EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS - July 7, 2024

[OSC]

EARTH ACTION IN THE NEWS  

Welcome to the people who have joined recently.  This is a simple weekly newsletter.  Your participation is encouraged.  Please share information and actions about climate change, climate justice, GMOs, toxic chemicals, and Earth-related topics.
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BREAKTHROUGH!
French energy prices go negative as renewables surge, prompting shutdown of nuclear plants
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2472262/french-energy-prices-plummet-as-renewable-power-surges-nuclear-plants-offline#google_vignette
"Analysts had predicted that energy prices would turn negative during the course of this Summer."

SMART Pathway groundbreaking in Moorland neighborhood hailed as victory for schoolkids, community
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/moorland-smart-pathway-santa-rosa-rohnert-park/
"Construction begins on the new 5.7-mile segment of the SMART Pathway next week."

Electric Vehicles Are Driving Rates Down for All Customers
https://www.synapse-energy.com/sites/default/files/Electric%20Vehicles%20Are%20Driving%20Rates%20Down%20for%20All%20Customer%20California%20May%202024%2024-023.pdf
"Electric vehicle drivers in California contributed $2.2 billion more to utilities than their associated costs to the grid over the past 11 years, driving electricity rates down for all customers."

LOCAL REPORTS
Understanding the Science, Ep. 7: Giant Sequoia Reproduction in High-Severity Fire Areas (video)
https://youtu.be/EnfoH0DRhlY?si=oZjDonpdN5dj3rSL
"A recent study reveals high-severity fire areas promote giant sequoia seedling growth and dominance. Challenging current practices, our expert speakers examine risks and emphasize the importance of reevaluating fire prevention plans for these majestic trees."

A Reprieve for Wildlife on the Farallon Islands
https://milliontrees.me/2024/07/01/a-reprieve-for-wildlife-on-the-farallon-islands/

California Is Showing How a Big State Can Power Itself Without Fossil Fuels By Bill McKibben
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/california-is-showing-how-a-big-state-can-power-itself-without-fossil-fuels

‘Total system breakdown’: California firefighters with PTSD face a workers’ comp nightmare
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/total-system-breakdown-california-firefighters-with-ptsd-face-a-workers/
"Even when suicidal, California firefighters struggle to find medical help and navigate the workers’ comp morass to pay for it. A 2021 analysis showed their claims were more likely to involve PTSD — and were denied more often."

A visit to an old dam yields a glimpse of the new future for the Eel River
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/eel-river-cape-horn-dam-removal/
"Many challenges still need to be worked out in a bid to open up the Eel River while maintaining water supplies in the Russian River watershed."

Bicyclist reports being targeted and badly injured in hit-and-run crash near Santa Rosa
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/bicyclist-injured-hit-and-run-santa-rosa/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pd_lunch-break&pupeml=70536
"An SUV struck and badly injured a bicyclist as he was riding to work Saturday on Fulton Road. Authorities are looking for the vehicle and driver."

Mother of Santa Rosa cyclist injured in hit-and-run urges CHP to ramp up investigation
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/bicycle-hit-and-run-chp-investigation/
"After Denise Gaul’s son was injured on his bicycle by a hit-and-run driver near Santa Rosa, she and other cyclists asked CHP to ramp up its investigation."

Bike coalition finds bike-powered solution to sweeping Napa’s new protected bicycle lanes
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/napa/napa-imola-bridge-bicycle-bike/
"Debris in bike lanes is nothing new: the Napa County Bicycle Coalition regularly hears complaints about glass, gravel and chunks of dirt, that can be safety hazards."

Separating organic waste
https://www.thecommunityvoice.com/opinion/columnists/separating-organic-waste/article_7ee782b6-186b-11ef-bf31-2b7d61e8d1ab.html

California employers face new indoor heat safety rules

https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/industrynews/california-worker-heat-injury-regulations/

Find A Farm Job

https://caff.org/jobs/

Napa agency to hold open house focused on needs of older adults, disabled people
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/napa/transit-bus-napa-older-seniors/
"The Napa Valley Transportation Authority is seeking feedback from the community about its transportation needs."

