Posted on November 8, 2018
After the midterms, Democrats must use their mandate to resist Trump
This week, voters handed Democrats an unambiguous mandate to resist Trump.
In a clear repudiation of Trump, Democrats won 9.2 percent more votes nationwide, picked up at least 26 House seats – with 15 that are yet to be called as of Wednesday morning – and took control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2010.
The incoming Democratic caucus is diverse and solidly progressive. Many newly elected members broke down barriers in their elections: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Abby Finkenauer are the youngest women, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women, and Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids are the first Native American women to serve in Congress.
Voters are not sending Democrats to Congress to compromise with Trump’s hate or help Republicans rig the country for the powerful. But we cannot count on Democratic leadership in Washington to resist Trump and offer a progressive alternative unless we demand it.
Last week, Democratic leaders were silent as several of their senators flirted with ending birthright citizenship – an idea straight out of the white nationalist fringes. This week, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke about bipartisanship, not resistance. We need to make sure Democrats know that voters expect them to stand up to Trump and fight for progressive values.
Democrats in Washington have not proven that they will lead according to this mandate. In addition to her call for bipartisanship, Leader Pelosi recently endorsed sabotaging the Democratic agenda by matching tax increases with spending – a policy known as pay-go – even though Republicans never do the same when it comes to handouts for corporations and the wealthy. And though there is major momentum to investigate and impeach Brett Kavanaugh, she recently said that impeachment is off the table. Chuck Schumer not only let Joe Manchin vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, but kept Manchin in his leadership team. Voters started the process of healing the rot in the Democratic party and our nation as a whole, but we still have a long way to go.
There are unfortunately still too many Democrats ready to go along with the argument that Democrats need to compromise with Trump and embrace Wall Street or white nationalist agendas in order to win elections, including the presidency in 2020. They are wrong, politically and morally, and we cannot let them determine the Party’s direction. Democrats must use their mandate to:
- Protect immigrants, people of color, women, Muslims and the LGBTQ community from Trump’s attacks
- Investigate Trump’s corruption and scandals and protect the Mueller investigation
- Resist Trump-Republican attempts to steal elections, rig the economy for the powerful, cut Medicare and Social Security, turn their backs on climate change, and lead us to war
- Fight for a bold progressive vision for the country
This week’s results show that Democrats win when they run as progressives. Progressive candidates took seats that Trump won two years ago and flipped long-held Republican seats. Where we lost, Republican voter suppression absolutely played a role. We must make major changes to ensure our democracy works, and that starts with Democrats standing up for progressive values and demanding that our government work for everyone – not just the white, wealthy elite. But without pressure, established Democratic leaders are far too likely to squander this momentum.
Before a cowardly, Trump-friendly and compromising narrative sets in among Democrats, we need to make it unequivocally clear that we demand resistance and a bold vision, starting today.
Please click here to sign our petition urging Democrats to use their mandate to resist Trump.
Posted on November 6, 2018
Tuesday Tip: 8 Ways to Save Energy and Keep Your Home Warm this Winter
Climate change can bring colder winters. It’s counterintuitive but it’s true, according to a recent study in the journal Nature Communications.
So now you have two compelling reasons to outfit your home or apartment for the chilly months ahead. One, to keep yourself warm. Two, to cut your energy use and do your part to slow down climate change.
Here are eight do-it-yourself ways to prep your place for a cold winter and reduce your power consumption.
Install weatherstripping
The cracks around your windows and doors leak heat and let in cold air. Weatherstripping them will keep you comfortable and could save you up to 20% on your electricity bill.
But make sure you use the right type of weatherstripping. There are different varieties and they’re made to go in different places. For details on how to install them, search YouTube for instructional videos—there are dozens. Here are the basics.
V-strip
This is a V-shaped weatherstrip that expands to fill gaps. Made of plastic or thin, flexible metal, V-strip is intended to go along the sides of a double-hung window or sliding window and along the sides or at the top of doors. With plastic V-strip, just cut the length you want, peel and stick. Make sure to clean the frames for best adhesion. Metal V-strip is affixed with finishing nails.
Felt
Sold in rolls, felt is inexpensive but doesn’t usually last more than a year or two. It goes in the same places as V-strip. Just cut, peel and stick. One advantage is that it slows down air but lets moisture pass.
