CLIMATE EMERGENCY SPEAKER SERIES 

Beginning later this month and continuing through 2024, the Justice through Service Committee of Mount Zion will host a series of seven climate-focused workshops facilitated by Isaiah Ritzmann.

Each workshop will be about an hour long and follow Sunday worship, with a coffee/tea/snack pause in between.

The organizers would like to know the approximate number of attendees in advance for planning purposes. Please sign up on the sheet located in the narthex.

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Sunday, Nov. 26: Climate Emergency 101

This workshop introduces people to the core of what it means to be living through a climate emergency. It looks at the basic mechanics of climate change, our timelines, and our limited carbon budget. It poses the question, “what does it look like for a government to act like it’s the emergency they say it is?”

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Isaiah Ritzmann is a community educator with the Working Centre. He is a local climate activist who is passionate about the intersections between environmental sustainability, economic justice and community building. He has taught courses for the Working Centre’s Diploma in Local Democracy program and facilitated workshops, film documentary evenings, neighbourhood environmental walks, and other initiatives on ways to respond to the climate emergency. He is also part of the Louisa Street Hospitality House, where newly arrived refugees are welcomed into the community. Isaiah earned a Master of Theological Studies from Conrad Grebel College and the University of Waterloo in 2015.

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Upcoming topics in the New Year will be (dates to be announced):

Climate Justice 101 – Climate change is marked by extreme inequality. What can we do about it?

Mining Justice and the Energy Transition – The mining required for solar and wind power will be immense. How do we transition to renewable energy resources fairly and without violence?

Consumer Culture and the Climate Emergency – Everything we buy comes at a carbon cost. Can we make and buy less as a society?

The End of Advertising? – We did it with tobacco and other products known to endanger health. Should we also ban other advertising that fuels the climate crisis and endangers the health of the planet?

A Four-Day Week? – Limiting mandatory work time is not only good for us but is also healthier for the planet.

When the Odds are Stacked against Us – Improbable does not mean impossible. But with climate change the odds (scientifically at least) are stacked against us. How can we persevere?