Climate change is still around

 Back to climate change!

Maybe considering a reduced ozone hole in the atmosphere...a 3 minute Nova note from PBS.

What Happened to the Hole in the Ozone Layer? Click here to play, the photo isn't a link.

The extreme thinning of the Ozone layer threatened to bring on a global crisis from destroying plants and ecosystems to sky-high skin cancer rates. So, what happened?

I've begun talking about how climate crisis refugees are likely to be coming to our area. I don't know what form that will take, but it will create an opportunity to serve and organize people's needs.

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Here's a bit of Native style flute playing by my friend Marina Raye...to just listen to and feel calm.

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Expecting these conditions for Thurs & Fri, as of Wed. 9.25. at 6 pm.

Rainfall amounts below as of Thurs. morning 9.26 at 8:30 am.

Yesterday (when I wrote this) Black Mountain was preparing for Helene's outer band of winds and rains to hit us in the night. Before that, we had had days of relentless rain here in Black Mountain. As of 8:30 am Thurs, Black Mountain had 7.33 inches over the last 36 hours. It had continued to rain off an on all that day. But the high winds and gusts were due that night, after Helene came ashore in Florida.

In the mountains, having super saturated ground from long term rains, and gusts of winds, is just leading to downed trees and power lines. There may well be landslides with the water coming down steep slopes. And many of the creeks and rivers are overflowing their banks so there are flood warnings. That is why NC has declared a state of emergency already. This was the weather report at 11 am Thurs. I'll give you some updates as I get them on Fri.

I have several relatives and friends who live in Florida. I'm thinking of how they've prepared for the storm, but fortunately they don't live in flood prone areas. So I hope they'll check in with me today (Fri.) sometime.

I may hate AI, but I had to laugh at this one! Incidentally, this was posted on FB, and then I shared it, and then it was pulled from FB!

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I haven't talked much about climate change lately. Why? Well my friends have all heard my views by now. I'm glad to see my former UU church is doing some efforts focused on climate justice work. Since I left it officially a few months ago, I still get notified of topics of the Sunday services.

Here's the notice for the service coming up on Sept. 29. I plan to attend, and will give you my thoughts afterward!

Sunday, September 29, 2024

“UUs & Climate Change”

Rev. Michael J. S. Carter

 

One of my favorite things about Unitarian Universalism is the unique way we approach our faith. I'm speaking specifically of deeds, not creeds. Our worship doesn’t just live within our congregational walls, but within the world. As I see it, climate justice, and our faith are interwoven too tightly to be separated. Upholding our faith goes hand-in-hand with advocating for the Earth on which we live (per our 6^th & 7th Principles). Our congregation has identified "Climate Change" as its number one concern. As our denomination has also taken up the mantle to advocate for our Mother Earth, let's explore what that looks like for our congregation going forward. I want to encourage each and every one of you to get to know the members of our Social Action Committee and to be curious about what you can do to assist them. Be on the lookout this fall regarding announcements about upcoming events and activities related to climate change...See you on the 29th! 

UUSV.org

Facebook

Upcoming Sunday Services

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley

500 Montreat Road

Black Mountain, NC 28711

They also post videos of each service to YouTube as well.

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Well, that went off on a tangent I didn't expect. But I used to belong to a group there which discussed climate change, and hosted the Earth Day event (held at the Lake Tomahawk picnic pavilion) where various topics were demonstrated from vegan eating to sustainable businesses for ecological toilet paper. My health kept me from being involved this last year.

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Today's quote:

"Emerging also is the recognition that, for all of our foibles, all of our vulnerability to ideological manipulation, all of our capacity for cruelty, it is tenderness we most long for, tenderness that is our deepest nature.

"The challenge is how to live with the knowledge that what steers us one way or another, toward terror or tenderness, can be the faintest and most random ripple in the surface of consciousness — just a “wave in the mind,” to borrow Virginia’s ​[Wolfe] own lovely phrase."

 Maria Popova, The Marginalian