study
- Environmental Social Responsibility Act
Partners
We participate with local and national partners to make our world greener and cooler. Come to a meeting or watch the newsletter for our next events and actions.
Our National UCC Environmental Justice Program: Why should people of faith care about the environment? 
As people of faith, we look to the scriptures for guidance for the choices we make in our lives. Genesis 1 says that when God created the heavens and the earth, God saw that everything was “very good.” We learn in Genesis 2 that as humankind has the freedom to make moral choices, and that each of us lives with the responsibility for our personal actions or inactions. With the freedom of God’s gift, the prophet Micah guides us towards moral and responsible lifestyle choices: we are to do justice, love kindness and mercy, and walk humbly with our God [Mic.6:6-8].
The purpose of the Climate Hope Affiliates program is to create the political will to
address the twin, intertwined crises of climate change and societal injustice by
building relationships with politicians, reporters, and other social activists –
supported and empowered by our faith. / contact Moderator@skylineucc.org
https://skylineucc.org/justice-witness/
Learn more and join us in the cause!
