Tag Archives: 350MA

Everything You Wanted to Ask Your State Official About Carbon Goals, But Were Afraid to Ask

by
 Energy Exodus-Susan
Photo from 350MA Energy Exodus, Summer 2013 


Given the lack of action at the Congressional level on setting limits to carbon extraction, the states must play a leading role in the urgent task of transitioning to a low-no-carbon future. This Guide can be helpful to you in many situations, for example, when meeting with your state legislators to express concern about their delay in enacting plans to meet the carbon-reduction deadlines of the Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act[1].


Also, the Guide is useful during this current election campaign for Governor, when you will be able to ask the candidates questions regarding the state’s energy policies—quickly you can separate the competent candidates from the climate-ignorant candidates. Accompanying each of the following questions is a link (in endnote) to a reference document, article, or video to further educate the officials that can only respond with “That’s a very good question.”


Questions re--The Context of the Problem


If a 2-degree C increase in global temperature is to be avoided, how much of the existing carbon reserves must stay in the ground?[2]


 Has the Massachusetts average temperature been rising since 1990? How much?[3]


 What are the projections for changes in regional temperature and rainfall due to climate change?[4]


 What are the projections for sea level rise and inundation?[5]


Where will the flood level be in Boston under different storms?[6] 


 Questions re-Accountability for the Problem of Global Warming


What percentage of global green house gases are caused by sources in the United States?[7]


 How is the national government addressing the problem?[8]


 What are the main contributors in Massachusetts to carbon-loading of the atmosphere?[9]


Questions re-State Actions to Reduce Carbon Emissions


What is the law in Massachusetts regarding percentage reductions and deadlines for meeting its carbon reduction goals?[10]


 Given that the individual states have considerable authority to enact programs and policies to reduce carbon, what is Massachusetts doing?[11]


 How would additional fossil fuel infrastructure, e.g., gas plants, affect the state’s plan to reduce carbon emissions?[12]


 Questions re-State Transition to Renewable Energy


 How will state government ensure a transition to a fossil free energy economy?[13]


 Are you aware that the state government does not yet have a plan for meeting the reduction goals for 2050 (i.e., 80% of its 1990 carbon levels) as required by law?[14]


 Do you support passage of S.1225 to divest state pension funds from fossil fuels? (The Massachusetts state pension fund holds approximately $1.4 billion worth of assets in fossil fuel companies.  If the companies continue with business-as-usual to profit from wrecking the planet, shouldn’t Massachusetts divest itself from these funds, especially since our local economy is well-suited to designing and building renewable energy infrastructure?)[15]


 [1] Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008, http://www.mass.gov/eea/air-water-climate-change/climate-change/massachusetts-global-warming-solutions-act/;





 [3] http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk: and http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/crutem4/ ;  (go to Google Earth crutema4 map with Boston Station_42.5N 67.5Wkmz);















END


Submission by Susan Redlich to “Turning Down the Heat” https://class.coursera.org/warmerworld-001


 




 

			

			
						

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Awesome Actions  (And More Needed!)


				

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Looking for ideas for your direct actions? Climate Reality’s monthly conference call on March 21 with organizers around the country provides a bloom of ideas for spring-boarding into action. Contact info for the groups on the call is at end of blog.


For a map of this week’s actions across the country see:

http://www.tarsandsblockade.org/weekofaction/planned_actions/. Included on the map is Massachusetts’ protest at TransCanada’s office in Westborough, and in New Haven, Connecticut, a protest at TD Bank, one of the biggest financiers of the pipeline. Occupy Pipeline New York has actions on Saturday at TD banks.


TD Protest_Occupy the Pipeline NYC


More ideas (in green) from groups on the call:


SHARE YOUR MATERIALS. Follow http://occupythepipeline.blogspot.com/ They will upload your materials or send to KXLBlockade@gmail.com . Materials for actions against TD Bank: http://bit.ly/TDdivest


SHARE YOUR NEWS  Tar Sands Blockade provides on-line media support for actions across the country.


BE THEATRICAL TO ATTRACT MORE MEDIA ATTENTION. A well-rehearsed funeral procession at the TransCanada office in Massachusetts, with original song by Meladeego, (www.FuneralforOurFuture.wordpress.org) that involved 100 protesters on March 11 could be re-staged at other blockade target sites.


