Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/22
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
I’m feeling cautiously optimistic right now—I’ve never seen such energy around an Earth Day. Of course much of it is grounded in simple fear—as it should be—but folks are mobilized, and I’ll take it!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if we care about the Earth, if we care about climate, if we want to save the planet, we must take a multifaceted approach:
We must change our own behavior
We must push our lawmakers to pass strong climate legislation
We must push financial institutions to stop funding extractive industries
And—for goodness sakes!—we must elect Climate Hawks everywhere!
I try to give you as many opportunities to do items 2, 3, and 4 as I can. I urge you to take them! The earth will not and cannot heal itself. It’s up to us. With the above approach we cannot fail.
Sending love, strength, and encouragement. We can do this. We must do this.
We will do this.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m calling on this Earth Day to ask that the Senate put climate investments at the top of the their agenda. The House has already passed a climate reconciliation bill that will accelerate the clean energy transition, reduce U.S. demand for fossil fuels, protect working families from price spikes, cut off petro-dictators like Vladimir Putin, and cut pollution to avert the worst consequences of climate change. I want the Senator to vocally support it and push for its passage.
Also, I urge the Senator to support and co-sponsor S 3169 the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act, bipartisan legislation which would ban the intentional use of PFAS in food packaging. Thanks!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I urge the Congressmember to support and co-sponsor HR 6026 the Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act, bipartisan legislation which would ban the intentional use of PFAS in food packaging.
Second, I want the Congressmember to co-sponsor Jamal Bowman’s new Babies Over Billionaire’s Act, HR 7502. We can’t solve our climate crisis without raising the funds to do so, and a tax on billionaires is the obvious way to do that. Will the Congressmember co-sponsor?
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s take a couple more actions on behalf of Melissa Lucio. She is scheduled to be executed next week if her sentence isn’t commuted.
Call Greg Abbott: 956-446-2866. Say:
I am calling to demand the immediate release of Melissa Lucio, Ms. Lucio was unfairly coerced into a confession despite no evidence of child maltreatment. The state of Texas should not have convicted Ms. Lucio of murder nor taking her life in an unjust execution. The is no evidence and Ms. Lucio must be released now.
Call the DA’s office at 956-544-0849. Say:
I’m calling to ask Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz [pronounced Sa-Enz] to please rescind Melissa Lucio’s execution warrant, reinvestigate the case, and watch the film, The State of Texas vs. Melissa. Four jurors in Melissa Lucio's trial now say they would vote differently if they knew then what they now realize was hidden from them. She needs a new trial Thanks.
Call the TX Board of Pardons and Parole (512) 406-5460. Say:
Hello, my name is ____ and I am calling from _____ in regards to Melissa Lucio. I want to formally recommend that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles watch The State of Texas vs. Melissa and make a recommendation to Governor Greg Abbott to commute her sentence. There is compelling evidence in the documentary for her innocence, and I believe that Melissa should be granted clemency so that she can be released to her family.
Finally you can write an email to the Board of Pardons and Paroles by clicking here. (the email address is bpp_clemency@tdcj.texas.gov if you want to write one manually.)
Get Smart! 📚
In 2020, 34% of eligible voters didn’t vote. Fortunately, Wis Dems is doing a round two of their incredible training “You and the 34%: How to Have Meaningful Conversations with High-Potential Voters.”
It’s on Saturday, April 30, 2022, 10AM-12noon PT / 1-3 ET on Zoom
This workshop will teach volunteers how to make “I don’t vote” the beginning of the conversation, not the end.
Dr. Jacqueline Tulsky and Elizabeth Chur share stories of success, and give you the tools you need to draw out “high-potential voters,” elicit their desires for change, and turn them into voters.
Whether you’re new to canvassing and phone-banking or have been doing it for years, this interactive training is designed for you.
Register here to join them April 30!
Get Social!
Please post this on your social media.
Any new gas infrastructure is a death sentence for those on the frontlines of the #ClimateEmergency. @POTUS must lead the world with a rapid buildout of renewable energy — not fuel environmental injustice and climate catastrophe. #PeoplevsFossilFuels
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/21/lng-texas-louisiana-ukraine/
Register Young People! 🗳
YOU GUYS!! This is so exciting! The Civics Center, one of my favorite organizations doing voter registration focussed solely on young people, has started a postcarding campaign to ask young people to register to vote! Can anyone help?
Sign up here to write a batch of postcards, make a donation, or both.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to your Senators] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PWGWPW to 50409]
I am a concerned constituent writing to urge you to co-sponsor and actively support the passage of the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (S3283). This bill, recently reintroduced by Senator Booker (D-NJ), would set in motion long overdue reforms of our national pesticide rules to better protect farmworkers, farmers, children and the environment.
Currently, more than 320 million pounds of pesticides that have already been banned in Brazil, China and/or the European Union are applied annually on U.S. fields. Our current rules are antiquated and weak, serving the interests of pesticide corporations rather than adequately protecting public health or the environment.
If you’ve already co-sponsored S. 3283, thank you — please encourage your Senate colleagues to join you, and do all you can to support passage of this important bill. If you have not yet co-sponsored this legislation, I strongly urge you to do so on this Earth Day. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess