Tag Archives: Ethnicity

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

80% of energy is wasted


3:28 PM (10 minutes ago)
to me

Dear Friend,

Every year, we waste more than 60% of the energy we generate in the US. In fact, the amount of energy wasted in the US in 2012 could power the UK for 7 years!

Simply put, we need to become more energy efficient. That’s why the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill is so important. The bipartisan Shaheen-Portman bill would promote energy savings and efficiency upgrades in commercial and industrial buildings, helping to dramatically reduce the amount of energy we waste.

Tell your Senators that you support the Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill!

The bill enjoys widespread support from environmental advocates and businesses, alike. It will save energy, reduce costs for businesses and the federal government, and save taxpayer dollars.

It seems like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the bill has been stalled in Congress for several months. We can’t afford to keep waiting. Energy efficiency is too important—both for our environment and for our economy.

Contact your Senators today! Urge them to support energy efficiency and vote for the Shaheen-Portman bill!

Thanks for your support,

-The Earth Day Network Team
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Major vehicles victory!


Cleaner air and healthier communities are on the way.

We Did It!

ShareUCS supporters like you helped push new standards for cleaner gasoline and cleaner cars over the finish line. Share the great news for cleaner air on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Take a deep breath of (cleaner) air! Thanks to UCS supporters like you, we can all celebrate a major victory in the fight for cleaner air and healthier communities.

The White House just finalized stronger standards to reduce sulfur from our gasoline and pollution from our tailpipes. Implementing these standards, known as Tier 3 standards, will help prevent thousands of premature deaths and asthma attacks each year by ensuring our gasoline burns cleaner and our tailpipes spew less pollution.

Stronger standards for cleaner fuel and vehicles will also put the United States back on track with global efforts to reduce the sulfur in gasoline. And they will help us all breathe easier—especially the vulnerable communities living near high-traffic roadways or refineries.

We celebrate cleaner air today—despite the oil industry and their allies trying to block progress every step of the way—with the tens of thousands of UCS supporters who sent comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stood up against congressional attempts to derail Tier 3, and wrote letters to their local papers to share their personal stories about the dangers of dirty air.

We want to say thank you for pushing these standards across the finish line with all you do to support UCS.

Along with a coalition of public health, environmental, faith-based, state, labor, and industry groups, we’ll be keeping an eye on Congress and the courts for additional attacks on Tier 3 in the coming months. We’ll also keep you informed on ways to defend these standards and advance other solutions to clean up our transportation fleet—there’s lots of work left to cut oil use, global warming emissions, and air pollution from our cars and trucks.

But today we want to say thanks to UCS supporters like you for your dedication to building a cleaner transportation future that works for all of us.

Learn more about this victory and share the great news on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Sincerely, Rachel Cohen Rachel Cohen National Field Organizer Clean Vehicles Program Union of Concerned Scientists
P.S. For more on the benefits of this important program, see our Tier 3 webpage.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Michael Bell Team : Plea for a Change


The Wisconsin State Assembly unanimously voted in favor of external investigations of officer-involved deaths.  Officers who take a life will no longer be solely investigated by their coworkers.

Now we must get Wisconsin Senators on board.

You’ve gotten us this far.  Will you please take just a moment to encourage your Wisconsin Senator to support Assembly Bill 409?

Here is where you can find your Senator’s email address: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/pages/waml.aspx  and, here’s an example of what you could write to them:

Dear ___________,

The fatal use of force is the ultimate life or death decision that law enforcement officers should hope to never have to make. However, in the instance of an officer-involved death, we believe that the internal investigation into the incident shouldn’t be run by police officers from the same jurisdiction.

Assembly Bill 409, passed with unanimous through the State Assembly on Tuesday, February 18.

This bill, quite simply, requires at least two investigators from outside the law enforcement agency in which the death occurred.

This bill, authored by Rep. Garey Bies (R-Sister Bay) and Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison), brought families and loved ones of those impacted by an officer-involved death together with law enforcement to address their concerns. The result is a bill that would insert more independence into the investigation, reassuring families while protecting the rights of law enforcement officers.

Wisconsin is on the precipice of becoming the first state in the nation to mandate and independent investigation into officer-involved deaths.

This bipartisan bill is supported not only by families who have lost loved ones, but also multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.

As such, I’m writing to encourage you to vote in favor of Assembly Bill 409, when it comes before you.

Sincerely,  Your Name  Address  City, State Zip

This message was sent by Michael Bell Team : Plea for a Change using the Change.org system. You received this email because you signed a petition started by Michael Bell Team : Plea for a Change on Change.org: “Protect Wisconsin Families and Honest Police: Support Fair Investigations.” Change.org does not endorse contents of this message.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Urge your legislators to sign a letter in support of American wind power

This week, your federal legislators have an opportunity to show their support for American wind power in a very clear way – by signing a letter that urges the Congressional leadership to take quick action to extend the tax credits for the wind industry.

I urge you to take a moment to write to your legislators today and encourage them to sign this letter.

