Friedman Supports Climate Bill. Really?

Posted by Adam Waxman at 12:00 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Conservative New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is not my favorite pundit. I read a lot of his long-form work in college, particularly his tome about global trade, The Lexus And the Olive Tree. I tend to find his work a little too heavily focused on the everyman proving his thesis. Tom Tomorrow, who is one of my favorite artists, has a comic that lays out my objections pretty well. Also, there’s no such thing as the McDonalds Peace Theory. Just ask the Georgians.

Despite the fact that I generally don’t like Friedman’s work, he has a strong column that went up on the Times site yesterday. Friedman wrote about the Waxman-Markey climate bill that passed the House on Friday. Friedman supports the bill, even though he thinks that it could be stronger. His reason for supporting the bill is simple:

Why? Because, for all its flaws, this bill is the first comprehensive attempt by America to mitigate climate change by putting a price on carbon emissions. Rejecting this bill would have been read in the world as America voting against the reality and urgency of climate change and would have undermined clean energy initiatives everywhere.

More important, my gut tells me that if the U.S. government puts a price on carbon, even a weak one, it will usher in a new mind-set among consumers, investors, farmers, innovators and entrepreneurs that in time will make a big difference — much like the first warnings that cigarettes could cause cancer. The morning after that warning no one ever looked at smoking the same again.

Ditto if this bill passes. Henceforth, every investment decision made in America — about how homes are built, products manufactured or electricity generated — will look for the least-cost low-carbon option. And weaving carbon emissions into every business decision will drive innovation and deployment of clean technologies to a whole new level and make energy efficiency much more affordable. That ain’t beanbag.

I think that progressives should generally take this attitude towards most of Obama’s major legislative initiatives. The reality is, most of Obama’s legislative projects (healthcare, cap ‘n trade, education) will be modified, watered down, and generally compromised by members of Congress with their own parochial interests at heart. Yet, it’s been so long since progressives had a real opportunity to legislate that any progress will be better than what we have now.

Yes, we will probably have to come back to each legislative initiative and tweak and reform the initial law as it is passed. Getting some points on the board, however, is worth a lot in terms of shaping the debate.

Climate Bill Passes House -- Youth At The Table?

Posted by Adam Waxman at 4:33 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Today, the US House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This is the cap and trade regime mainly authored by powerful House Democrat Henry Waxman (who, I have noted, is not related to me). The vote was relatively close, with 219 Representatives voting Aye and 212 voting Nay. It was mostly along party lines, with 7 Republicans joining Democrats to support passage and 44 Democrats voting no. Most of the Republicans voting yes were moderates from places like California and Delaware; most Democrats voting no were conservatives from the South and several industrial states.

Young people have been active in this debate since the beginning, led by organizations old and new. Groups like The Energy Action Coalition and the Sierra Club have been mobilizing students and young people to get this bill passed since before Obama took office. Young people aren’t just relying on traditional lobbying visits to raise awareness – though there’s plenty of that - young people are also organizing new and innovative ways to show how important climate change is to our generation. Check out this video of a flashmob protesting inaction on global warming organized by the Avaaz Action Factory:

This climate bill is an important first step in the battle against global warming. Today’s vote is important, but by no means the end of the road. The bill faces a tough road in the Senate, where it will surely require 60 votes to beat a filibuster. I have a lot of trouble with the math that allows the bill to get 60 votes, particularly if several members of the Democratic caucus peel off or are difficult.

As the debate moves forward, one of the frustrating things that I have seen is a total lack of recognition as to the role that young people are playing in this debate. Politico, which is a major Washington, DC outlet covering the Hill, did a big story earlier this week about how Democrats could ensure the climate bill’s passage by massaging the right coalitions. Left off the radar screen was young people, despite the fact that we’re the ones who will be impacted by inaction on climate change. David Kurtz over at Talking Points Memo actually makes this point better, so I’ll just quote from his post from earlier today:

We hear a lot from global warming deniers about the "high cost" of carbon emission regulation. Of course, in absolute terms they are right. It will be expensive. But what price are the deniers willing to pay personally for the high cost of being on the wrong side of science and history? Many of today's deniers will be long dead by the time the worst effects of inaction are realized. Those who do live long enough will more than likely be insulated from the most extreme effects by their relative wealth and prosperity, compared to Bangladeshis, for instance. And in any event, there is no justice -- no democratic justice -- in punishing fools for being fools.

