The Portland Public School Board just took a strong stand for the right of students to be taught accurate information about human-caused climate change. On May 17, the board unanimously approved a resolution that directs the Portland school district to "abandon the use of any adopted text material that is found to express doubt about the severity of the climate crisis or its root in human activities." Bill Bigelow, a former Portland school teacher, said "we don't want kids in Portland learning material courtesy of the fossil fuel industry." But since its vote, the board has been barraged with angry hate mail from angry climate change-deniers across the country. An email sent to board members shouted: "One can only hope that Mount St. Helens erupts again and spews 'Global Warming' on you morons." The board did the right thing for Portland students and climate change education, and they should be thanked and congratulated, not condemned. Please sign the thank you letter to let board members know you strongly support and appreciate their action!

Every petition would brief is the governor's desk will reinforce our determination to stop dirty coal moving through Oakland. So I am passionately asking my friends – at least 20 of us – to send ours.

The Obama administration plans to allow new drilling in the Arctic and the Gulf, risking our climate and communities. This is a huge step in the wrong direction. We need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition to clean, renewable energy. Additionally, bringing new drilling to the Arctic and Gulf risks another oil spill disaster, which would kill wildlife and harm coastal communities. We only have until June 16th to let the president know we don't support these plans. Add your voice today.

Nestlé is known for depleting water supplies. I care about my state and the people in it. Arizona is already struggling with a drought and a rapidly growing population. The last thing Arizona needs is further strain on its precious water supply.

In 2015, the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) finalized a Record of Decision approving another 25 years of coal mining and burning at the Four Corners Power Plant (FCPP) and Navajo Mine outside of Farmington, New Mexico. The DOIs decision was predicated on a faulty Fish and Wildlife Service biological opinion and violated numerous statutes contained in the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act. It is also in direct contradiction to the United States’ global climate change commitments. The Four Corners Power Plant was built in the early 1960s with a stated useful lifespan of 50 years. Each year it spews the greenhouse gas equivalent of over 11 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere alongside thousands of tons of toxic pollutants including mercury, arsenic, selenium, lead, and nitrogen oxides. These elements degrade regional air and water quality and are dangerous to human health. Studies clearly demonstrate that communities downwind of the mouth-mine complex already experience elevated incidences of chronic respiratory diseases compared with the rest of the country. Aside from this complex’s egregious impacts to environmental and human health, just as concerning is what this decision means for our regional economy. The coal industry is in permanent decline, the Navajo Mine is struggling to stay afloat, and FCPP needs hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize its antiquated facilities. Instead of reinforcing the economic and moral imperative to transitioning away from coal, this decision, in essence, directs hundreds of millions of dollars into toxic assets that are bound to fail. This money would be far better spent modernizing our infrastructure and preparing our energy economy for the jobs of tomorrow.

When I visited the purple martins that come every summer to Highland Mall, I realized at one time it was their habitat on the former creek. I envisioned a beautiful water system with these birds, native plants and trees. Right now this creek is under Highland Mall in a drainage ditch. http://travisaudubon.org/purple-martin-parties As it is being redeveloped, we really need more green space in this area and the creek; the life it would provide to the creatures, fish, habitat and humans living there would be invaluable! As we work with the city and ACC to imagine a new future for Airport Boulevard and Highland Mall, I hope we can also be respectful of the past. A creek that once flowed should flow again. Fields where children played should become park space again. While Austin needs more density and mixed-use development, I think we should also set aside a small parcel of land next to Tannehill Branch Creek for a public green space — I propose we call it Orphan Park. From the article https://northfieldna.com/2016/03/18/long-before-there-was-a-highland-acc-or-even-a-highland-mall/

Plastic pollution is a problem everywhere. We can be a forward thinking community by taking action on this issue today. Protect our environment our people and future! Ban plastic now!!

Exposure to radon can cause multiple kinds of cancer; allowing the use of Lake Michigan water to replace radon contaminated water can literally save lives. And the water will be returned to the lake, allowing for no net loss of water from the Lake Michigan watershed.

Some Facts About 2,4-D: 2,4-D was first used in the United States in the 1940s. Agent Orange, an herbicide used during the Vietnam War, contained both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Pets may be exposed to 2,4-D if they touch grass or other plants still wet from spraying and then groom their feet or fur, if they drink the pesticide, or possibly if they eat grass that has been treated with 2,4-D. Dogs may be more sensitive to 2,4-D than other animals. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared 2,4-D a possible human carcinogen, based on evidence that it damages human cells and, in a number of studies, caused cancer in laboratory animals. More conclusive is the proof that 2,4-D falls into a class of compounds called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, compounds that mimic or inhibit the body's hormones. Dozens of epidemiological, animal, and laboratory studies have shown a link between 2,4-D and thyroid disorders. There are reports that 2,4-D can decrease fertility and raise the risk of birth defects. But even though fetuses, infants, and children are at highest risk of these, no studies have looked directly at the effects of 2,4-D on those groups. Also problematic: 2,4-D sticks around in the environment. Depending on the formulation, it can drift through the air from the fields where it is sprayed or be tracked inside homes by pets or children. By the EPA's own measure, 2,4-D has already been detected in groundwater and surface water, as well as in drinking water. It can also poison small mammals, including dogs who can ingest it after eating grass treated with 2,4-D. Sources of the Above Facts: (https://www.nrdc.org/stories/24-d-most-dangerous-pesticide-youve-never-heard) (http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/24Dgen.html)

California Governor Jerry Brown just served Gov. Rick Scott with a major dose of Climate Reality. Florida is one of the most vulnerable places on the planet to the effects of climate disruption. A 2015 report declared, "Florida faces more risk than any other state that private, insurable property could be inundated by high tide, storm surge and sea level rise. By 2030, up to $69 billion in coastal property will likely be at risk of inundation at high tide that is not at risk today. " But don't tell that to Gov. Scott, a climate denier that literally fired a state employee just for using the term "Climate Change." That's why Gov. Brown wrote Rick Scott a letter that in part told him, "If you're truly serious about Florida's economic well being, it's time to stop the silly political stunts and start doing something about climate change."1 We totally agree -- Rick Scott has embarrassed our great state and put it at risk long enough, and we demand that he use his final three years to take serious steps to address climate change. Sign our petition telling Gov. Scott to #ActOnClimate, before it's too late to save Florida, and the planet. 1. http://floridapolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Letter-to-Gov.-Scott-5.2.16.jpg

Railroads were once the way most of us got from place to place and our goods were efficiently and environmentally transported. Over the years we have made our highways into massive parking lots, made it difficult to travel, decimated public transportation except for crowded airports, and increased our dependence on oil, adding to pollution, etc. It is time to stop that and put the trains back on the tracks.

Representing several youths who filed a petition in collaboration with Our Children's Trust, the Western Environmental Law Center won a precedent-setting climate change victory against the Washington Department of Ecology. The court ordered Ecology to implement a carbon emissions rule using the best available science by the end of 2016. Governor Inslee's administration has a history of proposing insufficient rules based on outdated science. We need your voice so that future generations have a legal right to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate!