Climate Fest is only a few days away!

The ‘CSU Climate Fest’ is an online climate Festival presented by Christian Students Uniting that will take place this Sunday – August 30 at 2PM. The afternoon will feature online tutorials by CSU members on how we approach climate action from home. We are excited about the opportunity to help resource and encourage our Uniting Church community with some practical tools for living sustainably!

At the beginning of the year I joined Christian Students Uniting’s climate action core focus group. We aim to think globally and act locally as a diverse group of students wanting to do our small part in climate justice. 

We had big plans for 2020, and so when COVID-19 hit, we had to adapt and think creatively as to what climate action may look like during a global pandemic. After meeting and brainstorming ideas, we settled on one action to channel our energy. Shane Slade a registered nurse undertaking postgraduate critical care studies and a core member of the group explains: 

“As everything locked down, I couldn’t help but notice the creative explosion that began to happen online. I was definitely inspired by iso-aid, an Instagram festival for musicians to showcase their work in lockdown by co-ordinating to a run sheet and streaming live in a predetermined time slot. I felt this was definitely a model we could use for an action without having to see each other in person to organise. While at first the energy of our climate group was low, I bounced the idea off a few members and they really felt energy towards that kind of action. Mostly I just wanted to share about my beehive while we were all socially distanced, but what if we all could share how we were caring for the environment in our everyday lives as a spiritual discipline.” 

What To Expect from the CSU Climate Fest:

The Climate Fest will feature content that is practical and action orientated – all taken from our daily lives of living sustainably. 

The Climate Fest will consist of various how-tos streamed from our homes to yours. We have built in time for questions and calls to action as well. For example, we will be looking at gardening and ethical eating, the perks of switching super funds, how to bake bread, creation poetry and community organising. 

We want people leaving the Climate Fest feeling a little more equipped to live sustainable lives. We want people to understand that you can do climate action, in small and big ways, every day of your life (from your homes and in your offices).

Our hope is that by sharing our everyday climate actions we will encourage Christians across the life and diversity of the Uniting Church to reduce their impact on the environment. 

Together with our diverse skills, we hope to resource communities to adopt sustainable, everyday habits to ensure climate resilience. For me, as I reflect on my present and future uncertainty, I feel resoundly that our small actions matter. By investing in personal resources, skill building and deliberate local action we can reclaim power we thought we didn’t have and be a part of radical climate action. 

As Christians, we hope for the wellbeing of both the planet and people. It is stated in our most foundational prayer, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This is not just a prayer to speak but a prayer that is embodied and enfleshed in our vocation as disciples of Christ. 

We seek for tomorrow by acting today.

Will you join us on Sunday 30th to be a part of the Climate Fest? 

For more details and to RSVP click here.

Emma Sproul is a final Social Work student at Sydney University.