Climate Witness: Let Our Actions Speak! Thread Gathering
March 22 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Free
Climate Witness: Let Our Actions Speak! Thread Gathering
March 22, 2025 | 9:30am – 4:00pm
at Friends Center and Zoom
Register Here
Friends are invited to join for a day of sharing, learning, and taking action together on the topic of climate witness. In the morning, we will hear a narrative from five Quaker bodies focused on climate action and their perspective on what we can do to help our earth:
- QAMAR (Quaker Action in the Mid-Atlantic Region) – Policy and Lobbying at State levels
- EQAT (Earth Quaker Action Team) - Direct Action – Finance
- Climate Stewards – PYM wide action
- EJC (Eco-Justice Collaborative (of PYM)) - Action/Education
- QEW (Quaker Earthcare Witness) – National
After the morning program, participants will have a chance to participate in workshops aimed at providing resources, building your knowledge and your toolkit for action. All adult workshops are hybrid, so you can join in person or from home. You’ll get to pick two of the choices listed below!
Workshops
- What is Happening and What is Possible?
- Eco-Justice Collaborative and the Climate Witness Stewards are tracking the climate work in Monthly Meetings. There is an awesome mosaic of work, each piece different, beautiful and necessary. EJC and QWS will show how the Friendly Household Initiative and the PYM Climate Playbook can help each meeting create its own mosaic and move it into the wider community.
- Decarbonize Your Meetinghouse
- Wondering how you can lower your energy bills and reduce your carbon footprint? In this workshop you’ll learn how to benchmark your building, reduce energy usage and carbon and save money in the process! Experts will provide practical guidance on the steps to improve your building and take advantage of federal and utility incentives to save money.
- Spiritual Climate Witness: Embracing Discernment and Collective Action
- Our Quaker practices can guide us in our work on behalf of the earth and each other. Drawing on stories of nonviolent direct action from the Earth Quaker Action Team and campaigns for economic democracy and more, this workshop will explore how discernment can help us act strategically to remove the pillars of power supporting climate destruction. A mixture of frameworks, personal reflection and playful practice will guide this experiential workshop supporting participants to find their next bold step.
- Clean Energy Policy Throwdown
- With the Trump administration reducing federal investment in clean energy, the center of climate action has shifted to state and local levels. Join Liz Robinson and Steve Loughin from Quaker Action Mid-Atlantic Region (QAMAR) to learn what’s happening across the PYM region and how you can help these efforts succeed.
- Quaker Earthcare Witness Mapping Project
- We’re not alone! Quakers all over the world are taking action on care for our earth. In this workshop, QEW will share inspiring stories, resources and even grant opportunities. There’s strength in numbers, so let’s get our meetings on the map!
- Youth Programming (in person only)
- Climate concern touches Friends of all ages. Children ages 5-12 are invited to join PYM youth staff for morning and afternoon workshops. Come learn about how you can make a difference at your meeting or school! We’ll have crafts, songs and tree planting!
Schedule of the Day
- 9:00 Arrivals and Refreshments
- 9:20 Program welcome and opening worship
- 9:30 Climate Witness: Let Our Actions Speak – a narrative sharing from five Quaker action bodies.
- 10:40 – Workshop Block 1
- 12:00 Brown Bag Lunch
- 1:00 Workshop Block 2
- 2:30 Closing worship and reflection
- 4:00 Farewell
