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Defenderssummernewsletter 1 SUMMER 2017 the EarthConnect The quarterly newsletter of The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County Volume 12, Issue 3 !"#$#"%#& & !"'(#)(&& & Cracking Washington’s *+,)-(#& Gridlock to Save the Planet Annual Corn Roast !"#$%&'(#!)*+,-.'+/#*.0*'+-.(#1*)2#34.#5.6#7)*8#3'2.,#6'-4#0.*2',,')+9# This year’s annual Corn Roast One day, ideally in the not-too-distant future, when Congress finally passes at Pioneer Tree Farm will take major legislation to curb carbon emissions—to reduce place on: the environmental and economic harm caused by climate change—Americans will owe a big thank you to the perseverance and discipline of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Special appreciation should go to one volunteer, Jay Butera, a SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 businessman from Pennsylvania who has put intense effort into getting Democrats and Republicans in Congress to begin talking with one another 4PM about potential solutions. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a network of volunteers who have come together in the last several years to advance climate policy in a bipartisan DETAILS PAGE 7. manner. Its support base has increased fivefold since 2015 to 60,000 supporters; among them, 23,000 are actively working to build political will for a national, revenue-neutral carbon fee-and-dividend system, a market-based approach that aims to reduce carbon emissions while spurring employment. Over the past year, volunteers have held 1,429 meetings with their representatives’ offices, organized 2,597 outreach events, and prompted or written 3,339 editorials, op-ed essays, and letters to the editor. In 2010, the organization’s annual conference drew 25 participants; next month, the network expects to welcome 1,200 in Washington. These activities have strengthened relationships between constituents and their representatives and have been instrumental in two significant developments in the House of Representatives: the introduction, in March, of the Republican Climate Resolution, which now has 20 co-sponsors, and the creation of the first bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. Upcoming Events O’Brien Prairie Bike Ride It’s Our River Day [July 16] [September 10] [September 16] !Earth provides enough to satisfy Picnic, workday Glacial Park to Cornish Park, and ice cream! Richmond Algonquin every man"s needs, but not every man"s greed.# $ Mahatma Gandhi 4PM to 6PM 11AM to 1PM 1PM to 4PM 123 EARTHCONNECT SUMMER 2017 BUSINESS & CIVIC MEMBERS Copy Express, Inc. Staff www.copyexpressyes.com Cynthia W. Kanner About Better Living: Lee Frisch 815-338-7161 Outreach Coordinator 847-639-2564 [email protected] Crystal Lake Brewing Christy Matsuoka Crystallakebrew.com Bookkeeper & Records Clerk Adele Petersen, Realtor www.adelepetersen.com Crystal Lake Park District RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest http://crystallakeparks.org Officers & Directors Woodstock, Crystal Lake, Huntley One East Crystal Lake Ave. Nancy Schietzelt, President 815-355-5729 815-459-0680 Lori McConville, Vice President Alice Lumsden, Secretary Algonquin Township Road District Dave’s Bait & Tackle James Wigman, Treasurer www.algonquintownship.com 815-455-2040 Dwight Dalton 847-639-2700 Ed Ellinghausen Duke’s Alehouse & Kitchen Mary Forni Algonquin/LITH Thedukeabides.com Kim Hankins Chamber of Commerce Sue Jensen 847-658-5300 Falcon Green Resources 815-334-8689 Christine Kustra [email protected] Rico Rotta Alpine Accessories Hyperstitch, Inc. Ken Santowski www.alpineaccessories.com www.hyperstitch.com Joe Starzynski 847-854-4754 815-568-0590 Nicky Strahl Marvin’s Toy Store Illinois State Senator Pam Althoff www.marvinstoystore.com Newsletter Editors www.senatoralthoff.com 779-220-4179 Cynthia W. Kanner 815-455-6330 or 217-782-8000 Barb Day McHenry County College www.mcc.edu American Ad Bag Summer Intern www.adbag.com Roman Rodriguez 800-382-6844 McHenry Co. Dept. of Water Resources 815-334-4213 Apple Creek Flowers Pioneer Tree Farm Hours applecreekflowers.com Tues -Fri: 11 AM to 4 PM www.pioneertreefarm.com Artland Story Group Saturday: 11 AM to 3 PM http://artlandstorygroup.org RCW Tax Services 815-354-4831 815-893-0736 110 S. Johnson Street Woodstock Square Mall, B&B Automotive McHenry Red Buffalo Nursery Woodstock 815-363-7560 www. redbuffalonursery.com Credit cards accepted. 