In a critical ruling from a Montana judge, it was declared that climate change must be acknowledged when making decisions revolving around fossil fuel projects. The suit was brought forth by 16 young people from around Montana against the state, with their ages ranging from 5-22 now. They were represented by Our Children’s Trust, a nonprofit that helped the young people sue the state.
The suit, Held v. Montana, was based around a part in the state’s constitution that guarantees Montana residents “the right to a clean and healthful environment.” The young people argued that the state’s current policies, especially during a record hot summer, were seriously impacting the environment of Montana as well as potentially endangering the physical and mental health of the young people to come. Montana’s attorney general’s office said that it would be appealing the decision, which would bring the decision to the state Supreme Court.
In a statement, Emily Flower, a spokeswoman for the Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, said “This ruling is absurd, but not surprising from a judge who let the plaintiffs’ attorneys put on a weeklong taxpayer-funded publicity stunt that was supposed to be a trial…Montanans can’t be blamed for changing the climate.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Michael Burger, executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Litigation at Columbia University, said the Montana case would reverberate around the country. “This was climate science on trial, and what the court has found as a matter of fact is that the science is right,” Mr. Burger said.
The suit has also inspired other groups from around the country in states with similar language in their constitution, such as Hawaii, Utah, Virginia and Oregon, to file similar lawsuits. Similarly, states and cities around the world have begun suing companies like Exonn, Chevron and Shell as they look for damages and compensation for climate disasters that came from global warming that these companies knowingly contributed to.
Montana, a state with a population just north of 1.1 million, gets one third of all its energy from burning coal. In May, the state legislature updated a law to specifically say that greenhouse gas emissions and their impacts could not be used when evaluating new projects to be put into place.
The case, which was tried in June, used testimony from climate scientists as well as personal testimonies from the young people about how climate change has impacted global weather conditions, as well as local river fish populations and traditions of Indigenous communities.
“It’s monumental,” said Badge Busse, 15, one of the Montana plaintiffs. “It’s a completely beautiful thing. Hopefully this will continue this upward trend of positivity.”
Micron Update
Submitted by Peter Wirth, CCAA Vice President
Images provided by Peter Wirth
Tuesday, August 1st at 10:00 AM at Liverpool Central School District Office Boardroom, Peter Wirth & Yvonne Chu, Vice President and President of CCAA along with 40 other individuals representing environmental, housing, transportation etc. organizations were invited to a focus group organized by Micron to get feedback from on what our concerns were regarding the four fab plants planned to be built. Micron’s Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer Fran Dillard and Vice President of Environmental Health Sustainability Beth Elroy gave a presentation on the overall impact of the plant and upcoming environmental review process. Following this presentation the 40 individuals were broken down into two focus groups for an in-depth conversation on our reaction to the presentation and any concerns we had.
CCAA focused on the issue of how they planned to meet their goal of 100% renewable energy by the end of 2025 and the issue of the 12-inch-high pressure gas line that National Grid is building out to the site. Natural gas is not a renewable energy. It is a fossil fuel energy source. Also raised was the issue of where would the renewable energy come from given that if the four fab plants are constructed they will use as much electricity as the State of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Another issue raised was “roof top” solar. The architectural drawings in the Post Standard did not indicate any roof top solar. The four fabs will have almost 5 million square feet of roof space that solar could be placed on. Additional solar could also be located in the parking lot. We were told all questions would be responded to in the coming months.
That evening a similar meeting was held for the general public. It was attended by 250 – 300 people. A presentation was given on the overall plant and people were than invited to go to the front of the room to speak with Micron representatives.
A few weeks later CCAA invited a Micron representative to tour the downtown Whitlock Building which is heated entirely with electric heat pumps. We wanted Micron to know that electric heat pumps work in this environment. If Micron is to meet their goal of 100% renewable energy they need to use a heating system that does not use natural gas. We followed up that meeting with a formal request and are awaiting a reply.
Manlius Watershed Stewards
Submitted by Mary O’Reilly, Chairperson of Manlius Watershed Stewards
Image from New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (dec.ny.gov)
The Manlius Watershed Stewards is a group of concerned citizens and dedicated town councilors who have come together to foster watershed resilience through education, outreach and citizen science. You are invited to share our vision of creating and maintaining healthy watersheds within the Town of Manlius as we acknowledge our connection to neighboring environments.
If you live on Earth, you live in a watershed. When a drop of rain falls to earth it enters a watershed. Watersheds unite rain, wetlands, ground water and flowing streams. Streams are the most visible components of watersheds. Smaller streams collect water from a smaller area. As streams increase in size the area from which they collect water also increases. Like fractals, streams exist across different scales, from Limestone Creek to the St. Lawrence River.
