See RAN’s shocking new Cargill fact sheet here.

Citing multiple corporate crimes ranging from slave labor, driving climate change and monopolizing the food chain to putting profits before food safety, the 99% took moral law into their own hands to perform a “Citizens’ Arrest” of Cargill, Inc. An Occupy Cargill protestor at the rally explained it this way: “Corporations aren’t people, but if they have the same rights as a person, shouldn’t they have the same responsibilities? So, can’t we arrest them for their criminal behavior?”

Cargill, Inc. is the largest privately held corporation in the world. The corporation’s annual revenue of $119 billion is higher than 70% of the world’s countries GDPs and the family that controls it is the richest in America. Cargill, Inc. is plagued with worldwide controversy around many of its commodities, including palm oil, salt, cotton, chocolate and grain as well as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), and carbon trading.  Agricultural free trade policies that benefit Cargill come at a high price for family farmers, food sovereignty, human rights, and the climate.

Departing from the former Occupy Minneapolis encampment site known as People’s Plaza, citizens marched in a “search party” to find this fugitive suspect, Cargill, Inc., to bring this corporate “person” to justice. Multiple speakers at the rally railed against Cargill’s corporate personhood and its extensive lobbying of governments for free trade policies that benefit its profits at the expense of people and planet.

Unable to find this corporate “person,” activists posted the arrest warrant at the last-seen location of Cargill, Inc.: The Minneapolis Grain Exchange. If I were this criminal, I would turn myself in to the 99% and beg for mercy.

A picture released by Brazil's National Petroleum Agency shows the oil leak on the ocean floor.

If the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster taught us anything, it’s that Big Oil has been doing very little over the last few decades to prevent oil spills despite their obscene record profits. Companies like Exxon, Chevron, and BP have all clearly decided that it’s more cost effective to use their profits to rig the system in their favor rather than prevent the next oil spill. By using their money to influence politicians and buy favorable public policies, Big Oil companies can limit their liability for the next disaster — which, if you don’t count impacts to the environment and human health, as Big Oil certainly does not, is way cheaper than actually taking adequate precautions.

Chevron’s recent oil spill off the coast of Brazil is another tragic example. Chevron reportedly pumped as much as $4 billion into its drilling operations in Brazil, yet had to be told by Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company, that its well was spewing oil into the Atlantic Ocean in the first place. Even more shocking, Chevron then had to borrow the sonar equipment to locate exactly where the leak was coming from.

Think about that for a second: Despite spending billions, Chevron didn’t even have the basic equipment to monitor its operations for spills and move quickly to stop oil from leaking into the ocean.

In her recent TED Talk, “Addicted to Risk,” Naomi Klein explains why BP’s oil spill in the Gulf last year and Chevron’s spill off the coast of Brazil are inevitable in the modern economic system, which “cannot survive without perpetual growth and an unending supply of new frontiers”:

BP is as lax about safety precautions as Chevron. Greg Palast’s new book, Vultures’ Picnic, is one of the most maddening things I’ve ever read, as it seeks to get to the bottom of who was responsible for the Deepwater Horizon disaster and uncovers all sorts of malfeasance along the way. In 2006, BP’s pipeline in Alaska dumped over 6,300 barrels of oil in a totally preventable spill. As Palast writes:

The BP/Alyeska pipeline was dripping and ripping. In five years, it had dumped a quarter-million gallons of crude into the tundra. BP’s pipeline is an Exxon Valdez in slow motion. …

Based on the cancers I’d seen in Ecuador, I knew what would happen if this oozing continued. But this is America, not Ecuador, and we don’t let these things happen. So how come it is happening? …

Why is the pipe going to hell? I asked [Inspector Dan Lawn] for just the facts.

“They haven’t pigged it.” That is, they didn’t run the Pipeline Inspection Gauge, the PIG, the robot that runs inside the pipe. If they had, the Smart PIG (one with sensor-feelers) would have squealed at every crack and rusty chunk of the tube.

Sure enough, the records show that 400 miles of the Pipe hadn’t seen a PIG in eight years. Why? It costs up to a million dollars a mile to operate. Four hundred miles, $400 million. BP must have realized it’s cheaper to pay a fine.

All of the recent oil disasters we’ve witnessed are not isolated events. Nor are they mere “accidents.” In their quest for profits, oil companies are eagerly exploiting any new reserve that gets discovered, and the emphasis is always on production, not preservation or even basic caution. The problems at BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig and Chevron’s Frade well off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, in other words, are systemic.

Brazilian officials have, thankfully, been very aggressive in holding Chevron accountable. They’ve already levied at least $28 million in fines against the company, and as the investigation into the causes of the spill and Chevron’s response continues, it’s likely that those fines could reach close to $200 million. That’s pocket change for a company that makes $100 million every day, but Brazilian officials have also been openly discussing jail time for the responsible parties at Chevron, and have even discussed kicking Chevron out of the country altogether. This would be a huge blow to Chevron. There’s a reason the company has sunk billions of dollars into its Brazil operations — the oil fields off Brazil’s coast are one of the most significant discoveries in decades, and are expected to drive growth for the oil industry for years to come.

Chevron’s Brazil spill doesn’t only show the dangers of allowing such a reckless company to expand its offshore drilling operations to new countries, however — it shows the danger of expanding offshore drilling operations at all. Companies like Chevron are focused entirely on production and profits, and are completely unequipped to deal with the inevitable disasters that occur. Indeed, Big Oil seems to accept that dumping toxic oil into fragile ecosystems and paying the resulting fines are a mere cost of doing their dirty business.

