Jan 26, 2023
Global climate change is on all our minds these days…or is it? Should it be? How can we ignore it? We live our lives, trying to maintain the status quo, but our status quo is leading to suffering and destruction. There is nothing that is in our lives that is not touched today by global climate change. The homes we build and live in, our transportation, the weather we experience every day, the clothes we wear, the trash we discard, the fuel that powers our heat, lights and automobiles, the food we choose to eat, how our cities, towns and buildings are designed…there is nothing that isn’t touched by the state of our planet today. Humans are changing the climate, and how we cope with these changes says a tremendous amount about our relationship to life on planet Earth.
But wait! There are possibilities, and there are solutions! They start with us, and the changes that come from hope, not fear. Join our guests today as they help us discover how to set a joyful path toward climate health.
RELEVANT LINKS
- PFJ
- Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo (UUSLO)
- United Church of Christ (Congregational) of San Luis Obispo (UCC)
- St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church (Los Osos)
- Solve Climate Change Now by Don Maruska
- Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference
- SLO Climate Coalition
- Resilient SLO
- Resilient Central Coast
- ECOSLO
- Interfaith Power and Light
- UU Ministry for Earth
- Citizens’ Climate Lobby
- Living in the Time of Dying (film)
- This is What We Did
- Third Act
- 350
MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Deb Pritchard is a native Californian who loves to snorkel, and has done so all around the world. Her favorite snorkeling was on the island of Palawan, in the Philippines, where she spent 10 years, first as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and then as a management consultant, founding and growing NGOs and private businesses. She helped start the Special Olympics there as well as the Palawan ICT Association, working on many community projects with the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club.
Deb began her career in sales at Shell Chemical and was the first woman promoted to management with a B.S. in Chemistry and Psychology. She married and raised two daughters, returning to school for a teaching degree in Special Education and Educational Therapy. Deb has had a variety of careers: Corporate Sales and Marketing Director, Special Education teacher, and International Management Consultant with a specialty in organizational development.
She has returned to California’s Central Coast and focuses on intergenerational work addressing climate change and women’s empowerment. Her passion is the environment, and she attended the UN summit, COP27 in Egypt in November, 2022. Deb is in the process of publishing her memoir, Vipers and Geckos: Defining Friend, Foe, and Truth in the Peace Corps.
Don Maruska engages people around the world to take climate action and have fun doing it. He enjoys grassroots actions. These include developing strategies with businesses and community organizations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and restore our balance with nature. Don has also created videos, study guides, and support resources in use by faith-based groups from multiple denominations. He sees an important role for people from faith and justice communities to demonstrate stewardship for creation and the practices of sacrificial giving to reorder our lives for a healthy climate and a world that works for all. These values and experiences inspired Don to write Solve Climate Change Now: Do What You Love for a Healthy Planet.
Earlier in his career, Don founded and was CEO of three Silicon Valley companies, earning a national Innovator Award. Now, he’s a Master Certified Coach helping others succeed. Don is also the author of How Great Decisions Get Made and co-author of Take Charge of Your Talent. He earned his BA magna cum laude in government from Harvard University and an MBA and JD from Stanford University. Audiences appreciate Don’s inspiring keynotes and productive workshops delivered both in person and online.
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People of Faith for Justice is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
CREDITS
The People of Faith for Justice Podcast is produced and edited by Jeff Manildi
Music for the People of Faith for Justice Podcast is provided by Andrew Gorman