🌎 30-Day Sustainability Challenge: Be an Earth Advocate

Welcome to Week 2 of the UUCC 30-Day Sustainability Challenge! If you missed Week 1 you can check it out HERE.

On May 3, voters around Michigan are going to the polls to vote on bonds and other local issues. This is a great week for us to turn our minds to advocacy.

We know that our personal decisions can have an important impact on the planet but we also know that it won't be enough to change a system that is causing harm.

The group Science Moms has a three-step plan for tackling Climate Change that includes some steps you can take to move beyond individual action to become an Earth Advocate.

SWAP carbon polluting stuff for clean stuff when you can
SHARE facts, concerns, and solutions with family and friends
SPEAK UP by voting your values, contacting elected officials, and joining a group working to make change

This week's challenge: What steps can you take to become an advocate for the Earth?

This 8:16 minute video from filmmaker Jack Harries explores the difference between individual and systemic change and ultimately why we must all join the climate movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_d0qrlDHaw

Dr. Ciarán O’Carroll is a scientist turned activist who believes that "people power" is critical to achieving the kind of societal transformation that the climate crisis requires. Check out his ideas for what you can do to stop climate change in this 5-minute podcast from Extinction Rebellion:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-can-i-do-to-stop-climate-change/id1487846755?i=1000456926041

Learn how engaged citizens and organized advocacy coalitions can build public and political will for climate change action in this article (about a 9-minute read) from Yale School for the Environment:
https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/building-public-and-political-will-for-climate-change-action

There are lots of things that you can do this week in the greater Kalamazoo area to become an Earth Advocate.

April 29 and beyond: If you have access to Netflix, check out the film Youth vs Gov the story of twenty-one courageous young leaders who have filed a ground-breaking lawsuit against the U.S. government, asserting it has willfully acted over six decades to create the climate crisis, thus endangering their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
May 1: City of Portage's Green-a-thon provides opportunities for environmental awareness and citizen opportunities at Portage City Hall from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
May 3: Local elections take place all over Michigan. Polls are open from 7 AM - 8 PM. Visit the Michigan Voter Information Center for more information about voting.
Ongoing- Public input about the City of Kalamazoo Sustainability Plan is being collected right now. You do not need to be a city resident to comment.
Ongoing - Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition, a grassroots organization committed to mobilizing collective action to combat Climate Change is currently building a database of concerned citizens who can help amplify a collective message and keep climate action a top priority for our elected officials. You can sign up for their emails, add your name to their database, and learn how to become an affiliate on their website.