Monday, June 01, 2020

David Rovics eNewsletter, June 1, 2020

In June, 1831, the mining town of Merthyr Tydfil and the region around it in Wales was in a state of revolt.  The bosses had announced cuts in wages that were already impossibly low, and the people had had enough.  Download MP3 or find it as the latest episode of the Song For Today podcast.
The 6th of our weekly online open mic, broadcast at 10 am Pacific Time every Monday on the Facebook pages of Popular Resistance, KBOO Community Radio, and various other platforms, including at davidrovics.com/pomm, where you can also sign up for the next one! Today's open mic featured lots of great new material from people related to George Floyd and other subjects, including fantastic new songs from Robb Johnson and Bergie!  Download MP3 or find as an episode of the podcast, This Week with David Rovics.

Who's Trashing Downtown Every Night and Why?


The corporate media and corporate politicians are paralyzed with indecision. Which fake myth do we adhere to? "Black people burning down their own neighborhoods" or "outside agitators"? What if it's both, and more...?

You can also read this on my blog.


Media coverage of the past few days and nights of the multiracial uprising that is currently taking place in various forms in cities small and large across the United States has been confused and misleading, as usual. Media coverage of such events is usually either confusing, misleading, or both, because of the influence of the media owners, and because of the implicit biases, insufficient resources, and/or ignorance of the journalists who work for them. So, it begs for a bit of helpful clarification.

But first of all, they keep saying these are the biggest urban disturbances in the US since 1968. This sounds huge, and while it's certainly impressive, the basic phenomenon taking place, and the various dynamics within it, are not new, not unprecedented, and in fact are very commonplace.

Most people, from my experience, never go to protests. Among those who do go to protests, many people only go to one big one in their lives, if any. At pretty much every big protest I've ever been to, which is a lot, I'm surrounded by people of all ages who tell me and others around them that they are attending their first protest. Whatever got them out -- a racist police murder, a massacre, an imperialist war, a massive bank bailout -- they say they just had to come out this time, even though they never went to a protest before. The hardcore protest-hopping crowd like me is a very select group, for a lot of different reasons. We are not representative.

As a consequence, at every protest I have been to, there are participants who are under the impression that the tactics the protesters are employing were just invented yesterday, and that the militarization of the police is a new phenomenon. In Ferguson in 2014 I remember hearing many local people of all ages saying things that made it abundantly clear that they thought large groups of riot police rioting in their town and making use of tear gas, stun grenades, and tank-like vehicles was something that had not been seen since the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. They were under that impression simply because that was the last time anyone remembered tanks on the streets in Ferguson, and for many older people in town, that was also the last time they attended a large protest.

Before I start contextualizing the current situation, let me say that although me and many other radicals did certainly predict most everything that is currently taking place, I have no idea where this is going. Predictions made by people like me are usually wrong. If they're right, it's because they were obvious -- everyone knows powder kegs eventually explode, but nobody really ever knows exactly when this might happen, or what will be the spark. But the keg is now burning. It may have started with one spark, but the lynching of George Floyd, although horrific, is only symbolic of what this is all about. Justice in this situation most certainly does not begin or end with the sentencing of all four of those cops with murder. They're certainly guilty, but there's a lot more of that to go around, at far higher levels of authority than the local cops, fascist as they may be. (To anyone who was not literally born yesterday, living in the US today, who is aware of who the president is, this is a very obvious statement.)

The main question I want to focus on here is a burning question in the minds of the corporate media and for many regular people from all walks of life across the country -- who is smashing, looting and burning buildings, torching police cars, and throwing projectiles at the riot cops all over this country?
 

The "Peaceful Protesters" Myth


It is probably the case that the vast majority of the people assembling during the day and during the evening to hold protest rallies against the tendency of the police in the US to lynch black people on a regular basis are not the same people who are engaging in some of the other aforementioned activities. But it would be very wrong to put them all in this fake "peaceful protester" box.

What the media calls "peaceful protesters" are people who stand around in a public space with signs and make speeches. They can be angry speeches, that's OK. This is what they call "peaceful protest." If they don't have a permit, it might not be "peaceful" anymore, in the media's eyes. If the police attack peaceful protesters and a single person from within the ranks of the protesters responds in any way that can be construed as violent -- such as if someone raises their hand to attempt to block a billy club that's about to come down on their face -- this will be labeled a "clash," such as, "there are now clashes taking place between the police and the protesters."

When people occupy an intersection and stop traffic, or block the entrance of a building, this is what people from within social movements generally refer to as civil disobedience, or direct action. It is considered by anyone involved with a social movement anywhere to be solidly within the "nonviolent" category, and it is often referred to by its full name, "nonviolent civil disobedience." People like Gandhi and MLK popularized these sorts of tactics, which were pioneered long before, by other social movements that were also led by oppressed people, such as the labor movement, very much including the multiracial movements of tenant farmers and sharecroppers in the early part of the twentieth century.

The corporate media, however, will often start referring to protests as "violent" as soon as any law is being broken, such as traffic laws, when an intersection, highway, or building entrance is blocked. This use of the term "violent" is very confusing for many, because it's patently inaccurate, when people learn enough to understand what the reporters actually mean -- if they are allowed to get to that point, which is generally not the case. If people are looking to the media to understand what's happening around them, this is very unhelpful. One of many very unhelpful aspects of their coverage.
 

The "Black People Are Burning Down Their Own Neighborhood" Myth


As soon as a police murder or the acquittal of a killer cop lead to anyone setting fire to a building, the media will tend to shift into a different gear, where they start focusing on the popular response to the racist, elitist system, rather than on the problems that led to the response. This happens, again, partly because this is what the corporate propagandists who own most of what remains of the press want to focus on, not just because it's sensationalist and keeps eyes glued to the screen, but because it is consistent with their perspective, and that of most of their reporters, who were generally raised in totally different circumstances from most of the folks currently burning stuff down.

Thus, for different reasons, but amounting to the same effect, the media will talk about people burning down "their own" neighborhoods. It's unfashionable these days to refer to them as "animals," which was a common refrain during the national uprising in 1991 that the media refers to as the "LA riots." Trump prefers the racially loaded term, "thugs," which is just a slightly updated version of "animals."

No rent-burdened renter who has been evicted multiple times, which is the case for millions and millions of people in the US, feels like the neighborhoods they live in are "their own" neighborhoods. Most working class people in urban America are struggling to stay in "their own" neighborhoods. They are constantly being evicted and driven out of "their own" neighborhoods. Yuppies flip houses and sell them at impossible prices, and "their own" neighborhoods become quickly unrecognizable and unaffordable. There is a massive rate of displacement and what can accurately be described as ethnic cleansing taking place in cities throughout this country, that has been going on for centuries now. It has only been interrupted for periods of time through strong rent control legislation, which used to exist in states like New York and Massachusetts. But multi-generational, real communities are fewer and farther between, because of the fact that housing is an investment for capitalists in this country, not a right, not at all.

So no one is burning down "their own" neighborhood. To the extent that local people are involved with these activities -- which lots of them are, let's be very clear about that, and this is nothing new, not at all -- the neighborhoods they are burning down are not their own. They are owned by people that often feel like invaders. However, these invaders may be "mom and pop" business owners, or "mom and pop" landlords. The media will refer to any business as a "small business" if it's not a big corporation. But someone running a restaurant that serves food that many people in a given neighborhood can't afford to eat, while easily fitting the media's description as a "mom and pop" small business, is not often seen by local people as part of "their community" or as particularly distinguishable from a chain store like Target. Either the "mom and pop" establishment in this instance, or the chain store, will have the same impact, of raising the cost of housing in the now more "desirable" neighborhood.
 

The "Outside Agitators" Myth


Traditionally, when there is a major protest that involves some forms of civil disobedience or other forms of direct action, so that business as usual is sufficiently interrupted to the point where the protests can't be ignored, the media will adopt one of two tropes. If it's not people "burning down their own neighborhood," then it's some kind of "outside agitators" who did it.

The "outside agitator" is generally someone like me, who cares about society, and other people in it, so much that they want to leave their own homes and even their own home towns or states or countries, to go to another place to practice what is known as solidarity or mutual aid, depending on the situation. It's easier for the media to blame "outside agitators" when there's a national or international meeting of the elite taking place, say a G8 or G20 meeting, and tens of thousands of people show up to protest against or try to shut down those meetings. This scenario has been played out many times in the US, Canada, and many other countries, and I've personally been to many such events, throughout the world, since I'm more or less an outside agitator by profession.

