Posted on August 20, 2018
5 Things You Can Do To Promote #RiseforClimate
For more than 30 years, CREDO has been fighting for our environment and to slow climate change. That’s why we’re so excited to help organize the Rise for Climate marches across the country and all across the world this Sept. 8.
It takes all of us – by reaching out to those around us, sharing stories and engaging — in order to help make Rise for Climate a success.
Here are ways from our allies at 350.org that anyone, no matter your digital skill level, can use new media to help spread the word.
1. Invite your friends and family
Send them an email, invite them to the RVSP page for a local event, call them, text them or send them an Instagram video. Whichever way you can, it’s important for you to reach out to those around you.
Most Rise for Climate events are an open invitation to anyone who wants to join. Everyone can have a role to play. Your brother could help make food for people, your best friend could help take photos and a total stranger may be up for organizing a banner-making session.
It’s also important as Sept. 8 gets closer to re-invite people! Reminders are crucial.
2. Get Personal
First-person stories are one of your most powerful recruitment tools.
Why do you think it’s time for a fast and fair transition to 100 percent renewable energy for all? Why are you joining? Share on your social media accounts why you have decided to join. When you post, use the hashtag #RiseForClimate.
Seeing the faces of real people that will be there, hearing about why they’re participating, and seeing them actually getting ready for the action can help your friends and followers imagine themselves being there too.
3. Share what’s happening right now
Are you passing out flyers? Making art? Holding local meetings? That’s awesome! Share footage, interview clips with participants and photos on your own social media. That way people in your networks can see the momentum building and can better understand what joining Rise For Climate will involve. And don’t forget to use #RiseForClimate so we can build the buzz and create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) globally too.
4. Ask people in your community to share and retweet
It doesn’t have to be a big celebrity. It could be your local football team, a local musician/band or an elected official. Who in your community do people listen to and who has a big reach on social media? Ask them and see if they can help spread the word.
5. Amplify #RiseForClimate stories from around the world
Like you, others around the world are sharing their own stories – check out all the latest content here. Use your social media accounts to share what’s going on in other communities far from yours.
Check out the sample content and visual guides.
Editor’s note: This piece is adapted from a post originally published by 350.org.
Posted on August 20, 2018
For the Planet: Stop Trump’s anti-environment Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh
It will be a dark day for the environment if Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
Kavanaugh has spent his career ruling in favor of corporate profits over the planet and he will assuredly support Trump’s crusade to strike down laws that protect your right to a livable environment.
This is why we must stop the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh.
In his 12 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Kavanaugh regularly voted to suppress EPA regulation of corporate pollution. During the Obama administration, he ruled in three major cases concerning the EPA’s authority under the Clean Air Act and voted against the EPA every time. In 2017, he wrote the majority opinion in a case striking down EPA regulation of hydrofluorocarbons, a potent greenhouse gas.
The thought of a Supreme Court justice like Kavanaugh at a time like now is madness. Heat waves and wildfires are raging around the world. The National Academy of Sciences is predicting Earth could soon tip into a “hothouse” state with sea-level rise of 30 to 200 feet within decades. Rational climate observers are warning that “it’s time to start panicking.”
And yet there is Kavanaugh, ruling against efforts to slow climate change.
We need action to save our planet. We don’t need an extreme conservative judge like Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, working in the best interests of corporations and against our future.
Please join us in opposing the confirmation of Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Sign our petition urging the Senate to reject Brett Kavanaugh and share our video so others can take key actions to #StopKavanaugh now.
You can learn about our campaign to stop Kavanaugh and find more ways to take action here.
Posted on August 17, 2018
Victory: Trump cancels ludicrous military parade
Thanks in part to the more than 194,000 CREDO members who took action urging Congress to block Donald Trump’s military parade, Trump today canceled plans to organize a parade for later this year.
We know that Donald Trump has never cared about servicemembers or veterans, and a wildly expensive military parade was an exceptionally bad idea – even for Donald Trump.
If he had gotten his way, Trump would have used the troops as partisan, political props so he could play dictator for a day.
It took enormous grassroots pressure to stop this disastrous idea, so thank you to the CREDO members and everyone else who stood up for our democracy and resisted Trump’s authoritarian impulses.
Posted on August 16, 2018
What is Rise for Climate and why you should participate
Editor’s note: This piece is adapted from a post originally published by 350.org.
Wildfires. Mudslides. Drought.
In California, we’ve seen the terror that insufficient action on climate change has wrought – just like in the rest of the world, the impact from climate change has increased to a higher pace and intensity. And, we’ve seen the visionary solutions we need to build a thriving, just and healthy planet.
