Articles tagged environment
Posted 11 years ago on July 22, 2013, 1:31 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
environment,
michigan,
tar sands
via MI CATS:
This morning Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI-CATS) is taking direct action near Stockbridge to halt construction of the Tar Sands pipeline 6B expansion project of Canadian corporation Enbridge. Over 40 Michiganders have come to oppose the infamous corporation’s flagrant expansion of the very same pipeline that spilled out into the Kalamazoo River only three years ago. Enbridge claims they have restored the river after a spill is no excuse to expand the pipeline, expanding the pipeline increases the risk for everyone.
Residents are currently halting Enbridge’s construction plans by putting their bodies on the line in an act of non violent civil disobedience against Enbridge’s plans. At least 6 people have been arrested so far as police attempt to shut down the protest. 4 people are currently locked down to construction equipment and refusing to move. Police have arrested their medical support team and threaten to arrest anyone who tries to approach them.
Check into the MI CATS Facebook Page for up to the minute updates and photo uploads.
These measures come after the exhaustion of every method within the law, as it has has become apparent from our experiences all throughout the state. Our state government is ready to set aside its own laws and legal processes to accommodate this foreign corporation.
Enbridge itself has consistently demonstrated that their sole priority is their own bottom line, not the health and safety of the people of Michigan, our ecosystem, and even their own workers.
Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands seeks to unite the people of Michigan toward the common goal of stopping all transportation of tar sands oil in the state and advocating against the production and transportation of tar sands everywhere. We work in solidarity with the global movement against harsh fossil fuel extractive practices.
According to one person who is participating in this action:
“This pipeline is a disaster for Michigan’s water and the global climate. I’m blockading this pipeline to prevent the next spill because I care about Michigan’s air and water. People all over the world are taking action in their own community this Fearless Summer. We need to leave all fossil fuels in the
ground.”
-William Lawrence of East Lansing
We will not allow Canadian tar sands to pass through our backyards. We will no longer allow the same Canadian corporation responsible for the tar sands which still lie at the bottom of our Kalamazoo River to place all of us at risk. We are taking this action to protect from another spill and to ensure a livable planet for generations to come.
Location of the action is the Enbridge 6B easement off of Grimes west of M-52 near Stockbridge, MI. Look for the orange construction signs and the police presence. Hashtag #micatsact.
Updates on the action will continue, as events unfold.
Posted 11 years ago on Jan. 2, 2013, 1:07 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
tar sands blockade,
environment,
houston,
texas
<p> </p>
<p>Follow this
link to background information on Houston's toxic East End,
more info on projects going on in Manchester such as the Free Store, and
photos from other events. For more information contact
greencircleas@riseup.net</p>
On Thursday, December 27th, in Houston, TX residents of the Manchester
neighborhood joined in unity with anarchist community organizers, Tar
Sands Blockaders, Occupiers, leaders from TEJAS (Texas Environmental
Justice Advocacy Services), and hunger strikers Diane Wilson and Bob
Lindsey, now in their 33rd day of a sustained hunger strike to protest
Valero’s involvement with the Keystone XL Pipeline and ultimately their
presence in this community. Movements like Occupy Wall Street have given
rise to resistance movements that aim to prove that another world is
possible.
Anarchists and Tar Sands Blockaders
have been organizing in Houston’s toxic East End. For the past two months
they have been working to cultivate a community of resistance in the fence-line
neighborhood of Manchester. This was most recently displayed when
residents of Manchester cheered on Diane Wilson and Bob Lindsey, after they chained
their necks to industrial trucks outside this Valero refinery during a
TSB action. People came out into the streets and began chanting, “Shut
down Valero! Protect Manchester” and, “What do we want? Clean air! When
do we want it? NOW!” Diane and Bob began a hunger strike immediately
after being arrested for their actions. They were taken to the Harris
County Jail where they were made to endure torturous and illegal conditions.
Anarchists and Tar Sands Blockaders
helped to facilitate the gathering based on principles of mutual aid and
solidarity. A barbecue was held less than one block away from the Valero
refinery that poisons the neighborhood.
