Kids Need Your Help

There’s still time! We’ve got another chance to tell Congress that in the midst of a public health crisis, we can’t take fruits and vegetables off kids’ school lunch trays.

Last week—after intense debate—Congress postponed a crucial vote to either gut or protect new standards that have improved school lunches. We’re gaining more and more momentum, and until the House of Representatives votes, we’re keeping the pressure on—act now to defend healthy school lunches for kids!

Union of Concerned Scientists analysis has shown that increasing our consumption of fruits and vegetables could prevent thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs each year from diet-related chronic disease. Today, Americans of all ages are not eating nearly enough of these healthy foods.

Congress recently improved federally funded school lunches by requiring at least half a cup of fruits and vegetables with every meal. These standards were a positive first step in ensuring that kids will get the foods they need to grow up healthy. We can’t go back on the gains we have made to improve kids’ diets.

Urge your member of Congress to stop the attack on healthy school lunch standards!

Sincerely,

Ashley Elles
National Field Organizer
Food & Environment Program
Union of Concerned Scientists

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday endorsed the appointment of a child protection czar to make sweeping changes in the way the county protects abused and neglected children.

The action comes a year after the death of Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old boy who was severely beaten despite repeated calls to the child welfare authorities. The case was first reported by The Times.

The new Office of Child Protection would represent the most significant reorganization of county government in nearly a decade since the supervisors selected William T Fujioka as chief executive and endowed his office with significantly enhanced authority. The child welfare czar would report directly to the supervisors and be responsible for developing a funding and policy strategy for the Department of Children and Family Services and all other county departments responsible for protecting vulnerable children.

The vote on the proposal was 4-1, with Supervisor Don Knabe opposed; he called it an unnecessary new layer of bureaucracy.

For the latest information go to www.latimes.com

Emma Ruby-Sachs – Avaaz

The delicate balance of the planet’s biosphere is tipping — threatening all life on earth. Scientists are calling it our Holy Shit moment on climate change, and world leaders meet at the UN in just over 100 days — we have until then for all of us, everywhere, to act, in the largest day of action on climate change in history, to call for action and fight for everything we love. Sign up to join in:The last ice age happened in 6 months. 6 months for the planet to unleash an army of apartment-building-size ice blocks across Europe and the United States. It was a climate tipping point where the balance is knocked completely out of control and threatens the survival of everything — and three more tipping points exactly like it are on the verge of happening.

It’s our “holy shit” climate moment according to a leading NASA scientist, and only a holy shit massive coordinated day of action response, right now, can change the future we’re facing.

One agreement with common sense steps to end dirty energy can save us. That’s why the UN has called an urgent climate meeting in just over 100 days with all major world leaders — if we greet them on September 21st with the largest ever global climate mobilisation in history we can break through the walls of mega coal, oil, and business that prevent even the best politicians from doing what is right.

There’s no way to get around how big a task this is. But together, each small action will add up into a millions-strong movement that literally drowns out the opposition and gives our leaders the best reason to break free and build a hopeful, clean and green future. Click below to join in:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/join_to_change_everything/?biEWLbb&v=41138

“Tipping points” are feedback loops, where climate change feeds back on itself and causes rapidly accelerating, catastrophic consequences. Right now, methane gas that is 25 times worse for global warming than CO2 is frozen in our ice. But as the ice melts, the gas leaks, causing more melting and each melt loses us another layer of reflective ice shield that we rely on to keep the planet cool, more methane and less ice means more warming still, and everything starts to spin out of control. And that’s just one example… it’s why scientists are yelling from the rooftops that we have to act now.

We actually have the tools and the plan we need to make sure we don’t cross into a world where tipping points destroy us. And while it will take global cooperation on a bigger scale than ever before, our 36 million-strong movement already has the people power necessary to move leaders from every country to take the first steps. Just days ago, the United States and China announced serious new plans to curb their pollution — momentum is building ahead of next year’s critical Paris climate summit where a deal could be inked, and in just over 100 days we can take it up a notch further.

Taking to the streets in a record setting show of power and coordination is one of the most effective ways to create change — from the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa to civil rights in the US, it’s sometimes been the only way. This is our chance to bring that power to the most important issue of our time: survival and a thriving future for our families, and their families and the generations of people to come. Click below to be a part of it all:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/join_to_change_everything/?biEWLbb&v=41138

We know we can do this… and do it big. When our community was just 3 million people we held 3,000 actions on the same day to protect our planet. We’re now 36 million strong, ten times the size! Imagine what we can achieve together now…

With so much hope for our future,

Emma, Iain, Lisa, Ricken, Alice, Emily, Sayeeda, Uilleam and the rest of the Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Global warming: it’s a point of no return in West Antarctica. What happens next? (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/17/climate-change-antarctica-glaciers-melting-global-warming-nasa

A Call to Arms: An Invitation to Demand Action on Climate Change (Rolling Stone)
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/a-call-to-arms-an-invitation-to-demand-action-on-climate-change-20140521

Mini ice age took hold of Europe in months (New Scientist)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427344.800-mini-ice-age-took-hold-of-europe-in-months.html

Report: Prepare for climate tipping points (Politico)
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/national-research-council-report-climate-change-could-hit-tipping-points-environment-100615.html