MARCH

Week #4.Social Justice Material and Tradition Elements for this Block.

ENERGY
Fossil Fuels & Climate Change

350.org Fact Sheets: Science, Policy, Solutions-- http://www.350.org/en/factsheets 350.org Climate Street Art-- http://earth.350.org/street-art/ Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of the Earths greenings. Now, think.Hildegard von Bingen (10981179)

Id put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we dont have to wait til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. Thomas Edison (18471931) If you think mitigated climate change is expensive, try unmitigated climate change. Dr. Richard Gammon, University of Washington, on the steps of the US Congress, June 28, 1999 Objectives. Provide materials that help participants understand how our consumption of fossil fuels is changing our
climate and threatening the well-being of our Earth. Beyond the science of climate change, provide information on how government policy, as well as our own individual actions, impact climate change. Through encounters with artwork, give group members the opportunity to see how climate change has impacted various communities. Empower group members to take concrete steps towards reducing their contributions to climate change.

Background for Facilitator.

For some time, global warming or climate change have been politically charged terms, spurring much debate about whether global warming is in fact a reality and to what extent we as humans hold responsibility in helping to solve the issues caused by global warming. While it is important to be aware that some of your group members may be skeptical of climate change or uncertain of why they need to be concerned, this has become an issue of such magnitude that it is important to move people into a position of awareness and responsibility. Because of the politicized nature of this debate, however, it may be helpful to gauge whether your group members might have negative responses to this material. If so, you may want to look into more extensive resources that can facilitate conversation and learning on an ongoing basis. A few of these resources are listed at the end of the session. A large portion of this session utilizes materials from 350.org. This organization was formed by Bill McKibben, author of one of the first books on global warming. Before the session, you will want to familiarize yourself with this website, the background of the project, and their current efforts.

For this session, please plan to spend 120 minutes together.

Materials You Will Need.

Copies of the 350.org Fact Sheets Screen or monitor to show the Climate Street Art. Paper, markers, crayons, or other art supplies

The Tradition. 15 minutes

Briefly introduce participants to Hildegard von Bingen, a Christian mystic who lived in the 11th century. Then read these words of Hildegard: Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of the Earths greenings. Now, think. Ask the group to share words or phrases that first come to mind when they think of gazing at the Earth, or glancing at the natural world. What do they see? What emotions does this seeing evoke? Then ask what they think Hildegard had in mind when she said now, think. What do they think it means for us today to think as we observe and take part in the Earth around us?

Presentation of The Material. 35 minutes.

In this session, the group of participants will be presenting material to one another. Form three smaller groups, and give each group one of the 350.org Fact Sheets: Science, Policy, and Solutions. Explain that they will have 10-15 minutes to read their fact sheet as a group, to briefly discuss the information, and then prepare to give a mini-lesson to the rest of the group. Let them know that, since each small group is filling in a piece of the puzzle, there may be some gaps in their own information. The Solutions group, for instance, may not even be sure what 350 refers to when they read their worksheet. But their job is to present on solutions, and to learn from the other members some of the other important information. After the groups have studied their Fact Sheets, invite each group to give a 5 minute presentation on their sheets. After all the groups present, ask if they have questions for one another.

Gut Response. 10 min.

Allow participants to debrief on the learning and teaching process. What were their gut responses to the material itself? Were there particular things that surprised them? Where did they disagree with the material? Did they have lingering questions? What about the process of the exercise? What did it feel like to teach one another about these climate change issues?

Engagement of the Material: Group Activity. 30 min.

Introduction Segue by stating that, while the Fact Sheets allow us to get a bigger-picture view of climate change, our changing climate impacts every community in different ways. Explain that, as a group, you are going to try to learn about a range of experiences of and responses to climate change by seeing through a different lens: art. 350.org, the same project that developed the Fact Sheets, also began a project called Climate Street Art. You are going to show some of the art from that collection, and would like the group to collectively respond to what they see represented in the various pieces. Climate Street Art Begin by displaying the first Climate Street Art image found at http://earth.350.org/street-art/ on a screen that all members can see. Do not show the description that is written beneath the image. Instead, for each piece, invite the group to look at the image in silence for 1-2 minutes. Then ask them to name what they see in the image, and which particular issues of climate change might be represented. Finally, scroll down to the

description and have a group member read the artists intentions for the piece. After reading the background to the piece, invite discussion about what (based on the Fact Sheets) might be some policies impacting the situation, as well as what might be some potential solutions. Depending on how much conversation you have or how much time you want to dedicate to each piece, you may get through more or less of the images.

Group Reflection and Synthesis. 20 min.

Invite the group to reflect by creating their own artistic responses. Using paper, markers, and other art supplies, invite them to reflect on how they may have felt despair and/or hope through their engagement with these climate change issues. How might they gaze upon the world differently than they did at the beginning of the session? Invite group members to do this through poetry, art, or a creative expression that feels meaningful to them. Give group members time to create these pieces in silence. Then invite them to share with one another. Also invite them to keep their images in their journals.

Pillar Signature: Ideas for Next Steps.

The 350.org Solutions Fact Sheet suggests that: we can get away from relying so heavily on sources of fuel and food that come from far away, and instead grow more of our own food locally, ride bikes and public transit, depend on local energy systems like wind and solar, and create economies that arent as dependent upon limitless growth. Brainstorm ways that the group, both as individuals and collectively, can commit to one of these steps. Could they ride bikes more often or commit to using public transit? Would they, as a community, want to plant a small garden or buy a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share together? Encourage the group to agree upon one practice they will commit to for the next month.

Prayer. 3 min.
Forgive us Lord for our thoughtless wasting For heat blasting in open doorways - for lights burning in empty rooms for homes basking in T-shirt warmth forgive our thoughtless wasting. For leaving windows draughty, for lagging left undone, for lofts un-insulated forgive our thoughtless wasting. For cars that guzzle petrol - for driving little journeys, for cheaper fares on planes forgive our thoughtless wasting. God grant us clear thinking, right action, and a gentle lifestyle. Amen

-Chris Polhill. Part of the materials for the Climate Change Day of Prayer. Available at
http://www.ctbi.org.uk/pdf_view.php?id=371.

** additional resource materials/web links** The Story of Stuff Project. www.storyofstuff.org Carbon Footprint Calculator. www.carbonfund.org Eaarth by Bill McKibben (2011). There are also Eaarth facts and figures available at
http://www.billmckibben.com/eaarth/factsandfigures.html Practicalaction.org resources on climate change: http://practicalaction.org/climatechange?utm_source=S000&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=C10105&gclid=CI_Tk4fuhq0CFQ5T7Aod tWv8UQ