A healthy watershed depends on many features including rate of flow, energy dissipation, sediment load, and pollution. Rate of flow determines a stream’s connection with ground water and the amount of scour along its banks which, in turn, affects its sediment load. Industrial pollution robs streams of dissolved oxygen. The many microscopic and tiny critters that live in the stream and on the stream bed need oxygen to live and flourish. The New York State Department of Conservation uses population counts of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies among other criteria to assess how healthy a stream is.
We would be delighted for you to join us on that journey. We are hosting Dr. Elizabeth Carter, a hydrologist from Syracuse University, for a presentation on flood mitigation as part of the Manlius Library Informed Series on Tuesday, September 26, 1:30 PM, at the Manlius Library. We are also planning a creek walk for Saturday, October 28, same time, same place.
CCAA at the New York State Fair
Submitted by Jim Doherty, CCAA Board Member, Education Committee
After a few years’ hiatus, CCAA has returned to the NY State Fair, sharing a booth at the Center of Progress Building. The booth displayed a colorful backdrop banner titled “The Clean Energy Corner”, along with five other organizations that all share the goal of reducing our individual and collective carbon footprint while making a rapid and just transition to a renewable energy. All the organizations represented engage in a mix of education, advocacy, and action at the individual, local, regional and statewide levels, but with the following areas of special focus:
CCAA (Climate Change Awareness and Action) from its founding has focused on the goals identified in its namesake with individual and grassroots actions. (For a list of those actions since our beginning see CCAA’s Scorecard in our August newsletter.) At the Fair table, in addition to membership and the monthly newsletter, we encouraged people to sign up for CCAA’s personal Carbon Challenge.
ACE (Alliance for Clean Energy) was the booth’s major sponsor. This non-profit organization brings together private businesses, developers, labor unions, academic institutions and environmental groups to advocate for large-scale renewables.
AGREE (Alliance for a Green Energy Economy) is known for its statewide Renewable Heat Now Campaign as well as taking on individual utility rate cases..
NYCP (New Yorkers for Clean Power) is a statewide collaborative campaign emphasizing green job creation and development.
USES USA (United Solar Energy Supporters) in addition to doing what it says in its namesake is hosting on Sept.27 a webinar – “Keeping the Lights On-Grid Reliability in a Fossil-Free World”.
NYLCV (New York League of Conservation Voters) Education Fund educates, engages and empowers New Yorkers to be effective environmental advocates, and asserts that it is very active in the offshore wind space.
Besides member recruitment and information dissemination, there was fun for young and middle-aged children at the popular photo booth where the young posed for pictures in a colorful country scene. For these participants there were the giveaways of stickers, hats, sunglasses, and notebooks, but also solar bracelet with beads craft making. The bracelets changed colors in the sun. Especially young children were attracted to the Lego recycling truck and the Lego fire engine that plugged into the Lego wind turbine. Anyone could vote for different forms of energy they wanted to know more about by dropping beans into the corresponding mason jars, or one could take a tour of a wind farm via a futuristic VR headset
For me, I enjoyed most the conversations with the public including:
An enthusiastic teacher looking for more educational materials for her inquisitive young minds.
A Mark Twain-like looking older man who wanted solar farm development on his over 150 plus acres of land.
A diesel truck business owner who asserted the merits of diesel fuel but agreed that reforestation was a commonsense solution.
A friendly senior who insisted strongly that nuclear energy was the solution – after all, his relative was a professor of nuclear physics at MIT and that I should look him up.
And not surprisingly, there were a number of receptive Gen Z, and several boomers who talked enthusiastically about their solar panels and electric vehicles.
At this half-way point of eleven Fair days, five CCAA’ers have done seven table shifts. another four of our members are scheduled for four shifts, and there are a few open spots. At any rate, I am proud of our CCAA participation.
Images provided by Jim Doherty
Building Sustainable Communities With Your Buy Nothing Group
Submitted by Rebecca Robnick
Image from buynothingproject.org
If you want to reduce your carbon footprint and help your neighbors do the same, a simple but powerful way to do that is by joining your local “Buy Nothing” group. The Buy Nothing Project was created in 2013 in Washington State by two moms who were concerned about the level of plastic pollution washing up on their local beaches. Inspired by traditional gift economies from around the world, they created a “Buy Nothing” Facebook group, and it has spread to become a worldwide movement.
Buy Nothing offers people a way to give and receive, share, lend, and express gratitude through a worldwide network of gift economies in which the true wealth is the web of connections formed between people who are real-life neighbors. We believe that communities are more resilient, sustainable, equitable, and joyful when they have functional gift economies.”
