Patricia Finley, Quaker Earth Care activist and Clerk of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Quakers)
Finley will be discussing two Quaker organizations, local and national, that are working to educate and solve environmental problems, as well as “trying to build appreciation for diversity and community during difficult and changing times.”
Patricia Finley says “Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) provide resources to local Quaker Meetings that include matching grants for seed projects to promote opportunities to learn about and act on projects for the protection and health of the earth which is vital for us all.”
Patricia says her activity with the Eco Justice Collaborative, “concerns establishing a culture that recognizes the hazard and urgency of a planet temperature increase beyond 2 degrees Celsius.” She and her associates hope to help people develop resilience to extreme weather and to encourage everyone to move to 100% renewable energy. “Ultimately,” she adds, “Eco Justice also hopes to remind everyone that racial and economic justice are integral to the task of restoring the earth.”
Patricia Finley did doctoral work in Philosophical and Political Foundations of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and has a Master of Science in Human Service Management from Drexel University. She retired from administration at Temple University four years ago and is currently working on a memoir of her time living in a war zone during the 1980s in Beirut, Lebanon. While in Beirut, she taught at the American University of Beirut.
Newtown Friends Meeting, co-founded by the Quaker artist and minister, Edward Hicks, in 1815, holds services every First Day (Sunday). During the school year, First Day classes for children and adults are at 9:45 a.m. and Meeting for Worship is at 11:00 a.m. Professional childcare is provided. Child Care is provided, and coffee and snacks are served in the Gathering Room after meeting for worship. All meetings are open to the public and visitors are warmly welcomed.