Wind 100 and Photos from Anti-Fracking Rally!

Looking for more ways to encourage green infrastructure and sustainable energy in New York State? WIND 100 IS COMING!

An invitation from the Sierra Club:

Right now, New York has an historic opportunity to establish one of the nation's first offshore wind farms. New York is currently considering a proposal for a wind farm located 30 miles off Montauk point that would bolster clean energy in Long Island with enough offshore wind electricity to power 120,000 homes. That's why Sierra Club volunteer, Matt Kearns, is planning to run from Montauk Point to Long Beach, over 100 miles, in one day.

Matt's run will bring attention to the opportunity for wind energy here on Long Island, and you can help by joining us on June 14 in Long Beach as over 1,000 New Yorkers welcome Matt at the end of his run and call on Governor Cuomo to make offshore wind a reality this year.

Event Details
WHO: Wind Energy Supporters, Special VIPs, and you!
WHAT: Wind 100 Rally for Wind
WHEN: Saturday, June 14, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Long Beach Boardwalk, 80 West Broadway, Long Beach, NY 11561

To sign up or for more information, please see the website!

Members of PEC-NYC attend anti-fracking rally with Food and

Water Watch! Anti-Fracking activists boarded buses sponsored by Food & Water Watch and gathered outside the State Democratic Convention. Hundreds of enthusiastic supporters of Green Energy (including the two Pagans on the right) rallied in the drizzle and rain for eco-justice. Peaceful rallies are a wonderful way to show the community the pertinence of a cause. It was a great opportunity to meet members of other groups doing the same work.
 

Many thanks to George Courtney for taking these pictures! 

Here's Courtney Weber getting truckers to honk for Anti-Fracking:


                                     

Turn your Heartbreak into Action

Does the news about the collapse of the Western-Antarctica ice sheet break your heart? Does your stomach turn when you hear reports that start with Climate CHANGED, as opposed to Climate Change? Are you worried about the world your potential grandchildren will inherit? If so, you are not alone--and that's a good thing! Worries can lead to despair, but they can also fuel desire for change. Instead of reaching for ice cream and turning on Netflix to drown the sorrows, clear space on your calendar for one of the actions below--or several! There is so much going on in the Pro-Wind/Anti-Fracking Infrastructure New York work right now. Turn your heartbreak into action. There are plenty of simple ways this can be done!  

Attend 'Tankers, Turbines and Our Offshore Energy Future'
Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 7:00pm

Brooklyn Friends (Quaker) Meetinghouse
110 Schermerhorn Street at Boerum Place
Here and now, we have a clear choice between fossil fuel and wind. (A number of members of PEC-NY attended the first of these lectures in January. We could not recommend it more!)

· Learn why New Yorkers should oppose a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) port off Jones Beach.
· Hear about a proposed plan for a wind farm at the same site.
· Discuss an enlightened and sustainable energy policy for our coastal zone.
· Raise your voice to Gov. Cuomo, the key decision-maker on this issue.

The meetinghouse is in downtown Brooklyn within a few blocks from LIRR Atlantic Terminal,
A, C, F and R trains at Jay St—MetroTech or 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains at Borough Hall.

LINK FOR MAP

SPEAKERS:
Cindy Zipf
Ocean advocate and Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action
Lisa Dix
New York Senior Representative, Beyond Coal campaign, Sierra Club
Al Appleton
Former Commissioner of NYC Department of Environmental Protection,
and an international consultant on sustainability, water resource management,
and the economics of the energy industry

Join Members of PEC-NYC at a Rally at the Democratic State Convention. Let's Tell Governor Cuomo "YES!" to Wind Power and "NO!" to LNG Ports and Fracking
Thursday, May 22
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Democratic State Convention, Hilton Head Long Island/Huntington Hotel
598 Broad Hollow Road, Melville
Free bus service from various locations!

There will be a rally at the Democratic State Convention. Governor Cuomo and most of the Democratic elected officials are expected to attend the Democratic State Convention on Long Island in preparation for the November 2014 election. We must be there in full force demanding a ban on fracking, stop expansion of oil and gas infrastructure, and veto the LNG Port Ambrose project off Jones Beach. This is an opportunity for us to show Governor Cuomo, our elected officials and the press the power of our ever growing movement. Please bring your banners, eye-catching and imaginative home made signs and noise makers and your voices. This event could be as important an opportunity as the State of the State address. We would like to turn out as many people as we can. Email us HERE if you'd like to rally with PEC-NYC!

Food & Water Watch has arranged for buses to bring people to the convention. Please register here for a seat on the bus from a location most convenient for you.

Bus from Manhattan
Bus from Rockland, Westchester
Bus from Catskill, New Paltz, Newburgh

Comment on the New York State Energy Plan
Deadline: May 30, 2014

On January 7, 2014 the New York State Energy Planning Board released its 2014 Draft New York State Energy Plan. The deadline for comments has been extended to Friday 5/30/14.

