a message from Greenpeace


I don’t know about you, but this season, I’ve been thinking a lot about community. I feel incredibly lucky and humbled to fight for the environment alongside people like you — folks who speak out, take action, and help make the world a better place. So I wanted to reach out this Thanksgiving to send along a heartfelt thank you for everything that you do!

To celebrate everything that we’ve accomplished — and will continue to achieve together

the team here at Greenpeace put together a video that I hope you’ll enjoy.

Greenpeace and People Like You

Isn’t it amazing what we can do together? In all honesty, we’ve got a long road in front of us, and many fights ahead in order to protect the planet we live on. But today, I’m full of gratitude and hope as I reflect on how far we’ve come already. Enjoy the video and please, share with your friends and family. 

For all we’ll do together,

Annie Leonard
Annie Leonard
Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

P.S. We truly appreciate all you do to help protect the environment. Your continued efforts and support make our work possible — so thank you!

You made these wins possible


Union of Concerned ScientistsI know the challenges we face can seem daunting. But we’ve gained real traction this year thanks to the outstanding support of people like you.

I wanted to take a moment to share the victories that meant the most to me this year, and thank you for making them possible:

  • Ending palm oil deforestation. With unprecedented support from UCS members, we convinced corporate giants, including General Mills, The Hershey Company, Kellogg’s, Dunkin’ Brands, Colgate-Palmolive, and Procter & Gamble to use deforestation-free palm oil in their products—all in the last few months. UCS supporters sent a remarkable 753,000 letters urging some of the world’s biggest brands to change their palm oil practices and help stop tropical deforestation, which accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s global warming emissions. In the New Year, we’ll build on this momentum to pressure the remaining companies to follow suit.
  • Clearing the air of dangerous pollution. We won a hard-earned victory this spring when the Obama administration finalized a plan to clean up gasoline and reduce harmful air pollution from passenger vehicles.
  • Beating back attacks on renewable energy. We sent our experts to lead coalitions and provide game-changing technical analysis to campaigns in key states, including Michigan and Minnesota, where we succeeded in galvanizing support for clean energy policies. Why focus so much on individual states? Because the Environmental Protection Agency’s new limits on global warming emissions from power plants hinge on how aggressive states are at achieving pollution reductions. Success in the states is the key to deeper reductions in global warming emissions across the United States.

With your partnership, we’re making measurable progress toward a healthy and safer world by insisting that science informs the critical decisions made every day by lawmakers, executives, businesses, and consumers. While the political landscape presents more difficult terrain, we’re energized for the year ahead with concrete plans to navigate the challenges and make progress.

On behalf of the UCS board and staff, thanks for your generous support, and best wishes this holiday season.

Ken Kimmell Sincerely,
Ken Kimmell
Ken Kimmell
President
Union of Concerned Scientists

Buyer Beware


By

Retail Workers Should Enjoy Thanksgiving Too

Season’s greetings from all of us at CAP Action! While most of us are able to be at home celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family, not everyone is as fortunate. Retail stores across the country, instead of allowing their workers to take the day off to spend with their families, are increasingly opening on Thanksgiving Day. While some stores are staffing Thanksgiving on a volunteer basis, others are not – and with no mandatory paid vacation in the United States their employees could be threatened with firings if they choose to spend the day away from work. All this, despite the fact that openings on Thanksgiving did not help sales last year. So in your Black Friday prep, check out the graphic below to see which companies are treating their workers fairly this Thanksgiving, and which you might want to watch out for.

Buyer Beware graphic

NMAAHC


Happy Thanksgiving From the NMAAHC

 

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect upon all that we have to be thankful for — our family and friends, the food on our table, the roof over our heads.

This year I have something to add to that list: my heartfelt gratitude for the visionary leaders like you who are making the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African America History and Culture a reality. Through your generosity and commitment as a supporter of the Museum, you’re part of a historic once-in-a-lifetime endeavor to bring this important cultural addition to the American landscape.

With your help, our wonderful new Museum is now rising for all to see on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and we’ve acquired more than 29,900 artifacts for the Museum’s collection. It’s such a thrill to watch the Museum building take shape — check out our online Building Construction Cam to see the Museum construction live!

And when the Museum opens its doors in 2016, you will be able to take personal pride in your role in bringing the African American experience to life — telling the rich story of African American history and culture, and celebrating the lives and achievements of the oft-forgotten heroes who have done so much to shape our nation.

Thank you again for your support of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And on behalf of all of us here at the Museum, I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!

All the best,
Lonnie_Signature.jpg
Lonnie G. Bunch
Founding Director

Chart of the Week: SHOP Marketplac​e Premiums Flat in 2015


whitehousebannerChart of the Week: SHOP Marketplace Premiums Flat in 2015

On November 15, the Health Insurance Marketplace opened for the 2015 enrollment season on HealthCare.gov. But November 15 also marked the beginning of online shopping through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

Historically, small businesses have paid as much as 18 percent more than their larger competitors for the same coverage. However, SHOP now tackles these problems by creating a competitive marketplace where small businesses can shop for coverage that meets their needs via a convenient online application.

Find out more about the Chart of the Week and SHOP here.

Find out more about the Chart of the Week.

 

 

Weekly Address: Immigration Accountability Executive Action

In this week’s address, the President laid out the steps he took this past week to fix our broken immigration system. Enacted within his legal authority, the President’s plan focuses on cracking down on illegal immigration at the border; deporting felons, not families; and accountability through criminal background checks and taxes. These are commonsense steps, but only Congress can finish the job.

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The Faces of Health Care: Amy W.

Amy and her husband are self-employed, operating a semi-truck out of Augusta, GA. As self-employed Americans, they had to purchase health insurance on their own. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, they were able to keep a significant amount of their business profits in their pocket by purchasing an affordable, quality plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace.

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What You Need To Know: The President’s Actions on Immigration

Here’s what you need to know about President Obama’s new steps to fix our broken immigration system.

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