Foam tape
Also sold in rolls, this is usually EPDM rubber. It works the same as felt but lasts longer.
Door sweeps
Made of plastic or rubber, door sweeps fit the bottom of exterior doors to fill that gap down there and stop air flow in and out. They attach with screws.
Seal your ducts
If you have a home with central heating, you can save a lot of warm air and money by sealing and insulating your ducts—the network of tubes in your walls, floors, and ceilings that carries heat from your furnace to your rooms. Leaky ducts can lose up to 30% of their hot air and add hundreds of dollars to your yearly heating bill.
Given their location, it’s difficult to seal the ducts in your walls and floors so you may want to call in a professional to do that.
Service your furnace
To run more efficiently (and live a longer life), newer furnaces need service every two years and older furnaces need it annually. At a minimum, you should change your filters monthly during the winter. Hold your filter up to the light. If you can’t see light through it, you should replace it. Pleated filters are best because they catch more dirt and dust.
Insulate your water heater
Wrapping your water heater in an insulating blanket is an easy and effective DIY project. The blanket costs only about $20 at your local home center. If your tank is new, it’s probably insulated already. If it’s older, check the R-value of its insulation. It should be at least 24. If you can’t find the R-value, touch your tank. If it feels warm, it could use more insulation. This can cut standby heat loss by 25% to 45%.
While you’re at it, turn down your water heater’s thermostat from 140 degrees (the standard factory setting) to 120 degrees. This will save energy and your water will still be hot enough for showering and washing clothes or dishes.
Make your windows work for you
During the day, open the curtains or blinds on all windows that receive sunlight and you’ll gather free heat for your home. At night, close the curtains and you’ll keep heat in. Close them during cold weather and most conventional curtains will reduce heat loss by up to 10%.
Turn down your thermostat
Yes, normally in winter you turn it up. But turn it down when you go to bed. You’ll cut 1% from your heating bill for each degree you set back your thermostat. Set it back for eight hours every night and you can reduce your bill up to 10% per year.
Cover bare floors
Bare floors can drain as much as 10% of the heat out of your home. Cover them with rugs or carpeting to keep your home and your feet warm.
Foil your radiator
If you have a radiator against a wall, cover the wall in foil. This will keep heat from escaping and reflect it back into the room. You can buy foil made for this purpose or you can use plain-old aluminum foil. If you have large furniture next to the radiator, it will absorb heat, so move it away (unless you happen to be sitting in it).
We’ve got one planet. We need to take care of it. To help you do that, we launched CREDO Energy, an easy way for you to choose 100% renewable electricity for your home. Click here to learn more and check availability in your area.
Posted on November 2, 2018
Our October grantees thank you for your support
Each month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute funding to three incredible organizations. Those small actions add up – with one click, you can help fund groups fighting for civil rights, reproductive rights and economic justice. In October, over 55,000 CREDO members voted to distribute our monthly donation to Center for Media Justice, Planned Parenthood and Working Families Party.
These donations are made possible by CREDO customers and the revenue they generate by using our services. The distribution depends entirely on the votes of CREDO members like you. And for that, our September grant recipients thank you.
Center for Media Justice
$43,745
“Thank you for this opportunity! With the support of CREDO members like you, the Center for Media Justice will continue to win structural changes in our media and technology systems that advance racial and economic equity.” To learn more, visit mediajustice.org.
Planned Parenthood
$68,898
“Planned Parenthood has fought for more than 100 years to ensure all people have access to the health care they need and deserve. Our movement is stronger than ever, thanks to our supporters and long-standing partners like CREDO. We’re deeply grateful.” To learn more, visit plannedparenthood.org.
Working Families Party
$37,357
“Thanks for your support! CREDO members like you are helping us elect a new generation of progressive leaders who will raise wages and living standards, strengthen our democracy and reform our justice system.” To learn more, visit workingfamilies.org.
Now check out the three groups we are funding in November, and cast your vote to help distribute our donations.
