Why I'm Marching on Sunday - and Why You Should Too

I’m flying to New York this week, to represent the 350 members of my Unitarian church at the Peoples Climate March on Sunday - the largest climate action in history. 

Members of UUCPA at Bass Lake, holding the sign they will be carrying at the Peoples Climate Rally in Oakland, CA.

Flying to a climate march is one of the more ironic things I’ve ever done - but this is why I’m going:

• Heads of state from 120 countries will be meeting in New York to attend the UN climate summit to prepare for a climate treaty next year. Every media outlet in the world will be reporting on it.
• We don’t have any time to waste. Science now tells us we have a very short time (a recent report claims we have less than five years) to get our emissions under control. And we need a strong climate treaty to make that happen.
• Climate change is more than an environmental issue - it’s the mother of all social justice issues. Hundreds of peace, justice, labor, and faith organizations are supporting this march, because climate change affects first and worst those who have benefited the least from the exploitation of fossil fuels. Climate change is a form of genocide against those who are the most vulnerable and the least able to protect themselves: the world's poor, and future generations.
• Fixing climate change fixes everything else. A strong climate treaty will do more than just slow climate change - it will provide the mechanism to build a much better future, on a very real timeline. It will replace our militarized dependence on foreign oil with clean air, clean water, and stronger, safer, and more resilient communities. 
• A fossil-free economy is affordable and achievable. And a climate safe world will educate women, reduce our global population, improve our health, and redistribute power - both electrical and political. 
• Next week could be the turning point, away from despair and towards a brighter future, and I want to be there when it happens.

And I really want you to join me. 

I’m hoping that those of you who live in New York will tell me you’re coming. I’m hoping those of you who live within a few hours of New York will consider coming into the city on Sunday and joining us. 

(Be sure to tell the organizers you’re coming - they need to know how many of us to expect. Think porta-potties.)

And I’m hoping that those of you who are farther away will participate in one of the thousands of actions taking place around the world on Sunday.  (Can’t find one? Marches aren’t your thing? There are a LOT of other ways to get involved too: http://peoplesclimate.org/organizing/.)

We need everyone. Starting this weekend. We need you.

See you in New York -

Big love,

Vanessa

P.S. My 5,500 mile round trip flight will generate 2,200 pounds of CO2. I double-offset the carbon at TerraPass.com for $29.75. 

P.P.S. While in New York, I’m also hoping to connect with other people working on climate action and communications. If you know of someone I should meet while I’m there, please let me know!

Dear Friends: Please Help Keep Me Out of Jail!

I recently sent this email around to many of my friends and colleagues:

Dear all,

As you probably know, I have taken the Credo Pledge of Resistance (along with 76k+ others) to risk arrest if the White House moves to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. This pipeline would unlock a massive amount of burnable carbon, spelling ‘game over’ for the climate that all life on Earth depends on. I have never risked arrest before, but the stakes are simply too high now. Arrest seems pretty puny in comparison. 

For political reasons, President Obama and Secretary Kerry are now removing themselves from the KXL review process - which is being conducted by oil industry insiders. This means they could be allowing a sham process by oil industry contractors to set the stage for White House approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. And approval means that over 76,000 of us will be taking to the streets - and likely ending up in jail.

Please sign this Credo petition, urging Obama and Kerry to make sure the review process is authentic and scientifically sound. The fate of our planet rests in the balance. Plus your support now might help keep my arrest record clean. :)

http://act.credoaction.com/sign/obama_kerry_kxl?sp_ref=22978526.4.1670.e.0.2&referring_akid=.7184853.sOm1-e&source=mailto_sp 

With much love and gratitude,

Vanessa

Vanessa Warheit

Producer/Director

vwarheit.blogspot.com

worsethanpoop.com

415-225-4435

Open Letter to Bryn Mawr College Development Office

This morning I got an email from the Bryn Mawr College Fund Chair, Christy Allen. Here is my response.

