Big thanks to everyone who got pied up at Octopie on Saturday night! This month we’re upending our usual order of business and shouting out:
JOIN ZERO HOUR SEATTLE!
This summer, youth climate activism is heating up with Zero Hour, a global youth-led movement centering the voices of diverse youth to ensure a livable future where young people don’t just survive, but flourish.
Join us in supporting Zero Hour Seattle, our local youth climate resistance! RSVP and invite friends to the Seattle Youth Climate March on July 21 and join us on July 19 for Zero Hour Youth Climate Lobby Day and July 20 for the Zero Hour Art Build!
Know any young activists? Zero Hour Seattle is looking for youth to join our Zero Hour Seattle leadership collective—if you are a young person interested in organizing the march, art build and lobby day please contact us!
Want to support youth organizers? We need your help to make Zero Hour Seattle as powerful as possible! Get involved! And here’s an example of what we’re talking about:
Youth Lead the Way
Westside Unitarian, 7141 California Ave SW, Seattle 98136
June 17, 10:30am–12:00pm
RSVP and more details here.
Join Aji Piper, local youth climate activist with Zero Hour and Plant for the Planet, for an extraordinary, powerful service! Aji will speak about his love for people, for oceans, for trees, for creatures big and small and for the earth—as well as his commitment to peace and justice. All are welcome!
VALVE-TURNERS UPDATE
Michael Foster to be released in August! It’s true, Michael will be released on or about the first week in August. Meanwhile he continues to work on expanding the prison library. if you would like to donate books, see this info on what and how to send. Most importantly, Michael’s request of us is that we help with the Zero Hour March that the Plant for the Planet kids and others are working on—details above.
Meanwhile, Emily Johnston’s necessity defense op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune issues a strong call to get that trial started. Let the experts be heard!
PARADE ON SATURDAY!
The “Cool World” Summer Solstice Parade Ensemble (Sunday’s art build pictured above) needs your help to prep and participate in the parade that reaches 50-100K spectators, this Saturday, June 16, 1:00pm start. This year it’s all about solutions, trees catching tossed CO2, garden elements, solar, windmills, and so much more, with dancing butterflies and sunflowers, and music all the way.
Parade Art Builds—We Need YOU!
No skills needed, dress for mess! Make beautiful paper flowers, batik butterfly wings, paint cardboard tree costumes and giant ice cubes, make balloon CO2 molecules, and/or learn a simple dance routine!
Tuesday, June 12, 6:00–10:00pm
Thursday, June 14, 6:00–10:00pm
Friday, June 15, 10:00am–10:00pm
The Powerhouse, 3940 Fremont Ave N., Seattle 98103
Keep an eye on our calendar for any changes or contact Shemona.
STRONGER TOGETHER
Frontline Allies welcomes your participation in everything from organizing trainings on undoing racism and other oppressive systems, to supporting our allies in climate-related justice work. To join contact Lisa; more information and links are available here.
Benefit concert for Puerto Rico
As you know, Puerto Rico experienced one of the worst climate disasters in history with new estimates that almost 5,000 people were killed in the storm and its aftermath. Here’s one way to help:
Kimya Dawson, Guayaba, and Ruby Blades Latin Reggae Jazz Quintet
Sunday, June 17, 5:00–9:00pm
Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave S, Seattle 98118
Proceeds support CETA and CAUCE, two organizations helping communities across the island rebuild, calling for food sovereignty, and pushing back against the violent economic cuts being imposed on residents.
Solidarity with truth-tellers
As the extractive industry of fossil fuels tries to suppress the expansion of sustainable energy development, so too does the state try to suppress those who speak out against oppression. We invite you to join us in supporting the Kshama Solidarity Campaign and stand together with the broader movement for justice against attempts to silence those who speak truth to power.
Kshama Solidarity Campaign Launch Party: Speaking Truth to Power
Saturday, June 23, 7-10 pm
Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave, Seattle 98122
Details here
And just to be clear: This is not an endorsement of a political candidate, it’s a movement-building campaign of solidarity.
YES ON 1631
This is it! We need to step it up! With three weeks left we have 65,000 signatures still to gather! Can you sign up for a shift right now to help get this important climate measure on the ballot?
The deadline for mailing signatures is June 27th and for dropping them off at the Seattle office is June 30th. Signatures turned in after this deadline won’t count, so please, make sure to get all your signatures turned in on time!
If passed, 1631 will raise billions for vital renewable projects, please sign up for a shift to help get this on the ballot!
ARTFUL ACTIVISM
We welcome all skill levels in any art form, and have lots going on to jump into, from occasional participation to leadership opportunities. Join online here or come to art builds whenever you can! They are fun, no skills needed, community gatherings with food and good connections.
Youth, teens, and families, along with skilled Artists Allies, come help design and work on bus shelter mural painting this spring and then a wall mural in the summer. Contact Doug to get involved in the art and find the locations.
Join the Deployment Team! Ever wish you had a role during actions and events? Come learn crucial skills with us! We need you! Contact Shemona.
And if you’re a skilled artist (visual, theater, dance, music…) and want to apply your skill or show others how, please let us know! Contact Lisa.
ALEXA, WHAT IS AMAZON’S CARBON FOOTPRINT?
At the end of May, we launched the Amazon #FossilFreePrime campaign with the release of a first-ever estimate of Amazon’s shipping emissions. It wasn’t pretty… we found that Amazon’s 2017 deliveries equaled the carbon spewed from almost 5 coal power plants! Why the heck is a customer-centric company harming our health and climate?
Things you can do right now:
- Send an email to Jeff Bezos calling on him to lead in the transition to electric delivery and fossil free operations
- Retweet or share the Facebook post of our video with kids talking to Alexa and challenging Amazon to deliver a fossil-fuel-free future (share especially with friends at Amazon!)
