Unitarian Universalists Promote Climate Action at the United Nations

The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO) has declared Climate Change one of this year's pressing issues! Their newly-formed Climate Change Initiative is charged with finding ways to preserve the Earth and to examine the global inequities caused by climate disruption. They have formed a Task Force website at http://www.digitaluniverse.net/uuuno/ where you can follow current events related to climate change, discuss plans with other members, and join events to help the cause.

One event currently being promoted is the Intergenerational Spring Seminar in April 2010. Still in the planning stages, this event will bring together UUs from all over North America. At the New York City United Nations Office, participants will gain an understanding of why climate change is happening, the global dangers it poses, how this relates to the Unitarian Universalist faith, and what actions should be taken in the face of this change. There will be speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including scientists, social advocates, activist leaders, and ministers. At the end of the three-day conference, participants will work together to draft a statement to the Secretary General of the United Nations. This statement will determine the future mission of the UU-UNO Climate Change Task Force.

The office is still recruiting a variety of volunteers to help plan the Spring Seminar. Volunteers will gain great experience in leadership and event planning and can participate in the Seminar free of charge. It is possible to volunteer from anywhere in the US, since the work can be done over the phone and internet. The office currently needs volunteers familiar with web programming and audio/video broadcast to help set up a live feed of the Seminar which will be put on the web for all to see. This is the first year the web will be used to widen the audience of the Seminar, so even if you can't attend in person, you will still be able to view the event and discuss it with other UUs in real-time on the UU-UNO website!

There are other kinds of volunteers needed as well; including Food Organizers, Youth Leaders, and more. You can read more about the Seminar and how to become a volunteer on the event page linked to at the top of this article.

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written by Jessica Ansel, Spring Seminar Planning Co-Chair