From my experience, even at a big international event in Washington, DC or New York City, most of the people involved with the protests will be from the local area. They may not be from the actual city the protest is taking place in, but most of them will be from a nearby state. Locals, by a broader definition than the media likes to use. So when they say that 20% of those arrested in Minneapolis were not from Minnesota, they don't mention that of those 20%, the vast majority were from the state of Wisconsin, a short drive away. (I don't know this to be true, I'm just guessing based on past experience.) Of course, if they came from further afield than Wisconsin to show solidarity with people in Minneapolis, this still does not make them bad people.

One of the wonderfully confusing things going on right now with media coverage and the reactions to events by politicians trying to spin the picture the way they want us to see it is they can't decide on which false trope to fall back on here. Is it people burning down their own neighborhoods, or are these outside agitators? Obviously, it's both -- and so much more.

The outside agitator theory also becomes very hard to maintain in this situation, because they are everywhere at the same time. Traditionally, outside agitators have to come from outside. By outside, usually they're talking about select groups of highly committed young anarchists going from supposed anarchist hubs like Seattle, San Francisco and New York City, to places where big, pre-planned events are taking place, such as the G20 meetings in Pittsburgh in 2009 or the Free Trade Area of the Americas talks in Miami in 2003, to name a couple random examples. In the face of protests happening in every major city at the same time, the "outside agitators" now must have come from a nearby suburb, which doesn't seem all that "outside" to me.

The fact is, the city of Minneapolis has thousands of people in it who probably identify explicitly as anarchists. There are many other cities in the US that have a high concentration of radicals. Minneapolis has been one of them, for a very long time. The radical tradition in Minneapolis is a multiracial one, like this uprising, and includes prominent people from every major ethnic background, very much including white, black, brown, Asian and indigenous resistance in many forms.

Within the ranks of all of these communities, and within the ranks of radicals within all of these communities, there are many different opinions on effective strategies. While many people understand how folks might not differentiate between burning down a locally-owned upscale restaurant and a big chain corporate store, many would be critical of burning down anything, ever. And those who think burning down buildings is a good tactic might distinguish between these two targets, intellectually. Where radicals of all backgrounds tend to unite is around the understanding that oppressed people will tend to rise up, and those uprisings will tend to be messy, especially in the absence of a radical labor tradition, and in the absence of any kind of viable third party option to the two capitalist, imperialist ruling parties who are largely responsible for the terrible disparities in society in the first place.
 

The "You're Just Being Paranoid" Myth


In their efforts to confuse people and manage the situation from their corporate elite vantage points, the stenographers of CNN and NPR will rarely mention that local, state and federal police forces have a long and terrible history of infiltrating, undercutting, planting evidence, sowing division and otherwise destroying social movements in any way possible, including killing activists and then blaming others for the killings. Dozens of leaders of the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement were systematically killed by the authorities at various levels of power, and no one has ever been brought to justice for these many crimes against these immensely popular organizations. If you familiarize yourself with the public record on the FBI's Counterintelligence Program or Cointelpro -- which has never ended, to be sure -- you will find they have committed every crime imaginable, both very overt and extremely underhanded, to cause movements to implode or explode, depending on what works best.

So, are FBI agents and undercover cops among those who are attacking the police and burning down buildings across this country? While we may not yet have any concrete proof of this, we can assume, based on massive amounts of concrete proof of past activities of these so-called law enforcement agencies, that their agents are involved with many of the most egregious cases of small or ethnically-owned businesses being burned down. This has been their modus operandi for a very long time, in order to sow division. You would have to be completely ignorant of recent history to think it's not happening now. Yet on the off-chance anyone might suggest on a mainstream media outlet that this sort of thing is probably happening, they would likely be lampooned as a conspiracy theorist.

Currently, it appears rightwing actors who may or may not also be cops are trying to start a "race war" by targeting certain buildings for arson attacks and by firing into crowds of protesters. This adds another level of complexity to the situation, obviously.
 

Collateral Damage


In a war, many innocent lives are lost. If you have ever known a person who participated in a war that they even thought was completely just, you will find just one more person who is traumatized by the things they have seen, and the innocents who have died in the course of the conflict they participated in. If you meet someone who participated in a war that they realized at the time, or later, was unjust, this trauma will tend to be even more intense.

In an uprising like what is currently taking place, this is no different. When you set about to burn down a police station, this is a difficult task that involves many challenges. Without going into all the details, suffice it to say that if you're burning down a building, neighboring buildings might also catch fire, whether you wanted them to or not. If the fire department were assisting the arsonists, as with a controlled burn of a forest or building, to make sure nearby trees or houses didn't catch fire, it would be different, but that's not the situation here. If it were the military accidentally bombing the wrong house, or a hospital, or a wedding party, as the US military has so often done in recent years in so many parts of the world, they'd just say oops, it was collateral damage. But if a small business gets torched by accident, or on purpose, by people in the course of an urban rebellion, then it's a different story you'll hear from the media and others that these wackos are burning down very nice nonprofit centers that no sensible person would want to harm. The collateral damage angle, though obvious from a logistical standpoint, will rarely be mentioned -- as rarely as the possibility that a particularly destructive action might have been carried out by an FBI agent posing as a protester, despite the abundant evidence of this kind of systematic behavior over the course of past decades.
 

In Conclusion


Rebellions, uprisings, and revolutions have some things in common, regardless of the outcome: they are messy, they are dirty, they smell bad, people get hurt, people get killed, buildings get burned, and a lot of innocent people suffer. They don't happen unless conditions were completely untenable to begin with. And as they grow, for some, there are rays of hope amidst the flames.
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Tuesday, December 03, 2019

SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK NEWSLETTER, Dec. 3, 2019

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
3 December 2019
 
NINE OF FIFTEEN IDENTIFIED CLIMATE TIPPING POINTS NOW "ACTIVE" SAY SCIENTISTS

In 2008, a group of scientists at the Global Systems Institute of the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) identified fifteen key planetary systems that normally function in mutual equilibrium, but which are to a greater or lesser degree deteriorating from human activities.  Their particular concern is how such deterioration is contributing to climate disruption, how fast it is occurring, how changes in several systems can exacerbate each other, and especially how system deterioration can reach a point of no return - or a tipping point. 

There are a number of contributing factors to what makes a tipping point, such as: an Earth system passes a critical state where changes occur more rapidly, changes are amplified by positive feedback loops, changes in one Earth system force changes in other Earth systems, changes lead to an abrupt shift where the future state of the system is qualitatively altered, and the system changes are irreversible.  The scientific team now says that nine of the fifteen tipping points have been activated.  They are: Arctic sea ice, Greenland ice sheet, Boreal forests, Permafrost, Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, Amazon rainforest, Warm-water corals, West Antarctic Ice Sheet,and Parts of East Antarctica - Nine Climate Tipping Points Now “Active”, Warn Scientists.
 
In a follow up analysis just reported in the journal Nature, the team of scientists warn that a “cascade of changes sparked by global warming could threaten the existence of human civilizations.  Evidence is mounting that these events are more likely and more interconnected than was previously thought, leading to a possible domino effect".  Their research now shows that there is a higher risk that abrupt and irreversible changes to the climate system could be triggered at smaller global temperature increases than thought just a few years ago.  Co-author of the report, Johan Rockström, said "As science advances, we must admit that we have underestimated the risks where the planet self-amplifies global warming.  This is what we are starting to see at 1°C global warming".  The Nature article reports that "Some economists have suggested that 3 °C warming is optimal from a cost–benefit perspective.  However, if tipping points are looking more likely, then the ‘optimal policy’ is that warming must be limited to 1.5 °C.  This requires an emergency response.  To err on the side of danger is not a responsible option".  Learn more at - Climate tipping points - too risky to bet against, and Climate Tipping Points Are Closer Than We Think, Scientists Warn.


UN EMISSIONS GAP REPORT: RENEWABLE ENERGY MUST ROLL OUT SIX TIMES FASTER
Each year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) publishes a UN Emissions Gap Report describing the gap between the target amount of global CO2 reductions needed to keep climate warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, and the amount and pace of actual CO2 reductions occurring.  In order to meet the 1.5°C goal, the report for the first time enumerates how great the CO2 reductions need to be starting now to meet the 2030 deadline established in last year's report.  Their conclusion is that humanity needs to reduce emissions by 7.6 per cent every year from 2020 to 2030.  If we do not, temperatures can be expected to rise 3.2°C above pre-industrial levels, with devastating effect.  In reality and in spite of 25 years of U.N. climate conferences, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have risen 1.5% annually over the past decade.

