Event - Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's 2017 Summit

Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council's 2017 Summit (SPLC Summit 2017) will take place on Monday, May 8, 2017 - Wednesday, 10, 2017 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown,1550 Court Place, Denver, Colorado. The Summit brings together 400+ leading procurement and sustainability professionals, suppliers, and NGO experts from diverse sectors and regions to share, simplify, and spread the best sustainable purchasing practices across the whole economy.

Examples of sessions

The Business Case for Sustainable Purchasing Purchasing for a Circular Economy Purchasing with End of Life in Mind: Diversion, Zero-Waste, and Pre-thinking Product Design  

Featured Speakers

Shahid Javed, Global Chief Procurement Officer
Jones Lang LaSalle
Joan Kerr, Director, Supply Chain Responsibility, Pacific Gas & Electric
Jeanette Rennie, Senior Contracts Officer, The World Bank Group
Bill Hall, Director, Sustainability and Business Continuity, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

SPLC Connect

Matchmaking Event for Sustainability-focused Buyers & Suppliers SPLC Connect is a sustainability-oriented buyer-supplier matchmaking event that will be held on Monday, May 8th at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel. This is a separate event from the Summit. You are welcome to register for Connect only. However, if you are attending the Summit, you will add Connect to your registration on the Agenda page.
Click here for program details.

Registration

Save 10 percent by using the partner discount code SKY2017. If you have any questions contact (503) 405-4592 or email: registration@sustainablepurchasing.org Click here to register.

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Event - FSC General Assembly 2017

The Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) General Assembly 2017 will take place October 8 - 13, in Vancouver Canada. This event has taken place every three years Since 1996. The international membership of the FSC comes together at this event to discuss the challenges and solutions of responsible forest management and the future direction of the organization. Members submit motions months before the general assembly begins. Motions are then discussed and debated, before being voted on by all delegates. The FSC General Assembly 2017 will be the 8th assembly of members in the history of the organization. The first general assembly took place in 1996 in Oaxaca, Mexico.

The FSC membership is composed of environmentalists, scientists, business leaders, forest managers, Indigenous Peoples, trade union representatives, and NGOs. To give an equal say to these different voices, our membership is divided into three different chambers – environmental, social and economic, which are further split into sub-chambers of global North and South.

FSC works to take care of the world’s forests for future generations – making sure we all have Forests For All Forever.

FSC is a global not-for-profit organization that sets the standards for what is a responsibly managed forest, both environmentally and socially. We also define supply chain best practice, from forest to factory to shop floor.

Together, they work to ensure our forests remain thriving environments for generations to come, by helping consumers and businesses make ethical and responsible choices at their local supermarket, bookstore, furniture retailer, and beyond.

FSC members include some of the world’s leading environmental groups (WWF and Greenpeace), social organizations (the National Aboriginal Forestry Association of Canada), businesses (Tetra Pak and Mondi PLC) as well as forest owners and managers, processing companies, and campaigners.

FSC is also a member of the ISEAL alliance, a global association of social and environmental standards systems that includes Fairtrade, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and Rainforest Alliance.

Field Trips to FSC-certified operation

Cranbrook, British Columbia

Duration: 3 Days (15-17 October)
Host: Canfor
Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly to Cranbrook and visit the forest site to see restoration and operations.
Day 2: Visit forest sites to see harvesting, a high conservation value forest and tour the FSC CoC certified Pulp Mill.
Day 3: Flight to Vancouver or other destination.
Difficulty: Moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$480 per person (flights and extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 10 and maximum 30 people

Washington State Forest and Green Building Tour

Duration: 3 Days (6-8 October)
Host: Brad Kahn
Itinerary:
Day 1: Flight to Seattle, own transport to hotel
Day 2: Visit Cedar River Watershed, Cougar Mountain Forest, and Bullitt Center
Day 3: Flight to Vancouver
Difficulty: Low-moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$670 per person (flights and extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 40 and maximum 52 people

Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve

Duration: 1 Day (7 October or 16 October)
Host: Haliburton Forest
Itinerary:
8am: Leave hotel in Toronto
11am-2pm: Forest tour with lunch
2pm-5pm: Sustainable wood tour
5pm: Leave forest
6pm-7:30pm: Dinner
9:30pm: Arrive back at the hotel
Difficulty: Low-moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$140 per person (flights and extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people

Windsor Mill and Forestland Tour

Duration: 3 Days (15-17 October or 6-8 October)
Host: Domtar
Itinerary:
Day 1: Travel from Montreal to Sherbrooke and overnight at the Delta Hotel.
Day 2: Safety orientation and meeting at Windsor Mill. Visit the forest to observe operations. Complete the day with a mill tour in the afternoon and dinner with Domtar Mill management.
Day 3: Travel back to Montreal and enjoy a few hours in the city before departure in the afternoon or evening.
Difficulty: Low
Fees: Approximately CAN$365 per person (flights and extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people


Other field trips:

Ancient Forest Tour

Duration: 1 Day (8 October)
Host: The Ancient Forest Alliance, Ken Wu
Itinerary: The Ancient Forest Alliance will guide participants to Stanley Park along some of the most spectacular old-growth trails in the park, the Tatlow and Lovers Trails where 14 feet wide, 800-year-old red cedars still stand.
Difficulty: Low
Fees: Approximately CAN$20 per person (meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people

Bike Tour of Olympic Village, Green Building and Brewery
Duration: 1 Day (7 October or 8 October or 14 October)
Itinerary: This tour involves travelling to three different locations by bicycle
Location 1: Olympic Village including the district energy system, reclaimed intertidal zone, green building tour and the Salt Buildings.
Location 2: False Creek Flats South/Great Northern Way including a history of the area, the City’s greening efforts and green building tour options.
Location 3: Granville Island including historic buildings, a distillery and brewery tour and operational sustainability strategies in action.
Difficulty: Low-moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$110 per person (extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people

Tall Timber Building Tour

Duration: 1 Day (7 October or 14 October)
Itinerary:
8:30am: Leave hotel and travel by bus to the University of British Columbia
9am: Tour of the campus and the many buildings that display the variety of wood design on campus
12pm: Lunch
1pm: Museum of Anthropology tour with emphasis on First Nations
2pm: Travel back to the hotel
Difficulty: Low
Fees: Approximately CAN$60 per person (meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people

Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

Duration: 1 Day (14 October)
Itinerary (to be confirmed):
8am: Leave hotel and travel by bus to the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
9am-12pm: Operations tour
12pm-1pm: Lunch
1pm-4pm: Research tour
4pm: Return to hotel
Difficulty: Low-moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$100 per person (extra meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 10 and maximum 30 people

