Author Archives: olyclimate

About olyclimate

We seek a safe, prosperous, sustainable future for residents of the North Olympic Peninsula by addressing climate change.

Hot Off the Wire — 5/28/2020

Breaking News!

$170K grant will facilitate climate planning
on the North Olympic Peninsula

Flu Virus Resources

HURRICANE SEASON IN A PANDEMIC

For many regions facing an active 2020 hurricane season, COVID-19 has created the potential for a double disaster. As state and local governments draft emergency  plans, uncertainty lingers.
— The Atlantic

Solutions

REI’s Opt to Act Weekly Calendar / Checklist

Week 27: Volunteer for a trail cleanup to celebrate National Trails Day.
Take part: May 31–June 6, 2020

Redox flow batteries store renewable energy in liquid solutions when it’s abundant and release electricity when needed. (USC Graphic/K Selnick)

New flow battery could help unleash renewable energy

USC scientists may have solved the storage problem that has long slowed the spread of renewables. — USC News

Join me on Thursday, May 28, for our next Saving Life on Earth discussion about our work to shift the way we eat toward Earth-friendly diets

Tierra Curry
Senior Scientist
Center for Biological Diversity

Regional Actions

National Actions

Will you join us in starting a global conversation about the relationship between COVID-19 and the climate crisis?
Take the Pledge

YOU’RE INVITED: Join us on June 8th – World Oceans Day – for the first-ever international online rally against cruise ship pollution — Stand.earth

On Thursday, May 28th at 4 pm PDT, join a lively and deep discussion about the Tar Sands Trial. Learn about the pending appeal hearing — June 4, 2020

Tell the Senate to pass the Heroes Act — 350Action

Local/Regional News

Four area Tribes are “still in” for climate action

High wildfire severity risk seen in young plantation forests — Oregon State University

Sightline’s Latest Original Work

Weekly Announcements

National/International News

“Stay Alive, Stay at Home, Organize”: Rev. Barber Sets June 20 for Poor People’s Digital March on DC — DemocracyNow! interview
June 2020 – Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington
The Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival

U.S. Representatives push for millions of restoration and resilience jobs — ConservationNWAdmin / May 20, 2020 / Legislation
Washington’s seven Democratic U.S. Representatives were among 79 Members of Congress who submitted a letter today to House leadership in support of funding for conservation projects that also provide good jobs.

What’s Up with Banking and Climate
The Latest News

Vandana Shiva: Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest

We need to value nature’s biodiversity, clean water, and seeds. For this, nature is the best teacher. — Yes! Magazine

The New York Times

Climate Change burns its way up the pop charts

Both conservatives and liberals want a green energy future, but for different reasons — The Conversation

Inspiration

Nan Bray is an oceanographer and climate scientist
who has farmed superfine merinos near Oatlands since 2000
  1. Carbon dioxide:
    Nature’s tiny solar panels
  2. Take a deep breath
  3. Galileo Fixes Everything
  4. A Silver Lining
  5. If You Don’t Like the Heat,
    Get Out of the Kitchen

This is a series I’m writing on climate change for our local monthly newspaper. I wanted to go back to the basics of the science behind climate change.

Category:
Burning Worlds

INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST
COLIN FOORD
with
Amy Brady
of Burning Worlds

4 area Tribes are “still in” for climate action

The Jamestown, Hoh, Quinault, and Suquamish Tribes are among 12 Tribes nationwide that have signed on to the We Are Still In declaration, a coalition of cities, states, tribes, businesses, universities, healthcare organizations, and faith groups who strongly oppose the US withdrawal from Paris and are not going to take a retreat from the global response to the climate crisis lying down. Kudos! (But where are the Cities and Counties and businesses?)

The Affiliated Tribes of the Pacific Northwest (ATNI) have had a Climate Change Project since 2014 and will host a virtual National Tribal Climate Leadership Summit in October.

$170K grant will facilitate climate planning on the NOP

Once again, partnerships pay off: The Puget Sound Partnership, along with its local stakeholders’ group known as the Strait Ecosystem Recovery Network, have awarded $170,000 to the North Olympic Development Council (a local coalition of governments, businesses, NGOs, and citizens) to develop multi-benefit local climate action plans that integrate with local governmental comprehensive and shoreline master plans, as well as other local recovery plans. This project builds upon a previous grant project that developed the Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North Olympic Peninsula. Olympic Climate Action assisted with the application and will assist in the implementation as well, just as we did with the Climate Preparedness Plan.

Hot Off the Wire — 5/23/2020

Flu Virus Resources

Will you take the COVID/Climate
Video Challenge?
Join us in starting a global conversation about the relationship between COVID-19 and the climate crisis

Opinion

Health of People, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility
Climate Change, Air Pollution and Health

by Wael K. Al-Delaimy, Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo

Available for free download as PDF or EPUB file at:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-31125-4

Solutions

REI’s Opt to Act Weekly Calendar / Checklist

Week 26: Ditch the chemicals. Warm water, vinegar and elbow grease make a great household cleaner.
Take part: May 24–30, 2020

The Interfaith Earth Care Coalition

It’s estimated that reducing food waste by 50%, Washington would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of 345,000 passenger vehicles taken of roads and more than 184,000 gallons of gas never burned.
https://ecology.wa.gov/Waste-Toxics/Reducing-recycling-waste/Organic-materials/Food-waste-prevention/Food-waste-plan

Home composting can help. It can make us mindful of what goes in and out of your refrigerator, making us better stewards of the food we buy and consume.
Mitigation: Does home composting create CO2? Some. (All decomposing organic matter does). But much less than sending food to the landfill where it gets buried and produces methane. And less than the production and transportation of commercial fertilizers.

Boxes, Buckets and Barrels, oh my! There are myriad ways to create a composter, from a simple heap to ingenious containers, no cost and low cost: https://www.diyncrafts.com/33618/home/gardening/35-cheap-easy-diy-compost-bins-can-build-weekend

Mind Your Green and Browns: Creating the right blend of carbon and nitrogen rich materials, along with oxygen and water, will get your compost “percolating”. https://www.wideopeneats.com/inclusive-guide-home-composting/
Interfaith Earth Care Coalition

Social Community is a virtual live series focused on discussions, hangouts, and webinars led by youth leaders and adult allies across the country

Change Everything is a podcast by people who are freaking out about climate, racism, and inequality… and thinking through solutions as big as the crises we face

Regional Actions

Understanding Energy with Dam Sense — DamSense.org
Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 5:00 – 6:15p.m.
Space is limited, so please register https://buytickets.at/damsense/374621
Presentation: 40 minutes | Q&A: 30 minutes

The Audubon Washingotn Advocacy Manual and a complete series of webinars

National Actions

Leadership Webinar on National Climate Bills | 350.org
URGENT:  FEDERAL CLIMATE BILLS & STRATEGY
Date & Time: Wed.  July 1, 2020.  Noon-1:30 pm.
Zoom Register.   FB Event.

Sierra Forum | The Sierra Club
Watch the Video of the May Forum

Local/Regional News

Sightline’s Latest Original Work

Weekly Announcements

Special Edition: Even More reasons to Grow Your Own Food

National/International News

6th Annual #AntiChevron Day

@Chevron deliberately dumped 16 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the Ecuadorian Amazon, lost a $9.5 billion lawsuit yet refuses to pay to clean it up!

What’s Up with Banking and Climate
The Latest News
The New York Times

Your ZIP Code and Your Life Expectancy

Also this week, what electricity demand reveals about the pandemic

Inspiration

Nan Bray is an oceanographer and climate scientist
who has farmed superfine merinos near Oatlands since 2000
  1. Carbon dioxide:
    Nature’s tiny solar panels
  2. Take a deep breath
  3. Galileo Fixes Everything
  4. A Silver Lining
  5. If You Don’t Like the Heat,
    Get Out of the Kitchen

This is a series I’m writing on climate change for our local monthly newspaper. I wanted to go back to the basics of the science behind climate change.

Category:
Burning Worlds

350 Leadership Webinar – July 1, 2020

URGENT:  FEDERAL CLIMATE BILLS & STRATEGY
Date & Time: Wed.  July 1, 2020.  Noon-1:30 pm.
Zoom Register.   FB Event.

TOPICS:
★ Federal Climate Bills: What’s Good & What’s Missing?
★ Movement Action for National Legislation.
★ Organizing for Power: A “Climate Bill Package”?

PRESENTERS:
★ Todd Fernandez, Executive & Legislative Director, Climate Crisis Policy
★ Jake Davis, Senior Policy Director, Family Farm Action
★ Etelle Higonnet, Senior Campaign Director, Mighty Earth  
★ Delia Ridge Creamer, Junior Oceans Campaigner, Center for Biological Diversity
★ Andres Jimenez, Senior Director of Government Affairs, Citizens Climate Lobby
★ Karenna Gore, Director, Center for Earth Ethics
★ Michael Gerrard, Director, Columbia Sabin Center for Climate Change Law  
★ Chad Frischmann, Vice President & Research Director, Project Drawdown
★ Others TBA

CO-HOSTS:
★ Climate Crisis Policy
★ Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
★ Columbia University Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition
★ Center for Earth Ethics
★ Family Farm Action 
★ Drawdown New York City
★ 350NYC   
★ Action Corps NYC
★ The Climate Reality Project NYC
★ Mighty Earth
★ Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community 
★ Sierra Club New York City Group
★ Others TBA & Welcome!

