Dear John,
We have less than a decade to stem the worsening impacts of climate chaos. So we need to address this crisis from every angle -- especially the financial institutions propping up the fossil fuel industry.
On April 23rd, environmentalists are coming together for what will likely be the biggest day of climate direct action that the world has ever seen. The target: Financiers of climate chaos. As part of the next Global Climate Strike, we’re going to stop the money pipeline and end the financing of fossil fuels.
We need your help to storm every Chase Bank branch, shut down Wall Street, and flip over the ‘closed’ sign on financial institutions funding the climate catastrophe. We’re looking for leaders in your city to host direct actions. Can we count on you, John?
Sign up to host a climate strike action in your city on April 23rd!
Last September, more than 4 million people took to the streets as part of the Global Climate Strike to demand politicians take action on the climate crisis. Now we’re taking this fight to the banks funding the current crisis. On April 23rd, we’re going to hit the fossil fuel industry where it hurts -- in the wallet.
But this action’s success depends on people like you willing to play a bigger role. This isn’t showing up for a rally -- this is putting all the pieces in place to make the action successful, from how to center justice and equity in your planning, to the nitty gritty of planning, to recruitment and action planning.
I know it’s a lot to ask, but we’re here to support you! When you sign up to host, we’ll give you everything you need to be successful. Our coalition will help recruit activists and allies to attend your event. We’ll even have weekly training and coaching sessions for anyone to join. We’ll have meetings and conference calls to explain the strategy behind the Stop the Money Pipeline campaign, help sharpen your skills to take action, and make our community stronger. Here are some of the actions we’ll discuss:
- Hosting a Teach-in, Pray-in, or Sit-in.
- Rallying, protesting, and flyering outside of offices, branches, and major bank headquarters.
- Meeting with the bank managers, office managers, or trustees and delivering a letter showing the opposition you, your community and fellow organizers have for fossil fuel financing.
- Organizing a Banner Drop.
To ensure everyone is trained, we’re looking for committed people who can attend one or more of the webinars and actively check in with organizers and fellow grassroots activists like yourself.
If that sounds like you, we’ll work together to take the fight directly to the Big Banks funding climate chaos!
Fight for a fossil fuel free future: Sign up to host a local climate strike on April 23rd!
Imagine how powerful it will be when we win: Imagine all the major Wall Street banks, from JPMorgan Chase to Wells Fargo to Blackrock announcing that they're ending funding for new fossil fuel projects and environmental destruction.
Pipelines and polluters would declare bankruptcy within days. The power of our actions would echo around the world. And there would be nothing the Trumps, Putins, or Bolsonaros of the world could do to stop it.
There will be plenty of ways for everyone -- from the elderly to budding youth activists -- to take action. But the only way this will be successful is if we as a collective movement are well organized and well-coordinated.
Coaches will walk you through the steps of planning an action and building a diverse, multi-ethnic, multi-generational team. And of course, we’ll have art, banners, signs, talking points, organizing toolkits, research, and all the tweets and Facebook memes you need to make a big splash in your community.
But first we need to know who’s with us in this fight. Can we count on your support come April 23rd?
Fight for climate friendly financing, not fossil fuels: Sign up here to host a local climate strike action on April 23rd!
Standing with you,
Britten Cleveland,
Senior regional organizer,
Friends of the Earth