Every year, the report features ways to bridge the gap.  This year, the report looks at the potential of the energy transition – particularly in the electricity, transport and buildings sectors.  In that context the report warns that renewable energy deployment needs to happen six times faster than it currently is.  PV Magazine reviewed the findings and said "The report notes the record high 167 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy generation capacity deployed last year – including 108 GW of solar – and added that the $273 billion invested in renewables was around three times more than was spent on coal and gas.  However, the report notes, coal, oil and gas still meet 85% of the world’s energy needs."  In terms of clean energy-related policy recommendations, Argentina is urged to support the roll-out of small-scale renewables systems; Japan is advised to come up with a plan for a carbon-free energy mix; the EU is urged to fine-tune its CO2 tax and hydrogen gas strategy; and Brazil, China, and India are all asked to step up their electric vehicle initiatives.  Regarding president* Drumph who pulled out of the Paris Agreement a month ago, the U.N. document says "Despite the Trump administration’s actions, market trends have resulted in a significant drop in emissions over the past decade”.  Read more at - Clean energy must be rolled out six times faster.


TO STOP THE EXTRACTION OF FOSSIL FUEL RESERVES - STOP THE MONEY
Reversing climate disruption requires a multi-faceted approach, including ramping up renewable energy supplies, increasing CO2 drawdown by expanding forests and organic agriculture, using electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars, rapid shifts in government policy, and keeping fossil fuels in the ground.  As to that last one, a 2015 study published in the journal Nature concluded that a maximum of 1,100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (Gt CO2) is all the atmosphere can absorb up to 2050, or global temperatures will rise above 2°C.  But the total amount of CO2 in known fossil fuel reserves is around three times higher than this.  Burning them would obviously demolish any hope of staying under 2°C, much less the revised safe limit of 1.5°C.  The 2015 report said that about two thirds of fossil reserves must never be burned and must stay in the ground, or about 750 Gt of CO2.  Today the 1.5°C warming limit would require about 90% of reserves must stay in the ground - Leave fossil fuels buried to prevent climate change, study urges.

If known fossil fuel reserves are mostly restricted, then any exploration for more is pointless and ultimately worthless.  Their only value is to be burned, an option increasingly being rejected by the energy market, by citizens, and by a growing number of government units.  At some point the market value of the fossil reserves will drop below what was invested to find and extract them, leaving them as "stranded assets".  The main driver keeping fossil fuels economically afloat is that of investment banks, which make money on interest rates regardless of whether a fossil energy company is profitable or not.  For example, petroleum and natural gas fracking companies are losing money, and able to continue only because of bank loans - Will the Fracking Revolution Peak Before Ever Making Money?.  Bill McKibben points out that in the three years since the Paris agreement, just one bank, JPMorgan Chase, has directed $196 billion to extreme energy investments of deep water drilling, Arctic oil, mountain top removal, and others.  Furthermore he said "The same is true of the asset-management and insurance industries: without them, the fossil-fuel companies would almost literally run out of gas" - Money Is the Oxygen on Which the Fire of Global Warming Burns.

Divestment has great potential as another tactic to reverse climate disruption.  350.org that Bill McKibben founded helped launch a divestment campaign that has persuaded college endowments, pension funds, and others to divest from fossil fuel companies to the tune of $11 trillion.  Oil change International just completed a three year effort which convinced the European Investment Bank to cease their fossil fuel investments.  A couple resources for divestment are: A new $11 trillion fossil free milestone, and Fossil Free Campaigns.


KANSAS CLIMATE AND HEALTH DECLARATION
During the Summer of this year, the Climate & Energy Project launched the Kansas Climate and Health Declaration initiative.  Over 400 Kansans and 30 organizations have already signed the Kansas Climate and Health Declaration to make a clear call to our state’s leadership to address climate disruption as a primary threat to public health.  The initiative aims to increase awareness of the impacts of climate disruption on public health, increase civic engagement on climate action in Kansas, and advance policies that build community resilience and safeguard the future of our state.  Individuals and organizations can join the movement to urge bold, comprehensive action to reduce emissions and build resilience.  For more info, and to sign go to - Kansas Climate and Health Declaration.

