New you can use, today!

Hi John,

Have you purchase your tickets?  An event you don’t want to miss!!! Friday, November 12th.

Event date:  Friday, November 12th, 2021.  Doors “open” at 6pm, program begins at 7:00pm  This is a virtual event.

Buy your tickets to today and join others celebrating 350 Seattle’s roots and resolve – you won’t want to miss this event. Buy your tickets here.

 

Thanksgiving Conversations with White Families.  Sunday, November 16th.

Join with anti-racist organizer and author, David Billings, for a community conversation about white families and his book, Deep Denial.

As we prepare for the American Thanksgiving holiday, many of us are also preparing for dinner table conversations (virtual or in-person) with our white families. These conversations are made more difficult by the political moment we are living in, as well as the long-held myths built into this day. David Billings' book, Deep Denial: The Persistence of White Supremacy in United States History and Life, illustrates how our families offer the first stories about race, history, and power that shape our understanding of the world. Whether you've read his book or not, join in on this community conversation about how we have been shaped by our families, and how we are engaging them (or not) around racism, colonization, and shaping the type of family we will be in the generations to come.

Sliding scale and free tickets are available by clicking on this link, so please select the option that reflects your financial situation. The money brought in will support the ongoing organizing of David Billings and Indigenous land reclamation work within the People's Institute Northwest network.

Co-Sponsors of this event include European Dissent Seattle (see below) and the United Church of Christ Pacific Northwest Conference Dismantling Racism Taskforce.

European Dissent are people of European descent (whites) who organize to be a visible force in a multiracial network of people fighting to undo racism personally, culturally, and institutionally. We are guided by the People's Institute Anti-Racist Organizing Principles

Learn more and get your book here: http://deepdenialbook.com/

 

350.org Trainings – see opportunities and dates below!

All members of 350 affiliates and partners are invited to participate in this series of online trainings geared to prepare members across the 350 network to organize with resiliency and power. Trainings are free and last hours. Participate in any or all. Share with your team!

·         Saturday, November 20th - Organizing and Movement Building: Why build a movement? How to recruit, engage, and onboard new volunteers, develop volunteer leadership, and build community.

·         Saturday, December 4th: Strategic Campaigning: How to choose a campaign, map out decision makers, allies and opponents, plan campaign goals, timeline, and roles, and select effective tactics using a justice and equity lens.

·         Saturday, December 18th - Policy Advocacy: How to advocate, how legislative bodies work, and how to influence elected officials--with examples from local affiliates to demonstrate common tactics and best practices. 

Whether you are a new volunteer looking to jumpstart your activism skills, or a more experienced group member looking to stimulate thinking about new concepts and create stronger connections with peers across the 350 network, these trainings are for you! 

Recordings and resources will be available if you can’t make a training.

Please share with team members, review details in the flyer, and register now.

 

Third Act – read on to learn more, especially if you are over the age of 60

Third Act is a new effort to organize older Americans. Bill McKibben, founder of the climate group 350.org, is a Third Act co-founder. Please take a moment to visit the website and get involved.  You can also read more about this effort and a recent LA Times article.  

The Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, requires utilities to transition to 100% clean energy by 2045. This transformative requirement is necessary to help prevent the worst impacts of climate change and the harm fossil fuel pollution inflicts on surrounding communities. The Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) must faithfully implement the letter and spirit of CETA’s clean energy standards by requiring utilities to use clean energy to serve their Washington customers.

The UTC’s draft rule implementing CETA fails to require the clean energy that CETA mandates. Instead, the UTC’s proposal would allow utilities to use fossil fuel resources to serve Washington customers indefinitely using "retained Renewable Energy Credits" - a term not found in Washington law.
 

How to Comment

· Comments must be submitted via the Commission’s web portal at www.utc.wa.gov/e-filing. If you are unable to submit documents via the portal, you may submit your comments by email to the Commission’s Records Center at [email protected]. Comment submissions should include:

o   The docket numbers of these proceedings (Docket UE-210183)

o   The commenting party’s name

o   The title and date of the comment or comments


Talking points:

· The UTC must revise its draft rule to eliminate the use of “retained Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)” – a term found nowhere in the statute nor in common usage. The UTC also must eliminate all other provisions of the draft rule that would allow a utility to rely on electricity that it has sold to meet its obligation to serve customers in Washington with clean energy. CETA means what it says: utilities must use clean energy to serve their Washington customers.
 

· From catastrophic wildfires to extreme heat to intense storms, the impacts of climate change are already harming Washington. And the harm that fossil fuel pollution causes surrounding communities has long been well documented. CETA’s clean energy requirement is essential to mitigating these harms. The UTC must revise its draft rule to give effect to CETA’s clean energy requirements.  

As always, please mention you are a health professional with WPSR!
 

Thanks for all you do, onwards!

 

Nick Manning, Climate & Health Program Manager
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility
[email protected]

Washington Can't Wait Campaign: Updating the GMA for Today's Challenges

Futurewise's Washington Can’t Wait Campaign is an initiative to fight for action on climate change, environmental justice, and housing equity by passing the biggest changes to the Growth Management Act in three decades. Please visit the WA Can’t Wait Campaign website and plan to attend the December 15th 350 Eastside Community Meeting to learn more and get involved.

Washington Fair Trade Coalition

Hillary Haden, of the Washington Fair Trade Coalition will also attend the December 15th 350 Eastside Community meeting to brief people on the fossil fuel industry’s increasing use of free trade agreements to undermine climate action.

 

In a nutshell:  This July, the company TC Energy launched a suit against the United States under NAFTA challenging the Biden administration’s decision to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. They’re demanding $15 billion in compensation for their “lost expectation of future profits.” This is just one of dozens of similar trade suits challenging and undermining climate policies around the world.  We have an opportunity to eliminate these attacks altogether, and Hillary will offer some information on how our organization can weigh in. 

 

350 Eastside will not be hosting a Community meeting this month (November) but please mark your calendars for our December meeting:

Wednesday, December 15th @ 7:00pm. A link will be sent out next month.

Wishing you all a lovely time with family and friends and we look forward to seeing you in December.

Emily, Phil, Lynn, Lin, Marilyn, and Sara

 

350 Eastside

Photo courtesy of Alexia Allen and Hawthorn Farm