CANTON — The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton is hosting its third Social Justice Initiative (SJI), “Cultivating Climate Justice,” an engaging series of events spanning Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The series will offer hope and practical ways to cultivate climate justice to help heal all life on earth.

Contributing to the series are our indigenous neighbors, environmentalists, authors, professors, farmers, artists, performers, and storytellers.

Events are free and open to all, at the church at 3½ E. Main St. in Canton. Pre-registration is suggested at uucantonny.org.

The Barney Gage Film Series with speakers will featured the following movies:

• Arctic Summer, Fri. Sept. 15, 7-9 pm. Tuktoyaktuk, an Indigenous community in the Arctic, is forced to relocate due to climate change. Guest speaker Aaron Mair, who represented the Adirondack Council at the 2022 COP27 climate talks in Egypt, and professors Michael Popovic and Jessica Rogers (SUNY Potsdam) will offer their perspectives on climate change.

• The Ants & the Grasshopper, Fri. Sept. 22, 7-9 pm. African farmer Anita Chitaya travels to America to persuade legislators to save her home by first saving the planet. A discussion on how farmers can benefit from and protect biodiversity will be led by field ecologist Dr. Aaron Iverson, Associate Professor (St. Lawrence University).

• Uprooting Racism, Seeding Sovereignty, Fri. Oct. 6, 7-9 pm. Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous-centered community farm in upstate NY committed to uprooting racism, seeding sovereignty in the food system, and reclaiming an ancestral connection to land. Olka Baldeh, poet, farmer, bee tender, anti-police and state brutality activist, and founder of the Black Moon Podcast will discuss the farm and her work.

A Reader’s Theater: “The Earth, Our Home,” by Karen Wells, will be presented Fri. & Sat., Sept. 29-30, 7-9 pm. It will be a dramatic presentation with music and readings to increase awareness of the urgent need to address our climate crisis.

​​“When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene,” with author Timothy Beal, will be discussed Sunday, Oct. 8, from noon to 1 pm.

Beal is an acclaimed religious studies writer and scholar whose six books explore matters of religion, ecology, and technology. His newest book explores the role that capitalism and the Christian belief in human exceptionalism have played in justifying the plundering of Indigenous communities and the Earth’s resources. Beal discusses key biblical texts to anchor us in humbler conceptions of humans as earth creatures. He is a Florence Harness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

The series concludes Oct. 13 - 15 with music by Dan Berggren, stories from different cultures, poetry, interactive activities and guest speakers to inspire action, and celebrates our sacred interconnectedness with Earth:

• Honoring Our Earth, Fri., Oct. 13, 6-8 pm. Sakokwenionkwas (Thomas Porter) will present the Ohenten Kariwatekwen, often called the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, and will offer a traditional teaching story.

Sakokwenionkwas is the spokesperson and chief spiritual leader of the Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) community of Kanatsiohareke in Fonda, NY which he founded in 1993.

A member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, Tom served on the Mohawk Nation of Chiefs Council and is respected across the continent. He conveys important messages of the utmost importance with humor and anecdotes as a masterful storyteller in the Haudenosaunee tradition.

Kontiwennenhawi, the Akwesasne Women Singers, will offer traditional Haudenosaunee music and dancing. The evening concludes with a Haudenosaunee Three Sisters Soup dinner, provided by Big Spoon Kitchen. The event is free and open to all. Registration appreciated: uucantonny.org

• Cultivating Climate Action, Sat., Oct. 14, 9 am-5 pm. This inspiring day features speakers from many fields, interactive activities, informative displays, music by Dan Berggren, and an Earth-friendly lunch will be provided by Big Spoon Kitchen.

Special activities for children are planned, with additional childcare.

– 9:00 am -- Welcome; Water Ceremony; songs by Dan Berggren

– 9:30 am -- Keynote: Timothy Beal, author of When Time Is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene

– 10:30 am -- North Country Rights of Water, Blake Lavia & Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo of Talking Wings

– 11:00 am -- Samuel Ernst, Akwesasne Environmental Division

– 11:45 am -- Songs by Dan Berggren; children’s skit; Dr. Catherine Landis (SUNY ESF): growing native plants to aid pollinators

– 12:30 pm -- Earth-friendly lunch and interactive activities (free!)

– 1:30 pm -- Children’s EcoDrumming led by Dr. Caron Collins (Emerita, SUNY Potsdam)

– 1:40 pm -- Local climate vulnerabilities, Dr. Erik Backus (Clarkson University)

– 2:30 pm -- The Whales and the Sandpipers, a Marshall Islands tale told by Erica Shadowsong

– 3:00 pm -- “NIMBYism” and clean energy; Dr. Sue Powers (Clarkson University)

– 3:30 pm -- How to Find Joy in Climate Action TEDTalk by Ayana Johnson/interactive activity on personal actions

– 4:30 pm -- Songs by Dan Berggren; Closing remarks

• Celebrating Our Sacred Earth, Sun., Oct.15, 10:30 am-1 pm

– 10:30-11:30 am: Celebrating Our Sacred Earth, a service led by Sakokwenionkwas (Tom Porter) and Rev. James Galasinski, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton

– 11:30 am-1:00 pm: Local Resources Fair, and a Farmers Round Table with Dan Kent, Dulli Tengeler and community members.