There are precious few fools in our generation. Today is a major victory for the climate justice movement, but we can only expect it to get harder from here on out.

Staying Fly and Eco-Friendly P. 1

Posted by Kristia Castrillo at 1:21 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

(Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series on fashion and sustainable living techniques. Today's post deals with getting rid of ecologically unsustainable fashion habbits. Part two will appear on Monday, June 22 and offer eco-friendly alternatives.)

Being fly and living sustainably have become polar opposites. We do painful, unhealthy things to ourselves in the effort to follow in line with racist, sexist, basically unrealistic and boring beauty standards. We put chemicals in our hair, powder pigments onto our skin, silicone balloons into our bodies, then clean ourselves with cancer-causing suds after a long day's work.

Our ancestors had it right but what is a young Miss Boss to do in a world where being environmentally-friendly is portrayed as not showering regularly and smelling like Patchouli? (Sorry, some people enjoy the smell of Patchouli and I do not.) We've all got to start somewhere. Here are a couple things to cut out of your beauty regimen, and some incredibe organic, natural, cheap things to add.

Acrylic Nails:

Apologies to the beloved Kid Sister, but these were the first to go. Not only are they expensive to maintain, but they also contribute to toxic landfills. All your nasty used plastic fingernails eventually start piling up in our oceans or, even worse, hiding in the soil where we grow our good. Besides if we know it's deadly to eat and drink out of plastic containers, what’s more deadly than having plastic on our fingertips, which touché our food? Not to mention the toxic paints.

Kicks and Stilettos:

Discipline. You can do this. You have to stop buying all those damn shoes. Aside from the terrible labor practices we all know about, they uses up valuable water, rubber, energy, and of course supports the production of more plastics. When you do buy shoes you can of course try to buy straight from the source, respectable companies, maybe even cop some shoes made from recycled rubber tires.

But honestly recycling is not going to save the world. You need to stop consuming more than you actually need to survive -- which means all those Air Force Ones, leather pumps, leave them be. By no means do I think you should throw all your shoes away and walk barefoot, unless you live in a place where that's considered safe. Rep your steez and wear your damn shoes, just don't buy any more.

It will take you awhile to do this. In the meantime, keeping your shoes clean keeps the fresh. For kicks get different colored laces as they can totally change a shoe up. You can paint them, but most paints that will work on shoes are pretty toxic. There are also a number of fun alternative options to shopping which you can use to build community and slowly get yourself off to bandwagon: Thrift stores, Switch & Bitch Parties, scavenging, and of course making your own clothes.

Simple Skin and Hair Care:

My grandma always told me that the more simple my skin care, the better. Of course I never listened. Like most other young adolescents, I was bombarded by advertisements to buy fancy facial washes and creams that promised me flawless skin. Most of those products weren't even created for my tropical skin type. The majority of skin products on the market are not biodegradable, contain a number of artificial astringents and acids, and leave you with a landfill of empty containers. If the product isn't good for nature, trust it probably isn't very good for your complexion.

There are plenty (too many) of natural options now, but again stay simple. Cop natural herbal, olive oil, or cocoa butter-based soaps from African, Arab, or South Asian markets. Use warm water and a washcloth. It's cheap and you're supporting local businesses of color. You don't need all that nonsense. Dr. Bronner's is a ride or die product. I use it all over my home and on my body as well. The bottles are made from 100 percent post-consumer plastic, its organic goodness and the oceans won't be sad after you shower.

Green Proms are the Bomb!

Posted by Paulino Love at 2:41 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Photo Essay:

San Francisco’s Mission High School took a giant leap toward sustainability recently when it debuted its first Green Prom. With help of the Environmental Service Learning Initiative and Mission High’s prom committee, students were encouraged to incorporate biodegradable plates, utensils made from cornstarch, vegan friendly food, and composting to into the annual high school extravaganza.

