Olympia Confronting the Climate Crisis held a few events over the weekend, ranging from tabling at the Olympia Farmers Market (we'll be there again next Saturday, the 25th,) to holding a forum at the Olympia Center about oil trains (more info here,) to a truly glorious day of Kayaking on the Bay. That event was co-organized by the Olympia F.O.R. Confronting the Climate Crisis project, and the Backbone Campaign, as well as with participation from Idle No More Washington, Seattle. Thanks to Dean Hobbs of O3C, Bill Moyer of Backbone Campaign, and Sweetwater Nannauck of Idle No More, as well as a host of others for organizing and attending this event.

Here is a link to some photos by Rob "Berd" Whitlock, and a link to the Facebook event page where you can find more information, photos and video from the event. Stay tuned for event video to see some more of the sights and sounds of the citizen's flotilla of kayaks.

Deep below the surface of the Earth, bedrock is being fractured, using chemicals, explosives, and high pressure fluids. The Hydraulic Fracturing industry has seen a boom over the past several years, all over the lower 48, there are fossil fuel deposits deep below the Earth, embedded in layers of shale (sedimentary deposits that have formed rock.)

Washington State does not have shale formations (nor do Oregon or California.) However, we are not as removed as we might be from this booming development in the fracturing of the Earth's crust. For oil is coming here. Oil has been arriving from the Bakken oil shale formation by train. Information suggests that oil has been coming to Anacortes and Tacoma, and new facilities have been proposed elsewhere, in SW Washington, Grays Harbor, and Vancouver, WA.

More over, Olympia is directly implicated in this effort, because the Port of Olympia has been receiving shipments of ceramic proppants. Proppants are a material that enables fracking by propping up the Earth, allowing for the oil and gas to escape.

Earlier this week, a group of Olympians traveled to Grays Harbor, to join a protest against a proposed oil train terminal. Supporters hope to have a major CBR (Crude by Rail) oil export facility built and operating there by 2014.

I read an article today that said the global temperature is at a 4,000 year high. The increase has been precipitous since the mid 19th century, from about 1850-1870 when industrial consumption of fossil fuels markedly increased. Here's a link: Global temperatures are at a 4,000-year high [Grist.org]

Global temperatures at 4,000 year high, after being at a 10,000 year low only 200 years ago?! That is scary! No?

Societal/Industrial activities have already had severe impacts the planet, and by many accounts, impacts are set to increase. Just that knowledge is enough to be psychologically disruptive, and damaging.

After all, what is the point of destroying the planet? Extreme riches for relatively few people? Can anyone's riches be justified when they depend upon harm to the well-being of planet and humanity?

Much of the living systems on the planet stand to be decimated, severely harmed, if not destroyed outright, and all for what? For a lifetime of luxury? How shallow is that! How uncivilized and inhumane!

What will the impacts be for Olympia? Who will pay for climate related impacts? Will it be those who have benefited most from fossil fuel extractions, or will costs be extracted from the common wealth? What do you think?

...Now, it is a beautiful sunny evening. Have a good evening, and a good weekend.

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

More information event listing, previous post: Sustainable Clean Energy = Jobs.

Poster by Gita Moulton, painting by Joseph Turner, 1820, "A Stormy Sky."

Update: p.s.: DERT, the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team, had an event to mark the high tide, thanks to DERT for bringing attention to this issue!

These photos are from this past Sunday morning, the 23rd, from about 30 minutes to one after after the high tide crested. Some of the highest higher high tides of the year (according to the Dep't of Ecology, also known as "King tides") are expected in the months of January and February. More information about tides on the Ecology website: Department of Ecology, State of Washington. The water level, at least on Sunday, did not appear to get as high as it did last year, when the highest tide levels were coupled with more recent and higher amounts of rainfall, and heavier river flow.

Percival Landing

Join Us For A Presentation with Permaculturalist Jan Spencer from Eugene, OR

Global Trends    Local Choices

www.suburbanpermaculture.org

“Perspectives, Models and Tools for Redefining the Present and Future.”

*  Economics *  Power Shift *  Permaculture *  Urban Land Use *  Neighborhoods *  Human Potential *  Faith Communities *  Key Leverage Point

*Followed by a Permaculture Bike Tour Friday march 5th 10am-12pm **Meet at the west side coop**

Hosted By: Terra Commons, Transition Olympia and the Evergreen State College. For more information contact Michael at terracommons@gmail.com or (360) 339-3329

via email:

Reminder - Cooling a fevered planet talk is this Thursday. ...

Cooling a fevered planet: the politics & economics of solving the climate crisis.

We know the danger. We have the technology. So what's stopping us?

Presented by Gar W. Lipow & Dr. Zoltan Grossman on behalf of “the Olympia Movement for Justice & Peace”.
Thursday, September 3rd 7:00 P.M
Traditions Café
300 5th Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98501

When big corporations thwart democracy they also thwart sustainability.
When resources are poured into unnecessary wars rather than peaceful solutions, this also drains investment from needed green infrastructure.
How corporate power, militarization are linked to the climate crisis, and how we can fight back.
###

When: Tomorrow, Monday October 6, 2008 from 11 to 1 (or 2)
Where: State Capitol Legislative Building Steps (North side of building)

The No LNG workshop at Traditions earlier tonight was informative. I learned that there are a number of good reasons to be opposed to a proposed LNG terminal on the banks of the Columbia River in Southern Washington State. The composition of the opposition is grass roots; it's a coalition of local stake-holders who would be affected by the Bradford Landing liquid natural gas terminal, as well as advocates for environmental justice.

Tomorrow's rally will call on Governor Gregoire to assist the peoples' opposition to this unnecessary and environmentally harmful project. The office of the Governor has made noises about even going so far as suing to stop the Houston based NorthernStar Energy Group's efforts to develop LNG terminals and pipelines - given the lack of appropriate state level input, environmental review, and oversight. The proposal has thus far been pushed and ferried through under authority of the 5 person Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), although one member of the Bush Administration appointed commission, Jon Wellinghoff, who is also the only one to have met with concerned stake-holders, has written a powerful and substantive dissent of the FERC position (to permit) the NorthernStar LNG endeavors. Find out more about that at tomorrow's rally! (More detailed information is available on the FERC website, as well.)

Jay Manning from the Dep. of Ecology will be among the speakers. There will be important information about what exactly is going down with proposals for pipelines and shipping terminals, the natural gas market, and the dangers and environmental pitfalls of the LNG trade.

No to global warming! No to LNG! Yes to renewable/sustainable energy! Yes to a better tomorrow!

More information: No LNG [http://nolng.net/]

[correction: It's the "NorthernStar Natural Gas" Energy Group that has proposed the Bradwood Landing LNG Terminal and associated pipelines, not the "Northstar Energy Group", as previously stated above, article amended to reflect correction.

Also for more information please see: River Vision: Renewable Energy Sources, Columbia River Vision.]