As heat records were being set for the month of June in Portland, Oregon, Unitarian Universalists were stepping up to leadership for a Strong and Compassionate Global Climate Agreement in December 2015.  The 10+-person “Act for a Livable Climate” Clipboard Team collected 500+ signatures that led to the overwhelming Action of Immediate Witness adoption by the 2015 General Assembly Delegates.  UUs arrived at GA energized, with 15 organizations already in support of the action.  In a wave of yellow cards signally YES, UUs overwhelmingly adopted “to unify and provide ethical and moral leadership for climate action and to do so within our congregations and within our multi-faith communities;…participate  in and support mobilizations [locally &] nationally such as the Moral March for Climate Justice in September 2015 during the Papal visit to  Washington DC, pressing our government to act urgently and responsibly;…in support of [and conclude] a strong, compassionate, fair, ambitions, binding and enforceable international climate agreement. Why?  Because Climate Change is a Moral Issue.”

Marching in with the Banner Parade was “Act for a Livable Climate” stickered onto the proud banner carriers.  The image of the earth engulfed in fire and Ice was the visual for  this Action of Immediate Witness (AIW).  Through an AIW the General Assembly delegates express convictions grounded in UU Principles and for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), other UUA leaders, congregations, districts, and Unitarian Universalists organizations to use as a basis for public statements on the matter and are urged to act on it.

With over 4500 UUs representing 600+ Congregations, the “Clipboard Team” went to work, live and remotely at the UUA General Assembly.

 Step 1:  File the Proposal.  Based on two months of collaboration, and building on a similar effort from  2014,  15 organizations endorsed the proposal.  The text and how to help comment was shared via facebook, GoogleDocs, Commit2Respond, the UU UNO Climate Portal, and the UUSJ website, so that UUs would “Arrive Energized” in Portland.

Step 2:  Be Visible and Gather Signatures.  A team of 16+  began to pound the pavement.  Forty-six hours later, 500 signatures were submitted, exceeding the minimum required 150 signatures from at least 25 congregations, from at least 5 districts.   Our team who came from congregations coast to coast were welcomed into the Workshops to share the call for support and pass out literature and stickers.  The UU Ministry for the Earth booth was our home base and our strongest supporter.  In no time, supporters sporting stickers were in every direction you looked.

Step 3:  Be in the Top 6.  After the Friday, 5 pm deadline to submit our petitions we had to wait.  The commission had an open meeting and delegates could observe the deliberation process starting at 9 pm.  The text message arrived at 10:40 pm Friday night.  Act for a Livable Climate had advanced to the Top 6 to be considered by the delegates on Saturday morning at 8:15 a.m. sharp.  I was still awake rehearsing and refining the 2 minute speech – just in case – just like Dr. Jan Dash told me to do.  I sent out an immediate alert to the team to be ready to rally support as the delegates entered the in General Session IV on Sat. morning.

Step 4:  GOTV, then wait.  It was all over by 8:40 a.m. on Saturday morning, the compelling presentations for all six AIWs, the votes cast for up to 3 choices by every delegate in the hall and on line.   Closing with the words, “Don’t Betray Our Children, a moving sentiment expressed in the Workshop by Kathleen Dean Moore, Transformation without Apocalypse:  A Moral Response to Climate Change, held the day before.  The delegates were moved.  At noon, we learned we had made the cut!  E-mail to the clipboard team,  “Meet in the back of the Meeting Hall for Group Hug!”

Step 5:  Mini-Assembly opportunities for revisions.  Fifty people joined to make final touches to the document.  Most compelling were the addition of “all species,”, acknowledging “ecological disruption” and important language of inclusion for first nations and the vulnerable, especially given that our GA included a special climate justice witness event with the Lummi Nation, blocking the Gateway Pacific Coal Terminal from their sacred lands.  The complicated issue of population growth was not included, especially since the growth areas are not in the nations contributing the greatest carbon footprints.  The session allowed welcoming of  the voices and values that would more broadly represent the delegates of GA because it’s the delegates who own the action and are responsible to carry it out.

Step 6:  Amendments and Adoption:  Sunday 1:30, more speeches, more discussion, more procedure.  There was a line of eight persons ready to speak in support, but yielding time to the compelling AIW for Black Lives Matter was the choice of the delegation, and all discussion closed. With a sea of waving Yellow Cards in support, “Support a Strong, Compassionate Global Climate Agreement in 2015 – Act for a Livable Climate” was adopted by the 2015 General Assembly.

 And now the real work begins.

This is the last chance for a Global Climate agreement.   Pope Francis has done his part since one of the purposes of his “Eco” Encyclical was to raise urging awareness for an Agreement.  Now let’s do ours.

 This AIW fortifies UU voices to ask in every Climate Justice conversation we have, for a Strong and Compassionate Agreement.  We are sending the message locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to governments that we are united and serious in America about Climate Justice.

Our ambition is a Global Climate Agreement, and this takes root in our local efforts.

 See you on July 11th, 9 am, All Souls Church Unitarian to get started.

Name		Congregation
Marti MacKenzie		Towson
Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson		Mt. Vernon
Frank Corsoro		Arlington
Liz Echols		Davies
John Gubbings		Cedar Lane
Lavona Grow		Arlington
Linda Dove		Harrisonburg UU
Bill & Zophia Repsher		UU Fairfax
Rev Peggy Clarke		EJ Collaborary
Larry & Sally Underwood		Bull Run
Penny Hooper		Smyrna, NC
MJ Schmelzer		Arlington
Larry Danos		San Francisco
Rev. Terry Ellen		Towson
Lavona Grow		Arlington
Bob Denniston		Arlington
Eric Goplerud		Fairfax
Bob Hartfield		Fairfax
Jan & Lynn Dash		Monmouth County, NJ
I’m sure I missed some, sorry.