‘Inflamed’ is investigative journalism at it’s zenith
https://www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-county-news/sonoma-county-fire-investigative-journalism/

One Less Spark – One Less Wildfire
https://www.srcity.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2217

Keep decks and balconies safe from fire
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/lifestyle/wildfire-deck-balconies-safety-combustible/
"As summer heats up take steps to keep your decks and balconies free of debris and combustibles that could be a fire hazard."

Wildfire Ready: Considerations for Balconies and Decks
https://www.srcity.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=2627

Watering Recommendations
https://www.srcity.org/3446/Watering-Recommendations

GMOs, GLYPHOSATE & TOXINS
High Levels of Weedkiller Found in More than Half of Sperm Samples, Study Finds
https://sustainablepulse.com/2024/05/23/high-levels-of-weedkiller-found-in-more-than-half-of-sperm-samples-study-finds/

Microplastic discovery in penises raises erectile dysfunction questions
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/19/microplastic-discovery-in-penises-raises-erectile-dysfunction-questions
"The contaminants have also recently been found in testes and semen amid concerns about falling male fertility."

Frankenfoods v2: Exploiting the Bioequivalence Principle

https://anh-usa.org/frankenfoods-v2-exploiting-the-bioequivalence-principle/

Lab-grown frankenfoods are GMOs! Don't eat Impossible Foods or Beyond Burgers, and now Bored Cow genetically engineered milk. These products are marketed as animal friendly vegan choices but they are bad for your health and should never be eaten. Make your own non-dairy milk: 1 cup of almonds, oats, hemp, flax, or other nuts in 1 quart of water in a blender for 2 minutes, then strain. That is real food. Mix the pulp with beans, veggies and whole grains for plant-based burgers that are also good for you and easy to make. Don't buy these food-like substances that only benefit the corporations that are marketing them.

FOSSIL FUELS
Key oil project must count full climate impact - court
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxwwzmn12g9o
"The Supreme Court has ruled a local council should have considered the full climate impact of burning oil from new wells - a landmark decision which could put future UK oil and gas projects in question."

PLASTIC & POLLUTION

Plastic Free July Action Picker - Choose How You Will Participate
https://ocsoco.org/sites/default/files/osc_pfj_actionpicker_2020.pdf
Print this flyer to put on your fridge and share with others.
How will you reduce your plastic consumption in Plastic Free July?
How low can you go?

Going plastic-free is nearly impossible. These people are trying anyway.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2024/06/26/reduce-waste-plastic-free-july/

WAKE UP CALL
US Spent $98,000 Per Minute on Nuclear Weapons in 2023, New Report Says
https://truthout.org/articles/us-spent-98000-per-minute-on-nuclear-weapons-in-2023-new-report-says/
"Despite public opposition, corporations are driving a nuclear spending race that makes us all less safe."

Nez Perce Tribe, Environmental Groups say USFS Plan Would 'Degrade' Idaho, Montana Forests

https://www.bigcountrynewsconnection.com/idaho/nez-perce-tribe-environmental-groups-say-usfs-plan-would-degrade-idaho-montana-forests/article_ee9fc918-1ceb-11ef-bf3f-83ae9e370df4.html

The Science Is Clear: Offshore Wind Isn’t What’s Killing Whales
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whales-are-dying-but-not-from-offshore-wind/
"Politicians and nonprofit groups have blamed offshore wind turbines for whale deaths, but the science doesn’t support those claims—at all."

THINK TANK & STRATEGY
How 2023 Broke Our Climate Models with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Gavin Schmidt (video)
https://youtu.be/CHJKKsOHtAk?si=PjFtnXYpV_j5C9wJ
"Why were climate models so wrong about 2023? Neil deGrasse Tyson learns about why 2023 was hotter than we expected it to be and what effects need to be factored into future climate modeling with climatologist at NASA Goddard Institute, Gavin Schmidt."

