Climate Action, Green Jobs, Local Agriculture, and Watershed Protection

Washington State Catholic Conference, WA

In Washington, Archbishop Alexander Brunett served on the Governor’s Climate Advisory Team, which prepared recommendations to achieve emission reduction, and green jobs goals.  Many of the team’s recommendations were signed into law, the Climate Action and Green Jobs legislation.  Some of the goals are to reduce emissions from the vehicle miles traveled, the establishment of a regional market-based system and the participation of local governments in them, and how the practices on forestry and agricultural lands participate in a carbon offset program.  The new law creates a structure and timeline for implementing the state’s global warming pollution reduction goals and establishes a program to prepare Washington workers for good jobs in the clean energy economy, providing pathways out of poverty for lower-income communities. The bill sets the goal of 25,000 new clean energy jobs by 2020.  

The Washington State Catholic Conference also supported the Local Farms and Nutritious Food Bill, which provides an opportunity for schools to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms, which, in turn, helps to preserve local farmlands. The bill allows purchase of Washington grown food by state agencies, institutions of higher education and allows school boards to develop and implement procedures to increase the purchasing of Washington grown food.  It also creates the Farm-to-School Program in the Washington Department of Agriculture as well as the Washington Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Grant Program in the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. 

To protect the environment, a greenhouse gas reduction plan will be developed this year for the WSCC and a new grant program has been established to promote Evergreen Cities and urban forestry programs. For schools, WSSC was able to make private schools eligible for a waste reduction and recycling awards program.
Since the landmark International Pastoral Letter on the Columbia River Watershed in 2001 by the bishops in the Pacific Northwest, local dioceses and Catholic institutions have sought to put this spirit of stewardship into action. The Columbia River Pastoral Letter Project was initiated to provide an international, watershed-wide, ongoing conversation and call to action. The goals of the project included the following:

• to focus attention on the social, political, cultural, economic and environmental realities related to the Columbia River
• to call all people in the watershed region to care for creation
• to help resolve regional conflicts with respect, compassion and good will
• to promote sustainable ecological relationships linked with community economic benefits

The Archdiocese of Seattle, Diocese of Spokane, and Diocese of Yakima have been incrementally “greening" diocesan and parish facilities and campuses.  Elements of "Watershed Wisdom" were made a part of some local K-8 school curricula.
Contact: Washington State Catholic Conference
Phone: (206) 301-0556; fax: (206) 301-0558
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