The main attractions were the stationary bikes that generated power for the DJ equipment, set up by environmentalist and bike enthusiasts collective, Rock The Bike. Supporters hope this new approach to an old-fashioned high school tradition will set the standard for students and communities alike.

Below: the prom featured vegetarian food options and biodegradable plates and utensils.

Keeping Up the Pressure on Climate Change

Posted by Adam Waxman at 5:15 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Recently, Rasmussen Reports released what might be the most depressing two-question poll ever conducted. The poll was fairly simple. It asked participants to identify the issue associated with the “cap and trade” proposal currently before Congress. Hopefully our readers here at WireTap know that “cap and trade” refers to climate change legislation designed to battle global warming – heck, you might even know that the phrase “cap and trade” has roots in policy debates surrounding successful attempts to slow the deforestation of the rainforest developed by Rainforest Action and other environmental groups in the early ‘90s. Polling on an international scale has shown again and again that young people understand that climate change is both serious and requires serious commitments to solve it. However, it seems clear that the rest of the country has yet to catch up.

Congress doesn’t seem to mind that most American’s are not watching the climate change debate closely – the Waxman-Markey bill setting up cap and trade, which President Obama supports, is slowly moving through the House. And one group surely is paying attention.

There remains one certain segment of America that does know all about cap-and-trade – corporations and their lobbyist friends. The Center for Public Integrity, a good-government and transparency group based in Washington, DC, recently reported (via the excellent environmental magazine Grist) that hundreds of lobbyists have signed up to try to influence the outcome of the bill. These lobbyists aren’t showing up to represent endangered spotted owls – they are there to represent the coal companies, the oil and natural gas industry (sorry, I mean the people of America’s oil and natural gas industry, to use theirmarketing slogan). These people are represented by some of the most powerful lobbying shops in town – and these lobbying shops employ some top former energy and leadership staffers from both sides of the aisle.

So what are young people to do? Ultimately, these companies and their hired guns are concerned about the short-term impact of climate change legislation on their bottom line. Young people, the ones who will be actually be around in 40 or 50 years when the real impact of climate change becomes apparent, are concerned about the long term impact of climate change. Young people need to keep advocating and putting pressure on our legislators if we’re going to see climate change legislation enacted in the near future. To end on a somewhat positive note, I take heart in the fact that so many companies are lining up to fight this bill – it means that serious reform has a real shot at passing.

The Case for Walking and Chewing Gum

Posted by Adam Waxman at 4:27 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

When I was interviewing for jobs in DC, and also just generally whenever I meet people in Washington, a question that always comes up is whether or not I am related to the great Representative Henry Waxman, who is Obama’s point man on climate change in the US House of Representatives. For the record, as far as I know, Henry and I are not related. I sort of wish I was, given all that Waxman has accomplished in his congressional career -- the question remains, however, whether or not he can pull of the political feat of guiding the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a cap-and-trade bill fighting climate change this year.

This is all to segue into a New York Times articlethat came out today about Waxman’s efforts to move cap and trade legislation through the committee he chairs, Energy and Commerce. There’s actually not that much in the article in terms of information, but I thought this quote form moderate Democratic Rep. Artur Davis was interesting:

"I think it's the wrong time for a cap and trade," said Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), the co-chairman of the centrist House New Democrat Coalition. "I think health care is achievable. It's doable. And when I move around my district, and my state, and people ask me what is Congress going to do to fix health care. They don't frankly ask me what Congress is going to do to fix climate change."

Now, I don’t know very much about the specifics of the Congressman’s district. And it remains true that Americans want to see action on health care -- a recent report by the Center for American Progress revealed that over 10,000 people lose their coverage every day. Just because we need to take action on health care does not mean we can shove aside other priorities, like climate change.

It’s a convenient argument that Obama should set aside climate change (or don’t ask don’t tell, or some other priority) because another issue requires attention. It’s really just an excuse – as the old saying goes, “go slow” really means “don’t go.” The reality remains that Obama, and Congress, is more than capable of handling more than one thing at once. In the meantime, I’m curious to hear what enivro groups think about Davis’ opposition. I'm hoping to find out and report back next week.

