Why George Will is Wrong

By July 8th 2012, Colorado was experiencing its most intense wildfire in state history. By July 8th, nearly everyone in the Mid-Atlantic learned the meaning of a new word – “Derecho”, a sudden, powerful windstorm that cut off power to millions of people and killed more than 20 in the region. By July 8th, farmers in the heartland and throughout other parts of the country had come to grips with shrinking yields (and shrinking profits) caused by a punishing drought and extremely high temperatures.

On July 8th, during ABC’s Sunday public affairs show, in response to a discussion about rising temperatures and climate change, political columnist George Will said the reasons for the recent heat wave is because of one word: “summer”. “What’s so unusual about this?”, he pondered. Mr. Will, your ignorance is astounding.

 

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In Storm-Battered Virginia, CCAN Interns Work Towards a Greener Future

 

*Cross-posted from We Are Powershift.org*

Virginia students are at it once again! This summer, CCAN’s internship program has expanded to college campuses, and interns are working on the campaign to expose Dominion-Virginia Power all over the state. They are working on a variety of things, including gathering petitions, writing letters to the editor, and building networks of CCAN activities in their communities and on their campuses. The students are excited, because this is the first chance some have had to finally take action on saving the climate. Indeed, this excitement becomes especially relevant when you look at their results. In the last week of June alone, the on-campus team collected over 200 petition signatures asking Dominion to fulfill its clean energy commitments with real, Virginia-made renewable energy.

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Where the water is rising, good folks take action!

Residents of many Tidewater neighborhoods are dealing with higher water than ever before when storms hit and the full moon shines. It’s had recent media attention in the Post and the Pilot. CCAN is actively concentrating on offering these folks on the front lines of climate change some ways to address the rising sea by getting to the root of the problem: greenhouse gas pollution.

 

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Virginians Rally at SCC Against Dominion's Dirty Plans

Fifteen years is a long time.  Fifteen years ago, “Married with Children” aired its final new episode on Fox. Fifteen years ago, Mike Tyson tried to bite Evander Holyfield’s ear off in the middle of a boxing match. Fifteen years ago, Prodigy was still in the internet-provider business. Remember them? Didn’t think so.

The point is, 15 years is a long time. So when Dominion Virginia Power presented its plans for the next 15 years of energy production to the SCC, we were curious. When we found out that the plans had NO land-based or off-shore wind and a negligible amount of Virginia-made solar power, our curiosity turned into varying degrees of frustration. So we organized. And you came. Together, we rallied. And it was awesome!

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Virginia Students "Connect the Dots" on Climate Impacts Day

 

–Cross-posted at WeArePowershift.org

Last Saturday, 350.org and other similarly-minded groups organized a Climate Impacts Day (climatedots.org), where activists throughout the country “connected the dots” between climate change and its associated impacts. The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) coordinated with many of these activists in Maryland and Virginia to facilitate their events. In Virginia, CCAN worked with student groups to highlight important climate sources and impacts on or near their campuses.  

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W&M Students Protest Outside Bank of America

 

-Crossposted at WeArePowershift.org

Students at the College of William and Mary assembled at a Bank of America location in Williamsburg, VA on May 1 to protest the bank’s funding of mountaintop removal. Alongside local activists, the students waved signs and chanted outside the building, while participants with Bank of America cards went inside to close their accounts. A couple members of the group simulateneously handed out fliers at nearby businesses. As the location was along a major thoroughfare, the protesters frequently heard supportive honks from passing cars and observed locals curiously reading their signs. After spending a couple hours spreading awareness, the activists dispersed, pleased with their work and eager to do more.

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Earth Week in Virginia

Cross-posted at WeArePowershift.org

 

On April 22, 1970, students participated in an massive action declared by Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin. Motivated by the recent Santa Barbara oil spill, teach-ins were held at college and university campus across the United States to protest environmental degradation. “Earth Day,” as the event was known, later became a prominent, annual avenue for citizens to discuss important issues affecting both their local communities and the wider world.

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