In this issue (Sections are color coded so you can focus on what's most interesting to you):
ACTION ALERTS
#1 Support Youth: Teachers Divest from Climate Destruction, January 13
- ACTION ALERTS
- 1000 GRANDMOTHERS KEEP ON SHOWING UP
- "HAVE YOU HEARD" - Climate News Highlights and Digests
- GRANDMA SAYS
- Our Organizational Work - inside story
ACTION ALERTS
#1 Support Youth: Teachers Divest from Climate Destruction, January 13
1000 Grandmothers is co-sponsoring a Youth vs. Apocalypse protest at the headquarters of the California Teachers Association to demand that they stop supporting investment in fossil fuels. YVA and other youth have been campaigning for the California State Teachers Retirement Fund (CalSTRS) to divest from fossil fuel. But the California Teachers Association (CTA), one of two state unions for California public school teachers, has been actively blocking this effort,
WHEN: Thursday, January 13, 4 – 6 PM
WHERE 1705 Murchison Dr., Burlingame
Please RSVP here if you can attend
Please share the Facebook event here or IKG post here
WHEN: Thursday, January 13, 4 – 6 PM
WHERE 1705 Murchison Dr., Burlingame
Please RSVP here if you can attend
Please share the Facebook event here or IKG post here
#2 Save California Solar, January 13
The California Public Utilities Commission is proposing a new deal for rooftop solar owners – a deal that would make rooftop solar much more expensive and probably halt the growth of local energy generation in its tracks. They want to charge solar customers a new “connection fee” and make an 80% cut to the amount utilities pay customers who sell electricity back to the grid.
Sign the petition telling Governor Newsom to stop the utility companies’ attack on rooftop solar
And if you can, come out to a Save California Solar rally.
WHEN: Thursday, January 13, 11 AM
WHERE: SF location: Civic Center Plaza, 335 McAllister St,
Demonstration info/signup here
More info and more ways to help
#3 Code Red for Humanity: What Municipalities Can Do, January
Some of the nation’s leading experts on climate change and local policy will be on hand, talking directly with Bay Area elected officials about the implications of August’s “Code Red” warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- and how cities are emerging as our strongest hope for action. Speakers include local and state policy makers as well as Dr. Paul N Edwards, a lead author on the latest IPCC 6th Assessment Report
WHEN: Friday, January 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m.--
Register HERE for more information on the event and the speakers
Some of the nation’s leading experts on climate change and local policy will be on hand, talking directly with Bay Area elected officials about the implications of August’s “Code Red” warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- and how cities are emerging as our strongest hope for action. Speakers include local and state policy makers as well as Dr. Paul N Edwards, a lead author on the latest IPCC 6th Assessment Report
WHEN: Friday, January 14 from noon to 1:30 p.m.--
Register HERE for more information on the event and the speakers
#4 Support the fight against oil drilling in Contra Costa As the movement against drilling in Contra Costa County grows, owners of an existing well are trying to expand – and the California Geologic Energy Management Agency just gave them the OK, with no environmental review and no public input!. CalGEM approved an “injection well” for contaminated water from the Deer Valley Road drilling site. They said an environmental review was not necessary because the company would just be repurposing a plugged, abandoned oil well.
This is a terrible precedent. There are abandoned wells all over east Contra Costa County, so if this ruling is allowed to stand, we could see a whole new crop of oil and gas projects. So Sunflower Alliance is suing CalGEM to overturn this ruling. They’re asking for contributions to pay legal expenses.
Go to www.sunflower-alliance.org and click on the “donate” button, or mail a check to P.O. Box 1934, El Cerrito, CA 94530-1934
Support the fight against oil drilling in Contra Costa
#5 Write a letter to AARP
Tell the AARP: Educate your members about the climate crisis.
We have heard from Elders Climate Action that the AARP featured a report on climate for the first time in their 2021 bulletin. But ECA says, “with its focus on finances, home values, and lifestyle, the Bulletin downplayed the real and immediate threats to AARP members and to their children and grandchildren.” Elders Climate Action is urging elders to send an email to the AARP, asking them to “expand your reporting on the climate crisis and tell your members they are needed to help end it.” See a sample letter and instructions here
* For more climate justice action alerts, you can sign up for newsletters from:
Elders Climate Action
Sunflower Alliance
This is a terrible precedent. There are abandoned wells all over east Contra Costa County, so if this ruling is allowed to stand, we could see a whole new crop of oil and gas projects. So Sunflower Alliance is suing CalGEM to overturn this ruling. They’re asking for contributions to pay legal expenses.
