On President's Day weekend national protests are planned against the "XL" pipeline (see Join the #ForwardOnClimate Rally on 2/17! .) This pipeline would be used to transfer tar sands oil. In solidarity with national efforts the Olympia F.O.R. Confronting the Climate Crisis task force has launched a petition, and is planning events for the weekend of the 16th and 17th. The petition asks Governor Jay Inslee to work to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in order to protect the climate for future generations. Please sign the Petition to Governor Inslee to Address the Climate Crisis.

And please mark your calendar for these upcoming events, coming up in about two weeks' time, over Presidents Day weekend, Save the Date!

1) 2/17 RALLY! the afternoon of Sunday the 17th, in solidarity with national events in Washington D.C.. National events are a project of 350.org, Sierra Club, and Hip Hop Caucus —a civil and human rights organization for the 21st century. Location for the local solidarity rally will be Heritage Park, site of the former Occupy Olympia encampment. This will include an update on the petition. Starting time: 3pm, rain or shine. And also join for a potluck gathering afterward, starting at 6pm at Traditions Fair Trade Café, later that same Sunday evening.

2) Flash Mob: on the day before the rally, Saturday the 16th at Noon, location and further details to be announced. Stay Tuned!

3) Then, on Tuesday the 19th, the Environmental Priorities Coalition will host Environmental Lobby Day. The day kicks off at 8:30am, and will be headquartered at United Churches, 11th and Capitol Boulevard, Olympia. And at 12 O'clock Noon there will be another rally, in the rotunda under the Legislative Building dome, where there will be opportunity to sing for the planet.

Please sign the petition! www.change.org/petitions/governor-inslee-please-address-the-climate-crisis, and thank you!

And we hope to see you at any or all of the Presidents Day weekend activities, stay tuned!

Contact Rod Tharp, smcrae@earthlink.net, Peggy Bruton gimleteye@comcast.net, Mike Coday mike@smallblueplanet.org, or Bourtai Hargrove at (360) 352-6327 climate@olympiafor.org. For information about the Olympia FOR contact Glen Anderson at (360) 491-9093 glen@olympiafor.org or visit www.olympiafor.org and www.olympiafor.org/Climate_Crisis.html for more information. Sponsored by Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation Confronting the Climate Crisis.

150 people turn out for the Climate and Sustainable Jobs Rally 2013 Oly WA

Here is the frame: In 1972 a bunch of computer nerds were commissioned by the Club of Rome to complete computer modeling of finite resources, rates of consumption and population growth. The output was a book called The Limits to Growth. It caused a bit of a stir because the computer modeling predicted that global economic collapse and precipitous population decline could occur by 2030. Wikipedia has a pretty well referenced page on the The Limits to Growth.

The original study was criticized by lots of folks who thought that growth could somehow become sustainable, that more resources would be found, etc. The methodology was criticized. This study was not popular with economic growth globalists.

The Limits to Growth has been revisited on a number of occasions. Most recently an Australian physicist named Graham Turner completed a thirty year look back at the computer modeling and Turner's study is published at The Smithsonian. This kind of thing is like disneyland for nerds. Graphs, charts, all sorts of variables to argue about. It's a wonderland for slide rule afficionados. Needless to say, it's hard to present on CNN, MSNBC, BBC in a way that has gets the message across.

if you're talking about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out... I share John Lennon's ambivalence about the revolution, but I think there are revolutions coming. Maybe a revolution doesn't have to include the choreography and armament to take the Bastille? How about a revolution in agriculture? We watched a video about colony collapse disorder last night: Vanishing of the Bees. Well done, sobering, broad review of the situation for our pollination partners. I used to keep bees. Most beekeepers develop a pretty strong connection to their hives, to the collective being that is a beehive. The beekeepers in this movie certainly showed that connection. I don't want to give the story away, so I will just say that I think the filmmakers are correct to identify bees as "canaries in the coal mine." I think we need a revolution in the way we approach agriculture and food. Global food. What should it look like? Also thinking about our global economic system. Tikkun has a piece by Leonardo Boff on the Crisis of Capitalism. This is an interesting read. I do have a sense that the current global economic crisis is qualitatively different from previous downturns. We face some pretty staggering demands from the natural world. We now live in a world of more extreme weather and the likelihood is that the trend to more extreme weather is just getting started, so the solution is a really major retooling of the world economy where sustainability rather than profit is the goal. Stabilizing the environment is going to require more than a game of three card monte based on cap and trade. The shell game has always been entertaining, but the game is fixed and the outcome is about fleecing the mark.

Big person? Small Shopping Cart? Both? (comments about capitalism)

An investigation and inquiry into local and regional water issues and innovative sustainable water management.
Water Wise: A new blog by Krag Unsoeld, dropsofwaterfalling.blogspot.com

"Skrill Meadow" Tearing it up.

Do-It-Yourself Wednesdays! Reduce, Reuse, Remodel! with Gregory Smith, Small Building Company
Creative & Low-Cost options for Designing, Building and Remodeling with salvaged materials & components.
Instructor: Gregory Smith, Small Building Company
Cost $30, $25 for Guild Members.
For more info and other DIY Wednesday Workshops visit www.SouthSoundGreenTour.org

Do-It-Yourself Wednesdays! Workshop - Sustainable Home Technologies: Build-your-own systems to save money and energy: Solar Air & Water Heater, Harvesting Rainwater, Reusing Greywater built on Permaculture Principles
Instructor: Marisha Auerbach, Herb’n Wisdom
Cost $30, $25 for Guild Members - supports the Guild's "Eco-House"
For details or to Register Click Here

I went to Fertile Ground last night and ate pizza with the Cuba Caravanistas. The pizza was good, and so was the discussion. Brendan Funtek spoke about Cuba and his travel and other involvement with the caravan. Then Manolo de los Santos, who is the Pastors for Peace representative (he's from New York via the Dominican Republic), also spoke. Finally, Rick Fellows spoke. Rick has been running caravans since 1984 when he became involved in a dispute between Peabody Coal and members of indigenous tribes near the 4 corners area of the Southwest US. Peabody Coal runs one of the world's largest coal strip mines in the area, and since its beginning there has been constant opposition. All three were great speakers and served to illuminate upon the relationship between the US and Cuba, as well as the situation in Cuba, and the lives of the Cuban people. After the speeches we had a great question and answer discussion.

I wish the Caravanistas the best in their journey toward the Mexican border, and beyond toward their destinations in Cuba, as well as a safe return.

The following is a description some of what I know about Cuba, including some, though certainly not all, of what I have learned in the last three days. It is also in part a description of the border crossing from Vancouver B.C. into Washington State this past Sunday, including a photographic essay. - Berd

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Peace Arch Park Vancouver B.C. Canada—Blaine Washington United States