Washingtonians are NOT just fair weather activists!

Goucher students in front of White HouseWhat an incredible experience standing in front of the White House with hundreds of soaked, dedicated people taking part in a historic, global event! Standing there Saturday we were connected to schoolchildren in Ghana, mountain climbers in Vermont, women in Bangladesh, and activists in Egypt.

If you haven’t already, please head to www.350.org and spend a few minutes watching the pictures from around the world. As Bill McKibben wrote as he watched images flood in from every corner of the globe, “I finally saw what a climate movement looked like — and it looked diverse and creative and beautiful.”

Rally in Lafayette ParkYou can also check out the great images from the DC action. Thanks to Chris Eichler and Mark Fenton for these inspiring pictures.

Finally, Grist has a great roundup of coverage from across the world, including commentary by CCAN’s very own Keith Harrington and this account of the DC event by freelance journalist Carrie Madren.

There’s much to be done yet. But right now take a minute to soak in the pictures from across the globe and savor this accomplishment. It’s not every day you can be part of the most widespread day of political action the world has ever seen.

Oct 24, 2009- A Turning Point in Human History- Be There

If you’re still looking for a good reason to come out and join our big International Day of Climate Action rally and march in DC on Saturday try this on for size: the day of action won’t simply be the biggest day in the history of the global climate movement; it could very well be one of the biggest days in human history. And that’s not an exaggeration.

The truly wonderful thing about Saturday’s action is that it will be much bigger than just a single rally, or a single march on a single location in a single city in the world. It will be a truly global event. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it will be the first truly “global event” in history. For while there have been global days of action for this and other causes before, as far as I know none of them have ever included more than 4000 actions taking place in almost every single country on the planet. And while any given world cup final or Olympic opening ceremony may draw a global viewing audience of hundreds of millions, the ultimate measure of any “global” event lies not in its scale but in its spirit. And in terms of its global spirit I’d say our Day of Action on Saturday will beat even the Olympics hands down.

As the first truly global-scale crisis humanity has ever faced, the climate crisis is forcing us for the very first time to start perceiving ourselves as a true global community, facing a common threat as a species, as a global civilization. It’s forcing us to act globally, and seek solutions globally, as a true global community rather than as a collection of competing nations negotiating our way towards compromises that preserve our individual interests. By its very nature the global climate movement is leading us all through a door to a new era of global consciousness, to a transformation not just of the way that we consume energy, but of the way that we perceive ourselves, and our relations and responsibilities to each other.

So, considering that the Day of Action on Saturday will be the first truly global-scale expression of the movement that is driving us toward that new era of global consciousness and solidarity, I think it’s safe to say that it will be the first truly global event in human history. And those of us who participate in it won’t just be helping to usher in a new stage in the global climate movement; we’ll helping to usher in a new era of human history, a new era of global community.

And come snow or rain or heat or gloom, I’d say that’s definitely something to show up for. Go to www.350.org/dc today to RSVP today and claim your place in the vanguard of our global future.

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Everyone's talking about it…

In 11 days, thousands of people will rally in Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park for a clean, green economy that affirmatively improves the lives of all of humanity.

Now is the time to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for President Obama and Congress to take action on global warming and clean energy jobs

Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Efficient Products (this Fri-Mon)

This weekend marks Virginia’s annual sales tax holiday on energy efficient products — items like Energy Star dishwashers, clothes washers, refrigerators, air conditioners, ceiling fans, compact fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostats, or Water Sense rated faucets and toilets. So if you’ve been thinking about making a purchase, this weekend is the time to do it.

More on the sales tax holiday

New Rebates for Efficiency Products
A number of new rebates for energy efficient products will also be available as part of the stimulus package –rebates on items such as insulation, window replacements, water heaters and more. In Virginia, homeowners will be eligible for rebates for 20% of the costs of eligible products (up to $2,000), and commercial consumers will be eligible for 20% of their costs (up to $4,000). The rebates will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

More on the Rebates

Becoming more energy efficient is a great way to lessen your home’s impact on the environment, save money, and to reduce the need for new power plants or transmission lines in the future.