CREDO members who use our products are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on November 1, 2018
Vote for these three progressive groups this November
Every month, CREDO members vote on how we distribute our monthly donations between three great progressive groups. This month, you have the opportunity to fund organizations fighting climate change, holding corporations and politicians accountable and advocating for the rights of displaced women and girls by voting for 350.org, the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
350.org
350.org is building the global grassroots climate movement to oppose new coal, oil and gas projects, take money out of the companies that are heating up the planet, and build 100 percent clean energy solutions that work for all.
CREDO funding would help 350.org bolster its global climate movement in countries around the world, including current projects to pass fracking bans in Brazil, support deCOALanize campaigns in Kenya and Ghana, ban coal in Germany, stop the largest gas field in the Netherlands, halt the Trans Adriatic Gas Pipeline, and stop fracking in the United Kingdom.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Economic and Policy Research forces the rich and powerful to address the lack of corporate and government accountability in the United States. CEPR fights for an inclusive economy that works for everyone by exposing who is rigging the economy in favor of the 1 percent.
Funding from CREDO members would enable CEPR to press the new Congress for more oversight of the political appointee process, greater corporate accountability through a strong regulatory framework, and robust oversight of the Trump administration’s corruption by focusing on the many actions that enrich Trump administration allies while harming ordinary Americans, particularly communities of color and poor and working class people of all races.
Women’s Refugee Commission
Women’s Refugee Commission advocates for the rights and protections of women and girls, including families seeking safety at the U.S. border. We’re committed to ending family separation and detention and to advancing the human rights of asylum seeking women and children.
At a time when the current administration is separating immigrant families at the border and openly hostile to refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence, WRC’s work is critically important. CREDO funding will directly support WRC’s efforts to improve the lives and protect the rights of women, children and youth displaced by conflict and crisis.
Your vote this month will determine how we divide our monthly donation among these three progressive groups. Be sure to cast your vote to support one, two or all three by November 30..
CREDO members who use our products everyday are the reason why we are able to make these donations each month. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on October 31, 2018
How Planned Parenthood, Free Press Action Fund and People’s Action are using CREDO funding
How CREDO grantees are using our funding
Since our founding, CREDO has supported progressive nonprofits on the frontlines of the most important fights for civil rights, climate justice, equality and more. The donations we make to these organizations wouldn’t be possible without our members. And that’s why we want to share with you what our recent grantees have accomplished with their CREDO funding. Here’s how your support helped Planned Parenthood, Free Press Action Fund and People’s Action.
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood’s January grant of $55,290 from CREDO helped the organization continue expanding access to information and care to women across the country. Thanks to new technical support, Planned Parenthood affiliate offices are now offering care via telemedicine in 16 states, including access to abortion medication via telemedicine in 13 of those states.
Free Press Action Fund
CREDO’s March donation of $63,240 to Free Press Action Fund helped the organization stop the Sinclair-Tribune media mega-merger from moving forward. The merger would have given a single broadcast company a disturbing level of influence in the country’s media landscape. For a full year, Free Press led public opposition to the merger. In partnership with CREDO, organized a protest outside the annual Sinclair shareholders meeting in June, as well as a large petition delivery to the FCC in July, ultimately leading to Tribune backing out of the merger in early August.
People’s Action
People’s Action used CREDO’s recent $41,715 grant to fund rapid response work in the family separation fight and oppose the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. CREDO support also helped People’s Action organize 50 Community Cookouts to raise more than $15,000 for the Freedom for Immigrants National Bond Fund.
You can learn more about how previous grantees have used CREDO’s funding here. These efforts by our partners were made possible in part by the CREDO members who use our products and services everyday. Learn more about CREDO Mobile, the carrier with a conscience.
Posted on October 31, 2018
Victory: FedEx drops the NRA
Thanks to massive public pressure, including activism by tens of thousands of CREDO members, FedEx finally announced that it would be ending its long-time discount program with the NRA.
In response to the horrific massacre in Parkland in February, many companies, including Delta, United Airlines and Enterprise, ended their partnerships with the extremist gun industry lobby group, however, FedEx chose to keep aligning itself with the NRA and continued to help legitimize the organization.
CREDO launched a petition urging FedEx to break ties with the NRA and nearly 70,000 CREDO members quickly took action.
FedEx claims pressure on them to end its partnership with the NRA had nothing to do with recent mass shootings, but we know better. Activism is playing a huge role in weakening the NRA’s power.