In September, the eyes of the world turn here, to San Francisco and the Global Climate Action Summit, where local leaders from around the world will be called on to demonstrate their approaches to the rising crises. And we think this summit offers a unique opportunity for people all around the world to do the same – in towns, institutions, cities and states… If they walk the talk, we will walk with them. If not, we will push them to get moving.
That’s why 350.org and our allies at CREDO, along with dozens of others, are organizing the Rise for Climate, Jobs & Justice marches on Sept. 8 – thousands of rallies in cities and towns around the world to demand our local leaders commit to building a fossil-free world that puts people and justice before profits.
It’s an opportunity we can’t afford to miss – and we need your help, here in California, across America and all around the world.
We’re drawing upon the strengths of our movement: indigenous people, workers, youth, people of faith, communities of color, families and others to build a massive mobilization that demands what our communities and the planet really need – bold, immediate action toward a just transition away from the era of fossil fuels and false solutions and toward a renewable economy that protects our families, workers and planet where everyone has enough to thrive. Will you join us?
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Organize around the world on Sept. 8 and demand that your local leaders step up to what our communities truly need. You can find or start an event here.
- Do you live in California? Join us in San Francisco on Sept. 8 and the following days to put forth a vision of what real climate leadership is by RSVPing here.
This critical moment calls for critical action. Will you join us?
For more information, visit the Rise for Climate website.
Additional resources for getting involved:
Posted on August 14, 2018
VIDEO: How to #SaveSCOTUS and #StopKavanaugh
On Tuesday, Aug. 14, CREDO Action Co-Director Heidi Hess held a live conversation to share information with CREDO members and activists on how we can #SaveSCOTUS in the upcoming Supreme Court justice vote. If you missed the live broadcast, check out the video below or on our Facebook page to learn what’s at stake if Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s extreme far-right nominee, is confirmed and what we can do to help block his confirmation.
Learn what’s at stake if Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s extreme far-right nominee, is confirmed and what we can do to help #StopKavanaugh and #SaveSCOTUS.
Posted by CREDO Mobile on Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Posted on August 14, 2018
Tuesday Tip: How to register to vote — or find out if you’re already registered
Tuesday Tip: How to register to vote — or find out if you’re already registered
Voting is one of the most important acts we can perform in our democracy, especially as Republicans relentlessly try to suppress the vote in order to steal elections and advance their dangerous, racist agenda.
November’s midterm elections will be a massive opportunity to reject Republican extremism and stand up for progressive values. Voters will determine who controls the House and Senate, as well as 36 state governorships and multiple state legislatures.
If Democrats flip control of one or both houses of Congress and statehouses across the country, they could block Trump’s agenda, slam the door on Trump’s nominees, block Republican gerrymandering in the 2021 redrawing of congressional districts, and gain new powers to investigate the Trump administration.
It is exactly because of moments like these that Republicans have been trying for decades to suppress the vote of people of color, the elderly, low-income people, and people living in progressive or urban areas with their racist, classist and ageist voter suppression laws.
Don’t fall into their traps. Register to vote. It’s your right, your privilege, and your duty. Here’s how.
Make sure you’re eligible
You’re eligible to vote if:
- You’re a U.S. citizen.
- You’re a legal resident of your state.
- You’re 18 years old. Some states allow 17-year-olds to register if they’ll be 18 before election day.
- Some states shamefully prevent people with prior felony convictions or who are incarcerated from voting. Find out the laws in your state from the ACLU.
Find out if you’re registered already
This takes about 30 seconds. Fill out the form at Vote.org and click “Check your registration.”
Register online
If you’re not registered now, you can easily register online in 38 states plus the District of Columbia: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
If you’re a resident of one of these states, you can register in 2 minutes at Vote.gov.
Register by mail
Download the National Mail Voter Registration Form. You can fill it out on screen and print the completed form or you can print the blank form and fill it out by hand. Sign the form and mail it to the address listed for your state.
In addition to English, the form is available in Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
Register in person
You can register in person at your state or local election office. Find it here. You can also register at your local DMV office when you apply for or renew a driver’s license.
Twelve states and the District of Columbia automatically register you to vote when you apply for or renew a license unless you opt out. Those states are: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia.
You can also register at your local armed services recruitment center. And at state and county public assistance offices that provide food stamps/SNAP, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and services for the disabled. There you can fill out and submit a National Mail Voter Registration Form.
Register on time
Every state has a voter registration deadline, which you must meet in order to vote in the next election. The deadline is usually two to four weeks prior to the election. Check your state’s deadline at the U.S. Vote Foundation.