3 Ways to Have Fun With Environmental Justice

Posted by Kristia Castrillo at 10:25 AM | Comment Now | Permalink

I feel like I spent all my life identifying primarily as a city girl -- only to find out that when in the company of the downest sistas and brothas, when allowed to use my many native languages, when allowed to bring hood humor to the Redwoods -- that in fact, I too, was a country girl. Wild, natural, treehugging, dirty, sunkissed. But I bet that if you read that excerpt from my journal to your homies, they'd roll their eyes and yawn in boredom, huh?

Sometimes you just have to put down all the books and be about it. Nowadays, at least in the Bay Area, there is an increasing amount of Green public events and concerts, but still those can cost a lot of money. Many of them also still promote a consumerist approach to living sustainably which contradicts the entire notion and again, just costs more money.

Well that's where I come in. Below are three activities you can do with a group of friends or with a special someone. I guarantee you will have fun - something that apparently we have forgotten is a key ingredient to living in unison with the earth.

Seedbombing

It sounds fun already, doesn't it? Masanobu Fukuoka, Japanese farmer and author of "The One-Straw Revolution" is the inventor of seedballs. What are those you may ask? Well the concept behind seedballs in his process of natural farming was to create a way to plant seed in land that is minimally touched by human technique and technology. Essentially, dude was trying to plant in the wild. (It's far more complicated and profound than this, but you'll have to read the book to understand it properly.) Anyway he successfully grew comparable yields of crop to conventional farming by combining clay, soil, water, and seed and rolling them into little 1-inch balls. He would then throw these seedballs onto the land. No digging or tilling needed. Each seedball is essentially a little ecosystem unto itself - when combined with sunlight the seed has everything needs to grow. But

here's the trick: the clay protects the seed from being eaten by birds, mice, or insects. Nature does the rest of the work.

What does this have to do with city folk? Most U.S. cities lack greenery which filters our air, provides oxygen and shade. Americans love to growing non-native plants in cities for decorative purposes. But this is why we don't get native birds and butterflies coming to chill with us - they ain't got nothing to eat or places to hang out. We're messing with the native ecosystem. So you take the seedball recipe and use the seeds of native plants or flowers to your area. (This will take a little internet research.) You make hella seedballs, then you run around town throwing them in vacant lots, abandoned planters, depressed parks, etc. You'll feel like a kid again and it'll get you walking around too.

Switch & Bitch

The Switch & Bitch originally involves a number of women coming together and telling stories, while exchanging clothing and jewelry they don't want or no longer fit. Everyone brings something to get rid of, everyone leaves with something they like. This is a great way to promote reusing. Even your homegirls who refuse to shop at thrift stores because they think it's gross will have fun. You gotta win em over slowly.

But it's not just women who need to reuse objects of course. The best way to do this is to create a/theme. For example music, so you invite people to bring records, cds, tapes, instruments. Maybe it's clothing or art supplies. But invite purposefully, if you're doing clothing keep peoples sizes in mind. Don't invite hella skinny girls and then have two voluptuous women on your list. If sizes are too hard to match up, put the emphasis on accessories.

To start, invite people to lay out what they brought. Let people organically mill about, eat, chat, look at the goods. They'll ask if they can try something, if they can have it, what's the story behind it. As host, you can check in to see everyone's gotten something by the end - but honestly people really don't need as much structure to trade fairly as you'd think. If you bring a bunch of people you like and trust into a space where they are equals, and they have each brought something into that space, they're not going to steal from each other.

By the end, your friends will realize that the 'high' they get from buying new things is actually something they can get from used goods as well. It's all about the discovery, that's the excitement.

The Recycled Art House Party

This one is the easiest, but the key is in the details. You invite folks to your house and then you surround them with examples of sustainable living. Don't use disposable kitchenware, and also reuse jars and containers. If it's the norm in your house, they'll have no choice. The same goes for

recyling and composting, teach by example. Even if you can't afford a new solar oven, it doesn't matter. All those little things you got going in your house will make them think while they are there and after they leave. If you used organic tomatoes in the salsa, mention it. If you used your own mint plant for the tea, show them.

