Tag Archives: Ryan

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Starbucks, Whole Foods and carbon pollution

09/25/2015 Nativegrl77

10% of all carbon pollution comes from tropical deforestation, largely driven by palm oil production. We can stop it by pressuring corporations to use palm oil that doesn’t burn up forests—but only with your help.

Give now to fight global warming and protect tropical forests.

Donate Now

From French fries to face wash, everyday products are filled with palm oil, a lot of it produced by destroying tropical forests.

UCS members have helped convince some of the world’s largest users of palm oil—corporations you’d recognize in an instant—to buy from sources that don’t rely on destroying tropical forests.

But some companies are lagging behind—even a few that may surprise you: companies like Starbucks and Whole Foods. Based on our research, they’re not doing as well as McDonald’s or Subway.

We’ve made too much progress on deforestation to stop now. Will you help us turn up the heat on more corporations, and support the next phase of our campaign?

Make a tax-deductible gift to the Union of Concerned Scientists today.

Companies that make a show of corporate responsibility should be leading on palm oil, not lagging behind. Yet Starbucks has stopped at half-measures—relying on a palm oil certification system that still allows for forest clearance rather than pledging to eliminate deforestation entirely and only promising to use deforestation-free palm oil in its company-owned stores.¹ Whole Foods promised to switch to deforestation-free palm oil three years ago, but hasn’t hit its targets.²

We’ve always known that science alone wouldn’t convince every major company to do the right thing on palm oil. That’s why, beyond meeting directly with executives to show them how deforestation-free palm oil won’t hurt their bottom lines, we’ve sent more than 750,000 letters to CEOs demanding action. So far, more than a dozen companies have answered our call—most recently, McDonald’s and Yum! Brands (owner of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell).

If these fast food giants can commit to deforestation-free palm oil, there’s no excuse for companies like Starbucks and Whole Foods to hold out.

We have to turn up the pressure on companies dragging their feet on palm oil deforestation. Please, support our campaign with an urgent gift now.

You shouldn’t have to wonder if your Whole Foods groceries or Starbucks snack could be contributing to massive deforestation that’s decimating wildlife and releasing tons of global warming pollution.

Yet Whole Foods and Starbucks haven’t taken reasonable steps to make sure that their products don’t contribute to the wide-scale loss of tropical forests… to the plight of threatened wildlife like Sumatran orangutans and tigers… or to fires that have released hundreds of years’ worth of stored-up carbon into the air, burning for weeks or even months.³

Our efforts on palm oil are having a lasting impact on our planet. But it takes resources to organize hundreds of thousands of consumer activists and pressure global corporations to do the right thing. That’s why your gift today is so important.

Help fight global warming and environmental devastation by powering one of the most effective campaigns being run today.

I hope you’ll be a part of this truly historic effort. Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Ken Kimmell
President
Union of Concerned Scientists

1. http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2015/03/ucs-palm-oil-scoring-breakdown-2015.pdf, page 83
2. Ibid
3. http://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/legacy/assets/documents/global_warming/palm-oil-and-global-warming.pdf, page 2

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Social Security Disability Insurance

09/22/2015 Nativegrl77

Weekly Address: A Comprehensive, Long-Term Deal with Iran

The President explains the deal announced last week that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

WATCH HERE

Social Security Disability Insurance: A Lifeline for Millions of American Workers and Their Families

The White House released a report explaining how the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program works, who it helps, and its importance for millions of American working families.

See what newspapers across the country had to say about the historic nuclear deal with Iran.

SEE MORE

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Save Social Security …. a Petition

09/22/2015 Nativegrl77

Social Security is not a handout, and it’s not a free check either. You’ve earned the right to retire with dignity and security.

But while we’re celebrating Social Security’s 80th birthday, the Republican majority in Congress is moving to gut the program and turn their backs on this great American promise.

Sign our petition to protect the Social Security benefits you’ve earned and ensure that we fulfill the promise of a safe and secure retirement for another 80 years.

– Ruben Kihuen

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

My husband served his country. Now he’s being denied citizenship

08/29/2015 Nativegrl77

By Bonita Hernandez

Tallahassee, Florida

My husband Mario Hernandez entered the US on a Freedom Flight from Cuba in 1965. Ten years later he enlisted during the Vietnam War and served this country honorably before having a 25+ year career in government service.

When he retired from the Bureau of Prisons as a lieutenant, he wanted to take me on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate but realized he did not have a US passport. To his surprise, he learned he was never a US citizen despite the oaths he took prior to his military service.

He tried to become a citizen but his naturalization application was denied and he was told to receive residency first through the Cuban Adjustment Act then try again in five years. However, his service during Vietnam, a “designated period of hostility,” exempts him from the residency requirement and he should be naturalized now.

Please sign my petition asking DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to naturalize my husband. After serving his country during Vietnam and for 25 years in government service, he shouldn’t have to wait another 5 years to become a U.S. citizen.

He deserves it!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

2015: Turning Promises into Action

08/23/2015 Nativegrl77

Last year, we exposed the snack food industry’s dirty little secret – Conflict Palm Oil.

A groundswell of activism created a watershed moment, and made Snack Food 20 companies and the world’s largest agribusiness trading companies – including Cargill — “re-think” business-as-usual.

Our challenge now lies in transforming company commitments into real change for the forests and communities that depend on them and bringing laggards in the sector along with us.

This change won’t happen overnight, and it won’t be easy. One thing is certain, we must draw lines in the sand and we need you to stand strong with us.

Are you in?

We will counter the greenwash that is being rolled out by companies whose commitments on ending deforestation and social conflict fall short.
We will crank up the pressure on palm oil growers, traders and Snack Food 20 companies who have so far refused to strengthen their policies and practices.
We will stand with the community of Collingwood Bay in Papua New Guinea and stop companies like Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) from threatening to destroy pristine rainforests and undermining the right of the Collingwood Bay people to say no to palm oil development on their lands.
We will stop bulldozers from destroying rainforests and peatlands in the Leuser Ecosystem – home to the Sumatran rhino, orangutan, elephant, tiger and sunbear.

The inspiring breakthroughs we achieved in 2014 are a testament to actions YOU have taken and the unrelenting work of local communities and NGOs over many years. These successes, almost unimaginable just a few years ago, provide a great example of how our movement can successfully take on seemingly insurmountable odds. We must now continue to build momentum as we drive the real change still needed on the ground.

We need you to stand with us in 2015 as we hold some of the world’s biggest corporations to account.

We have an exciting series of activities planned that will inspire you to take bold action in your community. Join our Palm Oil Action Team today and get your friends and family to do the same.

Sign up here to make lasting change in 2015!

In strength,