Thurs. March 1st - OBJECT to massive offshore drilling

To respond to plans to dramatically increase leases for offshore drilling of oil and gas, we will gather, with pens or laptops,  as the People’s Ocean + Energy Management (POEM) Assembly to send official comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).  Well-informed members will be present with ideas, literature, BOEM handouts, encouragement, and a good dose of outrage.

Thursday, March 1st, 7-9 pm, Wildflower Church Community Room. Bring your laptop!
Or go to this article from the Austin Sierran to read all about it, and send your comment(s) via the article's link.  The COMMENT PERIOD for this phase ends on MARCH 9.
Trump Abandons Ocean Drilling Protection

SUNDAY, 2/18, 9:30-10:45 am: CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION: Carbon Capture Through Crops, Soil and Grass.

LOCATION: Faith Parlor--across from the Sanctuary at Wildflower Church, 1314 E. Oltorf.
      We will look at alternatives to high-tech carbon capture. This could also be called, "How to Have Your Cow and Your Planet Too" (and incidentally wipe out world hunger). The "dirty secret" of global climate targets is that the scenarios presume that an enormous quantity of carbon dioxide can be captured and safely sequestered, but the means of doing so at scale is unproven. Meanwhile, a new breed of "carbon farmers" is trying to get attention on the promisingly large amount of carbon that photosynthesis can capture in regeneratively managed soils, crops, and grasslands.

      We hope to be able to include guest presenters. Discussion time follows, and may continue afterward at Starbucks.

     Wildflower Church shares its campus with Faith Presbyterian Church.
     For more details, contact Susan Lippman at 512-810-0236

Join us for a special talk, “THE STATE OF THE CLIMATE” by Derrick Crowe

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8

 6:30 –Doors open, 7:00- 8:30 – Program, Wildflower Community Room, Wildflower UU Church, 1314 E. Oltorf
      Austinite Derrick Crowe will present The State of The Climate, a scientifically grounded yet clear and engaging presentation describing the climate change challenge and the way forward. Areas covered will include understanding climate change, rebuttal of climate-denier arguments, global climate justice, and what response is required by Earth’s life-support systems.  The birth of Derrick’s son Henry three years ago, coinciding with each of those years breaking all previous global temperature records, led Derrick to prioritize fighting climate change and communicating about it.
      Derrick Crowe has worked as a senior staffer on Capitol Hill on agriculture and rural issues, strategic communications policy, and counter-terrorism. Concern about the latter led him to leave Washington and eventually lead the Rethink Afghanistan project at Brave New Foundation. Since arriving in Austin, he has co-founded a small business and  has done much work in non-profit sector in Austin, including working for SAFE to provide justice to survivors of sexual assault, and at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, advocating for low- and moderate-income Texans.  WCAT team members know Derrick for his work with 350.org, a local and national organization dedicated to preventing dangerous or catastrophic climate change, and for his presentation during Climate Justice Week last spring in the lead-up to the People’s Climate March.
      Contact:  The WildEarth Climate Action Team, Susan Lippman 512 810 0236

A note for WildEarth Climate Action Team members: We'll hold our monthly meeting right after Derrick's presentation. We'll decide by consensus whether to stay in the Community Room or adjourn to Opal Divine's Grill across the street to the North of us.

SUNDAY, 1/21, 9:30-10:45 am –CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION: Rainforests

Location: Faith Parlor—across from the Sanctuary at Wildflower Church, 1314 E. Oltorf.
           How rainforests not only ameliorate climate change, but create weather. We will also see how cultural survival and rainforest protection are intertwined, and learn about good and bad carbon offsets. Expect video clips, handouts, and a short rainforest slideshow from Sharon Mastenbrook’s travels.  Discussion time follows, and probably continues afterward at Starbucks.

Regular team meeting, 1/11

The WildEarth Climate Action team is holding a regular monthly meeting today at a member's home near Westgate Blvd.  Pizza will be served. For information and directions, call 5128100236.

Dinner Social

We're on for the planned "social" at Waterloo Icehouse, 6:30 pm.
If you're east of Loop 1, travel west on Slaughter Lane, go past Loop 1, then shortly turn right on Escarpment.  It's in Escarpment Village.  512-810-0236

Next CLIMATE CHANGE HOPE class

Don't miss our Climate Change Hope classes!  Here's the next one (2nd of four):

CLIMATE CHANGE HOPE: Positive Solutions for the Way Forward

 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 9:30-10:45 AM, FAITH PARLOR

The WildEarth Climate Action Team presents  the second class in our series, Climate Change Hope, which examine the top pathways to healing our earth, based on "Project Drawdown" and other sources. This class delves into forestry and agriculture as massive potential carbon sinks. A Woods Hole researcher says, "Forests are the only carbon capture and storage 'technology' we have in our grasp that is safe, proven, inexpensive, immediately available at scale, and capable of providing beneficial ripple effects."  Each class stands alone; there is no need to attend them all.  In November and December, the classes will be on the first Sundays.

Meeting Thurs. 9/14; New Class starts Sun. 9/17

New Class Begins!  

CLIMATE CHANGE HOPE: Positive Solutions for the Way Forward 

 SUNDAY, September 17^th , 9:30-10:15 a.m. 

      Join us on the third Sunday in September at Wildflower Church, 1314
 E. Oltorf St.,  for the kick-off of our new Climate Education series!   We will look at the most promising and effective pathways forward to a viable climate for planet Earth. The amount of greenhouse gases already emitted is beyond what earth can withstand without long-term damage to life support functions.  These classes will examine some of the top pathways to healing our earth, based on “Project Drawdown” (see here) and other sources, and will conclude with a class on positive climate change communication.  Expect videos or slides, handouts, and ample discussion time--discussion can continue after 10:15, outdoors or next door at Opal Divine's.  We meet in the Faith Parlor, across the open space from the Sanctuary.

Sept. 17 –Introduction and a look at managing refrigerants as a surprising top solution out of 100 solutions: simply changing the main chemical used in refrigerants. In later classes we will also look at whole categories of solutions; for example, the untapped potential of the living biosphere to absorb carbon.

Schedule of subsequent classes:

Sunday October 15 –Forestry and agriculture as massive potential carbon sinks.

Sunday November 5 –Food, and the well-being of women and girls, as powerfully connected to climate.

Sunday December 3 –Best communication practices about these hopeful scenarios.