For the art-making, it's best to have examples or guides if your friends are not visual artists. If they are super creative, then the hell with it. Put supplies, reusable objects in the middle of a table and have them go wild. You give people wine and crayons and suddenly everybody's got the confidence of Pablo Picasso. These are fool-proof though...

• Brown grocery bags

  I've covered tables in paper bags and encouraged everyone to draw. Just don't buy new supplies that are toxic or include a lot of plastic. Adding to a landfill disrupts the whole purpose. Wanna get modern art about it? Tie different color crayons/pastels/markers to string from the cieling directly

  about the table, allowing them to hang down right above the table. What will result is an impromptu illustration that is segregated into different color parts.

• Paper Mache & Bottle Sculpture

  Using old plastic/glass bottles as a base, you crumple and layer paper mache to create a form. Once this dries, it can be painted. If you leave the opening to the bottle, it's a vase too. For paper mache supply old newspaper and create wheatpaste (mix equal parts of flour and water into a paste). If you use paint, use leftovers or buy biodegradable.

• Coloring

  This is a really good way to get people to talk. Copy pages from an entertaining coloring book (my favorite is the Gangsta Rap Coloring Book) onto paper that was only printed on one-side. Supply crayons or pastels (biodegradable) or whatever old markers you have to use up.

  If it's somebody's birthday you can declare a portrait contest. Each person has the chance to draw the birthday celebrant, then illustrations will be awarded later in the party. Give them Fair Trade chocolate and make sure everybody gets recognition (ex. Most Bestest Ever, Most Post-Modern, Most Realist, Most Impressionist, Most You Didn't Even Try).

You can come up with many more activities yourself or grab em from a magazine, but the idea is to create an environment where you are just genuinely encouraging people to be creative. From there

you tell them that they have limited materials. People are incredibly resourceful and they will buy in.

They may not think they learned anything about sustainability, but you actually had them practicing the kind of resourcefulness that underprivileged youth around the world employ everyday to create games and activities for themselves.

Green Jobs Advocate Van Jones Takes a Job at the White House

Posted by Jamilah King at 2:46 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Well...kind of. It's official: Van Jones, founder of Green for All, has been appointed senior advisor for Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Take a look at Van during last week's Power Shift conference in D.C.:

Definitely an important step in the right direction. Congrats, Van!

Action at Powershift 2009

Posted by Adrienne Maree Brown at 1:50 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

Reporting from Washington DC where 11,0000 youth are gathered for Powershift! The Energy Action Coalition, a coalition of environmental organizations focused on building the student movement for environmental change, has been pulling together masses of young people for a couple years now. This is the biggest one yet.

On Monday, we'll have the Capitol Climate Action, which will be the largest mass mobilization around climate in the US in history. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have already come out in favor of changing from coal to natural gas (longer discussion on what a true solution is to come), so the words of victory are being spoken. The action has been planned for months, and is recruiting youth all through Powershift, training them at the action convergence center just across the street from the convention center.

In addition, there's panel after panel on the History of nonviolence and direction, on action strategy, on protests and actions in the climate movement, and prepping for Monday's action specifically. Its really exciting to be surrounded by so many young people who want to get trained and get action experience! The rooms for the action panels are packed, standing room only. This is a different time, and youth can feel it!

Some of the questions folks are asking are how to maintain hope against impossible odds, how to risk arrest in a time of economic crisis, how to make your actions effective. The answers are deep, from people who are experienced.

Nothing maintains hope like victory! The economic crisis is a moment of opportunity - to live lives of sustainability and interdependence and passion every day. Actions can be effective when you think about your goals, your target, your negotiation, and loving your opponent enought to free them from oppressive behavior. Uplifting stuff from folks who have been doing this for years and haven't given up!

Check out Power Shift and Capitol Climate Action to get more information on all of this.

Getting More Out of Green Jobs

Posted by Michelle Chen at 3:57 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

(This post originally appeared on RaceWire)

Environmentalists are excited about the stimulus package, which includes fresh funding for green infrastructure and green jobs. Now the task before community advocates, organized labor, and the environmental movement is peering through the political hype to turn the concept of the green economy into a sustainable, and equitable, reality.

