Tag Archives: Business

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ABC tracked down Bank of America’s CEO …Michael Whitney, Change.org


Change.org
                Tell Bank of America to drop its new $5 debit card fees             
Sign the Petition

Whoa. ABC News heard that 135,000 Change.org members signed Molly Katchpole’s petition against Bank of America’s new $5 monthly fee to use a debit card. So the network tracked down CEO Brian Moynihan and forced him to respond to the petition. (Thanks, ABC News!)

The CEO was flustered and couldn’t give a coherent explanation — an embarrassing moment on national TV for the big bank (and the second night in a row that Molly’s petition was a featured story on the newscast).

Bank of America is feeling the pressure from Change.org members. As more people speak out, Bank of America will be forced to cancel its new fee — and other banks will be too scared to create their own new fees.

Add your name to Molly’s petition demanding Bank of America cancel its new $5 debit card fee.

While you’re signing, check out the amazing video from ABC News. It’s inspiring to see one person’s petition can make a bank CEO squirm on TV! Watch it here:

http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team

P.S. Good news about Cristian Fernandez, the 12-year-old being tried as an adult that I emailed about a couple days ago. His judge pushed back the hearing for one month after more than 150,000 Change.org members demanded that he be tried as a juvenile.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Would you trade a redwood or an ancient Tribal burial ground for a merlot? …Corinne Ball, Change.org


A Spanish company is angling to build a new vineyard in the town of Annapolis, California. Sounds fine, right?

But the plans call for: 
Destroying 140 acres of majestic redwood forest,
Building the vineyard on top of  the ancient burial grounds of the Kashia Pomo tribe (many of whom still  live and worship in those woods), and
Harming the Gualala River, home to endangered salmon and other at-risk wildlife.

California  resident Marie Casias likes wine, but she thinks this is crazy — and  people around the country are starting to agree. Marie’s  petition on Change.org calling on the California Department of Forestry  and Fire Protection and other officials to put a stop to this is  growing quickly. And we’ve jumped in to help her out by asking you to sign it too.

Sign Marie’s petition to prevent the Spanish wine company from decimating Sonoma’s redwoods.   WWW.Change.org/petitions

It’s  not often that the folks at the California Department of Forestry and  Fire Protection receive this kind of national attention. Imagine their  faces as your message, and messages from 50 states, start accumulating  in support of protecting the forest. They’ll almost certainly think  twice before approving the proposal.

Sign the petition now, then forward this email to everyone you know:

WWW.Change.org/petitions

Thanks

for being a change-maker,

– Corinne and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Groundbreaking community project creates clean, renewable energy in Seattle -Tualip Tribes


on May 24, 2011

Qualco Energy Corporation aligns the interests of Seattle’s Tualip tribes, local farmers, and environmentalists with the financing and community support of Bank of America.  To learn more about what Bank of America is doing in Seattle visit http://ahead.bankofamerica.com/local/seattle/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

You beat Bank of America in Washington …Michael Whitney, Change.org


Can an online petition save a house from foreclosure? It did in Seattle.

Vera Johnson is a single mom from Seattle who was on the brink of foreclosure — despite the fact that she qualified for a loan modification under federal law. But Bank of America reps gave Vera the run-around, making her resubmit endless forms, claiming time and again to have lost paperwork Vera had sent in multiple times.

After 18 months, Vera was fed up. So she started a petition on Change.org asking Bank of America to grant her loan modification.

More than 16,000 people — mostly Washingtonians — signed Vera’s petition. And Bank of America representatives just told Vera they would grant her a permanent loan modification.

http://www.change.org/start-a-petition?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&alert_id=PtmFtDmZny_BImiguPOnn

“I’m overjoyed, and thankful to the thousands who took action on Change.org to help me keep my home and business,” Vera said. “The success of my campaign shows that homeowners can take power back from banks if we work together.”

Making change happen in your community is easy. Start a petition on WWW.Change.org — step-by-step instructions are right here.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Not-so-hap​py meal …Michael Whitney, Change.org


McDonald’s wants you to “see what we’re made of.” Brace yourself.

The pork in your Egg McMuffin or McRib comes from pigs, of course. What you may not know is that those pigs are birthed by female “breeding” pigs who lead miserable lives, to put it mildly. They live in impossibly small enclosures called “gestation crates,” in which the pigs can barely move. These dirty, restrictive enclosures frequently cause pigs to become covered in sores, open wounds, and infections.

It doesn’t have to be that way: Burger King and Wendy’s have completely phased out gestation crates from their pork supply. Now it’s up to McDonald’s to do the same.

McDonald’s has the power to push its pork suppliers to eliminate gestation crates and improve the lives of female breeding pigs. Please add your name to the petition asking McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner to ensure McDonald’s pork suppliers stop using gestation crates.

McDonald’s has paid lip service to freeing pigs from gestation crates; in 2007, the company even said moving away from these unnecessary enclosures was “at the top of its agenda.” Five years later, pigs at Smithfield Foods, where McDonald’s buys its pork, are still in gestation grates.

McDonald’s is the biggest customer of Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world. While Smithfield initially pledged to eliminate gestation crates entirely by 2017, the pork processing corporation went back on its promise in 2009.

Smithfield Foods initially blamed the poor economy for indefinitely sticking its pigs in cramped quarters. Yet now Smithfield is posting record profits, meaning the company can recommit to phasing out gestation crates by 2017.

Meredith Slater started a petition on Change.org asking McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner to pressure Smithfield to renew its promise and completely phase out gestation crates by 2017. Click here to sign Meredith’s petition to bring McDonald’s in line with the rest of the fast food industry:

http://www.change.org/petitions/mcdonalds-stop-using-pork-from-abused-pigs

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Michael and the Change.org team