In recent months, after massive public outcry, we’ve seen major gun retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods stop selling AR-15 assault rifles and Walmart end sales of guns and ammunition to people under 21.
While many retailers have taken a bold stand, there’s still work to do to get major investment firms like Vanguard and Blackrock to stop profiting from their investments in gun companies. In fact, Sen. Elizabeth Warren has demanded that these investors use their power to force gun manufacturers to make us safer, not more at risk. You can increase the public pressure and spur real action to rein in gun violence by signing our petition urging BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity and the other major gun investors to demand change.
You can sign the petition here: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/warren_gun_investors
Posted on October 30, 2018
Tuesday Tip: How you can help get out the vote on November 6
Tuesday Tip: How you can help get out the vote on November 6
The 2018 elections are the most important midterms in a generation. And if recent elections are any indication, every single vote will matter.
We need to vote against misogyny, racism, bigotry, and greed and vote for equality, justice and freedom. That’s why it’s more important than ever to all show up on November 6.
It’s also essential that we encourage our friends, family—everyone we know—to go to the polls. Because these midterm elections are our chance to start reining in Trump and the Republican forces that are enabling him.
This is a defining moment. The November election will decide the future of every issue that’s important to us. Climate justice, environmental defense, economic fairness, women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, voters’ rights, workers’ rights, freedom of speech. All of them will be on the line on election day.
That’s why we’re doing all we can to ensure a decisive turnout on November 6. Here’s how you can help.
Get personal
November 6 is just weeks away and in the final weeks before an election, the best way to get voters to the polls is to give them a nudge in person. Think of the people you know who support your candidates and causes and get in touch.
In fact, research shows that a face-to-face conversation is the most effective strategy to get out the vote. People respond positively to encouragement from friends, neighbors and coworkers they know and trust—like you. Remind them when the election is and ask about their plan for getting to the polls—what time they’ll go, how they’ll get there, etc. A study by Stanford University discovered that a simple chat like this can have a significant influence on voting behavior.
The free app VoteWithMe can help. You can use it to see which of your friends live in swing districts and need a reminder to vote. And if you’d like to do more as the election draws near, check out the Last Weekend, where you can volunteer to take action in the final days before November 6. Sign up and the group will get in touch to let you know how you can make a difference.
Promote the vote on social media
Right-wing operatives and Russian agents used social media to turn the nation for Trump in 2016. You can use social media to turn it back. With posts on your Facebook and Instagram profiles and tweets on your Twitter account, you can encourage your friends to get out and vote for progressive candidates and ballot measures.
Remind your friends that their friends will be voting. Studies have shown that people are more likely to vote if they know others are voting as well. This is called social pressure and it works.
Make sure to include a photo in your GOTV posts, because posts and tweets with pictures perform far better than those without. Take a selfie with a sign promoting your candidate or cause. Include relevant hashtags and encourage your friends to share. You might even build a movement.
Carpool to the polls
A lot of people say they don’t vote because they can’t get to their polling place on election day. You can offer to drive them there. Or let them know that Lyft is offering free and discounted rides to the polls.
Volunteer to GOTV
There are many get-out-the-vote organizations where you can volunteer to help make sure people actually go to the polls. They provide the structure and the tools that make it easy for you to mobilize voters. Check out Rock the Vote, When We All Vote and the Voter Participation Center.
Provide information
As an election approaches, a lot of people have a lot of questions. Am I registered? If I’m not, how can I get registered? How do I ask for an absentee ballot? Where’s my polling place? You can answer these questions by visiting Rock the Vote for polling information, The Voter Participation Center to register, or check out CREDO’s Voter Registration Guide for general information. Share any of these sites on your social media or send them in an email to friends and family to get them ready to vote.
Your vote—and the votes of everyone you know—can make a decisive difference in the future of our nation and the world. Please do what you can to get out the vote on November 6 and support the progressive candidates and causes you believe in. We’ll see you at the polls.
Posted on October 24, 2018
Victory: Interior Secretary signs mining ban at Yellowstone
Thanks in part to the activism of nearly 100,000 CREDO members, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke recently signed a 20-year ban on new mining in a 30,000 acre area north of Yellowstone National Park.
