Climate Crisis Parade Feb 1, 2020 – get a seat on the bus

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Climate Parade in Des Moines at noon on February 1st.  Two buses have been reserved to leave Iowa City at 9:30 in the morning from the Coral ridge parking lot west of Barnes and Noble. We will return around 5:30 p.m. The mission of the parade is to urge the media to give this global emergency the coverage it deserves.  We challenge the media, the presidential candidates, and the public  to prioritize action on global warming.  To get a seat on the bus: Email miriam kashia (miriam.kashia@gmail.com) with   “Yes” I’m going, and “Yes” I want to ride the Grannies’ Parade bus.  One bus is filled and we are working on filling the second one!  The cost will be around $15.

WE GRANNIES ARE A CO-SPONSOR of the “CLIMATE CRISIS PARADE.”  WE ARE HOPING FOR LOTS OF US GOING TO DES MOINES ON 2/1/20 TO PARTICIPATE.  PLEASE REVIEW THE LIST BELOW OF SOME OF THE 70 CO-SPONSORS TO GET A SENSE OF HOW BIG THIS IMPACT CAN BE.

our “float” for the parade, will be the pipeline. More details on the bus.

PLEASE SEND ME A QUICK EMAIL (miriam.kashia@gmail.com) IF YOU WANT ME TO PUT YOU ON THE BUS RESERVATION LIST.  INCLUDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER, PLEASE.

I’ll keep everyone updated as this emerges. LET’S DO THIS!!!      miriam

List of some of the 70 co-sponsors
100 Grannies for a Livable Future, Ames Climate Action Team, Bold Iowa, Catholic Peace Ministry, Central College SCATE (Students Concerned About The Environment), Central District United Methodist Women, Citizens’ Climate Lobby (Des Moines), Citizens’ Climate Lobby (Iowa City), Citizens’ Climate Lobby (Mason City), Climate Action Iowa, Climate March, Climate Reality Project (Des Moines Chapter), Creative Visions, Des Moines Order of the Sacred Earth, Des Moines Valley Friends (Quaker), Environment Iowa, Homes 4 My Peeps, Indianola Green Team, Indigenous Iowa, Interfaith Green Coalition, Iowa Climate Strike, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, League of United Latin American Citizens (Council 307), Methodist Federation for Social Action, Millennials for Climate, Moms Clean Air Force, NAACP (Des Moines), National Wildlife Federation, Physicians for Social Responsibility (Iowa), Physicians for Social Responsibility (US), Plymouth Church Creation Care and Justice Coalition, Sage Sisters of Solidarity, Seeding Sovereignty, STAR*PAC, Student Climate Strike (Iowa City), University of Iowa Environmental Coalition, Urban Ambassadors, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (Des Moines Branch).

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Climate Crisis Parade Saturday, Feb 1, 2020

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Climate Crisis Parade: We Challenge YOU! …

As individuals and organizations, we’re all doing amazing work to raise awareness about the impending catastrophes that are guaranteed if we do nothing to combat climate change. Unfortunately, a large segment of America still has a blind spot about what’s happening and what we need to do. That includes the mainstream media, whose coverage of climate change during this presidential campaign has been weak, and insufficient to fully inform the American public.

In Iowa, because of our first-in-the-nation status in the presidential election, we have a huge opportunity to influence the media and the public across the country. Most Democratic candidates have elevated climate in their agendas, which is great. The press, however, has remained largely silent. This needs to change.

For Iowans, now is the time for us to take our message about the reality of climate change to the media and the general public. Des Moines will be swarming with national and international media during the days leading up to the Caucuses on February 3. That gives us just enough time to work together on a MAJOR CLIMATE ACTION FOCUSED ON THE MEDIA. Will you join us?

We envision a multi-layered event involving the broadest possible coalition of climate advocates and activists, with representation from all segments of society.

Organizing such an action involves a whole lot of work, and your input would be valuable. Here are the details so far:

  •  Date: Saturday, February 1
    · Location: Downtown Des Moines
    · Vision: 1,000+ people participating in a multi-faceted action
    · Tone: Civil and non-violent, urgent and imperative
    · Rally: Gather in downtown for speeches, music, chants
    · Parade through the streets or the Skywalk to the Iowa Events Center with signs and chants, with participating organizations customizing their parade
    “float.” For example, 100 Grannies might build a “float” around their replica of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Other groups are discussing a “species extinction parade float” — with large cu-outs of the species that have gone extinct because of climate change or that are threatened with extinction. It is also important that the parade bring attention to the constituencies already being impacted by the climate crisis — minority communities, Indigenous peoples, and other front-line communities.
    ·         Die-in: At the Iowa Events Center, a dramatization of the threat of extinction in the face of the media’s silence.
    ·Other ideas:
    Dancing, banging drums, chanting during the parade.Brainstorming continues on our weekly steering committee calls.

