Whitman Campus Climate Challenge

Update #3

July 7th, sent by James Sledd

—

The Senate Environment and Public Works held its first hearing on the Waxman-Markey bill today. From watching on C-SPAN, they looked like they went as expected. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Mark Sanford’s replacement as the head of the Republican Governors Association, was one of the witnesses. He argued that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant, but thankfully did not share intimate details about his love life.

Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe (one of the most conservative members of the Senate) made about as much sense as an Angus bull would trying to recite Shakespeare, insisting that climate change is not real, that no evidence exists. It is, apparently, all a hoax designed to tax the American people and expand big government. People who believe this must be really scared, since that means that Al Gore is not only capable of bullying thousands of climate scientists into submission, but also melting glaciers, raising global sea levels, and somehow tampering with the entire history of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Oh, and by the way, President Obama has no valid birth certificate.

Senator Inhofe also ranted about the EPA suppressing a recent internal report “proving” that climate change does not exist. Right-wing news programs have seized on this report, claiming that the Obama administration is ignoring the truth and relying on uncertain science. This is, of course, patently false, and debunked here.

Think the bill is too weak? It probably is. There are problems with the offsets programs that it would create to meet carbon reduction goals, and it probably doesn’t cut emissions enough. But it’s a necessary start, and an 83% cut in emissions by 2050 is real. But don’t listen to me: go to http://thomas.loc.gov and read the CRS summary and the CBO budget estimates and make up your own mind. The Congressional Budget Office cost estimates say that the bill will cost the average American only 47 cents per day, disproving critics, who claim it will cost thousands per year.

I don’t know what will happen with the bill in the senate. Al Franken was sworn in today, giving the Dems a 60-seat supermajority. That doesn’t mean that the bill is filibuster-proof, though, and it stands a good chance of being weakened further by oil- and coal-state dems like Mark Begich (AK) and Max Baucus (MT). And you can bet that climate skeptics and other naysayers will ramp up their hype machine, claiming that the bill will kill jobs and cost Americans thousands of dollars each year.

So call your senators. Tell them you support and strengthen the bill. It won’t be strengthened, but let them know that’s what you want. I hope that the Senate passes ACES now, because there’s no way that it’ll pass the house next year in an election year.

Hope you’re all enjoying your summer and had a great independence day. -James

Update #2

—

July 1st, 2009: Sent by Camila Thorndike

Heya team,

Minus the Maryland specifications, this article sums up the confusing feeling I and many others have been experiencing since ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act) passed the House.

You might be wondering:

* Should we celebrate the fact a climate law made it through step one?
* How do we ensure the final law matches our urgency?
* What happens if it fails, either in strength or passage?
* What is our role as students, young people, voters and leaders in the coming months and year?

One of the most amazing moments of the summer was to actually be in the House when ACES passed with 219 votes.  The triumph and elation was unforgettable.  The vast majority of we “regular folk” in the galleries rose cheering (including LOTS of Powershifters), the Democrats (minus 44 – yikes!) huzzahed, and the Republicans (minus a critical eight) snarkily waved “buh-bye” to the ACES supporters who will presumably pay for it in the next election cycle.  James had to restrain me from cartwheeling over the rail, which would have ended in an, erm…regrettable collision with our dear Ms. Cathy, ironically dressed in green.  Apparently it’s not always that exciting on the Hill.

In the end, all that’s clear is that we must do all humanly possible to pass a STRONG climate bill through the Senate.

It’s time to start upping the ante, both in WA and in our home states.  Y’ALL IN?

Lisa and I attended a 1Sky leadership training last weekend and have been receiving great policy updates on ACES and next steps.  Barbara Boxer is trying to produce a marked-up bill out of committee by the end of July, but there are 23 “fence sitters” in the Senate.  That means we have to write letters to the editor, call our Senators regularly and urge hundreds of our friends to do the same, go crazy — now.  There are too many links to talking points, strategies, and Congresspeople’s info to post here, but they are available upon request if google fails you.

Are you doing any of the above?  Let us all know, because a movement is when we can look around and see everyone moving forward together.
Cheers from the East,
Camila

Update #2

—

June 26th, 2009: Sent by Gary Wang

Hey all,

I hope you guys are having a good summer b/c the house PASSED WAXMAN-MARKEY TODAY.  It’s historic, imperfect but better than anything the US has ever done on climate change.  Now the pressure’s on the senate! Here’s some links:

Wall Street Journal
Role Call – If your congressman/woman voted no, call them!
New York Times

Cheers,
Gary

We’re posting the latest summer news sent over the climate listserv!   CCCers are scattered fromWashington, D.C., to Alaska, Minnesota, New Mexico and back to Wally World.  We may be far-flung, but we’re working hard — this website is a way to focus that energy for a killer 2009-10 of climate victories back at Whitman.

—

Update #1

June 19th, 2009: Sent by James Sledd

Hey guys and gals,

Hope you’re all enjoying your summers, wherever you may be, and I hope this email finds you happy, healthy, and safe. As most of you probably know, the Waxman-Markey climate change bill (officially, ACES or the American Clean Energy and Security Act; DC loves its acronyms) has been marked up and is going to come up for a vote before the entire house in the next couple of weeks. Environmental groups are split on the bill, with some claiming that it doesn’t go far enough, and are especially critical that 85% of allowances will be given away free to polluters.

The reality is that the bill does take significant steps to reduce carbon emissions, requiring a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. That might not sound impressive, but when compared to projected emissions in 2020, it’s a very significant reduction. Furthermore, the bill establishes a national renewable electricity standard and a “green bank.” Personally, I don’t think the bill would have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing if compromises such as the permit giveaway were removed. ACES has compromises, but it makes important steps, and it doesn’t have to be a final step, either.