A sign proclaimed, “EVERYONE WELCOME! TODⒶS BIENVENIDⒶS!” and was
accompanied by a free store containing many warm clothing items, books
from Tony Diaz’s project, Librotraficante, live music from an Occupy Wall Street
member, and toys for children collected and donated by Cherri Foytlin.
Cherri, an indigenous woman, and mother of six from Louisiana, chained
herself to a Keystone XL Pipeyard gate on October 24th, a Tar Sands
Blockade action.
“From destructive tar sands development that destroy
indigenous sovereignty and health at the route’s start to the toxic
emissions that will lay further burden on environmental justice
communities along the Gulf of Mexico, this pipeline not only
disproportionately affects indigenous frontline communities but its clear
that it will bring death and disease to all in its path.”
-Cherri Foytlin
Residents and allies marched the half block to the neighborhoods only park
sitting in the shadow of the Valero refinery and it's insidious smokestacks to issue new demands on the
corporate giant. “We demand to know what you are forcing us to breathe!
¡Exigimos saber lo que nos están obligando a respirar!” The community
came together in a celebration of unity and strength. The following day,
a young woman from the community who helped to write a demand letter to
amplify the all too often silenced voices of Manchester, made her way to
San Antonio. The president and CEO of Valero, William Kleese, lives there
in a multi-billion dollar home in a gated community with a security check
point. The young woman, Yudith, intended to speak directly to Kleese but
no one came to the door. Yudith left a copy of this
letter on the holiday wreath on Kleese's door.
Posted 11 years ago on Dec. 22, 2012, 12:05 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
environment,
denver,
tar sands blockade
Occupy Denver stands in solidarity with The Tar Sands Blockade, and is calling for national and international mobilization and solidarity actions against the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Tar sands giant TransCanada has begun construction on the southern leg of the Keystone XL. Leading NASA Climate Scientist James Hansen has called the Keystone XL “game over” for the climate, and Americans are already feeling the heat. The pipeline will make TransCanada rich while encroaching on ranch lands, poisoning Texas’ working class communities, and destroying the environment that makes the lone star state so beautiful.
Kick off the new year by demonstrating your resistance to Keystone XL!
Join us for another mass action in Southeast Texas on Monday, January 7th, including a 3 day training camp leading up to the big event. Our trainings and events are open and include roles for everyone ready to defend our homes from toxic tar sands.
RSVP right now so we can know how many people to expect.
tarsandsblockade.org/jan7/
SCHEDULE (Jan. 3rd – 8th):
Thursday, Jan. 3rd – Travel & Arrival
Friday, Jan. 4th – Day 1: Direct Action Training Camp
Saturday, Jan. 5th – Day 2: Direct Action Training Camp
Sunday, Jan. 6th – Day 3: Direct Action Training Camp
Monday, Jan. 7th – Mass Action to Stop Keystone XL
Tuesday, Jan. 8th – Debrief and Depart
Questions? Contact: 972-439-5310, TSBComms@riseup.net
Tar Sands Blockade is a coalition of Texas and Oklahoma landowners and climate justice organizers using peaceful and sustained civil disobedience to stop the construction of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
As a grassroots campaign, we are funded entirely by the generosity of individual donors. Meaning that every dollar of your contribution goes directly into stopping TransCanada and the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline where it matters most. The Tar Sands Blockade is one of the most important resistance actions in the nation. If you can’t join us, you can still help. Please consider donating.
Wish List tarsandsblockade.org/donate-3/wishlist/
WePay wepay.com/donations/tsbdonate
And please join our E-Action to help continue to spread awareness and support our people on the ground.
Posted 11 years ago on Dec. 10, 2012, 3:07 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
first nations,
#idlenomore,
canada,
treaty rights,
environment,
international
via idlenomore.ca
Monday, Dec. 10, 2012 (Edmonton) Under what is being called a national day of action and solidarity, First Nations and their supporters have organized more than 13 nation-wide rallies for Monday (December 10) to express opposition the legislation the Harper Government has put forward in Bill C-45 and other bills.
The movement, under the banner “Idle No More” (#IdleNoMore) emerged within the grassroots less than four weeks ago in Saskatchewan. It began as an effort to educate First Nations people on the multitude of legislation being put forward by the Harper government that they feel is a direct attack on the rights of First Nations. The organizers Sylvia McAdam, Jess Gordon, Nina Wilson and Sheelah Mclean began by organizing “teach-ins” to inform people.
