Faith leaders and activists from all over the state convened at the State House on Thursday, February 20th to urge law makers to prioritize climate action and to support the four major bills of the Climate Solutions Caucus 2020 platform. Notably, these members of the religious community called on legislators to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act on the House floor that afternoon (spoiler alert: they did!).
Invoking messages of love and stewardship for those people most impacted by climate change and the future of the planet we live on, several leaders spoke one after another in the Cedar Creek Room about the connection of religious faith and the growing movement in Vermont and around the world to address the climate crisis.
“Stewardship of creation is a mandate of all of our faiths. We have a moral responsibility to act, and to act now…”, said Ron McGarvey, President of Vermont Interfaith Power and Light, the lead organizer of the event.
This sentiment was praised with calls of ‘Amen’ from those standing behind the podium.
Representative Sarah Copeland Hanzas, co-chair of the Climate Solutions Caucus, also spoke at the press conference, noting that Vermont is far behind in meeting our climate goals, and in order to begin to move in the right direction, “…we need to have courage to ask, and ask again, and even demand that our leaders listen. It is the least that we can do.”
Attendees later connected with their Senators and Representatives in quiet corners of the State House to discuss the major bills being considered under the climate platform and ‘lobby’ them to vote in the right way on each of them when it comes time. It is more than likely that their powerful message and urgency in communicating with law makers contributed to the successful passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act on the House floor this afternoon, which you can read more about here.