climate change ennui / discussion / training

Here are some more or less direct quotes from people when I talk to them about environmental issues:

"I don't know enough." "I'm not sure what to do." "The problem is too big." "Well we're screwed anyway. Let's drink PBR and be apathetic until the climate refugees come knocking on our doorstep and our ridiculous food system falls apart." "I got mine." "I would prefer it to be 100 degrees and 100% humidity." (a direct quote from myself. winter go away.)

These sentiments and their variations are understandable given the society we live in. In order to move past these points to a place where we can take action together we're hosting a discussion next Monday, the 21st, at 7 PM in the SEIU Office (5585 Pershing Ave). If you feel as if you don't have the information needed to act then please stop on by. If you also feel as if you aren't empowered to act, that the problem is too big, etc., then again please come on out. These concerns are perfectly understandable, and it is sometimes useful to work through them with other folks. This isn't going to be a therapy session, but it's worth acknowledging that this world is pretty adept at making people feel not empowered and not in control.

Other upcoming activities ...

The MORE-RAMPS-BMIS Winter Action Camp has an intensive two-day training this weekend that you can still sign up for. This will be an excellent opportunity for people who want more skills in tackling environmental issues. The organizations involved will bring their experiences from working and living in Saint Louis, Appalachia, and the Navajo and Hopi Nations and will blast you with all sorts of knowledge and skills. This really is a rare opportunity and I would highly recommend attending if you can!

And for those that are interested in more spectacular things ... There are some particular local corporations that are guilty of a great deal of environmental devastation that are no doubt gearing up security measures and having chats with local law enforcement. While police lines protecting corporations that are culpable for the most violence and destruction in this society is passé, there may be some fun surprises in store for those that keep their eyes peeled in the upcoming days. January is for having fun!

STL Climate Change Year in Review - Drought, Cease-and-Desists, and Acción!

Hello everyone.

Have you enjoyed your nice turkey dinners? Have you enjoyed / endured your families? Have you done away with your ironic Christmas sweaters and steeled yourself for the reality of the new year? Time for resolutions and reflection and etc.!

2012 was a bit of a doozy for climate change shenanigans. Globally we had the Doha climate talks and record high carbon emissions, nationally we had many environmentalists nearly weep with joy since Obama was still physically capable of speaking the words "climate change" (acting on it appropriately still a different matter), regionally we suffered from one of the worst droughts in US history, and locally Saint Louis still reigns supreme as CO2 Emissions HQ.

Also locally, concerned groups and individuals have continued to hammer at Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company, for its unique role as a perpetrator of climate change. Unions and environmental groups took aim at the tax-dodging polluter at its shareholder meeting as part of the 99% Spring. The city-wide sustainable future ballot initiative has taken off, and 2012 also saw the first concerted targeting of institutions in Saint Louis that provide cover for or legitimize what Peabody does. The message is that cities are not havens or playgrounds for powerful, polluting corporate interests.

Lots-o'-laughs, bit of police state and corporate intimidation, and new strong relationships formed ... but what's the point? How do you know you're doing anything useful? Well one way to measure success is by the reaction of the interests you are opposing. Peabody Energy was nice enough to acknowledge in the kindest terms (by way of a cease-and-desist letter) the work that a number of people in Saint Louis have been doing:

It's hard to interpret this cease-and-desist letter as anything other than a glowing review and so we were delighted to accept it. Because they are so supportive, Peabody should know that "disruption of its annual shareholders meeting, vandalism of one of its billboards, ... and an untruthful claim" regarding one of its "philanthropic partners" is just a preview of what's headed their way this year. Until they take the keen business advice given to them by some disruptive shareholders of not existing, then their continued exploitation of people and the planet will be brought to light in potentially unflattering ways.

Of course Peabody is really just a collection of legal documents, folks collecting paychecks, and executives capable of the normal sort of cognitive dissonance-enabled death wishes needed in order to satisfy their shareholders while avoiding reality. The struggle is broader than a handful of corporations, and there will be plenty of discussion to go around on how best to address climate change (see below for such opportunities). Anyone can get involved!

So what's some stuff going on right now??!?....

The STL Sustainable Energy Future Ballot Initiative is on its way to collecting the requisite number of signatures to get on the next ballot for a city-wide vote. No longer will giant extractive industries (or their lobbyists and lawyers) be able to get tax breaks from a city that needs to get its head on straight about who should benefit from such tax breaks. There are signature-gathering caravans heading out regularly so if you'd like to get involved then contact Arielle at arielle@organizemo.org.

MORE, RAMPS, and BMIS are jointly hosting a Winter Action Camp this month. You can still register for a two-day intensive training open to the public on January 19th and 20th (contact arielle@organizemo.org for info). In addition to this intensive training there will be a community-wide discussion on January 21st at 7 PM at the SEUI Office (5585 Pershing Ave) to address what should be done on the ground to confront climate change. This discussion will go beyond the usual suspects of what's generally offered as a solution to climate change and allow for people to get informed and get empowered.

On a personal note, because climate change is the most important issue in my life, I spend a great amount of time trying to figure out how to convey my thoughts on the matter. Am I being too radical or not radical enough? Am I being too preachy or am I not being honest about what I know is at stake? Am I not acknowledging the high amount of privilege I have to be able to say and do things I think are necessary? How should I appeal to every type of person? I really don't like writing, and I hate "messaging."