815-648-4838 The Backdrop 815-338-3007 Respace, Inc. Respaceinc.com Brothers Junk Removal Sustainable Life, Inc. www.brothersjunkremoval.com www.sustainablelifeproducts.com About EarthConnect 815-600-6697 815-276-9753 Published quarterly by The Environmental Defenders Burseth Farm The UPS Store of Crystal Lake of McHenry County www.bursethfarm.com www.theupsstore.com/1947.htm LOC, ISSN# 1938-9795 815-342-0745 110 S. Johnson Street, Suite 106 Calco Pallets Wheel Werks Bikes http://wheelwerksbikes.com Woodstock, IL 60098 815-725-5387 815-444-6897 The Woodstock Square Mall Computer Recycling Center, LLC (815) 338-0393 815-455-6300 Windridge Memorial Park [email protected] [email protected] www.mcdef.org Woodstock Chamber of Commerce Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters www.woodstockilchamber.com www.consciouscup.com 815-356-0115 2 23 EARTHCONNECT SUMMER 2017 Equally important today, the Citizens’ Climate Climate Solutions Caucus. Shortly thereafter, Lobby illustrates how average Americans can work Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, another effectively to influence government. Republican, came on board. Butera had earlier brought Butera has worked to address climate change for a contingent of 16 mayors, Chamber of Commerce more than a decade and has been a volunteer with the leaders, and county commissioners to her Miami office Citizens’ Climate Lobby since 2012. In 2013, he met to speak about how climate change was affecting their Representative Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat, whose communities. Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteers had district was experiencing the effects of global warming. also flown from Miami to Washington to join him in Butera mentioned that he had a vision to create a bipartisan meetings with the congresswoman. caucus in the House that would focus on climate solutions. Today, the caucus has 38 members—19 from Deutch liked the idea and agreed to work with him and the each party. They’re still a long way from having the citizens’ lobby toward that goal. votes needed to pursue bipartisan climate legislation. “The kind of meaningful conversation that was But it’s worth examining how this progress has been taking place in boardrooms and in local governments achieved in spite of all the acrimony and mistrust unfortunately had not really taken place in Congress,” today — and in particular, how ordinary citizens have Deutch told me. led it. (This episode of the National Geographic Butera started visiting offices on Capitol Hill in an Channel’s series “Years of Living Dangerously” effort to get Republicans and Democrats to sit together. At chronicles their efforts.) the time, it seemed a fool’s errand. “People would laugh,” “Most people make the assumption that there’s he says now. “ ‘Good luck with that.’ ” He was advised to absolutely no point in contacting their representative avoid the word “climate.” Call it a “resiliency” caucus or a because it wouldn’t do any good,” says Tom Moyer, a “coastal states” caucus, he was told. The word climate was Citizens’ Climate Lobby volunteer from Utah who unmentionable. works closely with his representative, Mia Love, a Butera and Deutch devised a Noah’s Ark approach: Republican. The caucus would grow by twos, to keep equality of In a 2016 Rasmussen survey, only 11 percent of numbers between Republicans and Democrats. Many respondents said that the average member of Congress Democrats were interested. The question was: How to get listens to their constituents. By contrast, in surveys of Republicans to join? congressional staff members, more than 90 percent say Butera reasoned that the first movers were likely to that “in-person issue visits from constituents” and come from Florida. “The coastal districts are mainly “individualized email messages” would have ‘some’ or Republican and the coastline is threatened existentially by ‘a lot’ of influence on an undecided lawmaker. climate impacts,” he said. It’s this belief in the power of citizens that He flew to Miami, timing the trip to coincide with animates the citizens’ lobby. “People assume of Earth Day 2014. He attended events in southern Florida that Congress that they’re beholden to their campaign focused on climate change; there he met locals and helped contributors and all they can do is work to get them them start a Citizens’ Climate Lobby chapter. out of office,” said Moyer. “We start from the “I saw that local mayors and county leaders were assumption that they want to solve the problem. And dealing with the impacts of climate change head on,” he we ask: How can we work together?” said. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby has built an Some towns had raised the roads and moved wells elaborate structure to support its volunteers, with miles inland to escape seawater intrusion. In other places, regular training sessions, conference calls, debriefings seawater poured into the streets at every high tide. Speaking and gatherings. The group has received extensive with congressional staff members in Washington, Butera guidance and inspiration from the Center for Citizen discovered that many were unaware of the reality on the Empowerment and Transformation, whose founder, ground. Sam Daley-Harris, literally wrote the book on citizens’ “There was a disconnect,” he said. lobbying. For the next two years, Butera and many other Volunteers
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