Hey Banks! If you finance coal, they will come.
And they’re coming. We’ve been telling Citi and Bank of America that their financing of coal fired power plants and mountaintop removal was going to get them some unwanted attention from lots of very concerned people. Today thousands have taken to the streets in fifty cities around the country to tell the banks that financing the dirtiest form of energy, financing climate change and financing the destruction of Appalachian mountains and communities is not going to be taken lying down. Read the press release!
Stay tuned as we keep you posted as actions unfurl across the nation – check out this first hit from Santa Barbara.
And in case anyone thought that the surging no coal movement wasn’t making a difference…check out this latest plant closure in Orlando! And a so-called ‘clean coal plant’ at that. This plant was canceled AFTER they had broken ground, which is significant. I think most of us assume (logically) that once ground has broken on construction, it’s fairly unlikely the plant will be stopped. While we don’t have the “inside scoop” on what broke the camel’s back on this plant, the fact that they switched gears after several months of construction makes the decision a very big deal.
UPDATE: A photo and a story from St. Pete:
Bank of America Protest in St. Pete
Three activists from two local environmental groups — Earth First! and Rising Tide — unleashed a balloon-propelled banner earlier today attacking the bank for funding new coal plants and investing in mining companies that use environmentally destructive practices to extract coal.
UPDATE: ATM shutdowns in San Francisco: San Francisco, CA : Across downtown San Francisco, nearly every Bank of America and Citi ATM was shut down this morning as swarms of activists covered over 70 ATM’s with “Global Warming Crime Scene” tape and “closed” signs denouncing investments in coal that are killing our climate. Many customers enthusiastically took flyers, shocked to learn that their banks are using their money to invest in environmental destruction.
UPDATE: Coal caroling in NYC?
Citi is sponsoring How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Broadway so we thought it only fitting that the Grinch and all the Whos from Whoville pay them a visit.
UPDATE: San Francisco die-in at Citi HQ
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November 19th, 2007 at 10:17 am
[...] Friday, me and a few other students on campus took part in a national unified action against banks funding the coal industry in collaboration with Rainforest Action Network. We went to [...]