|
|
|
E-COnnections Living Responsibly for the Earth and All People January 2009
|
|
Welcome to E-COnnections!
Greetings!
On January 20, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States. What do YOU want to see our President-Elect do in the first 100 days of his administration to address climate change?
Come to the January 17, 2009 Hyde Park forum hosted by Eco-Justice Collaborative, and tell us what you think! Join others in endorsing actions that will move our nation from a fossil-fuel economy to one that: promotes conservation and efficient use of resources; invests in clean, renewable energy technologies; creates new, green jobs; and provides adaptation funding for those most affected by energy price increases and climate change. Special activities are planned for children.
Interested? Details are provided in the article below!
|
|
Stop Climate Change
A Call to Build a Just and Sustainable World  Saturday, January 17, 2009
5655 S. University Avenue, Chicago
10:00 AM Forum and NOON Caravan to Camp Hope
Click here for a flier
WHAT IS CAMP HOPE?
In January 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated as President of the
United States. Voices for Creative Non-Violence, in collaboration with
Chicago-area peace, justice and environmental organizations, is asking
President-Elect Obama to take immediate action
on eight progressive actions he promoted on his campaign trail. Click here to read more . . . 10:00 AM FORUM
Specific requests for President-Elect Obama will be circulated on index cards for signature and future delivery to Barack Obama (i.e. one card for each topic and an additional card for personal comments). Time will be allotted for questions and comments, both between each presentation and the conclusion of the forum. Speakers include:
Take the First Step - Let's Conserve Energy and Become EfficientJohn Porterfield, Founder, Informed Energy Decisions
Say No to CoalDorian Breuer, Pilsen Environmental Rights & Reform Organization
Know Nukes - You Can't "Nuke" Global WarmingDave Kraft, Director, Nuclear Energy Information Service
Put a Fair Price on CarbonHoward Ehrman, MD, MPH, UIC FacultyBoard member, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization
Invest in the Power of the SunMike Johnson, Director, Illinois Solar Energy Association
Provide Green Jobs for AllNaomi Davis, Founder, Blacks in Green
Respond to the People's Call for JusticeKatie Danko, Regional Field Organizer, Oxfam InternationalThe event will be moderated by Lan and Pam Richart of the Eco-Justice Collaborative. Kim Wasserman, Coordinator, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) will introduce LVEJO's Clean Power Campaign.THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENTBring your kids! Children will be encouraged to participate by making a banner and learning a song for the vigil that they will perform at the end of the forum. At the conclusion of this event (at noon), we will leave the church and then drive 1.2 miles together to Camp Hope. Once there, we will join others at the vigil site near President-Elect Obama's home. |
 RACE, CLASS and
the ENVIRONMENTa discussion series
Friday, January 16, 2009
Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center
1060 East 47th Street, Chicago, IL
RACE · CLASS · ENVIRONMENT a discussion series is intended to provide opportunities for initial conversations about how to begin to create coalitions based on mutual understanding, respect, trust and a shared sense of history and goals. The series will consist of four collaborative meetings from January through May, 2009, plus opportunities to attend one anothers' organizational meetings and events.
Many organizations around the Chicago region that work on environmental issues recognize that we are not going to be able to save the planet or improve our quality of life UNLESS we figure out how to build stronger coalitions between big and small organizations across the lines of race and class. Click here for a flier that identifies goals and objectives. And . . . be sure to stay for BIG Drinks!
Eco-Justice Collaborative serves as a Steering Committee Member for the Race, Class and the Environment series
|
|
|
|
|
|
BEYOND KYOTO
The cap and trade and joint development mechanisms adopted as part of the Kyoto Protocol are NOT working.
 According to the Global Carbon Project, CO2 emissions caused by human activities have been growing at a rate 4 times faster since 2000 than the previous decade. This rapid rate of increase has taken place DESPITE efforts to curb emissions in countries that are signatories of the Kyoto Protocol. These countries use cap and trade as the primary method of reducing carbon emissions.
Should We
Be Alarmed? Yes! Today's atmospheric concentration of CO2 is 385 ppm, the highest it has been during the last 650,000 years and probably during the last 20 million years. Many scientists believe that the long-term safe level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is just 350 ppm. Are There Solutions?Yes. But we need to act quickly. Be part of the solution! Plan to join us on January 17th as we ask Barack Obama to end our reliance on fossil fuels and stop runaway climate change. Click here for a printable flier. |
A MORATORIUM ON COAL . . .
Dr. James Hansen, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, calls for an immediate moratorium on coal. He recently asked the U.S. Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming to invest in clean, renewable energy and to phase out all coal-fired power plants by 2030.
Dr. Hansen also suggests that those CEOs of big oil and coal companies who misinformed and misdirected the public with regard to global warming should be tried for crimes against humanity. Click hereto watch and to learn more . . .
|
|
Eco-Justice Collaborative links our lifestyles to our unconstrained use of resources, pollution, global climate change and global poverty and resource wars. This information is not intended to make us all feel guilty, but rather to raise consciousness and provide incentives to find ways to live that are more sustainable, giving back life to our precious earth and all who inhabit it.
Visit our website for recommended actions for change that both individually and collectively will reduce our impact - or ecological footprint - on our world, and move our country toward just, sustainable living for all.
Sincerely,
Pam and Lan Richart
Eco-Justice Collaborative
|
|
|
|
|
|
