Summer is moving quickly, and the rate at which global climate catastrophes are occurring is exponential. Our new chapter leadership team is highly engaged, and we are very excited to work towards increased member engagement and even greater impact as a Climate Reality Chapter. Please read on for some easy and important calls to action, and to gain some inspiration for your own climate activism. Have a wonderful August!

An Important Invitation: Please Join Us on Action Network

If you haven't already, please fill out our chapter member form with your interests and skills, so we can get you connected, inspired and engaged within the CRPKC team!

THIS FORM will only take a few minutes to fill out, but will help us ensure we are building a team of activists working collaboratively to have a real impact in our community.

📢 Remember to Vote by August 3rd!

Conversations with MAYORAL CANDIDATES: REACHING SEATTLE'S 2030 CLIMATE GOALS!

On July 8th, a video event was held to enable voters to hear the thoughts of primary mayoral candidates on reaching Seattle's 2030 climate goals. Watch the video HERE .

We encourage you to share the video widely, discuss the candidates, and vote for the best candidate in the primary by August 3rd! FIND YOUR BALLOT DROPBOX HERE.

Legislative Updates

INFRASTRUCTURE: Climate Reality's national Our Climate Moment campaign shares concerns about transit programs in the infrastructure package, and your help is needed to tell the Biden Administration that this needs to be addressed. The text of the infrastructure package will likely finalize in the next few days, so this is urgent.

CALL TO ACTION: Please go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ to contact President Biden and fill out all the required information on that page. You’re welcome to personalize the template below for your message.

Dear President Biden,

Strong transit funding is essential to lower emissions and address the climate crisis. With record heat waves, drought, wildfires and more battering the US, the time for action is now. Please ensure that public transportation gets its fair share of funding in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization. Transportation is the largest source of emissions in the United States. In order to tackle those emissions head-on and create healthier communities across the country, we need bold investments in public transit. We are concerned by reports that transit may not get its historical fair share of investments from the Surface Transportation Trust Fund. We cannot meaningfully and equitably drive down transportation emissions if we break long standing precedent and shortchange transit funding. We need your support. Please ensure that public transportation gets its fair share of funding in the Surface Transportation Reauthorization, which is part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

PRICE ON CARBON: The US Senate is deciding right now what action they will take on climate change. Now until August 10 is the critical time to get the Senate to go big on climate this year.

CALL TO ACTION: Ask your Senators to put a price on carbon in this year’s budget reconciliation. They’ll know what you mean.

BUILDING ELECTRIFICATION - Buildings currently represent nearly a quarter (25%) of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions, making this the second-highest emitting sector behind transportation. Building electrification is the safest and lowest-cost solution to this problem, with an added benefit of creating potential for many new clean energy jobs.

As we strive toward 100% clean buildings across the state by 2045, we will be working with King County and the city of Seattle on these Building Electrification resolutions. We signed on in support of these initiatives last year, and this year we will be looking for people to give public testimony about the importance of passing these resolutions. Stay on the lookout for more information about this Act of Leadership opportunity soon!

CALL TO ACTION: In the meantime, you can help by telling your representatives why Building Electrification solutions are important to you. Feel free to use these easy links provided by one of our Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC) partners, Climate Solutions, if applicable to you:

Bellingham ; Issaquah ; Olympia ; Seattle; Shoreline ; Spokane ; Tacoma ; King County (If you live in unincorporated King County, sign up here for Climate Solutions to contact you about possibly giving public comment this summer.

If you live elsewhere in the state, call your council members and mayor directly. Every contact makes a difference!

HEAL Act + ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POLICY UPDATES: Earlier this year, we celebrated the passage of the HEAL Act, which establishes new guidelines for just and inclusive policy making in Washington. This bill officially went into effect on July 25 and agencies across the state are currently working on implementation plans.

