Occupy Oakland: RAN Deplores Violence — But Come On Media, Get It Right

Most of RAN’s staff joined the call from Occupy Oakland for the general strike yesterday. We had an energizing and inspiring time marching in the streets in solidarity with the emerging Occupy movement. We were there, we took part, and we are against any violence. But the issue galling many of us today is how [...]

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Why Rainforest Action Network Stands With The Occupy Movement

Rainforest Action Network believes the social, economic, and environmental crises sweeping the planet are inter-related symptoms born of the same root causes. Put simply, unchecked corporate power is dangerous and destructive to both people and the planet. Mother Earth is as much a member of the 99% as any one of us.

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Remember, Remember The 5th Of November

Remember, remember the 5th of November — because this Saturday is “Bank Transfer Day.” BTD is a highly popular Facebook event (over 70,000 are attending) initiated by Kristen Christian, a young woman from California who decided she’d had enough of corporate greed. Her feelings resonated with tens of thousands of others, and the big banks [...]

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VIDEO: Creativity And Passion Are Driving The Occupation Of Wall Street

Walking around the “Island of Humanity” that is #OccupyWallStreet, I’m struck most by the creativity of expression and the impressive amount of organizing that has gone into keeping this three-week occupation going. It’s almost overwhelming to be here. But it’s also incredibly inspiring. I’ve been having some wonderful conversations and plotting sessions with a new [...]

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How Did the Banks Get So Weak, Anyway?

A great article from Forbes appeared in my Google alerts last week and I had to share. The article begins as yet another article describing the sad state of affairs at big US banks, namely Bank of America and Citi. The article goes on, however, to give a refreshingly short and simple explanation of how [...]

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Bank of America’s Climate Commitment Ignores the Big Picture

Bank of America today announced a new greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitment covering their office facilities. While I welcome Bank of America’s continued acknowledgment that reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions is critical for combating the climate crisis, Bank of America must move quickly beyond commitments to reduce the carbon footprint of direct energy consumption [...]

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RBS Still Mired In Tar Sands

Last Summer we had a rather public row with RBS over its role in bankrolling fossil fuel expansion. Since then, the Bank’s PR team has been working overtime to clear the bank’s name — even releasing a 10-page report dedicated to the topic. Trouble is, its bankers continue to close lucrative deals in the tar [...]

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Offical Notice: Cease Financing Coal

To: Bank of America, Citi, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, PNC and Wells Fargo: We regret to inform you that this bank is being put on Notice. Effective immediately you must begin to cease all financing of coal-fired power-plants and related infrastructure. The Rainforest Action Network, our supporters and allies, being inhabitants of this planet, do [...]

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New UBS Policy Fizzles

‘Tis the season for new bank environmental and social policies! Last Friday, UBS was the latest to announce an updated “Responsible Banking” policy. Let’s see how it stacks up. First off, we have to commend UBS and other banks for choosing to make environmental and social commitments public. Transparency is a critically necessary component of [...]

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Breaking: UBS Eighth Bank To Slow Financing Of MTR

More good news for our global finance campaign – this week Swiss banking giant UBS issued a public statement highlighting the regulatory and reputational concerns around mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in Appalachia. UBS is the eighth bank to do this! Significantly, UBS has been the biggest funder of MTR coal mining, including the worst of [...]

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