The June 21st Creation Justice Movement Café focused on achieving Net Zero, reducing our carbon footprint with a specific focus on the Just and Equitable Interagency Commitment to Net-Zero. Café facilitator Rev. Richenda Fairhurst introduced the panel: 

• Rev. Jenny Phillips, Senior Technical Advisor for Environmental Sustainability at Global Ministries. She works within the agency to integrate sustainability initiatives into disaster response and the agency’s global health and mission ministries. Additionally, she works throughout the denomination with programs for United Methodist conferences and local churches, including Global Ministries EarthKeepers.
• Jake Barnett, who has worked at Wespath since 2020. As the managing director of Sustainable Investment Strategies for Wespath and its subsidiaries’ investment programs, he leads teams that focus on stewardship and engagement, Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) integration, and impact investing. 
• Rev. Jonathan Brake, a founding member of UM Creation Justice Movement, and an ordained elder in the Western North Carolina Conference where he has served as a pastor in small and large, rural and urban congregations. He has spent many years engaged with Creation Care and is currently Program Sustainability Manager for UMC Global Ministries.

Rev. Phillips began by emphasizing the value of the agency coalition and defining net zero as cutting emissions as close to zero as possible, with remaining emissions being absorbed by forests and oceans. She further explained how in net zero accounting, emissions are broken into three categories. Spoke One are those emissions you have control over, such as burning fuel on your property, driving trucks and large vehicles; Scope Two are emissions you have no control over such as the energy consumed from the power grid in your city; and Scope Three are indirect emissions where the consumer lacks full control but actions do impact emissions. The agencies are focused on specific areas within these scopes such as onsite electricity usage, employee travel, investments, and so forth.

Barnett provided some historical context of the coalition’s partnership, which began with a pledge by a group of five Methodist agencies at the General Secretary’s Table in 2021 to achieve net zero emissions with church facilities, operations, and investments in a equitable and just manner. The five were Global Ministries, Wespath, United Women in Faith, Church and Society, and Higher Education Ministries. Subsequently, other agencies have joined. He highlighted a video made at the inception of the coalition that noted that this coalition aligns with United Methodist values, as General Conference has stated that we as Methodists are to address the climate crisis seeking justice for God’s people and planet. This development is an important step in leading that effort through sustainable pathways and in providing education and modeling opportunities. 

Rev. Phillips noted that creating change is challenging. This coalition began with an agency training on how to use Energy Star Portfolio Manager, which helps churches understand how their building is performing compared to others, provides a greenhouse gas emissions report, and ways to support efforts to build sustainability. The coalition also created a resource website as well as a report outlining the work the coalition had accomplished and its focus commitments: ministries, facilities, investments, equity and justice, and operations.

Rev. Phillips also brought up the coalition’s engagement at the 2022 Conference of Parties (COP) meeting in Egypt. Members of the coalition were able to attend, bringing their perspectives to the global arena, particularly in the areas of climate finance and justice. For example, they participated in discussion about the social justice impact of net zero goals and the acknowledgment that those in low income areas who rely heavily on energy produced from fossil fuels will need extra support and time to reach those goals. (The December 2022 Creation Justice Movement Newsletter focused on reports from COP27)

Both speakers encouraged participants by noting that although the work is challenging, resources are available and it is important to proceed with the work we can do now—that is how to make an impact. The message is one of love for people and for the planet.

Rev. Brake discussed the work done at annual conferences across the country. As he noted, each conference is diverse and each one approaches this issue differently. At his conference, the Western Carolina Conference, they now have a gold LEED certified conference center, including solar panels and EV chargers in the parking lot, and are focusing on empowering local churches to engage in this work. He noted that other conferences have passed resolutions that support creation care. 

During the post-panel discussion, Rev. Phillips explained the Department of Energy’s Renew America’s Nonprofits program, which will distribute large grants of $3–9 million. Certain requirements in the grant may limit the ability for some organizations to apply, but the possibility should be discussed among religious institutions and nonprofits.  

Rev. Brake also reminded the Café attendees that the Global Ministries EarthKeepers program is taking applications for the fall trainings. This year these will be held October 5–8 in Denver, Colorado, Birmingham, Alabama, and Hartford, Connecticut. Having regional locations will help work toward net zero goals by encouraging folks to drive, rather than fly.  This program trains participants to develop projects that will have a lasting and sustainable impact on both community and planet.

Participants can engage in net zero actions via the Earthkeeper Program as well as through  Church and Society’s Advocacy team and United Women in Faith. More information can be found here: www.resourceumc.org/en/topics/creation-care/net-zero-commitment  and in the June Creation Justice Movement Newsletter.