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This mission statement is modeled after the University of Montana Black Student Union’s welcome letter.

We thank the Black Student Union and other cultural groups at the University of Montana for their wisdom and support.

 

From the officers of the Climate Response Club:

 

Welcome! We at the University of Montana Climate Response Club welcome all students to help us work towards a more sustainable future. As students of tomorrow, we must be united to take on some of the greatest challenges the human race has ever faced. 

Originally created in 2018 to steer the University of Montana towards decreasing their emissions through reduced and renewable energy use, the Climate Response Club has grown to be the largest student group on campus dedicated to climate activism. Our mission has also grown to not only reduce our carbon footprint, but to promote climate justice as well. We have and will continue to represent student interests on climate change and the environment to the best of our ability.

Since our club has started, we have done lots of work around campus! We have:

  • Helped to create an energy conservation plan to reduce UM’s emissions by 35% by 2025. Please see our 35 by 25 page for more information. 

  • Done several grief/mindset sessions in which we have come together to process climate grief, educate, and share knowledge.

  • Participated in several climate-related events around Missoula, even speaking at the Big Climate Change Event at The Wilma in February of 2020.

We are looking forward to continuing our activism into fall 2022 and beyond. We hope that you can join us!

 

This mission statement was created by the officers of the Climate Response Club. Such a statement is necessary to make clear our values, purpose, goals, and plans.

We have a Land Acknowledgement that is a part of this mission statement. It is viewable on our website under “Land Acknowledgement”. This Land Acknowledgement includes examples of Indigenous climate activism, and why the participation of all underrepresented groups is integral to a sustainable and just future.

Mission Statement

Values and Purpose

  • Transparency: we aim to exemplify the qualities we expect of the government that is deserved. We commit to being clear in our intentions, our successes, and our failures. We also commit to being open to feedback and to working to address the ways in which we could improve. We welcome such criticism and will use it to make our club stronger.

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  • Dedication to students and community: a just response to the challenge of climate change requires continual community involvement and support. Similarly, those responding to climate change should devote that same interest and involvement to the communities they aim to serve. . We understand that our actions have consequences and aim to keep the best interests of students and the community at large in mind. Solidarity: we recognize that our efforts aimed at positive change are some of many. We support those groups and individuals committed to making positive change, including but not limited to climate activists, social justice activists, community reformers, school strikers, indigenous peoples on the front lines striving to defend their land, and police reformers, in their efforts both in word and deed. We recognize the value of our platform and will extend its use to support such efforts.

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  • Love for self, the planet, and future generations: as climate activists, it is easy to get caught up in the existential crisis that is climate change. It is at these times that we must remember why we fight: because we have a lot for the Earth and their people. This love cannot be given if it is not received; we must give ourselves time to rest and heal and process climate grief. We have done several grief/mindset sessions to help our members work towards loving themselves, then the world around them.

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  • Advocacy: in addition to ourselves striving to exemplify the values articulated above, we commit to push those institutions accessible to us, most especially the University of Montana, to strive to apply those same values. We will strive to communicate and advocate for these values as they apply to real-world situations, especially those dealing with resources, environmental quality, and sustainability.

Goals

  • Working together: it is easy to feel divided by our identities. However, solving climate change calls for unity by the likes of which the world has never seen. We in the Climate Response Club wish to bring together all people and be a model for other student groups for what happens when we all come together to support a common cause.

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  • Accessibility: people with dis/abilities number about 1 billion people around the globe. Their participation is essential to the future of climate movements, especially climate justice. We will add image descriptions to posts and emails when necessary, and include captions on our videos. Our meeting spaces are intended to be wheelchair accessible. If you need an interpreter for one of our events, please let us know. Similarly, if anything in our media is inaccessible, please let us know too. 

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  • Continuing to care for the Earth and its inhabitants: the University of Montana cannot afford to be a spectator in this critical time in human history. The University of Montana must actively reduce their emissions and work towards climate justice for its students. However, it is the duty of the Climate Response Club to be a model for sustainability and equity. We have centered climate change around all of our events and will continue to do so. Going forward, we also will combine the themes of love and intersectionality in our work in order to forge a path forward that the University of Montana may follow, hand in hand with its students.

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  • Action: addressing the scope and scale of the climate crisis requires action. We hope to offer a common organizing center for students interested in taking direct actions they believe will advance outcomes that will reduce emissions or promote sustainability.

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Plans

  • Advance sustainability on campus: advocate for responsible policies related to renewable energy and increased efficiency. We are currently working on two petitions, to request that UM consider utilizing geothermal energy, and to request that they release an environmental review for the construction of the projected athletics practice facility. 

  • Conduct several Mindset sessions: originally titled “grief sessions”, these aim to make us better climate activists through both healing and learning.

  • Conduct regular meetings: at these meetings we will discuss and plan future events and initiatives to work towards our values and goals. These will help us build community and capacity to continue to achieve our long-term goals.

  • Collaborate with other student groups: as the semester goes on, we plan to collaborate with other student groups to make both groups stronger. Climate change will impact every aspect of every person’s life, thus we believe that every student group will be able to contribute in some way to our efforts. We also hope that our members will recognize these intersections and join other student groups.

We ask that all students and community members interested in achieving a future aligned with this mission statement please join our club. Your participation is key to our success. We thank you for taking the time to read our mission statement and hope to see you soon.

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How to join:

 

To a more sustainable tomorrow,

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Sylvia Wood, President

Joseph Brady, Treasurer

Alena Flocchini, Vice President

Clemént Cherblanc, Executive Officer

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