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Sustaining All Life

Founded	2014
Headquarters	Shoreline, WA
Area served	International
Method	Activist
Website	www.sustainingalllife.org

Sustaining All Life (SAL) is an international grassroots organization whose publicly stated aims are "to end the climate emergency within the context of ending all divisions among people." SAL is an ongoing project of the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities (RC) and offers the theory and tools of RC to environmental activists.

SAL has presented approximately 100 workshops and forums at numerous international climate conferences, beginning with COP21 in Paris in 2015. Topics of their conference and workshop presentations and publications have included, “Tools for Ending Racism,” “Building a Strong Climate Movement,” “Healing Our Climate Grief,” and “Labor--Working Together for Unity.”

Aims

SAL was founded with the publicly stated goal "to end the climate emergency within the context of ending all divisions among people." SAL asserts that the climate and environmental crisis can be most effectively addressed in the context of "ending racism, genocide toward Indigenous peoples, classism, sexism, and other oppressions." It encourages the use of the tools of engaged listening and mutual support developed by RC to free people from hurts of oppression and other past troubles that can create difficulties for effectively working together to solve the climate crisis. SAL contends that this "healing work also builds courage and stamina, and the confidence that we can create a just, sustainable future for everyone."

Approach

SAL collaborates with other climate and climate-justice related organizations and initiatives to build unity towards the goal of ending the climate emergency and ending oppressive divisions among people.

SAL workshops include presentations of what is termed "the tools of Re-evaluation Counseling--engaged listening and mutual support" and "perspectives on climate change and oppression." They assert that these tools and perspectives enable climate activists and organizations to be more effective in their work.

At some conferences SAL has also organized forums where delegates who are not part of SAL have been given opportunities to present their personal experiences of the climate crisis to an audience. These have generally featured speakers from frontline nations and indigenous groups.

Sustaining All Life often presents jointly with United to End Racism (UER), another project of the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities. In March 2021, SAL presented jointly during International Women's Month with another project of the Re-evaluation Counseling Communities, No Limits for Women. SAL presentation teams are generally multi-racial and often include members of varied nationalities. The events are often interpreted into languages other than English to enable broad participation, and to include the voices of a wider range of climate activists.

SAL is an NGO under the auspices of the Re-evaluation Foundation. Its office is in Shoreline, Washington, U.S.

History

Origins of SAL

SAL was founded by RC in 2014. Since then it has presented workshops and forums at numerous international and U.S. based climate conferences, and published pamphlets, handouts, and videos on various climate change-related topics.

Climate Change Conferences and Events

SAL delegations presented in the NGO sector at COP21 in Paris in 2015, COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016, COP23 in Bonn, Germany in 2017, COP24 in Katowice, Poland in 2018, and COP25 in Madrid, Spain in 2019. The organization has also presented at numerous other climate conferences (including online events more recently): Global Climate Action Summit (2018), UN Climate Action Summit (2019 & 2020), From the Ground Up (2020), Earth Day Initiative Virtual Festival (2021), Earth Day Live! (2021), and London Climate Action Week (2021).

SAL holds workshops and forums, as well as support groups, caucuses, listening projects, and introductory classes.

The workshops cover a range of climate and climate justice related topics and are interactive, giving participants the chance to share their experiences and be listened to. The forums allow activists to speak for 3-5 minutes about the impact of climate change on their communities, what they are doing to address the climate crisis, and share stories of hope, courage and other successes in their environmental activism.

SAL employs "listening projects" at live, in-person events where SAL delegates encourage passers-by to share their thinking on key climate change issues, using open questions such as "What do you think about climate change?"; "What should be done?"; "How do you see racism affecting your ability to organize effectively on climate change"; "What gives you hope as a climate activist?"; and "What's hard for you about it?

SAL also offers support groups and caucuses daily, providing people a chance to be listened to about their feelings connected to climate change and the climate crisis. SAL asserts that "having the chance to share feelings in a mutually supportive group refreshes people and gives them fresh ideas for action." SAL regularly offers introductory classes in Re-evaluation Counseling during these events.

SAL at UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (COP)

Sustaining All Life has presented at the UN Framework Convention Climate Conferences (COPs) annually since 2015. Their stated goal is to bring the tools and understandings of RC to climate activists and to increase our understanding of the global impact of the climate emergency.

COP21 - Paris, France (2015)

The "Paris COP", a once every 5 years "super COP", was the first COP to which SAL sent a delegation. SAL presented in the civil society events and events held by other climate activist groups. Heightened security that followed attacks that occurred just prior to the COP made holding workshops more challenging.

COP22 - Marrakech, Morocco (2016)

SAL achieved official non-governmental organizations (NGO) status prior to COP22, where governments focused their discussion on the implementation of the "Paris Agreement" from COP21, including climate finance. As an official NGO, SAL was allocated a booth and space for its activities in the "Green Zone" of the COP open to the public.

COP23 - Bonn, Germany (2017)

COP23 was hosted by Fiji, one of the group of small island nations that is disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. However, concerns about the climate impact and expense of holding a large international COP in Fiji resulted in it being held at UN facilities in Bonn. Implementation of the Paris Agreement continued to be the focus, with increased attention on the intent to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. SAL presented again as an NGO with other civil society organizations in the public "Green Zone"

COP24 - Katowice, Poland (2018)

SAL sent delegates representing Poland, Kenya, England, Hungary, Russia, Denmark, Friesland, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Basque Country, Serbia, Sweden and the US to COP24. A key task of this COP was to discuss and adopt a package of decisions ensuring the full implementation of the Paris Agreement, and included efforts to support implementation by countries of their national commitments.

Together with the Global Peace Initiative of Women and Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association (DDMBA), SAL presented an official side event under the theme of "To Stand United for the Climate, Overcoming Divisions".​​​​​​​

COP25 - Madrid, Spain (2019)

COP25 was moved at the last minute from Santiago, Chile to Madrid, due to unrest in Santiago. SAL had a booth in the public "Green Zone", which included themes focusing on Indigenous peoples and on youth. With the move of the COP from South America, SAL sought to highlight the voices of Latin Americans on issues of climate change and the intersection with social justice, holding daily forums for this purpose.

SAL co-sponsored an public event in the "Blue Zone" area designated for governments, in partnership with the Global Peace Initiative of Women and Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association (DDMBA). (Video excerpt of this event on YouTube)

SAL at Other Climate and Climate Justice Events

London Climate Action Week (2021)

Founded in 2019, London Climate Action Week (LCAW) is an annual event bringing together climate professionals and communities across London and beyond to find practical solutions to climate change, shapping the "future into one that is net-zero, equitable and resilient." SAL presented virtual workshops during the week of activities.

Earth Day Live! (2021)

Sponsored by Earth Day in April, these virtual events focused on climate action, people and communities, science and education, conservation and restoration, and plastic and pollution.

International Women's Month (2021)

SAL collaborated with UER and No Limits for Women in presenting a set of workshops during March to highlight "key women’s issues with the intersection of the climate emergency." SAL holds that "addressing and ending sexism, male domination and its impacts" is a major factor in ending the climate emergency and that "women and girls are key in turning the tide to end this crisis."

From the Ground Up (2020)

Sponsored by the COP26 Coalition, From the Ground Up - Global Gathering for Climate Justice was held during the time that the postponed COP26 was to occur. The purpose was "to educate, strategize and coordinate, to build power and connect within our global justice movements.” Organizers stated that over 8000 people joined virtually.

UN Climate Action Summits (2019 & 2020)

UN Climate Action Summits in 2019 (New York City, coinciding with the 74th UN General Assembly) and 2020 (virtually) reinforced the global understanding that a climate stabilization target of 1.5℃ is the socially, economically, politically and scientifically safe limit to global warming by the end of this century. To achieve this, the world needs to work to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The Summits also focused on the urgent needs for countries update and enhance their emission reduction commitments in their national climate plans under the Paris Agreement.

SAL presented in-person workshops and forums in 2019 with some of the events part of Climate Week and the Nature4Climate Hub. In 2020, SAL sponsred a similar set of workshops and forums virtually in 2020.

The SAL pamphlet "Tools for Climate Organizing" is distributed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Global Climate Action Summit (2018)

Hosted by California's Governor in San Francisco, CA, USA, the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) focused on addressing climate change by bringing together various non-government leaders and activists, including elected leaders at the state and local levels.

SAL was an official presenter in GCAS, as well as in the Solidarity to Solutions alternative event sponsored by the Climate Justice Alliance and a consortium of climate justice groups.

SAL also participated in the Rise for Climate Justice + Jobs march just prior to the start of GCAS, where activists groups challenged governments and industries to do more to shut down the fossil fuel industry.

Media Coverage

• National Cathlic Reporter--Earthbeat: After COP22, the importance of sub-national groups

• Radio program interview with Madrid conf. participant Brian Lavendal

• Commons Library

• Radical German org.

• Local Environmental Action Sponsors

• Bright Green: Independent Media for Radical, Democratic, Green Movements

• Micronesia Climate Change Alliance

• Amherst Indy: Global Climate Strike and Beyond

• Digis Mak: The American news the American way (End racism to combat global warming)

• La Minga Indigena report from Madrid

• Report of African Climate Activists at NY Climate Week 2020

• The Beam Magazine--Against racism, sexism and oppression: Uniting across divisions to solve climate change

• Tichys Einblick--Extinction Rebellion: A movement in self-testimonies

• The Daily Dose – Feminist Voices for the Green New Deal: "Reasons for Hope in the Climate Movement and Beyond"

External Links

• Official SAL Website