Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice (ICEJ) is a volunteer organization of San Diego faith leaders and communities that advocate for climate and environmental justice both in policy and in the public square. We believe that the values held in common by all faith traditions include the care for creation and care for the most vulnerable in society.

For their Midday Edition Earth Day program, KPBS’ Jade Hindmon interviewed ICEJ Co-Chairs Yusef Miller and Phil Petrie about the work that ICEJ does and the faith perspective on the environmental crisis.  You can listen at this link.  The ICEJ segment starts at 21:30 but the previous piece about pollution in the Tijuana Estuary with Bobby Wallace of the Barona Band of Mission Indians and Sarah Davidson of Surfrider is also excellent.  Happy listening!!

Rev. Jeanette Bragunier of Mission Hills United Methodist Church  (photo by Alex Herrera)

On Friday, April 5 about 45 people braved inclement weather to honor our climate dead and protest the fossil fuel banks–this time at Citibank and Bank of America in Solana Beach.  We prayed with faith leaders, heard speeches from local climate movement leaders and youth, and processed from one bank along Lomas Santa Fe Dr. to the other. 

While we were protesting, Janet O’Dea of Third Act met with bank managers and presented our request that these banks reject all investments in new fossil fuel projects.  We are also reaching out to the bank CEOs and will see what kind of response we get.  If you would like to see more photos you can find them here and, if you haven’t already, please move your own money and credit card accounts from the FF banks (note: the other two are Chase and Wells Fargo).  You can find more info on how to do that here.  Deep thanks to all who participated and the organizations who worked with us to make this happen!!

Our sister org SanDiego350 is planning a protest at Sempra endorsed by ICEJ (OK, Phil is on the planning team).  Here’s the blurb:

Join a creative action to call out Sempra, San Diego’s local fossil fuel company, for Fracking our Future during their annual shareholder meeting. With guerilla theater, a 10’ “fracking derrick” (with Bruce Graves above), and inspiring speakers and chants, raise awareness about how Sempra is racking up massive shareholder profits at the expense of our climate, our health, and our future.

As customers of Sempra’s subsidiary (and cash cow) SDG&E, the exorbitant rates we pay are funding Sempra’s fracked gas empire, attacks on rooftop solar, and climate chaos. This must stop. 

When: Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 9:00 AM

Where: Sempra HQ, 488 Eighth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101 (the Shareholder meeting is virtual)

(ICEJ is moving forward with a program of events with the Kumeyaay.  Along that line, I submit this thought piece on earth justice most broadly construed–and perhaps that is the best way to construe it.  The piece is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of all ICEJ members.)

Many years ago an Episcopal priest vented to me that the issue of gays in the priesthood was pulling us away from the real work of the church.  I didn’t respond to him at the time but thinking on this later I decided that that was exactly wrong–that integrating gays into the priesthood and making them feel welcome in the church was one of the most important things that the Episcopal Church was doing at the time. Likewise, I know that there are many on the Right who believe that directly addressing what I call the two cardinal sins of US history–slavery and its legacy for Black Americans and the conquest and marginalization of Native Peoples–is likewise unnecessary, even hurtful to the nation. Many of these folks seem to believe that a nation is strongest when it acknowledges no blemish, admits to no wrong-doing.

Again I see this as exactly backwards.  What I like about America is that it evolves in its understanding of itself and what it is here for.  I think to move forward we must own our very checkered history and do our best to right the wrongs our nation has committed.  That is what justice is and, in my book, that is true strength.  We can argue about what exactly justice would look like for the descendants of American slaves and for the Indigenous but we must pursue such justice–all of us must.  It is and will be contentious–democracy is contentious, but it must be done not only to pursue justice but because all these people are Americans.  Perhaps in fifty years (hell, let’s make it 25!) we will have a Native American president who proclaims in her Inaugural Address that she is proud to be a member of the Oglala Band of the Lakota People AND, that for all its failings (and because of its strengths), she is proud to be an American.  That is the nation that I believe in.  It won’t come easy–the things of greatest value never do–but I pray it will come.

Phil Petrie   Co-Chairperson, ICEJ

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