I’m working as an intern this summer for Rep. Jay Inslee, and our office was largely responsible for writing the cap-and-trade section of the bill. I have to do lots of menial chores (and some interesting ones), which includes answering the phone and reading letters. Any letters you send to your congressperson do get read and responded to. Politicians are good at noticing what their constituents care about.

So, if you support ACES, you should contact your representative soon. As in today. Don’t send a letter, because those get screened, which slows them down. Send a fax, an email, or give the office a call. If your rep supports the bill, call and thank them and express your support–most callers are angry (and so far as I can tell, have an average age of about 82), and it’s very nice to hear from someone supportive for a change. If you want a stronger act, say so–but please don’t rip into whoever answers the phone. It’s useless. There’s a 95% chance they’re just an intern, who can’t speak for their Rep. Moreover, hey probably agree with you, but can’t say so, and can’t argue back–it’s very frustrating.

If you’re in the northwest for the summer, I miss it. See you all next fall.
-James

Will Canine describes the excitement at the end-of-semester picnic of students ready to tackle the biggest issues facing our generation and Walla Walla …here in the Whitman Pioneer!

“Recently, Whitman Investment Company (WIC)invested $8,000 in Monsanto, a socially and environmentally unethical agribusiness company.  When members of Campus Climate Challenge found out about this, they decided to approach WIC and encourage them to sell the stock and take into greater consideration the ethical ramifications of their actions.  After much spirited debate, WIC sold the stock on May 5th.  Campus Climate Challenge will follow up by writing a letter to Monsanto to inform them of these events.  It is important that even though WIC is no longer a shareholder of Monsanto, we let Monsanto know that their practices were behind the decision to de-invest in the company.”
-Contributed by organizer Robin Lewis

This spring, the unstoppable Robin Lewis organized Whitman artists Jes Alford, Lauren Imbrock, and Nat Clarke to create an inspiring installation on campus for climate education.  Their work showcased the immediate need to reduce atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million (ppm), down from dangerous and unsustainable current levels of over 388ppm.

See the image below in the 350 art gallery, and contact Robin at lewiscr(at)whitman.edu.

Dear student leader,

Every year, young activists at Whitman College, WWU, and WWCC organize to create change in Walla Walla and across the world.  While figuring out how to get things done around this place, we’ve run into similar hurdles, discovering anew–and separately–how to overcome them.

That’s why I’d like to invite you to join activists in the Whitman Campus Climate Challenge for a cross-community picnic at Pioneer Park Friday, May 8th at 5:30 pm. We’ll meet each other, share goals, strategies, frustrations and victories, and plan for a Walla Walla Youth Leadership Summit this fall.

Why?

As activists, we may all be working toward different ends–from environmental causes to latino voting rights to water projects in India–but we share passion, vision, and a desire to further our respective ends with greater success and ease.

Together, let’s brainstorm what we want out of a community-wide youth leader training next fall:

Do you want to learn how to…

- Motivate your peers
- Run meetings
- Conduct conference calls
- Network
- Recruit and retain volunteers
- Work with your school’s administration
- Build institutional memory
- Use the media: TV, radio, newspaper articles and OpEds
- Market your cause through websites, listservs, and advertisements
- Create a community-wide calendar to avoid double-booking events
- Apply for grants and attract funding
- Ensure the longevity of your group post-grad

… let’s add to the list!

By sharing experience and resources, we can kick off an amazing year of action in Walla Walla!  Can you join us for a potluck picnic in Pioneer Park, May 8th at 5:30pm?  You can be experienced or brand new to organizing, in high school, college, or a recent grad, we want to share stories and good food with you!

–> Please RSVP to: Camila Thorndike: thorndce(at)whitman.edu

Please distribute this message to other inspirational young leaders you know!

P.S.
If you cannot attend, please send a message outlining, but not limited to the following:
Your group’s mission, level of engagement, history in Walla Walla, and what you’d like to see included in the activist training.

Check out the flickr bar to the right for photos of our wonderful volunteer-teachers and helpers (eating Sweet Basil!)

The Cool the Schools Campaign was a collaboration between Whitman’s Campus Climate Challenge and the Environmental Education for Kids Club with assistance from the Sustainable Living Center and Whitman Mission Historic Site of the National Park Service.  Five students, Julia Lakes, Katie Hallett, Camila Thorndike, Elena Gustafson, and Lisa Curtis got together with the intention of organizing a campaign that would bring Whitman students into local schools to teach students about climate change.  They sought help from Mike Dedman of Whitman Mission, and Freda Tepfer and Erin McMahan of the Sustainable Living Center (SLC).  SLC reached out to teachers to find times when we could go into their classes and Mike provided us with a few trunks worth of lesson plans and curriculum.  We put our heads together and came up with a variety of lessons and then solicited Whitman students to teach these lessons.  We then held training sessions to go over the lessons with the Whitman students and supply them with the materials for the lessons before we sent them off into public and private Walla Walla schools.  Everyone learned a ton, made young friends in the community, and is looking forward to an even bigger and better campaign next year!

For another perspective and some great insights from Elena, check out this article in the Pio.

THANKS TO ALL THE AMAZING VOLUNTEER TEACHERS WHO GAVE THEIR TIME AND PASSION TO WALLA WALLA YOUTH!

Interested?  Leave a comment and we’ll get back to you.

CCC teamed up with the inter fraternity council to throw a barbecue featuring Thundering Hooves local sustainable beef.

Yes.  Happy meat.  Love it.