Wednesday, May 17, 2017

CT Environmental Legislation Scorecard for 2016

CTLCV is tracking for our 2016 legislative scorecard



For sixteen years, the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters has helped elect pro-environment lawmakers and hold them accountable for passing legislation to protect health, communities and the environment. The CTLCV publishes the annual Connecticut Environmental Scorecard which rates the actions of every state legislator on the state’s environmental priorities each year. The 2016 Scorecard is paid for by the CTLCV Political Action Committee. This message was made independent of any candidate or political party. Contributions to the CTLCV PAC of $5,000 or more were made by CTLCV, Inc and David Bingham. Additional information about the CTLCV PAC may be found on the State Elections Enforcement Commission's internet website. ​

​​Find out how your Connecticut General Assembly members voted on the environmental issues that matter to you!
For more info: http://www.ctlcv.org/2016-scorecard.html

For Scorecard:
http://www.ctlcv.org/uploads/6/2/0/1/6201942/2016_scorecard_sept_16c.pdf

Find how you State Senator voted:
http://www.ctlcv.org/uploads/6/2/0/1/6201942/2016_senate_votes_as_of_9.9.2016.pdf

Find out how your State House Representative voted:
http://www.ctlcv.org/uploads/6/2/0/1/6201942/2016_house_votes_as_of_9.9.2016.pdf

CT Environmental Legislation for 2017 - Status

Many bills and funding priorities this session will greatly affect how our state protects the environment. CTLCV has created an "Environmental Watchlist" of bills we are tracking this session at the Connecticut General Assembly. Sign up to receive information as the session progresses by clicking the Get Action Alerts button on this page. Read background informationand CTLCV's testimony on key issues.


http://www.ctlcv.org/2017-legislative-session.html

Sign up to receive environmental action alerts from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters. You’ll receive emails when there is an urgent action you can take on an environmental issue specific to your district, enabling you to call or email your state senator or representative about issues close to home. We’ll also keep you up to date with CTLCV events across the state.

https://act.myngp.com/Forms/2448495840080366336

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Lazarus, come out! A Christian response to the climate crisis.

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 2, 2017, delivered by the Rev. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas at The Church of the Covenant, Boston, MA.

John 11:1-45 What a blessing it is to be here this morning and to join your Lenten exploration of “Fierce Love”!  Thank you, Rob (Rev. Robert J. Mark), for inviting me to preach, and thank you for your steadfast witness to God’s love for the Earth and for all its communities, human and other-than-human. I was arrested with you last spring at an interfaith ...

Read the full sermon:
http://www.macucc.org/blogdetail/lazarus-come-out-a-christian-response-to-the-climate-crisis-7882341

Beyond Earth Day 2017

Here are several questions for reflection to consider as you move forward. 
  1. What do you care most about now? Why do you care about taking action? Take a moment to clarify for yourself. Consider writing it down. 

  2. What steps are you taking daily, weekly and monthly to show your support for the issues that matter most? Identify at least one action you can take. 

  3. How do you stay inspired, even in light of discouraging news? What practices can you weave into your life that will help you to maintain your energy and commitment? 

  4. What actions will you commit to in the next month that will move you toward your goals? Clarify. Invite others to join you. 
Whatever you do after Earth Day and the marches, find ways to stay involved and engaged! As naturalist and writer Wendell Berry says, “The Earth is what we all have in common.” Let’s do our part to be the change we wish to see.

Behavior Change for Sustainability

Behavior Change for Sustainability: Northwest Earth Institute's Approach! 

Just published this month, in our new white paper NWEI's Director of Learning Lacy Cagle and curriculum designer Dr. Veronica Hotton explore how even though many people claim to care about environmental issues, their behavior often doesn't align with expressed environmental values. Behavior change research shows that making small changes or trying on new habits like participants do in NWEI's Discussion Courses and EcoChallenge can have a cascading effect on other habits and routines in your life.

http://nwei.org/assets/Behavior-Change-for-Sustainability_NWEI.pdf

Sunday, May 7, 2017

We can reverse global warming... and we're doing it

"Scientists have studied the impact of carbon emissions and they have made their projections for global warming. But nobody did a proper integrated analysis of the solutions. Until now. On April 18, a new book offering a strategy will be published—it’s titled Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. How to ‘drawdown’ the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is the mission of the book. Drawdown is a project of an international coalition of 70 researchers and scientists from 22 countries who—since 2013—have analyzed the data and projections of the world’s leading research institutions in fields from energy to food and from family planning to reforestation. 
The result is a concrete map of where humanity stands today when it comes to climate change. And the conclusion is remarkably optimistic: Using a conservative approach based on current facts and technology it’s plausible that we can reverse global warming in the next 30 years."
Read more…
https://www.optimistdaily.com/2017/03/we-can-reverse-global-warming-and-were-doing-it/

For more information on Drawdown, visit
http://www.drawdown.org/

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change

Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change

How psychology can trick us into keeping Earth habitable.



Celebrate the People's Climate March

Climate change was identified as the top issue the UCC as a church needs to focus on going forward based on two surveys (with 4,000 responding) that was reviewed at the March 2017 National UCC Board of Directors meeting.

UCC advocates show love for creation at People's Climate March in D.C.
http://www.ucc.org/news_ucc_advocates_show_love_for_creation_at_peoples_climate_march_in_dc_04302017

The Crossroads of Climate and Faith

Years of Living Dangerously Season 1: Bonus Footage - The Crossroads of Climate and Faith


Published on Apr 11, 2014 Don Cheadle talks to Katharine Hayhoe, an Evangelical climate scientist, about how she reconciles faith and science and how to speak about climate change with people of faith.

https://youtu.be/nY1HweENTeU

An interview with Katharine Hayhoe in early 2015: Climate for Change

http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/a-climate-for-change