The following blog post is adapted from testimony given by Rabbi Emily Losben-Ostrov at a National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration hearing on Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards on September 28, 2023. This testimony was presented as part of Power for Purpose: The Reform Movement's 2023 Campaign for Climate Justice.

RAC legislative assistant Noé Granados spoke at a National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration hearing on Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards on September 28, 2023.

On May 7, 2023, we hosted the First Annual A2 Climate Teach-in -- one of the largest climate action events in recent Ann Arbor history. Our keynote speaker was the mayor, and our closing speaker was a distinguished faculty fellow in sustainability at the University of Michigan.

After a day of climate action lobbying with the Religious Action Center (RAC) on Capitol Hill, I found myself staring at a small patch of purple flowers planted between the sidewalk and the street. It was an adrenaline-fueled day, and the jarring contrast of these tall, weedy pops of color against the street traffic and brutalist architecture compelled me to pause, then cry.

I spent the first year of the pandemic in South Korea, but even before the pandemic, I wore masks because of the bad air days. South Korea's rapid transition from a war-torn nation to an industrial superpower with a GDP equivalent to the State of New York exacted a terrible cost on Korean air quality.

Reform communities across North America have strengthened our Movement's collective power by engaging voters and advocating for racial justice. Let's continue this work on May 10-11 together in Washington, D.C.

Power for Purpose: The Reform Movement’s 2023 Campaign for Climate Justice is our opportunity to bring the full strength of our movement together to address the climate crisis and deliver a clean, healthy, and livable future for all communities, particularly those most impacted by climate pollution.

This blog post is adapted from a drash by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller at Jewish Earth Alliance's January 2023 webinar, The Climate on Capitol Hill, January 2023 with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

With 2023 in full swing, leaders and officials at every level are setting their agendas and priorities for the coming year. We continue to be proud of the power we built and mobilized in 2022 as a Reform Movement as we gather to set the agenda for our work in 2023.