Sen. Cardin Deserves Our Praise

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) introduced their climate bill last week. The “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act” puts the U.S. on the right path, although it doesn’t go far enough (Read CCAN’s statement here). The bill is an improvement over what the House passed in June and Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, who helped draft the bill, deserves our sincere thanks for his hard work – and encouragement for the tough fight ahead. The release of this bill was covered extensively in the media, which gives you the opportunity to respond quickly and get your letters to the editor printed in your local paper.

Please, take a moment to respond and write a letter to the editor. Here are some talking points:

1. The Boxer-Kerry Clean Energy Bill is Good for Maryland: The Boxer-Kerry Clean Energy bill, released last week, would put the U.S. on the right path toward a new clean energy economy and create millions of jobs nationwide. Recent studies have shown that such a bill would create 35,000 jobs in Maryland alone.

2. Thanks for Protecting the Clean Air Act: The Boxer-Kerry “Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act” restores the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate global warming pollution from coal plants. This critical authority was threatened in the House version of the bill and we thank Senator Cardin for his leadership in helping draft a bill that allows the EPA to continue to do its job.

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The Chamber of Commerce has no friends

This has been one exciting week for the climate.

Leaders came together in New York for a United Nations Climate Change Summit, climate activists geared up for the G-20 talks in Pittsburgh, and the whole world geared up for the big talks in Copenhagen.

CCAN’s Ted Glick, Andy Revkin at the New York Times and Anna Pinto, an indigenous rights activist from India, all appeared on Democracy Now! yesterday to talk about the all-important talks in Copenhagen.

“We’ve had a fossil fuel party for a century,” said Revkin during the interview. Watch it here>>

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown committed to going to Copenhagen himself if it means securing a successful outcome. That phone call was part of thousands being placed across the globe as part of Avaaz.org’s “Global Wake-Up Call.” If their inspiring video is any indication (and I think it is), the coordinated “flash mob” actions went really well.

President Obama gave a heartening, although too tame, speech to the United Nations.

Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it — boldly, swiftly, and together — we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.

At the same meeting, the President of Malidives gave an incredibly powerful, moving speech.

If things go business-as-usual, we will not live, we will die. Our country will not exist. We cannot come out from Copenhagen as failures. We cannot make Copenhagen a pact for suicide. We have to succeed and we have to make a deal in Copenhagen.

And to top it off, PNM Resources just abandoned its seat on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, citing a fundamental disagreement over its approach to global warming.

According to NRDC’s Pete Altman:

The statement comes within hours of news of electric utility PG&E’s complete withdrawal from the US Chamber and a public statement from Nike expressing its disgust over the Chamber’s views on climate.

PG&E, Nike and PNM cited frustration with the Chamber’s call to put climate science on trial, which Chamber vice-President Bill Kovacs compared to the Scopes Monkey Trial. Kovacs later apologized for the remark. Earlier this spring, Johnson and Johnson made public its frustration with the Chamber’s position on climate.

Outlook for the Chamber of Commerce: not so good.

Outlook for the climate: Long way to go, but progress is being made.

Speaking of progress, don’t miss Lester Brown’s encouraging Op-Ed in the Washington Post’s Outlook section over the weekend.

Guest post: Where Health Care and Coal Collide

The following is an article written by CCAN supporter and Boucher constituent Theresa Burriss. The piece first appeared in the New River Voice.

I headed out to Rep. Rick Boucher’s town hall meeting on health care Tuesday morning with a particular purpose. I left the event with a revised one. Although I’m writing this editorial now, as I intended to do all along, the message has changed somewhat as a result of what I witnessed in the forum at New River Community College in Dublin.

I had hoped to query Boucher that morning about comments he made recently in Bristol, Va., to the Eastern Coal Council, and how they seem inconsistent with his stance on health care. So let me provide the context for these inconsistencies before I comment on the evolution of my writing.

Reporting for the Bristol Herald Courier, Debra McCown cites Boucher in her Aug. 13 article, “Boucher: Coal Profits Supersede Environmental Concerns.” After Boucher dismissed the surface mining fight as being “new [and] led by the more extreme environmental organizations [who] clearly have targeted the Appalachian states [ Continue reading