I don't know what it takes to convince anyone reading this to act for the preservation of the environment. I can relate personal stories, I can give dire facts, I can share what gives me hope, but I don't know what of that will work. And so what I would ask is that you take the time to consider your actions, and constantly reassess what is best for you to do, and to be honest when doing so. I beg that you do this, because so far what we have been doing collectively as a species is not working, and we are running out of time. I have reason to believe that we can succeed, and I know that you don't have to feel powerless. You're not.

Tea Party Valiantly Protects Bank of America From "Big Government"

OK, so maybe Bank of America regularly screws over the citizens of St. Louis and the rest of the United States. You can see examples of that here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. But they've got the word "America" in their title, so they must be extremely patriotic, right?

Tragically, from what I'm reading on tea party blogs, it must be extremely difficult for Bank of America to survive in this era of Big Government oppression. For example, after BOA and their other corporate buddies crashed the American economy in 2008, BOA only received a $45 billion dollar bailout. And, on top of that, they've had to pay zero dollars in federal taxes while their executives eeked by with only $6 to $30 million dollar salaries! With oppressive big government action like that, it's totally understandable that the St. Louis tea party is now working hard to protect the nearly defenseless (aside from billions of dollars) bank from protesters who remind the public of BOA's actions and challenge them on their unjust foreclosure practices.

Thank goodness the tea party is out there protecting the most vulnerable citizens of all: multibillion dollar companies who regularly distort the free market by infusing the political system with blood money.

The Tea Party Vs. The People

The St. Louis tea party and their associates like Chip Gerdes of Quincy, Illinois have been disturbingly obsessed lately with the local group MORE (Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment). Naturally, they go through their usual routine of claiming that MORE is a secret plot to take over the United States, but the real reason they hate MORE is because MORE has the audacity to challenge bad corporate actors like Bank of America who are scamming homeowners in St. Louis and across the country.

Charles Jaco had a nice report on this that riffed off of a meeting organized by MORE:

When they first started, the tea party claimed to stand up for the working guy. Now, they are proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were formed for the sole purpose of defending corporate abuses of power.

PHOTOS: Six homeowners take arrests in St. Louis at Bank of America - UPDATED with additional links

Updated with more coverage: see below.

I unfortunately couldn't be there, but a very important protest took place today outside of Bank of America, in response to their attempts to foreclose on a couple that had made all of their payments on time (a story that is all-too-common). KMOV had a story earlier today, and I'll try to update this as I come across more reporting on the events. In the meantime, however, here is the press release from Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment (MORE), along with some photos from the rally below:

Days after 22 people are arrested at Chase Bank in Los Angeles, Six homeowners take arrests in St. Louis at Bank of America:

After an hour of protesting and singing parody Christmas Carols outside Bank of America, to attempt to work help a family in day 408 of the loan modification process, six people were arrested by Clayton, Missouri police attempting to enter the Bank branch. Someone inside the bank was repeatedly told that Bank of America would get someone on the phone to deal with Mike and Mary Boehm’s loan, but negotiations proved fruitless. At that point, one homeowner with a January 10th sale date and 5 friends and neighbors of the Boehms attempted to enter the bank and were arrested, at 7800 Forsyth Boulevard. The demonstrators were accosted and quickly arrested and are still being processed. Pictures and the local news release are attached.

The Story: When Mike Boehm lost his job in 2009, he and his wife, Mary, applied for a Making Home Affordable (HAMP) loan modification from Bank of America. “They told us it would take 45 days to get our modification. It has been 408 days and they still can’t tell us if we’re approved,” says Mary, a homeschool teacher whose days have been consumed with calls to Bank of America. “Not once has Bank of America called us. Every call—the hundreds of calls—we have initiated. Oh, except the other day. Yes, once, they called us, and that was a collection call.”

Mike, who is now working as a Buyer for an Illinois based company, has done everything he can to be able afford to continue making payments. “We are current on the modified payments that Bank of America told us to make and they are still foreclosing on us” says Mike.

According to St. Louis area housing counselors, Bank of America is one of the worst servicers for families seeking permanent loan modifications under the Making Home Affordable (HAMP) Program. Bank of America ignores repeated calls, refuses to modify loans, and will not assign people in trouble to one counselor.

Liz Van Lieshout, a close friend of Mary, who worked at Gershman Investments for many years is outraged. “I worked for a mortgage company, and at that time we serviced all of the loans we made. A mortgagor could speak to a decision maker in one phone call or meet with a representative personally. If a person wanted a copy of their payment history, it was put in the mail the same day. It is incomprehensible that Bank of America won't provide information to a mortgagor within 24 hours of a request, either by mail or email.”

A critical number of individual problems could be solved if banks did the following three things:
-Froze foreclosures temporarily to create decent servicing practices.
-Allowed an appeal to a neutral third party: mandatory mediation
-Reduced principal.

Those are the larger issues that Mike and Mary, MORE, and the arrestees in Los Angeles are fighting for.

Slideshow of photos from Juan Montana:


More photos (and M.O.R.E. photos) from Max M below the jump: