Tag Archives: politics

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

greenpeace and the fight for the Arctic

08/20/2014 Nativegrl77

The Arctic is a special place: inhabited by creatures like polar bears and whales, full of magnificent vistas, and home to people who maintain the traditions of their ancestors. For millennia, it has remained untouched by oil-drilling or industrial fishing.

But as the ice melts from climate change, that special status is at risk. Multinational corporations like Shell are chomping at the bit to be the first to exploit this amazing area. That’s why I’m asking you to do something a little different for the Arctic in Seattle.

We’re calling for the northernmost, uninhabited areas of the Arctic to be permanently protected as a global sanctuary. This is a big vision, and to make it happen, we need all levels of leaders from around the country to join this call. To make the Arctic matter on the national stage, leaders like President Obama need to know that it really matters in communities around the country.

Your local leaders can make a difference by standing up for the Arctic. But they need to hear from you. So we’re asking you to do something a little different today: start a petition asking your community leaders to sign on to the Arctic Declaration, which calls for a global sanctuary in the Arctic.

Your petition will be hosted on a page maintained by our partners, Moveon.org. We’ve teamed up with them to give Greenpeace supporters a way to start their own community petitions. This partnership with Moveon.org is brand new and we’re really excited about the potential to amplify our grassroots power.

We’re fully invested in making sure you have everything you need to make a big difference in your community for the Arctic. If your petition gets at least 250 signatures, we’ll share it with our Facebook fans in your community. If it gets at least 500 signatures, we’ll email it to everyone on our list in your area.

Ready to get started? Great! Here’s all you have to do:

Step-By-Step Guide1. Pick a local leader to send your petition to. If you live in a city with a mayor, that is probably your best bet. You’ll need his or her email address, which you can probably find by going to your city’s website. If you don’t have a mayor, another great choice is your state representative, senator, or Assemblyman. Here are your local representatives:

Sen. Jamie Pedersen

Rep. Frank Chopp

Rep. Brady Walkinshaw

2. Go to http://petitions.moveon.org/greenpeace/ to start your petition.

3. Decide what you want to say to your local leader about why they should support the Arctic sanctuary. You can write your own petition language, or use this language:

Name: Protect our Arctic

Text: The Arctic is a truly special place, but it is under threat from rising temperatures, oil drilling, and industrial fishing. We ask that you use your status as a leader to endorse the International Declaration on the Future of the Arctic. This charter demands action on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, climate change, oil drilling, and unsustainable fishing. Learn more at ArcticDeclaration.org, and please sign on today.

4. You’ll be asked to say why you’re starting this petition. You’ll want to keep this short, but it’s a good way to tell your friends and neighbors why this is important to you. If you get stumped, here’s a sample:

“The Arctic is an amazing place, home to whales, polar bears, and other amazing creatures. We need to act now to protect it for future generations.”

5. Once you start your petition, you’ll be given options to share it on email, Facebook, and Twitter. This is the important part — your petition will only be effective if you do everything you can to make sure your friends, family, and neighbors see it, sign it, and share it. And be sure to use the exact link that MoveOn sends you in an email. Note: MoveOn will only send you emails to help promote your petition.

Start your petition for the Arctic now.

So far, five million people around the world have stood up for the Arctic, and over 500 leaders have signed on to the Arctic Declaration. We’ve won some big victories, including temporarily stopping Shell from drilling, but there is still much to do in order to protect the Arctic once and for all.

The time is now to take the campaign to our communities, and you can take the first step by starting a petition in yours today.

For the Arctic,

Ben Smith
Greenpeace USA Senior National Organizer

P.S. Your leaders need to know that people in your community care about the Arctic — start a petition today!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Progressives

08/17/2014 Nativegrl77

Where do the American people stand on the environment?

62% oppose the subsidies that the federal government gives to oil, gas and coal companies.

Reason-Rupe/ Princeton Survey Research Associates International
65% favor setting stricter emission limits on power plants in order to address climate change.

Pew Research Center

56% of House Republicans deny the basic science behind climate change.

72 percent of statements about climate change on Fox News were misleading, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The American people aren’t falling for it. The news media may think we’re stupid, but the polls show otherwise.

The Populist Majority is a new project from the Campaign for America’s Future, funded by people like you to encourage politicians and policy makers to take progressive positions on the major economic and social issues of the times.

Can you chip in with a donation today?

Donate

We’re going to spread this message to the media, to Congress and to the country. America is not a ‘center right’ country. It’s a country ready for change.

