Advertise Your Sustainability

Make a statement through your bag. I choose to advertise sustainability. Check out my new favorite bag!!!

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Protest Chevron AUG. 15th Richmond California

Time for some ACTION!!! This weekend groups from all over the Bay area will be convening at the Richmond BART Station to protest against Chevron and make sure they don't forget how they are polluting not only Richmond, California but places where Black, Brown and Yellow people live all over the world.

Organizer and U.S. Campaign Coordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives Ananda Lee Tan states, “People, not corporations, should drive the critical climate talks in Copenhagen,”

The protest at the Chevron Refinery on Saturday will begin at 11:30 AM with a festival and rally at the Richmond BART Station at 16th Street and MacDonald Avenue. It will include a march to the Chevron oil refinery and a non-violent civil disobedience action that could result in arrests.

But hey Checktheweather.net is not co-signing on anyone going out and getting arrested if you ain't got the bail money.

Not in the Bay? You can still make a difference RIGHT NOW Click on this link to send a letter to Chevron and see a picture of an old, ugly yet very rich white guy whose playing a role in giving your cousin asthma and contaminating the planet.

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What is the True Cost of Chevron?

Now what does Chevron have to say?


On buses, on television and billboards across the nation people have been bombarded with advertisement saying things like "I will reuse more" or "I will drive my car less". The advertisements are from Chevron, one of the largest producers of oil around the world. A group of local and global environmental groups including Amazon Watch, Global Exchange, Justice in Nigeria Now, Rainforest Action Network, Richmond Progressive Alliance and West County Toxics Coalition having gathered together to launch a response campaign called The True Cost of Chevron to combat the polluting company and address what they see is hypocrisy in Chevron advertisements.

 The group recently released a report The True Cost of Chevron:  An alternative annual report. The report was published soon  after Chevron reported its 2008 earnings of $24 billion, making  it the second most profitable corporation in America. The true  cost of Chevron argues that Chevron didn't get there by just  selling a lot of Gas. They got their profits on the backs of poor  people in the US and around the world, contaminating vital water  and placing life endangering toxins into the air. The $24 billion profits Chevron made last year is more than the Gross Domestic Products of over 150 countries.

Chevron has dedicated a whole section of their website to what they call "Human Energy Stories." Here they discuss how it's going to take all of us to fight climate change and what the corporation is doing to not only use less dirty energy but also how they are working to put a portion of their work into community service. In the Community and Society section they write: "The places where we operate and the people that we work with are the communities we call home so we make an effort to make them better places."

So how does Chevron see making communities better places to live? Is it by cleaning up from nasty oil spills? Doing bio-remediation projects to decontaminate the land around the oil refineries or helping to pay for the medical expenses of the people who are getting cancer, miscarriages and respiratory illnesses? NO! Of the 24 BILLION dollars Chevron made last year they donated 160 million to community programs around the world. None of the programs address the climate and environmental justice concerns brought up by the True Cost of Chevron campaign. However, They are giving back by donating to schools and HIV/AIDS research, one of the only mainstream diseases that has not been explicitly linked to environmental toxins. Not that that is a bad thing, but we wonder, what would happen if Chevron spent some of the estimated 50-100 million dollar advertising campaign to just really Clean Up The Mess They Have Already Made Across the World.

I mean really Chevron "will you join us?"

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What Does it Mean to Be Black in America?

Recently CNN aired the 2nd edition of Black in America hosted by Soledad O'Brien. The piece featured stories from various members of the black community. Theroot.com and blackweb20.com hosted a watch party at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC. The sites gathered together a host of young black professionals, including checktheweather.net co-founder, Kari Fulton for a panel to discuss the documentary and if they thought it translated to their own realities of being Black in America. Fulton takes a unique approach at looking at the documentary by connecting the issues back to our environment, the one topic Black in America never really discussed.

