Earth Bill Network & Faith
The Earth Bill Network is an outgrowth and next step of the Climate Crisis Policy effort to bring a unified coalition of people and organizations together across climate, environment, labor, energy, agriculture, justice, and more sectors in order to pass comprehensive climate legislation in 2021. The Founder and Executive Director of CCP is Todd Fernandez. The mission is stated as: To forge unity among civil society and activists, and work together to pass national climate legislation. This effort is gaining complexity as it is adaptive, evolving, and intent on cultivating a movement at the grassroots—reaching into every legislative district across the country. There are a number of strengths of this initiative, including the recognition that climate legislation must include a wide range of changes across sectors and include robust environmental rules, environmental justice, and just transition.
A number of people of faith are involved in this effort.
On this page:
A quick list of the different parts of the effort.
Learn about how people of faith are participating.
EXPLAINER
Find the Earth Bill Network here. The site started in 2020 as a place to create a comprehensive digest of potential legislation pending or proposed at the national level. A lot has changed since then. A lot is happening pretty quickly and those involved are volunteers.
Timeline to date
The idea launched in July 2020. View these two kick-off videos. Volunteers were invited to talk to their elected leaders about passing climate legislation, and to help ‘digest’ proposed legislation in order to compare House bills with Senate bills, and both of those against what was needed.
Come October 2020, a decision was made to widen the conversation and so to organize a two day symposium, bringing together people and organizations from across the grassroots and legislative landscape. This December 9th and 10th 2020 the symposium, A Climate Convergence, was a tremendous success and led to further ideas, adaptation, and new efforts. It is very worth reviewing the symposium recordings, with the faith session here.
As of January 2021 there are four thrusts to the work. 1.) the Policy Digest and Policy sectors; 2.) an effort to reach each legislative district nationally; 3.) Coalition development; and 4.) the development of a comprehensive ‘Earthbill.’ (more on these below)
CURRENTLY - a lot of energy around the Earthbill that is now up!
Regular meetings at present
This is a grassroots effort. Meetings are open to all and materials are shared as well. Meeting times vary. If you have questions, email Todd Fernandez.
THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE EFFORT
Like many efforts that seek systems change and wide mobilization, this effort is evolving. Currently, there are a number of ways to plug in. If you fill out this survey, that will help you get connected through your interests. In general, there are three main ways to plug in.
Ways to be involved:
Policy sector. For those with experience or interest in specific policy sectors, an effort to ‘digest’ (study and outline) proposed bills is underway. The goal here is to document, find gaps, make suggestions for improvements to the bills. This survey (also linked above), includes an option to join a policy sector.
Earthbill. During the first months, organizing revolved around existing bills and the 10 bills that became the ‘bill package.’ Together, these bills covered a lot of legislative territory. But following the two day symposium in December, work shifted to also include the development of one comprehensive bill—an Earthbill. This is still in the earliest developmental and organizing phase which includes concerns for equity, inclusion, and science based research.
Adopt a District. This is the ground game, the part of the effort that seeks to mobilize people in every district across the country. There will be district teams, but also folks can act individually. Effort can be an organized attempt to rally elected Representative, or be as simple as a person lifting up the phone to talk to an office staffer. Possibilities include organizing a group to meet with their Rep., emailing, or meet with them individually. In all cases the goal is to ask the Representative to support climate legislation.
HOW PEOPLE OF FAITH ARE PARTICIPATING
People of faith make up one of the sectors involved including as individuals, across denominations, and as members of faith organizations. Karenna Gore at Center for Earth Ethics at Union Seminary, spoke at an early organizing meeting. People of faith can participate just as any citizen might. But there are also opportunities for people of faith to meet together as a sector. This part of the faith effort is led by Lavona Grow who has extensive experience in Washington DC as part of Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. If you are interested in connecting as a person of faith, send an email to Genie Cooper at the Center for Earth Ethics and ask to be put on the mailing list.
Videos: This loose ‘Faith Team’ meets together as a large gathering sporadically. View the video of the latest faith group meeting, January 29, 2021. The next meeting will likely take place in March. View also the Faith and Indigenous Session from the Symposium in December.
Adopt-a-District & the Faith Effort
The Adopt-a-District part of the effort brings this national effort to pass climate legislation home to the local community and every legislative district in the country. The involvement and voice of people of faith will be helpful in any area of this effort. But perhaps, people of faith can be especially effective with Adopt-a-District. The local community is where churches have tremendous influence and solid networks. After all, we see the effects of climate change in our hometowns. Adopt-a-District invites those within the local legislative district to organize together, in churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, for a faithful, prayerful, and righteous (just!) response to climate change.
To get involved with Adopt-a-District, fill out this survey. Once you are added to that part of the effort, ask the organizer to connect you with other people of faith working within your district, or contact Genie Cooper.