Four Lakes Sierrans,
THIS IS A CALL FOR ALL HANDS ON DECK.
(If you don't need background or convincing, just go to WHAT YOU CAN DO
below.)
If you care about Wisconsin's environment, your health and that of other citizens of Wisconsin, and whether your children and grand children will have a healthy planet and sustainable future, then your assistance is needed NOW. The next three weeks until the election cannot be business as usual.
Big money interests (often out-of-state) have co-opt the airwaves to convince you that solid candidates who support environmental protections and the health of our citizens are the enemy, and bad for the economy. These same corporate interests stopped a bill that would have provided Wisconsin with a strong clean energy future, kept more money in Wisconsin's economy, and created more good jobs here.
It was the same interests that stopped Wisconsin from creating statewide regional transit authorities and allowing local communities to work together to create good transit options and reduce pollution and the overall costs of transportation. These same interests are now distorting the truth about high-speed rail in Wisconsin and regional transit in Dane County.
These same interests also support corporate animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that threaten our clean drinking water and the future of agriculture in Wisconsin. Don't we already have enough mercury in our waters that our fish aren't safe to eat, and we've had to enact phosphorus bans to protect our lakes for people to swim in and aquatic life to survive? Isn't our groundwater, as well as lakes and streams, polluted enough from other sources?
The effects of climate change are already being felt with melting polar ice caps, record temperatures, and dramatic floods, and climate scientists are telling us we have perhaps a decade to start implementing real change. That means we must elect legislators who get it, who will look out for citizens and the health of our planet and environment NOW.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
The next three weeks cannot be business as usual. We need your support to elect candidates who will make a difference and uphold the same values you joined the Sierra Club to support. An indication of how critical this is, is that the Sierra Club has sent a national staff person here to support this work, and that so many of our leaders are volunteering considerable time to assist this effort. You also will shortly be receiving a scorecard of the candidates we are endorsing in national and state races. Information is also available on line at
http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/political/Endorsements.htm and on Facebook
at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sierra-Club-Wisconsin/102052479832488?ref=ts .
Now we need you. You can:
1. Contact Rachel Ackoff at Rachel.Ackoff@Sierraclub.org or our John Muir office in Madison at 608-256-0565 to volunteer your services or ask how you can help with national and statewide races. We're doing phone banking and will be doing canvassing and literature drops. (There just might be some free pizza in it as well!)
2. Contact Dave Blouin at burroak15@charter.net, or Don Ferber at d_ferber@sbcglobal.net to ask about local and regional candidates who need support.
3. Spread the word on Facebook and Twitter, in addition to talking to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and anyone else you know.
4. Contact you candidates' election offices to find out what support they need.
5. Write letters to the editor in support of our candidates.
6. VOTE EARLY, OR MAKE SURE YOU AND ALL OTHER SUPPORTERS VOTE ON
NOVEMBER 2! Remember, our power is our grass roots - YOU!
Thank you for your support of the Sierra Club and of candidates who will help ensure a safe and healthy future for Wisconsin's environment and citizens.
To adjust your Sierra Club email preferences, please reply to this email with a description of your wishes. Thank you.
Sierra Club 85 Second St., 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105
Wisconsin' s Enviro Hangs In The Balance
Reminder: Rock County Progressives
The next meeting of the Rock County Progressives will be on Wednesday, October 6, 6:30 at the home of Ron and Marti, 10651 N Charley Bluff Rd in Milton Twp. Turn North off County Road N at Snuffy Still, not far from where it intersects with 59. It's on the left not long after you turn on Charley Bluff.
Unlike past meetings, we will be gathering in the classroom in the basement. Please enter the office door on the north side of the building.
The Rock County Progressives meet on the first Wednesday of each month.
Chuck
For more information -- rockcountyprogressives@gmail.com
Huge Jobs Rally In Janesville
JANESVILLE — Both working citizens and the unemployed are being encouraged to attend a “Jobs Now!” rally on Sunday, September 5th at 5 p.m.
Held at the Laborfest Grounds in Janesville, the event will feature guest speakers including U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrats’ leading gubernatorial candidate.
The event is sponsored by the Machinists Union, the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers Local 95 and the Rock County Labor Council.
In addition to the event in Janesville on Sunday, rallies will be held nationwide leading up to the Oct. 2 national rally in Washington, D.C.
Rock County Progressives - Meeting
The Rock County Progressives meet next on Wednesday, September 1, 6:30.
The meeting will be at the home of Ron and Marti, at in Milton Township at 10651 N Charley Bluff Rd, Milton. Turn North off County Road N at Snuffy Still, not far from where it intersects with 59. It's on the left not long after you turn on Charley Bluff. If you have any difficulty, call me at 608-322-2889
Hope to see you there,
Chuck
Netroots Wisconsin 2010 Conference
Netroots Wisconsin 2010 is the first Wisconsin regional conference of Netroots Nation. Netroots Wisconsin will be held September 25, 2010 at the Madison Senior Center, 330 W. Mifflin St., Madison, WI.
Netroots Wisconsin is the second of the regional conferences to be held in the US, and the 2010 conference is the first conference in Wisconsin. The conference will provide Wisconsin activists and netroots an opportunity to share ideas, interact with Wisconsin progressive politicians, and to participate in training sessions to learn how to be more effective at their work. Sessions will be Wisconsin-focused to promote the Wisconsin tradition of progressivism.
As The New York Times reported, Netroots Nation is "becoming as much a part of the Democratic political circuit as the Iowa State Fair." Netroots Wisconsin intends to do the same in Wisconsin by promoting the Wisconsin tradition of progressive politics in a new forum.
The conference is open to the public and to media coverage. Information, registration, and press opportunities are available at Netroots Wisconsin.