Over 50 organizations are working together to bring this action to fruition, and we are actively soliciting more, including yours!  We are:

  1. 100Grannies for a Liveable Future
  2. Bold Iowa
  3. Catholic Peace Ministry
  4. Citizens Climate Lobby, Des Moines
  5. Citizens Climate Lobby, Iowa City
  6. Citizens Climate Lobby, Mason City
  7. Climate March
  8. Creative Visions
  9. Des Moines Citizens Task Force for Sustainability
  10. Des Moines Valley Friends (Quaker)
  11. Environment Iowa
  12. Indigenous Iowa
  13. Interfaith Green Coalition
  14. Iowa Climate Strike
  15. Iowa Interfaith Power and Light
  16. League of United Latin American Citizens, Council 307
  17. Methodist Federation for Social Action
  18. Moms Clean Air Force
  19. NAACP, Des Moines
  20. Physicians for Social Responsibility, Iowa
  21. Physicians for Social Responsibility, National
  22. Seeding Sovereignty
  23. Student Climate Strike, Iowa City
  24. UI Environmental Coalition
  25. Urban Ambassadors
  26. Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom, Des Moines Branch

Here’s what we’re asking; please let us know which of these levels of involvement your group would like to have:

  • Will you agree to be listed as a co-sponsoring organization?
    ·Would you like to join our weekly steering committee call (usually Wed, 8:00 pm)?
    ·  Will you help promote the event?
    ·  Will you participate in the action on February 1?
    ·  Will you provide a “float” for the parade (see details above)?

Please join us. Thank you!
Steering Committee members:

Kathy Byrnes, Bold Iowa
Heather Christensen, Urban Ambassadors
Eloise Cranke, Methodist Federation for Social Action
Ed Fallon, Bold Iowa
Miriam Kashia, 100 Grannies for a Livable Future
Kelcie Kraft, Urban Ambassadors
Patti McKee, Catholic Peace Ministry
Christine Nobiss, Seeding Sovereignty
Kari Noble, Citizens Climate Lobby
Lydia Pesek, Student Climate Strike, Des Moines
Matt Russell, Iowa Interfaith Power and Light
Lois Schultz, Interfaith Green Coalition
Steve Shivvers, Citizens Climate Lobby and Des Moines Valley Friends Meeting
Karin Stein, Moms Clean Air Force
Carolyn Walker, Citizens Task Force on Sustainability DSM

 

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The Point of No Return. By Massimo Paciotto-Biggers and Alex Howe, Iowa City, Little Village, 5 Dec 2019

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Letter to the editor: The point of no return

As global leaders meet at the COP25 UN climate summit in Madrid this week, we plan to continue our year-long strike and walkouts in Iowa City on Friday, 3:30 p.m. at Old Brick. Since the Iowa City school district and Iowa City Council have passed updated climate plans in line with the IPCC, and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg brought global attention to Iowa City, we’ve been asked why we continue to strike. Here’s why:

We have no choice. As U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned world leaders on Monday, “the point of no return is no longer over the horizon. It is in sight and hurtling toward us.”

And yet, as it burns coal for six more years in the middle of our town, the University of Iowa still refuses to even respond to or meet IC climate advocates or join the Iowa City climate plan in a Town-Gown Climate Accord. In the process, UI plans to recklessly burn coal for six more years — the single biggest contributor of CO2 in Iowa City — and then rely on another fossil fuel, methane-emitting natural gas, for 60 percent of its power plant needs for the next half century.

If you believe in science and the reams of studies on climate chaos that have concluded “we might already have crossed the threshold for a cascade of inter-related tipping points,” such a reliance on fossil fuels at UI is almost delusional.

We strike because the adults in the room still hide behind excuses for their silence and inaction and delays, when global CO2 emissions have increased by 4 percent since the Paris Climate Summit in 2015, at a time when we need to drastically cut emissions in half over the next decade — just to stave off the worst disasters.

We strike because world-class universities like the University of Illinois declared climate emergency plans this week with 200 other American universities, joining 7,000 universities who committed to carbon neutral plans by 2030 earlier this summer — like the University of California. We deserve a world-class university climate emergency plan in Iowa City.

In short: UI’s outdated fossil fuel-generated power plant plans and sustainability goals fall far behind schools across the country, including Iowa State University, which was recently ranked 40th in the Top Green Colleges by Princeton Review.

We strike because 11,000 scientists warned last month of “untold suffering” if we fail to act quickly on our climate crisis. That means we must act now, not when it’s convenient.

We strike because our planet’s salvation requires courage, not fear.We strike for climate refugees, including those displaced by flooding, drought and fires in Iowa, across the U.S. and around the world. Every two seconds, according to a recent Oxfam study, someone in the world is turned into a refugee by climate chaos.

In six years of UI burning coal, that totals 94,608,000 refugees from our climate crisis. Just do the math for 50 more years of fossil fuels like natural gas to understand our own responsibility.

