Category: Uncategorized

September 14, 2015, Press Release

For more information, call or text Melinda Tuhus at 203.623.2186 (back-up number is Ted Glick, 973.460.1458)

FERC Fasters Enter Second Week; Welcome Franciscans to Fasting in D.C.

The dozen members of Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE) who began fasting on September 8, calling on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to stop issuing permits for fracked gas pipelines, export terminals and other infrastructure, are entering the second week of their 18-day, water-only fast. They say FERC’s actions exacerbate our climate crisis and devastate communities, since methane (the main ingredient of natural gas) is a powerful global warming gas.

They can be found sitting on chairs or talking to FERC employees and passersby from 7 a.m. each weekday morning until 6 p.m. outside FERC headquarters, 888 First St. NE in D.C.

After they leave the FERC building tonight (Monday), the BXE fasters will head to McPherson Square (15th and K St NW), where a dozen members of the Franciscan Action Network began their own fast today in preparation for the arrival of Pope Francis in the city later this month. Francis, who takes his name from St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order, will address a joint session of Congress on Sept. 24. His recent encyclical, Laudato Si, On Care for Our Common Home, focuses on the need to reverse climate change, with its disproportionate impact on the world’s poor.

On Sunday night, BXE faster Steve Norris punched three more holes in his belt, “so my jeans don’t fall off,” said the 72-year-old from Asheville, N.C. Other fasters are pulling the string holding up their pants a little snugger. They are being joined by others every day, some of whom come to FERC, others who fast in their own communities.
They plan to break their fast on Friday, Sept. 25 with a procession around FERC, and leaders from various faith traditions deliver copies of the Pope’s encyclical to the five FERC commissioners.

Today, in addition to the FERC-focused cards they’ve handed out every day, BXE fasters and their supporters passed out cards saying “Black Lives Matter” on the front, with an explanation on the back that climate change – driven in part by all the approvals granted by FERC – impacts low-income communities and communities of color “first and worst.” Hurricane Katrina is just one tragic example.

http://www.beyondextremeenergy.org

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From the Virginia Sierra Club:

Join Us for the Moral Action on Climate Justice Rally
Thursday, September 24, 2015
On the National Mall – Between 4th & 7th Streets, NW, Washington, DC

The Pope visits DC on Thursday, September 24, 2015, and hundreds of thousands are expected to come to DC to participate in the Moral March for Climate Justice. Buses will be leaving from Nelson County and Staunton. On this historic day, as Pope Francis addresses a joint session of Congress, we will gather in support of his call for urgent action to address the climate crisis and create a new future of economic equality, social justice, and environmental equity.

Pope Francis’s encyclical echoes what those in the Climate Justice Movement already know – climate justice is not about trying to solve an abstract climate problem. Climate justice is about local communities campaigning for rights and just outcomes in their communities- health, fair housing, positive economic opportunities, transportation, cultural preservation, food security, clean air, safe water, green energy, resiliency, and harmony between Man and Mother Earth. As Indigenous activist Clayton Thomas-Muller has stated, the climate justice movement is about: “Not simply demanding action on climate, but demanding rights-based and justice-based action on climate that … amplifies the voices of those least responsible and most directly impacted.”

Bus Routes:
• Route 1 will start in Staunton at 5:00 am with buses going up I-81, stopping at Harrisonburg
• Route 2 will start in Nelson County at 5:00 am with buses going up Route 29

We have reserved 4 buses. Please place your ticket order for the route that is most convenient to your location. Purchase tickets early please.
Link for ticket reservations: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/moral-action-for-climate-justice-rally-tickets-18280688030

Bus stop locations will be announced 1 week before departure.

For more information, contact Kirk Bowers, Sierra Club pipeline issues organizer: kirk.bowers[at]sierraclub.org

With an emphasis on climate change issues, ethics reform and big corporate influence concerns, April Moore is running against three-term 26th District State Senator Mark Obenshain.

April Moore announced her candidacy on March 8, 2015, at the Rockingham County Administration Building in Harrisonburg. Watch it here:

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Bob Corso interviewed April for WHSV’s 1on1 on July 14, 2015. Watch it here:

Mark Obenshain had his turn with Bob Corso on July 17. Click on the image at right to view this 1on1 interview.

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WMRA’s Andrew Jenner covered April’s candidacy announcement on March 17, 2015, here: Shenandoah Co. Writer & Activist to Challenge Sen. Obenshain.

Martha Woodroof interviewed April for WMRA’s The Spark on August 15, 2013: The Earth Connection.

The election is on November 3, 2015.

CAAV member and former steering committee chair Les Grady presented a talk about climate change at the Massanutten Regional Library, downtown Harrisonburg, on Monday, April 20, 2015, entitled Help! My Planet’s in Trouble and I Don’t Know What to Do.