At yesterday’s “Race and Jobs” phone conference, Julian Mocine-McQueen of Green for All acknowledged that historically, even solid job training programs have not always been able to route people into quality jobs. But he also pointed to various projects, such as the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance, that focus on making the green economy a unique pathway for workers who have faced barriers to opportunity in the mainstream economy.

Fred Redman, vice president of United Steelworkers of America International, said unions will play a central role in executing the green initiatives coming down from Congress—and working-class people of color have a special stake in this effort. On the federal dollars allotted for green job training programs, he said that labor-community coalitions will work to “see to it that these training dollars reach our communities.” He noted longstanding tensions about racial diversity in the building trades, and the need to build alliances to promote government-supported green job training for communities of color.

The AFL-CIO, which has lately stressed addressing racial discrimination as a keystone of its organizing agenda, has just rolled out a platform for seeding union-standard green jobs in established and emerging industries.

Meanwhile, the national advocacy network Apollo Alliance recently published "High Road or Low Road?," a report detailing possible pitfalls that a rush toward green jobs might bring--namely, employers failing to make jobs as decent for workers as they are beneficial for the environment. In an article put out by the Alliance, Philip Mattera of Good Jobs First, the report’s principal author, warned:

“public discussion of green jobs has focused almost entirely on the number or type of employment opportunities that could be created by a clean energy revolution. The question of whether these new jobs will offer wages, benefits, and working conditions needed to sustain families and communities has received much less attention.”

“Just because a company purports to be green doesn’t mean that it isn’t engaging in questionable practices as far as labor is concerned... Green companies are not necessarily enlightened when it comes to labor practices.”

The current fiscal climate could further impede progressive green-job initiatives. Despite the momentum in Congress, one conservation job program for disadvantaged youth in California may soon face severe cutbacks— a result of the “hard choices” the state must make in negotiating its budget deficit.

At the conference, Redman said activists should remain “vigilant” about protecting labor standards, as there are “no guarantees” that the green items in the stimulus package, such as funds for energy-efficiency and public transit projects, will translate into lots more union jobs. “This could be the future of manufacturing as we know it in the United States,” he said, "and we need to make sure that these jobs are sustainable.”

If we don't, what has been sold as a boost to the environment may amount to a net loss for our human habitat—the communities struggling for traction on the green economy's landscape.

Organizers Dress to Impress at Climate Action

Posted by Joshua Kahn Russell at 4:00 PM | Comment Now | Permalink

(This post originally appeared on It's Getting Hot in Here)

On March 2, 2009, thousands of people from all walks of life -- and organizations from across the political spectrum -- will gather in their dress clothes at the coal-fired power plant that powers the United States Congress for the Capitol Climate Action in Washington, DC. The Capitol Power Plant is a flashpoint and national symbol for a clear message of real solutions, healthy jobs and communities, and climate justice.

We’ve all heard that movements for ecological sanity and social justice are in a crucial political moment. We’re moving from margin to center, and ideas that were once considered on the radical fringe are seen as common sense and self-evident. We’re embracing strategies that employ a diversity of complimentary tactics. Our president proudly writes a narrative of American progress driven by civic engagement and social movement. Our battle is no longer of whether climate change is real, but whether or not we will meet this challenge with the speed and urgency our times require with solutions that are deep enough to solve the economic and climate crisis for everyone, not just for a few.

Read the rest of the post »

Survival is Non-Negotiable

Posted by Joshua Kahn Russell at 11:40 AM | Comment Now | Permalink

(Joshua Kahn Russell is blogging live from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Poznan, Poland)

Young people from around the world made their voice heard today at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP14) in Poznan, Poland. After an inspiring speech from Al Gore, over 200 young people from India to the U.S. to the Congo held a spontaneous action inside, with banners that read "SURVIVAL IS NON-NEGOTIABLE."

