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ECA Adopts Guiding Principles!
The Elders Climate Action Steering Committee recently adopted the
"Jemez
Principles" for democratic organizing to guide us as we move forwa
rd with emphasis on state, regional and local efforts to decrease the effects of climate change.
In December 1996 in Jemez, NM, 40 people met as the "Working Group Meeting on Globalization and Trade." They hammered out the following understandings among participants from different cultures, political parties and organizations. The
"Jemez
Principles"
for democratic organizing were adopted by the participants and are excerpted below.
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#1 Be Inclusive
If we hope to achieve just societies that include all people in decision-making...cannot be achieved without diversity at the planning table, in staffing and in coordination...will require discussion, hard work, patience and advance planning.
#2 Emphasis on Bottom-Up Organizing
To succeed, it is important to reach out into new constituencies and to reach within all levels of leadership and membership bases of the organizations that are already involved in our networks.
#3 Let People Speak for Themselves
We must be sure that relevant voices of people directly affected are heard.
#4 Work together in Solidarity and Mutuality
Groups working on similar issues with compatible visions should consciously act in solidarity, mutuality and support each other's work. In the long run, a more significant step is to incorporate the goals and values of other groups with your own work, in order to build strong relationships.
#5 Build Just Relationships among Ourselves
We need to treat each other with justice and respect, both on an individual and organizational level, in this country and across borders.
#6 Commitment to Self Transformation
As we change societies, we must change from operating in the mode of individualism to community-centeredness.
By Rubén Solis, Southwest Public Workers Union
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| Elders Sending Messages to Their Grandchildren |
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Join Us for the
National Call
July 19, 2017
7:00 PM (Eastern) 4:00 PM (Pacific)
~Get Informed, Inspired & Engaged~
We encourage you to join from your Computer. It is wonderful when we can see each other to build a sense of community. In addition, presenters often share slides or include video. We don't want you to miss out!
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To join by Computer:
*if you are joining by computer for the first time, please be sure to download and install the Zoom app before the call (Join the call by clicking the link above)
Or Telephone:
Meeting ID: 477 209 5159
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ECA is Putting out the Welcome Mat!
Welcome to Northern California, the newest ECA chapter. ECA NorCal includes Northern California from Fresno to the Oregon border, including the San Francisco Bay Area. Members are encouraged to join the monthly chapter calls. For more information, contact Marilyn Price
mprice@the-acorn.com
or Carol Vollen carolvollen@me.com
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Ann Arbor Area Chapter Launch
Two local environmental activists arrived for the formal launch celebration of the new Ann Arbor area ECA chapter. While the attendance was disappointing, we promptly turned lemons into delicious lemonade and spent our meeting coming up with the following launch strategy:
 Goal 1: Grow the Group
. Reach out personally to friends and colleagues, inviting them to participate.
Goal 2: Engage with Partners
. Aim to collaborate with other local climate groups to supplement their efforts rather than "reinvent the wheel." Reach out to 3 local organizations over the summer.
Goal 3: Promote Education on Climate Issues
. Encourage more residents to participate in the residential composting program, making the link between food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
We're excited about this new plan. In the fall, we will organize a gathering around a specific project with the support of our partner organizations. We'll keep you posted!
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Get Inspired by Local Action Ideas from ECA Members around the Country
From Joni Grady who attended Elders Climate Action Day (ECAD). She works with one of our partners, Climate Action Alliance of the Valley in Harrisonburg, VA.
Thought I would fill you all in on what we've been doing since the conference.
1. We held a forum in May called "Can the Law Win? Fighting Climate Change in the Courts." One of the guests was Coreal Riday-White, a young lawyer with Our Children's Trust, speaking to us through Zoom, who is sponsoring the kids' lawsuit against the federal government. In fact he told me he was the one who brought the kids to ECAD and had been so moved by Margo Frank's apology,
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We had tears in our eyes listening to and watching you. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what you're doing and want to apologize for leaving you to do this work. So, thank you. We're so sorry.
2. This past Saturday we whipped together a rally, "Paris, We're Still In" and despite boiling temperatures on hard pavement, we had a decent crowd. You can read/listen to the account and see pictures by
our local NPR station here
. The Eiffel Tower was a remnant of the rally 1 1/2 years ago at the same location (but cold and drizzly) called "Postcard to Paris". This year we added a PostScript to the postcard with more signatures.
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Let's Keep the Pressure on our
Federal and State Representatives!
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DearTomorrow
Jill Kubit, Co-Founder and Executive
Director
We are in the midst of the most important challenge in history: the transition to clean energy. Our children, grandchildren and future generations will look back on this moment and wonder what we thought about climate change and what actions we took.
DearTomorrow is an online community of people sharing messages to their children, family or future selves about climate change action. Through letters, videos and photos, people share how they think about climate change, why it's important and the actions that they are willing to take. These personal, hopeful messages are shared publicly on
deartomorrow.org
, through various media and social media channels, and finally become a part of our long-term archive.
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Elders Climate Action
is
a Project of the
Conscious Elders Network
The
Conscious Elders Network (CEN) is an educational, non-profit organization fostering a budding movement of vital elders, dedicated to growing in consciousness while actively addressing the demanding challenges facing our country.
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Do you shop online? Here is a way to help Elders Climate Action!
If you shop on Amazon you can sign up for Amazon Smile and every time you make an eligible purchase a donation is made. All you have to do is sign up and select Conscious Elders Network as your organization to receive the funds. These donations will help Elders Climate Action. What an easy way to contribute and it costs you nothing. To sign up and read about the program go to Amazon Smile. After you sign up you will use smile.amazon.com to make your purchases.
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Facebook is an essential tool in getting the word out about Elders Climate Action. The more our Facebook page is visited, LIKED, and SHARED, the more people we will reach. In order to be seen, we need you! Learn the
Facebook
basics
here.
Like us on Facebook now!
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There are many ways
to get involved with
Elders Climate Action.
Each person and their efforts
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let us hear from you on
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