FEDERAL CLIMATE BILLS:For Discussion Only, April 2020
1. Agriculture Resilience Act
2. The Climate Stewardship Act
3. The Food & Agribusiness Merger Moratorium Act
4. American Innovation & Manufacturing Act
5. The Break Free from Plastics Pollution Act
6. The Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for Our Nation’s Future Act
7. The American Energy Innovation Act
8. The Ban Fracking Act
9. The Carbon Action Rebate Act
10. The Farm System Reform Act

MATERIALS:
1. Detailed Summary of Bills.
2. Project Drawdown:  100 Solutions
3. The Climate Crisis Policy Digest.
4. Sabin Center for Climate Change Law model law initiative.

PLEASE NOTE:   Participation or co-hosting is not an endorsement of any legislation.  

IS CARBON TAX A “SILVER BULLET”? YES!

By Climate Reality leader William Tucker – 5/5/2020

Maybe not gold, but definitely silver!

We frequently hear those climate activists who are skeptical of carbon fee and dividend legislation (see, e.g., The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, H.R. 763) dismiss it as not a “silver bullet.”  What is meant by this seemingly pejorative comment I’m not entirely sure, but clearly carbon fee is a necessary and urgent measure in reducing carbon emissions quickly.  It may not be the only legislative initiative we undertake, but what is not sufficiently understood and appreciated among climate activists is that carbon fee has been shown by economists to be the single most effective step we can take to dramatically lower emissions.  It may not be a “gold” bullet, capable of achieving 100% of the necessary reductions (net zero by 2050 or sooner), but it surely qualifies as a “silver” one, getting us most of the way there all by itself.  No other legislative proposal comes close.

Continue reading →

Hot Off the Wire — 5/16/2020

Flu Virus Resources

Opinion

Why I oppose “Planet of the Humans” | Patrick Mazza
It’s undermining our main chance to avert climate catastrophe

Planet of Half Truths – Michael Moore’s attack on renewables unmoored
By their nature, documentary films are supposed to expose mistruths – this one often amplifies them — Corporate Knights

What Planet of the Humans got Right, Wrong, and Missed — Energy Justice Network

Solutions

REI’s Opt to Act Weekly Calendar / Checklist

Week 25: Use public transportation, carpool, bike or walk
to one event this week
Take part: May 17–23, 2020

Regional Actions

Experience and Share your Puget Sound: Express through words, art, and activity
Thursday, May 14, at 12 p.m.

A Conversation about the Jordan Cove LNG Pipeline and Road Construction at Mount St. Helens
Thursday, May 14 at 11:00am Pacific Time
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88910756166

Sustainable Northwest Presents NEPA 101: Introducing PNW Forest Collaborative Workshop Webinar Series
Friday, May 15 at 10:00am Pacific Time

Join Washington Conservation Voters’ Evergreen Future campaign
and sign on to the Pledge!

Urge your Attorney General to sue against the Trump administration immediately

National Actions

Find out how you can do more.

COVID19, The Climate Emergency, And The Battle For Our Future
Wednesday May 13 | 5:00 p.m. PT– Climate Mobilization

Secretive special interests are trying to strip away your solar rights

Local/Regional News

Weekly Announcements

Watch all 2018-2019 ASES webinars on our YouTube channel and past 2020 webinars on the ASES GoToChannel

National/International News

Trump’s EPA loses & science wins
A federal court ruled that the agency must stop barring independent scientists from serving on its advisory committees

Naomi Klein:
Healthcare Industry Sees “Potential Bonanza” of Profits in COVID-19 Crisis

Screen New Deal: Naomi Klein on How Companies Like Google Plan to Profit in High-Tech COVID Dystopia

DemocracyNow! interviews

“On Fire captures the burning urgency of the climate crisis, as well as the fiery energy of a rising political movement demanding a catalytic Green New Deal.” — Simon & Schuster

Screen New Deal — The Intercept
Under cover of mass death, Andrew Cuomo calls in the billionaires to build a High-Tech Dystopia

What’s Up with Banking and Climate
The Latest News
The New York Times

Tracking the environmental rules reversed under Trump

64 rollbacks completed
34 rollbacks in process

Inspiration

10 Books Climate Activists Are Reading Now
— Yes! Magazine

Nan Bray is an oceanographer and climate scientist
who has farmed superfine merinos near Oatlands since 2000
  1. Carbon dioxide:
    Nature’s tiny solar panels
  2. Take a deep breath
  3. Galileo Fixes Everything
  4. A Silver Lining
  5. If You Don’t Like the Heat,
    Get Out of the Kitchen

This is a series I’m writing on climate change for our local monthly newspaper. I wanted to go back to the basics of the science behind climate change.

Category:
Burning Worlds