Climate Preparedness Week 2020: Sep 24-30

Join CREW (Communities Responding to Extreme Weather) for a week of virtual events about climate preparedness, including discussions with Zimbabwean women farmers on how they're coping with climate change and a chat with Heatwave and Palaces of the People author Eric Klinenberg on the role of social infrastructure in preparing us for climate impacts. Learn more and register today!

Help Improve the MA Climate Omnibus Bill in Committee

The fate of climate legislation in MA will be decided in the next month! This week, please ask your State Rep. and Senator to write to the conference committee that is crafting the final climate legislation, which then hopefully will be approved by the House and Senate and signed by the Governor. The main climate bills passed by the House and Senate differ in important ways, so 350 Mass has written up how to pick the best parts from each, and sent those recommendations to the six conference committee members (the “350 Mass Request”). Click here for more background and for model scripts you can use for calling or emailing your Rep and Senator.

Other 350 Mass News

We Need Your Photos: Do you have photos of 350 Mass members in action? We're still looking for images to use on the new 350 Mass website. Please email them to [email protected]. We've already gotten some great submissions since we put the call out, but we could still use many more. Thanks so much!

Write a Letter to the Editor: There's never been a better time to take part in 350 Mass' Letters to the Editor (LTE) team. Want to join? Email Alan Palm, Director of Organizing at [email protected] to find out more. Our members have a great success rate in getting letters published!
Read 350 Mass member Joan Pendleton's piece in the Lowell Sun: If you want four more years of mayhem, vote for Trump, Lauren Stevens piece in the Berkshire Eagle: Grappling with plastic, and Donna Southwell's letter in the Boston Globe: Candidates — and voters — should make climate a priority.

Other Climate Movement News

Take Action on Fossil Fuel Divestment in Massachusetts: We must protect our city and county pensions from failing investments in coal, oil and gas and give our independent retirement systems the option to divest from fossil fuels. House Bill 4440 gives pensions the option to divest. Ask your state rep to urge Speaker DeLeo to bring House Bill 4440 to a vote this year! Learn more about the bill here and take action here.

Tell Liberty Mutual to Choose People Over Profits: Within two weeks of the historically catastrophic Tubbs fire in California, Liberty Mutual sent notices to residents in the surrounding communities informing them that their home insurance was being withdrawn due to the high risk of wildfires. As one of the largest insurers of fossil fuel facilities, Liberty Mutual has directly contributed to the environmental conditions that foster disastrous wildfires like Tubbs. Our allies at the Rainforest Action Network have created an easy-to-use form for activists to call Liberty Mutual and demand they insure our future.

Solidarity Opportunities

Tell Legislators to Invest In Our Recovery: It's time to put the people first. 70+ percent of Massachusetts voters agree: We must invest in our public services that improve public health, grow our economy, and reduce racial inequalities. Rather than implement state budget cuts that would worsen the effects of the economic downturn and harm our recovery, legislators must raise new revenue from profitable corporations and their shareholders! Learn more here.

Protect Boston’s Largest Project to House Residents Experiencing Homelessness: Monty Gold, a large landowner and landlord with a poor track record of keeping up his properties, has filed a lawsuit against the biggest affordable housing project for people who have experienced homelessness of its kind in Boston. The project is run by Pine Street Inn, a nationally recognized leader that operates similar facilities with excellent track records. Learn more and sign the petition here.

Keep Emergency Paid Sick Time Moving: Last week at our monthly call, we discussed and agreed to take on Raise Up Mass' Emergency Paid Sick Time campaign as our Solidarity Working Group project. The EPST legislation is currently with the Ways and Means Committee, so now is the time to push to make sure that it is favorably voted out before the end of the session. We will be leading 350 Mass' support of this campaign. If your node is interested in an in-district meeting with your legislator or interested in writing a letter to the editor, or supporting the campaign in other ways, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

About Better Future Project and 350 Mass