The First Friday Film Series: Racing Extinction, Friday August 5, 6:30 pm, Wildflower Community Room

On Friday August 5^th, the WildEarth Climate Action Team of the Social Action Committee presents Racing Extinction, a documentary by award-winning director Louie Psihoyos, in which a team of artists and activists expose the hidden world of extinction which threatens half the world’s species. A dangerous behind-the-scenes investigation of the international wildlife trade, along with exploration of climate-change and ocean acidification impacts and stunning cinematography make for a gripping film ending on a beautiful and hopeful note. 

Location: Wildflower Unitarian Universalist Church, Wildflower Community Room, 1314 E. Oltorf (campus shared with Faith Presbyterian). 

  For more information on the film, see  http://racingextinction.com/ .   FREE.

FORUM, SUNDAY, JULY 24, 1:00 PM – “FIGHTING GENTRIFICATION: THE CACTUS ROSE TRAILER PARK"

Location:  Wildflower Community Room.

Sponsored by the Social Action Committee.  Childcare will be available.

After our worship service, experienced activist Susana Almanza will speak to us about how people can support an affordable alternative for the very vulnerable residents of the Cactus Rose Trailer Park in East Austin, and about the history and process that has led up to this point. This long-running issue now has a creative and effective community-led policy solution on the horizon.    As teams in our congregation begin to learn how to advocate for and empower our own neighbors in their struggles to protect their neighborhoods and affordable housing, we have much to learn from Susana Almanza’s deep experience in grassroots organizing.

Susana Almanza is a founding organizer of People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER) and is President of the Montopolis Neighborhood Plan Contact Team. She has led many successful campaigns to achieve environmental justice in East Austin, including the closure of the infamous Tank Farm and the Holly Power Plant.  She was the winner of the 2013 Distinguished Service Award for public service as a member of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Community Oversight Team awarded by the Austin City Council, the 2011 International Women’s Day award for Environmentalist of the Year, and many others.  

WILDEARTH CLIMATE ACTION TEAM MEETING, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 6:30-9:00 PM

Two things are coming up in the next four days: Our meeting on Thursday (movie!) and a chance to protest against a coal mine:


Wednesday  8 AM-11 AM, Coal Mine protest : Sierra Club’s ATX EJ is organizing this action, “Stand With Eagle Pass,” to protest at the Texas Commission on Quality where they are expected to rubber-stamp a permit to despoil the water of Elm Creek for the Dos Republicas Coal Mine. The TCEQ office is up near Walnut Creek and I-35.  It's fine to just show up for part of the 8 to 11am time.  I plan to be there.  Let's CARPOOL from Wildflower UU Church--meet at 7:10 AM and leave at 7:20 AM.  
     For more information:   http://austineconetwork.com/event/stand-with-eagle-pass/  This website also includes a link for writing a letter to TCEQ. Here is the Facebook event page:    https://www.facebook.com/events/1039750686132543/

This Thursday, July 7, 6:30 pm, will be movie night! We'll play a sneak preview of the movie, RACING EXTINCTION, and consider organizing a later presentation of it at Wildflower Church for a larger audience.We'll meet at Mike Ignatowski and Martha Carleton’s home.  (Our usual second-Thursday meeting is moved up a week.)  
   The location is halfway to Dripping Springs, so if interested in CARPOOLING AT 6:00 PM from the H.E.B. parking lot at Manchaca and Slaughter Lane, call Susan Lippman at 512 810 0236.  The HEB  store is on the NW corner of Manchaca and Slaughter (Tanglewood Village shopping center).  I’ll hang near the China Dynasty restaurant. Look for me sitting on top of my silver Honda Civic.   Please RSVP if possible for pizza-estimating purposes, or just show up anyway.

    For  directions, email climateteam@wildflowerchurch.org , or call or text Susan Lippman at 512 810 0236 (even at the last moment).