First Universalist Climate Conversation Report: Spring 2025

In March 2025, ten First U congregants launched a climate conversation initiative under the leadership of MNIPL to listen to what is in the hearts and minds of our congregants and friends about climate issues. One of our goals is to determine next steps our congregation can take to support our visionary goal: Foster our connection with, care for, and action on behalf of Earth’s environment and all of life.  

Facilitators recorded notes on discussions with over 45 congregants and friends over the course of 8 weeks. A sub-group organized and summarized findings into this report. 

Feelings(HEART)

People expressed many of the feelings of the grief process, i.e. sad, numb, angry, frustrated, anxious, worried, afraid, hopeless.  Some expressed wanting to see the goodness in people as well as staying grateful and hopeful by honoring the earth in worship and lifestyle.  Some turned to indigenous ways for guidance; others turned to role models, e.g. Jane Goodall.   The need to protect the earth and preserve wild places surfaced.  Several were in the process of discerning whether or not to have children and others were concerned about their grandchildren.  Supportive connections were emphasized and the search for personal growth by seeing oneself as part of an ecosystem and for community relationships  that value the love of nature and the well-being of the earth.  

Other feelings surfacing in our discussions: 

• Lacking agency with meeting climate goals
• Connecting to nature leading to a deeper, higher spirit 
• Seeking justice for communities and stewardship for individuals

Educate/Learn (HEAD)

What ideas for the church are percolating in our “heads” in response to the human crisis of climate change? Central to many of our discussions was the need for knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration in this time of crisis. Next climate steps for us should focus on local as well as national actions, taking care to include not only technology electrification solutions, that may be out of reach for many, but to also include individual low cost actions that better our community through tangible goals such as increasing composting and embracing plant based foods over animal products. Efforts should be made to help congregants change personal behaviors that address climate change and to challenge how we engage with a corporate consumption-based economy. The EJ team should endeavor to have workable and focused efforts that provide a tiered way to get involved with easy action as well as more comprehensive initiatives. 

A few more ideas:

• Need to clarify and illuminate the most important climate topics  and solutions
• Collaborative efforts should be pursued with local groups  such as Minnesota Power and Light (MNIPL), Sierra Club North Star Chapter, MN350, Unidos and the Minneapolis Climate Equity Plan, Twin Cities Elder Climate Action, Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, and other UU churches.
• Involve RE in teaching children about nature in outdoor settings
• Facilitate a half-day climate solutions teach-in

Do/Write/Play (HANDS) 

How and what do we put into action in response to what we are feeling in our heart and thinking about in our head? Our conversations revealed no shortage of climate actions individuals could take. A few ideas that bubbled to the top include taking the bus or riding a bike to work, joining the Buy Nothing initiative, recycling organic waste, raising climate-conscious children, working to close HERC (the garbage burner on the north side of town)…. People suggested that the church can help normalize these healthy individual climate behaviors and promote climate awareness for the congregation through teach-ins, contests and challenges, playing intergenerational climate games, electric vehicle showcases, letter writing campaigns….

More actions raised in our discussions:

• Act through lifestyle choices around transportation.
• Practice circular economy–fix broken things rather than throwing them out.
• Engage with groups doing environmental work such as planting trees and pulling buckthorn.
• Address food waste as the #1 climate solution at church and community.
• Include climate change issues in RE for middle schoolers and youth.
• Provide example letters with a link to send it to legislators.
• Place posters strategically around the Church about climate actions to take.

Support (ARMS)

Advocate for Messages from the Pulpit about Climate Justice

Ministers and other church leadership need to speak out from the pulpit and the Liberal  about climate change in order to teach, provide support, foster change in individuals, create spaces for interconnectedness and demonstrate honoring the Earth.

• Bring  climate messages forward with frequency /make them part of our ritual
• Message Honor Mother Earth
• Highlight Church’s role as a Climate Justice  and Water Protector Congregation
• Inform congregants of environmental events at church

Build Relationships

The church is a place where support groups can be fostered.  There is a need for connection to community around common climate concerns.  Community connections could take place in discussion groups, work groups, coping groups etc.

• Promote relationship building in large and small groups
• Church provides safe , honest space to talk about climate crisis 
• Foster authentic connection around difficult conversations regarding climate crisis
• Encourage intergenerational relationship building
• Build community relationships around shared climate values
• Church gatherings to support changes in people’s climate action behaviors. 

Center on Nature and Indigenous Ways 

• Love of nature and fear for earth’s well being 
• Concern for preserving natural world for kids and grandkids
• Need to protect wild spaces like the BWCA 
• Create Roots and Shoots and Gratitude Nature groups
• Honor the Earth in one’s lifestyle 
• Embrace environmental connections to Indigenous ways and foods
• Heart with indigenous care for the earth

Climate Conversation facilitators: Roberta Haskin (chair), Todd Pierson (tech coordinator), Gary Hoover, Susan Keller, Lane Ayres, Hannah Mitchel, Steve Merrill, Ray Goebel, Stan Sattinger, Cathy Geist (summarizing sub-group in green) 

Fall 2025 Update from Roberta Haskin and Todd Pierson of the Environmental Justice Team:

These Climate Conversations have provided the Environmental Justice team with insights into next steps for our programming this fall. Congregants desire to engage in activities that add agency to their individual response to the climate crisis has led us to focus this fall  on two campaigns: moving to zero waste and increasing plant based food options in our lives.

Moving both personally and socially toward zero waste was a common theme in many of our conversations. Our team is offering workshops on Preventing Food Waste, Moving toward Zero Waste, and a film screening of Buy Now, a film about the  “buy and throw away” economy that is overwhelming our ability to control waste.

On the scale of effective climate solutions, Drawdown ranks plant based diet as #4. These food solution actions can make a big difference. Our team plans to hold quarterly plant based potlucks to engage the entire congregation in exploring moving toward a “reductatarian’s” diet–a diet with a dramatic reduction of animal protein. 

We hope congregants can get informed, involved, and connected to climate solutions by joining in one of our community dinner breakouts, zoom presentations, potluck dinners, or film screening.