Sunday, December 14, 2008

4 second action to stop PG&E - deadline Sunday

Action:
1) Click here: http://www.marinij.com/index.html.
2) V
ote "NO" to the "Daily Poll" question: "Should there be a countywide vote on the clean energy proposal?" 
3) Done.

Background from Eric:
The Marin Independent Journal is polling to see if there is support to force a countywide vote on Community Choice. A countywide vote would enable PG&E to do just what it did with Prop H in San Francisco, spending millions to kill clean energy through a ballot attack. The Journal will publish the poll results just before a Monday Marin County Supervisors vote on Community Choice in order to pressure them to accept a countywide vote. 

More Background in email below.

From: Sue Spofford <suespof@comcast.net>
Date: December 13, 2008 1:31:33 PM PST
To: Sue Spofford <suespof@comcast.net>
Subject: URGENT: Must Vote Today to Block End Run

Marin Clean Energy (MCE) Supporters:

We need your help right now with a quick but important action:  Go to www.marinij.com and vote a resounding "NO" to the "Daily Poll" question, "Should there be a countywide vote on the clean energy proposal?"

 

You'll see the results being tabulated in real time (72 yes vs. 43 no, the last we looked).  They'll be published in Sunday's paper, and could provide a smokescreen for disrupting the MCE vote by the San Rafael City Council on Monday.

 

With that critical vote pending, it looks to us like the IJ and PG&E are attempting an end-run with the lead article in this morning's IJ rehashing the notion of a countywide vote on MCE and inviting readers to respond to the poll.

 

A few of the reasons why a countywide vote is such a bad idea:
  • It would allow PG&E, the IJ and other unprogressive voices (and their money) to dominate the discussion with sound-bite scare tactics, drowning out the careful deliberative process conducted by our elected officials with full public involvement for over a year.
  • It would cost taxpayers at least $1,000,000 to conduct the vote—and MCE supporters untold amounts to counteract the accompanying campaign of misinformation—at the worst possible time for such wasteful spending.
  • MCE already provides for individuals to "vote" on their own participation in the program by staying with PG&E if they choose to.
We need to stop muddying the waters—and get on with clearing the air!  

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

car bailout greenwashing... simple web action to take

Frankly, I'd be delighted to see the US auto industry go under, so they can stop blocking state emission action.

But Congress and Obama are set on bailing it out... so the least they can do is require electric car transitions and not raid the electric car funds in the DOE to pay for the cash flow bailout.  But of course, that is exactly the greenwashing being proposed.  They will vote in the next 1-2 days.  I have little faith they'll make the right decision, but if they do, it could be a miraculous turning point in retooling transportation infrastructure in this country. This links to a great and simple petition/letter writing action. 

http://action.pluginamerica.org/t/5960/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=337


have fun.

- aliza

Friday, December 5, 2008

Fwd: Help take over YouTube.

A quick video watch and comment from you... can take over YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5kg1oOq9tY

...Aliza


"Jon Warnow, 350.org" <organizers@350.org> wrote:

Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 17:37:49 -0500 (EST)
From: "Jon Warnow, 350.org" <organizers@350.org>
To: alizawas@yahoo.com
Subject: Help take over YouTube.

Project 350 Updates
350.org

Watch our 90-second animation about 350 and help us take over YouTube with climate videos!
Also, check out these videos too: one from Friends of the Earth and another from Grist.org
Aliza,

It's 3 in the morning in Poland and I need your help with an experiment.  Can you take 2 minutes watch an animation and help take over YouTube?
A little background: starting a week ago, a few members of the international 350.org team have converged for the annual UN Climate Conference.  It's a little crazy here--over 9,000 people representing 190 countries have gathered to negotiate our collective future.  Things are changing by the hour, and there's both bad news and good news to report.  

The bad news first: lots of countries still don't get it, and some (most notably, the EU) are using delay tactics to postpone action, squandering time that scientists say we simply do not have.

Now for the good news: over 49 of the least developed countries (that's more than a quarter of the world's nations) just announced support for a 350 target.  This is AMAZING, as last year a 350 goal wasn't even on the map.  It's testament to your hard work--and the very real threats these countries are facing right now--that we've come so far in such a short time.

More good news: there is a movement bubbling up here--scores of people are working with us, both inside and outside of the UN, to campaign for strong climate action in the face of stiff political opposition. This Saturday, we're all going to join hundreds of activists in Poland--and thousands of people around the world--for the Global Day of Action for the Climate.

You can be part of this.  The first option is to look for an action taking place near you on Saturday, December 6th.

The second option is the experiment I referred to: I need your help taking over YouTube with climate change videos, as part of a collaborative campaign with some of our partner organizations.

It's an unconventional tactic, but sometimes, simply getting people to listen and talk makes a difference--that is, if you can get the right conversation going. 
Today, we're asking you to be part of this conversation by commenting on a 90-second animation about 350.  If we can get enough comments and ratings, we can climb the YouTube charts.   With your help, we'll make YouTube all about climate change, even if just for one day.

Our video is a 90-second animation that explains 350--the science, the art, the movement--without using a single word.  I think you'll like it.  Please watch it, comment, and pass it on.

People are always talking about how we need to reach outside the choir.  YouTube is the third most popular site on the internet.  If we can make a splash there, we'll be well on our way to spreading 350 all around the world. 
So please, watch the video today and take a minute to comment on it, and help start a climate conversation.

Thanks for all you do,
Jon and the rest of the 350.org team.

P.S. We'll be reporting on the UN Meetings over the next week--check in with our blog or follow us on Twitter!


350.org is an international grassroots campaign that aims to mobilize a global climate movement united by a common call to action. By spreading an understanding of the science and a shared vision for a fair policy, we will ensure that the world creates bold and equitable solutions to the climate crisis. 350.org is an independent and not-for-profit project.
To subscribe, visit http://www.350.org/sign-up.
Join us on Facebook by becoming a fan of our page.



=======================================================
Aliza Wasserman
Green Guerrillas Against Greenwash
www.LetsGreenWashThisCity.org
510-717-6599

"If you think mitigated climate change is expensive, try unmitigated climate change."

- Dr. Richard Gammon, University of Washington, on the steps of the US Congress, 6/28/99


"Campaign finance reform is climate protection."
-
anonymous, 2007

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Saturday Greenpeace Action... Biking Gang?

Hey green guerrilla gang,

The action is James Bond style of streaming photos of climate actions from around country to the halls of the UN climate convention in Poland. pretty cool to have such direct communication with Obama and UN climate negotiators. Obama generally supports climate policy, but he is not attending nor sending a delegate, so I think he needs to see that we want US to get back to the international bargaining table asap. And why not use a 50 foot banner drop to do that. Action is Saturday at noon at Crissy Field.

You can RSVP to Greenpeace -- which already has about 500 rsvps and is aiming for 1000 San Franciscans - at
 http://members.greenpeace.org/event/view/3057/.

Want to bike over there in a group?  
Drop me a line if you want to meet at 16th and Mission at 11, or if you want to be picked up somewhere near the wiggle route.

Should, at the very least, be fun to be surrounded by hundreds of people similarly concerned!!

peace n action,
aliza