Funeral for our future


Video at www.FuneralforOurFuture.wordpress.com


Greenpeace and NCWARN in North Carolina issued a call to “Get Out Your Shoes” for a campaign aimed at Duke Energy to “Walk In Our Shoes”. The campaign against inequitable serial rate hikes by Duke Energy in North Carolina also was a call for people to think of the climate impacts and to walk on a renewable path. Shoes were donated to a non-profit. The actions were followed by a sticker campaign “Give the rate hike a boot!”.


At an anti-fracking protest at a land auction by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, people showed up in haz mat uniforms. Puppets work too, such as the ostrich puppet that buries its head in the sand, and a polar bear with a pre-purchased ticket entering a corporate fund-raising event.


INCLUDE A CULTURAL COMPONENT TO ACTIONS.     Invite local groups to perform such as the Raging Grannies singing parodies of familiar songs; dancers; and bands.


TARGET THE FUNDING STREAMS.      Tar Sands Blockade.org’s corporate action strategy targets the funding streams that bank-roll or profit from toxic projects. The TD Bank is the site of several protests, e.g., Montpelier, VT. In Seattle, “Stop Tar Sands Profiteers Week of Action” continues strong with over 40 rallying at a pipeline company Michels Construction office outside Seattle.


SHOW UP AT PUBLIC MEETINGS AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AVENUES FOR COMMENT.    Delaware Riverkeeper Network staged a People’s Hearing when they were silenced during a Delaware River Basin Commission meeting. Their campaign against fracking wants the Commission to look at the cumulative effects of proposed pipelines across the river basin, not one by one. Although the DRBC stopped gas drilling in the basin, pipelines are starting to cut across the basin carrying gas from other states. Riverkeepers had followed the public process earlier by attending hearings and submitting comments, to no effect. With warning, they attended the Commission meeting on March 6 and took over the meeting in order to present testimony that the regulations aren’t working sufficiently and the Commission continues “to sit on its hands and let FERC do the regulatory process.” Power already exists in the DRBC compact to make regulations. People (120+) stood up to give public testimonies from their seats; when the Commissioner called a recess in the back room, the protesters chanted and continued the meeting for 2 hours. They presented a citizen resolution for a vote, but were denied. Although not successful in bringing a vote against pipelines, the action helped with building their organization and increasing dialogue. The Riverkeepers had laid the groundwork through public comment.


SHOW OFF SUSTAINABILITY IN YOUR TOWN.      The Berkeley Climate Action Coalition organized a Sustainability Walk and Neighborhood Asset Mapping Event by inviting the public on a walking tour of locally sustainable businesses and organizations.


EXPAND ON EARLIER ACTIONS.     When 26 people handcuffed themselves together at the TransCanada office in Westborough MA earlier this month they were following on the heels of 8 students that chained themselves together inside the office in January. More than 75 supporters showed up as well. Within two weeks of the March action, another demo occurred at same location.


GET SUPPORT AND CARE FOR YOURSELF.   Have you experienced organizer fatigue? Standing up to big oil can be exhausting. Some activists in Texas are facing a year in prison right now. Others have spent several weeks at a time. We have to have support and self-care to keep it up.


To hear the recording of the full call: https://www.freeconferencecallhd.com/playback.html?n=81941444-17-65-67-17-65-67-17-65-678-17-65-6732-17-65-67765174820;0OTMzNDY4MDI=1

Presenters:

Tar Sands Blockade – Ethan Nuss. http://www.tarsandsblockade.org/weekofaction/

Funeral for our Future – Adam Greenberg  http://www.funeralforourfuture.wordpress.com/

Delaware Riverkeeper Network – Faith Zerbe http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/

The Berkeley Climate Action Coalition –Marna Schwartz http://www.ecologycenter.org/climatecoalition/

NCWARN – Connie Leeper http://www.ncwarn.org/

The Center for Biological Diversity – Rose Braz  http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/



		
	
			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
No Tar Sands Oil Pipelines.  Not in the Northeast. Not Anywhere.


				

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Demonstrators braved freezing temperatures on January 23 to urge legislators in the New England states to “freeze” proposals for shipping tar sands bitumen oil from Alberta, through ExxonMobil pipelines leading to Portland, Maine. A protest demonstration in Portland, Maine, is scheduled for January 26.  This event is expected to be the largest cross-border pipeline action the northeast has ever seen. More on this event at http://www.tarsandsfreene.org/about  Map of pipeline route: http://tinyurl.com/bkcthzx.


