SUSTAINING ALL LIFE

Subversive Catwalk: Women, Fast Fashion and Climate Justice

Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world after oil. It produces more greenhouse emissions than international flights and shipping combined. Women are targeted by and vulnerable to the fashion industry. Women are also disproportionately affected by the climate crisis.

Ending Racism and Classism in the Climate Movement

When our economy works as intended, it makes billions for a few people, at the cost of making billions of us poor and the near complete destruction of our natural ecosystems. No solution to ending racism, classism, or environmental degradation can come from this system. We must look at those forces in our movement to effectively address it.

How to Lead Listening Circles

Listening circles are a powerful way to build a strong, united climate movement. Facing climate breakdown and global injustice brings up many emotions, including anger, discouragement, and grief. If we continually push our feelings down, they can interfere with our thinking, which makes our activism less effective. Taking turns listening gives each of us more space than usual to express whatever we feel. Then we think more clearly.

Eliminating the Effects of Racism in Climate Activism

Racism has had a deeply damaging and divisive effect on everyone. It shapes and perpetuates the inequities of our society. Understanding and healing the effects of racism on us as individuals is a necessary step in creating a movement that can sustain all life and restore the environment.

Jews and Climate Justice: Building a United Front

Jews have a long history of bold action for justice. To create a sustainable future, we Jews must build alliances with all people. We need to understand and heal from the damage done by our long history of anti-Semitism, racism, and genocides in order to build the relationships we need for a powerful, united movement.

Expressing Climate Grief

The environmental crisis brings feelings of loss, fear, and frustration. Unless these feelings are healed, they interfere with our initiative, our hope for the future, and the intelligence and energy we need to respond effectively to the climate emergency. Openly expressing our emotions about the crisis can help us think better and take concrete action.

Sustaining Ourselves as Activists and Organizers

To build and sustain a strong environmental movement, we need to have a place to share about the impact of the climate emergency on ourselves and about any discouragement we feel about taking action. We can share our passion for our work as we learn tools to support our climate activism.

Women, Girls, and Climate Justice

The voices and leadership of women and girls are key in the fight for climate justice. The climate emergency disproportionately impacts girls and women, and sexism, racism, and classism multiply the impact. Women’s intelligence and understanding of the importance of relationships need to be at the center of climate solutions.

Building Resilient Movements to End the Climate Emergency

We who have been involved in social movements have been and continue to be a powerful force for social change. We know how to fight systems of oppression. We have also experienced interpersonal conflict and internalized oppression. Ending the climate emergency requires we have united, resilient movements.

Youth at the Forefront of the Climate Movement

Young people and young adults are a revolutionary force and have been at the forefront of many important social movements, including the climate movement today. The lack of respect for young people’s thinking and leadership abilities can mean that the important abilities we have to offer are underutilized.

War and Climate Change

Modern warfare has unleashed unprecedented environmental havoc in addition to tremendous loss of life. War is used as a tool of oppression and genocide to install the dominant culture and to take control of land and resources. The climate emergency cannot be resolved without ending war.