This Summer, US Workers Are Organizing to Beat the Heat
https://truthout.org/articles/this-summer-us-workers-are-organizing-to-beat-the-heat/
"Workers — both union and non-union — are winning AC, safety breaks and, in one groundbreaking case, heat pay."

Protecting 1.2% of Earth’s land would stop ‘sixth great extinction,’ scientists say
https://www.nationofchange.org/2024/06/26/protecting-1-2-of-earths-land-would-stop-sixth-great-extinction-scientists-say/

DIRECT ACTIONS
Amy’s Kitchen workers, executives reach agreement to end boycott
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/amys-kitchen-petaluma-food-california-osha-workers/

"The boycott of Amy’s Kitchen products that began in January 2022 over labor violations and unsafe working conditions has ended."

If this river could sue … the Mountain Valley Pipeline gets a ‘Rights of Nature’ hearing
https://www.bpr.org/2024-06-07/if-this-river-could-sue-the-mountain-valley-pipeline-gets-a-rights-of-nature-hearing

Paddling for her Life
https://appvoices.org/2024/07/01/paddle-for-her-life/
"Ann Rose, a 57-year-old off-grid farmer and activist, will embark on a nearly 2,000-mile solo paddle trip on July 7 to raise awareness of the water woes affecting the region, which are linked to climate change."

Just Stop Oil spray paint private jets and ‘target Taylor Swift’s plane’ at Stansted Airport
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/just-stop-oil-stansted-private-planes-taylor-swift-b2565741.html
"Two activists have been arrested by Essex Police."

SUSTAINABLE LIVING
Out of Site, Out of Mind? New Study Finds Missing Apex Predators Are Too Often Neglected in Ecological Research
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19062024/missing-apex-predators-often-neglected-in-ecological-research/
"Using gray wolves in the American West as a case study, new research shows scientists often fail to recognize the “shifting ecological baseline” regarding apex predators in their work."

Species Spotlight: The Laguna Mountains Skipper Butterfly — What’s in a Name, Anyway?
https://therevelator.org/laguna-mountains-skipper-butterfly/
"These butterflies are no longer present in their namesake range, but a collaboration aims to bring them back."

ENDING ON A POSITIVE
Extinct ‘mountain jewel’ plant returned to wild - in secret location

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjkkm4re518o

Call To Action! 
We urge all groups including schools, neighborhood associations, organizations, clubs and groups of any kind to adopt a Climate Declaration.  Adopt ours or write your own.  Share your Climate Declaration with local governments, the media, write articles, and share information. 
Occupy Sonoma County Climate Declaration

Occupy Sonoma County, along with concerned, forward thinking people all over the world, declares that climate change has reached catastrophic proportions as evidenced by the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere, the melting of polar ice caps, and the continual rising of global temperatures.  This is a global emergency, and we must act immediately.  We invite all forces of life to join together for our survival.  We stand up for life.

We recognize that the root of climate change is a capitalist system run by money greedy corporations and the governments that they control.  We actively oppose greenhouse gas producers, nuclear power investors, and fossil fuel companies by boycotting their products, developing alternatives, divesting from corporations that endorse them and insisting that governments at all levels take action.  We call on all governments and corporations to adopt life-sustaining practices immediately.

The people must act now to stop this destruction from continuing and reverse the damage this has caused.  The future is in our hands.  We are the 99%!

What Earth Actions are you taking?

https://OccupySonomaCounty.org
https://OccupySonomaCounty.org/es (en español)
http://facebook.com/OccupySonomaCounty
https://twitter.com/OcSoCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJoCP-ePUTPWNgHZwtBelg

Occupy Sonoma County embraces the egalitarian, deep democracy principles of the Occupy Movement with a regional strategy for effectively organizing countywide social justice campaigns that are globally relevant.