Now that your faith community has made a start on becoming more sustainable, collectively and individually, think about working with the wider community around you to become more sustainable too.

Now that your faith community has made a start on becoming more sustainable, collectively and individually, think about working with the wider community around you to become more sustainable too. 

Addressing climate change cannot be done individually - we have to work together to make society-wide changes. People of faith were never meant to be isolated as a community or as individuals, but actively contribute to society and work alongside others to bring about change.
  

Activities

Your faith community can contribute to broader cultural change by sharing the changes you have been making and finding other groups in the wider community who are interested in going on this journey too. You may find that there are people in the wider community who are like-minded and are looking for others with similar values to work with, and you might also find that there are many in your community who rarely think about issues of sustainability but are open to learning and becoming involved.

This could include engaging other faith communities in your area, talking to schools, community centres and even the local council. Let others in your area know what you have done and inspire them to do similarly. Over time, you could work towards forming a network of environmentally-conscious faith communities in your area. 

With your sustainability team, discuss:

• What connections does your faith community already have with the wider community that you could start with to engage in issues of environmental responsibility and raising awareness about climate change? Are there other groups in the community that are already environmentally active? Climate action groups? Permaculture groups? Landcare? Bush regeneration etc?
   
• What are ideas that you have implemented with your faith community that you could broaden to invite the wider community to be involved with too?
    
• Where are the places in the wider community where people gather (community centres, community activities, local markets or festivals etc)? Which of these groups might be interested in co-hosting an event or initiative with you in the community about these issues?
    
• How could you get your faith community to think about their wider circles of influence as well – perhaps their workplaces, places of study and other groups they are connected to?
    
• What other faith groups are nearby and how can your faith community engage with them and perhaps learn from their perspectives on caring for Creation or the ideas they are already trying?
   

Brainstorm ideas about initiatives you could take as a faith community to engage with the wider community about sustainability and climate change. Ideas might include:

• Hosting a local interfaith discussion about Caring for Creation, or a community event with a guest speaker on climate change. You could also hold a discussion forum about sustainability and make space for people to share what they are doing in the community.
    
• Talking to others in the street where your place of worship is located to start a Sustainability Street initiative or start a local initiative with a group that serves the community, eg a local Permablitz group/network that offers to help homes in the neighbourhood start edible gardens.
    
• Organising a clothes swap, upcycling workshop, Clean Up Australia Day, tree planting or similar event that you could invite the wider community to, or a local collaborative consumption network.
    
• Making your own YouTube video to share the journey of your faith community so far.

Resources

• Narrative workshop guide for talking to others about climate change

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