Our leaders still debate the scientific validity of climate change – which is remarkable given that the scientists agree that climate change is happening. 
 
How is this possible that our leaders do not know?
We can thank Exxon for the “dis-information” that they have provided to our government leaders and the American public.
 
More than 30 years ago, Exxon scientists acknowledged, in internal company memos, that “climate changed could be catastrophic – at least for a substantial fraction of the Earth’s population.”
 
What did they do with this information? Did they choose to act as corporate leaders?  Did they educate politicians?  The public? And, other corporations?  Perhaps they strategized about how to gradually convert to renewable energy sources that would benefit life on our planet, while insuring long term profits for their stakeholders?
 
No!  They chose a path of deception and denial!
They did none of these things and they intentionally created confusion. Exxon helped to create the Global Climate Coalition; which served to question the scientific basis for concern about climate change.  They did this to prevent the United States from signing onto the international Kyoto Protocol to control greenhouse gas emissions.

In the 1950s, the US was deeply mired in the fear of Communism. We hid from Russian bombs, scrunching under our wooden desks.  However, the Catholic school I attended had a visionary nun who declared that we were not to worry about a 3rd WW with the USSR. No, we should worry about war with China. 

I became a flight attendant……China became my passion…..Certainly, we wouldn’t bomb those we knew and loved!
It took almost 4 years but the Awakening The Dreamer Symposium has taken root in China and is flourishing.

Read more in Mary’s INSPIRING STORY

We did!  The Grandparents Climate Action Day rocked! 

Two days in Washington DC, attended by over 135 elders and grandparents –  answering the call to stand together behind our common commitment to restoring a liveable climate for future generations. 

Gazing into people’s faces you could see their absolute delight at being with others who were also willing to raise their voices and speak the truth -- now is time for our leaders and for our country to enact legislation to effectively address climate disruption.

Most amazing were our powerful energy when we raised our voices at Union Station with our FLASH MOB singing DO IT NOW! – the song that became the theme song for our gathering.
            We got to wake up, We got to wise up
            We got to open our eyes and DO IT NOW, Now, Now
            We gotta build a better future, and we need to DO IT NOW!

            We’re on a planet, That has a problem.
            We gotta solve, get involved and DO IT NOW, Now, Now
            We gotta build a better future, and we need to DO IT NOW!

Successful capitalists don’t often express their fear of growing income inequality.  “I’m scared,” wrote Peter Georgescu, “(we) are afraid where income inequality will lead.” 

He continues,  “Deal with inequality, or risk intolerable taxes or social unrest.”

These sound like the words of an anarchist, socialist or plain out revolutionary – not a very successful advertising executive – one who came to this country as an immigrant 60 years ago.

Now, he is a very successful billionaire, having achieved the “American Dream,” and, acknowledging the opportunities that he was given, first attending an elite college preparatory school, then Princeton and Stanford. 

He also has the understanding to write:  “Would young people like…me get those opportunities now?  I don’t think so.”  He challenges business leaders to develop the will to control “the excessive greed so prevalent in our culture today and divert resources to better education and the creation of more opportunity.”

“The fact that real wages have been flat for about four decades, while productivity has increased by 80%” shows that business has not been investing in their employees, with fair compensation and creative innovations.  Rather “gains from productivity go to shareholders, not employees.”

I was a single parent for a many years; and, it was tough.  One of the most difficult aspects was standing alone, making the rules, and staying fast with no back up; no one standing beside me resisting the force of youth.

It is the same with being an activist. 
Standing alone is powerful but also daunting if you do not have back up.  Even those folks who courageously climb a flagpole or live in a tree have a community on the ground backing them up.

Grandparents Climate Action Day is meant to create a community of grandparents and elders, courageously supporting each other in actively raising their concerns about climate change and speaking to our leaders.  Many of those folks attending might not consider themselves “activists” but do see themselves as loving grandparents and concerned citizens.

Come and gather with us in Washington DC on September 9th & 10th.  (Today is the last day to register.)  First, for a day of education inspiration and networking; followed by a day of lobbying.  We’ll hear from Dr. James Hansen, world renowned climate scientist about the current status of climate change; followed by the opportunity to engage with Lynne Twist, co-founder of the Soul of Money Institute and The Pachamama Alliance, in a compelling conversation about the power of being an elder activist.

Oh yes, we have a flash mob planned! 
Which is our way of having fun, singing for the climate, and getting the attention of whoever is watching.

What if you can’t come to Washington?
§  SIGN THE PETITION!  Make your voice heard and whether you are able to attend or not we will deliver your signature to your members of Congress.

§  WATCH THE WEBCAST on Sept 10th 6:30 – 7:30 EDT.  This is a great way to gather with us, along your family & friends and create a conversation around climate change and activism.   The webcast will be hosted by live MCs and will feature recorded highlights from Dr. James Hansen, Activist Lynne Twist, interviews with Senators and Congressmen, and elder activists about their experiences during the day, as well as the flash mob!

Towards the end of the webcast, there will be a live Q&A section, where viewers at home can use the COMMENT section below to ask questions to the MCs in Washington. Simply type your question into the comment section and hit 'Post your comment' to submit. Comments and questions will be visible to all viewers. 

§  ELDERS CLIMATE ACTION and be a part of our conversation, our activism and our growth.  Not because we want another organization – but, because we want is a liveable climate and future – and we can only do that if we do it together!

