Candidate Climate Conspiracy
The race for Mayor of Spokane has taken a strange turn. Not only have we learned that one candidate for Mayor refuses to believe the 97% of climate scientists whose research confirms that humans are the dominant cause of global warming, but in recent KXLY and KPBX interviews she advances the conspiracy theory that Avista has a secret, unrevealed “study” showing that Spokane’s 2018 climate ordinance and its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030 would cost each ratepayer “thousands of dollars”.
How To Go Solar In Spokane
What better place to capitalize on solar power than a city whose name translates to “Children of the Sun”?
And in Spokane there’s been no better time to go solar, with handsome state and federal incentives due to taper off over the next three years, but still going strong right now—they pay up to 80% of your system’s cost, and slash your utility bills for many years to come.
Persistence Pays: The Ups and Downs of Environmental Activism
WOW! On May 5, Governor Jay Inslee signed the clean energy bill, SB-5116, along with several other bills to help reduce global warming. After two years of frustrating defeats of carbon tax initiatives here, this was a huge thrill for many of us in 350 Spokane along with other environmental groups around the state and the country. We encouraged our legislators to take these bold, necessary actions. We urged them to stand up to the large fossil fuel corporations who are ignoring the damage that their fossil fuel economy is inflicting on our earth. Now our state is getting noticed for what has been accomplished here. I consider this success to be OUR success, a result of OUR actions letting our legislators know that many people here in Washington State want such essential change.
2020 Climate Action at the Legislature
This week our hearts are with everyone affected by the COVID-19 public health crisis, both in our state and around the world. It is heartening to see that the world can act with decisive action to respond to a crisis, if it chooses to. Yesterday was the end of the 2020 Washington State legislative session and we wanted to take a moment to share what happened related to action to address the climate crisis.
The Smoke Ahead
It was very literally a summer for the record books. Spokane went 80 days without rainfall, from late-June until mid-September, making 2017 the hottest, driest summer recorded.
The remarkable fact was that this record-driest summer followed the record-wettest winter. As Northwesterners emerged in April from endlessly gray skies, grousing and bleary-eyed, plants took the meaning of “spring” to heart, bursting forth in lush excess. Grasses and shrubs grew thick and deep — until the arrival of an infernal June and July, drying all that brush dried to tinder and baking moisture from the soil. Long before August, an epic fire season was already well under way.
12 Concrete Actions You Can Take as a Climate Citizen
The 350 Spokane Interfaith Climate Change Committee compiled a list of 12 actions you can take to contribute to the movement for a safe and healthy climate and future for all.
The Story Of Plastics, Discussion Notes
The Story of Plastics is a documentary film released on October 6, 2019, which aired on the Discovery Channel on April 22, 2020 and was hosted by 350 Spokane for free public screenings from May 21 – June 12, 2020. What follows are notes from the movie and from the Zoom Film discussion meeting convened by 350 Spokane on June 11, 2020.
What is Neighbor Love in the Time of COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the Unfolding Climate Crisis?
Every major faith tradition teaches its members to love their neighbor, and in my own faith (Christianity) the rule to love our neighbor is one of the two great commandments. Stuck at home in front of the TV for the last few months three things have led me to rethink this basic command and wonder what we need to do to practice neighbor love in the time of COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement and the unfolding Climate Crisis.
Taking Time to Lament
I believe that I am an optimist. One of the key characteristics of a mentally healthy person is optimism, and I like to think that I have it in spades. I was raised to believe in the power of positive thinking and to always look on the bright side. After all, nobody likes a Debbie Downer! I also come from a Christian faith perspective in which Christians are supposed to live in the hope of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. We are supposed to have hope for something better and just “give it all to God”.
Environmental Racism: Who Will Speak if You Don’t?
Civil Rights icon John Lewis said “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something. To do something. Our children and their children will ask us, ‘What did you do? What did you say?’”