ECA Mass Event Calendar

As the earth warms at an accelerating rate, there is an urgent need to reduce carbon emissions—the main cause of this warming. The FUTURE bill is a comprehensive approach to move away from natural gas and toward renewable, safe, and reliable sources of energy for heating and cooling homes and buildings, including the use of geothermal micro districts.
 
The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts (LWVMA) Environmental Action and Advocacy Committee is pleased to host a webinar on this important topic: Pipeline to the FUTURE Delivering Safe, Renewable, Geothermal Energy to Massachusetts, with special remarks from Massachusetts Senator Cynthia Creem, and featuring Audrey Schulman, HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) Co-founder and Executive Director, and Zeyneb Magavi, HEET Research Director as our guest panelists.
 
While focused on Massachusetts, geothermal renewable energy is already used around the globe, including all 50 states in the US, to safely heat and cool homes and buildings. It is a proven technology that works and provides a pathway for transitioning off dangerous and polluting fossil fuels.
 
Please join us for this important and informative webinar scheduled for broadcast on Wednesday November 6, 2019 from 2:00-3:00pm EST. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A with the panelists. This webinar will be recorded and distributed to attendees and posted on the LWVMA website after the event. Please help spread the word and share this information within your networks! 
 
For a downloadable flyer, go HERE. 
Registration is required for this webinar. To register, go HERE. Log-in details will be sent to all registrants by email after registration.

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:
    Please click this URL to join. https://zoom.us/w/193649735?tk=v75eEqqmrB_afmh0zYvI5FGh3RYHKNwG8OoUTWIY0no.DQEAAAAAC4rcRxZGemRUMFVWQVFCeUhtMUhtbEZJR3B3AA&uuid=WN_nLUfwHfQRDG24b2PZrvSHA
    Description: Environmental Action and Advocacy Committee Webinar on the FUTURE Bill

Or join by phone:
    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
        US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 669 900 6833
    Webinar ID: 193 649 735
    International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/acp4FrFToj

We will be lobbying All our state representatives to support the 2050 Roadmap, our TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY, instead of our "usual" chapter meeting in November. We will meet at the STATEHOUSE at 9:30 for a briefing in Room 437 and to divide into teams to visit each Representative's office with literature in support of the 2050 Roadmap Bill H 3983. 

Following our LOBBY DAY in the morning, we plan to attend the FUTURE bill's hearing as a group this afternoon Tuesday, November 12, from  1-4:30 pm.  We had a terrific time when we showed up to do this a few months ago, when members learned a lot about how to advocate for the legislation we want and need.

The FUTURE bill, formally known as An Act For a Utility Transition to Using Renewable Energy, will be one of about 15 gas-related bills to be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. As you know, it is also one of our top legislative priorities, so it is important that we present in strength, and in solidarity with Mothers Out Front that day.The hearing will take place in the large Gardner auditorium at the State House, Basement level, East Wing. You need not stay for the entire hearing. (Please take care of yourself but stay as long as you are able.)

"Shirt up and show up" at the State House that day, instead of our regular monthly chapter meeting. While our green ECA t-shirts are not mandatory, they send a strong message to the legislators and any media in attendance. We will have some T-shirts available for $15 that morning.

We will be sending you more information by email, with more details on how to participate. Check your email from <massinfo@eldersclimateaction.org> or eca-mass@googlegroups.com if you are a member of our "Activist" group.(You know who you are. And if you're not yet an "activist" member and want to be, let us know!)
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You can learn all about the FUTURE Act by joining the League of Women Voters Webinar on November 6th. The RSVP link is here:
https://lwvma.org/november-6-webinar-pipeline-to-the-future-delivering-safe-renewable-geothermal-energy-to-massachusetts/

The Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Massachusetts has prioritized key pesticide-related bills. The public hearing provides a rare opportunity to educate lawmakers and to demonstrate the depth of statewide support for action on pesticides.

Call to action: Join us at the Public Hearing to show your support for these bills. We want to create a high volume of support to show the MA Legislature the necessity of this key legislation. Your participation will increase the likelihood of these bills passing.

Here are the bills that will be presented during the hearing:

H.763 - "An Act to protect Massachusetts pollinators" (Rep. Dykema)
S.447/H.776 - “An Act empowering towns and cities to protect residents and the environment from harmful pesticides” (Sen. Cyr, Rep. Fernandes)
H.791 - “An Act relative to improving pesticide protections for Massachusetts schoolchildren” (Rep. Gentile)
H.792 - "An Act relative to the prohibition of the transfer or use of glyphosate in the Commonwealth" (Rep. Gentile)
S.499, “An Act relative to the use of glyphosate on public lands.” (Sen. Lewis)

Tallessyn Zawn Grenfell-Lee, PhD, is a Climate Chaplain and Coach who helps communities wrap their minds around the grief, fear, rage, and overwhelm associated with climate change, such that they can move toward a place of Grounded Focus. Using tools from secular and faith traditions as well as ethics, social psychology, and project management, she outlines strategies to build a Resilience Mindset. This mindset provides a foundation that enables us to process the enormity of this challenge as we participate in sustained practices of healing and strategic engagement.