Register on election day
Sixteen states plus the District of Columbia allow you to register on the day of an election: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A lot of people are taking advantage of this option. In 2016, states that allow election day registration had an average of 7% higher turnout compared to states that did not.
Update your registration information
You can check and possibly change your registration information—including your name, address and political party—online at Can I Vote, a nonpartisan website created by state election officials to help eligible voters figure out how and where to vote.
You should re-register or update your information if you’ve changed your name, moved permanently or if you’re voting in a new location after changing your registration address.
A good source for more information on registration and for registration shortcuts is Vote.org, a site created to simplify political engagement, increase voter turnout and strengthen our democracy.
We’ll see you at the polls!
Posted on August 14, 2018
VIDEO: CREDO activists make national news at DHS secretary immigration protest
CREDO activists made national headlines and blanketed cable news when we organized a flash protest at the home of DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the senior official implementing Trump’s cruel and inhumane immigration policies, including separating families at the border.
Watch the highlight video below, or click here to watch on our YouTube channel.
Posted on August 11, 2018
What is environmental and climate justice?
What is environmental and climate justice?
When some people think of environmentalism or climate change, they might envision protecting endangered species, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and a warming planet.
These are all critically important aspects in the fight to protect our planet, but here at CREDO, we go a few steps further.
Instead of just considering the effects on the physical environment, we understand that a changing climate has a disproportionate impact on communities of color, low-income people and other marginalized communities here in the United States and across the world.
Because climate change causes drought, extreme weather, and flooding that can lead to famine, forced migration and even armed conflict, the first communities to feel the effects of a changing climate are the world’s most vulnerable.
Here in the United States, communities of color and low-income communities are also the hardest hit by climate change and the fossil fuel industry’s relentless exploitation of natural resources.
Take, for example, recent hurricanes in the Gulf, whose strengths were intensified by a changing climate, that destroyed homes and displaced tens of thousands of low-income people and people of color. Or the toxic coal, oil and gas plants and infrastructure projects that pollute our air and water and cause disproportionate adverse health effects on vulnerable communities.
That’s why our activism to slow climate change and protect the environment always considers the racial and economic impact on marginalized communities. And it’s why we’ve donated more than $19 million to progressive organizations fighting for climate justice.
If you’d like to learn more about our climate justice activism and take action, please visit credoaction.com.
Join CREDO in the Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice march on September 8. Learn more.
Posted on August 10, 2018
An update on some of the amazing work CREDO members are helping to fund
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. You helped make the following possible:
National Domestic Workers Alliance’s recent $52,684 CREDO grant helped the organization become an anchor in the Families Belong Together coalition that formed in response to the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies. The organization led a grassroots campaign to demand the end of family separation and detention and called for the reunification of the over 2,300 children who were separated from their parents this spring. To learn more, visit domesticworkers.org.
Since Amnesty International received its recent $60,190 CREDO grant, the organization launched a variety of campaigns to support its work to demand human rights for all people, including Troll Patrol, a global effort to stop abuse against women on Twitter through direct advocacy and using thousands of digital volunteers to track and report abuse. To learn more, visit amnestyusa.org.
Earthjustice used its recent $63,724 CREDO grant to continue fighting Trump’s efforts to roll back critical environmental and public health protections. The organization’s work included filing and winning lawsuits around safe pesticide handling in California and the EPA’s failure to protect civil rights in the environmental context. It also prevented an enormous coal export terminal from getting shoreline permits in Washington. To learn more, visit earthjustice.org.
350.org’s recent $66,141 grant supported new climate action projects across the globe, including “Fossil Free,” which encourages and supports 350’s network of volunteers to start new local campaigns to push city governments and other institutions to stop and ban the development of any new fossil fuel projects and commit to a just transition to 100 percent renewable energy. To learn more, visit 350.org.
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 August 9, 2018
Victory: CREDO helps stop Sinclair-Tribune mega-merger
Amazing news: Thanks to the activism by more than 200,000 CREDO activists and our partners, we stopped the Sinclair-Tribune media mega-merger from moving forward.
This merger would have given a single broadcast company a disturbing level of influence in the country’s media landscape. Already Sinclair is the largest broadcast group in the country, with 193 local stations. Sinclair has a long history of force-feeding local stations racist and biased must-run segments that hurt local journalism and communities.
The proposed mega-merger would have left Sinclair with an incredible 223 stations covering 72 percent of U.S. households.
Because of our massive grassroots pressure, even Trump’s FCC had to acknowledge that this deal was bad for the public interest.
This victory was all possible in part because of CREDO members and activists who proudly stand up for our media and democracy – so from all of us here at CREDO, we’d like to say thank you for all that you do.