We are almost at our funding goal. Click here to make a donation of any amount today.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help Wendy Davis

08/17/2014 Nativegrl77

You’ve seen the recent poll, you’ve watched our ad, and you know the momentum is with this campaign. Now we need your help in recruiting folks to join our field staff and assist in our statewide effort to elect Wendy Davis Governor of Texas.

This is a terrific opportunity — no matter where you live now — to get some hands-on experience with an exciting political campaign. You’ll be an integral part of our grassroots organization by managing volunteers and supporters from all across Texas who are ready to work hard to bring a different kind of leadership to Austin.

All you need is a strong work ethic – preferably one that lasts for 12 hours a day 7 days a week, the ability to knock on doors and talk with potential voters, and a desire to elect a governor who’ll make sure every Texan’s voice is heard. You don’t need previous campaign experience. We’ll teach you how to talk to voters about Wendy and organize your volunteers towards a win in November.

If you want to be a part of history, apply now: Just click here for all the details.

Please feel free to forward this email to someone you think might be interested. Texas is a big state so we’re counting on Team Wendy to the cast a wide net.

I couldn’t be prouder of my staff and would love to add your name to the list.

Chris

Chris Turner
Campaign Manager
Wendy R. Davis for Governor, Inc.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

08/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Ferguson police racially profiled and executed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Tell the DOJ and local officials to hold all officers fully accountable:

I am here standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Ferguson, MO with those demanding justice for 18-year-old Michael Brown who was racially profiled and tragically killed by a police officer last week. I came to amplify your voice as well as the voices of the more than 100,000 ColorOfChange members calling for immediate accountability and an end to the deep-seated police misconduct plaguing Ferguson and cities across the country.

Tomorrow, with the world watching, we will march. Show your support by sharing this campaign with your friends and family to pressure federal officials to intervene and ensure real accountability. Justice comes only when we stand up against unlawful police abuse and racially-motivated violence. The time is now.

A lot has happened in the past 24 hours:
•The St. Louis Prosecutor responsible for bringing criminal charges against Michael’s killer defend the inexcusable police brutality of the past five days.1
•Local Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson announced the name of the officer who executed Michael, but officials are now victim blaming in a shameful attempt to distract focus from the police killing.2

We must stay vigilant and continue to push for bold measures that will ensure justice for Michael — a justice which includes long-term systemic reforms to the way our communities are policed.

Thanks and peace,

Rashad

References

1.”McCulloch blasts Nixon for replacing St. Louis County Police control,” St.Louis Post-Dispatch 8-15-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3770?t=4&akid=3574.1174326.0axQQL

2. “Ferguson police chief: Officer didn’t stop Brown as robbery suspect,” CNN 08-15-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3771?t=6&akid=3574.1174326.0axQQL

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell PepsiCo: #LiveForNow Shouldn’t Mean Destroying Tomorrow

08/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Around the country, demands for Pepsi to cut Conflict Palm Oil have picked up. Using Twitter, activists and volunteers are hijacking Pepsi’s darkly ironic “#LiveForNow” marketing campaign. Now, they need you to amplify their voice — click on the photos below to retweet these activists and volunteers!

Whether it’s at your local store, like Monika tweeted, or at a big Pepsi sponsored event, like Mike’s, I can guarantee that this type of brandjamming is being heard loud and clear at PepsiCo HQ. Pepsi has spent millions of dollars on advertising this campaign. We don’t have millions of dollars, but millions of people care about protecting forests and are taking action.

We also created this graphic that you could tweet. As the demand for Conflict Palm Oil grows, more species are at threat. The extinction of unique species, like the Sumatran Tiger, is simply unacceptable.

Thanks for retweeting and amplifying Mike and Monika this week. And remember, there’s a couple things you can do to help the campaign. The first is to download your own sign and start tweeting at @PepsiCo with YOUR demands and the hashtag #LiveForNow. The second is to follow #LiveForNow on Twitter and continue to retweet more activists around the world. We’ll be in touch with more updates and training opportunities soon!

Thanks for all you do to help push huge corporations, like PepsiCo, to change.

Brad Schenck
Digital Engagement Director
Rainforest Action Network.

P.S. Not on Twitter yet? Don’t worry, it’s simple to get setup and tweeting in minutes.

5 Minute Guide to Twitter Activism:

Most people have heard about Twitter, but not everybody has an account. Here’s a quick and easy guide to getting setup to Tweet your outrage over Conflict Palm Oil in less than 5 minutes.

1. Signup for your account here.

2. Create a Tweet! (Be sure to upload your photo by clicking the Camera icon).

3. Post your feelings on PepsiCo’s Conflict Palm Oil use! Use the hashtag #LiveForNow in your Tweet so others can find it.

http://www.ran.org/