Returned check from Bryn Mawr College Annual Fund

Hi Christy,

I am a Donor for Divestment - I recently sent a check to the Annual Fund with the stipulation that the College must cease investing in fossil fuel companies and fully divest from fossil fuels within the next five years. The check was returned to me. I will try again next year - with a higher contribution amount - but under the same conditions, and with the timeline narrowed to four years. We are on a collision course with climate catastrophe, and the clock is ticking.

I have made a conscious decision to divest all of my assets from fossil fuels. I will not support an industry that is actively working to destroy the future of the smart young women Bryn Mawr is educating. To do so would be immoral - and illogical. It breaks my heart to read about the aspirations of these young women and the callous disregard for their future displayed by the trustees, in the interest of purportedly saving money. And of course - their decision not to divest won't save the College money, as fossil fuels are ultimately an unsound investment policy. The carbon bubble will ultimately burst, as 80% of the known fossil fuel reserves cannot be burned without destroying human civilization, as well as most of life on earth. 

So the question isn't really WHETHER the College will divest - but WHEN. I sincerely hope that Bryn Mawr will choose to be a leader on this vitally important issue, before it is too late.

Sorry to not be more helpful - I know you are trying to support this noble institution that means so much to all of us. But our life support systems come first - and the sooner Bryn Mawr wakes up and joins the movement for a livable climate, the better.

Best regards,

Vanessa Warheit '90

Boiling frogs!

Yesterday was a day of deep irony in the Ingle-Warheit household.

Our only pets are two cute little aquatic frogs that live in a fishtank in our dining room. They were a gift to my husband a year and a half ago. As the most diligent and methodical member of our family, my husband is in charge of feeding and caring for them.

Cyril and Basil, our cute pets - hiding from the camera.

For the past year and half, Cyril and Basil seemed to be doing well - singing into the night, and cheerfully swimming around in their tank. But starting a few months ago, their companion snail died. We bought them another one - and it died too. And the frogs started to seem listless. They sang less. They swam less. We got worried.

Two days ago, my husband finally announced that one of them had died - but much to my relief, when he went to scoop out the dead frog, it moved. So - as the crisis management member of our family - I took a sample of the frogs' water in to the aquarium store yesterday to see if they had any insights into what might be wrong. Their advice? Check the temperature. African Dwarf Frogs are tropical creatures, and they like their water to be around 78 degrees.

So... I returned home and checked... and the thermometer read 94 degrees. We had been, in effect, cooking our frogs.

A few hours after frantically unplugging the heater, turning off the tank light, and pointing a fan to blow over the top, I got the tank back down to 78 degrees. Lo and behold, the frogs now seem much happier.

There are a few lessons we have learned from this experience:
1) don't trust the heater thermometer to do its job.
2) my husband needs new glasses.
3) look to your own metaphors for guidance (I used this as an opportunity to teach Elliot the word 'irony'):

I'm a Climate Reality Leader. I even helped our friend Naveen to create a 'boiling frog' sign for the Forward on Climate march in San Francisco! If anyone should have thought of checking the temperature, it should have been me.

But there you go. Sometimes, the stuff happening in your own back yard (or your own fishtank) is the hardest to notice - until it's (almost) too late.

Father's Day - Beatles style

 Elliot and his dad performed two Beatles songs yesterday at a recital for Chaia May's students. What a great way to celebrate Father's Day!

EV's more affordable than ever

How cool is this? Three all-electric cars are now available to lease (from Nissan, Fiat, and Honda) for $199/month - some with no money down, and some even throw in a 240v home charger!

Honda Fit all-electric EV - 80-90 mile range, $199/month

Cool City Challenge video - at last!

After several months of very hard work, we have finally finished the Cool City Challenge video. This program is based on a simple but very powerful idea: organize people at the neighborhood level to reduce their carbon and work together toward local sustainability. We're trying to get it off the ground in three Northern California cities, which will provide models for the hundreds of other cities that are looking for ways to implement their climate action plans. We have the cities, we have the people - now we're just looking for funding. Check it out, and tell me what you think!

Cool City Challenge is an initiative of Empowerment Institute in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley Labs, Stanford, UCB, UC Davis, and the World Wildlife Fund. For more information, please visit www.coolcitychallenge.org.