That’s why companies like Chevron spend millions on lobbying. Right now, Chevron is spending $1 million a day drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. So it’s no surprise that this past quarter, the company spent over $2 million lobbying every federal agency who might have anything to say about its permits or its response to a spill: “In the July-to-September period, Chevron lobbied Congress, the Executive Office of the President, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management & Budget, the National Security Council, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Securities & Exchange Commission, the White House, departments of treasury, interior, commerce, energy and state, according to the October report.”

This is as perverse a situation as I can imagine. Like Naomi says, “Life is too precious to be risked for any profit.” Yet Big Oil is not only doing just that, they’re buying their way into making it legal.

Send an email to Brazil’s environmental officials calling on them to throw the book at Chevron. For once, don’t let Chevron get away with its environmental crimes.

Yesterday, in Charlotte, environmental activists showed up and were arrested at BoA’s Corporate HQ to demand the bank end their financing of coal – the primary driver of climate change.

Today, in San Francisco, thousands have shown up at Bank of America offices to demand a federal sales tax on Wall Street financial transactions which would fund affordable, equitable public education from pre-K through post doctoral.

We’re proud to stand side by side on bank doorsteps with the ReFund California Coalition because we share the same goals: a just and equitable future. The same corporate interests are standing in the way of our futures.

Bank of America is in the center of the Occupy Movement because of its reckless financial practices that put profit before people and planet. The social, economic, and environmental crises sweeping the planet are inter-related symptoms born of the same root causes.

The key to protecting our environment and protecting each other is the same. The key is us. By working together we can redefine the underlying values that govern our society and rebuild our economy based on long-term needs, not short-term greed. We are one movement.

We’re working side by side with economic justice and democracy groups who are also pushing for the biggest banks to change their behavior. Whether the issue is environmental pollution, home foreclosures, or predatory lending, we can all agree on the root cause: Corporate profits being prioritized ahead of human dignity.

This was at the front of my mind on Saturday when I joined with many friends and allies and the mighty ranks of #OccupySF to mark “Bank Transfer Day” and take our message directly to the banks.

A full 3,000 of us marched through the streets of the city’s financial district, stopping along the way at the Chase West Coast HQ, the Wells Fargo HQ, and Bank of America Plaza. At each corporate office we sat down and blocked the streets and then staged “foreclosures” at these buildings.

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment home defender Brenda Reed spoke about Chase trying to foreclose her home and shared Jamie Dimon’s office phone number with the crowd. Iraq Veterans Against the War spoke about Wells Fargo underwriting military operations. And I spoke at BoA about its bankrolling of the coal industry.

Then the Chinese Progressive Association spoke to us about the economic situation of immigrants in our city and taught us how to chant “We are the 99%” in Cantonese. As we marched back to #OccupySF through Chinatown, we kept the chant going strong.

This event illustrated the power we have when we act together. That power is not only strong in the streets, it’s an economic force to be reckoned with. The thousands of RAN supporters who are closing their BoA accounts, are a part of the 650,000 people who have moved billions of dollars from big banks to credit unions this past month. That’s a significant shift, demonstrating clearly that our movement is ready to abandon the banks that don’t reflect our values.

Becky White and the Secret Mission have just released this catchy and hilarious protest anthem/call to action track and music video — featuring RAN’s own Executive Director Rebecca Tarbotton on violin — called “Man Up!” The song calls on people to gather at the White House on November 6 to persuade President Obama to make the right decision and oppose the disastrous Keystone XL Pipeline project, the fate of which is being decided by his Administration right now.

The movement to stop this massively destructive pipeline has brought together a wide array of unlikely allies and has exploded into a national political force to be reckoned with in a very short amount of time. Please check this out and share it widely to spread the word on this crucial and time-sensitive issue!

The White House. Nov 6. Be There.

These are the final moments before President Obama makes a decision to approve or reject the construction of the dirty and dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. On November 6, exactly one year before the election, thousands will come together to completely encircle the White House in an act of solidarity to convince President Obama to make the right decision to reject the Keystone XL.

More than 4000 have already signed up to participate. This is fantastic, but we need thousands more!

Please don’t stay at home this Sunday wondering whether your presence would have made a difference. Come stand with us for clean energy, for human rights, for all of our futures. Sign up now!

“So many lives are on the line right now. The system is crashing. It’s crashing economically and it’s crashing ecologically. The stakes are too high right now for us not to make the most of this moment.” — Naomi Klein at Occupy Wall Street

I’ve been having some wonderful conversations and plotting sessions with a new crew of allies here on Wall Street. RAN has been focused on banks, demanding social and environmental justice, for many years. But now it finally feels like we’re part of a large and growing movement. It’s very exciting. I could say so much more, but Adrienne Maree Brown already said it so well in her blog post, “from liberty plaza.”

I had the honor of addressing Occupy Wall Street last night. Just thought I’d share the video with you so you could see the communal spirit and passion that is keeping this occupation going strong:

(If you’re ready to stop doing business with Bank of America, sign the Not One More Dollar pledge now.)

I was particularly struck by the creativity in all the handmade signs. Here are three that spoke to me.

“#Occupy Earth” – Makes a link between taking back our own communities, wherever we may live, and taking back our natural resources from corporate control.

“Obama Stop Milking the Bull” – A reference to the famous Bull sculpture that lives on Wall Street. Right now, none of us can get anywhere close to this bull, as it stands surrounded by an army of NYPD and their barricades. These public servants appear to be deployed to protect the private interests, rather than the taxpayers.

“Too Big to Fail is Too Big to Allow” – A heartfelt cry for a serious overhaul of the financial system that has allowed such a small number of oversized banks to seize control of our economy — and trash it.

Why are people occupying Wall Street? And can this protest lead to real change in how banks treat people?

Over the last two weeks I’ve watched momentum build in lower Manhattan as growing numbers of people are physically drawn together to express their deep frustration with the financial system.

The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) demonstrators camped out at Zuccotti Park (renamed Liberty Plaza) and marching across Brooklyn Bridge are a diverse set, with many different priorities. But there are some clear, underlying concerns that are bringing everyone together to protest the influence of Wall Street over our nation’s policies. For me, these are some of the very same principles that underline RAN’s campaigns to stop the banking sector from underwriting the destruction of our planet and the poisoning of our communities. For example:

Fraud. Whether it’s Ponzi schemes, rogue traders or sub-prime lending, we’re fed up with banks committing fraud in pursuit of profits. Time after time we’re exposed to a systemic disregard for the law in this sector. It therefore no longer shocks me when banks happily lend billions of dollars to industries like the coal mining industry, which repeatedly flouts safety and environmental laws to maximize profits.

Income gap. Exorbitant CEO bonuses, salaries and golden parachutes are a place to direct frustration about he fact that the U.S. has the widest (and still widening) inequality gap of any industrialized nation. The top .01 percent makes an average of $27 million per household, as the average income of the bottom 90 percent makes an average of $31,244. (There’s a useful explanation of how this happens here.)

Personal impact. Those profits and salaries for the .01 percent come at the expense of foreclosed homes, lost jobs, and skyrocketing student debts coupled with diminishing prospects of employment. Add to that list: the personal and community impacts of oil spills, polluting coal plants, and mining disasters. Again, these impacts are hitting hardest on those who have the least.

So where does RAN’s bank campaign fit into protests like OWS? Matt Taibbi, writing in Rolling Stone, says it well:

“The end game of any movement against Wall Street corruption is going to involve some very elaborate organization. There are going to have to be consumer and investor boycotts, shareholder revolts, criminal prosecutions, new laws passed, and other moves.”

Right now Occupy Wall Street is making people aware of the battle lines. RAN supports the occupiers and is committed to the longterm organizing that Taibbi speaks of. Ready to get organized and take action on Wall Street banks? Stand with us and get active in our campaigns and those of our allies to revoke the charters of the worst corporations, to pressure the biggest banks to stop propping up the most polluting industries, and to demand a new bottom line.

Less than 400 critically endangered Sumatran tigers remain in the wild. No more habitat deforestation for palm oil & paper!

What do the environmental and animal rights movements have in common? More than you might think, including a profound love of certain vegan products that mark an intersection of our work to create a more just and sustainable future for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of participating in a keynote panel at the close of the 2011 National Animal Rights Conference in Los Angeles. Every seat in the large ballroom was taken by a dedicated animal rights activist, even though it was late on a Sunday evening. Prior to the presentation, as I walked past tables and booths and chatted with people, I was inspired by the many folks I met who have dedicated so much of their time and energy to their values and beliefs.

I had been asked to speak on a panel about bridges between the animal rights and environmental movements. Also on the panel were Taryn Kiekow, a lawyer with Natural Resources Defense Council, and Dr. Rose Marie White, Southern California Endangered Species chair of the Sierra Club. Taryn spoke about NRDC’s work to protect whales, and Rose Marie talked about how struggles to protect land are also struggles to protect the incredible species of wildlife that reside there.

George Shea, who hosted the keynote panel, spoke in his introductory comments about the paramount issue of climate change, and it’s connection to species extinction risks, thus situating climate change as a primary issue of animal rights.

In my presentation, I echoed George’s concerns of climate change’s risk of driving extinction, and of the right of animals to exist. I focused my analysis through the lens of deforestation. Indonesia’s rainforests are home to incredible, majestic, and endangered creatures such as the orangutan and Sumatran tiger. Currently, Indonesia’s rapid pace of deforestation has made the country the world’s 3rd largest greenhouse gas emitter behind the US and China. That’s right: Not only does rainforest destruction directly threaten the habitat of wildlife, it also releases more greenhouse gases than all of the cars, trains, planes, and trucks in the U.S. combined! Exacerbating climate change will only further endanger all of us, including our animal relatives.

Animal rights , environmental, social justice and climate justice activism all have significant reasons to confront the drivers of deforestation in Indonesia. This issue is a major intersection in our movements.

It was incredible to name those drivers of deforestation in my presentation: pulp and paper and palm oil plantation expansion. Many people in the room already know about Cargill, the largest privately owned corporation in the world, and the #1 importer of palm oil in the United States. Cargill has long been on the animal rights sh*t-list because of their inhumane profit model in the cattle industry. Now animal rights activists have another reason to work to stop Cargill from practicing business as usual: The company has no commitments to change its palm oil supply chain in time to save Sumatran tigers and orangutans.

You can take action by signing our petition to Cargill right now. Then, call Cargill and tell CEO Gregory Page exactly what you think about their palm oil problem: 1-800-CARGILL (1-800-227-4455).

Earth Balance vegan buttery spread contains palm oil sourced from RSPO-members. Not enough.

What came as a surprise to some and an ironic twist to others is the fact that palm oil is in some of our most beloved vegan products, including Earth Balance vegan buttery spread. OH THE SALTY TEARS! While Earth Balance knows its consumers enough to have a palm oil statement on its homepage, the company is still standing behind sourcing from Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) members. Membership is not certification. My mom could join the RSPO for $3,000. Just kidding. Kind of. But seriously, read RAN Agribusiness Campaigner Ashley Schaeffer’s blog about the RSPO Membership Myth. Earth Balance needs to only source RSPO-certified palm oil, RSPO-member-supplied is NOT enough for the expectations of a vegan consumer base.

Vegans and animal rights activists have made inspiring, courageous choices to live by their values. Palm oil ending up in vegan products that are causing orangutan extinction is a time bomb in consumer advocacy that vegan product suppliers would be wise to address rather than avoid. And we know animal rights advocates are not going to settle for anything other than real solutions.