The Daily News-Record‘s Elaina Sauber was there along with photographer Nikki Fox. The below article was published in the Daily News-Record on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

Climate Change Talk Hopes to Educate

by Elaina Sauber

HARRISONBURG – Les Grady thinks the first step to slowing down climate change is simply talking about it.

“Bringing up climate change in a polite society stops the conversation,” said Grady, member of the steering committee for the advocacy group Climate Action Alliance of the Valley. “We just don’t want to think about it, because we feel really helpless.”

The licensed professional engineer, who has taught environmental engineering at Purdue and Clemson universities, spoke to about 30 people Monday about addressing and alleviating the effects of climate change to commemorate Earth Day, which is Wednesday. The event was held at Massanutten Regional Library’s main branch in Harrisonburg.

Grady has also worked part time for the last two decades for CH2MHILL, the world’s largest environmental engineering consulting firm.

While 97 percent of climate scientists agree that warming trends of the last century are likely due to human activities, he said, a new study from Yale University shows that only 52 percent of Americans are concerned about climate change.

Skeptics argue that the Earth experiences natural shifts in climate, and any perceived changes aren’t being driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

Grady said the first thing to recognize when it comes to climate change is that a variety of research sources confirm its existence – not just temperature records.

“In fact, temperature records are probably the least reliable in the sense of indicators,” he added, due to natural variability and the fact that only about 1 percent of the Earth’s heat is in the atmosphere.

The oceans contain most of the planet’s heat. According to research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, oceans’ heat content has risen almost continually since the mid-1990s.

Accepting climate change as reality also means accepting the role carbon dioxide plays in exacerbating it, Grady said.

As rising carbon dioxide levels contribute to higher temperatures, precipitation and sea levels also increase, Grady said.

“The more carbon we put into the atmosphere, the warmer it’s going to be,” he said.

Developing countries in Africa, South America and Indonesia are more vulnerable to issues stemming from climate change because they don’t have the economic resources to deal with the problems it presents, Grady said.

“Many people say this is a moral and ethical question, because their contributions to the problem are negligible – they haven’t emitted very much carbon dioxide,” Grady said.

Grady listed steps people can take to help address climate change in their own lives.

In Virginia, he said, transportation is the major source of carbon dioxide emissions, followed by electricity generation through the burning of coal. While anyone can make changes to their transportation and electricity use, Grady said the political process is crucial in persuading energy providers to follow suit.

“We as citizens need to be active,” he said. “State electric generators really have not done very much, nor are they planning to, about this problem.”

He also encouraged attendees to calculate their carbon footprint using programs found on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

But the main course of action Grady advocates is implementing a carbon fee and dividend.

“We allow all of us to dump the waste from burning fossil fuels into the atmosphere,” he said.

A better solution, he said, is to charge households a fee commensurate with the impact of their carbon footprint, “so that when we buy it, we’re not socializing those costs anymore; they become privatized, just like the profits are.”

Contact Elaina Sauber at 574-6278 or esauber@dnronline.com

Press release March 17, 2015

Public Weatherization meeting planned for Thursday, March 26, at 7:00pm at Simms Center.

Low- to moderate-income households often have a hard time balancing the costs of high utility bills with other necessities like food and medical care, especially during winters as hard as the one we just had. Joni Grady of the Climate Action Alliance of the Valley has announced that the Weatherization H/R subcommittee is working with the NorthEast Neighborhood Association, Community Housing Partners (CHP) of Waynesboro, and other local groups to begin to address this problem.

Through the federally-funded Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Development (DHCD), Community Housing Partners’ weatherization services reduce energy costs for families by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, while also looking for and eliminating related health and safety issues.

According to Bill Beachy, VP of the CHP Energy Solutions division, an audit team completes an on-site energy audit of a home that includes a blower-door air leakage test, heating system safety and efficiency check, duct leakage examination, and estimation of insulation needs. Following the energy audit, CHP’s weatherization team performs repairs and improvements to home heating and cooling systems and provides for the installation of energy-saving measures in the house, such as improved insulation and air sealing.

CHP’s weatherization services are for low-income families, particularly for households with elderly residents, individuals with disabilities, and families with children. Households are typically qualified based on income and recipients must be residents of the state of Virginia.

Meghan McMillen and Karen Vincent from the Waynesboro CHP office will explain the program at the public meeting Thursday evening, March 26th at 7:00. Karen Thomas, head of the NorthEast Neighborhood Association urges any residents who believe they might qualify to come to the Simms Center, 620 Simms Avenue, Harrisonburg, to learn about the program and how to apply for it.

Let’s build an energy efficient middle school that saves us all money!
And let’s build a healthy vibrant learning environment for our children!

Please attend the Harrisonburg City Council meeting                                    Tuesday, February 11, 7:00PM

Here’s the scoop:

The City is building a new middle school and renovating Thomas Harrison Middle School.  These projects are expected to cost over $40 million dollars.  When spending money on public buildings, the City should spend dollars on energy efficiency and energy production  (solar and geothermal) that will reduce energy use in the buildings.  The city will do this if enough of us ask for it.