The Plan endorses natural gas as a major part of New York’s energy mix, continues support for the expansion of natural gas infrastructure and makes no real commitment on renewables. Please take a moment to write a comment and send a message to Governor Cuomo and his administration that New York State must ban fracking and make a real commitment to stop investing in fossil fuels, including stop the expansion of natural gas infrastructure and LNG port, close down all nuclear power plants and make renewables a top priority. We need to show that the public is paying close attention and deliver as many comments as we can. You may choose any one of the following options to submit your comments.

-- You may wish to visit the Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy website and submit all 22 sample letters they produced.

-- Submit a comment on the New Yorkers Against Fracking website.

-- You may submit your comments online to the New York State Energy Planning Board by clicking Comments Online and follow the instruction.

Coordinate a Letter Signing 
Do you have a ritual or other function coming up where New York Pagans will be gathered? Would you like to add your names to the letter to Governor Cuomo? Take advantage of strength in numbers. Email us HERE for a copy of the "We Want Wind!" letter to Governor Cuomo from the Pagans of New York State. We will also include a mailing address to return the letter for delivery! 

Keep up the wonderful work, all! Blessed be! 

Flower Moon Revelry and Power for Wind in New York State

Tonight at Catland Books in Flatbush, Brooklyn, guests of the Witches Compass took time during tea break and fellowship to sign the letter to Governor Cuomo in support of wind power. This brings the number of Pagan signatures to nearly 100. The Witches' Compass is a monthly event described as an interactive ritual environment and celebration. Ritual facilitators Damon Stang and Katelan Foisy step outside the standard Cast-the-Circle/Raise-the-Cone/Banish-the-Circle and create a visually stunning experience for the participants, focusing intensely on personal journey work. Witches' Compass takes place on the Friday prior to each Full Moon. This month's journey focused on the May Flower Moon, with a particular emphasis on uniting the Divine Masculine and Feminine Selves within each individual. These individuals then expressed their desire for renewal energy sources within the State of New York.

Katelan Foisy signs letter to Cuomo

If you haven't yet been to Witches' Compass, MAKE the time and go! Or just go to Catland and hang out with their new cat, Will. Either way, you'll get a chance to sign the letter as copies are available at the Catland counter.

 

Phillip English, one of the owners at Catland, signs the Cuomo letter. Again, show up and sign!

All right, Witches. Let's break into the triple digits this weekend. Contact us if you need a copy of the letter to bring to your Beltaine rites!

(from left) Courtney Weber of PEC-NYC, Damon Stang and Katelan Foisy of Witches' Compass with Cuomo letter

Letter Signing Kickoff....and Call Senator Schumer Today!!!!

On May 3, the Pagan Environmental Coalition of NYC kicked off its letter-to-Cuomo campaign at Brid's Closet Beltaine Festival in Cornwall, NY. 

Festival organizers Bernadette Montana and Thomas Lindemann start the Maypole dance

This letter, the goal of which is 1,000+ New York State-resident Pagan signatures before the midterm election, urges the governor to support wind-power development upstate and off-shore, and urges the rejection of LNG Port Construction in our state. The community response was strong and in a few short hours, over 80 signatures were collected.

MC Duchess Wendi urges festival-goers to "Sign! Sign! Sign!"

It was an inspiring start to the campaign! A special thanks to Bernadette Montana and the community of Brid's Closet for hosting the space and to Kanani Soleil for supplying the photographs. 

Want to get involved? Can you bring the letter to your next Pagan gathering? Drop us a line and we'll get you set up!

Call Senator Schumer Today!!!!

Yesterday, Senator Schumer's phone lines were flooded with Pagans and other New York State residents in staunch disagreement to Senator Schumer's remarks on MSNBC that said "Most Democrats Support Fracking" and that he would support it in New York State "If performed safely." So many calls were made that Schumer aids responded with statements partially countering the Senator's earlier remarks. Make no mistake--voices will be heard.

If you didn't call, it's not too late! Whether or not you are a Democrat, do you disagree? Do you believe it's time for a green economy built on wind and solar? Check out a suggested script and list of phone numbers. If at first you get a busy signal, put the phone on speaker and do your dishes or check your email until you get through.

URGENT: "SENATOR SCHUMER, NO!"

Senator Charles Schumer announced on MSNBC's Morning Joe that "Democrats throughout the country support fracking." He then continued, " when asked whether he would like to see fracking allowed in upstate New York, if it's done "carefully."

"If the governor feels it's going to be done carefully, I sure would," Schumer said.

Call Senator Schumer now - 202-224-6542 - to tell him that New Yorkers don't support fracking, and the science shows that it's disastrous for our health and the environment.

Suggested script. If you are a registered Democrat, consider mentioning this in your call.

Senator Schumer, Fracking IS DANGEROUS. Fracking would put our agricultural economy at risk, injure our public health, and increase our dependence on fossil fuels which contribute to climate change. I do NOT support fracking. Invest in green economy and green jobs--support wind. NOT fracking!

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