After the talk, I was inspired by how many people were so excited to get involved, to take action, and to learn more. By strategically aligning our movements where our issues overlap, we can make significant strides in protecting rainforests, the creatures that depend on this habitat, and keeping our climate stable. In this way, we are bridging our movements around focused strategy and solutions, and this is an issue we will WIN!

An orangutan at the Singapore Zoo

Several weeks ago, three national parks in Sumatra, Indonesia were collectively labeled a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger. This inscription reiterates the urgency to issue full protections for the last remaining tracts of unspoiled rainforest on the island.

The Sumatran rainforest, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 for its wealth of biodiversity, contains 2.5 million hectares of tropical rainforest and features an incredible 10,000 plant species, 200 mammal species including the critically endangered Sumatran tiger and orangutan, and 580 bird species. The organization added Sumatra to its Danger List this year as a plea to increase awareness of the threats facing the Heritage Site, most notably “poaching, illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, and plans to build roads through the site.”

Although adding Sumatra to the list of Heritage Sites in Danger is certainly a positive step forward that will demonstrate the need for strict conservation of the area, the reality is that UNESCO’s actions may have come too late. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has urged UNESCO to put Sumatra on the Danger List ever since its initial inscription as a World Heritage Site in 2004. Since 2007 the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has been running hard-hitting campaigns targeting the palm oil and pulp and paper industries, warning the public about the dangers posed to this natural habitat long before its appearance on the Danger List. The palm oil and pulp and paper industries represent the largest drivers of rainforest destruction in Indonesia, posing a grave threat to Sumatra’s remaining forests, communities and endangered species.

Even those involved in placing Sumatra on the Danger List know that engendering awareness of the severity of the threats will not be enough to save this precious rainforest, or the orangutans that call it their home. Orangutans only live in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. These countries together are responsible for 85% of the world’s palm oil production, leaving little forest left for anyone or anything but the industry’s palm monoculture. According to Peter Shadie, the IUCN’s senior advisor on World Heritage, it must now be ensured that the listing “leads to real action on the ground to tackle long standing threats.” Wise words, Mr. Shadie.

Nevertheless, the addition of Sumatra to UNESCO’s Danger List demonstrates to the world that the island is in a severely fragile position, and that it is of paramount importance that we take action to halt destruction before this irreplaceable bastion of rainforest and culture has completely disappeared.

Will industries react to this listing? Will logging companies cease fire? Only time will tell. However, we do know for certain that the palm oil and pulp & paper industries will not stop destroying the diverse rainforests of Southeast Asia unless they are forced to stop by environmental and human rights organizations or the Indonesian government. Join the Rainforest Agribusiness campaign’s rapid responder team so that when we have an urgent call for action we can count on you to make a difference.

When some people think of solutions to the climate crisis, they picture wind turbines blowing in the breeze or solar panels on a rooftop. But for me, the best solution is a group of passionate people coming together to directly confront the biggest challenge of our time: re-claiming our political and social power from the fossil fuel industries.

That’s just what happened this past weekend, when a group of student activists from throughout the Northwest got together to start a new chapter in our region’s journey to fossil fuel independence. Together we formed the Coal Action Network, a grassroots organization aimed at challenging coal projects throughout the greater Northwest — and perhaps beyond.

Though the name Coal Action Network is new, student efforts to shift the Northwest away from coal are not. Working in partnership with environmental nonprofits, students have already helped put the only existing coal plants in Oregon and Washington on the path to retirement. When the Boardman Coal Plant and TransAlta Coal Plant are gone from the grid, our region will have eliminated its two biggest sources of carbon pollution, opening up space for clean energy to grow.

These victories never would have happened without countless individuals who took a stand, and were willing to say “No more” to the coal industry. With two major achievements down already, we are turning to the next big challenge: protecting our rivers and bays from becoming an international coal export zone. We are already working in solidarity with impacted frontline communities who are fighting coal export infrastructure in their backyards.

Today everyone from President Obama to BP is willing to talk about technological energy “solutions.” But what about the original democratic solution that formed the foundation of every successful social movement in history: a community of principled individuals willing to stand up for justice? Technology will of course play a vital part in the transition away from fossil fuels, but wind turbines and solar panels will not stop destructive coal infrastructure proposals on their own. Just as leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and the India liberation movement won by refusing to cooperate with oppression, we must do the same — and we must remember that ignoring the problem is tantamount to participating in it. That’s why I’m so excited to see this new chapter of solidarity with impacted communities beginning in the Northwest.

In the months ahead we’ll openly confront the coal industry wherever it tries to make inroads on our communities. Whether by turning out to public hearings, working directly with people on the front lines, or calling out the financial institutions that give the coal giants their funding, we’ll shine a light on what’s happening in our region. Since oppression only thrives when its perpetrators can operate in secret, we’ll win by harnessing the power of truth: the truth that as passengers on the same planet we are all brothers and sisters, and a threat to any one community’s right to clean water and breathable air is by definition a threat to us all.

Acting on this principle, the Coal Action Network has already organized one action in the Northwest. Drawing inspiration from groups like the Rainforest Action Network and Rising Tide, which have pioneered non-violent methods for holding financial institutions accountable, activists who attended Saturday’s campaign launch temporarily “shut down” several Bank of America and Wells Fargo ATMs. Signs posted at the ATMs informed customers the banks were closed “due to investments in coal export projects.”

As the beginning of a new school year approaches next month, I expect to see many other creative actions organized by the Coal Action Network. Like the Civil Rights Movement and the India liberation movement before us, we pledge to stand non-violently but firmly in the way of oppression, and bring justice to our own communities ourselves.

