QEW becomes "ally" of 1Sky climate initiative

At its April meeting in Chicago, the QEW Steering Committee agreed to became an "ally" of "1Sky" a growing worldwide movement to reverse the tide of human-induced global warming.

Under the banner of "One Climate, One Future, One Chance," 1Sky and its growing host of allies have targeted three main objectives: 1) to create 5 million new jobs in the low-carbon sustainable energy sector as energy consumption is cut 20 percent by 2015 , 2) to reduce global CO₂ emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050 and 25 percent by 2020, to 3) to prevent construction of new coal-fired power plants.

These climate-stabilization solutions are being pursued at all levels of society as 1Sky allies rally their grassroots supporters to get behind a wide range of sweeping changes in legislation, technology, and public education. Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Interfaith Power & Light, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the League of Conservation Voters, the National Wildlife Federation, Greenpeace, and hundreds of other organizations are listed as allies.

In addition to endorsing the 1Sky policy platform, allies may:

• Offer quotes, public remarks or press commentary in support of the campaign.
• Lend active support by recruiting additional allies, lending staff resources, and mobilizing constituencies into action.
• Support local and national 1Sky calls to action.
• Support and call for the 1Sky platform as the goal for policy solutions wherever possible.
• Share contact information generated in collaboration with the 1Sky campaign and/or message on 1Sky's behalf to relevant organizational lists.
• Dedicate significant staff or financial resources to engaging directly in the planning and execution of central 1Sky campaign strategy or tactics.

1Sky was created in 2007 to focus the power of millions of concerned Americans on a single goal: bold federal action by 2010 that can reverse global warming. The 1Sky Solutions are grounded in scientific necessitythey are the bottom line of what's needed to dramatically reduce carbon emissions while maximizing energy efficiency, renewable energy and breakthrough technologies.

They also represent significant economic promise, by relieving dependence on foreign oil, unlocking the potential of sustainable industry and ushering in a new era of prosperity and green jobs.

With the help of many leaders and groups, 1Sky has already gained the support of elected officials, student and business groups, and faith-based institutions, as well as organizations focused on health, civil society and the environmentand now 1Sky needs you. This is your chance to change the course of history, so get involved today! For more information go to <www.1Sky.org>.

Earthcare Checklist strides cheerfully on to 4th edition

QEW Has just published a 4th edition of Jack Phillips's popular Walking Gently on the Earth, an Earthcare Checklist. This 20-page booklet, first published in the early 1990s, has proven to be a valuable tool for countless study groups (including many outside the Religious Society of Friends) who have relied on interpersonal sharing and mutual accountability to help convert their concerns into personal action.

The updated 20-page guide to lowering your ecological footprint includes an introduction that places many of the checklist items in the larger context of growing concern about potentially disastrous effects of human-induced climate change.

The Checklist prompts readers to act more ecologically responsible in all areas of individual and corporate life, from household management and shopping habits to dietary choices and transportation; from greening work environments and houses of worship to joining with others to be more effective in the political arena on sustainability and eco-justice issues.

The booklet also stresses ethical ways to stabilize human population in order for other environmental gains in education, technology, and laws to be meaningful in the long run.

It concludes with a moving essay by Jack Phillips on "The Spiritual Dimension—Why We Care for the Earth," in which he challenges humans, particularly those of us in the wealthier, industrialized countries, to undergo a spiritual transformation in our relationship to the earth. We need this for our own spiritual health as well as for the spiritual health—and survival—of the community of life on this planet.

In the back of the booklet there is an updated list of environmental organizations that need our support and that can support us with information and tools for networking at the local level.

You can order copies of Walking Gently on the Earth for yourself or a study group through the QEW office for $4.00 each, or you can purchase them through many Quaker bookstores. •