We're starting a zoom series 

First event in a series
HoCo Zoom panel discussion
on "The Story of Plastic"
Wednesday, June 24, 7 p.m

HoCo Climate Action is very excited to have received a grant from Food & Water Watch to organize a series of online events related to banning fracking and shifting to renewable energy. Our first event is a zoom discussion about "The Story of Plastic," a powerful documentary about plastic pollution and its connection to fracking and the climate crisis. The film reveals the ongoing catastrophe: mountains of plastic trash, towns overflowing with plastic debris, rivers and seas clogged with waste, and skies choked with the toxic emissions from plastic production. We can't recycle our way out of this crisis, but solutions are out there.

This is a free event, but slots are limited. Please register here and then stay tuned for link to the movie and list of panelists. 

Once we provide the link, watch the film beforehand and then join our panel discussion. Watch trailer. More opportunities for viewing and panel discussions on our events page.

Stay home, stay safe and stay well.  But keep ACTING ON CLIMATE. 

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2020 General Assembly session cut short

The Maryland General Assembly session ended on March 16, nearly three weeks early, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Regrettably, none of our top bills passed. Maryland Sierra Club's summary of the session is here and the Maryland Clean Energy Center comprehensive assessment is here. Stay safe and stay well. 

 

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Plastic bag fee in Howard County 

Howard County Council passes 5-cent fee on plastic bags(CB64)

News coverage here

Big congratulations to our friends and allies at Less Plastic Please.

 The tax would not apply to paper bags, plastic bags used for bulk vegetables or produce, dry cleaning, newspapers or prescription drugs.The law would be intended to reduce the use of single-use plastic, as most ends up in a landfill now that China no longer buys our plastic for recycling -- and soon Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia won't either. See Baltimore Sun article about the bill.   

  

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Sunrise Movement
#GreenNewDeal
 YouCAN/HoCo Sunrise Hub

YouCAN Weekly Zoom Calls
Saturdays
Details
 Join these weekly Zoom calls and get ready for action.  

ALSO: Green New Deal forums are a way for Sunrise hubs to attract membership and connect with others in the community. Sign up to participate in a three-part online training to learn how to do this work.

Our path to victory is uniting communities to strengthen the people power we need to make the #GreenNewDeal happen.  Check out the zoom call that launched the #GreenNewDeal. In addition, Bill McKibben, Naomi Oreskes, and Daniel Schrag discuss the Green New Deal. 

More on the #GreenNewDeal here and here. Sign this petition for climate leadership in Congress here.

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 More than 1,000 people marched in Annapolis on March 2, 2017 to call for a ban on fracking. 

// photo by Nadine Grabania of CitizenShale

Gov. Larry Hogan signed the fracking ban bill on April 4, 2017. 

Maryland is officially FRACK-FREE Forever. 

The week after our HUGE march and rally in Annapolis, the House of Delegates passed its BAN FRACKING bill on a 97-40 bipartisan vote. Abundant thanks to our delegates in Howard County: Terri Hill, Eric Ebersole and Clarence Lam of District 12; Vanessa Atterbeary, Shane Pendergrass and Frank Turner of District 13; and Robert Flanagan of District 9B. News coverage of the vote here, here, here and here -- and of a Western Maryland delegate's conflict of interest here.

Then on March 16, 2017 13 activists, including faith leaders and Western Marylanders, were arrested at the State House calling for the Senate to pass the ban. 

               

[Fractivists arrested at the State House, including a member of HoCo Climate Action (left).]

The day after, the governor threw his support to the ban, leading the way for the Senate to also pass the ban, including with the support of Howard County's Sens. Guy Guzzone of District 13 and Ed Kasemeyer of District 12. (Sen. Gail Bates of District 9 had numerous discussions with her constituents about fracking, but she voted NO on the ban.)

The anti-fracking movement across the country has been watching Maryland. Passing a fracking ban here is a huge victory for our movement and sends a message to the president and the fossil fuel industry that we won’t let them poison our communities and destroy our climate. Now we can shift our our efforts to energy efficiency (the real "bridge fuel"), renewable energy and climate and environmental justice. 

THANKS TO ALL FOR THE HARD WORK OVER MANY YEARS ON THIS EFFORT. 

There are many ways to get involved.