Friends,
Thanks to all who joined us last week for our first ever virtual general meeting!
Our speaker, Sam Bleicher, talked with us about his novel The Plot to Cool the Planet, shared some myths about climate disruption, and described his experiences on Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board. He was also kind enough to share his presentation slides, which you can find here.
#BlackLivesMatter
We began our meeting last week with a statement in support of the activists filling streets nationwide in defense of black lives.
We’ve experienced in the last month a perfect storm of racial, environmental, and health injustice. Communities of color are suffering the most from Covid-19–on top of dealing with the same racism, pollution, and inequity they faced before the pandemic began. This is not OK.
350 Fairfax believes that Black Lives Matter. We believe that racial justice and anti-racism are essential in fighting the climate crisis.
That’s why we are part of the Green New Deal Virginia coalition; that’s why we advocate for environmental justice bills when they face the General Assembly. But as we move forward from this moment, we will work harder to incorporate racial justice and anti-racism into our mission and actions.
Check out our website for some immediate actions and resources. And stay tuned for additional actions and resources over the next few months.
Upcoming Events
The Story of Plastic Film Screening and Conversation. June 16, 6:30 to 9:15 p.m., Zoom. Join Food & Water Action for a community screening of The Story of Plastic and a post-film discussion with policy experts and activists, including Food & Water Action Organizing Director Emily Wurth, California Director Alex Nagy, New York Senior Organizer Eric Weltman, and Pennsylvania Organizing Manager Megan McDonough. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.
Sun Sing in Place. June 18, 7 to 8 p.m., YouTube. Join the Sun Sing Collective for the last in their series of virtual concerts. The Sun Sing Collective is a group of musicians and visual artists formed in 2019 to create, record, and perform original material to support the work of the broad, deep, and growing coalition fighting fracked gas infrastructure. They’ll bring an hour of music, spoken word, and action opportunities straight to your living room, kitchen, or wherever you may be tuning in. Join in the fun on YouTube.
A Juneteenth Event: Equity and Environmental Justice for All. June 19, 11 a.m. to 12 noon, Facebook Live. Moms Clean Air Force is hosting a Juneteenth discussion to highlight the continual fight for racial justice, specifically, environmental justice in the African American community. The event will feature panelists Representative Alma Adams (NC-12), Dr. Mildred McClain, Rev. Michael Malcom, Tina Spencer-Smith, and Catherine Flowers. The conversation will be moderated by Moms Clean Air Force's National Field Director Heather McTeer Toney. Find more details here.
Making the Business Case for Green Schools. June 23, 7 to 8:15 p.m., Zoom. Join Mothers Out Front and panelists Wyck Knox from VDMO Architects, Cathy Lin of Arlington Public Schools, and Keith Reeves of Discovery Elementary for a conversation about Virginia’s first zero energy school in Arlington and the economic argument for green schools. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.
350 Fairfax July General Meeting. July 2, 7:30 p.m., Zoom. Our very special guest this July is Dominique Thomas, the Northeast regional organizer for 350.org. Dominique will talk about 350’s #JustRecovery campaign and how work has shifted since the pandemic and, in the last few weeks, the racial justice protests began. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.
See you (virtually) in July!
Julie
