Our Common Planet, Our Common Future
The next entry into the FOCUS24 series centers on the intersections of Environmental Justice, the Right to a Healthy Environment, and climate policy. Through expert insights, we will discuss strategies and actions towards building a more sustainable and democratic future.
This expert discussion will be led by The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Ph.D., the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, Jacqueline Patterson, the Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership, and Andrew Schwartz, Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Center for Earth Ethics.
Participants will engage in interactive workshops focused on various strategies for civic mobilization in religious, interfaith, and other communities. Join us on Thursday, June 6th, from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm CDT as part of the FOCUS24 | Faith, Democracy & Our Common Future: Shaping a Path Forward. FOCUS24 is a year-long paid interfaith series building capacity, fostering community, and advancing advocacy efforts in this critical “year of democracy.” Join us in shaping a path forward; register today!
Already registered? Visit the FOCUS24 All-Access page to add the event to your calendar.
Featured Experts
The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, Ph.D. is the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. Raised among the hills and rivers of East Tennessee, Bishop Marc developed an early love for the beauty of God’s creation and heard a call to help protect it. As Bishop of California, he leads The Episcopal Church’s delegation to the annual UN Climate Conference (COP) and serves as Presiding Bishop Michael Bruce Curry’s representative to the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN). Bishop Marc’s advocacy work also includes immigration reform, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial reconciliation. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed book, Brothers in the Beloved Community: The Friendship of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr. He is also the co-author of Stations of the Cosmic Christ, which he wrote with the Rev. Dr. Matthew Fox, activist and theologian. Bishop Marc lives in San Francisco with his wife, Dr. Sheila Andrus.
Andrew Schwartz leads the Center for Earth Ethic’s programs that bring together voices from around the world to further environmental and climate justice, such as the 2021 Faith + Food Coalition Dialogues and the 2022 Values, Culture and Spirituality Consultation Series for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. He has nearly a decade of experience working with community leaders and government officials to create multilateral coalitions and support environmental movements. He currently serves as the head of the Climate Working Group for the UN Multi-faith Advisory Council.
Before joining CEE, Andrew worked as interim executive director of Bend 2030, a coalition of diverse stakeholders in Bend, Oregon, co-director of the Micah Challenge USA, an advocacy group focused on ending extreme poverty, and program manager of the Climate Reality Project, founded by Al Gore to influence national and international environmental policy on climate change.
Andrew earned his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University and his master’s from Union Theological Seminary. While at Union, Andrew began his environmental advocacy career as a youth representative to the United Nations 2012 Rio+20 Conference, a major meeting in Brazil addressing climate change.
An Oregon native, Andrew and his wife, Emily, live in Portland with their daughter. He is vice chair of the board of the Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter.
Jacqueline Patterson Patterson is the Founder and Executive Director of the Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership. The mission of the Chisholm Legacy Project is rooted in a Just Transition Framework, serving as a vehicle to connect Black communities on the frontlines of climate justice with the resources to actualize visions. Prior to the launch of the Chisholm Legacy Project, Patterson served as the Senior Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program for over a decade. During her tenure, she founded and implemented a robust portfolio which included serving the state and local leadership whose constituencies consisted of hundreds of communities on the frontlines of environmental injustice. She led a team in designing and implementing a portfolio to support political education and organizing work executed by NAACP branches, chapters, and state conferences. Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change. Working with frontline communities from Kampala, Uganda to Kansas City, USA to Kingston, Jamaica, her passion for social justice led her to serve as coordinator & co-founder of Women of Color United; Senior Women’s Rights Policy Analyst for ActionAid; Assistant Vice-President of HIV/AIDS Programs for IMA World Health, Outreach Project Associate for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Research Coordinator for Johns Hopkins University, and U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Jamaica. Patterson holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves on the Advisory Boards for Center for Earth Ethics, Environmental Justice Movement Fellowship, and the Hive Fund for Gender and Climate Justice, on the Governance Assemblies for Mosaic Momentum, and Collectrify, as well as on the Boards of Directors for the Institute of the Black World, the Bill Anderson Fund, Movement Strategy Center, the Just Solutions Collective, the National Black Workers Center Project, and Ceres.
