by Filomena Cimino & Meenal Raval

In June of 2017 when President Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change grandstanding “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh not Paris”, the Mayors of both cities reactions clearly demonstrated they were more united than ever to comply with the goals of the Doctrine, a document that had another 195 compliant Signatories from countries around the globe.

The film Paris to Pittsburgh was screened at several area locations recently.

• On March 31st, it was screened at Swarthmore Friends Meeting by the Ready for 100 team in Delaware County, in partnership with Transition Town Media and Swarthmore Friends Meeting.
• On April 22nd, the Ready for 100 team in Montco presented this film at Ann’s Choice in Warminster.
• On April 25th, the Southeastern PA chapter of The Climate Reality Project screened this film in Haverford, in partnership with Penn Environment.
• Then on April 28th, the Ready for 100 team in Philly presented this film at The Ethical Society in Philadelphia.
• On May 22nd, the PA chapter of Interfaith Power & Light held a screening at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr.

The Warminster screening at Ann’s Choice, a vibrant senior living community, brought over 100 seniors. Our Ready for 100 team in Montgomery County had been contacted by one of the social directors of the community saying that an active seniors’ group, Progressives for Positive Change, was interested in viewing the film. We responded to questions after the film and were glad to interact with so many well-informed residents.

A little back story about this film

In June of 2017 when President Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change grandstanding “I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh not Paris”, the Mayors of both cities reactions clearly demonstrated they were more united than ever to comply with the goals of the Doctrine, a document that had another 195 compliant Signatories from countries around the globe.

Mayor Ann Hidalgo of Paris illuminated Paris City Hall in green to show support of the Agreement and Mayor Bill Peduto of Pittsburgh issued a formal statement as follows:

“I’m appalled that the President used my city to justify his unacceptable decision… I was one of many Mayors who traveled to Paris to fight for the Accord and my City which has finally bounced back from decades of industrial carnage will do all it can to promote its own environmental standards”.

Powerful reactions.

Photo courtesy of Sue Edwards

Powerful reactions leading to a documentary film

Powerful reactions to President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord brought to life this documentary film -- Paris to Pittsburgh. Presented by National Geographic in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Paris to Pittsburgh “brings to life the impassioned efforts of individuals who are battling the most severe threats of climate change in their own backyards. Set against the national debate over the United States' energy future - and the Trump administration's explosive decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement - the film captures what's at stake for communities around the country and the inspiring ways Americans are responding.”

The film is an encouraging portrait of the development of clean, renewable energy in the US and around the world, showcasing our national leadership void and highlighting some of the many million actions needed, that are together going to move the needle.

Some of the main messages of this documentary are…

• The climate crisis -- It’s real, caused by humans and poses a threat.
• The climate crisis not coming, it’s already here.

Some quotes from this documentary…

• President Obama - [The Paris Agreement] is the best chance to save the one planet that we’ve got.
• Mayor Bill Peduto - [There are ] more jobs in renewable energy in Pennsylvania than coal, oil and natural gas combined.
• Penn State Professor Michael Mann - We need to keep a foot on the renewable energy pedal

Some examples of what we need to be doing, wherever we live…

• Floating solar installations in 9,000 manmade ponds
• a 12 megawatt community solar farm topping a landfill site
• A downtown bus route transitioned to 100% electric buses
• a new concept called “fleet farming” where the homeowner provides the land, gets produce free of charge, with the excess going to market
• The example of Casa Pueblo in Puerto Rico with their solar lamps, and rooftop solar systems for food storage, medicine, and emergency systems such as dialysis machines.
• Islands are replacing fossil fuel grids with renewable energy grids.
• Community colleges starting to train wind & solar technicians, some of the fastest growing jobs.

The film shows that the American people are committed to the Paris goals. That when affecting the pocketbook, the climate crisis becomes a conservative issue. It makes us think about climate refugees, with the example of Orlando. Orlando, with a current population of 2.5 million people, is expected to receive 2.5 million people evacuating from Miami. After Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, 300,000 people ended up moving to Orlando.

What can you do?

We need ideas, and we need personal connections to help transition our region to renewable energy. You can find a Ready for 100 team near you. See readyfor100.org for a national list. As of this writing, Sierra Club teams in 122 towns have convinced their municipalities of committing to 100% clean and renewable energy.

In Southeastern PA, you’ll find teams in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties; see: sierraclub.org/pennsylvania/southeastern/ready-for-100

Let’s keep it rockin!!

This blog was included as part of the 2019 Spring Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!