Two Girl Scouts have been working very hard to change this, Rhiannon Tomtishen and Madison Vorva. Our next step in pushing GSUSA CEO Kathy Cloninger to make the right decision for Girl Scouts and rainforests is a little nudge from thousands of people on Facebook and Twitter brought to you by Rainforest Action Network and Change.org. That’s where you come in…

1 Update Your Facebook Status

If you are a Girl Scout, alum, troop leader or family member:

As part of the Girl Scouts family, I am disappointed to see rainforest destroying palm oil still in our cookies. Please help me convince our CEO Kathy Cloninger that Girl Scouts must do right by the world’s last rainforests. Please sign this petition today! http://ran.org/girlscoutcookies

If you are not a member of Girl Scouts, copy/paste:

Will Girl Scouts get rainforest destroying palm oil out of their cookies? Girl Scouts of the USA claims they “have little say if not no say in the recipes used by the bakers.” We don’t buy it. Sign this petition telling CEO Kathy Cloninger that the power to save rainforests is in her hands. http://ran.org/girlscoutcookies

2 Update Girl Scouts of the USA Facebook Wall

9:00am PST update: After the Girl Scouts of the USA Facebook Page was flooded this morning with comments by Girl Scouts, troop leaders, alumnae, parents and Facebook users concerned about the rainforest, Girl Scouts USA panicked and removed all the individual comments from their page. GSUSA also disabled the Facebook function that allows you to share a link on that page. Therefore, instead of commenting on the Girl Scouts of the USA Facebook Page, you can do it on the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook App page. Here’s the latest version of instructions:

If you are a Girl Scout, alum, troop leader or family member, click “Like” on the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook App page, then copy/paste:

As part of the Girl Scouts family, I am disappointed to see rainforest destroying palm oil still in our cookies. I’d like to see Girl Scout cookies be rainforest safe by our 100th anniversary!

If you are not a member of Girl Scouts, click “Like” on the Girl Scout Cookies Facebook page, then copy/paste:

Will Girl Scouts get rainforest destroying palm oil out of their cookies? Girl Scouts of the USA claims they “have little say if not no say in the recipes used by the bakers.” We don’t buy it. Sign this petition telling CEO Kathy Cloninger that the power to save rainforests is in her hands. http://ran.org/girlscoutcookies

3 Tweet @ Girl Scouts

If you are a Girl Scout, alum, troop leader or family member:
As part of @GirlScouts, I pledge to help get #rainforest destroying #palmoil out of our cookies. http://su.pr/1WTU7i via @RAN RT!

If you are not a member of Girl Scouts:
#Rainforest destruction doesn’t belong in your cookies @GirlScouts USA. Your girls deserve better. http://su.pr/1WTU7i via @RAN RT!

***Follow Girl Scout activists Madi & Rhiannon on Twitter @GirlScoutHonor.

4 Tweet @ Celebrities

Get some celebrity spokespeople on our side!

Choose 1 or 2 celebs from our list of famous Girl Scout alumnae (we recommend choosing from the top 5), then add their twitter handle to the end of the tweet below:

Example: As a @GirlScouts alum,can you help us make GS cookies #rainforest safe by RT’ing this? http://su.pr/1WTU7i @MarthaStewart @VenusesWilliams

Girl Scout Alumnae Twitter Handles

1. Venus Williams    @ VenusesWilliams
2. Martha Stewart    @MarthaStewart
3. Taylor Swift    @taylorswift13
4. Sheryl Crow    @SherylCrow
5. Katie Couric    @katiecouric
6. Jackie Joyner-Kersee    @JackieJoynerK
7. Dolly Parton    @Dolly_Parton
8. Star Jones    @StarJonesEsq
9. Amy Sedaris    @amy_sedaris
10. Dakota Fanning    @theDakeFanning
11. Gloria Steinem    @GloriaSteinem
12. Reese Witherspoon    @RealReeseW
13. Mariah Carey    @mariahcarey
14. Kristin Davis    @KristinDavis
15. Carrie Fisher    @CarrieFFisher
16. Deborah Norville    @DeborahNorville
17. Barbara Walters    @BarbaraJWalters
18. Danica Patrick    @DanicaPatrick
19. Rep. Tammy Baldwin    @RepTammyBaldwin
20. Judy Biggert    @JudyBiggert
21. Rep. Mary Bono Mack    @MaryBonoMack
22. Rep. Diana DeGette    @RepDianaDeGette
23. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo    @RepAnnaEshoo
24. Rep. Kay Granger    @RepKayGranger
25. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee    @JacksonLeeTX18
26. Rep. Barbara Lee    @RepBarbaraLee
27. Rep. Nita Lowey    @NitaLowey
28. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy    @RepMcCarthyNY
29. Sen. Barbara Mikulski    @SenatorBarb
30. Sen. Susan Collins    @SenatorCollins
31. Sen. Patty Murray    @PattyMurray
32. Donna Christensen    @DelegateDonna
33. Maria Bartiromo    @MariaBartiromo
34. Abigail Breslin    @AbigailBres
35. Laura Bush    @laurawbush
36. Vanessa Hudgens    @VanessaHudgens
37. Susan Lucci    @Susan_Lucci
38. Marlo Thomas    @MarloThomas
39. Judy Woodruff    @JudyWoodruff
40. Holly McPeak @hmcpeak1

If built, the facility will be the biggest coal export terminal on the North American West Coast. The company pursuing the development, Millennium Bulk Logistics, which is owned by Australian company Ambre Energy, plans to export the coal to Asian markets, mainly in China.

A mix of rain, sleet and snow did not deter a crowd of approximately 50 people, the majority from the Southwest Washington.

Willow Grove resident Les Anderson, who lives less than a mile west of the  site of the proposed terminal, said he’s worried area residents will bear the brunt of coal dust that could blow into the air — despite Millennium’s pledge to takes steps to control it.

“We not only get the short end of the stick, but we get the stick stuck in our eye,” he said.

