Why personal change matters?
Our traditions teach us to live with love, respect, and compassion.
Rooted in gratitude for life on Earth and for the planet itself, our spiritual paths guide us to live simply, to avoid waste and to love our neighbours, especially the most vulnerable. Living the Change is integral to the deepest aspirations, concerns and identities of people of faith, spirit and conscience. We are all called to walk on Earth gently.
Will you make your own spiritual pledge
to change your lifestyle?
We live in the time of a dire and urgent climate challenge. We know all too well the present impacts of climate change. From Australia to Canada, from the Philippines to Germany, record numbers of severe fires, heat waves, storms, droughts, floods, and related catastrophes leave trauma and grief in their wake. We shudder over the enormity of this suffering and over what more lies ahead, depending on our choices.
The science is clear: to respect the 1.5 °C limit of mean warming and build desirable societies, we need transformation with speed and at scale, in every sector, at all levels. We choose to turn towards the challenge.
By changing how we live, we contribute with emissions reductions that can be significant, and are immediate. At a more fundamental level, we challenge mainstream consumerism and corporate modes of production that destroy the planet and exploit people, and we shift towards cultures of joyful simple living that promote the good life as one of connectedness with each other and all of nature. Following the teachings of our traditions, Living the Change gets deep: it is about living more connected, meaningful, and spiritually whole lives.
When we change together and mobilize others, we become strong public leaders. We build power. As we grow in numbers, we influence our sisters and brothers in our faith communities as well as in wider society, including policymakers, fossil fuel industries, manufacturers, and the finance sector. We wish to be clear: we understand that institutional and systemic changes are required to solve this crisis. Only together can these three pathways to power make the difference, and build a brighter future.
Will you pledge to change?
Feel proud to tell the world that you decided to change.
by Domenica Reyes, Global Catholic Climate Movement, Ecuador
It’s time to act and God is guiding us! Feel proud to tell the world that you decided to change. We can create a chain of action that will keep growing and replicating.
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What about Institutional Change?
There is only so much that one person can do. We need to go beyond lifestyle change and work to improve our collective practices and institutions. There are faith communities and places of worship in almost every community, village, and city on Earth. They offer countless opportunities for transformation and building joyful relationships. Will you circle up?
What about Systemic Change?
Let us be clear: behavior change is not sufficient to respond to the climate crisis on its own. We desperately need to change our economic systems and governmental policies. Many of our members and GreenFaith Circles are already working in these ways by opposing new fossil fuel projects, advocating for policy changes, and so much more. Will you join?
Our Systemic Approach
We understand these different types of actions as pieces of the same puzzle. From a systems perspective, consumers share responsibility and influence with producers, investors, advertisers, and policymakers. Choices made by one component of the system impact others. Personal change, at a large enough scale, actually helps create institutional and systemic change by shifting cultural norms, affecting consumer demand, and sending signals to business and political leaders. The other way around, sound policies and economic evolutions can remove barriers to and open new options for personal lifestyle changes. At the end of the day, individual behavior change is not just about individuals.