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park Tree Top Tour

Duration: 1 Day (7 October or 14 October)
Host: Ecotrust Canada
Itinerary:
9am: Take bus from downtown Vancouver
10am: Arrive at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
1pm: Lunch
2:30pm: Return bus
Difficulty: Moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$90 per person (meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people
Cheakamus Community Forest and Whistler Village
Duration: 3 Days (14-16 October or 15-17 October)
Itinerary:
Day 1: Bus trip from the hotel to the Community Forest and day tour of the forest including selection harvesting mimicking natural disturbance ecology, recreational management and community fire proofing.
Day 2: Recreational day in Whistler.
Day 3: Transport back to Vancouver.
Difficulty: Low-moderate
Fees: Approximately CAN$400 per person (extra meals and leisure activities not included) Participants: Minimum 10 and maximum 30 people

Vancouver Island East Coast Tour

Duration: 3 Days (14-16 October or 13-17 October)
Itinerary:
Day 1: Travel by bus to Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal. Ferry ride to Vancouver Island. Tour of the Harmac Pulp Mill in Namaimo.
Day 2: Cathedral Grove forest tour. Lunch in Port Alberni. Tour of Greenmax (smallholder) woodlot and forest management practices. BBQ at Rathtrevor Provincial Park.
Day 3: Drive to Nanaimo and take a scenic float plane flight back.
Difficulty: Low
Fees: Approximately CAN$400 per person (meals not included)
Participants: Minimum 20 and maximum 30 people

Self-guided field trips:

Western Vancouver Island

Description: We suggest taking 3-4 days to complete this trip. At the Western Edge of Vancouver Island, Tofino and Ucluelet offer an amazing west coast outdoor experience, including a local artist community, Tofino Botanical Gardens, Eco Rainforest Retreat and the Hesquiaht First Nation School.
Fee: CAN$700-CAN$1200

Hiking trips

Description: A few possible hikes in local mountains including Mount Seymour, Cypress Falls and Lynn Valley. Fee: No charge other than the costs of public transport/taxi.

For more information on the self-guided trips, please contact Orrin Quinn at o.quinn@ca.fsc.org

For general inquiries click here.

Related
What The Business Community Can Do To Protect Forests
The State of the Sustainable Furniture Industry
Green Lumber Certification Standards
Video - Sustainable Forest: How Grey County Forests Try to Manage Conservation and Economic Activity
Sustainable Furniture at the Las Vegas Market
PepsiCo's Sustainability Efforts
The Economic and Employment Benefits of Forests

Read More»

Trump's First 100 Days are a Climate and Environmental Nightmare

Trump's first 100 days have been a dismal failure. Trump failed to deliver on almost every single one of his promises leading many to conclude that the self-proclaimed deal-maker can't seem to close. True to his word he is making progress on one front, depriving Americans of clean air and clean water.

Trumps Muslim ban failed, his attempt to pass health-care legislation also failed. Congress will not finance his wall and nor will Mexico.  Rather than drain the swamp he has made the swamp bigger. The president has rewarded the wealthy on the backs of the poor and the middle class. His one-page reward-the-rich tax plan does not have a snowball's chance in hell of passing and if it were ever enacted by Congress it would trigger economic ruin.

Clearly, Trump does not have a clue about how to get things done in Washington.  Here is a general summary of Trump's first 100 days, by most accounts, the worst 100 days in modern US presidential history.



Trump's inauguration was a gloomy affair heralding the coming darkness. Even before Trump took the oath of office he cast a shadow over the proceedings at COP22.

Early in his term, some had the audacity to suggest that a Trump presidency would not be as bad as it seemed. They did not have the courage to face the truth about what a Trump administration would mean for the planet. However, their naive hopes were quickly dashed. Shortly after the inauguration, his administration purged all mention of climate change from the White House and State Department websites. However, they did leave one reference, a promise to eliminate Obama-era climate change policies.

Trump then picked Scott Pruitt to head the EPA and ex-Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be the secretary of state. These two men and other members of the administration oppose science-based climate action plans. Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, like so many others in the administration, opposes government funding for climate research.

This brings us to Trump's budget which was a declaration of war against environmental protections, climate action, and scientific research. Trump made it clear that he wants to decimate environmental protections and climate action in the US.

In their first month, the Trump administration resurrected dead or dying pipelines (the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline). Within the first two months, they began eliminating vehicle fuel efficiency standards and then they went to work gutting the EPA with proposed budget cuts of 31 percent.

Trump has broken almost every promise he made except for one, the promise to eliminate environmental regulations. 

On the one hand, Trump is the most ineffectual US president in history on the other he has wreaked unprecedented environmental damage in his first 100 days.  His Executive Orders have systematically rolled back all vestiges of environmental progress in the US. These are protections that began under Republican presidents. He has ended the era of progressive climate action that we saw under President Obama and he has turned the US into a global climate pariah.

When he was running to be president leading Republican insiders suggested he was not fit to be president. After one hundred days in office, it is safe to say that those who made this statement have been vindicated. Even Trump himself conceded that the job is far harder than he had imagined. One hundred days into his presidency Trump has joined the chorus of those who say he is is not up for the job. The point may become moot if he is impeached for collusion with the Russians.

More than any other president who preceded him, Trump is an unmitigated disaster. However, people are standing up and offering unprecedented opposition.

Even before he was president heads of state, climate scientists and business leaders have all urged him to act on climate change. Early in his term, there was the Women's March. This was followed by the March for Science on Earth Day where scientists and others called Trump out for his war on science. One week later there was the Peoples Climate Movement event that drew attention to his utterly irresponsible climate conduct. Just to make sure we get the point, on April 28th, the eve of the Peoples Climate Movement event, all vestiges of climate science were removed from the EPA website.

Trump's strategy is encountering resistance from some business leaders and the courts are challenging his authority.  People are feeling that it is both necessary and appropriate to protest against Trump and they are seeing that there is power in their resistance.

The situation is grim but we need to try to stay hopeful and keep resisting the incompetence of this administration.

RelatedGlobal Warning 2017: Combating the Dystopia of the Trump Administration
Trump and the Darkness of Post-Factual Media
The Trump Administration is a Kakistocracy

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Business Benefits from Science-Based Climate Action

Science is important to governments, the economy and business. Leading sustainability focused corporate efforts are engaging science-based efforts including emissions reduction targets.  Science is enhancing business and driving them to adopt fact-based objectives.

There is a mutually beneficial relationship that is emerging between business and science.  As explained by Ros Le Feuvre, SYNBIOCHEM director of operations at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, "I think the academic community is becoming more aware of the commercial potential of their science and how to exploit it, there is a more open culture and increased dialogue. Over the past decade we‘ve developed closer relationships with industrial partners, from large multi-nationals to smaller start-ups."

