Social Environmental Justice Council
The Social Environmental Justice Council serves as an umbrella organization for all UUCWI Outreach Groups, including justice-related action or working groups yet to emerge, for the purpose of coordinating, as needed, all UUCWI efforts in social & environmental justice
We covenant to affirm and promote:
- The inherent worth and dignity of all life.
- Justice, equity, and compassion in all relations.
- Respect and care for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part
Our commitment is to:
- Foster the worth and dignity of all life by promoting social, environmental, and economic justice, recognizing the interconnectedness of all forms of justice;
- Grow the climate justice movement, recognizing that nothing currently threatens social justice more than Anthropogenic climate change driven by carbon pollution and degradation of the biosphere;
- Promote the direct involvement of UUCWI to service, advocacy, and/or community organizing to create social/ environmental justice where we can;
- Encourage connections among UUCWI members, citizens of Whidbey Island, Island County, the Pacific Northwest as well as national and global partners for the purpose of advancing social/ environmental justice;
- Support a generosity of spirit and action in all aspects of our UUCWI community;
- Honor all life as sacred and interrelated.
- Respond to emergency or crisis needs as they occur.
We are UUCWI members and friends working within our congregation and partnering with other organizations — state, regional and local — to meet these commitments. We believe that social and environmental justice is about heart and mind, listening and advocacy, compassionate learning and individual and collective action.
Our active internal social & environmental justice groups at the present time are:
- The Justice Awareness and Advocacy (JAA) group
- Eco Web Working Group
- Dedicated Offerings Working Group
We collaborate with the following groups:
- Greening Congregations Coalition of Whidbey Island
- Lummi Nation
- The Indigenous Environmental Network
- The Whidbey Institute
- The Whidbey Environmental Action Network
For us this is sacred work. We invite you to join us. Attend one of our educational/advocacy programs or other events. Let us know of your interest while there, or contact the UUCWI Administrator at admin@uucwi.org or call 360-321-8656 for more information.
“In these times, those who work for equality, justice, peace, and sustainability seem to face a daunting task. However, a great history of social movements began with visions when change seemed equally impossible. … Anchor [your] collective visioning in the possibilities that exist in [your] own local communities. Current realities we know exist can provide the spark of inspiration for imagining more widespread shifts on the societal level.” –Spirit in Action: Facilitating Circles of Change Curriculum Guide 2005, Spirit in Action, Inc.
“Justice is what love looks like in public.” Dr Cornell West