At 8:00am on an unseasonably warm day in Chicago for the middle of February, RAN Chicago, along with allied student groups from around the city, rallied outside the doors of City Hall’s LaSalle entrance, loaded out our cornucopia of assorted, neon-candy colored, Valentine’s Day themed props.

The props included a Pepto-bismol toned kiosk, three paper machê two-foot-wide “candy” hearts with the words, “arsenic,” “mercury” and “CO2” painted across the fronts, a cardboard coal plant mimicking our local coal plant, Fisk, cardboard gas masks, Clean Power Coalition signs and two large banners.  The kiosk advertised the Toxic Tours that collaborating group Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) leads people on that gives them a glimpse of the devastating coal plant, plastic manufacturing and waste management factories that riddle their streets in places once promised to be community centers or parks.

Once inside there was a press conference where more than 200 civilian proponents of the Clean Power Ordinance stood along with, several reporters, news stations and photographers asking all the brightly clothed individual what it was all about.  Kimberly Wasserman (Director of LVEJO) spoke, along with Alderman Moore.  As they spoke there was a 30-second moment of silence where LVEJO began a memorial for the 30 people in their community who died since the first talk of the Clean Power Ordinance last March.  LVEJO members wore respirator masks and stood around mock tombstones holding a banner that read, “30 More Died While We Waited for Our Hearing.”

After the press conference the Ad Hock Hearing began.  The council room was full, more than 250 were seated and standing as we listened to the testimony of nearly 40 citizens of frontline communities, health professionals, and concerned citizens all speaking against the two coal plants wherein the shadows of which Chicagoans are forced to reside.

Speaker after speaker went to the podium, spoke from both their hearts and scientific facts and drove home to the aldermen listening that coal power is not a sustainable solution.  The aldermen were visibly effected. It seems as though they too understood the gravity of the situation that we all, as citizens of Chicago, live in.  We can not go on like this.  Something drastic has to change.  And from the tone of the hearing, the steadfast and often humorous tone of the pre-rally, and the sheer numbers of people who turned out it is becoming more and more apparent that change is here, that change is happening.  We are standing up for our rights, not only as Citizens of Chicago, but as human beings, and we’re speaking in a voice too strong and urgent for the unsympathetic officials of this city to ignore any longer.

For more information on the plants and community:

• http://www.lvejo.org/
• http://cleanpowerchicago.org/

-Liz Nerat, RAN Chicago

]]> http://understory.ran.org/2011/02/16/chicago-for-clean-power/feed/ 0 http://understory.ran.org/2011/01/12/roaring-at-barnes-and-noble-with-tiki-the-tiger/ http://understory.ran.org/2011/01/12/roaring-at-barnes-and-noble-with-tiki-the-tiger/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:40:01 +0000 Cori http://understory.ran.org/?p=10742

Leave it to the folks at Rainforest Action Network to make anything fun. As an intern with RAN, my job is basically to do whatever task I’m presented, so when Hillary Lehr asked the interns, Lindsay, Lola, and I, to do our own Roar at the Store at the local Barnes & Noble, I thought, “Yeah, I can hand out a few pocket guides and help spread the word.”  When she mentioned someone wearing our full Tiki the Tiger costume, however, I became way more excited about the idea of our own roar and volunteered right away.

Really, who wouldn’t want to spend two hours dancing in a tiger suit, especially for such a good cause! I got some funny looks on the bus as we made our way to the store, but as soon as we took our positions outside and began handing out the awesome Rainforest Safe pocket guides, we got a much better reception and the fun began!  Although we hadn’t brought an awesome boombox or radio, I was blessed with the ability to entertain myself easily and was able to dance to the beat in my head.  Thanks to my super sweet moves, the pocket guides were going like hot cakes!

People would slow down or stop by to read my sign or take a picture with me, and it gave Lindsey and Lola a chance to explain what we were about and how children’s books can play a part in destroying the rainforest.

What I learned from my day as Tiki the Tiger is that participating in actions can be fun! I was nervous about going out on the street and “bothering” people, but when you’re having fun with it, others have fun with it, too! That great day turned out to be one of my favorite days with RAN.

Had the action gone ahead as planned it would have stopped around 150 thousand tonnes of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere, while drawing attention to the failure of provided democratic channels. If found guilty, the defendants could face up to three months in jail.

The case has now been in court for three weeks, with the defendants presenting compelling evidence from leading scientists, including NASA’s James Hansen, that climate change is real and man-made, of the devastating impacts of climate change, and of the failures of the democratic process — our elected Governments — to address climate change. Using this type of logic in a trial is sometimes referred to as a “necessity defense”.

Having heard all the evidence, today, the Judge concluded his summing up and directions to the jury.

Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge is an English photographer who has been covering the British environmental direct action movement for several decades. His excellent blog is a recommended read. Tash has been in court with the Radcliffe defendants and provides the following summary:

“His Honour Judge Teare concludes his summing up and directions. He reminds the jury that from the evidence presented, you might conclude that climate change is happening, it is human driven and the associated effects of it are as has been described. The burning of fossil fuels is mainly responsible and that coal is the biggest contributor. Further Ratcliffe is the 2nd largest producer of such emission in the UK.

The Judge suggests to the jury that to get any action on the issue the choice is between democratic methods, the difficulties of which have been presented Vs. the necessity of action.

So was it to save someone’s life on the planet or not? Please return a verdict on which you are all agreed. A majority verdict is not acceptable in this case.

At 10.20am, the jury retires to consider their verdict.

Having spent the day deliberating, the court was reconvened twice during the day in order to answer jury questions. The first concerned the details of evidence given by former Nottingham MP Alan Simpson about EU directives. The second concerned defining exactly which lives the defendants needed to be protecting in order to justify their actions being necessary in law. The judge explained that the lives did not need to be local to the power station or Nottingham, but could be anywhere in the world. The trial has heard factual evidence from people suffering from the worst excesses of climate change, in locations ranging from Hull to Bangladesh.

