ERA For Change 28 Days For Climate Campaign 2024
The ERA For Change 28 Days for Climate Campaign aims to engage our students, staff and broader community in sustainability initiatives that encourage more sustainable habits and environmental protection. We want to ensure that the community and government take greater action and accountability in protecting the planet. COP29 is in November of this year, so now is the time to act! Watch the video above to learn more about COP29:
Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) schools are invited to participate in one or all parts of the campaign components. The campaign will run from Monday 5th August to Friday 30th August
The National Earth Hour Campaign will be held on Friday 30th August
The campaign is guided by the ERA For Change Manifesto, and EREA Climate Crisis Report. The campaign supports the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change. ARRCC creates the faith-based support and action needed to achieve a critical mass of active citizens dedicated to Australia making an ambitious response to the climate emergency.
A Prayer for Our Earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
Pope Francis,
Laudato Si’
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.
We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.
Pope Francis,
Laudato Si’
Campaign Components
National Activities
ERA for Change will be having a national earth hour on Friday the 30th of September during the last period of the school day.
Communicating with our government is an important part of this campaign, so we recommend letter writing as a tool to either meet with politicians, or communicate your position on the climate as a citizen. Click HERE for information on the current ARRCC national campaign!
School Wide Activities
There are a number of activities that your school can do to make change. These include hosting an assembly about the climate/waste/energy, having guest speakers come and talk about the climate, including climate related facts in your newsletters, hosting a rubbish cleanup at your school, and more! You may also like to consider how climate change is handled in your curriculum, read THIS article to find out more.
Social Media
ERA for Change will be sharing a climate related post on our social media every day of the 28 Days for Climate Campaign. Feel free to repost this to your personal or school social media page! At the bottom of this page, there are examples of our social media presence in 2022-24.
ERA for Change will be having a national earth hour on Friday the 30th of September during the last period of the school day.
Communicating with our government is an important part of this campaign, so we recommend letter writing as a tool to either meet with politicians, or communicate your position on the climate as a citizen. Click HERE for information on the current ARRCC national campaign!
School Wide Activities
There are a number of activities that your school can do to make change. These include hosting an assembly about the climate/waste/energy, having guest speakers come and talk about the climate, including climate related facts in your newsletters, hosting a rubbish cleanup at your school, and more! You may also like to consider how climate change is handled in your curriculum, read THIS article to find out more.
Social Media
ERA for Change will be sharing a climate related post on our social media every day of the 28 Days for Climate Campaign. Feel free to repost this to your personal or school social media page! At the bottom of this page, there are examples of our social media presence in 2022-24.
Resources
We have a number of resources to get you started with your campaign.
Organisations to get involved with
Find your electorate and MPs
You can find your electorate here. You can search for senators and members here.
Click on the links below to find the MPs in your state/territory:
Federal MPs
Victorian MPs
New South Wales MPs
Western Australia MPs
South Australia MPs
Queensland MPs
Tasmania MPs
ACT MPs
Northern Territory MPs
The ARRCC has example of a personal letter to an MP HERE
Recommendations from the ARRCC
“Please ask your MP to support one or more of the things that were listed in the open letter
You may wish to emphasise one or more of these in particular. The first two are probably the most crucial, but there are good reasons to emphasise others too.
Let your MP know your faith (Christian, Buddhist etc) and if you’re involved with a specific place of worship please mention that you go there.
Say why action on the climate is important to you and your faith
In one or two sentences you could tell them why this matters to you in terms of your faith. Is it loving your neighbour? Protecting Creation? Restoring God’s balance? Acting with compassion for all sentient beings?”
Organisations to get involved with
- Australian Religious Response to Climate Change Information booklet on activities HERE
- Schools in WA and QLD may like to get involved with Containers for Change
- Schools may also like to get involved with Tread Lightly
- Schools may take inspiration from the Plastic Free July school challenge
- See if there any local organisations near your school focused on climate/sustainability!
Find your electorate and MPs
You can find your electorate here. You can search for senators and members here.
Click on the links below to find the MPs in your state/territory:
Federal MPs
Victorian MPs
New South Wales MPs
Western Australia MPs
South Australia MPs
Queensland MPs
Tasmania MPs
ACT MPs
Northern Territory MPs
The ARRCC has example of a personal letter to an MP HERE
Recommendations from the ARRCC
“Please ask your MP to support one or more of the things that were listed in the open letter
You may wish to emphasise one or more of these in particular. The first two are probably the most crucial, but there are good reasons to emphasise others too.
- Stop approving new coal and gas projects (for tips on this point, see https://www.arrcc.org.au/epbc_act)
- End public subsidies for coal and gas projects
- Actively participate in creating a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition.
- Fully respect First Nations peoples' rights to protect Country
- Re-start contributions to the United Nations Green Climate Fund
- Help workers in extractive industries prosper with more sustainable jobs
Let your MP know your faith (Christian, Buddhist etc) and if you’re involved with a specific place of worship please mention that you go there.
Say why action on the climate is important to you and your faith
In one or two sentences you could tell them why this matters to you in terms of your faith. Is it loving your neighbour? Protecting Creation? Restoring God’s balance? Acting with compassion for all sentient beings?”
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.