We believe all life deserves a safe climate future.
St. Andrew’s is part of Faith Climate Justice Waterloo Region!
Faith Climate Justice (FCJ) is a local organization calling for action to protect the earth while creating a more prosperous and equitable community for all.
As summer wanes, there is a collective sense of disbelief at the extent to which wildfires and floods continue to devastate huge swaths of forests and communities across the land. We witness how Indigenous communities across Canada are disproportionately affected by these disasters. Animals, insects, birds and fish, the land, the air and the waters -- all are being profoundly impacted.
Recognizing the gravity of the times we are living in, Faith Climate Justice, Divest Waterloo, and 50by30WR will hold climate emergency vigils every Friday, 8-9pm from September 1 to December 15, in Waterloo Public Square to hold sacred space for each other, to grieve and to hope. Details about the climate vigils can be found on this webpage: https://bit.ly/climate-vigils-wr
We invite you to: Participate. We invite your participation in any or all of the upcoming climate vigils. This space is for anyone who wishes to connect with others in a sacred space to honour our feelings and commitments about the worsening climate crisis. Families, friends, neighbours -- all are welcome. Connect with us. For questions not addressed on the webpage, or to share thoughts on how these vigils may engage your faith or civic community, reach out to us at: climatevigilswr@gmail.com
The Faith Climate Justice banner has been installed on the Queen Street side of the church! This powerful banner represents the unwavering commitment of our congregation to encourage everyone to take action and do their part in stopping climate change. As a faith community, we believe we are responsible for caring for creation, and all that is part of it. This banner serves as a visible symbol of our dedication to this important cause.
We hope this banner will inspire others in our community to join us in this mission to protect our planet for future generations. Let us work together to create a sustainable future for all.
Click the + to read the latest news for Faith Climate Justice at St. Andrew’s:
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The Faith Climate Justice banner has been installed on the Queen Street side of the church! This powerful banner represents the unwavering commitment of our congregation to encourage everyone to take action and do their part in stopping climate change.
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Is the climate crisis important to you? If so, our upcoming municipal election is important and we need to research our candidate choices carefully since municipalities have a huge effect on climate. There are many resources available to help with that such as the following....
https://www.50by30wr.ca/2022election
http://www.gren.ca/
https://waterlooregionvotes.org/
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Just Transitioning through Huron Natural Area, Kitchener
Saturday, March 12, about 50 supporters from Waterloo Region, including 6 members of St. Andrew's, joined together at the HNA in Kitchener for the Canada-wide Just Transition Day of Action. The day’s purpose was to come together and use our collective imagination to create a bold, transformative vision to support communities through the transition from fossil fuels to a green economy.
In the late 90’s pressure from concerned citizens and experts in green space, planning convinced the City of Kitchener to halt development in favour of developing the Huron Natural Area within an urban core. Over time the area regenerated its forests, meadows, and wetlands. As one member of our group said “Walking through the HNR felt like walking through hope. The beauty of the area showed us the recreative power in the earth.”
As people of faith, we are deeply concerned about recovering from both the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we need our political leaders to listen to the people and the science and legislate a Just Transition Act.
The event was organized locally by the Climate Justice Working Group of the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW). People across Canada took action to demand a Federal Just Transition Act that guarantees good jobs, puts people first, and leaves no one behind. You can learn more about this group at this link.
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The congregation of St. Andrew's reaffirmed our commitment to the TransformWR Climate Action Strategy and 50by30 at the Annual Meeting.
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St. Andrew’s members, Rev. Marty Molengraaf, Jan Blackburn and Yola Grant, joined about 100 others at Waterloo Square to support immediate action by our governments on the climate crisis. The event was organized in a safe manner and was coordinated with other Day of Action on Climate Change events across Canada. The purpose was to reinforce the need to make climate justice a priority to all candidates running in the Federal Election.
Thomas Fraser, of 50by30 Waterloo Region, led the rally and introduced representatives from Faith Climate Justice and other local groups. He spoke passionately about the need to have action now. Amy Smoke, of the Anishinabe Nation and the Land Back camp, began the event by acknowledging and thanking the Creator and the Living Spirit in and on this earth. Maddie Resmer, with Land Back Camp, talked about the necessity of respecting the earth and preserving it for generations to come.
Prior to the event many people had created banners of all sizes and colours that were on display. After the event a mural, created by local artist Pamela Rojas, was painted in the square to represent themes around climate change issues.
There will be more opportunities to learn what we can do and to support others in their actions to make climate justice a priority.
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Waterloo Regional Council unanimously approved the Transform Waterloo Region Climate Action Strategy on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The strategy has a goal of reducing emissions 80% by 2050 and an ambitious goal of reducing emissions 50% by 2030 based on 2010 levels. Faith Climate Justice was one of seventeen delegates at the meeting speaking in favour of the motions.
Waterloo Region endorses climate action strategy to radically transform energy use.
Read about it here in The Record
https://www.engagewr.ca/waterloo-regions-climate-action-strategy
Upcoming events for Faith Climate Justice at St. Andrew’s:
