In Memoriam, Greg Kempf

It’s with great sadness that we share the passing of our fellow ECA and Heartland Chapter member, Greg Kempf. One of his many contributions to ECA was as the co-author of the 100% Clean Energy Transition Resources Guide. It’s loaded with educational information as well as letter/email templates. Help honor Greg’s memory by calling for 100% Clean Energy in your community using his toolkit, learn more here.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR—GIVING TUESDAY IS NOVEMBER 28, 2023 

The Global Day of Giving (also known as Giving Tuesday) officially began in 2012 and is now observed in 80 countries worldwide. According to statistics, 28% of Giving Tuesday participants gave money, 37% gave time and goods, 35% did both, and most Giving Tuesday participants say that they’re doing it because they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Giving Tuesday follows three major shopping days: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. And, despite the billions spent on shopping on those days, people are capable of matching it in generosity. November 28th (or any day) is the day you can give back.

As we approach Giving Tuesday, you will receive reminders to give generously toward ECA’s funding needs. ECA has only 1.25 paid staff to support our audience of more than 25,000 with volunteers making up the balance of our organization. In hopes of adding another staff member in 2024, we encourage you to support Elders Climate Action.

GREEN NEW DEAL FOR SCHOOLS: Elders Can Help!

Green New Deals for Schools is, quite simply, an investment in kids’ futures—and the future of the planet—that would make every school healthy and comfortable year-round, eliminate carbon pollution, and ensure that U.S. public education is prepared for a changing climate.

‍Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Sen. Ed Markey’s Green New Deal for Public Schools would invest $1.6 trillion over 10 years to fund green upgrades that remove all health harms from every public school in the nation while taking on environmental and racial inequities.

It would add essential staff to vulnerable schools, create 1.3 million good-paying jobs, and reduce carbon emissions by 78 million metric tons each year—that’s the same as taking 17 million gas-powered cars off the road!

TAKE ACTION

To begin with, email, call, or write your representatives in Congress to ask them to co-sponsor the bill (there are already 77 co-sponsors in the House—we need more!)

But we don’t need to wait for national legislation to promote Green New Deal education, by whatever name. We can contact our local school boards and the principals of our local schools to see what they are already doing to promote good climate and environmental education. And we can ask candidates in school board elections where they stand on a Green New Deal for our schools.

For more info, see:
www.gndforpublicschools.com
www.sunrisemovement.org/campaign/green-new-deal-for-schools/

ECA INTERVIEWED ON THE WAY FORWARD REGENERATIVE CONVERSATIONS PODCAST

Drawing from their experience as members and leaders of Elders Climate Action, Leslie, Roger, and Jen explore Elder Activism in a time of Climate Crisis in a conversation with The Way Forward Podcast. This podcast is sponsored by our parent organization Elders Action Network and hosted by Dr. John Izzo and Alain Gauthier. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

WE NEED STRONG POLLUTION STANDARDS NOW!

Earlier this year the EPA proposed seven critical clean air and climate standards based on promises President Biden made to cut greenhouse gas pollution and achieve a carbon-free power sector by 2035.

We won’t hit these important milestones until all seven standards—for methane, mercury, soot, cars, trucks, petrochemicals, and power plant pollution—are finalized and implemented. It’s all connected, and we need to reduce pollution in all of these categories.

Recently, the EPA did move the federal methane standards forward, an important step in the process toward finalization. This is great news, but we need the other six to move forward too.

TAKE ACTION:

We’re joining our partners at Mom’s Clean Air Force to Tell President Biden and EPA to get the job done! Click here to send your message.

WE’RE PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON CITIBANK TO CLEAN UP—WITH TWO ACTIONS
Citibank uses our money to invest in fossil fuels and, despite pressure from climate activists like ourselves and promises to significantly cut its indirect emissions by 2030, remains the second largest funder of fossil fuels in the world.

WE NEED CITIBANK TO STOP FINANCING FOSSIL FUELS!

Together, let’s demand Citi divest from fossil fuels for the sake of our communities—and our planet. Learn more about CitiBank’s funding of Fossil Fuels at this new website: FossilFreeCiti.org

TAKE ACTION:
Add your name here to send the message to Citi loud and clear: we will not let you sacrifice our communities and our future for your profit.

THEN SEND A MESSAGE TO COSTCO, TELL CITIBANK TO CLEAN UP!

If Citibank won’t listen to us, it will very likely listen to one of its largest and most profitable partners: Costco. The third largest retailer in the U.S., with 199 million American members, Costco already has adopted climate and sustainability policies, which include looking at suppliers’ emissions.

Costco is one of Citibank’s largest credit card partners, issuing co-branded Citibank credit cards to its members. So, we are petitioning Costco, which values its customers, to pressure Citibank to align its investments with the Paris Agreement or sever its relationship and drop the use of its credit card.

TAKE ACTION:

You don’t need to be a member of Costco or use its Citibank credit card to sign this petition.

THERE’S GOOD NEWS!

Roadmap for transitioning off fossil fuels
Published by the National Academies of Science, this roadmap includes 80 recommendations, addressing everything from carbon tax and high-emissions animal agriculture to environmental justice goals. Read more.

Portuguese youth against government inaction
In the European Court of Human Rights, six Portuguese young people are suing 32 nations, arguing that government inaction on climate discriminates against youth. Read more.

Pope Francis on Climate
Pope Francis recently issued Laudate Deum exhorting the world to put people and climate before profit. He warned against relying on technology alone, noting that “a healthy ecology is also the result of interaction between human beings and the environment, as occurs in the indigenous cultures.” He also claimed, “unless citizens control political power—national, regional and municipal—it will not be possible to control damage to the environment.” Francis plans to attend several days of COP28 in Dubai at the end of the year. Read more.

