STRONG Salem is for everyone who wants to help and participate in getting Salem, Oregon, to quit chasing Growth Ponzi Scheme plans and instead become a resilient, fiscally responsible place that lives by the wisdom that "Communities exist for the health and enjoyment of those who live in them, not for the convenience of those who drive through them, fly over them, or exploit their real estate for profit."
"Mayors are already fighting the impact and costs of extreme weather caused by climate change. The actions they take to protect their cities and people can and should help states meet Clean Power Plan pollution limits," said Danielle Baussan, Managing Director of Energy Policy at CAP. "Developing low-carbon energy policies underscores cities' importance to critical national goals: reduced carbon pollution, increased consumer savings, and a healthier future for everyone."
The Center for American Progress released an analysis of how cities can prepare for the carbon-pollution standards and help reduce their emissions. These include: reduce the carbon impact of municipal utilities, update building energy codes, promote distributed generation of renewable energy, consider tax credits and rebates for renewable energy and develop clean energy loan programs.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and Gresham, Ore., Mayor Shane Bemis won the 2014 Mayors' Climate Protection Awards the the conference, which recognizes innovation in increasing energy efficiency and reducing GHGs.
"Mayor Goodman and Mayor Bemis are changing the energy future of their cities and the nation, showing how local innovation can offer solutions to our growing climate challenges,"said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, president of The U.S. Conference of Mayors
Whether you are a seasoned activist or a first-time organizer, here is a simple guide to get you started. Not all these steps may apply to you. There is a very simple and relatively easy way to participate in PCM. Check it out first, and you'll be on your way to planning a creative, engaging, and powerful action in your community or city!
Bring together a core team of people with the necessary skills or expertise that you require for your action. Remember to involve partner organisations who can either be part of your core team or will be tactical allies with whom you share ideas and information.
Invite your friends, neighbours, and local organizations to assist in sponsoring, organizing and participating in the action. Reach out to the local church, mosque, synagogue, labour union, sports team, university, or arts cooperative that would be interested in getting involved in the issue.
Decide on the message, the action and the location. Ensure that you have a clear and well articulated message that you wish to communicate to your audience, whether they be media, government, partners, or community members. For the People's Climate Mobilisation specifically here is a very simple and relatively easy way to participate:
Share a group photo from an iconic site, such as a fossil fuel extraction zone, a specific fossil energy plant, areas under threat from climate change effects, or other locations connected with the climate struggle using #peoplesclimate hashtag. One common slogan that can be used (on banners, etc.) in photos is 'Action, Not Words: …..!' (add your local, national, or regional demand in dotted area at the end) or the local equivalent if it translates well into your language.
The beauty of global days of action is the variety and creativity of actions organized across the world. Common action ideas include organizing a walk or a march through your town or city, a rally with speakers and music in your central plaza, a hike, a potluck, a community discussion, or a service project. Whatever your action, be sure to think about the best photo opportunity to capture your action and everyone who attends – photos are the primary way we link up actions worldwide and tell our story.
Take care of all logistical details as soon as you can, including the timing of the action, directions, transportation, bathrooms, sound system, permits for use of public spaces, sponsorships etc. if you need them.
Make a plan to reach out. Set a goal for how many people you'd like to see at the event and try to create a plan for reaching far more than that number. Ensure that you register your event. Invite and link up with partner organisation interested in your action. Talking to schools, religious groups, community meetings, putting up posters around town, sending emails through listservs, getting a public service announcement on the local radio, share on social media, send out emails, write editorials for local newspapers, get on community calendars, ask organizations to include the action information in newsletters and bulletins and put up posters all over town.
Signs, photos, banners are key to getting the message across to passers-by and the media. If you can, host a time to paint banners and signs before your action, and invite volunteers to come. Banners and signs with the local equivalent of 'Action, Not Words: …..!' (add your local, national, or regional demand in dotted area at the end) would help link all the PCM actions together.
It's important to contact local, state, and national media to make sure they report on PCM actions in your area. Think about what print, radio, television, and online sources you'd want to have cover your event and start getting in touch now!
The months of planning culminate in this moment! Share your photos on Facebook and other social media such as Twitter and Instagram with the #peoplesclimate hashtag. Also send it to your friends and press contacts. Have a fun and meaningful day, knowing that you're part of a global effort to create pressure to solve the climate crisis.
This part is very important: As soon as your action is over, be sure to select your best photo, video footage and written stories from your action and submit them here. This will enable the communications team to deliver the strongest possible message to the media and to the world's decision-makers.
Jan 19, 2008: LOVESalem reaches the web, bringing a vitally needed message to Oregon's capital city: We must Oregon-ize to put the needs of people before the needs of cars. This requires that we live our environmental values -- that we LOVE (Live Our Values Environmentally) Salem -- by working to stop the Sprawl Machine.
The Sprawl Machine is a ravenous beast that feeds on green space, close-in neighborhoods, and property taxes and that excretes monstrous, ugly road projects that pollute the air, increase mortality and morbidity, promote climate change, weaken families and neighborhoods, and help weaken the social fabric and civic participation.
The Sprawl Machine works by constantly luring its prey with promises that the problems created by cars can be addressed by doing more of the same -- building more lanes, more bridges, consuming ever more money. In other words, the Sprawl Machine promises that we can keep doing the same thing over and over, while expecting a different result this time.
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