- Read and share our research into Amazon’s massive footprint
From fighting the Head Tax here in its hometown to soliciting tax breaks from American cities for its second headquarters, Amazon is using its power in deeply questionable ways. That’s why we joined with SEIU, SumOfUs, and Social Alternative for a street theater demonstration outside the shareholder meeting. Email Rebecca if you’d like to join our Amazon campaign for future actions.
TRANSPORTATION TEAM UPDATE
We’re making sure the City of Seattle knows the importance of a fossil-free transportation system for our climate and our future. In early June, we called for a carbon-free Key Arena, supporting a community-led response to the Seattle Center Arena DEIS.
Check out our recent op-ed in the Seattle Times, calling for the City to live up to its climate commitments when it comes to its transportation investments. Enough with the back-pedaling!
Help us get the message across—let the City know the next director at the Department of Transportation must prioritize transportation modes that reduce greenhouse gases. Take their quick survey!
Next up, we’re setting our sights on the expansion and completion of the city’s rapid bus system. Interested in helping out? Contact Andrew.
HOUSING TEAM UPDATE
Keep an eye out this week for an email linking to talking points for comments on ADU’s, and to our comprehensive statement to the City Council on how the rules should be crafted to maximize affordability, minimize displacement, and make Seattle at least a little more livable again.
The hearings are over for now, and little is happening to move us towards a more affordable, sustainable, green Seattle. So it’s up to us to change that! This summer, we’ll be focused on making a battle plan, starting with a big housing forum in September. Affordability, walkability, density, green infrastructure: let’s get stakeholders and experts to talk about all of it. And then let’s get people there to hear it!
Want to help plan? Contact Emily.
INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE FINANCE
When Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement, he also reneged on America’s $2 billion promise to help developing countries respond to climate change. A year ago, Seattle became the first City in the country to recognize its obligation to help fill this void left by Trump.
That’s great, but more cities, states and counties need to do their part and contribute to international climate finance. Our own Alex Lenferna looks at American actions from a global perspective in his recent article.
SAY NO TO KING COAL
Pacific Coast Coal Company is still seeking to reopen the John Henry No. 1 coal mine just outside of Black Diamond, WA. The John Henry mine would cause 250,000 tons of carbon pollution each year, the equivalent of 51,000 cars. It would also endanger public health, salmon, and water quality. PCCC is a known polluter, responsible for polluting local creeks and lakes; illegally disposing of waste; and failing to clean up the mine.
While the federal permit for the mine was granted in April, without an Environmental Impact Statement, PCCC still needs a wastewater discharge permit from the Department of Ecology before they can reopen the mine. So now it’s up to us to stop this monstrosity! Comment today and tell the Department of Ecology: No more coal mines or dirty fossil fuel infrastructure in our state!
If you’re interested in continuing grassroots organizing against the mine, contact Morgan.
THE PIPELINE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF
Thanks to everyone who responded to our action alert on the Puget Sound Energy-backed North Seattle Lateral Upgrade. The comment period has officially closed but more than 850 people asked for an extension. We’ll keep you posted, and in the meantime, here’s a great explainer.
Short version: 3% increase in state carbon emissions, 63% increase in fracked gas capacity. And by disrupting 15 streams in south Snohomish County the NSLU is clearly another threat to Chinook salmon, crucial to our local orcas. You’ll be hearing more about this one.
TACOMA LNG
TOTE Maritime, the Tacoma LNG’s only “signed on” fracked gas customer—and according to the Environmental Impact Statement, the reason this project is needed—has announced a one-year delay in the conversion of their ships. More on that here…
Despite that news, the unpermitted construction continues. Save the date, Tuesday October 30th to attend the public hearing with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. They hold the power to approve or deny the last major permit and we will need a massive turnout!
Meanwhile, the City of Tacoma pretends not to hear us
The City of Tacoma, lead SEPA agency overseeing this project, has been ignoring requests for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). They are failing to follow procedure by refusing to give an official response to these requests, thus preventing concerned citizens from filing for an appeal.
Sign this petition urging the city to do their job and protect the health and safety of its residents.
Repurpose the tank!
The creative effort to reimagine the estuary and what could be done to repurpose the 8-million-gallon tank (that we are determined will never hold fracked gas) has been extended! To submit an entry or check out the gallery, visit this page.
Host a No LNG presentation in your church, school, organization, or neighborhood
If you know a student, faith or community group that would like a power point presentation about Puget Sound Energy’s Tacoma LNG—please contact Mary Paterson!
TRANS MOUNTAIN—COMING OUR WAY?
This week 350 Seattle, environmental and indigenous leaders met at the Canadian Consulate in Seattle to warn oil delegates that any pipeline expansion will meet fierce opposition! At the June 7th press conference King County Executive Dow Constantine spoke passionately against the expansion of tar sands oil coming into Washington. Joining him were the strong voices of 350 Seattle and eight other environmental and First Nations leaders. This one’s moving fast, so get the latest updates here.
The potential local flood of this dirtiest form of oil in the expansion of the soon-to-be-Canada-owned Puget Sound pipeline in Whatcom and Skagit Counties means this fight is poised to cross the border.
Trans Mountain Workgroup meeting
Monday, June 13, 6:30pm
1919 E. Prospect, Seattle 98112
Join us in stopping the Trans Mountain and Puget Sound pipelines that threaten Washington waters, trample the rights of First Nations and throw fuel on the fire of global warming. Bonus points: Know how to build a web page? Please contact Ruchi.
READY FOR SUMMER
That’s how we’re ending spring this year, kids at the top and tar sands at the bottom. Help us keep up the fight!
And Seattleites take note: No general meeting in July. If you’re feeling patriotic, tell the Canadians to keep their tar sands in the ground.