Because the project would be a substantial modification of the current pipeline crossing, opponents are demanding that first, a presidential permit be required, per State Department Executive order 11423, as well as a complete environmental impact statement which includes an analysis of the tar sands climate impact. Scientists have found that extracting and burning tar sands will cause catastrophic global warming.


Then President Obama must keep Tar Sands out of New England by refusing to issue this pipeline a new Presidential Permit.


Also this month, groups of citizens mobilized by 350MA are visiting their local Congressional offices with an explicit “ask”:  that the elected official publicly take a stand against projects that would transport tar sands oil in the U.S., particularly the proposed Northeast Tar Sands Pipeline. On Jan.14, for example, ten people met with a staff person in Congressman Markey’s Medford, MA, office to ask that Congressman Markey take all necessary steps to block development of tar sands oil pipelines and make a public statement committing to:  “No tar sands oil pipelines.  Not in the Northeast. Not anywhere.”  The participants emphasized the urgency of taking a stand as ExxonMobil, the majority owner of the Portland-to-Montreal pipeline, is moving forward with plans to reverse flow to accommodate Canadian tar sands oil shipped from Alberta.  The pipeline currently ships conventional crude from Portland to Montreal. If allowed, the company would be able to export tar sands through the east coast.


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Today: Tar Sands Protests Across the East Coast 1/21/13


				

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This Martin Luther King Day, our friends at 350 MA have reminded us that actions are planned along the US and Canadian costs protesting expanded distribution of tar sands crude. The bitumen derived fuel source has been widely criticized, as it results in higher green house gas emissions than conventional oil. Extraction from the Athabasca tar sands have received particular scrutiny, due to the impacts that the extraction process has had on indigenous communities in the area.


Export to the west is blocked by legal disputes. Export to the south has been somewhat hampered by legal disputes and protests (primarily in texas). Export to the North is blocked by the Arctic. Todays protests are focused on export to the East.  For a more in depth synopsis, see Susan Redlich’s post: On the Front Lines of  Tar Sands Resistance.


Also, check out the Occupy New England 3rd Regional Convergence in Portland Maine on January 26th. Working with 350 New England this gathering will have a strong focus on transitioning away from fossil fuels including the expansion of tar sands and natural gas derived from fracking (especially the Algonquin Pipeline).


Today’s schedule (via Vanessa Rule):


SOLIDARITY ACTIONS  — to sign up for a MA action.






United States  MASSACHUSETTS


1/23/2013


Amherst — ExxonMobil Station, No Tar Sands Picket, 399 Northampton Street 12:30 – 1:30pm, Contact: John Berkowitz, johnpberk@gmail.com.


Amherst – Human Pipeline demonstration, Amherst Common, 3pm Contact: Sarai Zelada and Lundy Bancroft at srzelada9@gmail.com


Billerica – ExxonMobil Station, 441 Boston Rd 3-6pm Contact: Debbie Bernstein at djbernstein2@gmail.com


Boston – Mass Canvass and Human Pipeline across Copley Square Copley Square, MA 1/23/2013 4; 5:30 Dorian Williams 773-289-2240 dorianswilliams@gmail.com


Cambridge/Somerville – ExxonMobil Station, 816 Memorial Drive, 3-6pm Contact: Rachel Wyon at r.wyon2010@gmail.com


Concord – ExxonMobil Station, 1089 Concord Turnpike Station, 3-6pm Contacgt: Jas Smith at jasssmith@yahoo.com


Greenfield – ExxonMobil Station, 142 Mohawk Trail, 3-6pm Contact: George Aguiar at geogruven@gmail.com


Mattapan – ExxonMobil Station , 1181 Blue Hill Road, 3-6pm Contact: Sierra Kahn at sierrakahn@hotmail.com


Newton – ExxonMobil Station, 845 Moody Street, 3-6pm Contact: Eric Packer at epacker@fwg.com


NEW HAMPSHIRE/VERMONT


1/23/13


Lancaster, NH – Hands Across the Connecticut River, Lancaster Bridge at Route 2 and the Connecticut River, Noon Contact: Corry Hughes at stoptrailbreaker.nh@gmail.com


MAINE


1/23/13


Bangor – Bangor Tar Sands Free New England Rally and Congressional office visits, 11am – 2 pm Contact: Read Brugger read@350Maine.org


Greater Portland – 1) 11:30 Rally/Protest in South Portland. 2) Possible Congressional Office Visits 3) Attendance @ the City of Portland Council Hearing @ 7 pm regarding anti-Tar Sands Resolution 1) notable Tar Sands target – to be identified 2) Portland 3) Portland Contact: Bob Klotz at 350maine@gmail.com