However, the long-standing relationship with science is being eschewed by the Trump administration. Even though scientists have urged Trump to acknowledge the science and act on climate change he has put forth a raft of Executive Orders designed to end climate action and kill regulations that protect the environment.

Trump's budget cuts science funding particularly as it relates to climate change. Trump wants to slash funding to climate science agencies by 17 percent. The focus is on eradicating government funded climate research. In fact the Trump administration has eliminated any mention of climate change from the White House site.

The Trump administration's disdain for science has serious consequences. We need a science based assessment of the value that sustainability brings to our economy and our planet. We need to look at an objective review of the costs of action versus inaction. Such a cost-benefit analysis squarely refutes the efforts of the Trump administration.

When governments ignore science, math and statistical models they will not be able to govern effectively.  The same can be said of businesses. The business community cannot afford to avoid scientific appraisals of their impacts. Nor can they minimize their impacts and grow their revenues in the absence of such objective appraisals.

Businesses need science, it helps them to identify and mitigate against risk.  Science helps businesses to develop products and services, it is an integral part of the technologies they employ and it is a fundamental component of being a responsible enterprise.

There are a number of good reasons why businesses are embracing sustainability. Contrary to the irrational politically motivated assertions of the Trump administration, science helps us to see that sustainability is a boon and not a liability.

"In industry we need to hear from science now more than ever," says John O’Brien, deputy head of the Nestlé Research Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, "but we’re living in an era where there’s lots of skepticism of science that we need to take into account...scientists and businesses have a responsibility to work together to understand and inform the public."

Science helps some of the world's largest corporation to show leadership on water stewardship. It also helps them to make smart choices about clean energy and waste management.  In the absence of science these efforts would be arbitrary and ineffectual.

Businesses cannot afford to follow this administration misguided, confusing and contradictory approach to governance. Forward-looking businesses are resisting the Trump administration's anti-science agenda because it undermines their business model. 

This administration's antipathy towards science serves their political agenda, but businesses that follow their lead do so at their own peril. 

Related
Businesses and Governments React to Trump's Exit from the Paris Climate Deal
Trump Represents a Serious Risk Factor for Corporate America
Corporate America Rejects Trump's Climate Ignorance
Business Leaders Advocate for Sustainability and Refute Trump
Sustainability is an Economic Boon not a Liability
Which Side is Your Business On?

Read More»

War on Science Makes Fossil Fuels a Climate Archvillain

In addition to their causal role in climate change the fossil fuel industry is guilty of promoting disinformation on a grand scale. Part of this propaganda effort involves attacking science. By waging war on science the fossil fuel industry had hoped to conceal their role as the leading driver of climate change. Although fossil fuels powered America's meteoric growth, we can no longer ignore the fact that dirty energy is the primary cause of the climate crisis. Nor can we ignore the powerful influence of the industry.

To retain their social license to operate oil giants withheld what their own scientists were telling them. They knew about the relationship between fossil fuels and greenhouse gasses years before mainstream science. When scientists began to publish their own research showing the relationship between GHGs and global warming, the fossil fuel industry responded with profound skepticism.

To make matters worse the fossil fuel industry is engaged in sophisticated multi-pronged campaigns of subterfuge to undermine science and manipulate people. This malfeasance was meant to obscure their role as brokers of planetary death.

This malfeasance may have started with Exxon but it has been propagated by the whole fossil fuel industry.  The ways in which ExxonMobil has attacked science are documented in this UCS article.

We have clear, documented proof of disinformation from fossil fuel companies. We also have clear articulations of the industry's disinformation strategy from Richard Berman who heads the phony front group Environmental Policy Alliance (EPA).

In order to protect their profits from government interference, the oil industry expanded its efforts to control Washington. Over the years big oil's influence, like that of the Koch brothers, expanded. With the help of organizations like Alec, the fossil fuel industry now owns both houses of Congress and the vast majority of state legislatures across the country.

The industry has a vested interest in deceiving the public. They could not let it be known that decades ago their own research revealed that fossil fuels are the primary drivers of climate change.

Although the science supporting anthropogenic warming is settled, many lawmakers at the federal and state levels are paid to doubt the veracity of climate science. Republicans who engage in climate denial are handsomely rewarded by the fossil fuel industry. If you want to see who is being bought by big oil all you need do is follow the money (look at the most recent field of Republican presidential candidates).

Discrediting climate science is now a basic policy plank for most Republicans. The Trump administration is only adding to what the GOP started decades ago.

Undermining science is essential to the fossil-fuel industry. They lie about science because they know the facts are an indictment of their industry. Using front groups they have developed a number of clever techniques to disinform.

The fossil fuel-funded Heartland Institute is one of the most adept creators of misinformation in the conservative propaganda arsenal.  Heartland is currently distributing deceitful booklets entitled "Why Scientists Disagree About Global Warming" to 200,000 school science teachers. The booklet simultaneously denies the scientific consensus on climate change and extols the virtues of a warming world.

"It's not science, but it's dressed up to look like science," NCSE executive director Ann Reid told Frontline. "It's clearly intended to confuse teachers."

Collusion between the fossil fuel industry and the GOP has created far-reaching campaigns of misinformation. Through pseudo-science or outright obfuscation, the fossil fuel industry has succeeded in sowing doubt. It now clear that this disinformation has eroded support for climate action.

To serve their profits they have created a monster.  The people they have influenced eschew facts and this is a threat to more than just climate action, this is a threat to democracy and national unity.

Facts were once a common meeting point for people with disparate points of view, but this has become irrelevant for vast swaths of the American public.  People with disparate views used to come together in the pursuit of the truth now they rail at each other without ever really appreciating competing points of view.

Science is a central part of America's extraordinary economic success. It is woven into the fabric of the American experience and included in the Constitution. Science has also been the final arbiter of truth. This is what the fossil fuel industry, the GOP and Trump are subverting on a grand scale.

The result is dramatically heightened polarization. People are being pulled into ideologically driven silos and this is tearing the social fabric of the nation.

Related
Proof of Disinformation from Fossil Fuel Companies (Video)
The Fossil Fuel Industry and Republican Climate Change Deception

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Scientists Take on Trump and GOP Climate Denial

The March for Science that took place in more than 425 cities on Earth Day spearheaded critical resistance to the irrationality of the Trump administration and the GOP. The goal of the march was to  advocate for "evidence-based policy-making, science education, research funding, and inclusive and accessible science."