Recently, wind industry employees met with legislators from 140 different states and districts.  They shared their personal stories about their jobs, as well as updates on the wind industry’s impressive accomplishments:

  • Employing 80,000 people across the U.S. today
  • Driving $105 billion of private investment since 2005
  • Bringing down the cost of power by 43% in the past four years alone
Shown above: Wind industry employees meet with Rep. Fleischmann (TN-03)

They asked their legislators to sign a letter to Congressional leadership that explains, “Like all businesses, the wind industry seeks certainty and predictability so that long term project decisions and investments can be made,” and asks for quick action to extend the tax credits that have driven the industry forward – the renewable energy production tax credit (PTC) and investment tax credit (ITC).

Please echo their request – ask your legislators to sign the letter today. 

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,
Aaron

Aaron Severn
Interim Vice President, Federal Legislative Affairs
American Wind Energy Association

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ACA Latino Week of Action


whitehouselogo

Buenas tardes,

 

Today, the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services are kicking off our “Latino Week of Action,” continuing the Administration’s efforts to engage the Latino community to #GetCovered or #Asegurate under the Affordable Care Act.

 

Across the country, community organizations have joined local, state and federal government partners to convene health care enrollment events, partnering with Spanish language media to offer personalized enrollment assistance and to encourage Latinos to sign up for quality and affordable health coverage.

 

  • The Latino Week of Action will increase outreach efforts to educate Latinos across the country about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and to let them know how affordable quality health insurance is if they enroll in the health insurance Marketplaces.
  • We have only 5 weeks left to enroll as many Latinos as possible so we are issuing a broad call to action to Latino leaders throughout the country to do your part to educate, engage, and enroll Latinos so they can receive quality, affordable health care.
  • And we want to know what you’re doing in your communities to meet our shared challenge.  We want to recognize our top leaders, especially our young leaders who are working hard to reach out to Latinos, Latinas, familiares y vecinos.
  • So let us know what you’re doing and make sure it’s specific.  Let us know how many people you’re educating, how many people you’re enrolling and how you are personally making a difference.
  • Please send your updates and reports to Latino@who.eop.gov by Friday, February 28th to add your name to the list of candidates to potentially be recognized as a Champion of Change for the Latino community on the Affordable Care Act.

 

This week we will continue to highlight the bilingual enrollment tools available to Latinos to sign up for coverage through the health insurance Marketplaces:

 

 

 

 

And below are additional resources you can use to spread the word:

 

President Obama Shares Enrollment Tips with the Latino Community

 

 

 

As one of the most disproportionately uninsured populations, the Latino community needs your active participation in order to educate others about the health care law. That is why we are engaging in ambitious outreach efforts aimed at helping Latinos including young Latinos learn and sign up for quality, affordable coverage available through the Marketplaces.

 

In other news, the President recently took the opportunity to recognize several dedicated Latinos through recent nominations and appointments. Some of the prominent Latinos who were recently appointed in  the Administration to support the President’s Agenda, include:

 

  • Mileydi Guilarte – Nominated to serve as the United States Alternate Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank
  • Nathalie Rayes – Nominated to serve as a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • Judge Carlos Eduardo Mendoza – Nominated for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
  • Juan Carlos Iturregui – Nominated to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation
  • Annette Taddeo-Goldstein – Nominated to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Foundation

 

As always, please share this information with your networks, get engaged in educating the Latino community about the Health Insurance Marketplaces, and use the hashtags #OurSalud or #Asegurate to join the conversation.

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

Jorge Neri Associate Director White House | Office of Public Engagement

Agency Updates

Nominations Sought for 2014 National MED Week Awards February 12, 2014 The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) today announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2014 National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Awards competition.

Proposed Agricultural Worker Protection Standard: EPA Needs Your Input February 20, 2014 The Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed changes to the agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) to increase protections from pesticide exposure for the nation’s 2 million agricultural workers and their families.

President Obama to Award Medal of Honor February 21, 2014 On March 18th, 2014, President Barack Obama will award 24 Army veterans the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry. These veterans will receive the Medal of Honor in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Each of these Soldiers’ bravery was previously recognized by award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award; that award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor in recognition of their gallantry, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of duty.

Get Involved

Questions and Answers on the ACA If you have questions about the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, this is the webinar for you! We will answer questions that have been submitted in advance as well as new questions asked during the webinar. Please send your questions by February 20 at 10 a.m. ET to ACA101@hhs.gov.

Who: HHS Partnership Center What: Webinar with questions and answers on the ACA When: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 1 PM ET RSVP: RSVP online at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/635927095

ACA Latino: Conference Call with Vice President Joe Biden As the final deadline for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act fast approaches, we have to continue to work collectively to increase Latino enrollment under ACA. In this call, Vice President Biden will discuss the recent efforts being put forth across the country and the current state of Latino ACA.

Who: The White House, Vice President Biden What: Conference call on the status of Latino enrollment in the health insurance marketplace across the country.  When: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 5:45PM ET RSVP: RSVP online at http://ems6.intellor.com/index.cgi?p=600216&t=1&do=register&s=&rID=3&edID=2

Latinos and the Health Insurance Marketplace (in English) According to the Census Bureau, nearly 16 million Hispanics are uninsured. The health care law is in effect and there is a new way for individuals and families to get health insurance. This webinar is co-sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families and the HHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Please send your questions to ACA101@hhs.gov by Noon ET on February 26.

Who: HHS Partnership Center What: Webinar focused on Latino to enrollment in the health insurance marketplace When: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 7 PM ET RSVP: RSVP online at https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/915498183

Get Updates