Walking the Walk – Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline
From the desk of Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Witness Ministries Director, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations…
Walking the Walk-Stop the Tar Sands Pipeline
Dear friends,
We want to invite you to join us in an effort to stop the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The UU Ministry for Earth (UUMFE), All Souls Unitarian in Washington, DC and other national and local UU groups are joining with interfaith leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Christian, and Buddhist communities on August 28th and 29th to protest the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline (the proposed pipeline to transport Tar Sands to the US for refinement).
The Keystone XL Pipeline will be built from the Tar Sands in Canada, across the US, down to Texas refineries. First Nations communities in Canada and Native American tribes along the pipeline route in the U.S. have demanded the destruction of their sacred lands cease. People impacted by the construction and the “state of the art technology” predicted to leak every seven years don’t want to see it built. People of color and the poor are at a significantly greater risk of health impacts from dirty fossil fuels, and are amongst the first to suffer from the impacts of climate change. Concerns about the Tar Sands Pipeline include the risky extraction methods, the dangers of the pipeline itself, and the long-term climate change consequences.
The Tar Sands Action rolling wave of civil disobedience (or “divine obedience”) is shaping up to be the longest civil disobedience on climate change in U.S. history. The Obama Administration has the sole authority in deciding whether or not the pipeline will be built which is why folks across faith communities are participating in a rolling series of demonstrations, including risking arrest, from August 20th – September 3rd.
More than a dozen UU’s from around the country are coming to DC to participate. We invite you and members of your congregation to participate if you feel called in one or more of the following ways:
- Join the religious contingent (including UUs) and risk arrest at the rally on Monday, August 29th. A required nonviolence civil disobedience training and legal briefing for our witness will take place on Sunday, August 28th from 4-9 p.m.
- Attend the rally at Lafayette Park on Monday, August 29th to show support for those risking arrest. The legal witness in Lafayette Park will begin mid-morning, probably around 10 a.m. Look for the Green Sanctuary Banner in Lafayette Park to stand in solidarity with other UUs.
- Sign the Stop the Tar Sands Petition. Those who can’t join the rally can join the movement to stop the Keystone XL pipeline by signing the petition that will be delivered to President Obama during the Tar Sands Action.
- Write an op-ed (or letter to your local news editor).
- Join the UUMFE. Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth is a non-profit organization whose supporters envision a world in which reverence, gratitude, and care for the living Earth is central to the lives of all people. As a 501(c)3 organization, contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
- Please contact Robin Nelson, Environmental Stewardship Manager for the UUA, if you or people from your congregation will be attending the rally, especially if you are intending to risk arrest (Rnelson
uua
org (Rnelsonuuaorg) , 617.948.4251). Robin will be providing a support role and organizing UUs. Watch for more timely information on the UUMFE Facebook page.
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