Climate Justice Club

We are Climate Justice Club!

Google Drive - Notes can be found in Logistics > Meeting Notes

The CSB+SJU Climate Justice Club works to further Climate Justice on our campuses. We believe that climate crisis is a social justice issue and we're dedicated to raising awareness and making the difference we can on our campuses. See a slightly outdated but comprehensive introduction with notes here!

Climate Justice Club (often shortened to CJC) is meeting on SUNDAY NIGHTS from 5-6pm during Spring 2023! Email [email protected] or join our email list if you'd like to visit and check it out.

In addition to occasional events, we also set aside time to work on whatever programs our members are interested in. This year, it's mobilizing climate voters, pressing our schools to divest from fossil fuels, and, as always, recruiting more members!

And of course, remember to:

To be added to the CJC Email list with email updates on meetings, fill out the form or email [email protected]!

Club Leadership + Membership: CJC uses a horizontal leadership system with a Central Focal Point and several Branch Focal Points instead of a hierarchy and a Club President. This form of organization gives every member more freedom to take on leadership and come to consensus. Students who want to participate in existing projects or start their own can do so through Working Groups! See our constitution here! All members collaborate and help each other out on projects as they're able so we can share the load!

Climate Justice Club 2022-23

Central Focal Point: Betsy Ruckman

Secretary: Jalayna Smith-Moore

IWL Climate Justice Coordinator: Mari Hermerding

Activism Branch

Focal Point: Isabelle Schmelzer

"Let's work together through direct action to support the change we want to see in our communities and the world." 

  • Organizing sit-ins and tabling

  • Meeting with changemakers

  • traveling to protests and demonstrations

Knowledge Sharing Branch

Focal Point: Kian Sia Su

"Let's spread the amazing news about the power we all have to change the world."

  • creating and distributing signs, posters and pamphlets

  • speaking to classes on campus about climate justice

Policy Branch

Focal Point: Nicholas Mertens

"Let's use the systems of government around us to push our communities towards change."

  • mobilizing voters for climate issues

  • lobbying and meeting with politicians about climate crisis

What is climate justice?

Watch this 2019 video from Corrie Grosse, using Enbridge's Line 3 Tar Sands pipeline as a call to action for climate justice. (Line 3 was allowed to pass despite its major environmental, moral, and climate-justice problems. Tar sands oil now runs through it. For more info, go to stopline3.org.

FAQ:

What is horizontal leadership?

We don't have a president and general members like most clubs. Instead, as an activist club with activist organization, we have focal points and bottom-liners. All of these club members trade off duties like facilitating, note-taking, and time-keeping for meetings. This democratic style makes it less of a time commitment for individual members while empowering everybody to take a leadership position in the club.

Why Climate Justice? Why the flower? Where did Climate Action Club go?

When the club began, it was called Climate Action Club. Its symbol was the St. John's shield and cross with a globe pattern. In 2019-2020 club leadership changed our name and our logo to reflect a more justice-focused, inclusive club: Climate Justice Club! Now, our logo is an upside-down globe with sunflower imagery-- which is actually not a sunflower, but a Minnesota native flower called a compassplant.

  • The Sunflower (here a sunflowery-looking local wildflower) is used as a symbol of hope and regrowth. Sunflowers can absorb toxic metals and nuclear radiation in the soil, so they're a symbol of cleaning up after disaster.
  • The Upside-down Earth puts the Global South on top and represents the need to rethink our economies, politics, and judgements. The Global South (poorer, less developed countries and populations) experience the impacts of climate change first and worst, despite being less responsible for historical emissions than the Global North. We need to put voices of our frontline communities first!

Its petals are labeled:

  • Equity - Importance of ensuring rights and opportunities to all, based upon each community’s individual needs

  • Decolonization - Recognizing and working to break down colonial systems that purposely advantage some at the expense of others

  • Divestment - Taking money invested in fossil fuel industries out of those industries and putting them into more socially responsible funds

  • Intersectionality - Looking at the different ways issues overlap and form connections (language, race, socioeconomic status, gender, education, etc.)

  • Anti-oppression - Actively working against systems of oppression, calling out and seeking alternatives for current injustices

  • Accessibility - Making sure resources, information, and opportunities are available and accessible to all based upon individual needs. Being purposeful about how and where such resources/information are shared

  • Grassroots - Movements for people, by people. Starting at the local level of community organizing and collaboration around the issues which directly impact their communities

  • Diversity - Every person is impacted by the climate crisis, and every person has unique passions, perspectives, experiences, and abilities to contribute, and all are equally important! TO CHANGE EVERYTHING, WE NEED EVERYONE!