The demonstration was the next step in our "project survival" - inspired by a speech earlier this week by a representative from the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), stating that current emissions targets set by powerful countries condemn their nations to extinction. In the last two days youth have mobilized to get over 80 country delegations to sign a pledge to "safeguard the survival of all peoples and nations." These young people organized actions, tracked down delegates in the halls, lined the entrance to the plenaries, and knocked on meeting room doors to push their countries to sign the Survival Pledge. This morning our text has been adopted in the official UN Ministerial declaration document emerging from COP14, the COP President's text on long-term vision. Heads of state referenced our call in major speeches.

"It's been an amazing success," said Amanda McKenzie, of the Australian Youth Climate Network. "Hearing Australia's Climate Minister Penny Wong commit to 'survival' yesterday had me cheering in the halls. Now, it's time to make sure she delivers."

Actions like the one that happened today aim to create the pressure to do just that. At the end of our action (after engaging with some angry UN people) several delegates and dignitaries came to thank the youth for their action. One woman said "I am in a very high position in my government in Norway. Youth doing actions like this makes my work easier. Thank you."

We've had an exciting victory, but we know we must continue to organize to make the implications of that statement meaningful - we know that any targets less than 350ppm will not insure the survival of all peoples and nations, and we know that any solution that is not equitable and just, is no solution at all.

While our demonstration today was not permitted by the United Nations, young people felt compelled to step outside the boundaries of rules and etiquette to ensure that the main message emerging from COP14 is one of survival. We will continue to work year round, taking on this generational challenge.

Going Green, Part II

Posted by Kristia Castrillo at 9:22 AM | 1 comment | Permalink

(This post originally appeared on FobbDeep)

**Read the first part of this series.

Dear Young Gifted Black and Brown Folks, and their ill White allies,

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to get trained on Green Building, Permaculture, and hella other shit through work. Over the past weeks, coming home from these discussions I’ve then had the task of translating what these words actually mean to me. The official idea of permaculture in short is to take lessons from our ancestors and how they lived, combine it with our present-day technologies and find a realistic way for people to thrive. Permaculture also encourages a critique of trade laws, labor practices…But really yo, that ain’t the bottom line. You want more than just cleaner air, you have to go to a far bigger word - Revolution. But that’s for another day.

One of the most incredible parts of permaculture to me is the big picture. If I give into a craving and I buy some red licorice, I am not just doing horrible damage to my brain (sugar), my blood sugar levels (corn syrup), and risking cancer (red 40 food coloring). I’m also using up plastic, paper, water, and other resources needed to make the candy and the packaging. Then whatever waste comes out of my body from that food - that same poison is going into the ocean and soil. And guess where that ends up - in the crops that someone else is going to eat. Crazy, right?

But beyond some candy I might eat, let’s get to whole way of life that permaculture is about. It’s really not that new of an idea. In the Philippines we make bags out of candy wrappers, houses out of scrap metal, and kitchenware from tin cans. While sitting on the train I thought to myself:

• How can I live like recent immigrants do? How did Mom and Lola use resources when they first got here and were livin in somebody’s basement in Daly City?
• How do I live like a Filipino in the Philippines, even though I am now a Filipino in the States?

International Youth call for a Climate Rescue Plan at UN

Posted by Joshua Kahn Russell at 8:48 AM | Comment Now | Permalink

It’s day four of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Poznan, Poland, but it feels like I’ve been here for months.

I’m up before the sun rises and in bed after midnight – and the action is nonstop. I am one of 500 youth delegates here from over 54 countries across the globe, from India to Peru, to Australia. We’re indigenous and non, we’re as young as 16, and we’re all climate activists. We’ve been meeting with governments, participating in negotiations, harassing corporations, training each other in everything from climate justice to organizing skills, and speaking clearly and loudly: young people are collaborating across borders and have a shared vision. We want binding, equitable, science-based targets, and we’re going to fight for them.

One of the ways that we’ve been telling our story is through actions – we’ve been coordinating two per day! This afternoon, we hosted a “Who Wants To Be a Trillionaire?” game show. One contestant was the “big banks,” who have recently won 4.1 trillion dollars in government bailouts from the E.U. and the U.S. The other was a “climate rescue plan” which got over 40 times less - a measly 13.1 billion (if that doesn’t sound like a big disparity, check out the graph on this report here.

