"Vote as if the future of your kids depends upon it, because it does" is the message appearing in letterboxes across Kiama in the lead-up to the federal election thanks to local members of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change.

The flyers circulating through Kiama are produced by the South East Climate Alliance and display a "climate and energy scorecard" where Gilmore’s political parties’ environmental policies are scored as poor, fair or good.

The ARRCC is a multi-faith organisation that advocates for a sustainable future, viewing climate change as a moral and spiritual issue - one that should be considered in this year's election.

Members of ARRCC and climate activists at Kiama Uniting Church

ARRCC member Louise Pinson says the organisation’s motivation is to spread awareness about climate issues and shed light on local political parties' environmental policies. 

“It's not telling people how to vote, but just asking them to think about the environment as they vote considerably,” she said. 

“For many of us, we have children and grandchildren, and my child and grandchild live here in Kiama, so I really want the world to be as good a place as it can be." 

She highlights that every ARRCC member is connected to a church or religious organisation and they might usually be seen as "conservative" but they want to “conserve nature and conserve our environment”. 

Kiama Uniting Church is one of many churches across Australia which displays climate change banners and encourages people to take yard signs to put up at their homes in this pre-election period. These banners and signs display slogans such as "climate action, not nuclear distraction" and "no new coal and gas". 

Berry Uniting Church Reverend John Brentnall highlights the importance of churches getting involved in climate action as caring for creation, which has been a part of the church’s DNA from the beginning. 

“It's to do with the recognition that God created everything, and that humankind is in the process of destroying a lot of it,” Rev. Brentnall said.

“We just feel a responsibility to try and protect it and to remediate it if possible.”

With their banners raised and flyers delivered, ARRCC’s community presence is a reminder that climate action can start anywhere.