The jury will return to court at 10am on Monday

This case is important for the freedom to protest. The activists on trial are ordinary people experiencing the failures of the present political system who remain determined to see action taken on climate change. As yet another global climate summit fails to reach agreement, and as our countries consistently fail to pass legislation to restrict our carbon emissions at the levels we need to avert catastrophe, we are compelled to use a broader range of tactics to defend the planet.

The original post is here

“Pop-pop?”

I tunnelled up from sleep, realizing that my six-year-old great grandson was at the foot of my bed, all dressed for his school day and wanting to touch base with me before he left. ”Hi, Yasin,” I said groggily.  ”Come into bed if you want.” He jumped in and crawled into my arms while I woke myself up a bit more.  ”Good morning,” I said as I gave him a squeeze.

“Why did you go to jail yesterday?” he asked, alert with curiosity. I could feel his worry about me ebbing as he felt the familiar strength of my arms around him. ”I didn’t think President Obama knew how strongly your Pop-pop and lots of other people felt about his letting coal companies blow up mountains,” I said.  ”We thought if we let ourselves be arrested it would get his attention.”

“Yasin, time to go to school.”  It was Yasin’s mom Crystal at the door of my bedroom.  She came further in to take a look at me; she too worried sometimes about her seventy-two year old grandfather. ”Have a good day at school,” I said as he wriggled out of bed.

I was one of more than a hundred people from many walks of life, from famed NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen to the son of many generations of coal miners, from West Virginia’s Larry Gibson who has spoken to the United Nations about the pillage of his mountains to a multiply-pierced young anarchist woman from Chicago.  We were there with thousands of of supporters on September 27 to participate in Appalachia Rising, the first mass nonviolent direct action in Washington, D.C. to oppose mountain top removal.

I dislike arrest and jail, personally.  Been there, done that, as long ago as the civil rights movement in the ‘sixties.  I dislike the loss of freedom, being put under the custody of someone with a gun. Most of what I dislike are the reminders of that seizure of my body and my destiny:  the tight pressure of cold metal handcuffs on my skin, the awkward angles my body  takes getting into police vehicles (I’m not as limber as I once was), the temperature in the cells (always, it seems, too hot or too cold), the uncertainty about whether I’ll be able to stay with my comrades or be isolated, the awful clang of metal against metal when the cell doors close.  I’m lucky in that I’m rarely beaten and in those situations I have some protection from my white skin and my peaceful disposition.

But this mountain top removal thing has to stop.  And I have yet to meet the political scientist who can argue convincingly that Big Coal and the financiers behind it can be stopped without the countervailing pressure of people power through nonviolent direct action.

I know plenty of people who believe that the President “ought to” stop mountain top removal (and the wars and poverty and the looting of our treasury by giant corporations) but their “Obama ought to” complaints imply, as complaints do, the powerlessness of the speaker.

The powerful way to handle an ally in the White House is to act in such a way as to “force him” to do what he wants to do already.  The powerful way for a citizen to act in our country is to acknowledge the reality of its corrupted politics, as black students and Dr. King did years ago, and participate in campaigns that force change. That’s part of the legacy of power that moves Earth Quaker Action Team, the group I’m part of.  Why hold back from taking nonviolent direct action?

I’m remembering the aboriginal woman who asked me a burning question during our break during a labor union training in Canada.  Taking the stance of a warrior, fixing me with her brown eyes, she asked: “Why, George, have your people abandoned your president?”

I had no answer in the moment.  It was a year ago, and indeed so many people had walked away after casting their vote, leaving Obama the job of cleaning up the mess.  In reflecting on her question I realize that some people really do maintain the image of U.S. politics given by seventh grade civics textbooks, and keep their innocence despite everything they’ve experienced since.  Others just want someone “on top” to blame: it used to be mom or dad or the teacher, and now it’s the president.  Others cherish their comfort zone and continue to talk and sign petitions and lobby and talk some more, keeping themselves almost-convinced that spending their hours in meetings away from their families is the sacrifice that will bring social change.  If only they let themselves consider a different paradigm.

Luckily, I was around when Dr. King reminded us that ‘the truth shall make us free.”  The truth about how politics works in the U.S.  The truth about climate change and the radical change it requires of us — of all of us.  And the promise of freedom to re-join our planet, to have a decent future for our six-year olds.

Yesterday’s action for me had a curious blend of power and sweetness. We walked into PNC’s ornate and historic bank near the White House. Reverend Billy set down on the middle of the marble floor a tarp and the rest of us poured dirt on it, creating a kind of mountain complete with twigs and leaves and a little red sign saying “Stop.” Eleven of us made an arc around the dirt mound, sitting as we did so, while behind us the Gospel choir of the Church of Life After Shopping began to sing.  A banner was held aloft: “PNC Bank: The Mountaintop Removal Bank.”

Supporters dialogued with the bank manager while photographers did their thing.  Police checked us out and went away to deal with more pressing matters.  Those of us sitting in — from Earth Quaker Action Team, Swarthmore College students, Rainforest Action Network — held a meditative silence while the choir sang and Reverend Billy preached and the bank locked its doors.

When it was clear that the authorities would “wait us out,” we alternated the singing with reflections, spontaneously as in Quaker Meeting, and personal stories of meaningful times with Nature.  The closeness grew; communion happened.

The police returned and four of us were handcuffed and walked out of the bank to the waiting police cars and the cheers of our comrades.

This time the jail cells were cold.  Our hearts, however, were warm.