1/25/2013


Rockland – TB Bank Informational Picket, TD Bank, 34 School Street, Noon Contact: Aimee Moffitt-Mercer at aimee@midcoast.com


VERMONT


1/23/13


Burlington – Flashmob: No Pipelines! Wall of Resistance and Solidarity, Church Street and Main Street 12:30- 1:00 CONTACT: Ruby Perry at ruby@350vt.org


1/26/13


Burlington – Line 9 – No Tars Sands Oil across Ontario, Burlington Public Library, 2331 New Street 2pm-5pm Contact: Elysia Petrone at epetrone@lakeheadu.ca


Canada


1/19/2013


Montreal, Quebec – THE TAR SANDS COME TO QUEBEC: A community forum to build resistance and alternatives to tar sands pipelines Concordia University – Hall Building 1455 De Maisonneuve W. 9AM – 6PM Amara Possian a.possian@gmail.com


1/23/2013


Ottawa – Oil Sands-Free Ontario, Parliament Hill 3 pm Contact: Alex Guest at alexcguest@gmail.com


1/26/2013


Toronto – StopLine 9 – Hendon Ave at Yonge St (at Line 9) 1pm


Toronto – No Line 9! block at Rally for Rights and Democracy, Allan Gardens (Jarvis & Carleton) 1 pm – 4 pm by Rising Tide Toronto


Toronto – No tar sands in our communities – United Across Borders Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West 10:30:00 Contact: Sabrina Bowmansbowman@environmentaldefence.ca

			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Quick Update on Westborough Eight


				

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The Keystone XL protesters who used chains and glue to bind themselves together in TransCanada’s Westborough, MA office have all been processed. They are, left to right, Ben Thompson, 22, a PhD student studying Mathematics at Boston University, Dorian Williams, 21, an Anthropology major at Brandeis University, Shea Riester, 22, a recent graduate of  Brandeis University and a student of social movements, Devyn Powell, 20, and International Relations and Environmental Studies major at Tufts University, Emily Edgerly, 20, an Environmental Studies major at Tufts University, Lisa Purdy, 20, an Environmental Studies major at Brandeis University, Alli Welton, 20, a History of Science major at Harvard University, and Ben Trolio an Environmental Conservation Studies major at the University of New Hampshire.


To understand their reasons for doing this, please see their blog and bios.


Most, if not all, are members of Students for a Just and Stable Future (SJSF). (Some have also been active in CASEJ) Around the time of their release SJSF tweeted the following:



“The costs of action are far less than the costs of inaction.” The hope of these youth is to inspire you to fight w/ @350Mass@KXLBlockade


Later followed by:


Wanna hang out with these kids? @350Mass TOMORROW @ First Church Cambridge 11 Garden St Cambridge, MA [ 6 – 7pm potluck, 7 – 9pm meeting ]


This and other actions around the country kicked off an anticipated series of protests against Keystone XL and tarsands that will span the next several days. Now, what will it take for the present leaders to heed the message of the coming generation?


~ Nuevaspora

			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Local Climate Activist Arrested In Texas KXL Protest


				

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We have just received word that Murtaza Nek, MIT graduate and active participant in 350 Massachusetts and Students for a Just and Stable Future was arrested in a protest against the construction of the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. Readers may recognize him as the young man who has voiced the importance of climate justice at several Occupy Boston events.


The southern leg of the Keystone XL is presently under construction with the intent to bring tar sands crude from Alberta, Canada to Huston ports. Last year, Dr. James Hansen, prominent climate scientist, head of NASSA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and adjunct professor at Columbia University explained the risk in a New York Times Op Ed:


Canada’s tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If we were to fully exploit this new oil source, and continue to burn our conventional oil, gas and coal supplies, concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere eventually would reach levels higher than in the Pliocene era, more than 2.5 million years ago, when sea level was at least 50 feet higher than it is now. That level of heat-trapping gases would assure that the disintegration of the ice sheets would accelerate out of control. Sea levels would rise and destroy coastal cities. Global temperatures would become intolerable. Twenty to 50 percent of the planet’s species would be driven to extinction. Civilization would be at risk.


The update on Murtaza comes from climate and social justice advocate Dorian Williams, who writes:


Dear fellow proponents of climate justice,


Many of you may know Murtaza Nek as he has been an active participant of 350 Massachusetts and Students for a Just and Stable Future. Recently he took a trip down to Texas to contribute to the Tar Sands Blockade’s fight against the construction of the southern leg of Keystone XL Pipeline.


