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.

Rays on the Bay, Wednesday 8 December 2010

The clouds were pretty awesome this past Wednesday. There were rays of sunlight.

It made me think that maybe this is a special time to be alive. Maybe it is. But maybe future generations will see similar rays and think similarly. Made me wonder what kind of world to live in future generations will have... What kind of world to live in will future generations have?

Also, on the topic of weather, word has it that there is a "massive" storm system with clouds stretching from Hawaii to the PNW coast. It's predicted to arrive sometime tomorrow, and it has the potential to bring large amounts of rainfall, and to cause flooding.

I noticed quite a bit of haze in the air starting sometime after noon yesterday. While I was on the way to the City Council Meeting yesterday I was thinking that it might make for a glorious sunset. I wasn't able to observe it due to my attendance at the City Council meeting. Was it a good sunset? Has anyone else noticed the hazy air recently? Maybe someone knows is there is a wildfire.

bert