A time to celebrate. A time to mourn.
President Obama announced his rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline on November 6. Calls to celebrate the victory are in from 350.org; Sierra Club; CREDO Action; Berks Gas Truth; NRDC; and others.
More than 200,000 people have been killed in the four-and-a-half-year Syrian civil war. The linked September 14, 2015 New York Times article says that both government and insurgent forces have used “weapons that are guaranteed to cause civilian damage”.
Joris Rosse continues to assert that trees are growing faster and taller as a result of the increase in atmospheric CO2. Read his essay in the 2015 Sustainable Lehigh Valley.
The fossil-fuel divestment campaign has spread to 400 college campuses worldwide. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, and Yale, among other universities, have rejected student divestment demands
The “European Union insisted on Wednesday [November 11, 2015] that some goods produced on land seized in the 1967 war must be labeled ‘made in settlements,’ a mandate that added to Israel’s deep unease over a growing international boycott.” From New York Times article: “E.U. Move to Label Israeli Settlement Goods Strains Ties“.
A time for hope, a time for despair?
From Joris Rosse:
“Suzie Hall ran into this very interesting op ed from the New York Times. It touts benefits possible through regenerative organic farming very similar to what our Rodale friend, Mark Smallwood, distributed to all the members of the US Congress.” It states, in part:
“According to a white paper released last spring by the pioneering Rodale Institute, which studies and promotes organic farming, if management of all current cropland worldwide shifted to a regenerative model similar to that of Versaland and other [Iowan] organic farming sites, more than 40 percent of annual carbon emissions could potentially be captured. What Mr. Schultz and other Iowan farmers are doing is not only groundbreaking; it’s also giving the heartland a new future. But such efforts are only a first step in what should be a global campaign. That begins by international negotiators [at the upcoming COP21 in Paris] committing to binding measures that increase soil organic carbon stocks as a key part of any climate solution and deal.”
From Diane Husic:
“Despite the terrorist attacks in Paris, Moravian College has a delegation of 5 students, 2 faculty, and 1 alum going to COP21 to actively engage in the negotiations process and the international call for climate action. I have organized a panel of researchers from around the world who will share their latest policy-relevant research and we will be blogging at: http://www.moraviancollegeatunfccc.blogspot.com/ .”
From Karen Feridun, of Berks Gas Truth, who will also be in Paris for COP21:
“Please follow Berks Gas Truth on Twitter and Facebook where I’ll be posting updates and messages I’ll need your help sharing with decision makers!”
For listings of sustainability events
go to the
Alliance Events Calendar and to
Calendars from Other Organizations
Some doings this weekend:
Saturday – Nov 28, 2015 – noon-2pm – Drone Protest
End Drone Warfare & Terror. Stop the Drone War Command Center at Horsham Air Guard Station, Rte 611/Easton Rd & County Line Rd, Horsham. Regular last Saturday of the month protest demonstration. Call 610-544-1818 or see www.brandywinepeace.com for more info. A carpool from the Lehigh Valley will leave at 10:45 am, from the Hellertown Park & Ride, Silvex Rd, near the intersection of Rte 412 & I-78. Call LEPOCO at 610-691-8730 for more info.
Sunday – Nov 29, 2015 – Global Climate March
There are events in Reading, Blairstown, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens.
Calling your attention to some recent postings on the Alliance website:
Posted to Jobs & Internships page:
The Seed Farm is accepting applications for internships next semester in Sustainable Agriculture, Development, and Graphic Design. More information: www.theseedfarm.org/employment
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Posted in the Transtions U Presenters-Reskilling section:
Robert Aptaker – Skills and services:
- Leads workshops on edible wild plant identification and on identifying and collecting fungi (wild mushrooms);
- Offers presentations to schools libraries, museums, and scout groups about pre-colonial Native American life and culture;
- Storyteller – shares traditional tales from tribal nations all across North America – also songs and teachings about nature and spiritual ways. These programs can be adapted to suit groups and audiences of all ages;
- Teaches workshops on primitive fire making (bow and drill – fire by friction);
- Workshops on primitive cordage making – how to make string and rope from local native plants.
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Quote posted on the Alliance home page:
“Populists have always been out to challenge the orthodoxy of the corporate order and to empower workaday Americans so they can control their own economic and political destinies… [unlike] classic liberalism, which seeks to live in harmony with concentrated corporate power by trying to regulate its excesses.”
– Jim Hightower, in Hightower Lowdown, May 2009, Vol 11, No 5
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Posted on the Community Rights folder on the bottom of the Alliance website home page:
Election News From Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF):
Grant Township, PA Asserts Rights in a People’s Municipal Charter
With the state, industry, and a federal court telling Grant Township it can’t say “No” to frack waste, the people approve a Home Rule Charter and Bill of Rights banning waste. More in CELDF’s 11/4/15 press release.
West Chester, PA Adopts Community Rights Frack Ban
The people of West Chester overwhelmingly adopt a rights-based charter amendment, protecting their right to a healthy environment and to democratic, local self-government. Read CELDF’s 11/4/15 press release.
Youngstown: Just Shy of Victory
Advocating for community rights and fighting to protect their clean air and water for 2 1/2 years, last night Youngstown, Ohio, came closer than ever to codifying their rights. Read CELDF’s 11/4/15 press release.
Do you want to use your talents, insight, and academic knowledge to help create a better world? Alliance internships combine research, analysis, and activism to raise both public and professional awareness. If you are interested, contact Peter Crownfield as soon as possible. It’s getting to be time to sign up for the Spring semester.
Information about Current Internship Opportunities.