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WASHINGTON STATE Open Thread
This is a community series giving our Washington Kossacks a virtual meeting place to discuss issues of concern to our state and share what's happening in our lives. Share your activist efforts, plug for your favorite candidate, share a LTE you've gotten published or educate us on the issues you are passionate about. Tell us an interesting or funny story, ask for advice from the community or share a recipe. Tell us anything that has happened out there. Nothing is off topic. Let's connect, unite and act!
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As reported in
the Guardian Wednesday, 9 September, 2015
Microsoft founder Bill Gates is facing fresh calls to move his charity’s investments out of fossil fuels from the community in Seattle where it is based, led by the city’s former mayor.
The Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation is the world’s largest charitable foundation and funder of medical research. It had $1.4bn (£1bn) invested in fossil fuel companies, according to its latest available tax filings from 2013.
Speaking to the Guardian, former mayor Michael McGinn said that Gates could not simultaneously “hit the brake and the accelerator at the same time” in his approach to tackling climate change.
The
campaign launched this last Wednesday with a demonstration outside the foundation's visitor center under a sign which read "Every person deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life". The protester's sign read "Yes they do! Divest from fossil fuels now." They plan to be there every day until the foundation makes a commitment to divest away from fossil fuels.
Here is a video featuring former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and E Johnston, a fellow Kossack and the communications director for 350Seattle announcing the launch of the campaign.
As Emily states in the video:
Seattle is literally a crossroads for the fossil fuel industry. Coal trains, oil trains, Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet: They are all here – and we’ve been fighting them all. But even here in progressive Seattle, the corporate power of oil and coal companies puts us at a disadvantage.
We have the people power, but they have the money and political power. But can you imagine a world where oil companies no longer have that power?
Let's not forget that the fossil fuel divestment movement was
launched right here in Seattle by
Bill McKibben, also a fellow Kossack and founder of
350.org. Since launch the divest from fossil fuel movement has grown tremendously with over 700 individuals representing a total of $1 trillion having already been divested from fossil fuels. Now the time has come to increase the pressure on the
Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation.
In Bill Mckibben's own words:
"What a help it will be when the investments of this generous foundation align with its mission. Climate change is the great shadow across our planet's future, and we must try to lift it with every tool we have."
And this effort is being launched while celebrating a great victory just achieved in coordination with the efforts of another fellow Kossack
RL Miller. I received a message from her on September 9th. Here is the exciting news she reported:
Back in 2013, I wrote a resolution calling for fossil fuel divestment and got it passed by the Ventura County Democratic Party - first in the nation. Two years of fighting for that resolution later, the California Democratic Party passed my resolution this spring.
This spring the California Senate Pro Tem introduced SB 185, calling for coal divestment. I worked that bill all summer long. With 350.org, I led in-district meetings and coached volunteers on how to meet with their assemblymembers, and I visited moderate Democrats in Sacramento to educate them on the need for aligning California’s moral commitment for a clean energy-based economy values with its financial duty to stop investing in the money pit of coal. Last Wednesday, SB 185 passed on a 47-30 vote, and Gov. Brown is expected to sign it.
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SB 185 is part of my philosophy in founding Climate Hawks Vote: the climate movement needs both outside pressure and political insiders willing to lead. Meaningful progress starts small, but when it snowballs it becomes an unstoppable force. To replicate this success, we need to beat back the climate deniers and elect more climate hawks across the country.
350 is on the move on numerous fronts and that includes the local chapter
350 Seattle.
350 Seattle scripted a letter to the Gates foundation. Here is the first paragraph (Full text here):
We at 350 Seattle, supported by a coalition of organizations who have co-signed this letter, wish to open a dialogue with the Gates Foundation over the possibility of your joining the fossil fuel divestment movement.
We would first like to acknowledge and pay respect to you for the vast resources that the Gates Foundation dedicates to philanthropy every year, and the good work that you thereby achieve.
The list of signers to this
letter is impressive and growing fast.
Sierra Club, Seattle Chapter
Audubon Society, Seattle Chapter
GotGreen?
Backbone Campaign
Echoes Lutheran Church
Eastside Friends Meeting, Bellevue (Quaker Church)
Unitarian Universalist Church, Edmonds; Peace and Justice Committee
Seattle Green Party
Mangrove Action Project
Capitol Hill Community Council
Capitol Hill Urban Co-Housing
CoolMoms
The Compassion Games
Catalytic Community
The Dignity Virus
Seattle Environmental Activists
Restoring Eden
Earth Citizen Center
Earth Ship Seattle
UW Divest
Seattle University, Sustainable Student Action
EqualiSea
I urge all to get involved in this effort and the place to plug into things is here at their website.
This is one of many efforts 350 Seattle is engaged. They are an energized organization tackling our environmental problems on multiple fronts.
For a rundown of other efforts currently planned by this dynamic group, plus much more, please continue below the orange squiggly.
A few selected 350 Seattle happenings. (Please visit their website for a full listing.)
Climate Justice "Local to Global" Event on October 14th, and hear Naomi Klein!
After the event, you can run over to SIFF, where they'll be showing the Seattle premiere of This Changes Everything. Tickets are on sale now for that first show, where Klein and her husband, the director Avi Lewis, will be available afterwards for Q&A. Get 'em before they sell out!
Race and Climate Justice
On September 12th and 14th, Heather Hackman will be back in Seattle to lead two workshops on race and climate justice.
The first is on September 12th (a Saturday) from 9:00am until 4:30pm. This is an introductory workshop entitled: Climate Change Mind-Set: Why a Critical Racial Justice Mindset Is Essential for Effective Climate Justice
Build Art in the Park to Music!
Sunday, September 20th, from noon to 6pm, our final Seattle Peace Concert Art Build for this summer will be at Gas Works Park in Wallingford.
Panel of 350 Seattle Activists
On Sunday September 27th at 10:00 am, Plymouth Church has invited a panel of 350 activists.
Youth Fighting for Their Climate Future
And finally mark your calendar for October 30th at 10:00 am King County Superior court. This is when we can show our support to the kids who have been successfully suing the WA Dept of Ecology for their future. The kids were not satisfied with a plan that did not get us back to 350 parts per million, so they filed a brief requesting one that did, and the judge today ordered Ecology to respond to it. Arguments by both parties will be heard on the 30th. I've written about this before in this article: Breaking: Big, BIG Positive Climate Change News!
But 350 Seattle is not the only place to plug into the environmental movement. The opportunities in our area are numerous.
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Seattle & Puget Sound Kos has their next meet up planned.
Where: Columbia City Ale House
4914 Rainier Ave. S.
Seattle, WA
Date: Saturday 10/3/15
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Why: Connect and catch up!
Cost: What you spend in food and drink.
Parking: 2 hours free on street. There is also a paid parking lot close by located around
the corner on Ferdinand.
Max. Occ: 24.
If you haven't been to Columbia City lately you're in for a treat. Interesting shops and an artsy vibe await.
If you wish to attend this event please RSVP to me at johncrapper51@gmail.com.
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As the Daily Kos Community Builder for Washington State. I'm always on the lookout for others interested in starting their own local Connect! Unite! Act! group in their locale. I'd love to see a huge number of markers covering Washington State on the map below.
I'm here and ready to help. And the Connect! Unite! Act! team is ready to provide support and guidance to new and existing volunteer leaders of each regional and state group, helping them with recruiting, organizing and executing social and action events.
Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
Where the Kogs Are: Index/Directory of the 130+ Localized Daily Kos Groups
Please consider joining in this effort to build our community in Washington State. There are many ways to pitch in.
If there isn't a group to join near you, please start one.
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This is one of four weekly open threads for a state. The other three are North Carolina started by randalt Michigan organized by peregrine kate and Colorado by Leftcandid.
Michigan: Wednesdays, 6:00 PM Eastern
North Carolina: Sundays, 1:00 PM Eastern
Washington: Sundays, 3:30 PM Pacific
Colorado: Wednesdays - 6:30PM Pacific
For those in other states, please join us as we strive to establish state open threads in all fifty. Please drop me a line if you are interested in hosting an open thread in your state. Keep in mind, you can create your own State Open Thread group and set up a system and schedule for rotating the weekly contribution.
We have started a State Open Thread group that you can follow to catch the weekly round ups. Scheduling is still in the works but we are striving for an advertised and promoted regular date and time for each of these so readers can depend on a schedule to check out their state's happenings. Please help support and contribute to this project. 4 down, 46 to go!
We must continually remind ourselves, as fellow Kossacks, the significant and growing influence we have on the trajectory of a myriad of issues when we choose to get involved and raise our collective voices. That is what Connect! Unite! Act is all about.