>>> Please plan on attending the City Council meeting next week, Tuesday, February 11, 7:00 pm at Council Chambers at 409 S. Main Street.

During the public comments session, which is very early on the agenda  (so be there by 7:00 pm) people who are City residents should go to the microphone and urge the City Council to allocate money for schools that are efficient and healthy buildings.  If you are not comfortable speaking in public, please show up to lend your support.  Let’s fill the council chambers so they get the point.

The talking points include any of the following ideas, some of which are the same concept just discussed in more detail:

• The City should spend money building a high performance building: an energy efficient building that is a healthy building where students can get a high quality education.  The buildings should use natural light, should be energy efficient, and should be full of healthy, comfortable spaces to work and learn in.
• Energy efficiency saves dollars.  The City should allocate more money in upfront costs to save operating costs in the future.
• Energy production – solar and geothermal should be used as a hedge against future energy costs.
• Locating a new middle school close to the high school is a good idea because of the savings that result from that proximity.
• A LEED certified energy efficient building contributes to the health and well being of the facility and those using it. LEED contributes to better indoor air quality, lower utility bills, and flexible vibrant spaces.
• We should be spending money on public building projects by discussing the energy per sq. foot of various designs, including energy efficiency measures and on-site energy production, computing the annual energy and maintenance costs for the different designs, and then comparing the annual cost savings to the debt servicing cost of the difference in initial cost of the designs
• The life cycle cost of a building should be used to determine how to spend our tax dollars.  Whether paying for debt servicing or paying for utility or maintenance costs, the money each year comes from our budget.  A higher initial capital cost for a building that results in greater cost savings in the future is a wise choice.

Please come out and ask the City Council to do what should be done.

The way to get them to do this is to show up and tell them what we want!

More about this campaign here.

“The decision to actively, deliberately, and peacefully disobey specific laws or rules can play an important role in any social movement, just as other tactics such as lobbying, electoral work, and public education play important roles. Civil disobedience reflects core American values first articulated by Henry David Thoreau and used effectively by abolitionists, suffragists, and in the civil rights movement by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and others.” – Sierra Club’s President Allison Chin and Executive Director Michael Brune on the Sierra Club’s recent suspension of its 120 year old policy against civil disobedience. They were arrested along with 46 other environmental leaders at the White House on February 13, 2013 during an organized protest against inaction on climate change.

Tim DeChristopher’s story of civil disobedience and subsequent prison time is documented in a film released last year and coming to Court Square Theater (CST, tickets are $6 in advance or at the door) on Earth Day 2013:  Bidder 70.  “On December 19, 2008 Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Utah BLM Oil and Gas lease auction, effectively safeguarding thousands of acres of pristine Utah land that were slated for oil and gas leases. Not content to merely protest outside, Tim entered the auction hall and registered as bidder #70. He outbid industry giants on land parcels (which, starting at $2 an acre, were adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park), winning 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million before the auction was halted.”

The April 22 CST showing is the day after Tim DeChristopher’s scheduled release from prison on April 21, 2013.  “After screening Bidder 70,… we will be part of a nationwide SKYPE Q&A with Tim from the Tower Theater in Salt Lake City.”

DeChristopher’s actions were an inspiration to over 1200 climate change activists who were arrested in August 2011 at the White House protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. CAAV founder Cathy Strickler, her husband Charlie and CAAV members Laura and Bishop Dansby were among this dedicated group.

On March 21 “religiously and spiritually rooted Americans of all traditions … gather(ed) at the White House for a moral act of loving nonviolent civil disobedience,” as organized by Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. Valley resident and CAAV member April Moore writes about her experience of being among the 15 arrested at this event in Thoughts from a Climate Jailbird for fiftyoverfifty.org.

Fifty Over Fifty is a new effort by Lawrence MacDonald of Washington, D.C. who says his organization “is an appeal to a small number of boomers — members of the US baby boom generation — to engage in peaceful civil disobedience to push for sensible climate policies in the hope that this can help to avert catastrophe.  We call this effort 50 over 50 x 50 because we believe that members of our generation (over 50 years old)  have the means and the responsibility to act and that a few dozen of us in each of the 50 states (50 x 50) can tip public opinion in favor of action if  we are prepared to organize at the grassroots level, speak out, risk arrest and occasionally spend some time in jail.”

The need for action on climate change is seeing increasing use of civil disobedience to get attention. The upcoming Bidder 70 screening could be a perfect time for a community discussion on use of this controversial strategy. Courageous Leadership: Civil Disobedience and Climate Disruption has been planned by area groups to precede the showing of Bidder 70. This panel discussion will feature Sierra Club president Allison Chin.

Find the showing’s facebook event page here. Find the preceding forum’s facebook event page here.