My Experience With Our Climate Justice Action Group, by Miriam Menzel

Climate Justice Action (CJA) is a new group comprising interested persons from the three UU communities in San Mateo County, and other interested persons, some from other faith communities and some simply from the community at large.

My life partner Jim and I have always had deep concerns about the degradation of our beloved Earth, including loss of wild areas and their beauty, loss of biodiversity, pollution of air and water, and climate change, which seems to pose the most immediate danger from fires and extreme weather events. From years of study (only in our spare time), we concluded, as Arlene Blum says, that the twin problems of overpopulation and overconsumption are the root causes of all of these problems. These are not a bunch of separate problems but all manifestations of those two constantly increasing tendencies.

Having joined UUSM about a year ago, we attended the Climate Revival in September 2024, which was a joint effort of UUSM, UUFRC, and UUCC – the three UU congregations of San Mateo County. This was part of an international UUA effort. At this event we learned and thought about the problem of climate change and climate injustice, what we would like to see change, and what we each had to offer for such an effort.

We were excited about the sense of possibility and eagerly waited to hear about further steps. By December, we hadn’t heard anything, so we asked Rev. Tovis about it. She connected us with the group at UUFRC that was working on plans. This group eventually became the Steering Committee of Climate Justice Action, or CJA for short.

We were welcomed to attend their meetings and got to know a remarkable group of people. UUFRC had already worked on climate issues for many years, focusing on greening their sanctuary with an ultra-efficient dish sanitizer, using washable rather than disposable dishes and utensils, cloth napkins, and solar panels for their electricity. They used imaginative ideas to encourage change among congregants such as using reusable water bottles rather than single-use plastic ones, and biking rather than driving. In 2011, UUFRC was awarded the Green Sanctuary Certification by the UUA. Since then, they have replaced their lawn with drought-tolerant plants, and have also reached out to collaborate with community climate activist groups.

The CJA has three overarching goals. They had been challenged by UUFRC’s minister, Reverend Brian Ferguson, to hold a climate-focused one-day event every quarter over the next few years. They also wanted to work on longer-term projects in collaboration with various community groups in San Mateo County, with a particular intention of involving youth and adults of lesser financial means, so that greening and climate resiliency could be more widely available to all. The third major goal was advocacy.

In order to determine what the long-term projects might be, the group started by having members interview various agencies and nonprofits, to see what collaborations might be useful and doable. Jim and I participated by interviewing Recology, and subsequently took a virtual tour of their recycling and composting facility in San Carlos. Ultimately the group came up with a list of ten possible projects, but only felt it possible to begin work on a maximum of five to begin with.

At this point, the group began preparing for a Climate Justice Planning Workshop, which was held on February 22nd, 2025. This was to be open to members of the three San Mateo County UU congregations, and anyone else in the county with interest, and was publicized in advance as widely as we could. The day was a great success and helped me personally to understand better our approach and what we hoped to accomplish over the next few years. After the invocation by Rev. Brian Ferguson, speakers from the group described our efforts thus far and the options for possible future projects. Then everyone was given stickers to place next to their choices for top priority projects. Based on the results, five subgroups were formed to discuss first steps in planning their projects.

The five projects were:

• Community garden work

• Rehabilitating and electrifying a building for Youth United for Community Action (YUCA)

• Repairing (including insulation and electrification) a low-income home

• Advocating for/or against laws with climate/environmental ramifications

• Electrifying four community facilities that provide child or senior care

Jim and I are interested in advocacy work, especially writing letters.

The first quarterly one-day event was an electric vehicle (EV) showcase, held on March 30, 2025. Speakers from Interfaith Power and Light and from Peninsula Clean Energy explained how increasing EV usage has direct public health benefits in reducing asthma and other respiratory effects of particulate air pollution. They also provided information on rebates and tax benefits that are available for buyers of new or used EVs. A street block was closed to traffic, and some dealers came to show and discuss their EVs, while community owner volunteers brought their vehicles and answered questions about their ownership experience. The two-hour event was well attended, enjoyable, and very informative.

So this is where we are now. The first five long-term projects for CJA have been selected. The next step will be to convene meetings of the five subgroups so they can each begin making decisions and taking steps toward achieving their mission. Meanwhile, the Steering Committee will continue meeting as needed to plan the quarterly one-day events, continue publicizing our efforts, and provide guidance as needed for the subgroups. Eventually, as the initial projects are completed, new projects will be conceived, likely with workshops similar to the recent one. We are so excited to have been a part of these organizing efforts and to see the actual work beginning.