Check out the Video of the discussion here:




Soledad O'Brien was also watching the live feed of this discussion, Check out an interview with Soledad discussing the controversial documentary series:



Oh and to our Latino homies: Don't worry CNN is getting ready to generalize then summarize your culture too. Latino in America comes out this October

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What is Green The Block?

Check out this Article from Checktheweather.net co-founder, Kari Fulton about the Green the Block Campaign. This article was originally posted on theroot.com click on the link to see a question and answer session on the Green the Block program with Council on Environmental Quality advisers Van Jones and Christine Glunz:

Green The Block: Coming to a Hood Near You!

On August 4, 2009 Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus and Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins of Green For All sat in a room surrounded by a diverse group of notable national leaders: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and Department of Energy Under Secretary Kristina Johnson to announce a campaign that is sure to change how America looks at going green. Green the Block is a national campaign and coalition led by the Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All working to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color have the resources and platforms needed to access the benefits and opportunities of the growing clean-energy economy. Rev. Yearwood calls this "our lunch counter moment of the 21st century." I call it about damn time.

As a Youth Climate Justice activist and now the Green the Block Program Coordinator with the Hip-Hop Caucus, I see this campaign as so much more than the White Jouse press conferences, the celebrity good deed or the hip new green campaign. Green the Block is a movement to regain control of our communities and our economy. For far too long, people of color and low-income communities have lived in the shadow of dirty polluting industries, continuously getting the short end of the environmental and economic sticks.

This campaign is a bold message that we are fired up and ready to go. From the Barrios of Los Angeles to the hoods of New York City to the Navajo Nation's reservations all the way to the suburbs of Maryland, organizations are signing on in droves ready to Green the Block. We will work together to make sure our communities are not left behind in the emerging green economy. We want to bring environmental justice and clean, green jobs to our communities. Furthermore, we want to show America and the world that we are ready to be leaders and investors in the Clean-technology industry. Through Green the Block we will work to make sure our country creates a clean energy economy that is strong enough to fight pollution and poverty at the same time.

The only thing we need now is you. On Sept. 11th the Green the Block Coalition will join President Obama's United We Serve campaign in hosting service and awareness events all over the country. To find out what eco-friendly service events are going on in your city or to volunteer visit Greentheblock.net. At Greentheblock.net you can also find out more information on the Green the Block Coalition and how you can sign up your organization. We hope you can join us on September 11th and as we grow the Green the Block movement. Remember this is bigger than hip hop and deeper than politics; it is about saving us from pollution and poverty today and this planet for generations tomorrow.

-Kari Fulton

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Reposted from http://environmentaladvocate.wordpress.com

By Kirin Kennedy
Green Jobs, for many people, the messages that President Obama, spoke about of a clean green economy for all, seem to have slipped by at the passage of the American Clean Energy and Securities ACT. The picture shown above, is a perfect depiction of what is actually going on in under-served communities. In today's world, there is a promise of a renewed America, that gives even the underprivileged a chance to advance from poverty to wealth. At least that was how the story was told just eight months to a year, ago. What is disheartening is that the ideal green job for the low skill worker does not exist. In fact according the National Conference of Mayors, there will only be 11% of green jobs available to those with less then a college degree. So for example in a city like Philadelphia where it has been laid out in the mayor's new green and econmic plan, only 300 federally funded green jobs will enter philadelphia. Which means that only 30 jobs will go to those of under-served communities. In addition, this does not leave room for a true green economy. Not only that but , what about those who are convicted felons, who trying to turn their lives around? How does green jobs fix all of the social issues that plague under-served communities? these are all issues that have not been quite thought out by those in power or they have been simply ignored. Green justice is a inclusive solution to creating a fair, clean and just Planet, but at this rate those in the underclass, again will be left out of the equation. Leaving them to the their own devices for survival. I say that it is time for Americans to remind the politicians and large environmental groups who they actually serve and that is the people. As it is our responsibility to provide these jobs to those who would benefit the most, the underclass. As I walk around Philadelphia and look at the citizens who struggle every day to meet their basic needs it is disheartening to find out that green jobs are not available to them either. I really hope that as this plan is laid out by organizations like Green 4 All and other green job oriented programs begin to enter our cities, and fight for climate legislation. That these organizations remember the constituents they work with, and protect them. Will work for green job, interesting sounds like a hopeless cause unless we the advocates for human and civil rights fight for green jobs for everyone. I say all of this to say that it is imperative that we find jobs to fix the larger social issues witin these communities and the first way of creating a safer, and cleaner enviornment is not by keeping those whose communities are overlooked out of the equation, but by grafting them in.
PEACE