 
RESPONSIBLE ENERGY VS. KING CONG (COAL-OIL-NUKE-GAS)

Onagawa reactor in Japan's Miyagi Prefecture was a hair's breadth of being a second Fukushima.
The March 2011 Tohoku tsunami which flooded and caused three melt downs at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactor also hit the Onagawa nuclear station in the Miyagi Prefecture about 50 miles to the north.  There are three power reactors at Onagawa, which is about 50 miles directly west of the epicenter of the magnitude 9.0 quake.  Fukushima Dai-ichi is about 100 miles from the epicenter.  The 13 meter high (42 feet) tsunami flooded all three reactors at Onagawa and damaged on-site generators.  Unlike Fukushima Dai-ichi (hit by a 48 foot high tsunami wave) that lost all connections to outside electricity, one of the five outside power lines to Onagawa was not damaged.  So by the slimmest of margins, the reactors were able to be shut down, preventing what could have been simultaneous melt down disasters at two nuclear facilities.
 
Onagawa unit #1 will be decommissioned, and the future of #3 is uncertain.  But unit #2 has been approved by Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority to restart.  It won't restart though until Tohoku Electric finishes installing anti-disaster measures, the main one being a 29 meter tall (94 feet), $3.1 billion sea wall.  This begs the question: is this a cost effective investment?  $3.1 billion could build 371 wind turbines, each generating 2 megawatts, or 742 total MW.  The Ongawa unit #2 can generate only 825 MW.  Wind turbines do not have the added expenses of nuclear waste disposal for tens of thousands of years, nor the eventual cost of decommissioning a nuclear plant which runs from $650 million to $1 billion.  And disaster clean up of a fallen wind turbine would never reach the estimated $82 trillion needed to clean up the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster.  We need to spend wisely on the most effective options to address climate disruption, not throw good money after bad.  Read more at - Nuclear watchdog approves restart of Onagawa reactor in Miyagi, and Real cost of scrapping Fukushima reactors.

We suggest readers avail themselves to the following sources of news on the demise of coal and nuclear power: Nuclear Information and Resource ServiceBeyond Nuclear - JapanBeyond CoalCoalSwarmFrackSwarm, and Solartopia no nukes items.

 
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK NEWS ITEMS
 
GIVING TUESDAY: A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT THIS NEWSLETTER
Tuesday, 3 December 2019

Thanksgiving celebrates abundance.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday indulge in conspicuous consumption.  Giving Tuesday is one day devoted to giving.

Many indigenous cultures lived by the gift economy - always giving to each other rather than accumulating for one self.  Giving Tuesday is our small attempt to rekindle the gift economy, at least among those we value the most.  We urge you to give as much as you can to people or groups you find in need, whether a neighbor, a church, or a non-profit.

As a show of gratitude for the news and events that we bring you every week, please donate to Sustainability Action on Giving Tuesday.  Click on our PayPal button here >> http://www.sustainabilityaction.net/about/.  THANK YOU!


 
SUSTAINABILITY ACTION NETWORK MEETING
Thursday, 12 December 2019, 6:30pm
Lawrence Public Library, Room A, 7th & Vermont St., Lawrence KS 66044


Planned agenda topics include:
  • Finalize the Sustainability Action 2020 budget
  • 2020 annual meeting program or speaker
  • Request the City Commission declare a climate emergency
  • Single-use bag ban - City drafting ordinance
  • Monitor the Kansas herbicide regulations development
Local Solutions for Transition to a Sustainable Economy.
The Sustainability Action Network advances ecological sustainability through societal scale actions.  While we work for personal lifestyle changes for individuals to minimize their carbon footprint, there is an imperative for institutional change to respond to the rapid onset of the triple global crises of Energy-Ecology-Economy.  "Action" is our middle name.  Visit us on the web at - Sustainability Action, and Sustainability Action | Facebook.

 
CALENDAR EVENT NEWS ITEMS

UN CLIMATE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES - COP 25
Monday-Friday, 2-13 December 2019
Feria de Madrid, Avda. del Partenón, 5 28042 Madrid, Spain

COP 25 will take place under the Presidency of the Government of Chile and will be held with logistical support from the Government of Spain.  The President-designate for the conference is Ms. Carolina Schmidt, Minister of Environment of Chile.  Information and schedules can be found at - Information on Chile COP25, to be Held in Madrid.  After 25 years of these events, one has to wonder how often the word "emergency" may be uttered during these two weeks, and if so, how earnestly the speakers plan to act.  Hopefully by now, Greta Thunberg has shamed the entrenched corporatists who control so many nations, that they realize how badly they themselves will fare from runaway climate disruption - Greta Thunberg nearing Spain in time for climate summit.


