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Hello, and happy Spring. I just returned from a lovely 8-day trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and have some great news on some issues I've been working on - and would like to ask for your support. My trip south was made possible by the generous Miss Direction, the maker of Wileyware (amazing glassware) whose new website is up and ready now.
OK, the big news. How many phone books do you need these days? My answer to this question has been zero for a long time now. So, I asked my State legislator, Jules Kopel-Bailey to create legislation to create an opt-in system for phone books. He did! It's now known as HB 3447. I'd rather have a lot more forests standing (think oxygen, clean water for fish...) than more phone books. If you agree, please see the action below.
And speaking of forests, I got so upset after seeing the clear-cut destruction happening in our local state forests (Tillamook/Clatsop) that I decided to get busy. There's not as much focus on these forests as our national forests receive, so there's lots of room to make a difference here.
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Phonebook Opt-in, it's time!
It's a very simple idea, actually. Right now we all get about 4-7 phonebooks a year - these generally replace the ones we weren't using in the first place, or go straight into the recycling or landfill. Instead, what we are proposing is legislation that will change the system to one where a person/company/government agency/business has to ASK for a phone book. The legislation will not go unchallenged, but everyone I mention this issue to agrees that it's time we stop mowing down our forests in order to make something that most people don't need anymore. If you live in Oregon, please contact your state representative and ask them to support HB 3447: Here's how to find your representative anywhere in the United States. http://takeaction.lwv.org/lwv/dbq/officials/
If you live outside of Oregon, please feel free to download the legislation, and send it to your Senator, Congressperson, or State representative with a note that says: This is a great idea, let's make this happen in our state/country/province/town. Thanks! And, if you'd like to join the cause, I'm using Facebook to organize this effort and will keep people updated periodically on how this is progressing. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/274704
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Saving Oregon's State Forests
We have one of the largest (if not the largest) state forests here in Oregon. It's called the Tillamook. It's getting mowed down at a time when the price of logs is decreasing due to the drop in new housing starts. The cutting of the forests is tied to the funding of local education, so there is an emphasis on managing (read clear-cutting) the forests to increase school funding. This relationship needs to be de-coupled, and there is some bad legislation and some good legislation right now in the OR State House. Ask your State Rep. to oppose HB 3072 and support HB 3249. For more info on these bills, please visit http://thetillamook.net/ and this fact sheet is great, too. Again, here's how to find them.
With some effort and advocacy, we could really turn things around in our State Forests. I'd like to see us ask for even more of a change there. I'd like to see a moratorium on the destructive practice of clear-cutting, and a new management system for the forests which takes climate change into account. In a time when the world's population is continuing to grow at 75 million people a year and natural resources are being stressed (not to mention other species being lost by the thousands), keeping trees standing and producing oxygen seems a lot more important than cutting them for catalogues and ... phone books. This is a great opportunity to advocate for a positive change and since we have a new Democratic majority in the OR State House and Senate, there is no reason not to get some good change happening here. As Greg Brown once wrote, "bad change happens so fast, why does good change have to take so long?" Watching President Obama undo so much of the bad that Bush & Co. did, I'm thinking we could effect similar good change here in Oregon, too. Here's hoping :)
I'm organizing this effort via Facebook, too. I'd love it if you'd join the Cause, and invite friends to join the cause. If 5,000 people sign up, and many of them take action, I'd say we could really get something moving here.
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Thanks for reading and supporting my activism. I'd love to hear what you're up to on Earth Day to take care of this lovely planet we all call home. And, I'd really love it if you'd spread the word about the actions above. If I haven't been clear about something, please ask questions! My sunflower project continues on. I still have many packets of sunflower seeds that are ready to be planted - if you'd like some, please send me your address. Happy Earth Day! Sincerely,
Albert Kaufman
AlbertIdeation
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