Advocacy
“Remember, it is forbidden to live in a town which has no garden or greenery.” ~Kiddushin 4:12 (Jewish engagement laws)
Our moral reflection and personal behaviors matter a lot, if our religions are any guide (and at Faith in Place we believe that they are). But we don’t get to sufficient scale by modifying individual practices or even all our practices at the congregational level. We certainly want consistency of thought and deed, but to create solutions on the same scale as the problems our ecology faces, we’re going to need strong public policy advocacy.
Get Educated
Each year in the late winter, before the Illinois General Assembly session gets underway, Faith in Place holds its annual policy workshops. In 2011 we did 3 of these around the state, outlining the advocacy agenda we’ll be following for the year. Faith in Place is a member of the Illinois Environmental Council, and of the Illinois Climate Action Network (ICAN), both of which are collaborative efforts of most of the environmental groups working in the state. We coordinate our policy agenda with the groups that have a consistent presence in Springfield, so that we can keep you up to date on policy developments.
Get email alerts
Besides our monthly electronic newsletter, we have a special set of action alerts for those who want to be in our rapid response network. Sign up for that network and stay up-to-date on developments of the bills we are following at the state and federal level. We promise to keep you informed without overwhelming you, and to help you lead a more targeted, effective advocacy effort in your congregation.
Overview of current bills and fact sheets
Right now Faith in Place is the lead organization on a bill that will require disclosure of the contents of the hydraulic fracturing formula for any company seeking a drilling permit in the state. SB 664 is the focus of our efforts in 2011, and more information can be found on our homepage about this effort.
Lobby Day
Every spring we participate in the Illinois Environmental Council lobby day in Springfield. This year Lobby Day was March 30. Fact sheets and registration information can be linked to from our homepage as well.
Postcards and in-district activity
Faith in Place does an annual postcard campaign, providing as many postcards as your congregation wants on a single critical issue. We collect postcards on the issue we're focused on and deliver them to your representatives in Springfield. This allows for direct advocacy by many more people than are able to attend the annual Lobby Day in Springfield. Postcards are available this year. Contact us to request them.
Federal advocacy through Illinois Interfaith Power & Light
Our affiliation with the national Interfaith Power & Light organization informs our advocacy on federal issues. It also allows Faith in Place staff to attend the annual lobbying effort in Washington, DC, along with representatives of the faith community from across the country. Your support for a federal carbon cap is represented there through our participation in Interfaith Power & Light, and we will make sure that we visit the representatives of districts in which we have the greatest concentration of congregational partners.
Related Links
Union of Concerned Scientists - For up-to-date analysis of climate change and federal policy, we suggest the webpage of our friends at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
