Speak Out
Friends are known for valuing silence, but speaking out on issues of concern is an important part of living our testimonies and modeling right relationship with Earth and with each other. A big part of QEW’s work involves working in harmony with other Quaker organizations, raising our voice on current ecological issues. We work with Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and use our accreditation to United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) to bring a Quaker voice and witness to international forums such as the United Nations.
In this Section
In this section of our site, you can find out more about ways in which QEW speaks out on behalf of the Earth and learn how you add your own voice through our website, social media, forums, meetings, and publications. In this section of our site, you can find out more about ways in which QEW speaks out on behalf of the Earth and learn how you add your own voice through our website, social media, forums, meetings, and publications.
Youth Activists’ Earth Day Demands
QEW IS ONE OF 400 organizations that form the US Climate Strike Coalition. The Coalition is led by young people, through groups like Fridays for Future, International Indigenous Youth Council, Future Coalition, and Sunrise Movement. This Earth Day they organized three days of global online action and released the following demands for the US Congress and the next US President. Visit strikewithus.org for the full demands.
Philadelphia Friends Confront Climate Crisis
MORE THAN 50 FRIENDS gathered on a snowy morning at Germantown Monthly Meeting on January 18 to learn, share, and discern how to effectively address environmental injustice and the climate crisis. Over the course of the Thread Gathering, we discussed the urgency of cutting our carbon emissions in half in the next ten years and how to actually meet this challenge.
A Quaker Youth’s Journey in Climate Activism
AS A 15-YEAR OLD QUAKER, I am accustomed to silence. I understand it is not empty; it can hold profound power. I have felt my spirit resonate in the silence of my Quaker community, but silence has recently taken me outside the meetinghouse to the steps of the Maryland State House. This time, I am hoping my silence will open the way for spirit to move others, specifically the legislators who will be considering the Healthy Green Amendment to the Maryland State Constitution.