Climate & Democracy in the News
We're Taking Action Across the State
Working to Save Democracy and the Planet
Third Act Mainers gathered in Waterville for their second annual statewide gathering, this year called "Saving Democracy and the Planet." With four speakers, a "get-out-the-vote" letter writing campaign, singing, and three workshops, the day was packed with a variety of activities. 96% of folks gave the event top marks, praising its positive energy, organization, and quality speakers. One attendee wrote, "I'm leaving very upbeat. You covered the whole gamut--spiritual and action." Afterwards, keynote speaker Susana Hancock posted on Instagram, “It’s so uplifting to be surrounded by passionate people using their minds, skills and dreams to change their communities.”
Calendar
October 5: Climate Reality’s First Annual Climate Policy Forum. 12 - 4 pm. First Parish Congregational Church, Yarmouth. Register here October 25: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, What If We Get It Right?, 7 pm. USM's Hannaford Hall, Portland. Reservations here.
Protecting Democracy by Getting Out the Vote
Western Mountains Third Act held its Get Ready to Vote concert on the evening of September 26. We were honored to have Governor Janet Mills come to speak to those present. It appeared that everyone enjoyed the music and conversations. In addition to this work, and in the spirit of Bill McKibben's request that we all focus on Climate AND Democracy, our local Third Act members are staffing voter registration tables each week on the campus of the University of Maine at Farmington.
And below, in the Greater Portland Hub, folks have also organized to get out the vote, using the well-organized campaign “Vote Forward” to focus on registered voters in swing states.
MainePERS: So Far, They’re Unmoved and Intransigent
For those Third Act Mainers and Divest Mainers attending the September MainePERS board meeting, the consensus was… disappointment. Staff recommended that MainePERS maintain its investment in fossil fuels, and this recommendation did not get any pushback from the board. There was also no discussion about the analysis done by IEEFA (Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis) nor one completed by Scott Budde, a financial services executive. DivestMaine’s strategy going forward is to introduce legislation that more forcefully sets fossil fuel divestment imperatives.
Our Retirement Funds: Are We Inadvertently Funding the Climate Crisis?
Worth a listen: Reveal podcast, “Your Retirement Funds Are Probably Fueling Climate Change,” described as “the unsettling truth that our retirement savings could be fueling the very climate crisis that threatens our planet. From the site of a massive natural gas pipeline cutting through Appalachia to the boardrooms of Vanguard, we explore how our investments might be working against our values—and what can be done to align them with a sustainable future.”
L.L. Bean Ain’t So Green
We’ve delivered a national petition to L.L. Bean’s corporate headquarters. But what about creating our OWN petition, of Mainers protesting L.L. Bean’s continued use of a Citibank credit card? Sign here! Also see Bill Rixon’s terrific letter to the editor in the Portland Press Herald: A Leadership Opportunity for L.L. Bean
Keeping Climate Change in View
It’s not hard to keep climate change in view. In late September, we saw the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. Our hearts go out to everyone affected, as whole communities are swathed in mud. There were so many other places on the globe also affected at the same time, as Bill McKibben reminds us in his late September blog:
“Were it happening just in one place, a compassionate world could figure out how to offer effective relief. But it’s happening in so many places. The same day that Helene slammed into the Gulf, Hurricane John crashed into the Mexican state of Guerrero, dropping nearly 40 inches of rain and causing deadly and devastating floods in many places including Acapulco, which is still a shambles from Hurricane Otis last year. In Nepal this afternoon at least 148 people are dead and many still missing in the Kathmandu Valley. Just this month, as one comprehensive twitter thread documented, we’ve seen massive flooding in Turkey, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Marseilles, Milan, India, Wales, Guatemala, Morocco, Algeria, Vietnam, Croatia, Nigeria, Thailand, Greece, Romania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, with the Danube hitting new heights across Central Europe. It is hard to open social media without seeing cellphone videos from the cars-washing-down-steep-streets genre; everywhere the flows are muddy-brown, and swirling with power.”
Below, folks in the Greater Portland Hub work to keep climate issues in view near the Casco Bay Bridge in South Portland. Interestingly, the Governor’s office has asked for some of our photos to show citizens concerned about climate change.
From a Reader
Memories of how it used to be— from Marian Flaherty of Waterville: “We skated on the lake by Thanksgiving; it never rained in winter; summer nights were cool; there were more bugs on the windshield; flowers are blossoming too early; unfamiliar bird songs. fewer wild animals in my yard'; fewer birds, much less snow; no dog sled race in Fort Kent this year. I could go on.”
If you’d like to share your own recollections of how it used to be, please email us at ThirdActMaine@gmail.com.
Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet
What a delightful video with three terrific songs! Cool Tunes for a Hot Planet, Episode 1. Enjoy!
Nice job communications team!