GRACE in Action Strategic Update: Climate/Environmental Justice Opportunities (4/3/26)
Greetings, UUANI Community! Welcome to our GRACE in Action Strategic updates!
Most of you know about UUANI’s signature Action of the Week alerts. This series, GRACE in Action is a supplement: a way to capture events and opportunities for you that are aligned with our Action Strategy Agenda between Action of the Week alerts. We’ll keep you posted on things like upcoming social action events, trainings for activists, and strategic focus issue to support and build power around. You may even get occasional updates on Action of the Week issues you’ve supported in the past. You can still look to Actions of the Week for weekly actionable impact opportunities delivered to your inbox.
Learn more about Action of the Week here…
Want to learn more about UUANI’s New 2026 Action Strategy Agenda? Read more here…
Strategic Focus Areas
In 2026 we have four strategic focus areas:
Anti-authoritarianism
Immigrant/Migrant Justice
Economic Justice and Abolition
Climate/Environmental Justice
Today, our featured strategic focus area is environmental/climate justice. Here are a few opportunities for you to get involved with the cause, and a beautiful climate poetry performance for an inspiration boost (did you know April is National Poetry Month? Happy Poetry Month)!
Community is Power: Create Climate Resistance Hubs in your area!
Source: Side with Love (Unitarian Universalist Association)
Our UUA social justice project, Side With Love, is hosting a series of webinars on Creating Hubs of Climate Resilience during Earth Month.
“Whether your congregation has engaged in this work before or this idea is totally new to you, we hope you’ll join our two upcoming events on 4/13 and 4/15.”
“April 13 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT - April Gathering - Creating Hubs of Resilience: In the midst of extreme weather and climate disruption, our congregations and communities can be powerful hubs of care, connection, and critical infrastructure.”
“April 15 at 7pm ET / 4pm PT - Rolling out a Mobile Resiliency Hub in Georgia: As congregations consider how to turn our buildings into hubs of climate resilience, the UU Congregation of Atlanta is taking the idea on the road with a Mobile Resiliency Trailer. Powered by solar panels with battery backup, the trailer will include a refrigerator, a water filtration system, induction burners for cooking, a washer and dryer, portable shower, and a mini-power station. The Mobile Resiliency Trailer is designed to meet emergency response needs, wherever that may be.”
Collective Action is Power: Join the POWER Act Lobby Day
Source: Illinois Environmental Council
UUANI’s community partner, Illinois Clean Jobs Council (ICJC) tells us about three big problems with data centers:
Data centers are are increasing utility bills for all customers
Data centers are massive water users, without transparency to the communities that depend on that water
Data centers exacerbate pollution in vulnerable areas and threaten Illinois’ clean energy goals.
In solidarity with ICJC, UUANI supports the POWER Act (SB4016/HB5513) – nation-leading legislation that protects Illinois from data center harms.
“Let’s take action together to ensure Illinois establishes nation-leading guardrails that protect our water, energy, ratepayers, and frontline communities!
What: POWER Act Lobby Day
When: Saturday, May 30, 2026
Where: Illinois State Capitol Building, 401 S. 2nd St. Springfield, IL 62756
Registration: free and open to all!”
Register to Fight for the POWER Act: https://bit.ly/POWER2026
Knowledge is Power: Learn about the IL Climate Change Superfund Act
Source: IL Sierra Club Illinois Chapter
“The idea of a climate superfund is simple: if you make a mess, you should have to help pay to clean it up.
Based on traditional superfund laws, ‘climate superfunds’ would force the largest emitters to pay into a fund based on their fair share of emissions over an established period (often the last 30 years). The revenue would then be used for climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.”
Inspiration!
Dutch poet Zaïre Krieger performs her poem, ‘Activism’ at the Climate Justice Gathering in The Hague in December. “Krieger reminds us that activism is a “multilingual voice” and that despite setbacks, all our actions are important in the fight for justice.” Happy Poetry Month!
Thanks for checking in, everyone! We’ll be back soon with more strategic opportunities. Until next time!
Keep building power to bend the arc, together!
— Atena