UCC & Skyline Church – Climate Justice

October 17, 2019

Pastor Laurie will meet with the UCC national offices where she serves as the Northern California Nevada Conference Rep for Climate Justice, https://www.ucc.org/environmental-ministries,

and most recently was part of the grassroots movement for the UCC to endorse the Green New Deal.

The UCC’s 32nd General Synod meeting in Milwaukee has approved three resolutions to help combat the climate crisis, including one in support of the “Green New Deal”.

The Green New Deal resolution, approved by a vast majority, makes the UCC the first Christian body in the country to endorse the far-reaching climate plan. The Green New Deal, introduced in Congress earlier this year by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), attempts to transform the US economy in order to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions; it proposes investing in infrastructure and industry to encourage use of renewables, creating millions of high-wage jobs in the process.

Skyline church, early on, urged on by our Green team and by Pastor Laurie, endorsed the GND. Then Pastor Laurie presented the emergency resolution at the June Northern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ, and presented a workshop. The resolution http://ncnc.dreamhosters.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Green-New-Deal-Resolution-2.pdf, was unanimously endorsed in advance of the synod.

In addition, the UCC had also approved, urging all people of faith to reduce their use of plastic foam—specifically, styrofoam. Styrofoam does not decompose in landfills and is a known pollutant and suspected carcinogen.

A third resolution—in favor of the US congressional bill HR 763, which sets a price on carbon, was approved by the UCC.

Much of the progress of the UCC in environmental justice, is brought forth through this grassroots, representative group.