 


As of 11:50am on January 3rd, Murtaza was arrested in Texas while trying to provide direct support to his friends partaking in a particularly vulnerable tree sit for the Tar Sands Blockade. 


 


You can learn more and see the footage of the arrest here: http://tarsandsblockade.org/15th-action/


 


For those of who have not had a chance to meet Murtaza, he has been an amazingly strong and dedicated ally in this movement. Having accomplished Climate Summer this past year, where he biked from town-to-town across Massachusetts supporting climate action and discussion, Murtaza brought back his organizing and bike power here. Every week, Murtaza would bike from Worcester to Cambridge and back to participate in SJSF and 350MA meetings, helping organize and participate in actions targeting fossil fuels like tar sands and natural gas.


 


Now he needs our commitment and support in return. Please spread the word and consider donating to the legal fund that would enable his release: https://www.wepay.com/donations/tsbdonate.


 


In Peace and Solidarity,


Dorian


Murtaza Nek is one of several protesters who have recently been arrested in protests against Keystone XL’s southern leg. For more information on the tar sands, check out the following links:


Hansen’s TED talk


Photographer Garth Lenz on Alberta Tar Sands: The True Cost Of Oil


~ Nuevaspora

			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
High School Students Explain Significance of Climate Change


				

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On Saturday Oct. 27th, this young woman spoke to the threat and magnitude of climate change before a crowd at the week long Vigil to End Climate Silence in Boston’s Government Center. It would be three days before several elected officials would choose to follow suit, responding the the shocking destruction of Hurricane Sandy. On this election day, voters are still wondering where many candidates stand on this issue.


Recording by Susan R.


Update: Don’t miss this amazing essay, posted today on Climate Progress, from 16 year old climate activist and now Sandy survivor, Maya Faison.


“I am 16 years old and I am currently in my home in Laurelton, Queens.  It is day six with no heat, no power and no gas in my mom’s car to escape.

 Trees are down all over my neighborhood and at night it is pitch dark, with only the moon as light. I feel paralyzed with cold.


…Our nation is in danger and my future is in danger.

 This is the future I want: a country that is better prepared for climate and environmental disasters, and is working proactively to mitigate global warming. Just like we have fire drills in school, we need to have evacuation plans and disaster preparedness kits.  We must rely less on oil and more on alternative energy, and reduce carbon emissions by any means necessary. We need more preservation of natural resources and less consumption. We cannot continue to provide subsidies to oil and gas companies that are wreaking havoc on our earth.  Science matters, and we must educate the next generation on the realities of climate change so we are all working to promote a better, more sustainable future.”


~ Nuevaspora

			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Vigil to End Climate Silence ~ Finale


				

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I will not go down under the ground, 

Cause somebody tells me that deaths comin’ round

…


I have read all their statements and I’ve not said a word

But now Lawd God let my poor voice be heard

Let me die in my footsteps 

Before I go down under the ground


Let me Die in My Footsteps

~Bob Dylan


I would like to sum up the end of the Vigil to End Climate Silence. In the end the silence was broken but it had little to do with the vigil and more to do with the images of destruction all along the east coast. These images mirrored the warnings of the prominent climate scientists and those familiar with their work. Until recently, much of this had been dismissed as alarmist and it was even the fodder of jokes.


However, as the storm barreled towards the east coast the levity stopped and all along the eastern seaboard people bunkered down. By the time it hit land, having maintained much of it’s massive reach, there was little anyone could do but watch, helpless, as electricity went out all along the eastern seaboard and portions of the most populous city in the country were submerged in sea water. The storm has thus far been reported to have killed over 180 people (with at least 113 killed in the US), and has left many others displaced, in some cases indefinitely.


It is important to note that in the midst of the historic failure of our national leaders to minimize the likelihood of such events by effectively curbing green house gas emissions, and despite their present failure to address the situation head on, many citizens have been vigilant.


Vigil to End Climate Silence ~ Wednesday, Oct. 24th, 2012


For nearly the entire week prior, a steady stream of volunteers had been maintaining a Vigil to End Climate Silence in Boston’s Government Center. Over 200 volunteers took on shifts, calling attention to the failure of our national leaders to address the changing climate and take necessary measures for keeping us safe. The vigil was organized by 350MA and other local groups. Volunteers from all over the area came out, and they included several organizers from Occupy Boston. It is important to mention that though the vigil was nominally called off this Monday in the wake of Sandy, it continued none the less.


