April 21 Newsletter
I drew this image of our precious blue planet last week, during a virtual art party we threw for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Amidst a global pandemic which has highlighted deep structural inequities, many of us have been reevaluating our actions, our habits, and the roles we play. The climate movement can take many lessons from the response to COVID-19, and I urge you to read Cynthia Kaufman’s insightful article below.
As we continue to shelter in place, here at Fossil Free California we remain united in our duty to love and protect each other, and committed to using this pivotal moment as an opportunity to shift the levers of power.
In this convulsive, strange time, I have been repeatedly heartened by the outpouring of creativity, determination, love, and commitment from all of YOU, and from the hundreds of partner organizations joining us to create an amazing lineup for an all-digital Earth Day. So this week, tune in to EarthDayLive2020.org to celebrate our movement, and the joy and resilience of the human spirit. Please register at the links below, and join us this week in celebrating our beautiful planet!In Safety and Solidarity,
Vanessa Warheit, Executive Director
Fossil Free California
Celebrate Earth Day Online! April 22, 23, 24
Register now for EarthDayLive! for three days of amazing content. Tune in on Thursday, April 23rd to see scenes from our newly energized coalition for “climate-safe pensions” at 1:30pm Pacific (4:30 ET), then at 4pm Pacific (7pm ET) attend a live panel with national experts on pension divestment, and see the amazing new video created with art by YOU, our members! Details below:
National Livestream 1:30pm PT/4:30pm ET: Youth + Elders Unite for a Fossil-Free Future
Moderated by Clara Vondrich and featuring cameos by several FFCA campaigners, this 16-minute segment highlights the work of a growing network of public pension fund divestment campaigns – now in 12 states and across Canada! This dynamic segment includes Clara in conversation with Lolita Jackson of the NYC Mayor’s office, youth organizers, and our very own DivestCalSTRS team member, Lynne Nittler.
In collaboration with Canada’s Shift Network, Stand.earth, and the coalition for climate-safe pensions, Fossil Free California is organizing a one-hour live interactive panel during the livestream’s ‘local broadcasting’ hour, 4-5pm PT. Featuring CA State Senator Ben Allen, Kathy Hipple of IEEFA, Clara Vondrich, Vanessa Warheit, and pension divestment campaigners from across North America — with Q&A to answer your questions!
Art Party Video: A Message to Jack Ehnes
Keep your eyes peeled for this short 2-minute video featuring our very successful virtual art party!
Host artists led more than 60 participants in FFCA’s fun and successful virtual art party on Monday, April 13th. The creative and beautiful art produced by this wonderful community of activists and artists was connected to positive messages of a Just Green Recovery, Standing in Solidarity, Investing in Green and Divesting from Fossil Fuels. Each breakout room was hosted by an artist working in the medium of their choice. (One group spelled out a message directed to the CEO of CalSTRS, Jack Ehnes: “Hey Jack! Stop Investing in a Dying Industry”.) Art activist David Solnit called our event the most impressive real-time virtual art party he has seen so far. Tune in to earthdaylive2020.org on April 23 to see the fruits of our labors!
Friday, April 24
If you are interested in getting involved in the 2016 elections, be sure to tune in to EarthDayLive2020.org on Friday as well! The livestream will include appearances by luminaries including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Katie Porter, and the inauguration of an exciting texting tool called OutVote, designed to help register voters across the country this fall.
New Article: Lessons from COVID-19
Cynthia Kaufman, our CalSTRS team lead, gives her thoughts on lessons learned and compounding crisis. Read the full article here. |
Monthly Webinar April 28 – Green Recovery & Climate Health Now
On Tuesday, April 28th 4:30-6:00 PM, join our growing community for the next installment of Fossil Free California’s monthly webcast. Following on last month’s presentation by Dr. Dan Kammen, we’ll learn more about the Green Recovery, this time from the healthcare providers’ perspective, with Dr. Ashley McClure, a leader in the Climate Health Now alliance of healthcare providers. We’ll also look at the new public pension divestment network taking shape across the U.S. and Canada. Register here for this webinar! We’ll explore how to shape our messages on moving money from fossil fuels towards the zero carbon economy in ways that convey sensitivity to the challenges of our time with COVID-19. So, grab some snacks before supper, pull up a chair, and join us for inspiration and discussion. If you’d like to see what Prof. Dan Kammen said about the Green Recovery, here’s last month’s webcast.Support Our Crucial Work
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Uniting from Home – A Virtual CCL Event with Katharine Hayhoe If you haven’t heard the amazing climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe before, you’re in for a treat! She’ll be the keynote speaker Saturday, April 25th during a virtual event by Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Entitled “Uniting From Home,” this free event will feature climate leaders, describe quick climate action you can do from home and discuss how to get trained as a climate advocate. It airs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Pacific). You can register for this event here.Help Expose JP Morgan Chase
Stop The Money Pipeline and 350PDX (Portland), with help from other climate activists, have organized a Digital Takeover of Chase Bank, asking people everywhere to leave educational reviews for every Chase branch on Google Maps, Yelp and other sites, calling out the bank’s dominant, destructive role in backing the fossil fuel industry. Use resources to get involved: Digital Takeover Action Toolkit Sample messaging for your social media channels
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Enough is Enough! Protect all Workers.
In a Thursday, April 9 letter to the President signed by more than 100 unions, advocacy organizations and environmental groups, leaders said the administration needs to immediately provide equipment not just to hospital workers but cleaning staff, restaurant workers, manufacturers and others who cannot work from home.The letter was signed by the Service Employees International Union and unions for flight attendants, transit workers, manufacturing, and telecom workers, as well as the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. #United4Workers #PPEnow #ProtectAllWorkers Visit LNS website; read about this action in The Hill. Read the full text of the letter.
The Climate One Podcast Gets Divestment All Wrong
We don’t recommend watching this podcast unless you want to listen to ninety minutes of big oil talking points. Instead, we’d like to direct people to the Heated Podcast with Emily Atkin. The first episode is out now and features an in depth interview with Bill McKibben. Listen here! CA Youth vs Big Oil
Read more about this impressive feat of digital youth activism here.
Help Build Capacity for Divestment Campaigns
Our fundraising team is growing to support the movement, so if you’re interested in helping with those efforts, please send an email to casey@fossilfreeca.org. Please consider making a donation to support this time-sensitive work. Click here to view this message as a webpage. |
Kudos to our friends at 
In the past year, Fossil Free California has grown exponentially! We now have two full-time staffers, multiple full-time campaign volunteers, and we’ve held educational events for over 300 people. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without fundraising.