Climate Change Open House
A packed house of over 175 people attended Alaska Common Ground’s Climate Change Open House: Who’s Doing What on Climate Change in Anchorage and Beyond at the 49th State Brewing Company on February 4, 2020. This was our first open house style event and we could not be more pleased with the results. We invited 15 nonprofit organizations and public agencies, working on issues ranging from renewable energy to ocean acidification to host tables, with the request that each have ways citizens can take action to address climate change.
Each representative had two minutes to share with the entire crowd their organization’s mission and how attendees could get involved with their efforts. Then attendees were invited to visit tables and speak directly with the representatives. Please check out the list of participating organizations and see their video introductions here. You can also read Alaska Ocean Acidification Network's perspective below!
It was a lively and positive evening and ACG is grateful to every individual and organization who participated in and/or supported this event, including:
- Our Sponsors: Alaska Conservation Foundation and Anchorage Solar (now called Alaska Solar)
- Our Door Prize Donors: 49th State Brewing Company, Arctic Harvest Deliveries, Blue Market AK and Wildland Chocolate
- Our Planning Committee Volunteers: ACG members Gretchen Nelson, Cami Dalton, Shara Sutherlin, and Diana Evans
ACG is continuing our Climate Change event series and will begin again in the Fall. Stay tuned for more information later this year!
|
|
Organization Perspective: Darcy Dugan, Alaska Ocean Acidification Network
From the standpoint of an organization invited to host a table, the Climate Change Open House put on by Alaska Common Ground was an inspiring and valuable experience. I hosted a booth for the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network, and when the doors opened, I watched the room fill with interested, community-minded, action-oriented people of all ages. The structure of the event really catered towards people connecting with organizations that fit their interest. I had many one-on-one conversations and filled up two pages of email addresses of people interested in learning more about getting involved in ocean acidification. I also had the opportunity to learn about many other efforts taking place in our city that I didn't know about—from Yarducopia to the Electric Vehicle Association to resources at the library. I left feeling invigorated and grateful to live in this community, and that we are all working together towards a greater effort.
|
|
|
Save the Date - Annual Meeting
May 4, 2020, 6 to 8 pm
Spring is when Alaska Common Ground is required by our by-laws to hold our annual membership meeting. We enjoy this opportunity to connect with our members and friends, share updates and gather feedback about our efforts directly from you. We had planned to hold our gathering this year on May 4th at 6 pm at the 49th State Brewing Company. Hopefully we will have transcended the COVID-19 pandemic by then, but likely not. Therefore, we are considering virtual meeting options at this time and will update you on our plans very soon. In the meantime, please save the date!
|
|
Debates on Fiscal Options
Over 200 people joined Alaska Common Ground on February 11, 2020 at the 49th State Brewing Company for a four-part mini-debate—From Conflict to Compromise: Four Debates on Fiscal Options. We featured a variety of experts on Alaska fiscal policy and the topics covered were:
- making substantial additional cuts to the State budget,
- relying even more on Permanent Fund earnings,
- reinstating broad-based taxes and
- raising oil taxes.
Before the debates began, ACG board members Drew Cason and Cliff Groh offered an introduction covering the fundamentals of Alaska’s fiscal system and our fiscal challenges. You can find those slides here. Melodie Wilterdink of Alaska Policy Forum spoke for making substantial additional cuts and former legislator Les Gara spoke in opposition. Scott Kendall, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Bill Walker, supported continued substantial use of Permanent Fund earnings to pay for conventional public services, while former legislator Rick Halford provided an opposing opinion. Brad Keithley, Managing Director of Alaskans for Sustainable Budgets, supported reinstating broad-based taxes and Tim Harper, a local economist and consultant, spoke to the contrary. Finally, covering the topic of raising oil taxes, Anchorage attorney Robin Brena spoke in favor, while Roger Marks, petroleum economist, spoke against a proposed tax.
True to the event’s title, numerous controversial and divergent opinions on Alaska’s fiscal options were debated in a respectful manner. While the specific policy proposals discussed differed considerably, each speaker agreed that the State of Alaska needed to make big changes to address our fiscal crisis. The event garnered the most online views that ACG has ever recorded via Facebook Live. If you’d like to draw your own conclusions, you can watch the complete event or each individual mini-debate here. Thanks to Jensen Hall Creative who produced the professional videos of this event.
|
|
Letter Urging Action on Fiscal Plan
Alaska Common Ground’s Board of Directors wrote the State Legislature in March 2020 urging them to pass legislation during the current session to generate enough new revenue to support the state operating and capital budgets. It is critical the Legislature act now. The Alaska Legislative Finance Division projects that the budget deficit for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2021 will exceed $1 billion and that deficits for later years will exceed an average of $1.5 billion for the foreseeable future. These projections were made before the coronavirus pandemic hit. The state’s Constitutional Budget Reserve will only sustain the current budget for another year. Because most options for generating revenue will take a year to put in place, we cannot delay another year. You can read the full letter here.
|
|
Introducing Our Newest Board Members
Alaska Common Ground is honored to introduce Bill Hall and Alyssa Bish, who joined the ACG Board in September and December respectively. Both bring with them a diverse set of experiences as well as a strong commitment to the mission that we are thrilled to have!
You may recognize Bill’s name as the longtime leader of Let’s Talk Alaska’s Dialogues in Democracy—a program supported for many years by ACG. He also served on ACG’s board from 2008 to 2014 but was compelled to join our team again. We asked Bill...what brought him back? He explains:
“For the years I facilitated “Dialogues”, I had the privilege of participating with people in respectful conversations. I learned people enjoy talking with others about their values and beliefs, that they are capable of building trust through dialogue and that dialogue can help us heal what divides us. I believe ACG is more important than ever and it’s where I can continue my work with others who believe dialogue and deliberation can enrich our community.”
 Like Bill, Alyssa also heard the call to serve on the ACG Board—as Treasurer no less—and all while embarking on a busy new role as Director of Development at VOA Alaska. We asked Alyssa to share why she values ACG? Here is what she said:
“From my university years studying history, I remember thinking so many global crises throughout the centuries could have been resolved if people were willing to respectfully talk through mutually beneficial options. At ACG, I get to help create opportunities for people today to come together, share their perspectives and try to find common ground. I like to think we are taking steps, in our own small way, to ensure our place in history is remembered for having tried to find the best path forward through informed decision-making.”
We couldn’t agree with them more! Read more about Bill and Alyssa here.
|
|
Please Remember to Pick.Click.Give.
Alaska Common Ground recognizes there are many pressing issues confronting our community right now needing our support. We encourage you to support these causes when you apply for your PFD and you Pick.Click.Give. When you do so, please also consider adding a donation to ACG. It’s easy and a great way to support our mission. If you have already submitted your application, you can still add or change a pledge at this link until August 31. Thank you!
|
|
|
Another way to support ACG is to become a member. Thanks to all who joined recently, and a special thank you to our dedicated members who renew their support year after year. If you haven’t yet done so, you can join using the button below. If you’re wondering about your membership status, please contact Kari at info@akcommonground.org. Membership renewal notices will be going out in April. Thank you!
|
|
|
If you shop on Amazon, AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Alaska Common Ground every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to us.
|
|
|
|
