Capitol Power Plant in Washington D.C.

This Weekend The Action Begins In Washington, DC.

Power Shift promises to be the largest youth climate conference ever held in the U.S. Two days later, youth and climate activists from across the country will take part in a mass mobilization at the Washington D.C. coal plant--known as the Capitol Climate Action.

In addition to sending hundreds of youth to Power Shift by bus, Global Exchange is sending two groups, one to each of these historic events, by train. During three days on the train, we'll have plenty of time to prepare for Power Shift and the protest, reconnect with old friends, and build community with new ones. We will also avoid dumping thousands of tons of CO2 into the upper atmosphere.

This is history in the making, and we don't want you to miss any of it. So keep up with Global Exchange on two blogs dedicated to each of these momentous events.

Stay up-to-date on two historic actions with Global Exchange
You do NOT want to miss this!Keep track of activities at GX's Power Shift blog.Follow events at the Capitol Climate Action at GX's Climate Justice blog.

Read more of Global Exchange's Climate Justice blogHeaded for the Capitol and it's 3AM on the California Zephyr
It's 3am on the California Zephyr and we're stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah. The California Zephyr is the Amtrak train we are on for the first leg of our cross-country trip to the Capitol Climate Action. It originated in the San Francisco Bay area and has so far passed through Sacramento, Truckee, Reno, Winnemucca, Elko and now Salt Lake City.

I ought to be asleep, but instead I'm checking out images and YouTube videos about coal mining in Utah.

There's a lot of coal mining in the eastern part of the state, which you could probably guess from names like Carbon County and Carbonville. Carbon County has some quaint old ghost mining towns you can visit to see what it was like back in the day, but mining companies don't spend a lot of time publicizing today's practices.Longwall mining.

Longwall mining is one of the preferred practices around here these days. Longwall mining chews up an underground slice of coal a couple of miles long and 500-1000 feet wide. It has a number of nasty side effects like, for example, the fact that after the longwall operation is done, there's a long chunk of earth missing. So the land above suddenly subsides, sometimes doing severe damage to above ground structures, changing the course of rivers and similar neat stuff.

Mining coal is just a nasty business. We need to leave the rest of this stuff in the ground.

Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid announced that they wanted the Capitol Power Plant to quit using coal. That's an important victory for the Capitol Climate Action before the action even takes place next Monday.

But as nice as this success is, there are much bigger fish to fry. And that's the real point of the Capitol Climate Action. Coal needs to be abandoned everywhere.

Thank you, as always, for your work on behalf of peace & justice, Global Exchange


Source: Global Exchange

Every-bunny Loves Fair Trade!!


Make Easter sweeter for cocoa farmers by buying Fair Trade chocolate and demanding that World's Finest Chocolate switch to Fair Trade certified cocoa! Help promote Fair Trade! During the Easter season, companies like Word's Finest Chocolate sell millions of dollars worth of chocolate. Unfortunately, the chocolate that we often enjoy is not so sweet for the hundreds of thousands of child laborers involved in the harvesting of cocoa to make that chocolate, many of whom toil as slaves.

The US chocolate industry committed to ending abuses such as child slavery by July of 2005, but has not kept its promises. It is up to the consumers of the world's largest chocolate companies to hold them accountable. Let them know that this is not acceptable!

Here's what you can do:

*Send a fax to World's Finest Chocolate and demand that they take their share of the responsibility for ending forced and abusive child labor on their farms by using Fair Trade Certified cocoa.

*Purchase Fair Trade Easter gifts and show others that Fair Trade is possible! Visit the Planet One Gifts Fair Trade Online Store to see our selection of chocolate and other gifts. This year, you can order fair trade gifts, organic chocolates and Fair Trade Easter Baskets.

*Talk About Fair Trade in Your Classroom! Easter is the perfect occasion to talk with children about where their chocolate comes from and what they can do to help their peers on cocoa farms around the world. Global Exchange has lots of resources available for teachers and children of all ages to learn more about how fair trade is helping farmers and their children build a better life.

*Keep up the good work! Fair trade is on the rise! According to the Fair Trade Resource Network, the world market for Fair Trade products is expanding at 10 to 25% per year, with about 60% sales coming from a small number of food products, such as chocolate and coffee.

Continue making Fair Trade a reality!

For more information on how your school, church or community group can get involved or to order additional materials to promote fair trade in your home this Easter, please contact Gioioa von Disterlo at fairtrade@globalexchange.org or 415.575.5538.


Source: Global Exchange

Climate Emergency Action in Washington, DC

On March 2, a vast coalition of concerned citizens will blockade the coal-fired power plant that serves the US Capitol to serve notice that we will no longer accept business as usual that expands the use of coal -- known to be a leading cause of climate change. This mass action will take place in conjunction with POWER SHIFT - a gathering of thousands of youth climate activists.

Please join us as we travel by train to Washington, DC to take part in the urgent nonviolent action convened by poet, Wendell Berry and Bill McKibben the educator and leader in the movement for climate sanity. The action is being led and organized by dozens of leading environmental, religious, human rights, peace and justice organizations.


source: Global Exchange