Climate science has garnered some of the most virulent anti-science opposition. The fossil fuel industry and their Republican minions have masterminded an anti-science crusade that has undermined climate action and this invites a climate catastrophe.

Science has improved our lives yet conservatives have shown blatant contempt for research. Republicans have been at war with facts for many years and they encouraged Trump's disdain for science.  Now that they control the White House and both legislative chambers they are busy trying to implement their anti-science agenda removing environmental regulations, climate action and scientific research. This is an unprecedented nightmare.

After a series of proposed cuts to scientific research at the EPA, NOAA, and NASA there is no escaping the dark truth that it is not just climate action that is on the block. Science itself is under siege in the US. The New York Times quoted Naomi Oreskes, a professor of the history of science at Harvard University as saying, "I can’t think of a time where scientists felt the enterprise of science was being threatened in the way scientists feel now." History will record that Trump and the GOP are enemies of the Earth.

"You have a clear enemy," Denis Hayes, the principal organizer of the first Earth Day in 1970 was quoted as saying in the New York Times. "You’ve got a president who along with his vice president, his cabinet and his party leadership in both houses of Congress have a strong anti-environmental agenda. He’s basically trying to roll back everything that we’ve tried to do in the last half-century."

GOP legislation

The fossil fuel industry is pushing legislation through their minions in the GOP. One such bill would allow industry scientists to weigh-in while eliminating the relatively more impartial academic scientists from contributing to federal advisory boards.

Republicans have passed a bill in the House that seeks to restrict the kind of scientific studies and data that the EPA can use to justify new regulations. The bill, like other legislation promoted by the GOP has the following facetious title, "Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment Act," or the HONEST Act." Earlier this year the House passed a pair of bills to rein in regulations across government — the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act and the Regulatory Accountability Act. The HONEST Act is similar to the Secret Science Act, which leaders in the House Science Committee passed in previous congresses.

As reported by the Hill, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), the Science Committee’s top Democrat said:

"The secret science bills the Republicans tried to enact over the previous two congresses were insidious bills, designed from the outset to prevent EPA from using the best available science to meet its obligations under the law. Those bills were constructed to hamstring the ability of EPA to do about anything to protect the American public," Johnson said. "In reality, this bill isn’t about science. It’s about undermining public health and the environment."

For a complete summary of Republican's deregulation efforts click here.

Trump administration

Trump's campaign and the first hundred days of his presidency have been steeped in hundreds and hundreds of lies. Trump is a man who disparages unflattering media coverage and invents stories that portray him favorably. Trump is even more irrational than his party. The GOP lies about climate change because they are paid to do so by big oil. Trump lies because he genuinely cannot seem to differentiate fact from fiction. Now more than ever we need science to rescue us from the abject irrationality of this administration and Republican policy makers.

The Trump administration is hell-bent on radical deregulation, particularly as it applies to environmental protection and climate action. They also want to dismantle efforts in support of renewable energy and energy efficiency.  The argument put forth for this radical regime of deregulation is that it hurts the economy. However, this has been shown to be untrue. Some business leaders and others have stood up to Trump and refuted this as a false narrative.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Scott Pruitt was Trump's pick to leads the EPA is a well-known climate denier who has sued the agency that he now heads. Pruitt recently said that scientists don't know whether human activity is "a primary contributor" to global warming. These are the kind of lies we are dealing with.

Climate change is one of the most studied phenomena in human history and the research clearly shows that human activity -- and the burning of fossil fuels in particular -- is the primary driver of global warming.

One of the first things that Pruitt did when he took office was to overrule his own scientists and move forward with a dangerous pesticide called chlorpyrifos. In doing so he ignored the recommendation of EPA scientists whose research showed that this pesticide is a neurotoxin that is known to cause nerve damage.

Stand up for science

The March for Science called attention to the importance of scientific information in political decision-making. We must continue to amplify that message. Science is a bulwark against the kind of ignorance that permeates the policies of this administration. A government that needs to deride facts to achieve its policy agenda should be met with extreme skepticism.  At a time when people are more polarized than ever, science can serve as a common language to understand and resolve differences of opinion. Instead it is being used as a political football.

While this trend is alarming, as evidenced by the March for Science, people are standing up and demanding that science return to civil discourse.

Andrew Rosenberg at the Union of Concerned Scientists said:

"During the Bush administration, scientists were slow to speak up against political interference. But today we are fully prepared and energized as never before to push back against assaults on science. Scientists around the country are ready to defend the scientific enterprise so that science can continue to provide the foundation for public health and environmental protections."

The political reality of the US necessitates that we stand up for science regardless of our political stripes. The disregard for research-driven policy, the preponderance of fake news and Trump's propensity to lie make science more important than ever.

The March for Science may be over, but just as Earth Day is meant to be everyday, the struggle to defend science from those who would destroy it is also an ongoing effort.

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Sham Hearings Make a Mockery out of Climate Science

Lamar Smith (R-Texas), is the Chair of House Science Committee and he has made some astounding claims about climate change that are clearly factually inaccurate. Smith is well known for harassing climate scientists and challenging government science agencies. He has also made spurious allegations suggesting that scientists rigged climate data.

At a congressional hearing on March 29th Smith dismissed testimony that accused him of being a climate denier because it came from the Journal Science. Even though this journal is one of the oldest and most respected scientific publications in the world Smith claims it is not objective.

Smith has said: "I believe climate change is due to a combination of factors, including natural cycles, sun spots and human activity. But scientists still don't know for certain how much each of these factors contributes to the overall climate change that the Earth is experiencing."

Scientists do know that human activity is responsible for the lion's share of global warming. Smith is not a scientist, he can best be described as a propagandist and an advocate for the fossil fuel industry. He has no credibility with anyone who understands the scientific method.

The March 2017 hearing included three climate denying "scientists" who can only be described as outliers. Only one scientists was present who espouses the consensus view on climate change. Orthodox science was represented by Dr. Michael Mann, Director of Penn State University’s Earth System Science Center.

"We find ourselves at this hearing today, with three individuals who represent that tiny minority that reject this consensus or downplay its significance, and only one—myself—who is in the mainstream," Mann said in his opening testimony. "I think the intention is to cause scientists to retreat."

Mann wasted no time in pointing out that Smith is a climate denier who is in league with the conservative spin machine known as the Heartland Institute. Both Smith and the Heartland Institute are tied to the Koch brothers and other fossil fuel interests. Mann quoted a Science article which states that Smith "sees his role in this committee as a tool to advance his political agenda rather than a forum to examine important issues facing the US research community".

Smith responded by discrediting the publication in a move highly reminiscent of Trump who does the same with all media coverage that he does not like.