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Who Was Ken Saro Wiwa?

Environmental Activist, Ken Saro Wiwa


Ken Saro-Wiwa was more than just your average activist, He led one of the most monumental non-violent direct actions against dirty oil in history. businessman, novelist and television producer Ken Saro-Wiwa gathered with the Ogoni People of the Niger Delta of Nigeria to stage Non-violent protests against Shell oil and the Nigerian Government for the human rights violations associated with the Oil Fields on Ogoni Land.




Through his leadership The Ogoni People were able to successfully remove Shell from their land. In 1995, After many years of protests, actions and the controversial deaths of 4 Ogoni leaders, Ken-Saro Wiwa was imprisoned by the Nigerian Government and executed.

The Ogoni People sued Shell and the Nigerian Government over Saro-Wiwa's death and recently Shell settled the case for 15.5 million dollars.

For more information on Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni People visit:

http://remembersarowiwa.com

Also check out this video!

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You may have heard the buzz on Hiphopdx.com or Mother Nature Network but we have the exclusive story here today.

Checktheweather Co-founder, Kari Fulton has joined the Hip Hop Caucus and Green For All to help launch the Green the Block Campaign (hence the slacking on the blog posts ;))

The Campaign launched last Tuesday, August 4th at the White House with a briefing and press conference featuring head of EPA Lisa Jackson, Green Jobs Czar Van Jones the head of Housing and Urban Development and the Undersecretary of the Department of Energy.

This campaign is going to be BIG! From getting Keisha Cole to wrap her weave up to clean up hoods in Oakland to having Meth and Redman showing you how they go Green besides just the medicinal way.

But this campaign is bigger than just the celebrities its about making sure that communities or color and low-income communities are supported in the development of a new green economy. It's about advocating for real solutions to Climate Change that don't completely destroy folk's pocketbooks.

The first action is September 11th, 2009! Green the Block will be hosting service events all across the country and maybe in your city too!

Want to Find out more Visit Greentheblock.net to sign up, start an event and more!

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Green For All Launches a New Sound

This Fall there is going to be an overwhelming frenzy of activism for the new Green Economy. With the Launch of the Green the Block Campaign and the work to pass a just climate bill that actually uses science to produce solutions for Climate Change.

Check out this video from Green For All "A New Sound" This is a dope video that gets to the core point of the message. It's time for something NEW, Something Fresh Something Green!

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The Reclaim to Go GREEN

Sprint and Samsung have teamed up to deliver Reclaim, a cell phone that is eco-friendly. Being only one of two phones to Go Green, in addition to the previously released Motorola Renew W233 for T-Mobile, the Samsung Reclaim is more than just the average phone. The phone is made from recycled plastic, as well as having a shipping box composed from recycled paper. Even the ink on the user manual is soy-based. With a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, numerous phone applications, it's eco-friendliness, and priced at $50 Samsung's newest gadget on the Sprint network may have what it takes to Reclaim some of the most harden environmentally conscious heads.

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Who is the KING of Eco-Rap?

10 year old rapper lil peppi from Miami is going hard for the environment. On his website lilpeppi.com he claims that at ten years old he is the KING OF ECO-RAP! Check out his song "Melting Ice".