On Dec. 2, when another Idle No More session was called in Alberta, more than 150 people drove into Louis Bull First Nation on a Sunday to hear what the presenters had to say. The organizer for that event, Tanya Kappo, took to Twitter and Facebook to help generate awareness on the matter as the passage of Bill C45 was imminent. Says Kappo, “the people in our communities had absolutely no idea what we were facing, no idea what plans Stephen Harper had in store for us.”
Sylvia McAdam, one of the organizers of the original Saskatchewan events stated, “We are not really surprised by the amount of support coming spontaneously from the grassroots and from the Chiefs, because we knew we could no longer stay silent in the face of what is a legislative attack on First Nation people and the lands and waters across the country.” McAdam said, ““Bill C 45 is not just about a budget, it is a direct attack on First Nations lands and on the bodies of water we all share from across this country.”
Opposition by First Nations to Bill C-45 garnered national attention last week during when 300 First Nations Chiefs marched on Parliament hill, and several Chiefs, led by Chief Fox, went inside Parliament to deliver a message to the government. This refusal to allow First Nations leadership to respectfully enter the House of Commons triggered an even greater mobilization of First Nation people across the country.
Rallies will be held on Monday, December 10 in Vancouver, Whitehorse, Calgary, Edmonton, Stand Off, Saskatoon, North Battleford, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Goose Bay-Happy Valley. More information can be found at www.idlenomore.com and also on our Event Pages
#IdleNoMore
Facebook Pages:
Idle No More Community
Idle No More
See below for list of event pages for cities across Canada.
Read More...
Posted 11 years ago on Nov. 28, 2012, 2:16 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Tags:
climate change,
occupy sandy,
disaster relief,
events,
nyc,
environment
For the past month we have come together to support and rebuild communities broken by Hurricane Sandy. As Sharon Lerner wrote in the American Prospect, “the storm handed inequality activists an almost eerily perfect illustration of exactly what they see as wrong with our world.”
In this vein, over Thanksgiving Occupy Sandy joined with communities to share over 10,000 meals. Now we begin to come together to connect the dots from the storm, to climate change, to the reckless greed of the 1%-ers at the forefront of the fossil fuel industry.
The work is far from over, so join us. You can check out the Occupy Sandy Relief NYC Facebook page to get started, or follow @OccupySandy on Twitter.
-- from the ‘Your Inbox: Occupied’ team
TONIGHT, Wednesday, November 28, 6:30pm
Occupy Sandy Guerilla Movie Premier with Josh Fox
Mystery Location - Text @ClimateCrime to 23559 or follow #climatecrime
Join academy-award nominated director Josh Fox (Gasland), Occupy Sandy Relief organizers, 350.org, The Other 98%, and The Illuminator for a Guerilla Premiere of Josh Fox’s new short film “Occupy Sandy: A Human Response to the New Realities of Climate Change,” which viscerally shows the damage left behind by the storm, highlights the heroic grassroots efforts of Occupy activists, and the upcoming fight with the fossil fuel industry. Dress warm, bring hot beverages, be prepared to move and to be moved.
TONIGHT, Wednesday, November 28, 9pm
Occupy Sandy Volunteer Appreciation Night
The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Brooklyn(b/w 2nd-3rd Ave)
Take the F/G/R to 4th Ave - 9th St Station
You are cordially invited to kick back and relax for a few hours this week in appreciation of all of your hard work and dedication to Occupy Sandy relief! There will be LIVE dance beats from DJ RiMix as well as surprise musical performances & more! Drink specials and, of course, no cover charge!
DAILY, Volunteer to Clean-out homes in the Rockaways
Sign Up at respondandrebuild.org/volunteer
Help residents clean and remove debris from their houses. You do not need specific skills for this type of work, just a willingness to get dirty and help. Experienced team leaders will guide your work efforts and keep you safe on the job. If you do have experience or skills in construction, demolition, engineering, or environmental assessment, please contact oscleanout@gmail.com.
Read More...
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