So, we will strike until adults in the room, including the University of Iowa administration, recognize we have reached a “point of no return” and urgently move forward with a Town-Gown Climate Accord in line with the IPCC goals, declare a climate emergency like other world-class universities, and end toxic and CO2 spewing coal in the heart of our town. 

We hope you join us on Friday.

also see https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/a-nightmare-on-burlington-street-strike-at-the-ui-coal-power-plant

 

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Student Climate Strikers Iowa City

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Climate striker Massimo Paciotto-Biggers is the Press-Citizen’s person of the year.  2019

University of Iowa sings utilities agreement, climate strikers want more     10 Dec 2019 Channel 2 Fox 28

The Letter to the Editor: The point of no return. by Massimo Paciotto-Biggers and Alex Howe, Iowa City  5 Dec 2019

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The En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator is now available!

Posted on December 3, 2019 by Katharine

Sent to our attention by Marcia Shaffer – Details

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Stop Factory Farms Lobby Day Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020

Posted on November 25, 2019 by 100 Grannies

Iowa State Capitol, Des Moines, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The CCI (Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement) along with IARA (Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture) is organizing lobby day for a moratorium on CAFOs.

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CAFO Moratorium advised

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Katharine

“The American Public Health Association (APHA) enacted a new policy statement advising federal, state, and local governments and public health agencies to impose a moratorium on all new and expanding concentrated feeding animal operations (CAFOs). The new policy recommends a complete halt until additional scientific data have been collected and any public health concerns associated with CAFOs are addressed.” (See more)

Center for a Livable Future

The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future—working toward a healthy, equitable, resilient food system.
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Thank You

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Thank you 4 Nov 2019, Little Village, Charlene Lange

It’s almost Thanksgiving and I want to shout out to all those I need to be thankful for in the past year.

Thank you, politicians such as city officials Mayor Jim Throgmorton and the Iowa City City Council; county officials like the Johnson County Board of Supervisors for supporting a moratorium on CAFOs; state legislators like Sen. Joe Bolkcom and Sen. Rob Hogg and all the presidential candidates for educating and planning to make our world better.

Thank you, groups such as: Sierra Club, CCI, Catholic Worker House, Clear4 and Center for Worker Justice; Oceana for educating others to stop polluting the waters and to start collecting trash in our waters; IARA and Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) for helping farmers become more sustainable; CCL and ICCA working on passage of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act; and 100 Grannies, who are educating, advocating and agitating me and others to reduce plastics, stop poisoning our water through lawn chemicals, teaching children and adults through books, giving recipes and reasons to eat less meat and contacting politicians to enact laws for local control and a moratorium on CAFOs.

Thank you, businesses New Pioneer Co-op, Trumpet Blossom Cafe and Moxie Solar.

Thank you, firefighters, Red Cross workers and volunteers who are on the front line of the battle of climate change; the scientists, professors, business people, inventors and accountants working and teaching others about the world around us and offering solutions and hope.

Thank you, farmers who are becoming sustainable, rotating crops, planting cover crops, grazing animals on pasture, becoming CSAs and creating soil erosion barriers, conservation easements, contour buffer strips, filter strips. All this to reduce flooding, grow food for people in a sustainable way and protect our land and water.

Thank you, adults who are composting, recycling, riding the bus, no longer using lawn chemicals; switching their dual outdoor lights to just security to help the birds; contacting companies to request non-water-based products, less packaging and recyclable packaging; investing in new green technology like solar, electric cars, wind energy, etc.; helping the climate refugees; writing letters and signing petitions to protect our world; recycling the non-recyclable; updating websites to keep current with the issues; and learning and sharing through books, lectures and movies on why and how to change more.

And last of all, thank you to all the kids, Student Climate Strikers and Greta Thunberg for speaking up to demand a livable future from schools, universities, the city, the state and the countries.

For all those who are educating me; all those who are meeting the challenge of climate change; all those who are stepping up and doing what more to save me, our resources and our world, THANK YOU.

Keep up the great work. There are more people this year than last, but we need more of all to work together, as we are all interconnected. So thank you for all you do. Maybe next year I can add our governor, our president and all our senators.

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book ideas for gifts

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Charlene Lange

Tired of buying plastics and electronics for gifts for holidays and birthdays? Check out education committee’s page for ideas for books that can start conversations about climate change, saving our planet, and enjoy reading with others. https://100grannies.org/committees/education/

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Miriam says thanks

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Katharine

Huge thanks to these wonderful Grannies who traveled to Des Moines on
Tuesday to support me during my trial for misdemeanor trespass (while
protesting for climate at a Trump fundraiser in June). No verdict yet
as the judge is reviewing the testimony & evidence. No jail time on
the line. A fine if found guilty. “Not guilty” would be a huge
precedent-setting court decision. Stay tuned.

For a Peaceful, Just, & Livable future,
miriam

email sent to 100Grannies 13 Nov 2019

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