But Lil Peppi is not your average kid rapper. He's been rapping since the tender age of three crafting his skills and getting his game right. He even opened up for DJ Jazzy Jeff when he was like 6 years old. Check out this video clip from Lil Peppi on a local NBC Daytime talk show from 2006



Is Lil Peppi really the King of Eco-Rap? We'll leave that for the emcees to battle out, but for now he's doing his thing and we are proud to see a young man spreading the word!

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Dirty Oil is Crude Worldwide and We Have Evidence!

From Nigeria to Peru to Baton Rouge Louisiana, Big Oil is polluting the planet and the people. Recently, Shell gasoline settled with the Ogoni People of Nigeria for $15.5 million. The Ogoni people accused Shell of playing a role in the execution of Tribal leaders who were running a non-violent campaign to get Shell oil mines out of their village. In South America there is an on-going campaign to protect the Amazon rainforest from oil and natural resource extraction by big companies like Chevron. Checktheweather.net sat down with filmmaker and activist Han Shan to discuss his thoughts on the Ogoni Settlement and to catch a trailer from his new award winning documentary "Crude" by Joe Berlinger

CRUDE - official trailer from Crude The Movie on Vimeo.

CTW: What was your initial reaction about the settlement:

Han Shan: There was an initial shock, A little bit of dissapointment that Shell is not going to be on trial but as it sank in more I realize that this is a victory. We have been working on this for a very long time. For a true victory Shell needs to change it's way of doing business all together.

CTW: what does this settlement mean for others fighting dirty oil around the world.

Han Shan: There are skeptics but by and large shell paid 15.5 million for crimes they say they didn't commit. There is no gag order on the plaintiffs and the lawyers. They were able to get the word out through media to show the collusion with Shell and the Nigerian military. I hope it will be inspiring to continue their fight and use legal mechanism. This case also broadened the use of the alien tort statute since Brian Anderson- Head of Shell Nigeria during Ogoni Massacre was brought to trial. It is also a powerful opportunity to look into who Ken-Saro Wiwa was. There are so many facets to this case

Ken Saro Wiwa's non-violent movement was successful in getting Shell out of Ogoni in 1993 there are still pipelines and illegal oil spills and even if they don't have oil fields in Ogoni they have a triple standard (Shell) the way they act in the Niger Delta, the way the act in poor areas of the US and then how they act in the Suburbs of Dallas, Texas. The way Shell acts in the Niger Delta is shameful.

CTW: What can people do to support:

Move towards a sustainable energy future. Until we end our addiction to oil we will always have violence. Conflict over resources is universal. We need a much more radical solution than what oil companies are willing to deal with. Oil companies are now taking away from investing in renewable energy and more into tar sands in Canada
The best thing is to keep spreading the word of what the true price of Oil is. We need a real solution that is going to support indigenous groups. we need to revisit free trade because we as americans play a huge role in what's going on in Peru and around the world. In Peru- Conoco-Phillips is the leading holder of exploratory license in Peru.

CTW: Now that this case is settled what's next?

Han Shan: This is a crime that you are never going to end with police. How do you lock up corporations?

CTW: What would bold climate legislation mean to you>>

Han Shan: We need to change up the economic incentives. there is no incentive to investing into renewable energies. Groups are working on a report to showcase that Shell is one of the prime players in weakening the Waxman-Markey bill. it's more cost -effective for these groups to invest in tar sands than renewable energy technology.

We need a Manhattan Project for renewable energy. I'm dissapointed that Obama has not used those funds to really re-imagine our country like the Manhattan Project or Marshall Plan. With the kind of technology that we have I am shocked we are not doing more.

One of the most important facets is local democratic control.There is a corruption that comes when you have big international companies coming in vying for control.

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Native Women Get "Bout It" and Call out Bank Exec's Wifey

Itsgettinghotinhere.org contributer, Joshua Kahn Russell reported today that two Indigenous Canadian women – Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, and Heather Milton-Lightening – scaled flagpoles in front of the main entrance of Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC’s) headquarters in Toronto, dropping a banner reading “Please Help Us Mrs. Nixon.com”. On the streets below, they were joined by dozens of Toronto RAN activists, swarming entrances to ensure every RBC employee heard our appeal Mrs. Janet Nixon, the wife of RBC CEO Gordon Nixon, to lend her strong and influential voice to those fighting to protect Canada’s clean water and respect Indigenous rights by pushing RBC to phase out its massive investments in Alberta tar sands projects.