Contact: Steve Hanson shanson@netrootswisconsin.org 715-598-9206
EcoFair 360 In Elkhorn
Yes, it is mid-summer already! It's also a great time for getting outdoors and thinking green - or perhaps blue. We were definitely being green this last weekend at La Fete de Marquette where our volunteers did a great job of reducing waste by selling reusable mugs and pitchers to cut down on plastic waste. Thanks to all who helped, and we look forward to expanding upon this in the future.
The new Ecofair360 will be held this weekend in Elkhorn, WI and the Sierra Club will have a booth there to educate people and get signatures to move off oil and coal and towards clean energy solutions. This event features a multitude of exhibits and talks to learn more about various ways to be sustainable.
If you tend to think more about water in summer, the Yahara Lakes Partnership is asking for your input on our lakes and waterways system and it's a great opportunity to let them know your thoughts or to get involved. As we're learned in the Gulf, if we don't protect our precious waters, they can suffer great harm.
But the way to really celebrate summer will be at our annual Summer Soiree at (but not limited to) Lake Farm/Centennial Park on Lake Waubesa on August 1. We'll have a number of fun events to participate in, topped off by a grilled lunch in the Park. Please mark this on your calendar and join us that day.
Friday - Sunday, July 16 - 18
Walworth County Fairgrounds, Elkhorn, WI
Please join us at our booth at this new Ecofair in southeast Wisconsin. It's a great place to learn about really being green with energy, transportation, food, or other issues. The Sierra Club will have a booth there, so please stop by. If you'd care to volunteer (and get in free!), please contact Don Ferber at d_ferber@sbcglobal.net or 608-222-9376 or 608-217-2959 to sign up for a shift.
Shifts are:
9 - 12:30
12:30 - 4
4 - 7 (Friday and Saturday only)
More info on the fair is available here.
Campaign Finance Reform Presentation
The Rock County Progressives present:
BP, Goldman Sachs, Massey:… Corporations Putting Profit Before People
Making democracy work for people after “Citizens United.”
Presentation on Campaign Finance Reform by Mike McCabe, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, wisdc.org
Wed, July 28, 6pm-7:30, Basics Co-Op, 1711 Lodge Dr, Janesville
Contact -- rockcountyprogressives@gmail.com
Rock River Clean-up Effort
“Janesville Pride” has been a long standing motto here in River City. Those sentiments are still here and we all feel it-we all believe it. We would like to introduce an effort where our Janesville Pride can proudly be displayed again! Join us on July 31, 2010 as we show our pride by participating in the Rock River Sweep program where we all pitch in and clean-up areas along the Rock River. This participation will only ask for 3 hours of effort between 8:30 and 11:30 AM on Saturday, July 31.
Our local effort is called “Rock’n’Janesville” and we propose to clean-up both sides of the Rock River, from the south end of Janesville to the north end, and then also extending to Indianford. Local sponsors include Stateline Recycling, Harborfest Aquatics, The Tool House, Inc., and the City of Janesville. Additionally, our local effort is also supported by American Rivers and the Rock River Sweep organizations.
As co-directors, Dave Peterson and Dave Wirth will be heading this important annual project. The primary goal for 2010 is to raise the awareness of why cleaning up the Rock River is of paramount importance. We believe that since the Rock River was the natural focal point of a young Janesville it should come back full-circle and become the focal point again for the years to come. An attractive and beautiful river and riverfront can only enhance prospects of bringing people and business to our city.
To this end, we are initiating this clean-up effort this year by asking that service groups take ownership of a section of the river to clean-up. The requested area of the river can be large or small but it can become yours to clean. That’s the Janesville Pride we referred to earlier. Also, for individual civic leaders who want to help we will assemble a pool of people who can be assigned to assist volunteer service groups. As a service to you we would also be happy to present to your group a 10 minute show with images and information concerning this Rock’n’Janesville Project.
If you are interested and would like more information please join us, Dave Peterson and Dave Wirth, representing the Rock’n’Janesville Group for the July 31, 2010 Rock River Sweep Program, at 7 PM on July 6, 2010 at M&I Bank at 100 North Main Street. (Use the Parker Drive entrance to the bank.) In the meantime, please contact us at 608-290-8809 or 608-774-0141 for more information.
You can also find us on Facebook
Thank you for considering being involved in this important activity for the Janesville and Rock River area! Rock’n’Janesville has Janesville Pride!
Memorial Service For The Gulf
The Rock County Progressives present:
Memorial Service for the Gulf
11 workers dead. Wildlife devastated. Ecosystem destroyed? A way of life lost…
Join us as we mourn and celebrate the rich cultural and natural heritage.
Neil Dupree, retired pastor, First Christian Church, Janesville
Come prepared to share your recollections, reflections and feelings about this disaster.
Wednesday, July 7, Riverside Park, North Pavilion
2200 Parkside Dr, Janesville
6pm potluck PICNIC * 7pm Memorial Service
N Washington St (Rte 14), right at Golf Course Rd (park entrance), right at Edge Hill Drive, left at Riverside Park Rd, follow river north to end of park.
* * *
BP, Goldman Sachs, Massey… Corporations Putting Profit Before People
Making democracy work for people after “Citizens United.”
Presentation on Campaign Finance Reform by
Mike McCabe, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, wisdc.org
Wed, July 28, 6pm-7:30, Basics Co-Op, 1711 Lodge Dr, Janesville
rockcountyprogressives@gmail.com
3rd Annual YWCA 5K Pancake Run and Fitness Walk.
Plaese join us on June 19th for a great run or walk through a beautiful Janesville neighborhood. Bring the family and let the kids do the 1/2 mile Fun Run and receive a medal!
Event information is available here.
View course map here.
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