In Buy Nothing groups you can give things you have that you’re not using anymore, or you can ask for anything that you want or need. Just consider: every time we buy something new, all the raw materials that make it up had to be mined or obtained from various places around the world (disturbing local ecosystems and probably exploiting local people), shipped all around the world to factories, and then the final product is sent back around the world again to get to the store.
Which uses more fossil fuels: that whole process….or driving down the street to pick up something that a neighbor had in the back of their closet? In the lifecycle of an item, the greatest environmental impact comes at the beginning when the item is produced. To be the most environmentally-friendly, we want to keep each item in use for as long as possible.
People in Buy Nothing groups can also share their time and skills. The goal is to be creative, see what the community can create together, and cultivate a sense of shared abundance. These are some examples of gifts that have been given in my own Buy Nothing group where I am an admin: a juggling lesson, help mending clothes, a guided birding walk, a lesson on how to can food, Narcan training, flowers that needed dividing, supplies for babies, clothing for children and adults, toys, kitchen appliances, a sourdough starter, and much more.
Each gift not only provides for the material needs of the community, but also deepens the relationships between people. “Cultivating a culture of connection” can make a community a friendlier place to live and help heal the loneliness epidemic. Stronger communities where people are accustomed to helping each other out are also more resilient in adapting to climate change; and they can more effectively advocate and rally around causes important to them.
Book “The Buy Nothing, Get Everything Plan: Discover the Joy of Spending Less, Sharing More, and Living Generously,”by Liesl Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller
The recent article detailing the relentless heatwaves and their catastrophic impact prompts us to reflect on the discourse that shapes our understanding of climate change. This issue gains urgency when considering the dangerous parallels between such dire situations and the rhetoric once championed by former radio host Rush Limbaugh. His denial of climate science and dismissal of its urgency hindered collective action – a perilous path we must avoid if we are to prevent the potential extinction of the human race.
The National & World page in a recent edition of The Post-Standard revealed the escalating heatwaves across the nation, underscoring the real and immediate consequences of climate change. It becomes essential to confront the dangerous narrative Limbaugh propagated, which trivialized the very real threat posed by climate change. The article emphasizes the scientific consensus connecting extreme weather to human activity, echoing the warnings Limbaugh’s rhetoric sought to dismiss.
To ignore the evidence at hand and perpetuate denial, as figures like Limbaugh did, would be to gamble with our own survival. We now face the tangible results of such inaction – scorching heatwaves, devastating wildfires, and unprecedented weather events. As we read about these crises on our daily National & World page, it is imperative that we heed the expertise of scientists and advocate for immediate action to counter climate change’s disastrous effects.
Let us reject the divisive rhetoric and instead champion comprehensive efforts to mitigate the consequences of our actions. By doing so, we can work collectively towards a sustainable future and safeguard the well-being of generations to come.
Fighting Climate Change At Home
Submitted by Peter Wirth, CCAA Vice President
Image from googleimages.com
We all grew up with greenhouse gas infrastructure. If you want to learn some simple things you can do on the home front, go to this link. And then:
Make the switch to renewable energy.
Optimize energy usage in your home.
Adjust your diet for sustainability
Reduce food waste and start composting.
Review your buying habits and only shop out of necessity.
Stay engaged, keep learning and start conversations.
Continuing in this vein, if you really want to make an impact, take the CCAA Carbon Challenge! The Carbon Challenge is a seven-step process where people evaluate their carbon footprint and then work through different ways to reduce it. As one of the over 300 participants commented, it forces you to reflect on your lifestyle! Sign up for it here on the CCAA website.
CCAA Scorecard
Submitted by Roseann Lorefice, CCAA Newsletter Editor
Image from unsplash.com
What has CCAA been up to lately? Well, we are action and awarenessand true to form, we have been busy! When Micron came to town, we were at the table, listening and asking questions and preparing to hold them accountable to issues related to environmentally friendly features of Micron’s footprint in our community. We will continue to monitor their actions and be ever vigilant in promoting safe, renewable energy initiatives.
During the entire span of the New York State Fair, our CCAA volunteers were at the Clean Energy Corner, meeting the public and providing updated information related to all our efforts, especially promoting our Carbon Challenge. We encouraged visitors to the fair to experience visually the building of a solar farm, and we had fun showing children that building solar bracelets and seeing the sun change the colors was a good demonstration of solar energy at work
And finally, board members have been hard at work, meeting and collaborating to keep up ALL of our efforts!