Check out this video featuring Rainforest Action Network's Michael Brune trying to holla at the Bank Exec's wifey.

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60 Second Activism Free Leonard Peltier!

Today American Native Leonard Peltier and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) will face the parole board that will decide his fate. Don't know who this guy is? Well here's what Wikipedia had to say about the man:

"Leonard Peltier is an American activist and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who was convicted and sentenced in 1977 to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the murder of two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who were killed during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. There is considerable debate over Peltier’s guilt and the fairness of his trial. Some supporters and organizations consider him to be a political prisoner. Amnesty International has stated that "Although he has not been adopted as a prisoner of conscience, there is concern about the fairness of the proceedings leading to his conviction and it is believed that political factors may have influenced the way the case was prosecuted."[1] Numerous lawsuits have been filed on his behalf but none have succeeded. Peltier was incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg in Pennsylvania until January, 2009, when he was moved to Canaan Federal Penitentiary in Waymart, Pennsylvania. He was sent back to Lewisburg after he was severely beaten by other inmates in Canaan...."

Back in the day, The AIM movement was seen as being just as much of a threat as the Black Panthers by the Federal Government. Much like the Black Panthers, Counter Intelligence from the FBI placed undercover agents and paid informants to break up their movement to bring justice to Native people.

Want to help make sure Peltier is free? Call the White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1112 until you get through. Be persistent this man's life is at stake!

For more information visit http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/index1.htm

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New Music Tuesday Female Rapper Talks 350.org and Climate Change

Today is dedicated to where the wonky world of politics meets things people actually care about. Never heard of the word "wonky" well it's a term of endearment for people who are all into the policy and science side of life. For instance, we can get real wonky talking about climate change but at the end of the day most people just want the summary and the real deal. i.e. "how much is this going to cost me" or "how will this possibly screw me over".

So check out this song from Valida Prentice called the 350.org rap. 350 is an international organization working to get real science based solutions to climate change. It can be difficult breaking down the concept behind the number 350 but Valida takes a good stab at it.

Take a listen:

350.org rap from Valida Prentice on Vimeo.

Wanna know more about how to get "wonky with it" check out thewonkroom.com

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Navajo Nation Wins Green Job Victory!

Whohoo!

Big victories happen this week for native groups in Arizona. Wahleah Johns Co-director of the Black Mesa Water Coalition sent this out yesterday:
"...On July 21 2009, the 21st members of the Navajo Nation Council supported the Navajo Green Economy legislation, at 62 in favor and 1 oppose!

What this legislation does, is it creates a "Navajo Green Economy Commission" who will be tasked to support local community and family based Green projects and implement Green jobs on the Navajo Nation, from weatherization programs to supporting weavers co-ops. And yesterday the Navajo Nation also approved the "Navajo Green Economy Fund" which is an account for any future money raised for Navajo Green Jobs will be housed. The only thing that is needed to finalize this legislation is Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley's signature."

Let's hope President Joe Shirley doesn't front on Green Jobs and signs this piece ASAP. In the meantime check out this video of all the work the Navajo Green Jobs Coalition has been doing to bring green jobs to the Res'.

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The Congressional Black Caucus' Green Agenda

Yesterday The Congressional Black Caucus gathered together Black business leaders, scholars, scientist and activists for the first CBC Green Roundtable.
As part of the event, CBC members Bobby Rush of Illinois (Chicago), Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Barbara Lee of California (Bay Area) and G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina
Broke down climate change and the revisions that were added to Waxman Markey that made them support the Waxman- Markey Bill.