Go to www.sunflower-alliance.org and click on the “donate” button, or mail a check to P.O. Box 1934, El Cerrito, CA 94530-1934
Support the fight against oil drilling in Contra Costa
#5 Write a letter to AARP
Tell the AARP: Educate your members about the climate crisis.
We have heard from Elders Climate Action that the AARP featured a report on climate for the first time in their 2021 bulletin. But ECA says, “with its focus on finances, home values, and lifestyle, the Bulletin downplayed the real and immediate threats to AARP members and to their children and grandchildren.” Elders Climate Action is urging elders to send an email to the AARP, asking them to “expand your reporting on the climate crisis and tell your members they are needed to help end it.” See a sample letter and instructions here
* For more climate justice action alerts, you can sign up for newsletters from:
Elders Climate Action
Sunflower Alliance
"HAVE YOU HEARD" - Climate News Highlights and Digests
This month’s news items are not uplifting, and have mostly to do with corporate creation of consumer items we use every day. We know that individual actions -- like boycotting Cascade dishwasher soap (BASF’s best-selling product), cheaper gas from Costco (Amazon-sourced oil) or not having cell phones (created with rare earth minerals extracted from indigenous lands) -- can make a difference, especially when they go beyond individual actions to mass movements. Therefore, we lead with a notice of a webinar offered by Elders Action Network and Elders for Social Justice on this very issue.
You can subscribe to the Elders Climate Action newsletter here
This month’s news items are not uplifting, and have mostly to do with corporate creation of consumer items we use every day. We know that individual actions -- like boycotting Cascade dishwasher soap (BASF’s best-selling product), cheaper gas from Costco (Amazon-sourced oil) or not having cell phones (created with rare earth minerals extracted from indigenous lands) -- can make a difference, especially when they go beyond individual actions to mass movements. Therefore, we lead with a notice of a webinar offered by Elders Action Network and Elders for Social Justice on this very issue.
- Capitalism is Killing the Planet, It’s Time to Stop Buying into Our Own Destruction: A Conversation with George Monbiot. George Monbiot is a British writer and environmental and political activist. He writes a weekly column for The Guardian, and is the author of a number of books
You can subscribe to the Elders Climate Action newsletter here
- California consumes half the crude oil from Amazon rainforests!! Environmental groups (Stand.earth & Amazon Watch) reported that in 2020, 70 million barrels from the Equadorian rainforest flowed into the U.S., the largest global consumer. https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/crude-reality-one-us-state-consumes-half-oil-amazon-rainforest-rcna7284 California’s share of this was a whopping 56 million barrels (2 out of 3 barrels), which is transported from Southern California ports to major brand gas stations & airlines. Costco was the top supermarket consumer of this oil. Related road-building and infrastructure accelerate deforestation and endanger indigenous inhabitants. Hundreds of gas flares currently spew cancer-causing chemicals & this contamination affects groundwater & rivers.
- BASF, the world’s largest chemical company, creates America’s most popular cleaning products, such as Cascade dishwasher soap. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-dirty-secret-of-americas-clean-dishes?fbclid=IwAR0rvBNifBSmCG60EGn6ETJj-04lWf0IDEA_V-OP6YlJ2ui4K91JO9drsmI Emissions from their US processing plants significantly raise cancer risks for 1.5 million people who live close to the plants.
- Large Rare Earth (Antimony) Mine Poses Existential Threat to Indigenous Peoples, Land and Livelihoods in Rural Idaho. The headwaters of the Salmon River are Indigenous tribal lands that hold millions of pounds of antimony (a mineral that is critical to producing batteries that will help create renewable energy). https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/us/mining-clean-energy-antimony-tribes.html Because the current US source of antimony is China, the Biden administration is seriously considering granting mining rights to a company that would supersede Native land rights. Antimony is but one of a number of rare earth minerals that the US government is trying to source domestically as these materials become increasingly crucial to our climate future.
- In addition, we want to include a least one upbeat item that has the potential to reduce our dependence on at least one fossil-fuel commodity. Farmed seaweed as a substitute for retail plastic bags.Substitutes for retail plastic bags (read fossil fuels) are already being used although not yet for everything. A company in Berkeley, Sway, has created a way to use seaweed to make plastic-like shopping bags and other products to serve as a compostable alternative to petroleum-based products https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/Bay-Area-company-replacing-plastic-bags-with-16593115.php Farmed seaweed also has potential as a feed supplement to reduce methane emissions in cattle, and as a petroleum-free fertilizer.
