Indigenous peoples from across the Americas gathered in Anchorage, Alaska to address the climate crisis last week. Below is their final declaration. See Ben Powless’ photos here.
Indigenous Peoples’ Summit on Climate Change – Final Declaration
28 04 2009Comments : Leave a Comment »
Categories : climate change, environmental justice, indigenous, Uncategorized
Sugar fast: Day twelve
17 04 2009A few weeks ago several Arab organizers were arrested and beaten at a peace demonstration on the anniversary of the Iraq war. I’ve had a pretty debilitating sugar addiction for all of my adult life. I’m ready to kick it. Some people run marathons and ask people to sponsor them, pledging some money for every mile they run.
Twelve days ago I asked friends and family to match my contributions and donate a dollar per day that I manage to go without refined sugar, with the goal of a month of sugary abstinence.
Proceeds go to support the Arab Organizing and Resource Center (AROC).
The most recent police targeting and repression is just one moment in the ongoing struggle that Arab organizers face. Supporting their work is crucial right now, especially with the election of the far-right in Israel and horrible violence in Gaza and elsewhere. This little fundraiser is a way I celebrated Pesach (Passover), a holiday where Jews reflect on our history of oppression and pledge solidarity and support with oppressed peoples.
After 12 days, I literally have dreams where I eat pastries and then realize I’m on a sugar fast and then feel super guilty. I wake up in a cold sweat, thankful that I’ve stayed faithful in real life. Guess that’s part of the detox process?
Will you to sponsor me in my sugar fast? It will help get funding to support an important organization in a time of need, as well as give me a way to feel more accountable to my personal commitments to live a healthier life. If so, message me thru the facebook page or leave a comment. So far 49 people have pledged to hold me accountable in stepping off the path of diabetes, uncontrollable brownie binges, and fantasies of molten chocolate dunk tanks. Will you be #50?
These rockstars support human rights, sustained organizing, and Josh not getting diabetes:
1. Adrienne Maree Brown
2. Max Elbaum
3. Shadia Fayne Wood
4. Mahfam Malek
5. Max Uhlenbeck
6. Clare Bayard
7. Manjula Martin
8. Katharine Wallerstein
9. Nupur Modi
10. Max Bell Alper
11. Kimia Ghomeshi
12. Rahula Janowski
13. Robin Beck
14. Jocelyn Berger
15. Josh Rosenthal
16. Kathryn Hollender-kidder
17. Virginie Corominas
18. Khalid Matthew Stehney
19. Amie Fishman
20. Alexa Markley
21. Ragini Kapadia
22. Marla DiCarlo Deschenes
23. Christy Tennery
24. Adrian Wilson
25. Sharon Lungo
26. Danny Raposo
27. Harjit Singh Gill
28. Callie Mackenzie
29. Bruin Christopher Runyan
30. Jonathan Kosakow
31. Adrianna Hutchinson
32. Patrick Reinsboro
33. Amy Kahn Russell
34. Sarah Light
35. Jennifer Chen
36. Lara Cushing
37. Amanda Starbuck
38. Michael Weber
39. Jodie Tonita
40. Aurora Levins Morales
41. Juliana Williams
42. Kasha Ho
43. Michelle Proffit
44. Lynn Stone
45. Matt Kern
46. Maryam Adrangi
47. Jessamyn Sabbag
48. Kim Leutwyler
49. Fernando Ausin-Gómez
50. Ted Nace
51. Lauren Greis
52. Aaron Newman
53. Michael A. Weber
54. Josh Lynch
55. YOU???
Also, here is a quick Josh’s-Sugar-Fast-for-AROC-FAQ (JSFAROCFAQ):
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Categories : antiwar
Focus Earth on the Capitol Climate Action and Power Shift
10 04 2009Great news segment on the Capitol Climate Action and Power Shift 09
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Tags: capitol climate action, climate change, demonstration, global warming, power shift, protest
Categories : climate change
Toronto activists award RBC “fossil fool of the year” for Tar Sands financing
2 04 2009Five actions in one day in downtown Toronto? No foolin!
Today Rainforest Action Network activists kicked Fossil Fools Day off with a bang, dropping banners off of a highway, greeting over 4,000 cars stuck in deadlock traffic over a period of two hours. From bridges, we broadcast messages about Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)’s financing of the Canadian Tar Sands from our makeshift Pirate Radio station. Our banners read “Pirate Radio 89.9 FM Tune in now” and “Royal Bank creates climate chaos. Renewables not tar sands.” The pouring rain didn’t block our view of car after car reaching for the radio dial as they drove under us. Listen to the audio broadcast we played here!
We moved on to RBC’s headquarters downtown, and throughout the day were joined by over 30 activists filtering in and out for the festivities.
We began by dressing up and impersonated bank employees. About 16 of us rode elevators for up to two more hours, chatting up other RBC personel – “Hey, on my way to work today I heard about how RBC is financing the destruction of Native territories in Alberta, causing people cancer and polluting the water! Tar Sands are the world’s dirtiest oil. Did you know that? I had no idea! I’m telling my manager right away!”
Meanwhile, outside the HQ, several more of us leafleted and held banners reading “RBC Creates poisoned water in our community,” “Renewables not tar sands” and “RBC: financing cancer and toxic sludge.”
Back inside, a lone Torontan walked inside the main office with a beautiful bouquet of balloons. I don’t know where he got the idea to release them in the atrium, or how a banner reading “ROYAL BANK CREATES CLIMATE CHAOS” got attached….I also don’t know how they’re gonna get it down. We have undercover footage of the prank here:
Later that evening, dozens of activists reconvened outside RBC headquarters alongside “Tarbie,” an oil-soaked version of RBC’s prized mascot “Arbie” who explained to passersby that he and RBC are helping finance one of the fastest growing sources of water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, and how they conflict with the financial giant’s PR promises to promote clean water.
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Tags: alberta tar sands, clean up rbc, freedom from oil, oil, protest, rbc, tar sands
Categories : climate change, demonstrations, indigenous, RAN