Smith has a history of deriding climate science including the IPCCC. In 2014 Smith said the newly released UN climate report is, "nothing new...Similar to previous reports, the latest findings appear more political than scientific...People are tired of the re-packaged rhetoric. It’s time to stop fear mongering and focus on an honest dialogue about real options." Smith said it appears that the UN is, "once more attempting to provide cover for costly new regulations and energy rationing."

Mann warned that Republicans and the Trump administration is eschewing policy derived from science and advocating ideologically based policies. Mann said, "going after scientists simply because you don't like their publications of their research—not because the science is bad, but because you find the research inconvenient to the special interests who fund your campaigns...I would hope we could all agree that is completely inappropriate."

The hearing caused Representative Paul Tonko, a Democrat from New York, to say, "Climate denial stands as a main pillar in the pantheon of political manipulation."

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Apple's Earth Day Leadership in 2017

Leading corporations are helping to show the way forward this Earth Day and no company has come further in recent years than Apple. 

They were slow off the mark but since Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011 and hired former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson in 2013 Apple has made amazing progress. Jackson is Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives. In the last four years Apple has significantly improved their environmental sustainability performance while ameliorating working conditions and transparency.

In 2017 Apple led the Greenpeace Tech Company Rankings and strengthened its competitive advantage by showing leadership in recycling, clean energy, emissions reduction, waste management and water stewardship.

Standing up to Trump

Despite the anti-environmental orientation of Trump and Republicans, Apple continues to honor and improve on the climate pledges it made under President Obama. In the US Apple has been building giant solar power plants near its data centers and offices in North Carolina, Nevada and California. Jackson is letting the Trump administration know where Apple stands. "One thing this administration has made clear is that they want to hear from business and so we’re going to do everything we can to make our values known," Jackson said. 

There are lots of good reasons why businesses are combating climate change. Apple is one of several companies that are resisting Trump and rejecting his false narrative that regulations are bad for business.

Recycling

Apple is a recycling leader. Just in time for Earth Day Apple vowed to add to their efforts by ending mining and using only recycled materials. This commitment is motivated by environmental concerns and to mitigate against risks associated with supply chain shortages. Apple is acknowledging the impact that electronics manufacturing is having on the planet. Rather than mine the earth for rare minerals and metals Apple plans to use only recycled materials for its products. "Climate change is undeniable," the company said in a recent report. "Earth's resources won't last forever. And technology must be safe for people to make and use. We don't question these realities -- we challenge ourselves to ask what we can do about them in every part of our business."

Apple makes the point that bold commitments are required even if the details have yet to be ironed out. Although the specific supply chains have yet to be identified there are sufficient raw materials in the billions of discarded phones and other recyclable electronics.

"We're actually doing something we rarely do, which is announce a goal before we've completely figured out how to do it," Jackson told Vice. "So we're a little nervous, but we also think it's really important, because as a sector we believe it's where technology should be going."

Being a little nervous means they are pushing the envelope of the possible and that is precisely the kind of effort we need to see from the corporate world.

"We are committing as a company to not necessarily having to source from the earth for everything that we need," Jackson said.

Given the rising rates of cell phone use and the low recycling rates (approximately 16 percent in 2014) Apple sees an opportunity and is prepared to lead the industry in the area of using recycled materials. 

Renewable Energy

Apple is among several companies that have taken the "100% Renewables" pledge. Apple relies on renewables in 24 countries accounting for 96 percent of its energy usage. Apple has also encouraged their suppliers to do use renewable sources of power. “We look at our carbon footprint as so much more than just our office, our data centers, our stores – even our distribution centers,” Jackson said. “All that’s included in our 96 percent, but now we’re moving on to our supply chain.”

In April, Environmental Leader reported three more suppliers (Compal Electronics, Sunwoda Electronics and Biel Crystal Manufactory) have committed to using renewable energy to manufacture Apple components. There are now a total of seven Apple suppliers who have taken the 100 percent renewables pledge.

Apple and its suppliers expect to generate over 2.5 billion kWh annually of clean energy by the end of 2018. Apple is also getting ready to add clean power to the grid. In June 2016 Apple applied for a federal license to sell any excess solar electricity.

Emissions reduction

Apple has adopted science-based emissions reduction targets and they are also working to reduce supply chain emissions by increasing suppliers’ renewable energy use. In the first year of the company’s energy efficiency program, suppliers at 13 sites prevented more than 13,800 metric tons of carbon emissions through replacing outdated or inefficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems, repairing compressed air leaks, and recovering and redirecting waste heat.

In 2016, Apple tripled the number of supplier sites participating in its energy efficiency program. Through this effort Apple suppliers have reduced their carbon emissions by 150,000 metric tons. Apple’s 2017 Supplier Responsibility progress report indicates that the adoption of renewables by several large suppliers will reduce carbon emissions by 7,000,000 metric tons per year by the end of 2018.

Waste management

In 2015 Apple suppliers diverted more than 73,000 metric tons of waste from landfills in 2016, the company’s suppliers diverted more than 200,000 metric tons of waste from landfills. As reported by Environmental Leader (EL) in March, Apple’s 2017 Supplier Responsibility progress report indicates that the company’s suppliers had for the first time achieved 100 percent UL Zero Waste to Landfill validation for all final assembly sites in China.

The average environment assessment score across Apple’s 705 supply chain assessments in 2016 was 87 out of 100.

Apple worked with Tech-Com final assembly supplier in Shanghai and the local recycling facility to develop a better process for separating and recycling industrial waste and managing food waste. This enabled Tech-Com to recycle 100 percent of its manufacturing and composting its food waste. Since 2015, Tech-Com has diverted more than 10,000 metric tons of waste from landfills. Apple supplier Foxconn Zhengzhou recycling efforts succeeded in diverting 40 percent of landfill-bound waste and much of the remaining waste went to waste-to-energy facilities. In early 2016 Foxconn Zhengzhou was already 96 percent landfill-free and by the end of the year they had achieved their goal of being 100 percent landfill free.

Hazardous materials

Last year 100 percent of process chemicals at all final assembly facilities were free of “Apple-prohibited substances”. Apple has identified a list of hazardous chemicals in their Regulated Substances Specification list. Apple has prohibited or limited the use of these chemicals in their manufacturing processes. The company is now working with its suppliers to identify and eliminate the use of these chemicals at its non-final assembly facilities.

Water stewardship

Apple’s 2017 Supplier Responsibility progress report also highlights efforts to improve water management. Apple’s Clean Water Program, which focuses on using less freshwater in suppliers’ processes and increasing the reuse and recycling of treated wastewater, saved more than 3.8 billion gallons of freshwater in 2016. This represents a 35 percent average reuse rate across 86 sites. Since 2013, Apple’s water management program has saved more than 8 billion gallons of freshwater, Apple says.