Check out a clip of Bobby Rush's breakdown of Climate Change



Congressman Butterfield stated that the bill was a very complicated piece of legislation and most Americans don't understand the over 1000 pages that make up the Waxman-Markey Bill. Rush went on to say that when initial supporters of the bill came to the CBC "they tried to sell the bill as a 'Green Jobs Bill' but as we got more involved and went to more meetings we saw that everything was on the table except the Green Jobs." In order to change this the CBC worked to add specific revisions to make sure that Low-income communities and people of Color are not shafted by the Climate Bill.

Here are some of the revisions that were made:

$10 billion in the first year will go in the pockets of low-income workers
Green Centers of Excellence will be established at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as predominately black institutions

Provide support to community based organizations that have written agreements with such qualified apprenticeship or other training programs to participate in identifying or recruiting targeted workers

Provide financing to minority entrepreneurs and businesses that improve energy efficiency;identify and develop alternative, renewable and distributed energy supplies;provide technical assistance and promote job and business opportunities for low-income residence; and increase energy conservation in low-income , rural and urban communities.

However, The Congressmembers warned that all of the provisions that were added during the house vote on the bill can be easily taken out during the Senate review process that is going on right now.

They urge all Americans to call their local senator and let them know DON'T Mess with the CBC provisions and make sure ya'll STRENGTHEN the Bill.

For more information visit thecongressionalblackcaucus.com

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Join the Mobilization for Climate Justice

The Mobilization for Climate Justice is a network of organizations and people, from both coasts, working to get a solid climate justice voice in the Copenhagen talks this December. There will be a mass action on climate change led by MCJ on November 30th. Here on the West Coast, we're starting on August 15th, with a rally&festival against the Chevron expansion in Richmond, CA.

Check out their website for more information: www.actforclimatejustice.org

Here's their open letter, explaining their mission:

MOBILIZATION FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE

OPEN LETTER TO GRASSROOTS

Help Organize for Urgent Action on Climate Change


The Mobilization for Climate Justice is a North America-based network of organizations and activists who have joined together to build a North American climate justice movement that emphasizes non-violent direct action and public education to mobilize for effective and just solutions to the climate crisis. The Mobilization for Climate Justice invites communities, organizations and activists across North America to join us in organizing mass action on climate change on November 30, 2009 (N30). N30 is significant because it both immediately precedes the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen (COP-15) and is the ten-year anniversary of the successful shut down of the WTO in Seattle, when activists worldwide came together to demonstrate the power of collective action. The Copenhagen climate meetings will be a major focus for international mass actions this November and December, and the MCJ is linked to these efforts as well.


Urgent action is needed around the Copenhagen climate talks because this is where governments around the world plan to finalize the international climate regime that will take effect when the Kyoto Protocol climate agreement expires in 2012. So far it appears that the new climate agreement will be nothing more than business as usual-sacrificing real action on climate change in favor of market-based approaches that enhance corporate profits, while delaying urgent measures to forestall catastrophic global heating.

A Radical Change in Direction is Urgently Needed

The MCJ invites you to inspire and organize a radical change in direction to put climate justice, ecological integrity and people’s rights at the center of international climate negotiations.

Market-based approaches to climate change dominate the UN climate talks. Carbon-trading and carbon offset projects have allowed polluters to avoid cutting emissions and accelerated the corporate take-over of the natural world at the expense of local and Indigenous communities. Those most immediately threatened by climate change and its false solutions – Indigenous Peoples, people of color, women, peasant and family farmers, fisherfolk, forest dependent communities, youth, and marginalized communities have been systematically excluded from the negotiations.

The climate crisis is directly linked to the financial crisis, the food crisis and the extinction crisis, as well as to militarism and war. They are rooted in an economic system dedicated to economic growth at any cost. We are uniting to challenge this system that puts profits over people or the earth. Urgent action to solve the climate crisis must include a complete transformation away from the dominant economic model of incessant and unsustainable growth, oppression and injustice.
We must highlight real, effective and just solutions to climate change
Join us in promoting solutions to climate change that are locally controlled, decentralized, bioregionally appropriate and socially just. Thousands of these solutions already exist and need to be promoted and supported with public funds.