Today, as part of Appalachia Rising, the largest protest against mountaintop removal coal mining in history, 35 concerned citizens staged a sit-in at PNC’s flagship bank here Washington DC. Currently, PNC Bank is the largest U.S. financier of mountaintop removal. Activists, people of faith and students joined together to demand that the bank cut its financial ties with the devastating practice.

Over the past two years, most major U.S. banks have moved to limit their financing of MTR. PNC has refused to act.

PNC is now the number one U.S. financier of MTR. The bank has provided more than $500 million in loans and bonds to six companies practicing mountaintop removal: Massey Energy, Patriot Coal, Alpha Natural Resources, International Coal Group, Arch Coal and Consol Energy. These six companies are collectively responsible for almost half of all MTR coal mining in Appalachia.

The idea of corporate responsibility has come up repeatedly in recent months following the coal mine and oil disasters. That responsibility extends beyond profits to the health and well-being of our communities. Some banks, such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, have made commitments to reduce and even end their funding of the dirtiest coal mining practices. By continuing to finance mountaintop removal coal mining, PNC is throwing that responsibility aside.

The PNC website boldly states that they are “the greenest bank in the business.” Meanwhile, the communities impacted by PNC’s financing decisions are facing public health threats including unsafe drinking water and toxic mercury pollution; are saddled with an unsustainable development path; and devastated by the economic impacts of a dying industry.

The time is now for action.  In order for PNC to fulfill its vision as an environmentally responsible bank, PNC needs to stop financing for mountaintop removal coal mining.

Activists Dump 1000 Lbs of Coal Waste at EPA Headquarters

Today RAN and our friends in DC dumped 1,000 pounds of Appalachian dirt onto the front lawn at the EPA’s headquarters. Our message? “EPA: Don’t let King Coal dump on Appalachia.” This is part of our effort to compel the agency to veto the 2,278-acre Spruce mountaintop mine project in Blair, W.Va., which is the largest mountaintop mine project ever proposed.

With mountaintop removal becoming increasingly controversial, the Spruce 1 battle is being closely watched as a bellweather for the mining practice’s future. As we see it, vetoing the Spruce mine is a critical nail in mountaintop removal’s coffin. So far, the EPA has asserted that the Spruce mine project would irrevocably damage streams and wildlife and violate the Clean Water Act. However, just last week the Obama administration announced that it would delay making a decision on whether to veto the Spruce mine project until late September. Our fear is that pressure from the coal industry and coal state politicians may be influencing the administration’s decision during the election season.

That is why last Friday we went down to the coalfields of West Virginia to collect a big old pile of dirt – mud from a forest and mountain that will be sacrificed if the coal industry gets its way with Appalachia. We’ve brought this mud to the EPA’s headquarters to highlight the critical importance of its decision about the Spruce No. 1 coal mining permit.

The Spruce Mine will be the largest mountaintop removal (MTR) site in West Virginia and, if mined as planned, it would bury more than seven miles of headwater streams, directly impact over 2000 acres of forests, and degrade water quality in streams adjacent to the mine.

Thousands of you have already contacted the EPA to demand they issue a full veto on this permit. We’re here today to make sure they haven’t forgotten. You can do the same today by calling EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson to ensure her agency stands up to King Coal and on the right side of history.

We’re not going to be quiet about this until MTR is over. We’ll be back in DC later this month, with thousands more friends, as part of Appalachia Rising to call for the end of mountaintop mining.

One of the Internationals that were refused into the shareholder meeting was Guillermo Grafa, an Indigenous leader from Ecuador. “We don’t need empathy from Chevron, we need them to accept full responsibility for the pain and suffering they have caused our people and clean up Ecuador now,” said Grafta.

Also outside, Chevron arrested four shareholders and representatives who refused to leave Chevron property after they were denied access to the meeting. The 4 were arrested on trespassing charges and hauled into waiting police vans. The four arrested at the entrance were Juan Parras a long time environmental justice activist in Houston and founder of TEJAS, an EJ group fighting refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast; Rev. Jerome Davis a livelong civil rights hero who marched in Selma and has long fought for environmental justice in Richmond, CA; and Mitch Anderson and Han Shan from Amazon Watch, an organization working in solidarity with Indigenous communities fighting Chevron in Ecuador.

Much like the tone of the meeting outside, inside the shareholders meeting was filled with disrespect, outrage, and arrests.

Mariana Jimenez from Lago Agrio, Ecuador and Indigenous Kichwa leader Guillermo Grefa from Rumipamba Community

One of the few community members allowed inside the shareholder meeting was Mariana Jimenez, a 71-year-old grandmother from Ecuador. She spoke directly to Chevron’s CEO and Board and demanded an end to Chevron’s lies about the massive oil contamination in Ecuador that is destroying her community in the Amazon rainforest.

“In 1976, I lost two young children. In 1979, one of my daughters became very sick with an unknown illness on her throat and lost her voice for three months. People are still getting sick every day. There are children born with birth defects. I want him [Watson] to take responsibility for the crime that his company committed in my country.” Watson replied callously by calling Chevron empathetic to Ecuador’s pollution while saying that Chevron has been richly rewarded by the purchase of Texaco. (the original operator in Ecuador).

In addition to the arrestees outside the meeting, Antonia Juhasz of the Chevron Program at Global Exchange was also arrested inside the meeting. After delivering a scathing analysis of Chevron’s global environmental and human rights abuses she was forcefully removed from the meeting as CEO Watson abruptly ended the meeting nearly a full hour early.

The events that corresponded with Chevron’s attempted self-celebration of profit were a true indicator of the global coordination and resistance against Chevron’s operations world-wide. We will change Chevron, because energy shouldn’t cost lives

Pictures from the day can be found on RAN’s flickr feed HERE

Note: As of Thursday all arrested have been released and await their hearing on June 6.