Competitiveness

Apple’s sustainability efforts are a model that others should follow. These efforts are not just good for the planet they are benefiting the bottom line and reducing risks by becoming more resistant to threats. As reported by environmental leader, Apple Foxcoon Zhengzhou recyclingApple’s latest supply chain audit report shows its push for more rigorous environmental standards and renewable energy production across its supply chain is working.

"We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far," writes Apple COO Jeff Williams, in a letter at the beginning of the supplier responsibility report. "Yet even as you read this, Apple continues to address challenges throughout the supply chain. We are openly working with industry partners, governments, NGOs, and others who share our vision of improving lives and caring for the environment."

As explained in the EL article, "other companies should take note, and look for ways they can improve their supply chain sustainability to stay competitive." Leading companies can take a page from Apple’s playbook and continue pursing environmental sustainability goals across the supply chain.

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Event - Renewable Energy UK

Renewable Energy UK will take place on May 6, 2017 in Cheltenham, UK. This discussion will highlight the latest methods to generate energy using solar panels. There will be unrivaled senior-level industry debate with an audience of more than 60 of the sector’s thought leaders and key decision makers.

This year’s Seminar programme is designed to support your professional learning and global network development. It is packed with policy updates, expert advice and market opportunities from a line-up of renowned speakers. An exhibition of leading suppliers and service providers will also run simultaneously alongside the Seminar providing direct access for delegates to leading industrial providers and service specialists.

For more information click here to go to the My Power UK site or click here to go to their contact page. To get in touch directly use the following coordinates T: 01242 620894 / 0800 2949246 E: info@mypoweruk.com

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Event - EcoLinks 2017 Environmental Education Conference

EcoLinks 2017 Environmental Education Conference will take place on Friday May 5 to Saturday May 6, 2017, Niagara Region, Ontario. OSEE is hosting a suite of PD events to support educators with integrating environmental education into their teaching practice. The first event is the annual EcoLinks Conference. This year it will be held at the Ball's Falls Centre for Conservation in Jordan, Ontario, where a second (optional) day has been added to offer Project Wet Certification.

As usual, there will be hands-on workshops by educators, for educators, and the chance to learn new skills to engage students in Environmental Education and to network with fellow educators. As always, lunch and refreshments are included.

The event is open to outdoor & environmental educators, ECEs, administrators, homeschoolers and any teachers wanting to integrate environmental content.

DAY 1 – ECOLINKS ANNUAL CONFERENCE – Friday May 6th

Ecolinks is not your typical conference. Instead of sitting in a darkened room watching a PowerPoint presentation, the day is packed with hands-on, classroom-ready activities for teaching Ontario curriculum through an environmental lens. Not only is the day a lot of fun, you’ll return to your school with new activities and skills for teaching environmental education.

Choose from a variety of interactive workshops:

Citizen science
Vermicomposting and growing sprouts
School gardens and seed libraries
Environmental problem solving with STEM learning
Consumerism and social justice
Hydroponics in the classroom
The impacts of the fashion industry
Monitoring water quality with benthic macro-invertebrates and more!

DAY 2 – ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FULL-DAY COURSES – Saturday May 6th

Choose to become Project WET certified OR to become an expert in Pollinator Power!

Project WET Certification

Project WET is a global leader in water education, promoting awareness of water and empowering community action to solve complex water issues.

The interdisciplinary Project WET activities are designed to supplement existing curriculum, and can support inquiry-based learning.

In 2011, Project WET published the award-winning, National Science Teachers Association-recommended Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0, completely revising, updating, and contemporizing the successful first edition. Project WET 2.0 is a fun, hands-on, inquiry learning based, water education program for formal and non-formal educators of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

Become Project WET-certified at this interactive and fun one-day training course! Course fee of $75 includes refreshments, lunch, and the Project WET 2.0 Activity Guide containing 65 hands-on lesson plans.

Pollinator Power Workshop by TRCA

Pollinators are extremely important creatures, integral to biodiversity and our very way of life. This interactive and fun full-day workshop explores the role of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and birds. Experience a variety of hands-on activities and tools to support your students in learning about habitats, biodiversity, and interactions in the environment.

We will explore the factors that threaten pollinator populations, and experience citizen science activities that connect students with real scientific monitoring projects. Participants will learn how to create pollinator habitat and support biodiversity by building solitary bee homes and making wildflower seed balls.

This workshop is led by TRCA’s Kortright Pollinator Educator. The Kortright Centre for Conservation has offered pollinator programming for over 40 years.

Come out, get involved, and discover the power of pollinators! Course fee of $75 includes refreshments, lunch, and materials for starting a pollinator planting.

Pricing and Discounts

Conference fee of $100 includes refreshments, lunch, and OSEE membership for the 2017-2018 year. Attend both days of the conference for just $160!

Students and retirees receive additional discounts.

Click here to register.

Make sure to see the article titled, "Comprehensive Green School Information and Resources." It contains links to over 300 articles covering everything you need to know about sustainable academics, student eco-initiatives, green school buildings, and college rankings as well as a wide range of related information and resources.

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Earth Day 2017: We Have Met the Enemy and it is the U.S.

Earth Day is celebrated around the world but the election of Trump and Republican lawmakers changes everything. Earth Day has been celebrated every April for almost half a century, during that time we have made considerable progress. The high point occurred exactly one year ago, today when the leaders from 175 countries formally signed the historic Paris Agreement.

As we reflect on this somewhat somber Earth Day we would be wise to remember that the event was born in the U.S. and it has grown to become the largest civic observance in the world. These celebrations have contributed to a movement that ultimately gave birth to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Endangered Species Act and several other environmental laws. It also contributed to the Paris Agreement, the most important climate agreement in human history.

However, the recent US election has changed everything. As our window of opportunity to act on climate change is getting ever smaller we must contend with a government that is at war with facts. Now rather than ratcheting up ambitions Trump has all but promised that U.S. emissions will increase. This Earth Day we cannot ignore the threat posed by Trump and the Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate.

It is entirely fitting that the biggest single event this Earth Day is the March for Science. If people embraced the value and veracity of science they would not have voted for Trump and they would overwhelmingly support action on climate change.

People voted for Trump in sufficient numbers for him to be president (albeit 3 million less votes than Hilary gleaned). Now the most ill-informed man ever to hold the office is president. This supports the contention that a critical mass of Americans eschew science. The GOP has been laying the groundwork for their anti-science agenda for years. They have been deriding science because they understand that while their support for the fossil fuel industry lines their pockets it is not in the best interest of Americans. GOP agenda is incompatible with policy derived from science.

