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Table of Contents

HAPPY EARTH DAY!
Let's Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Day
Q&A: Denis Hayes, Planner of the First Earth Day, Discusses the ‘Virtual’ 50th
Humanity Must 'Tackle Two Crises at Once,' Says Greta Thunberg of Climate and COVID-19 on 50th Earth Day
TCAT EARTH DAY EVENT: The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together
MORE VIRTUAL EARTH DAY EVENTS
"We Don’t Have Time" Climate Conference
Earth Week Events: Earth Day Live, WA Youth Climate Strike, Sunrise Tacoma
MOVIE: The Human Element, and DISCUSSION with Faith Community Friends
Katharine Hayhoe - Keynote Speaker at CCL Event

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Let's Celebrate 50 Years of Earth Day

Tom Crawford, President, Thurston Climate Action Team

Fifty years ago today, Earth Day started with 20 million Americans in public demonstrations. The focus included fighting oil spills, pesticides, habitat loss, and polluting factories and power plants. By the end of 1970, the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.

In 2020, Earth Day includes more than a billion people globally demanding changes to ensure a zero-carbon future. Climate change represents the biggest threat to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.

In Thurston County our elected officials have signed on to deep local reductions in the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. They are now developing a plan (the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan) for achieving those cuts. We can make sure that the plan calls for the strong local actions needed, and gets funded and implemented.

I hope you'll celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day with us, by joining us at one or more of the local virtual Earth Day events described below. Together we will achieve the positive changes in our community needed to battle climate change and create a new, healthier and more equitable community.

Q&A: Denis Hayes, Planner of the First Earth Day, Discusses the ‘Virtual’ 50th

Covid-19 forced the event online, but, Hayes says, “There is simply no substitute for a billion people in the streets—and right now, that is against the law."

Inside Climate News | Evelyn Nieves | April 17, 2020

Denis Hayes was a 25-year-old graduate student at Harvard University when he read about a Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who was planning to organize an environmental teach-in on college campuses. ...

Do you think the pandemic, because of the clearer air and slowed down pace of life we're experiencing, will lead to greener habits? Or do you think people will revert to how they have always behaved once the coronavirus crisis has abated?

The biggest impact of Covid-19 on behavior is almost certainly the shift to working at home by those lucky enough to have jobs that can be done at home. One indicator of the business shift is that three months ago, Zoom averaged 10 million calls a day; today it has scaled to 200 million calls per day. This saves all the fuel used for traveling to the office and all the pollution from its combustion. People who ordinarily have long, aggravating commutes or have to change buses two or three times to get to work are finding better ways to use those hours. They are able to spend time with their families (albeit not with their neighbors.)

Don't you think this will change once the pandemic is squashed?

If everyone in the company worked one day a week from home, the group could reduce the size of it's office space by one-fifth (which eventually could reduce office energy costs for HVAC, etc.)

What other pandemic-forced changes in everyday life could lead to lasting benefits for the planet?

Besides seeds, the big shift in food is cooking at home, as so very many of the nation's restaurants have closed. Cooking your own food is much cheaper, for starters, because you are doing work you used to pay chefs and waiters to do, and you can absolutely control the quality of the ingredients and the size of the portions. In theory, there should be much less wastage because you can stick leftovers right in the refrigerator. And the increased demand for seeds and starter plants suggests that people will grow more of their own food, reducing the energy costs of transporting and processing food—and assuring that it is genuinely organic. Also, since people are not buying cows and pigs, they may be shifting lower on the food chain—which is healthier for them and better for the environment.

Read the article

Photo: Co-founder of Earth Day Denis Hayes speaks at the speaks at the lighting of the Earth Ball press conference in Times Square on April 22, 2009 in New York City. Credit: Mark Von Holden/WireImage

Humanity Must 'Tackle Two Crises at Once,' Says Greta Thunberg of Climate and COVID-19 on 50th Earth Day

U.N. Chief António Guterres declared the pandemic "an unprecedented wake-up call" and urged world leaders to pursue a "green recovery."

Common Dreams | Jessica Corbett, staff writer | Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The 50th annual global Earth Day coming amid the coronavirus pandemic sparked fresh demands from Fridays for Future founder Greta Thunberg, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, and others for the international community to simultaneously tackle the COVID-19 and climate crises.

