Tonight: Rights of Mother Earth

The Permanent Mission of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the United Nations

Invites you to attend a public lecture by

President Evo Morales

"Nature is not for sale: The Rights of Mother Earth"

At the Community Church of New York
40 East 35th St. (between Madison and Park Ave.)

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010 at 7 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM. General admision.

Please confirm attendance to bolivianmission@gmail.com (does not guarantee a seat).
RSVP on Facebook here.

Delaware Riverkeeper Calls for Letters

Blast from Delaware Riverkeeper:

Big Week Regarding Shale Gas and LAST CALL FOR LETTERS

September 13 and 15 – EPA Hearings

At noon each day, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is holding Hearings at Broome County Forum Theater, 260 Washington St., Binghamton NY regarding their research of the potential harmful impacts of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.

Come speak out or submit written comment by Sept. 28.

September 15 – Delaware River Basin Commission Public Meeting

Wednesday, Sept. 15, 1:30 pm, West Trenton Volunteer Fire Company 40 West Upper Ferry Road, West Trenton, NJ. Gas development will be addressed at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Delaware River Basin Commission and the public will have the opportunity to address the Commissioners during Public Comment. Our request for an injunction to stop the grandfathered “test” wells will be decided. To speak, it’s a good idea to register ahead at paula.schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us or 609-883-9500 ext. 224.

For more on these key meetings go to:

http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/act-now/urgent-details.aspx?Id=55

LAST CALL for letters to the DRBC Commissioners before the meeting!

Thousands have been submitted but we need more to influence this vote. To register your concerns send a letter NOW - BEFORE the Sept. 15 meeting - to the DRBC outlining why we need to STUDY FIRST, then develop regulations to prevent pollution and degradation to the Delaware River Watershed and the water supply of 15 million people. For a sample letter that will be emailed directly to DRBC go to:

http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/act-now/urgent-details.aspx?Id=52

Blogging at http://www.delawarerivervoice.blogspot.com

FROM THE ORGANIC INFORMATION ROOM: 10/10/10

New Video Version of Climate of Opportunity (revised):



See the whole, revised text here, Shannon's Organic Features: Climate of Opportunity.

Leaning Towards 10/10/10

It's not the only day of action within these coming months for a Just and Sustainable civilization, but it is certainly a day of opportunity, like I have been trying to get the word out with in Climate of Opportunity, the article. Although it has been challenging to put together a large dialogue on 10-10-10 and how to piece it together with more politically aggressive days, we have had excellent discussions and it is time to be organizing for this day right now. If there are several environmental groups in one school or in one community, they should be working together on this day. Here is an excellent list of ideas. The main three components that we have determined early on that should be considered for 10/10/10 actions is that they are fun, many contacts are made, and that they are illuminative enough to bring those people out for more aggressive, political actions. Bill McKibben says it himself in this interview with Letterman.

Rising Up with Appalachia!

If you read the article, Climate of Opportunity, you have an idea of the large events building the movement over the next months and how we got here, who the players are, et cetera. Of course, we just had a discussion and will be having another one again very soon, to encourage 10-10-10 and to discuss how to structure it into the larger movement for a Just Sustainability Economy. 10-10-10 is something that needs a lot of planning and preparation ahead of time so we should be focusing on it now, however, 16 days before October 10th GLobal Work Party is Appalachia Rising, and we should be registering for it now.

Most of our energy comes from Coal and a lot of that comes from Mountain Top Removal, "devastating communities throughout Appalachia, polluting drinking water and destroying rivers" in the words of iLoveMountains.org Everyone cares about the Gulf, but why do so few know and care about this?



We will discuss some practicalities about getting there at the next Amp Up discussion which will be announced soon, in addition to 10-10-10 and the movement for a Just Sustainable Economy.

Dates

Sept 25-27: Appalachia Rising
October 10: Global Work Party
October 12: Day of Action for Climate Justice
Dec 4: Day of Action for Climate Justice (During UN Talks in Cancun)
Feb: Power Shift

Image: Beehive Collective, an art activist group that fights for Mountain Justice

Frack Hearing and Amp Up Meet-Up

On Tuesday there was a Frack hearing at BMCC and today is an Amp Up Meet-Up at 6PM at La Pregunta Cafe.

First, why you should come. It is really an informal thing. You don't have to order food. It's basically a bar, revolutionary cafe. There will likely be another one of these soon but we don't know when and where yet. It will be a conversation, to brainstorm ideas about 10/10/10, and to elaborate on the how we can Amp Up the Environmental and Food Movement right now, as well as any other student political interest, such as Strike Oct 11th. Two upcoming things, for example, are Appachia Rising in DC in September and the International Day of Action for Climate Justice on October 12th. This was written for a complete overview of the upcoming semester as background information.


Wild Hearing.
See my article, NYC Advocates Overshadow Pro-Frackers. One thing that I didn't mention is that Claire Sandberg and I, both from Frack Action testified as well, although I wasn't able to videotape Claire at the very end of a four hour hearing. Almost everyone was against Fracking, minus a few landowners. Surprisingly, a number of these environmentalists booed Rey Olsen, a landowner and made wild raucous. A number of environmentalists also supported biofuels and made other surprising suggestions other than Renewable Energy. Nevertheless, it was rather monotonous having almost every testifier condemn Fracking, although there were many very interesting moments. David Brahn of United For Action said he wanted to discuss "the prositution of Mother Nature and the money being made of it." A young woman said she went to a high school for environmental sciences and back then she loved the EPA. But at the hearing she told the EPA to their faces that she has lost trust in them, and that she considers EPA to stand for "Enforcing a Political Agenda." A woman who was running for a Democratic seat in the US Senate asked the landowners if it were worth glowing in the dark.

To Explain the video below, someone said that the EPA had allowed criminal behavior to continue, so Gennero of the NYC Council defended the EPA, saying that fracking is legal right now. So the woman in stripes started by saying "Slavery was once legal too."
The footage in this Amp Update is not included in my in-depth article and video but includes my own testimony and a few favorite moments.



More footage:

Action, Organizing and Concert Close August

There are 3 events that will close out the Amp Up! Summer 2010:

1. Frack Hearing at BMCC this Tuesday at 6. Every individual presence makes a huge difference.

2. Fall Semester Environmental Organizing Dinner, Thursday at 6 at La Pregunta Cafe. Coming or not, be sure to read this Fall Semester Organizing article, Climate of Opportunity: Fall 2010, (quintessential if your are planning a club agenda for the semester).

3. HBO's Gasland Music Benefit Concert with Vanessa Bley at Mercury Lounge on Houston.