The theme for this year's Earth Day celebrations are "Environmental & Climate Literacy". When it comes to the environment and climate change, U.S. voting patterns make it clear that a huge minority of Americans are far from being literate when it comes to environmental and climate issues, the truth is many are painfully ignorant.

Republican legislators, Trump and the people who voted for him are on the wrong side of history. They are at odds with the more than one billion people in nearly 195 countries that are standing up on this day in defense of our planet. As people celebrate the Earth Trump and the GOP are systematically removing environmental protections and ending climate action in the U.S. This administration is not interested in science or giving people access to a fact-based education.

To secure and hold power Trump and the GOP depend on obfuscation and manipulation. The deceitful duplicity of this administration is evident in an Earth Day tweet from Trump:

“Today on Earth Day, we celebrate our beautiful forests, lakes and land. We stand committed to preserving the natural beauty of our nation”

These words are at odds with their actions. This is environmental doublespeak similar to his address to Congress.  Trump and Republicans are systematically dismantling government agencies, eradicating environmental protections, and killing climate action in the U.S.  Trump is at war with the EPA, he has resurrected pipelines, ordered a review of vehicle mileage standards. The GOP are gutting environmental protections, trying to kill the EPA, and sell public lands

The subterfuge continues in an Earth Day press release from Trump, “My administration is committed to advancing scientific research that leads to a better understanding of our environment and of environmental risks.” There is already a vast pool of research and it is being ignored by the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers.

The organizers of Earth Day 2017 encourage environmental and climate literacy teach-ins”. Sadly, legislators along with their president are the ones most in need of an education but they are also the least receptive. Although sane governance will one day return to the U.S. it may be too late.

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Price Declines Driving Solar's Energy Leadership

The declining costs of harvesting energy from the sun mean that market forces will drive the ongoing growth of solar energy. As predicted by GMO at the beginning of 2016 market forces are driving the growth of renewable energy. By the end of last summer, GMO reported that solar was emerging as the least expensive source of energy on Earth. By the end of last year, these expectations were confirmed by a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report.

In 2016 solar capacity grew by 50 percent. Last year solar hit a record low price low of $29 per MWh or 2.9 cents per kilowatt-hour in both Dubai and Chile prompting BNEF chair Michael Liebreich to say, "Solar power delivers cheapest unsubsidised electricity ever, anywhere, by any technology."

According to the report, the cost of solar generation worldwide dropped on average 17 percent in 2016. In 2016 we saw 138.5 gigawatts (GWs) of new renewable capacity come online more than ten GWs ahead of the previous record of 127.5 GW that was set in 2015. What makes this even more noteworthy is the fact that this increase was achieved with a total investment that was 23 percent lower than in 2015.

Led by emerging-market economies, including China, India, and Brazil, solar became the lowest cost energy source in the world last year. In 58 developing countries the cost of solar dropped 66 percent compared to 2010 prices. The low cost of solar is enabling emerging markets to leapfrog past the costly approach to energy development we have seen in wealthier countries.

"It’s a whole new world," Liebreich was quoted as saying in a Bloomberg article.  "After the dramatic cost reductions of the past few years," explained Liebreich, "unsubsidised wind and solar can provide the lowest cost new electrical power in an increasing number of countries, even in the developing world sometimes by a factor of two."

United States

In the US solar was the largest single energy sector in 2016. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), utilities added 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of photovoltaic capacity to the US grid in 2016.  According to Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in the US togeether utilities and distributed solar accounted for a 14.8 GWs capacity increase in 2016.

US solar increased by almost 100 percent in the second to last quarter of 2016 and almost 200 percent compared to the same period in 2015. US solar capacity grew by 4,143 megawatts between July and September 2016. New solar capacity during this period represented 39 percent of all new US electric generating capacity.

An average of one new megawatt of solar generating capacity came online every 32 minutes between July and September. As a yearly average, the US added about 125 solar panels every minute in 2016, about double the pace of 2015.

The fourth quarter of the year likely broke the growth record set in the third quarter. Solar has grown at a prodigious rate in the past decade increasing 100 fold since 2006.

What about Trump?

While Trump has been unsuccessful on almost every front, he has managed to start dismantling America's federal regulatory regime.  Many declared that despite Trump's electoral victory, his energy and environmental agenda will be countered.

Trump ran on a platform premised on the belief that fossil fuels are a more cost effective option than renewables. Clearly, the facts dispute the cost concerns associated with solar power. Republicans including Trump are either disingenuous or woefully misinformed when they argue that renewables are too expensive.

Despite the Trump administration's resistance to facts, solar will not be easily undermined. A Think Progress article quotes industry experts as saying that as long as federal tax credits for solar remain in place, market forces and state-level policies will have a larger effect on solar growth than federal policy.

"We do not anticipate the Trump presidency impacting negatively or positively the growth of solar," Kimbis told the Washington Post. "In fact, we think that no matter who’s in the White House, the solar industry is going to continue to grow tremendously."

Despite his crusade against regulations and love for fossil fuels Trump does not appear to hate renewable energy production as much as some had feared. As reported by CleanTechnica, new study from Trump's Energy Department is looking at a global plan to harvest 5-10 terawatts of solar power by 2030.

Ongoing growth

In a 2016 press release  Cory Honeyman, GTM Research associate director of U.S. solar research said, "We’re seeing the beginning of an unprecedented wave of growth..." In the US solar is expected to triple by 2022.  Globally solar prices are expected to keep falling and outcompeting fossil fuels.

Solar price declines will keep driving the growth of solar, but we cannot pretend that market forces alone will be enough to keep us below the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees C. However, solar may help to keep us close enough so that we will be able to close the gap once sensible governance returns to the White House.

For a comprehensive summary of information on renewable energy click here. 

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Report - Shining Cities: At the Forefront of America's Solar Energy Revolution
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Event - CLIMATE MARCH (Peoples Climate Movement)

The Peoples Climate March will take place on April 29th, 2017 in Washington, D.C. and across the country. It takes place on the 100th Day of the Trump Administration and the goal is to stand up for our communities and our climate and to show the world and our leaders that we will resist attacks on our people, our communities and our planet.  People are coming together from across the United States with solutions to the climate crisis they are also demanding that Congress act.

This effort is even more important in the context of the Trump Administration’s and the Republican Party's climate denial. Congress must protect the gains made in recent years and move our nation to a new, clean energy economy. This is a moment to bring the range of progressive social change movements together. Pushing back against the Trump agenda and at the same time pushing forward on our vision of a clean, safe world where the rights of all people are protected and expanded. This means we all must work together and now, more than ever before, because everything is at stake.

