Global Climate Action - THIS WEEKEND - what are you doing?

[RoseFI]

Many of you may already be tuned in to the flurry of communication happening around a crucial and momentous event this week: the People's Climate March in NYC on September 21. Whether you're in NYC or at home this coming weekend, I personally encourage you to participate in the biggest day of climate action to date in world history.

I will be in an electric-vehicle convoy going up to the Peace Arch cross-border rally on Saturday; a kick-off, of sorts, to an historic treaty to be signed on Tuesday by a Washington/British Columbia/Alaska 'Sacred Trust' alliance of Coast Salish tribes (there are ~48 tribes in this area!), and joined by communities all around the region, focusing primarily on fossil fuel transport/export issues and protecting our inland sea. My cross-continent train trip this summer exposed me to the myriad ways in which this fossil fuel extraction & export is hurting our infrastructure for all other purposes, as well as the communities from which it's being extracted and those it's passing through -- not to mention the climate effects of every aspect of the operation and end use.

Are you joining in this very important weekend, in whatever way and on whatever issue calls to you? (Staying home and writing/calling in to your political representatives would be a really great way to participate! You can find a list of such crucially important from-home actions on 350.org's site.) It's up to all of US to choose our specific role - there is no choice but to transition from fossil fuels, it's just a question of WHEN. There are myriad ways to co-create a vibrant future:

* help our officials recognize the massive cost to our communities of weather catastrophes, climate refugees, and the geopolitical crises that stem from drought, flooding, and food system disruption
* create and expand businesses that promote healthy communities and protect the environment for future generations
* create and only accept jobs that pay living wages and allow families to live with dignity
* ensure there is a fair transition for those workers whose jobs are replaced by a new energy economy

Are you going to the People's Climate March, or another solidarity event? Report back here what you see/hear/do - and what inspires you!

-Rose
What if the goal of the economy was sustainable human well-being, in a healthy environment? Imagine that!

[Rogar]

I do not have special plans for the event or the weekend, but hope it gets decent publicity. I have only seen very brief coverage in the mainstream news. Reducing my carbon footprint is an ongoing project with me and have practiced "staycations", this year limiting pleasure or recreational travel to close by locations. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. Occupy wall street is little more than a dim memory for most and seemed to have practically no positive effect that I can see. I hope this one goes better.

[catherine]

One of the benefits of living in New Jersey is that NYC is only a train or bus ride away! Yes, I've been planning on this for months--and I'm looking forward to going!

ETA: BTW, my permaculture teacher posted his own view of the 350.org efforts to make climate change an issue, which he has stated before, and I think he has a great point. While these efforts by 350.org are great, they tend to devolve into a debate on "is climate change real or not?" while what IS real is that the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act are not being enforced at all.. and this is where our efforts should start.

But a huge global climate change march can't hurt.

This is my teacher's post on Facebook:

The real deal is that climate change is an obfuscation agenda promulgated by the coporatacracy to distract the people of this country from dealing with much more grievous issues i.e. lead,mercury,radioactive isotopes,bioacummulative substances like dioxins.These all far outstrip carbon in their deadliness to human beings and all life on earth.The earth has been warming for the last ten thousand years that is nothing new.For instance the worst year for hurricanes was 1780.Climate chaos is unsubstantiated and uninspiring.
We have been failing to enforce the clean air act and the clean water act, let's heighten our critical thinking skills to see through the bull*** and cut to the quick of enforcing these rudimentary laws that at least somewhat address the more serious toxins and eventually implementing precautionary laws that do not allow for the release of these pernicious pollutants on the unsuspecting American people and our brothers and sisters in the web of life! I hope you all can appreciate my perspective, this whole climate denier rhetoric is a further division created by cointelpro to splinter and distract the people's movement from within. Meanwhile corporations and government officials run away together laughing all the way to the bank at our collective stupidity.

[Gardenarian]

Yay catherine! Good for you - can't wait to hear about it!

I'm freaking out about having my cabin go on the market and the Open House tomorrow. Not a spare minute for anything.
We're in the process of downsizing and moving to a place where we will drive a whole lot less and live smaller.
Were I closer to NYC, I'd certainly take part.

[bae]

Skyping to say hello to my one child.

[catherine]

Skyping to say hello to my one child.

OK.. I get the hidden meaning there...

[Rogar]

This is my teacher's post on Facebook:...

Catherine, I could take issue with several of the points your teacher makes, but the general direction is interesting. Anymore it seems that environmentalism has come to be synonymous to climate change. We tend to ignore a lot of other important issues or they are overshadowed by global warming. Or alternately, without dealing with climate change, all the other issues may be irrelevant. I'm almost done reading The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. It's an excellent read, but puts many of the earth and climate changes over many millennium or millions of years into good perspective. A very worthy read.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Also if you are in or near New York look into "Flood Wall Street" this Monday #FloodWallStreet. Oh I do participate but not in New York as I'm not in or near New York (there may be some action going on local to you).

Anymore it seems that environmentalism has come to be synonymous to climate change. We tend to ignore a lot of other important issues or they are overshadowed by global warming. Or alternately, without dealing with climate change, all the other issues may be irrelevant.

there's a fairly decent anti-fracking movement, but anti-fracking is climate change? Yea, it can be with the methane and so on, but it's also usable water which may well be more urgent!

Extinction symbol for the 6th great extinction:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/extinctionsymbol/

[catherine]

I'm back from New York. It was great! I went alone, and unaffiliated with any group. But I wasn't alone at all--I met so many awesome people. I got off the train at Penn Station and at the subway there as a long line of people getting their fare, and so a bunch of random people started talking and it turns out all 5 of us were headed to the march, and we represented 5 different states! The first five people I met were from VA, ME, NY, MA, and of course I represented NJ. I was surprised at how many people my age and older were there. There were people walking with walkers and canes. Amazing. Obviously there were people of all ages there, and many families and kids/babies in strollers. Truly a diverse, universal event. Everyone was so friendly.

Supposedly there were 310,000 people. It certainly seemed that way.

[JaneV2.0]

I never saw it on the news. I guess there were lots more important things going on.