Help ensure that large-scale, destructive corporate-controlled false solutions to climate change are eliminated. This includes so-called “clean coal,” agrofuels (industrial scale biofuels), nuclear power, and large-scale hydropower. It also includes REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)-the UN and World Bank initiative that offers incentives for countries to sell off their forests, expel Indigenous and peasant communities, and transform biodiverse and carbon-rich forests into industrial timber plantations.

Some key solutions to climate change include:

o Drastically reducing emissions without resorting to carbon trading and offsetting or other false solutions such as nuclear energy, agrofuels, or “clean coal”, while protecting the rights of those affected by the transition;
o Keeping fossil fuels in the ground;
o Re-localization of production and consumption, prioritizing local markets and cooperative economies;
o Decentralized utility systems and community controlled clean renewable energy;
o Rights based resource conservation that enforces indigenous land rights and ends corporate control over energy, forests, seeds, land and water;
o Ending deforestation and its underlying causes, imposing international sanctions and wood tariffs, coupled with a massive forest restoration effort, managed primarily by indigenous forest-dwelling peoples;
o Ending excessive consumption in the North and by elites in the South;
o Repayment of ecological debts owed by northern governments and resource extracting corporations to peoples in the Global South

The goals of the Mobilization for Climate Justice are:

1) To build a global movement for climate justice that encourages urgent action to avoid catastrophic climate change, and which addresses the root social, ecological, political and economic causes of the climate crisis toward a total systemic transformation of our society.
2) To promote and strengthen the rights and voices of Indigenous and other affected peoples, (including workers in energy-intensive industries) in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.
3) To expose the consequences of false and market-based climate “solutions” as well as corporate domination of climate negotiations, while advancing alternatives that can provide real and just solutions and which protect biodiversity.

Join Us in Taking Action!

Please join us in our national effort to organize educational events and non-violent direct actions at key locations in the U.S. on November 30, 2009. We welcome the active involvement of organizations that are united with us in our goals above, in our opposition to market-based false solutions to climate change, and in support of real, effective and just solutions to climate change.
We encourage local groups to create proposals for action on N30. We hope to have direct actions on climate change in locations across the U.S.

We also endorse and support a global call for action on October 12, 2009 the International Day of Action in Defense of Mother Earth and in Support of Indigenous Rights.

Please get involved and take action for climate justice.

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Climate Talks Get Racial: Black Chamber of Commerce President Calls Senator Racist!

Last week during the Senate Committee hearings on the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act things almost came to a full out battle between California Senator Barbara Boxer and the President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Harry Alford. Alford accused Boxer of being racist for bringing up the NAACP's supposed support of the climate bill. Alford, screamed out,

"I don't like it," he yelled across the witness table. "It's racial. I take offense to it. As an African American, and a veteran to this country, I take offense to that. You're quoting some other black man. Why don't you quote some other Asian or something? You are being racial here. And I think you're getting to a path here that's going to explode."

Check out a video clip from the breakdown.


However, in a recent article published in today's The Root and the Griot, journalist Brentin Mock states that both the NAACP and the Black Chamber of Commerce don't have the right to talk for Black America on Climate Change. The article calls out the NBCC for being heavily funded by Exxon Mobile. Exxon Mobile is one of the world's largest polluters and funds research trying to prove Climate Change is not real.

Brentin also states that Environmental Justice groups like The Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative and WEACT for Environmental Justice deserve a seat at the decision making table.

Check out the article by Brentin Mock in Today's The Root by Clicking here

Continue following the waxman-markey story and all your green justice news At checktheweather

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Summer Concerts Go Green!

This summer some of the hottest artist from John Legend to the Fray to Snoop Dogg are going green. GreenJar.net is catching up on all the action. Check out this video from Green Jar's KidGREEN at the REVERB Concert with the Fray!

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