Image provided by Peter Wirth
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Application deadline to apply for three part-time fellowship positions with
A Zoom link will be sent to those registered afterregistration closes at 5pm on Thursday, September 7.
You can view a recording of past events on GreeningUSA’s youtube CHANNEL.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2023
8 p.m. on WCNY-TV
MICRON UPDATE
On the Season 3 première of “On the Money,” the program will delve into the transformation power of Micron. Discover its profound impact on the regional economic landscape with influential community leaders and Micron’s VP overseeing U.S. expansion. Refer also to pp. 40 – 41 in the September/October 2023 edition of WCNY’S Connect magazine. https://issuu.com/wcnyconnected/docs/sept-oct_connect1/40
SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
New York City
“March to End Fossil Fuels”,a movement of change to support the Climate Ambition Summit on September 20, sponsored by the United Nations. The Summit represents a critical political milestone for demonstrating that there is collective global will to accelerate the pace and scale of a just transition to a more equitable renewable-energy based, climate-resilient global economy.
Virtual and in person, details in the LINK. This conference is for anyone interested in
the environment and climate justice/action. This is a great way to effect change in
municipal government.
SEPTEMBER 26, 2023, 1:30 p.m.
Manlius Library Informed Lecture Series
“Practical Flood Control”, a lecture by Dr. Elizabeth Carter of the Limestone Creek Watershed Project.
NY Renews Asks for your help:
As New York’s regulators develop the state’s emissions cap-trade-and invest program, we have an opportunity to help steer it in a more just and equitable direction. NY’s program could help hold corporate polluters accountable, generate funds for climate crisis solutions, create union jobs and support frontline communities while reducing energy costs for all However it could also repeat the mistakes of cap-and-trade programs that led to concentrated pollution in disadvantaged communities.
Your voice matters in shaping the final regulations. We urge you to join us in submitting a public comment to NY regulators, advocating for a well-designed and inclusive cap-and-invest program. Our toolkit provides all the information you need to do so. Please take a few m0ments and submit a few sentences demanding NY regulators draft an emissions cap that centers on environmental justice.
Got an EV?
Which charger is right for you! Check out this table to get the best advice! This is
a great handy reference you can use to figure out which EV models will get the best
charging performance at different charger power levels.
NYSERDA’s EmPower+ helps low- and moderate-income households save energy and money toward energy efficiency improvements made to their property.
Households can receive a no cost comprehensive home energy assessment to pinpoint where energy and dollars are being wasted and receive a customized plan to lower energy usage.
Low-income, single-family households are eligible for no-cost energy efficiency improvements capped at $10,000 per project.
Moderate-income single-family households are eligible for a discount of up to 50% of the cost of eligible work capped at $5,000 per project.
The program is open to income-eligible owners and renters of 1-4 family households.
Starting September 9 and continuing, there will be training for local groups and affiliates to learn practical and powerful ways to end plastic pollution and engage your larger community.
Attend the next Monthly CCAA Meeting CCAA sponsors monthly member meetings in person or over Zoom. Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. with the room opening at 5:45 p.m. for socializing. Topics will be announced in this newsletter. Members will also receive an email to alert them to upcoming meetings with the topics indicated.
For the month of September, we are piggy-backing with the Environmental Voter Project that is sponsoring a Zoom meeting. This is a fun virtual event with special guest speaker and indigenous climate activist and policy expert, Jade Begay. New data on the success of this voter project will be presented, you will learn more about the project and you will have an opportunity to help the cause by volunteering and donating.
GreeningUSA Newsletter To subscribe to a comprehensive list of climate change and sustainability events, and to publicize an event you are organizing, email GreeningUSA: info@GreeningUSA.org.
Feel like saving the world?Why not donate a few dollars to CCAA? Maybe it won’t be quite enough to save the whole planet, but it will help keep us going, and that’s the next best thing! We appreciate your support.
CCAA Internships and Other Volunteering Opportunities If you are interested in volunteering with CCAA in any capacity, please contact us at newsletter@climatechange-action.com or call 315-308-0846. Don’t worry about your skill level. We are all learning. We need people who can:
Within NY Renews, the Youth Committee is a space mostly for high school and college age individuals. We’re moving towards bi-weekly trainings followed by community organizing to support our campaigns. Joining the youth committee is a great opportunity to level up your organizing, learn about campaigning, and get involved in the climate justice movement.
We meet every other week with additional time on projects for those interested. If you are interested, please fill out the sign-up form so we can get more info about your interests and experiences (it’s not competitive). We would love to hear from you!
We encourage you to follow our social media accounts to support CCAA and stay up to date on other environmental news.