Two of the volunteers insisted on staying and one, Sage Radachowsky, insisted on staying through the entire night. He was sheltered only by a self made “occupod” tied to a flag pole. (The occupod is a carbon neutral, mobile shelter attached to a bike, designed by Radachowsky and Brian Brown). Another Occupy organizer offered to stay out with him protected by just a rain coat, but was discouraged by Radachowsky from sitting out in the storm without any shelter at all. On one side of the occupod a giant sign read “Denial is Not an Energy Policy”, on the other side was a sign that read, “What’s the use of a fine house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on”.


Vigil to End Climate Silence, as storm approached on Monday Oct. 29th 2012


“I read Thoreau and Peter Gelderloos, and listened to the radio through the night.  Finally, around 9pm, the storm broke and all became silent. There was a quiet peace for half an hour, before all the whirring blowers and fans of the city came back on. I walked to the wharf and looked at the sea” explained Radachowsky.


“I stayed out because I wanted our statement to be fierce, and to make a stand that would be noticed by many people. I didn’t want to throw in the towel just because a hurricane was on the way. The worst that would have happened, most likely, is that the trike shelter would have gotten smashed to bits and my camera and phone gotten wet.  I would have ducked for cover, if that had happened. As it went, I spent many tense hours wondering when the bug gust would come and blow it apart, but the vehicle was resilient, and it bent instead of breaking! Like a birch tree, the walls bent over sideways and then sprung right back up. This made me happy, because I love the quality of resilience, and I think that our energy systems need to have that quality, so to find it in something i built made me happy.”


Despite the battering of the storm, the vigil persisted and was able to meet its target goal, continuing nonstop in Boston’s Government Center from Tuesday Oct. 23 to Tuesday Oct. 30th.


While national leaders continue to refrain from discussing a truly comprehensive energy policy, one that takes our safety into account, ordinary citizens are entering the public discussion and demanding that we end our support of fossil fuels and reduce our emissions now. These are people who are willing to risk their own comfort and safety to protect others. That too is a force to be reckoned with.


~ Nuevaspora

			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Update: Vigil to end Today at Noon


				

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This just in from Vanessa of Better Future Project and 350MA, re Hurricane Sandy and the Vigil:


Hello all,


After careful consideration, we have decided that the best course of action at this point is to end the Vigil for Climate Silence at noon today, Monday. This storm is predicted to cause dangerous winds, disruptive flooding and power outages and the public transit system may not remain open through the storm. We feel that safety of participants and making sure people don’t get stranded downtown without a way to get home is more important than sticking it out.


Thanks to the people who came out this morning and those who planned to come in later. Thanks to the folks who made it through last night’s night shift. See this great story about the Vigil from WBUR!


We should all feel proud of what we have accomplished in the last week and move forward with resolve and energized for our next effort.   Thank you to all who participated.


We have a ton of video footage and photos that we will be posting in the coming day. Please send any stories, photos and videos to photos@350ma.org.


This storm is further evidence of what we are facing as a result of climate change and why we need to make sure it is part of the public debate. Please take this opportunity to communicate this in the coming days.   Onward!


Vanessa



			

	
	


				
					



	

		
					

		
Update on Vigil & Hurricane Sandy


				

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We just got this update on the Vigil to End Climate Silence from Marla. Please let people know that they are out there in the rain, working to break the #ClimateSilence.


Message:


Vigil is on. Playing it by ear. We will update with any changes at 350ma.org/vigil on the 350 Massachusetts facebook page and the vigil event page and via twitter @350Mass and @marlamarcum and @BetterFuturePro.


We have use of Old West Church (where we used to gather for CASEJ meetings at 131 Cambridge Street, Boston, just down the street). People can bring a change of clothes and leave them in the church if they like so they can change into dry clothes after their shifts.


Please be in touch with me, Marla Marcum, if you have questions: marla.marcum@gmail.com


If you cannot join us, please consider committing to be a virtual vigiler by spreading the word that we are out there on social media, calling the Globe News Desk, calling amd emailing other news outlets’ tip lines.


This part of the vigil will be worth the discomfort if we can really show the world that climate silence is an urgent problem that deserves our attention and our voices… Perhaps especially durimg a hurricane (but we WILL NOT endanger people or ask anybody to do anything they think is dangerous)

-Marla