§  Finally – be sure to SIGN UP for the ELDER-ACTIVISTS MONTHLY E-BLASTS to inspire your continued activism.

Maggie Edmondson, discovered her unique way to be an activist -- using music and the psalms as a pathway to healing, compassion and harmony.  Maggie attended “The Great Turning; Becoming Elders In Our Emerging World,” a 4-day retreat that I led 2 years ago.  It was also at that retreat that I realized that I needed to create “Elder-Activists.”  Lynne

As someone over 60 with limited mobility and physical stamina I have been frustrated that I am not able to be out doing more of the marching, standing or traveling involved in so much of activism. 

What I can do is use the particular abilities I have to possibly inspire others – through both writing and through music. 

I have been a musician all my life, and for almost 20 years I have also been a Quaker pastor.  As a pastor I have the weekly opportunity to share what insights I may have and to encourage others to live into the vision of a better world.  I have found more and more that I am also led to minister through music.

Two years ago, while on Sabbatical, I started a project writing musical settings to scriptures.  For this first project I focused on the psalms but I am now working on some settings to other scriptures.  During this time there were events that affected both my physical and emotional health.  However interestingly, it was the music I was writing that helped me get through those challenges as well as the time spent in such intimate contact with the psalms -- that speak so powerfully to varieties of the human condition.  Together, the words and the music spoke to my spirit and I feel blessed by that grace. 

My hope is that the music I have created will speak to others as it does to me with healing, with longing for closer communion with God and with our beautiful planet, for just and compassionate relationships with one another, and with assurance and strength for what we are called to do in this world. 

I have a website for my work “teahouserecordings.com” and am learning how to distribute my first creation – A 2 CD set of psalm settings called “The Shadow of Thy Wings.”

Maggie Edmondson is a Quaker pastor and musician.  Originally from the UK she now lives in Maine.

Isn’t that the big question?

Many of us wonder what we can do, where to put our energy, or which projects or actions will be most effective. 

Naomi Klein, columnist for The Nation, author of This Changes Everything:  Capitalism vs. the Climate, and one of the most well educated journalists that writes about climate change offers her advice.

She acknowledges that the clock is ticking when it comes to climate change, but that does not trump everything else.  We need to create integrated solutions – ones that radically bring down emissions, while closing the inequality gap and making life tangibly better for the majority.

Climate change and environmental issues are directly related to issues of inequality, poverty, “eco-justice” and a sense of hope, satisfaction or fulfillment with one’s life.  Many activists understand these connections and link them as they seek to understand not only the root causes of environmental degradation but also the social justice issues that go hand in hand with such issues.

Klein continues with:  The hard truth is that the answer to the question “What can I, as an individual, do to stop climate change” is: nothing. You can’t do anything.  In fact the very idea that we – as atomized individuals, even lots of atomized individuals – could play a significant part in stabilizing the planet’s climate system, or changing the global economy, is objectively nuts.  We can only meet this challenge together, as part of a massive and organized global community.

How effective are our actions?
How do we know that our activism actually produces good outcomes?
This article, by my colleague and friend, is excellent advice on how to improve the outcome of our actions.

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR ACTIVISM MORE STRATEGIC
By Eileen Flanagan
First published in GRID Magazine, March, 2015.

Thirteen years ago, at an anti-war rally where a small group of protestors gave speeches to each other in a park, my precocious five-year-old looked up at me and said, “Mom, this is not going to change George Bush’s mind. Can we go get ice cream?”

Of course, she was right, though at the time I didn’t know what was missing from all those rallies and marches I’d attended over the years. It was only through my involvement with Earth Quaker Action Team—a group founded five years ago that uses nonviolent direct action to work for a just and sustainable economy—that I learned the following keys to effective activism.

Dear Friends,
I hope that you will join me, and many others, who will gather in
Washington, DC, on September 9 & 10, 2015 – for
Grandparents Climate Action Days –
to demand that our nation’s leaders strengthen our energy policies in order to provide a sustainable and thriving environment and climate for our future.

The scientists all agree -- climate change is a reality and is accelerating.
Now is the moment to act on behalf of our planet and for our grandchildren.

As a member of Elders Climate Action (ECA) I believe that by lobbying our representatives and enacting strong legislation we can help to restore our climate for a livable future. ECA is partnering with Citizens’ Climate Lobby for this effort, and our platform includes Carbon Fee and Dividend legislation and EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

On Thursday, September 10th we will meet with members of Congress to encourage their support for this platform. 
On Wednesday, September 9th, we will come together for a day of preparation, education, networking, and “basic training” for lobbying. 

Pope Francis has courageously demonstrated and shared his deep connection with all life in his recent Encyclical; which will have far reaching impact across our world.
Mary Evelyn Tucker, from the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology provides an excellent assessment of this encyclical – “On Care For Our Common Home.” As a blog, it is a bit long, but well worth reading.            Lynne

Climate Change Brings Moral Change
By Mary Evelyn Tucker

Pope Francis is clearly one of the most popular people on the planet at present. With his love for the poor, his willingness to embrace the outcaste, and his genuine humility he has captured the hearts of millions - Christian and non-Christian alike. He has inspired minds as well by his willingness to take on difficult issues such as ecology, economy, and equity, which he sees as inextricably linked. Indeed, these three interwoven issues are at the heart of his Papal encyclical released this week. An encyclical is a letter to the Bishops and all Church members. It is the highest level of teaching in the Catholic Church and this is the first encyclical on the environment in the history of the Church.

First, he addresses ecology.