The United States Congress has committed zero dollars. Despite getting all the questions wrong, the “big banks” got all the money anyway. A rambunctious game show audience held a banner that said: "EU Bailout: $2.8 Trillion. US Bailout: $1.3 Trillion. Climate Rescue: Priceless.”

Our point was simple: the same people who have spent decades telling us they can’t afford to save our planet, can clearly move trillions of dollars within weeks (when their own pocketbooks are directly affected). The issue is not lack of resources, it's lack of political will. Youth are demanding our governments invest in a strong green economy, our planet, and our future.

Lucky for us, this economic crisis presents us with a wonderful opportunity. The opening day here in Poland, the UNFCCC said that the economic crisis is no excuse for inaction. We are saying that in fact, it’s the best reason in the world to invest in clean energy now, creating green jobs and sparking opportunity worldwide.

If we are bailing out failing industries (from financial systems to auto industries) with public funds, then the public should be able to make demands upon them. Journalist Naomi Klein once called the idea “people’s structural adjustment.” This is a powerful moment for governments who suddenly have more control - if they choose to - over massive sectors of industry, by exercising leverage for climate demands. We need to renew these sectors. It's not just about money, it's about innovation and curbing their emissions. We can tie government lending to demands that industry become more innovative and more climate conscious.

We know that any solution to the climate crisis that is not equitable and just, is no solution at all. International youth are at the United Nations tasking the leaders of the world with no less than fundamentally changing the way our economies work. This crisis gives us an opportunity to take a massive step forward with instituting a Green New Deal and investing in a new truly just, sustainable economy.

Going Green

Posted by Kristia Castrillo at 9:24 AM | Comment Now | Permalink

(This post originally appeared on Doorknockers and was reprinted on FobbDeep)

Many people I meet consider me “environmentally-conscious.” I thought I was doin pretty good, then I did this activity called the Ecological Footprint (PDF). It’s a survey where you are asked about everyday things you do - how long your showers are, whether or not you compost, how much you recycle, what kind of foods you eat - and it tells you at the end how much of the earth’s resources you’re using up.

The activity tells us that there are 2 hectares available to each human being in the world. Yo so tell me why my co-workers and I completed it we all found out that we were using 6-8 hectares each. What you find is that when people who live in the West (North American and Western Europe) take the test, we’re usually using far more of the world’s resources than other folks.

I seriously encourage you to take the activity. Even for the treehuggers, it’s enlightening to be reminded of how much of an impact your everyday actions have. When you go shopping for those new stillettos or kicks, you’re not just contributing to fucked up labor standards, meanie corporations, you’re also using up natural resources. Water is needed to make practically everything from plastics to dyed fabrics.

So here I am, I use cloth napkins (99cent bandannas to be exact) in my house, I recycle like other folks, but I’m still wasting so much. I mean 7.72 hectares?! So that’s it, I decided. We goin green yo. All or nothin. I live in the U.S. for now but still, what things can I do in the meantime? Well here’s a small list of shit I’ve changed this week since doing the Ecological Footprint…

1. We flush our toilet less.

I confirmed it with roomates, I made a sign for guests, done. This means that we wait for 4-5 people to pee before we flush to conserve water. You can also put a jar of rocks in the back of toilet which takes up space, thus it uses less water to flush. Dude, your toilet is using 5 gallons average each time you flush. That’s hella!

2. Re-use water when possible.

For example, water that I use to wash vegetables and fruits, I save for my plants.

3. I’ve started a small herb and vegetable garden.

I just think it’s healthy to know even just a tiny bit about producing food, about being comfortable with dirt again. It saves you money, it makes me happy because it’s relaxing, and it’s a beautiful addition to your home. Even if you live in a studio apartment you can have something very small. Seriously this ain’t gotta be big. I just have little pots around the house.

4. I take shorter showers and turn the water off while soaping myself.

If you’ve never lived outside of America, this is prolly a hard one for you. But really this is about keepin it real! That's a lot of water going down the drain merely for your comfort. You can also eventually get to filling a bucket with water and then using that instead of the shower. Y’all Filipinos know what I’m sayin: use that tabo!

5. Hang dry laundry when possible.

Saves you money, saves us all energy. Yes, please.

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