"Today is Earth Day and that reminds us that the climate and environmental emergency is still ongoing and we need to tackle both the corona pandemic, this crisis, at the same time as we tackle climate and environmental emergency, because we need to be able to tackle two crises at once," said 17-year-old Thunberg.

She emphasized that while it is always "important" and "essential" to be guided by science, "during crises like this it is even more important that we listen to scientists, science, and to the experts. That goes for all crises, whether it's the corona crisis or whether it's the climate crisis."

Thunberg's comments came in a livestreamed conversation with Johan Rockström, a Swedish professor who is joint director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany, hosted by the Nobel Prize Museum. The teen activist, also a Swede, has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Price.

Thunberg's youth-led climate action movement Fridays for Future marked Earth Day by releasing a short video entitled "Our House Is On Fire," evoking a speech the activist delievered at the World Economic Forum's annual summit in Davos, Switzerland in January 2018.

"We believe it's time people realize that climate change isn't going to happen, but that it's already happening," Fridays for Future U.S. spokesperson Joe Hobbs said in a statement. "We hope that by watching this video people will realize they need to take action now, instead of putting it off until later."

Watch the livestreamed conversation
Watch the video "Our House Is On Fire"
Read the article

TCAT EARTH DAY EVENT:
The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together

The Chrysalis Project: Transforming Together

Saturday, April 25, 10:00 AM
Online Workshop
Register here

A collaborative Art in Action project to create a positive vision for our future and call for strong climate action.

In this online workshop, we will utilize the tools that we have in our homes, our creativity, and the power of our voices to call for climate justice. In this time of uncertainty, we come together to create a new vision of a climate friendly world, while raising our voices for our future. As we shelter-in-place we will work in solidarity with our neighbors to create art and call upon local governments to take strong climate action.

We recognize that this time is hard for so many people. Let us take this moment to imagine and take action towards a life sustaining future for our families, communities, and grandchildren.

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-chrysalis-project-transforming-together-tickets-102427230604

Click for details Sponsored by Thurston Climate Action Team

Zoom Meeting Tips

Zoom is similar to Skype or Facetime. However, you can include lots of people all at once, share documents, and do lots of cool interactive things.

If you haven't participated in a zoom call before, click here for our Zoom tips on how to do this. It is easy!

MORE VIRTUAL EARTH DAY EVENTS

"We Don’t Have Time" Climate Conference

Earth Day Week, April 20-25
Click for details and free registration

Fifty years ago 20 million people took to the streets for the sake of the environment on the world's first Earth Day. This year we neither can't or need to take to the streets. Let's act on climate and make our voices heard. Join our public, online, no-fly climate conference.

Earth Day Week is a collaboration between Earth Day Network, Exponential Roadmap and We Don’t Have Time. We’ll be broadcasting live talks and other daily shows from Washington DC, Stockholm and from almost all continents on Earth. The program features the brightest minds to discuss solutions within five main themes:

Wednesday, April 22: Big ideas and education
Thursday, April 23: Food and agriculture
Friday, April 24: Local government, city development and transportation

"2020 must be a Super Year for climate action. We’ll be showcasing the action, the solutions and the fact everyone has a part to play.” – Nick Nuttal, Earth Day Network

Register here

Earth Week Events: Earth Day Live, WA Youth Climate Strike, Sunrise Tacoma

April 22-24

Earth Day Live is a star-studded three day livestream that aims to mobilize and engage people of all ages in collective action to protect our communities and Mother Earth. Starting April 22nd, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, through April 24th, we will hold a series of videos, live performances, movies, conversations, workshops, webinars and panels to provide community and continue fighting the climate crisis during this uncertain time.

Earth Day Live, WA Youth Climate Strike & Sunrise Tacoma events:

Day 1: Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day is a day to demonstrate our collective power and unity through community building and storytelling.

U.S. Climate Strike is hosting Earth Day Live, a three-day livestream that will include speakers, musical performances, and digital actions.
WA Youth Climate Strike is hosting a series of one-hour trainings from 10 am - 4 pm.
Sunrise Tacoma is hosting three livestreamed Power Hour webinars from 3-6 pm focusing on the ways that the Green New Deal would bring about environmental, social, and economic justice.