COTTIN'S HARDWARE FARMERS' MARKET - EVERY THURSDAY, NOW INSIDE
Thursday, 5 December 2019, 4:00-6:30pm
1832 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044
The farmers' market has been moved inside until next May.  Weekly vendors will have a supply of fresh greens, root vegetables, breads, baked goods, farm fresh eggs, meats, live music, and much more.  Local food is healthier and helps your local economy.  This four season market is Lawrence's only winter-weather protected farmers' market, with only three others in the region.  For more info contact them at 843-2981 or , or click on - Cottin's Hardware Farmers Market


WATER ADVOCACY TEAM OF L.E.T.U.S.
Thursday, 5 December 2019, 6:15pm
1817 Learnard Ave., Lawrence KS 66044
(courtesy of Thad Holcombe, L.E.T.U.S.)

The December agenda will include:  Discussion with Dawn Buehler about the Kansas Advisory Committee on Regulation of Oil and Gas Activities.  The Water Advocacy Team of the Lawrence Ecological Teams United in Sustainability (L.E.T.U.S.) is a
 faith-based collaboration of denominations that organize around issues of water quality, quantity, and availability.  Issues range from the Ogallala Aquifer depletion to injection well pollution to power plant stream pollution to the Kansas Water Plan.  They meet regularly to inform themselves and plan events and actions.  This month's meeting will include a discussion of the .  For more info, contact .    



CLIMATE STRIKE FRIDAY: LAWRENCE SUNRISE MOVEMENT
Friday, 6 December 2019, 12:00noon

two locations:
Lawrence City Hall, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044
Wescoe Beach, Jayhawk Blvd., University of Kansas, Lawrence KS 66045
The future livability of the planet is of greatest concern to youth, and they are mobilizing.  Young people around the world have been rising up to defend our future and have been going on strike – every week, all over the planet – for months.  In the September Climate Strikes alone, 7.6 million people took to the streets.  The primary tactic is a strike from school, sometimes on every Friday, sometimes as designated mass rallies.  There will be two actions in Lawrence sponsored by the Sunrise Movement, in conjunction with the Global Climate Strike. You can find more info and RSVP here - Lawrence Climate Strike - City Hall Location.

At 12noon,
 people of all ages are asked to walk out of work or school for the day.  They may demonstrate where they are, or else join the rally at City Hall, where there will be signs, banners, and a petition to sign and be delivered to city officials.  K.U. students will also rally on Wescoe Beach at noon.
  Strikes all across the US and world are demanding transformative action be taken by governments and corporations to address the climate crisis.  You can find actions in other communities here - Nov 29 and Dec 6 #ClimateStrike.


KANSAS CITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 4:00-6:00pm
Mid America Regional Council, Rivergate Center 2nd floor, 600 Broadway, KC MO

The Environmental Management Commission promotes environmental awareness and resource efficiency for the City's leaders and staff, to assist the progress of Kansas City toward ecological sustainability.  The general public is encouraged to attend and observe meetings and to join and participate in its efforts.  More information is available at - KC Environmental Management Commission.



LAWRENCE SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD
Wednesday, 
11 December 2019, 5:30pm
Parks & Rec Administrative building, 1141 Massachusetts St., Lawrence KS 66044

The December agenda is not yet available:   100% Renewable Energy Plan.  The S.A.B. meets monthly to discuss any and all aspects of furthering sustainability policies and practices by the City of Lawrence government and private persons.  The public is welcome.  Minutes are finalized about a month after each meeting - Sustainability Advisory Board.


DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOD POLICY COUNCIL
Monday, 16 December 2019, 6:30pm

location TBD, Lawrence KS 66044
The December agenda is not yet available.  The Food Policy Council seeks to identify the benefits, challenges and opportunities for a successful, sustainable local food system.  By advising the Douglas County Commission on public policies that will support local producers, preserve local agricultural resources and land, and create more local jobs, the F.P.C. hopes to improve the community's access to a local food supply and distribution networks.  For more info go to Food Policy Council.