If Sec. Zinke failed to act, it could have spelled disaster for one of our country’s most precious landmarks and could have opened up tens of thousands of acres of public lands at the northern gateway of America’s oldest and most iconic national park to aggressive gold, silver and other mineral extraction.
This huge victory proves once again that activism works and could pave the way for a permanent ban on mining in the region. With an administration determined to hand over public lands to Big Oil, mining and other extractive corporations, the massive pressure by CREDO members and our allies in the conservation and environmental communities was enough to force Sec. Zinke to side with the environment over corporate profits.
Posted on October 23, 2018
Tuesday Tip: How to have a green Halloween
Tuesday Tip: How to have a green Halloween
Halloween is a great holiday for a lot of reasons. And a not-so-great holiday for one particular reason: its frightening environmental impact. Measured by consumer spending, Halloween is now the second-largest holiday in America (after Christmas) and all the paraphernalia that goes with it – decorations, costumes, and candy – do some serious annual damage to the planet.
But we’re not here to troll your party: We’re here to offer a few tips to have a green Halloween.
Hand out organic candy
Candy is sweet, but the environmental fallout is bitter indeed. Candy manufacturers and their constant requirements for sugar, palm oil and cocoa contribute to deforestation around the world and push species like orangutans, rhinos, and leopards closer to extinction every day.
And then there’s all the non-recyclable packaging that comes with mass-market candy. Chances are, the candy wrappers your parents tossed out when you were a kid are still in a landfill somewhere, leaching toxins into the ground.
Also, most large candy companies source cocoa from farms in West Africa where child labor is common. In the Ivory Coast, for example, children are trafficked to cocoa farms, beaten and forced to work long hours without pay. They’re slaves.
So this year, hand out fair-trade and/or organic candy. You can probably buy it at your local natural foods store. Or search “fair trade organic candy” online and you’ll find a lot of sellers there, like Endangered Species Chocolate or YumEarth.
Craft your own costume – or thrift it
Most of those costumes you see at the store are made from non-recyclable plastics and synthetics. You wear them once, then off they go to the landfill, where they sit for the next thousand years or so. Worse, many plastic costumes contain PVC, which is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created. A lot of these costumes are also made by workers who toil under brutal conditions in factories overseas.
Instead, consider making your own costume. You can make one out of pieces you have around the house. Or head over to your local thrift store. Many now have sections dedicated to Halloween in October. Another option is a costume rental shop. Most have a wide selection of elaborate Halloween costumes at this time of year.
If you’re painting your face or your kid’s face, be aware of the chemicals in the paints. According to one analysis, almost half of the paints examined contained at least one heavy metal. Some had up to four heavy metals.
Decorate sustainably
Halloween comes second only to Christmas on the decoration scale, and most of the options in stores are made from plastic. If you must buy these decorations, try to choose durable ones that you can use year after year.
Or, better, make your own decorations. You can make a big black widow out of a (recyclable) black garbage bag stuffed with newspaper. A ghost from an old bedsheet. Gravestones from cardboard. Here’s a crafting site with a bunch of ideas for eco-friendly decorations.
Get your pumpkin from a local grower or a farmers market. When you carve it, keep the seeds for toasting. Drizzle them with butter or oil, add a sprinkle of salt, spread on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300-degree oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Compost your jack-o-lantern when Halloween is over.
If you throw a Halloween party, avoid plastic. Choose reusable plates, cups, and utensils. If that’s not realistic, there are now more sustainable disposables like 100 percent recycled paper plates or organic bamboo tableware. Check out Bio & Chic, which has everything from sugarcane plates to cornstarch cutlery.
Halloween doesn’t have to be an environmental nightmare. Keep it green and have a sustainable good time. We’ll see you out there.
Posted on October 18, 2018
New video: How to protect the vote this November with the Brennan Center
On Oct. 18, we were pleased to host a very special live event with CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess and Brennan Center for Justice President Michael Waldman, who discussed how to protect the vote this November and every election.
If you missed the original broadcast, you can watch the recording of the event below, on our Facebook page or on YouTube.
CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess and Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law President Michael Waldman are live from CREDO HQ to discuss how to protect the vote this November and every election.
Posted by CREDO Mobile on Thursday, October 18, 2018
