Forward from Lauren Kim, YECA National Organizer & Spokesperson
From all of us at YECA, I want to extend my most heartfelt thank you for all the work we’ve accomplished this election season. We could not have run our “Love God. Love Your Neighbor. Vote for Climate” campaign without your faithful engagement and volunteer efforts during this 2024 election cycle!
YECA Staff kicked off the campaign with a Training Webinar on September 25th. At the Kickoff, we unveiled our offerings this season which included tabling guidance, bridge-building conversation techniques, opinion-editorial writing training, and voter engagement materials. YECA also utilized four new voter tools powered by Vote.org (Check your Registration, Register to Vote, What’s on Your Ballot, and Request an Absentee Ballot) on our website. We are proud to report our voter tools helped over 1,100 people with their voting plans. YECA volunteers used IMPACTIVE (a text banking app) to reach out to their networks and urge folks to vote with climate in mind. From publishing op-eds, to handing out stickers, to climate voter pledging, our YECA community showed up and showed out! YECA’s mission of bold, wholehearted, and faithful climate action was alive and active this fall because of your diligence, faith, and energy!
Election season may be over but our work in defending God’s creation and advancing climate progress is not. I want to close out this campaign with some words from Aislynn, a former YECA fellow, about our next steps as Christians and environmental advocates. I want to remind everyone that there is more work to be done at both the federal and grassroots levels and that YECA is looking forward to continuing to do this work with you all on future projects and initiatives.
Amplifying Your Voice for Climate Action
By Aislynn Patrick
It’s been a tumultuous political season in the U.S. these past few years. As our country prepares for a new administration to take office, here’s a reminder that voting in the 2024 presidential election is not the only way to make your voice heard! I encourage you to be involved in local politics in your state, city, or town. No matter how you’re feeling after this election, it’s important to be informed on the political process, especially regarding policies you care about. While we all prioritize different issues on the ballot, one that is not often advertised in local elections is climate change. Climate change may invoke different emotions for different people–some may be very familiar with it, while others place it lower on their political priority list. Wherever you are is okay. This is the perfect time for all of us to learn more about our planet and vote with climate in mind going forward.
Nature has always been a part of my life. My home state of Oregon boasts lush evergreen forests, winding rivers, and snow-capped mountains. From an early age I was captivated by the wildlife near our house, especially the songbirds that visit our feeders. In summer I spend hours floating down rivers next to egrets, herons, nutria, and the occasional beaver–and I’m certain you can name gorgeous natural wonders in your state too! As a Christian, these wild places are precious to me not only because of their beauty, but because they reflect God’s creativity and character. I see His heart in the works of His hands, and I experience him profoundly when I sit in the midst of his creation.
When we begin reading about climate change, we are confronted with frightening statistics and heartbreaking environmental stories from around the world. It can cause deep despair to learn about the plight of our brothers and sisters who suffer the devastating effects of pollution, natural disasters, and a changing planet.
But it’s vital for us to move beyond these feelings of hopelessness. As you research climate change impacts, don’t forget to read up on the solutions already underway. There are thousands of people who love the planet and are actively involved in taking care of it–you are not alone! As a Christian, I am passionate about climate action because I believe that caring for creation is essential to obeying Jesus’ command to provide for the poor and the vulnerable; and as much as I love creation, God loves it infinitely more.
Remember that voting goes beyond the 2024 presidential election–consider getting involved in local politics in your state or county, and hold all of your representatives accountable for acting on climate. Find out where local leaders stand on this issue and make your voice heard! And It is also my hope that in the midst of this stressful election season, you take time to go outside and refresh your soul while spending time in God’s breathtaking creation–what a beautiful planet we are blessed with! May each of us be faithful in caring for nature and one another.
Aislynn Patrick is a junior majoring in environmental justice at Beloit College. She was a college fellow with YECA last year and is attending COP29 this November in Baku with the Christian Climate Observers Program (CCOP). Aislynn hopes to use COP29 as a way to mobilize her church for climate action and inspire Christians to love God and their neighbors through faithful environmental stewardship. She has a passion for learning about and advocating for marginalized communities that are the most vulnerable to climate change impacts.