LAWRENCE MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION: MEETING CANCELED
Monday, 6 January 2020, Meeting canceled
Lawrence City Hall, 6 East 6th St., Lawrence KS 66044
There will be no meeting in January 2020.  The Lawrence Multi-Modal Transportation Commission oversees the establishment of strong multi-modal transportation in the City of Lawrence, in order to advance the health, safety, and welfare of all residents.  They make recommendations to the City Commission regarding implementation of its Complete Streets policy to equally accommodate all types of transportation users - people who walk, bicycle, skate, use wheelchairs, motor, or ride transit.  As such, they make recommendations about the priority, location, design, maintenance, and funding of transportation projects.  Find agendas and minutes at - Multi-Modal Transportation Commission. 

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HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE - BUY FAIR-TRADE AND LOCAL
In Lawrence there are several opportunities to boycott the big box consumer mills that are undermining our local economy, and instead buy from local producers, and craftspersons, and fair-trade providers.

HOLIDAY ART FAIR - LAWRENCE ART GUILD
Saturday, 7 December 2019, 9:00am-5:00pm
Lawrence Art Center, 940 New Hampshire St., Lawrence KS 66044

A local tradition for over 30 years, the Lawrence Art Guild's annual Holiday Art Fair is a juried exhibition of fine art and fine craft.  It's a good place to find unique creative gifts this holiday season. This year's fair features over 30 Kansas artists, and Live music is scheduled throughout the day - 
Holiday Art Fair | Lawrence Art Guild.

WINTERLIGHT HOLIDAY FAIRE
Saturday, 14 December 2019, 10:00am-4:00pm
Prairie Moon Waldorf School, 1853 E. 1600 Road, Lawrence KS 66044 (1/2 mile E. of airport)

This is a delightful annual sale of lovingly crafted toys and crafts made entirely from natural materials.  A silent auction will feature special items in the faire.  There also will be hard to find books on Waldorf education, child rearing, biodynamic agriculture, Anthroposophy, and Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education.  There will be local food, a puppet show, and performances by local musicians.  Prairie Moon Waldorf School.

HOLIDAY FARMERS' MARKET
Saturday, 14 December 2019, 9:00am-5:00pm
Hilton Double Tree Motel, McDonald Drive at 2nd Street, Lawrence KS 66044

The Lawrence Farmers Market Annual Holiday Market features local producers and craftspersons, and fair-trade providers.  Artisan foods, seasonal produce, holiday crafts, etc. are available at the Holiday Market, a local alternative to the big box consumer mills that are undermining our local economy - 
Lawrence Farmers' Holiday Market


We hope this newsletter informs and inspires you.  Please donate to Sustainability Action.  Click on our PayPal button here >> Sustainability Action.  THANK YOU!
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We welcome suggestions for Newsletter items.  Please send items to .  The Sustainability Action Newsletter strives to inform, and encourage people to be active in the Sustainability Action Network, or other action-driven groups.

Join the Sustainability Action Network by clicking this link > > Become a Member | Sustainability Action Network, and when there follow the instructions.

The Sustainability Action Mission is to bring awareness of the global crisis caused by climate change, energy vulnerability and economic instability to communities in the Kansas River bioregion, and the tools needed to re-skill and re-localize our economy, and create a more socially just and ecologically sustainable world.

Sustainability Action Programs include:
1) Food Sovereignty and Permaculture - local control of food and food policy, Food Not Lawns workshops, tours, and crop mobs.
2) Bicycles and Alternative Transportation - promoting bicycles, complete streets, ride sharing, and electric vehicles, including infrastructure and pro-active regulations.
3) Energy Conservation and Renewables - reducing our carbon footprint by promoting a carbon diet, an energy diet, conservation, and decentralized renewable energy.
4) Prime Farmland Preservation - protecting Capability I & II farmland from urban development and industrial land uses.
5) Water Rights and Watersheds - Protecting the water commons from privatization and contamination, and restoring watersheds.
6) Local Money and Local Food - fostering money literacy, and implementing a local currency through a buy-local campaign focused on local food.

Sustainability Action sponsored organizations:
1) Lawrence Creates Makerspace - a co-operative community space with tool sharing, recycling, and innovation incubator.
2) Diesel Health Project - promoting eco-justice in neighborhoods exposed to industrial air and water pollution, by monitoring pollution, and changing policies and enforcement.

Collaborative Organizations:
We build synergy with like-minded groups such as: Douglas County Food Policy Council, Jefferson County Food Council, Lawrence Pedestrian Coalition, Cultivate Kansas City, Lawrence Fruit Tree Project, Flint Hills Renewable Energy & Efficiency Co-op, Kansas Permaculture Institute, and Live Well Lawrence.
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