Biden Administration’s National Climate Resilience Framework
The National Climate Resilience Framework, released by the Biden administration, aims to help the U.S. become a climate-resilient nation. Two parts of this are:

• American Climate Corps: There is great enthusiasm for the new corps as 42,000 have already applied to join! Read more.
• Earthshot: As part of the Energy Department’s “Earthshot” initiative, the Biden administration is acting to cut energy bills, housing costs and climate pollution, and is investing over $100 million to equip homes for zero energy and climate-resilient technology. Read more.

Thank you, Secretary General Guterres!
As the accelerating effects of climate change become ever clearer we can be grateful for a global leader who tells it like it is. Speaking in September to the UN Climate Ambition Summit, Guterres said that through our continued profligate use of fossil fuels, “humanity has opened the gates of hell.” He went on to describe with passion and clarity the suffering that is being brought about by heat, flooding, drought, and more, but stressed that “our focus here is on climate solutions—and our task is urgent.” He affirmed that “the future is not fixed… We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs, and affordable clean power for all.”

Thank you, Secretary-General Guterres, for inspiring us to continue to do all we can to meet the challenge of the climate crisis!

BILL TO TAX VIRGIN PLASTIC RE-INTRODUCED

The REDUCE Act, a multitasker of a bill re-introduced in Congress last month, seeks an excise tax on virgin-plastic resin (derived almost directly from oil and gas) in order to:

• move manufacturers to drastically cut its use
• prop up a flagging recycling market
• keep plastics out of landfills, the ocean and incinerators
• inspire industry to develop sustainable alternatives for plastic
• fund remediation, recycling infrastructure, marine-debris reduction, and environmental justice

With exemptions for medical and hazardous uses, virgin-plastic resin intended for single-use products would be taxed by the Treasury at $.10 per pound in 2024, gradually increasing to $.20 per pound in 2026. The tax would help equalize the cost of cheap virgin resin and the more expensive recycled plastic.

Support the REDUCE Act here

DID YOU MISS NPR’s CLIMATE WEEK BROADCASTS?

Reporting teams across the NPR Network search the world for climate change solutions and, during the week of October 2–8, they shared what they found in 18 podcasts (13 are less than 10 minutes; 5 are longer). Learn about a wide variety of climate solutions, such as 15-minute cities, wind-powered large cargo ships, microgrids, and how to avoid climate misinformation. Click here to view the list of podcasts.

TELL US WHAT YOU ARE DOING

Hey, Members and Chapters, please share what you and your communities are doing to act on the climate crisis. Your story could be included in our next newsletter. Email tidbits@eldersclimateaction.org.

Sandra Cleva reports members of ECA’s Virginia Chapter were among the 429 volunteers who recently addressed, wrote, and mailed 65,000 “get-out-the-vote” postcards. The postcarding campaign, organized by the Environmental Voter Project, targets inconsistent but pro-environmental voters. The messaging encourages recipients to vote in the upcoming Nov. 7 general election—an election in which all of Virginia’s General Assembly seats are up for grabs.

Book clubs are a great way to expand literary horizons and climate literacy while also building relationships. The Maryland Chapter has launched a new book club this year with the goal of educating one another and building community. They meet monthly at a local library supported by librarians who help them choose books and publicize their meetings. They are currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. In the future they hope to expand to other county libraries via zoom and invite local authors. For more information contact Sylvia Diss at dissplay3@gmail.com or Cathie France at cfrance48@comcast.net.

The Twin Cities Chapter has hosted a quarterly book club since December 2021, giving members an opportunity to meet and share interests and actions. Books are chosen by consensus and are primarily non-fiction. Currently they are reading The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking by Roman Krznaic as it fits with an upcoming chapter focus. They now have a hybrid meeting (in-person and zoom). For more information contact Kathryn Ringham at kathrynringham143@gmail.com.

UPCOMING ONLINE EVENTS

SPECIAL WORKSHOP: ELECTRIFY YOUR LIFE
Tuesday, November 14
7PM (Eastern) | 4PM (Pacific)
Register Now

Building an electric grid powered by clean, renewable energy and using it to operate our homes and offices, our transportation and industry, is essential to creating a future that avoids the worst effects of climate change. This will provide a foothold in allowing our planet to regenerate and return to a healthier state.

Many policies at the national and local level are in place to make this transition happen.

Brian Stewart, co-founder of Electrify Now, joins us to discuss how our personal energy choices can help to accelerate this transition. Learn how all-electric homes and vehicles are safer and healthier, have a lower cost to operate, and are a powerful way to reduce carbon emissions.

Our individual actions are a critical part of building a clean energy future: this workshop will help you to understand what you can do NOW, and provide the incentives and resources that are available to help you take action. In small group sessions you’ll have a chance to strategize with others to electrify your life.

WHAT IS GREEN BURIAL?
Join the ECA Arizona Chapter for a co-hosted speaker series Climate Talks for Everyone. On Saturday Nov. 18, 12:00 PM (ET), Lindsey Faulkenburg will present an informative session about sustainable ways to reduce the carbon footprint during after-life care: Green Burial.

Lindsey will provide definitions and explanations of the different types of green burial, the barriers to green burial in our communities and how to overcome them, and how to move towards sustainable death care options for individuals in their communities. Register Now

We couldn’t do this work without the generosity of folks like you.
Please support ECA’s programming, events, and actions with a donation.

WE NOW HAVE HATS!

Get Your Hats, T-Shirts and more to show your support for climate action! Visit the ECA Bonfire Store and get your ECA logo wear and custom designs while supporting ECA at the same time! All proceeds support ECA programming and events.