Where We Spend Our Money
I was on the literature sales promotion team at the West Coast USA Care of the Environment Workshop. Being on that team helped me stop and think about gift giving and resource allocation (where we spend our money) in this time of climate breakdown. I’ve been thinking about how to move money quickly into organizations, including RC, that are working to stop climate change.
Scientists estimate we have only a few more years to make enormous changes in how industrialized countries are powered. This means making enormous changes in where we dedicate resources, in what we prioritize to maintain a livable world. Giving money to deal with climate change is one essential action that large numbers of people need to take in the near future.
How are you thinking about allocating your resources in this time of collapse? If you have more than you need, what are you doing with the excess? Holding on to it does not appear to be a rational decision.
INVESTING IN RC
Moving money to the RC Community is a key way to increase our chances of successfully building a unified movement to protect life. We need many people discharging, re-evaluating, and thinking more clearly about the climate emergency. This is a top priority.
Our Guidelines say (on page 49), “We encourage all Co-Counselors and others who want to support our work to voluntarily donate to the Re-evaluation Foundation or to local Outreach (Area Outreach Funds) or International Outreach (Community Service Funds).“ We can also contribute to Outreach Funds by paying higher up on workshop sliding scales.
Investing in RC could help make more workshops on climate change accessible to more people, by providing scholarships and making such workshops happen more often. Imagine a fund that would make it possible for climate justice activists to go to climate change workshops for $20 or $50 (U.S.), instead of $250 or $300. Raising money for Sustaining All Life also helps bring RC information and tools to climate justice activists.
SHARING RC LITERATURE
In addition, sharing RC literature is a fantastic way to spread ideas about liberation from oppression and introduce RC theory—about paying attention, discharge, and re-evaluation. I’m encouraging everyone to give RC literature to everyone in their life. Why buy things that are not re-emergent? How would it push you on your distresses to give RC literature instead?
DONATING TO CLIMATE JUSTICE GROUPS
I’m also asking people to consider donating money to local groups that are organizing for climate justice. I’m a director of a non-profit organization, and I can tell you that money makes a huge difference in our capacity to inform and lead large numbers of people. Most non-profits spend a large percentage of their time on fundraising. Ample funding would make it so much easier to deal with the climate crisis and eliminate the oppressions that are dividing us.
By investing money now in organizations that are working to end oppression and stop climate change, we can improve the odds of avoiding complete catastrophe.
Watsonville, California, USA
Reprinted from the e-mail discussion list for RC Community members
(Present Time 198, January 2020)