CALL TO ACTION: Governor Inslee’s office is seeking applications and recommendations for individuals to be considered for appointment to serve on the new Environmental Justice (EJ) Council. Council members must be well-informed and committed to environmental justice, and accountable to and represent minority communities, low-income communities, environmental interests, and geographically diverse areas of the state. This Council will provide recommendations and guidance to the state on implementing environmental justice requirements, identifying overburdened communities, and tracking progress toward increasing health equity and ensuring EJ throughout the state of Washington.

KING COUNTY ADULT BEVERAGE ORDINANCE: Our chapter previously signed on in partnership with Friends Of Sammamish Valley and other organizations to oppose a proposed King County Adult Beverage Ordinance due to red flags about 11 Growth Management Act (GMA) violations. This ordinance creates a climate issue because it would impact the preservation of farmland in the Sammamish Valley in order to expand adult beverage businesses, and risks harm to hydrology of the area due to anticipated increases in local traffic.

A ban on permitting and licensing of these businesses was put into effect last June while the case proceeded. This July, a King County Superior Court ordered the county to extend the ban on the expansion of these businesses through December 23, 2022, and referred the ordinance case back to the Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB). A final decision will be issued by the GMHB this November, and you can track the progress of the case here with the Friends Of Sammamish Valley.

In a word, YES. Although there is much debate, it is widely agreed that if all parts of the food production system are included, as much as 40% of global carbon emissions are generated by conventional animal farming, the associated land use, and distribution systems, which satisfy our ongoing desire to load our plates with meats and cheeses, eggs and dairy. A new paper authored by Dr. Sailesh Rao, founder of Climate Healers, and published by the Journal of Ecological Society, claims as much as 87% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to animal agriculture. The paper asserts that typical estimations fail to consider the desertification, habitat destruction, wildlife extinction, and ocean dead zones that result from animal agriculture, all of which degrade the climate.

Although there are many critical elements in the transition to a sustainable future, we don't need to wait to take one of the single most impactful, immediate actions we can take as individuals. We can adjust our diets. Our World In Data has comprehensive information on the environmental impacts of food and agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions, water supply, land use and more, here .

So what does a climate-friendly diet look like? Check out this blogpost entitled "What is an eco-friendly diet?" by CRPKC leader and dietician, Mary Purdy.

One of the best ways to gather inspiration for the transition to a plant-based diet is to visit your local farmers market. Washington state has over 160 farmers markets serving over 4 million Washingtonians. And there is no better time to make the trip, as August 1 - 7 is National Farmers Market Week! Farmers markets are about more than food - they support local economies and strengthen our sense of community. Find your local farmers market here.

This past week, the City Council of Berkeley, CA. passed a resolution to reduce the amount of animal products the city purchases by 50% by 2024. The long term goal of the resolution is to phase out all animal products and replace them with plant based foods, resulting in plant-forward meals at city-supplied places such as summer camps, senior centers, and the Berkeley City Jail, among others.

Environmental, ethical and health concerns motivated the decision. The resolution states, “Berkeley has been a leader in addressing climate change, passing and implementing numerous measures that reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the environmental quality of our community, region, and world. One critically important sector that accounts for about 25% of global GHG emissions and significant emissions here in Berkeley is our food...It is clear that the world cannot meet global GHG reduction targets without significantly curbing consumption of animal products. High-meat-eating nations like the United States, which consumes 2.6 times more meat than the global per capita average, must help shoulder this responsibility."

The resolution was authored by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín and Councilmember Sophie Hahn, and was the result of advocacy by a coalition of animal-rights groups, including Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), Extinction Rebellion Oakland, The Animal Save Movement, East Bay Animal PAC, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and The Suitcase Clinic.

This makes Berkeley the first city in the US to pivot to a completely plant-based food purchasing program. Congratulations to our neighbors to the south for their leadership on this critical issue! Come on, Seattle, what are we waiting for!?

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Please join your local chapter here: https://www.climaterealityproject.org/apply/chapters

THANKS FOR READING! For comments or submissions please email CRKCWA@gmail.com with the subject line "NEWSLETTER".

photo credits: mountain lupin, skyline loop trail, shilshole bay marina by CRPKC leader, deb music