Upcoming Events

ARKANSAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION

The Arkansas Legislative session starts on January 11. Ark. IPL supports the 2020-21 Priorities for a Better Arkansas from the bipartisan Ark. Citizens First Congress at www.citizensfirst.org. Several priorities are related to environmental issues.

• Implement the new Arkansas State Water Plan and protect water quantity, quality an aquatic environments.
• Address climate change by expanding energy efficiency and renewable energy reforms that reduce carbon pollution, save consumers money and create jobs.
• Pass an Arkansas Dark Skies Act that increases the use of shielded outdoor lighting to reduce light pollution and increase energy efficiency.

CLIMATE REALITY PRESENTATIONS

Sunday, January 24, Unitarian Universalists, Hot Springs Village, Zoom

FREE WEBINARS AND CLASSES

What’s Possible?: Faith and Climate Policy in 2021

Wednesday, January 13 at 12 noon Central Time

With the new legislative landscape for Congress, what will be possible for climate policy? What might President Biden accomplish through executive orders? Sign-up for this webinar that will consider what faith communities can do to press for policies that reflect our values. The featured panelists will be Anthony Rogers-Wright from the Climate Justice Alliance, Emily Wirzba from the Environmental Defense Fund, and Clarence Edwards from the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Even if you can’t make the webinar’s scheduled time, sign-up, and you will receive a recording of it.

Sign up: https://ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/7616086152785/WN_aHAlvXvrSJ-xqb_p5hMy7A

Online Study on Pope’s Encyclical Letter starts Jan. 17

Dr. Donnal Walter, Ark. IPL Board Member, is hosting an online study of the Pope’s Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti — “Brothers and Sisters All.” The event is sponsored by the Institute for Theological Studies at St. Margaret’s (ITSSM). The Zoom study will convene on Sunday afternoons, 1:00-2:30 PM CST, beginning on January 17, 2021 for four weeks (Jan .17, 24, 31, Feb. 7).

Please register in advance and read the Encyclical ahead of time (two chapters each week). The Encyclical is available online. A hard-copy version (as “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future”) may be ordered from your favorite bookseller. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom sessions. You will also receive discussion questions by email ahead of time. An outline of the study can be found here.

Unbreathable Movie Screening: January 19

You are invited to join IPL on January 19, 2021 for a FREE screening of the short film Unbreathable followed by the webinar –  Unbreathable No More: The EPA and Clean Air in 2021. The right to clean air is an environmental justice issue, affecting communities of color and low-income communities at much higher rates. Air pollution directly contributes to health issues such as asthma, heart ailments, and cancer. Justice calls people of faith to work in solidarity with these communities to create a world where all can thrive. Join the screening and webinar to learn how you can plan to take action in 2021. 

Unbreathable: The Fight for Healthy Air is a timely, powerful look at fifty years of the Clean Air Act and the challenges we still face to ensure healthy air for everyone. Weaving historical milestones with current day stories of environmental injustice, the film is an excellent tool for educational and community engagement.  View the trailer here. 

Unbreathable No More: The EPA and clean air in 2021: After the film, Interfaith Power & Light President Rev. Susan Hendershot will interview one the newest IPL board members, Rev. Melanie Mullen, who is the Director of Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care in the office of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. IPL National Organizing Director, Bill Bradlee, will also speak to IPL priorities for EPA advocacy in the coming year, focusing on clean cars and methane pollution. Sign up here. As people of faith and conscience, it is our calling to speak out for justice and clean air for all. I hope you can join IPL for this event to prepare for action in 2021.

GIRL SCOUT ACTIVITIES FOR 2021

Arkansas Girl Scouts “Martin Luther King Day” Service Project

• Saturday, January 23, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m. by Zoom
• 20 girls will earn Martin Luther King service patches and badges.

“Love Your Neighbor” Day with Girls Scouts

• Saturday, February 13, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m. by Zoom
• Girls will earn community service patches and badges.

Arkansas Girl Scouts “Make the World a Better Place” Day Activity

• Saturday, April 17, 2021 from 2 to 3 p.m. by Zoom

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