CALLED TO CLIMATE ACTION
Are you a young person called to Climate Action?
** Please note: this page contains legacy content with information about our older programs. **
We Are Called
The climate continues to change and we know we must respond. That’s why Iowa IPL works with a group of college student leaders each summer and creates opportunities for colleges to create action on their campuses.
“Called to Climate Action” focuses on empowering college students to lean into their faith when solving this crisis. Our vision has taken off and young leaders are engaging in faith-based climate solutions across the state. We do this through our summer leadership program and annual spring Called to Climate Action event.
To enhance our impact, we’re pausing this summer to strengthen the program and expand its reach. This includes engaging more students through campus visits and launching an improved version in 2025.
STUDENT LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The summer leadership program is a paid opportunity for Iowa college students. Students work together to write Iowa IPL’s yearly environmental justice faith statement and plan our annual Called to Climate Action event. The position will begin in late May and end in mid-August. Student leaders will be paid $2200 during the summer.
Over the summer our student leaders:

Collaborate with their peers to find inclusion and consensus
Learn about religious traditions different from their own
Work together to write a shared statement on climate action for Iowans
Write opinion editorials, blog posts, and social media copy
Shape and participate in statewide interfaith climate action public event in the fall
Are given public speaking opportunities centered on climate justice
Understand and articulate better the intersection of their faith and intersectional justice
GETTING INVOLVED WITH CAMPUS CLIMATE ACTION
We also work with Iowa religious colleges/universities who have sponsored the program by investing in their own on-campus student leadership teams. In 2019, these teams conducted two climate actions before our annual October event. Those actions ranged from organizing climate strikes, letter-writing campaigns, and community video showings. Since 2020, climate action has looked a little different at colleges with voter turnout a high climate priority.
Please contact Irene DeMaris for information on how you can get involved, become a sponsor, and invest in a new generation of faith-based climate activists.

Schools that have participated in Called to Climate Action:
Clarke College
Coe College
Central College
Divine Word College
Dordt College
Drake College
Graceland University
Iowa State University
Loras College
Luther College
Mount Mercy College
Simpson College
University of Iowa
Uni. of Northern Iowa
Wartburg College
FEATURED CLIMATE ACTION
Belonging to the Earth
This free, comprehensive resource offers a unique, flexible and adaptable framework for individual and congregational climate action.
What Does Islam Teach Us About Caring for Creation?
Our summer intern, Roland Swank, reflects on how the places he’s called home have taught him much about environmental challenges.
How to Make Wudu in the Maliki School
This instructional guide for Wudu (ritual washing) was created by one of our summer interns who explored Muslim approaches to environmental care.
FAITH, FARMS & CLIMATE
FAITH-ROOTED ADVOCACY
TEACHING & PREACHING