Protestors are buoyed by the Trump administration's failure to pass its health care bill and the legal roadblocks encountered by the Muslim Ban and they say Trump's fossil fuel agenda is next.

The Six Goals of the March

1. Advance solutions to the climate crisis rooted in racial, social and economic justice, and committed to protecting front-line communities and workers. 
2. Protect our right to clean air, water, land, healthy communities and a world at peace.
3. Immediately stop attacks on immigrants, communities of color, indigenous and tribal people and lands and workers. 
4. Ensure public funds and investments create good paying jobs that provide a family-sustaining wage and benefits and preserve workers’ rights, including the right to unionize. 
5. Fund investments in our communities, people and environment to transition to a new clean and renewable energy economy that works for all, not an economy that feeds the machinery of war. 
6. Protect our basic rights to a free press, protest and free speech.

Core Principles

• Prioritize leadership of front-line communities, communities of color, low-income communities, workers and others impacted by climate, economic and racial inequity. 
• Use the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing to ground our work. 
• Build a coordinated but decentralized structure that lifts up a common platform and message while being flexible enough to create more opportunities for connection to local issues, ownership, and engagement in the movement. 
• Work in a way that helps to strengthen and build the capacity of the local organizing. 
• Develop opportunities for a range of organizations and social movements to work together and to us our joint efforts to give greater visibility to our common struggle. This includes, but is not limited to, putting people into the streets as we demand policy changes and bold action.

Brief History of the Peoples Climate Movement

On September 21, 2014 the Peoples Climate Movement organized the historic Peoples Climate March on the eve of the UN Climate Summit. As heads of state from around the world gathered, 400,000 people from every walk of life marched through the streets of New York City demanding bold and urgent action of the global climate crisis. That march — and the months of organizing that lead up to it — helped to re-boot the climate movement in this country, and laid the foundation for the growth of the Peoples Climate Movement. The months of organizing and the day itself helped to re-boot the climate movement in this country. We made visible the depth and breadth of concern about the climate crisis and the role the U.S. must play in meeting that crisis. We gave life to our understanding that our fight is a struggle for justice: securing climate justice means a commitment to the fights for economic and racial justice. That march laid the foundation for the growth of the Peoples Climate Movement.

In 2015 the Peoples Climate Movement focused its collective energy on strengthening the climate justice movement at the local level. That October we organized 200 actions in 48 locations mostly led by front-line communities, unions, faith groups, youth, and people of color organizations. These actions highlighted the on-the-ground realities in their cities, and tied those struggles to the national movement.

In 2016 the Peoples Climate Movement’s work shifted again as we began to focus on the fall elections. Our first step was the development of our Platform – a document that articulates our understanding of the climate crisis and what it will take to build a movement strong enough to meet the challenges ahead.

Peoples Climate Platform

• Directly and rapidly reduce greenhouse gas and toxic pollution to successfully combat climate change and improve public health.
• Mandate a transition to an equitable and sustainable New Energy and Economic Future that limits the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• Provide a Just Transition for communities and workers negatively impacted by the shift to a New Energy and Economic Future that includes targeted economic opportunity and provides stable income, health care, and education.
• Demand that every job pays a wage of at least $15 an hour, protects workers, and provides a good standard of living, pathways out of poverty, and a right to organize.
• Ensure that in the New Energy and Economic Future, investments are targeted to create pathways for low-income people and people of color to access good jobs and improve the lives of communities of color, indigenous peoples, low-income people, small farmers, women, and workers. 
• Make bold investments in the resilience of states, cities, tribes, and communities that are threatened by climate change; including massive investments in infrastructure systems from water, transportation, and solid waste to the electrical grid and safe, green building and increasing energy efficiency that will also create millions of jobs in the public and private sector 
• Reinvest in a domestic industrial base that drives towards an equitable and sustainable New Energy and Economic Future, and fight back against the corporate trade-induced global race to the bottom 
• Market and policy-based mechanisms must protect human rights and critical, native ecosystems and reduce pollution at source.

Week of Action Activities

There’s a form on the page to register events you’re doing in DC that aren’t already noted. We are designing a program for downloading, and printing some copies of it for local distribution. Not all events will make it onto the printed program, but the website will continue to be updated. Women’s Environmental Candidate Training: To harness the incredible energy of environmental and climate activists since the election, EMILY’s List, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), NextGen Climate, Sierra Club, Rachel’s Network, Emerald Cities, Environmental Defense Action Fund, Green For All Action Fund, GreenLatinos, Latino Victory Fund, NRDC Action Fund, and ROSA PAC will train pro-choice and pro-environment women who want to run for office on Sunday, April 30th from 9 am EST to 1 pm EST. To apply, fill out this form.

How you can Help

Become a donor to the People's Climate Movement today and keep growing the resistance to the attacks on our climate, our communities, and our families. Support the Peoples Climate Movement by chipping in $5 — every dollar you contribute will be put directly into making this march as powerful as it can be. We’ve been doing a lot with a little so far and need your help to take this march to the next level.

Help to spread the word about this important event.

RSVP for the march on Facebook, then invite your friends — the resistance to Trump’s presidency has been huge and a lot of that momentum has been sparked on Facebook. We want to make this thing as big as possible, so help us let the world know it’s happening.

Share why you’re going — whether on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or anywhere else, write a message about why you think it’s important to march for jobs, justice, and the climate.

When you post, use the hashtags #ClimateMarch or #PeoplesClimate.

Email your friends about the march — you can turn your RSVP for April 29th into 5 or 10 or 20 more by sending the Peoples Climate Movement website to a few more people who care about protecting our climate, our communities, and our families.

Key Action Items for you and your members 

Day of Volunteer Sign Up: We need 1,000 volunteers for the March. If you will be in Washington, D.C. on April 29th please sign up to Volunteer for the March. Ask your staff to sign up to volunteer at the March as well, and please share our need for volunteers throughout your larger networks.

Resistance Recess: During the April recess, we’ll be taking advantage of members of Congress being at home in-district by bringing the accountability to act on climate to their front door. We’ve developed this toolkit to help support people to plug into local actions. Check out https://www.resistancerecess.com/ and https://townhallproject.com/ to find Town Halls and events in your community. Email rfriedman@nrdc.org with any questions.

Sample tweet: Join movement leaders for a mass call about why the #ClimateMarch is so important right now. Apr 12 @ 8PM ET http://bit.ly/pcmmasscall

Sample Facebook post: There’s nothing Donald Trump hates more than mass protest – and he hates it because it works.

For more information or to sign up click here:

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