Nice to see some of you at HKonJ!
Save Feb. 25th and 27th on your calendars! One of those evenings will be the rescheduled Rise for Climate Solutions Forum that we had to postpone in September because of Hurricane Florence. Church of the Nativity in Raleigh is available again those nights. Now we’re waiting to hear responses from possible panelists. Beginning at 6:30 pm, local leaders will discuss renewable energy, environmental justice. clean energy jobs, putting an end to new fossil fuel infrastructure, divesting from fossil fuels, and more. There will be a panel discussion with questions for the panelists from a moderator, then time for audience members to ask questions, and ending with a break out session into groups. We’ll finish around 8:30 pm.
As you might remember last week was a week of action across the U.S, calling on our elected officials to support a Green New Deal (GND). 350.org was one of the organizations working with Friends Of Earth, Greenpeace, Food & Water Watch, Climate Hawks Vote, Oil Change International, and Center for Biological Diversity. This has been in the works since early January, so before the resolution was released, which turned out to be this past week, too. Working with FOE, 350 Triangle and others visited Rep. Butterfield’s office in Durham (met with two staff members; one from Raleigh and the other calling in from DC) and Rep. Price’s office in Raleigh. No commitment from Rep. Butterfield yet, but just after we had shared our demands and petitions with Arturo in Rep. Price’s Raleigh office, we learned from Anna, who joined us late, that Rep. Price had just signed on to co-sponsor the GND resolution!
Below are the demands (that the organizations above agreed upon) that we asked them to support as part of a Green New Deal legislation:
• Halt all new fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure and subsidies, and transition power generation to 100% renewable energy by 2035 or sooner.
• Rapidly decarbonize agriculture and transportation sectors and expand access to public transportation.
• Ensure a Fair & Just Transition led by impacted workers and communities, including low income and communities of color, without relying on corporate schemes or market-based mechanisms.
• Uphold Indigenous Rights
• Pass a national jobs guarantee, creating good jobs with collective bargaining and family-sustaining wages.
• Rapidly decarbonize agriculture and transportation sectors and expand access to public transportation.
• Ensure a Fair & Just Transition led by impacted workers and communities, including low income and communities of color, without relying on corporate schemes or market-based mechanisms.
• Uphold Indigenous Rights
• Pass a national jobs guarantee, creating good jobs with collective bargaining and family-sustaining wages.
We also asked both of them to sign onto the #NoFossilFuelMoney pledge! No commitment yet.
The Sunrise Movement is organizing visits to offices this upcoming week! I know there is one set for Feb. 13th at 11 am at Rep. Price’s Raleigh office. RSVP here. Since Rep. Price has signed onto the resolution, it will be an opportunity to thank him and urge him to help make the future legislation STRONG enough for the crisis we are in!
Here’s a link to a video by Avram Friedman of the Canary Coalition of the ~50 people making comments (some of us are included!!) at the NC Utilities Commission hearing last Monday.
From the awesome Tuesday with(out) Tillis group: Three national organizers from Center for Popular Democracy and Housing Works are coming to Raleigh to train in “bird dogging” legislators on Wednesday, February 13 at the Raleigh/Apex NAACP offices. There will be two trainings, 4-6 pm and 7-9 pm. It is free but you must register using this form. If you have questions, email David Freeman at [email protected]. Here is the link to the facebook event. If you want to learn more about how it works, watch this video.
Lots of events happening on the 13th! This one in Chapel Hill from Jovita with Center for Biological Diversity:
As some of you already know, our organization has been organizing a campaign to hold UNC Chapel Hill to their original promise to become a coal-free campus. They originally stated it would be by 2020, but we are setting a goal date of 2024. Now, Mayor Hemminger has required Brad Ives, Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Enterprises, to present and discuss future plans for the UNC Co-generation plant at their town hall meeting February 13th at 7:00 pm (405 Martin Luther King Blvd. Chapel Hill, NC). We are asking for community support on this event to show that Chapel Hill is not in favor of coal operations, as they are outdated and dangerous to all who reside in the community. Please if you can, stand in solidarity with us. Sign up here: https://ignite.biologicaldiversity.org/event/action-attend/761
Have a nice week!
Peace and love for our beautiful Earth, Karen