CCL Sets Bold Goal: Submit & Pass Carbon Fee & Dividend Legislation in 2017

CCL Sets Bold Goal: Submit & Pass Carbon Fee & Dividend Legislation in 2017

The big news this month is the commitment made by CCL staff and 1,000 assembled volunteers at the International Conference: to have a Carbon Fee & Dividend bill introduced in Congress in 2017, and to secure its passage. This is a new chapter for CCL, so come to the meeting to hear a report on the conference and the beginnings of a new legislative strategy. Our guest speaker this month on the national conference call will be Matthew Anderson, director of the National Audubon Society's Climate Initiative. In 2014, Audubon released a report, Birds and Climate Change, which found that 314 bird species — nearly half of all North American birds — are severely threatened by global warming.

, , ,

15 OPRF Congregations Join in Collaborative Sustainability Initiative

, , ,
15 OPRF Congregations Join in Collaborative Sustainability Initiative

Area congregations have demonstrated that they can make significant contributions to community sustainability through their facilities and operations including installation of geothermal and solar systems, energy efficiency retrofits, native and edible gardens, and zero waste programs, as well as advocacy for sustainable policies.

, ,

Rep. Carlos Curbelo Will Speak at CCL Meeting

, ,
Rep. Carlos Curbelo Will Speak at CCL Meeting

Guest speaker for the Citizens' Climate Lobby's March meeting will be Congressman Carlos Curbelo, a Republican who represents Florida's 26th District. He recently formed the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus in the House along with Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL). Congressman Curbelo was also the first Republican to cosponsor the climate resolution introduced by Rep. Chris Gibson (R-NY) last September.

, ,

Join us for a Green Guides Kick-off Event

, ,
Join us for a Green Guides Kick-off Event

The Green Guides network is being initiated in response to the need to engage people in every neighborhood. To learn more about Green Guides join us at the Oak Park Main Library, 834 Lake St., 2nd floor small meeting room, for a Green Guides meet-up on either of the following dates:

,

Climate Summit: Round 21

,
Climate Summit: Round 21

The 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened in Paris on November 30, in the shadow of the attacks by ISIS on the cultural life of the city. Heads of state or government from more than 140 countries attended the conference over the first two days, addressing plenary sessions and holding private meetings.

,

The Good Tax: Carbon Fee & Dividend

,
The Good Tax: Carbon Fee & Dividend

In 2009, climate scientist Dr. James Hansen published his first book, “Storms of My Grandchildren,” on the topic of climate science and his involvement in various governmental efforts over the previous two decades to craft a response to what he described as “the greatest threat civilization faces.” Dr. Hansen is perhaps the world’s most prominent climate scientist. Trained as an atmospheric physicist, he worked at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies for 45 years, and was its head from 1981 until his retirement in 2013. He is known for his groundbreaking body of work, and for his outspoken warnings regarding the possibility of “tipping points” being reached in the climate system that could lead to runaway global warming.

, , ,

Irish Author Presents on Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century

, , ,
Irish Author Presents on Restoring the World in the Climate Change Century

Join us on November 10, 2015, 7 PM to 9 PM at the First United Church of Oak Park, 848 Lake Street, Woodworth will be offering a tour of exciting restoration projects he has visited all over the globe, ranging from prairies in the Chicago region to the South African bush; and from ultralight pilots teaching whooping cranes how to migrate the length of a continent to the restoration of bogs in his native Ireland.

Changing the Climate: The Bumpy Road to Paris

Changing the Climate: The Bumpy Road to Paris

The United Nations held its first Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972. The outcome of that conference was an Action Plan consisting of 109 recommendations for financial and institutional capacity building to deal with the challenges of environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change. That’s right—climate change has been on the international environmental agenda for over 40 years. The delegates at Stockholm also adopted a declaration calling for a second Conference on the Human Environment.

, ,

Pilot Launch of Urban Eco Ventures for Middle Schoolers

, ,
Pilot Launch of Urban Eco Ventures for Middle Schoolers

Urban Eco Ventures is designed to spark the natural curiosity and creativity of youth, develop an experience-based knowledge of ecosystems, and activate engagement in the community. Introductory Session:  Registration is now open for independent, nature-loving  6th, 7th and 8th graders in the Oak Park/River Forest area to participate in a pilot Eco Ventures project on Saturday, October 10 from 9:30 AM to noon.  The start and end point for our adventures will be at The Depot, 401 Thatcher Ave, River Forest. This program will be an opportunity to unplug and recharge in nature.

,

Pope Francis' Challenge + Week of Moral Action for Climate Justice

,
Pope Francis' Challenge + Week of Moral Action for Climate Justice

John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is a devout Catholic. He has invited the last three Popes to address a joint session of Congress, and his longstanding wish has now been fulfilled. Pope Francis accepted Speaker Boehner’s invitation, and will visit the Capitol to address a joint session on the morning of September 24th.