Day 2: Stop The Money Pipeline Day of Action, Thursday, April 23

We will target financial institutions across the country, calling for a global reset. For ideas about how to host an event on this day check out the STMP toolkit.

U.S. Climate Strike is hosting a Stop the Money Pipeline Day of Action. Led by the Stop the Money Pipeline Coalition, the goal is to reprogram the economy so that it works for people and the planet, not polluters.
WA Youth Climate Strike is hosting three one-hour webinars from 10 am – 1 pm focused on divestment.

Day 3: Day of Political Action and Voter Engagement, Friday, April 24

We will focus on the urgency of political change through a nationwide youth voter registration day. We need leaders who will address this existential threat, and for this to happen, we need people to show up at the polls this year.

The famous young activist Greta Thunberg has asked Fridays for Future strikers around the world to use #ClimateStrikeOnline during the pandemic.
U.S. Climate Strike is hosting a Day of Political Action and Voter Engagement.
WA Youth Climate Strike is hosting three one-hour webinars from 10 am – 1 pm around political action.

This toolkit contains more detailed information about the events happening during Earth Week and how you can be involved.

MOVIE: The Human Element, and DISCUSSION with Faith Community Friends

Climate Reality Project, Thurston County, WA Chapter and Green Team of Temple Beth Hatfiloh present a movie and panel discussion this week, in honor of Earth Week.

Movie - The Human Element
Discussion - With Faith Community friends

Now through April 26: Watch movie at your own convenience

Friday, April 24, 1 pm: Panel discussion on Zoom

Movie link will be provided when you register, to watch at your own convenience
BYOP (Bring your own popcorn)
Please register ASAP. See registration instructions below.

In an

arresting new documentary from the producers of Racing Extinction and Chasing Ice, environmental photographer James Balog captures the lives of everyday Americans o n the front lines of climate change. With rare compassion and heart, The Human Element relays captivating stories from coast-to-coast, inspiring us to reevaluate our relationship with the natural world.

Panel includes:

Pastor Aaron Baughman of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh
Carolyn Treadway of Olympia Friends Meeting
Mae Wharton of United Methodist Church

Thanks to a partnership with Earth Vision Film, Interfaith Power & Light is able to offer you this inspiring film.

Trailer at: https://www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/2020/01/the-human-element/

Register for movie link (available now through April 26)

Click on the SIGN UP form: https://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/50836/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=11669 In the form, just put number of people in your home who will be viewing it with you and NA for congregation.
Please do NOT share link to view and password with others. Interfaith Power & Light is asking people to sign up for the movie link so they can get a rough count of viewers to share with the filmmaker

Register for Zoom discussion

Contact: barakgaleATgmail.com Link will be provided.

Katharine Hayhoe - Keynote Speaker at CCL Event

Saturday, April 25, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

With social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis precluding in-person events and celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) will host a special online event on April 25: Uniting from Home: A virtual CCL event with Katharine Hayhoe.

Not all of us are able to focus on climate change right now. But for those who can, we’ll hear from climate leaders, learn about quick actions we can take to advocate for climate legislation, and get trained. You can attend this virtual Earth Day event from home and (virtually) bring a friend!

Additional details and registration here on Eventbrite!

Thurston Climate Action Team (TCAT) is a local non-profit dedicated to bringing our community together to reduce climate disruption — resulting in a healthy, just and prosperous future for all.

This is a special Earth Day edition of TCAT's newsletter.

The TCAT Weekly Newsletter is published every Thursday by Barb Scavezze, Digital Communications Coordinator and Nova Berkshires, TCAT volunteer.

If you have climate-related news and events to share with our subscribers:

Please email barb AT thurstonclimateaction DOT org
Deadline is COB on Monday of the week of your desired publication date.
Submissions may be edited for grammar, space, or relevance.

Between newsletters, please check the TCAT calendar for upcoming events or read the latest blog post.

Disclaimer
The inclusion of events and articles in this newsletter does not necessarily represent the endorsement of the Thurston Climate Action Team.

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