Dear Grandma:
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a progressive grassroots movement of ordinary people can really affect government decisions. Especially compared to all the money on the other side! How can we possibly get enough power to make the kind of big changes we need? -- Feeling Small
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a progressive grassroots movement of ordinary people can really affect government decisions. Especially compared to all the money on the other side! How can we possibly get enough power to make the kind of big changes we need? -- Feeling Small
Dear Feeling Small,
I want to tell you about an interview with Ralph Nader that I heard once on the radio. The interviewer was talking about the power of the National Rifle Association and attributing it to all the money they have. Nader said something like: “The money is not the main thing. The more important thing is that the NRA has a huge, devoted network If any politician does something they don’t like, they mobilize that network to make that politician’s life miserable.” Ever since then, I’ve taken that as my guiding inspiration for the kind of movement we have to build. If we build strong connections to mobilize all the people who want a green, just future, we have power.
Keep connected with others doing the work,
Grandma
I want to tell you about an interview with Ralph Nader that I heard once on the radio. The interviewer was talking about the power of the National Rifle Association and attributing it to all the money they have. Nader said something like: “The money is not the main thing. The more important thing is that the NRA has a huge, devoted network If any politician does something they don’t like, they mobilize that network to make that politician’s life miserable.” Ever since then, I’ve taken that as my guiding inspiration for the kind of movement we have to build. If we build strong connections to mobilize all the people who want a green, just future, we have power.
Keep connected with others doing the work,
Grandma
Our Organizational Work - inside stories
Legislative working group
As we head into the 2022 legislative session, the Grandmothers Legislative Working Group needs the mailing addresses and phone numbers of all our members, so we can connect Grandmothers in legislative districts, particularly those of you who live outside the Bay Area, to work with environmental groups, take actions, and meet with their legislators. If you haven’t already provided this information or need to update, please e-mail your full address and phone number to [email protected] We hope you will join us in advocacy. Thanks!
Long Haul Affinity Group
In addition to participating in climate justice actions when we can, we are currently reading and discussing the following items:
Our new book will be All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.
A New York Times bestseller and enduring classic, All About Love is the acclaimed first volume in feminist icon bell hooks' "Love Song to the Nation" trilogy. All About Love reveals what causes a polarized society, and how to heal the divisions that cause suffering. Here is the truth about love, and inspiration to help us instill caring, compassion, and strength in our homes, schools, and workplaces.
All invited. Contact us at [email protected]
Transition Coordinating Committee
As we continue to work on how to nurture, grow and change our organizational leadership and structure, we all agreed on our criteria for what we're looking for:
Legislative working group
As we head into the 2022 legislative session, the Grandmothers Legislative Working Group needs the mailing addresses and phone numbers of all our members, so we can connect Grandmothers in legislative districts, particularly those of you who live outside the Bay Area, to work with environmental groups, take actions, and meet with their legislators. If you haven’t already provided this information or need to update, please e-mail your full address and phone number to [email protected] We hope you will join us in advocacy. Thanks!
Long Haul Affinity Group
In addition to participating in climate justice actions when we can, we are currently reading and discussing the following items:
- Hoodwinked in the Hothouse: Resist False Solutions to Climate Change, a report by the Indigenous Environmental Network. The online version is available here: https://climatefalsesolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/HOODWINKED_ThirdEdition_On-Screen_version.pdf. A paper copy can be ordered here: https://climatefalsesolutions.org/order-a-copy/
- Disability Justice - a working draft by Patty Berne — available at https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/disability-justice-a-working-draft-by-patty-berne. This paper is one of many referred to in the following website: https://disabilityphilanthropy.org/resource/what-is-disability-justice/.
Our new book will be All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks.
A New York Times bestseller and enduring classic, All About Love is the acclaimed first volume in feminist icon bell hooks' "Love Song to the Nation" trilogy. All About Love reveals what causes a polarized society, and how to heal the divisions that cause suffering. Here is the truth about love, and inspiration to help us instill caring, compassion, and strength in our homes, schools, and workplaces.
All invited. Contact us at [email protected]
Transition Coordinating Committee
As we continue to work on how to nurture, grow and change our organizational leadership and structure, we all agreed on our criteria for what we're looking for:
- Allows current members to remain engaged, invites greater participation from current members who are interested in stepping up, and integrates new members easily
- Is sustainable (does not require too much coordination or administration; energizes rather than saps energy)
- Efficiently advances the priorities/work of the org
- Recognizes both the strengths and limitations of being elders
- Allows for the greatest creative and open paths for members to bring ideas and activities into the organization.