Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement
Joshua Allen Harris’ inflatable street art is a great example of blending creative art in public places with a political message. It even taps into an alternative energy source! And who doesn’t love polar bears? (Ok, they don’t and she doesn’t).
Read more about his work here.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin insulted us last night at the Republican National Convention:
“I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities” [laughter]
This line was carefully planned and released a few hours before she gave the speech. Apparently the attack was worth more than any community organizer backlash.
It visibly angered Roland Martin:
It got me pretty jazzed up, too. I have, we all have, worked hard on the campaigns we commit ourselves to. Community organizing, is, if not by definition alone, hard work.
From Giuliani earlier in the night:
“On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? He worked — I said — I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.”
Need a break? The 2008 Good 50×70 contest winners have been posted—come check them out! Artists from all over the world chose from a list of 7 issues and submitted designs to raise awareness for progressive change. There are 30 winners in each topic:
Global warming, Child mortality, Human rights violation, Hunting, STDs, War victims, Water scarcity
If you’re loving these as much as I am, click here for the 2007 winners.
Saaaay, remember when Greenpeace and two other conservation groups sued the Bush administration?
It was December of 2005, and the administration had missed its first legal deadline to respond to the petition for an endangered species listing. Well, on December 27, 2006, the Service announced its proposal to list the species as “threatened” and had one year to make a final listing decision.
The legal deadline for doing so was January 9, 2008…but I’m sure they’re getting around to it.
Remember, by protecting the polar bears under the United States Endangered Species Act they would be granted a broad range of protection. This would include a requirement that United States federal agencies ensure that any action carried out, authorized, or funded by the United States government will not “jeopardize the continued existence” of polar bears, or adversely modify their critical habitat.
Essentially, listing the polar bear would set important precedent by forcing the administration to concede the severity of the global warming crisis, acknowledging the that a rapid, dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary to prevent the extinction of the species.
Click Here for more information and to see how you can help make this happen.
You’re probably wondering how I managed to write ‘global warming’ and ‘UFO’ in the same sentence. No, melting ice caps will not reveal ancient alien vessels in polar regions (I’m pretty sure something like that happened in AVP…).
The answer is, sadly, far more frustrating. In 2007, the major TV networks asked the presidential candidates 2,769 questions.
Pop quiz: How many were about global warming?
A) 514–after all, it is one of the most pressing issues we may ever face
B) 165–as many as were asked about illegal immigration
C) 3–the same number asked about UFOs
If you guessed C, you’re right. Is your blood boiling? Reporters asked as many questions about extraterrestrial visitors as they did about the climate crisis–the biggest threat to our planet. But don’t just sit in despair, together we can make Change! The League of Conservation Voters and MoveOn has teamed up to create a petition that will be delivered directly to the TV networks at a press conference in front of their Washington, D.C. headquarters.
The media help decide what’s an “issue” in the ‘08 election. Unless climate change is on the ‘08 election agenda, it won’t be on the next president’s agenda. As we are all aware, the planet is already feeling the effects of climate destabilization and the U.S. must take action now to avert the worst outcomes. But somehow, the traditional media has not gotten the memo. Political show hosts for NBC, CBS, and ABC did not ask a single question about global warming last year. CNN asked just 1. Incredibly, cringe-inducing Fox News bested them all with a grand total of 2.
Spread the news and make your voice heard!
Wow. What an amazing wrap up to Change It! 2007. After an intense week of hands-on training, speakers, and a surreal simulation, we converged on the Capitol to confront our representatives with an action and lobbying as part of the Project HotSeat�campaign.
Continue reading ‘Change(d) It!’
What a crazy week! And still more to come! Beginning last Sunday, 25 student activists, including myself, converged in Washington D.C. and took up residence in the Greenpeace warehouse. Part of Change It! 2007, we’ve spent the last week developing the skills we need to be leaders for 200+ students from around the country, joining us at George Washington University. As Week Zero ends, Change It! begins.
For Change It!, each ‘Week Zero’ trainer will mentor activists from our home regions as they learn the ins-and-outs of grassroots educational training like campaign strategy, recruitment, and event planning. Included with their intense training will be speakers such as Heather Booth, Larry Bell, Jeffery Hollender, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Henry Waxman.
As part of Project Hotseat, at the end of the week the students will converge on Capitol Hill for a wild action on the lawn to demand progressive climate change legislation. Although I won’t say much now, let me just say chairs will be involved lots of chairs. Afterward students will lobby congress, putting their reps on the ‘hotseat’. Again, I can’t write more now, but I promise to post photos and details next week! Trust me, it’s going to be awesome.
P.S. In my last post I wrote about our Fourth of July parade event. It was sweet! Here are some photos!
Student activists gathered this week in Virginia to launch a 2-week global warming campaign pressuring 11th district Representative Tom Davis to step it up.
Part of the summer Greenpeace Organizing Term and Project HotSeat, the group of 23 students are bird-dogging the congressman to push him to support global warming solutions. Project HotSeat concentrates on contested districts with history of close races or candidates who are vulnerable or could be swayed.
The gang has begun showing up wherever Davis makes a public appearance, asking pointed questions about his stance on climate change. A sea of red “Stop Global Warming” shirts and signs stalk his every move, from Homeowners Association meetings to swanky county club appearances!
When Davis is unavailable, the team is busy building alliances with the residents, small businesses and students. Just last Wednesday, with the aid of the Rolling Sunlight, a biodiesel-fueled vehicle with sliding solar panels on its roof, the group ran a “Sunlight Social” at George Mason University. The Rolling Sunlight provided the power to blast music and make smoothies for students in sweltering heat throughout the day.
These coalitions will be essential for the campaign climax: The Independence Day Celebration. This July 4th, the campaign will peak at the Fairfax County parade and fireworks show. Davis, riding in the parade, will be met by a swell of HotSeat campaigners with signs, pinwheels and “Stop Global Warming” signs in storefront windows lining the street. The Rolling Sunlight will be providing power for a local band during the fireworks and MIGHT even be powering the local radio station covering the parade as well (Fingers crossed!).
The event should be crazy-awesome, so stay tuned and we’ll post an update with pictures/video by the 6th. If you’re going to be in the area, we’d love your help! For more information contact Adam Conlin adamconlin@gmail.com
Hey theres, I am 22 years old and a student at Harriet Wilkes Honors College (Florida Atlantic University). I am the VP of our campus Enviro Club and President of the College Dems. I'm graduating this Spring and will be looking for a job (career?) sometime in the summer in an environmental non-profit or the EPA.
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