Cornell on Fire shared fellowship with the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca on September 1! Thanks to everyone at Ithaca’s First Unitarian Society for welcoming us so warmly. Cornell on Fire was represented by Peter McDonald, bethany ojalehto mays, and everyone who contributed to our movement film, "Cornell: We Demand Climate Justice." This special church gathering was the first "sneak peak" showing of the film, and was accompanied by personal stories from Peter and bethany. The talk details are given below.

On Fire: Why are you here? Igniting the fires within to fight those without

There is an exceptionally narrow window of time for us to intervene before human-caused climate change forever alters the possibilities for life on earth. We are the pivotal generation: the fate of life on this planet rests squarely on our actions now, in the coming 5 years. We may not feel ready. We may question why we are here. But the fact remains: we were born into these times. We each have a pivotal role to play. How do we ignite the fire in our hearts and channel our collective fire to restore our relationship to earth? How do we navigate the emotional fires of loss, grief, and anger, while honoring our own cycles of action and rest? Three speakers from Cornell on Fire tell their stories and invite you to join the quest to change the institutions we can touch -- including Cornell University, the largest and richest carbon polluter in the region, whose radical climate leadership could transform our local and national ecological prospects. In addition to telling our own stories, we draw on insights from Indigenous teachers to demonstrate that the way forward must be guided by Indigenous knowledge in what is called the time of the seventh fire.