With important wins under our belt, we have a lot to celebrate! But the work of securing a climate resilient future doesn’t stop. Planning for what comes next is well underway. That’s why I wanted to share with you an early preview of what we’re shifting our focus to for the next legislative session, and an update on how you can join the fight:
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Mariska Kecskes started with Sierra Club in February and is a few months into her not-so-new role as an organizer with the WA Chapter. She will be focusing on some of Sierra Club’s longest-running efforts, preserving forests and rivers. I caught up with Mariska to talk about her work, what motivates her, and the things she’s looking forward to about being part of the Sierra Club community.
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The Energy Committee has a glorious history of influencing state and local energy policies from stopping coal and nuclear plants to funding low-income weatherization.
If you want to learn about energy issues (learn to speak energy geek!) and help the Chapter make strong, clean and equitable energy policy, please send a message to Sara Patton, current Energy Committee Chair at broadwaye731@comcast.net. |
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Hey fossil fuel fighters! Remember the TransMountain (TMX) pipeline and tanker project? It is a reckless project that would increase tanker traffic through shared Washington and British Columbia waters by seven hundred percent, endangering the already struggling Southern Resident orca population. Here's how you can get involved to stop the TransMountain Pipeline:
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Day 1: June 2, 9am – 12pm Pacific
Day 2: June 10, 9am – 12pm Pacific
The Clean & Affordable Energy Conference will cover the most pressing issues in the Northwest’s energy landscape. These include salmon recovery and potential changes to the federal hydro system, as well as how to advance equity in the energy space through funding and support for expanded community participation.
Panelists will discuss how to address regulatory barriers to decarbonizing utilities, and how stakeholders can engage in the NW Power Council’s regional planning processes to support clean, affordable and reliable service for all Northwest communities. |
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Sat, Jun 12, 2021 2:00 PM
Join us for a youth led and youth focused webinar on stopping the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project! |
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Tue, Jun 15, 2021 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Join us for this start off to a Week of Action from June 14 - 21 targeting the insurance companies enabling the continued operation and expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
Come learn more about the effort against Trans Mountain, how insurance companies are funding the climate crisis and what you can do to take action! |
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WA for Black Lives
Organizing together to demand economic, political, and social justice in our state.
Washington for Black Lives is a unified Black-led coalition of organizations across the state building on the innate power of our communities.
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The Northwest Community Bail Fund
The Northwest Community Bail Fund (NCBF) works to ensure that people accused of low-level crimes have an equal opportunity to defend themselves from a position of freedom. |
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It’s listener mail time! This week, we’re digging into a mysterious email one listener received from their utility about renewable natural gas. Can natural gas actually be renewable, or is this just a marketing scheme? |
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Our Reading List:
Once these retrofits are complete, the plan estimates they could completely decarbonize one-third of schools, delivering an annual reduction of at least 29 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent when accounting for all sources of greenhouse gases. That’s the equivalent of taking 6 million cars off the road.
NBC News: 12 best books on climate change, shared by climate activists
If you’re interested in learning more about climate change and what you can do on an individual level, picking up a book may be a great way to start. To find out which ones are worth a read, we reached out to 12 climate activists to get their favorites.
“We’re tremendously worried because there are a lot of people who have a mountain of unpaid bills that are going to come due all at once,” said Ruth Sawyer, climate organizer for the Sierra Club in Seattle.
The Sierra Club and a coalition of advocates argued it is too soon to resume disconnections, citing issues of equity and access. Namely, issues of access to assistance programs like language barriers and a disproportionate impact on low-income and BIPOC families.
“There is an ancient covenant there that is between the salmon, the animals and us, as humans,” said tribal chairman Shannon Wheeler.
Now, that covenant is imperiled. Since the construction of more than 400 barriers up and down the Columbia River basin, populations of chinook salmon, steelhead and lamprey have plummeted – particularly after four dams were built on the Lower Snake River in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
The spotlight on AAPI hate crimes through videos and photos has demonstrated ways in which our communities endure physical and verbal hate. But during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, my work as a campaigner advocating for equitable public health solutions through cleaning up our dirty transportation sector has reminded me how my community is subjected to environmental inequities.
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