Green Thoughts: Green Jobs for Green Days

Originally Posted at SumofChange.com

With a poor economy, new technology offers the ability to create new jobs as well as progression for companies large and small. Combining this with the global need for clean energy creates a viable opportunity for economic alleviation.

To continue our “Green Thursdays”, here are some clips from a panel at the 2010 PA Progressive Summit, held this last January in Harrisburg, PA. Michael Fedor, the Pennsylvania state director for Repower America, and Adam Graber, PennEnvironment, discuss the current job environment and how clean energy “green jobs” are essential for the future for most companies.

In the first video, Fedor (along side Adam Garber) explains the realistic ways green jobs can fix unemployment. Once more green jobs have been established, Fedor in the second video describes the ways green jobs can become green careers. In the final video, Fedor illustrates how to make Pennsylvania the leading green jobs state in the nation.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

For more videos from Sum of Change at the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to SumofChange.com/paprog

The Need for More Women In Office and How to Make It Happen

Originally posted at SumofChange.com

Who needs women in office? Everyone.

That was the title of one of the more powerful panels held at this year's Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, in Harrisburg, PA. Sam Bennett, Women’s Campaign Forum President/CEO and former congressional candidate, led the panel discussion which previewed several of the state's female candidates and elected officials. Largely discussing the various ways to get more women into public office, the candidates shared their personal stories on why they chose to run for office, how to personally fund your campaign, and discussed the reasons why more women in office is "essential to the health of our nation".

In the first two videos, Sam Bennett and other panelists outline the major points on why we need more women in public office. In the third video, Lois K. Herr illustrates how to support other women in running for office. The final video offers advice on ways to support your own campaign, especially if its your first.









For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

Marriage Equality: Details You Should Know to Make it Happen

Cross Posted from SumofChange.com

Also from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit (paprogressivesummit.com), I'd like to bring you a few videos form a panel simply entitled 'Marriage Equality'. On this panel, the speakers discussed the benefits, issues, and consequences of allowing homosexual couples marriage rights equal to those of heterosexual ones.  The panelists and approached the topic from a variety of angles.  Some spoke about the legal issues equality, both in the PA state legislature and in the constitution, others talked about the religious aspects, especially from the Christian and Jewish traditions, and others talked about the moral and human rights aspect of the debate.

The clips below go into many of the arguments against marriage equality and gay marriage and why most of them struggle for validity.  The first video, PA state senator Daylin Leach, who sponsored a bill in the PA state legislature in support on marriage equality, goes into many of the arguments against gay marriage that he has heard while debating the bill.  As he says, no one has debated him twice, because no one has presented him an argument with any validity.  The second video looks at many of the religious issues brought up by the marriage equality debate.  Many think that religion has no part of the legal debate over gay marriage and often when religion is invoked, it is done so incorrectly.  Finally, the last clip discusses why marriage equality supporters should want legalized gay marriage and not civil unions.  Civil unions seem like an acceptable compromise, but really they are impractical and still discriminatory.







For more videos from the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, go to SumofChange.com/paprog

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit and it's organizer, Keystone progress, please go to paprogressivesummit.org and keystoneprogress.org

Control & Tax: Legalization of Cannabis

Cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, April 23rd 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Dale Sky Clare, the Executive Chancellor of Oaksterdam University and the Spokesperson for Control and Tax Cannabis 2010. We talked about the upcoming ballot initiative to legalize cannabis in California.



California's November vote is going to be one to watch. Recent polling has demonstrated that Californians favor the legislation. Nationwide, 56% of people believe cannabis should be regulated along the lines of alcohol and 60% support medical use (Quick shout out to News Junkie Post for linking to a pdf of the poll, I found numerous articles on this poll with no link to the actual results. It is disgustingly negligent to not provide your readers with information you are sourcing that is so easy to provide).

The Control and Tax Cannabis 2010 campaign is pushing both an economic and moral message. Ms Clare comes to this with a unique perspective, having taught the D.A.R.E program, and spent a lot of time talking about the dangers of an underground market.

To get involved with the campaign visit www.taxcannabis.org

Green Thoughts: Importance of Green Organizing

Originally posted at SumofChange.com

In past posts, we looked at the different ways to gain support from individuals and businesses large and small and how to involve them in the creation of green jobs. The following videos will discuss why support for green energy is critical not only for the environment and our communities but also for businesses, their employees and ultimately the nation's economy. All of the videos included were recorded at a panel held at the 2010 Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, called "Effective Advocacy for Clean Energy Jobs Legislation". The panel is more or less hosted by Repower America as all the panelists were Repower America employees.

In the first video, Benjamin Freed of Repower America explains why his organization specifically focuses on business for support and the benefits that can be gained from them. And then in the two following videos, Alicia Gurdus of Repower America explains Repower America's Field Program's objectives as well as the difficulties are brought up when issue campaigning and how Repower America's objectives









For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Green Thoughts on Thursday clean energy posts, please go to www.SumofChange.com/greenthoughts

Repower America's Progressive Steps to a Green Economy

Cross posted from SumofChange.com

Following up on last Tuesday's post on Field Organizing in the community, this week were going to go into organizing for clean energy in your local business community.

Green is the word on every businesses' mind. From large international corporations, to small family owned businesses, it is blatantly apparent that the economic world is changing fast and everyone involved needs to be prepared to change with it. Unfortunately, in most cases corporations and businesses are not well informed on how to make the necessary changes; Repower America is working to do just that.

Through efficient campaigning and "field programs" Repower America is informing the public on how to make the right moves. At the 2010 PA Progressive Summit and in the videos below, Repower America not only discussed the daily concerns of many businesses in regards to the evolving economy, but reviewed the proactive steps to gain support from them and why it is essential for the nation’s companies as well as its workers to turn regular jobs into green jobs.



In the following videos, Laura Vendetta discusses the best way to get businesses involved in the Repower America Campaign or your own green energy effort.
In the third video, Ms. Vendetta discusses the various ways to appeal to businesses and how to connect with them whether its through the lowest rung on the ladder, or the owner of the company. And in the final video, Ms. Vendetta covers some of the basic steps in attracting support from businesses.







Check our next Green Thoughts post this Thursday for more clean energy organizing videos.

For more info on the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit, please go to www.paprogressivesummit.com

For more Training Tuesday grassroots training videos, please go to www.SumofChange.com/trainingtuesday

Pictures, Oklahoma City Bombing After 15 Years

cross-posted from Sum of Change

At 9:01 on April 19th, 1995, it was a typical day in Oklahoma City. By 9:03, the entire side of a building had been demolished in an act of heinous, domestic terrorism. It was premeditated mass-murder by an anti-government, gun-nut, who wanted to see payback after the incident at Waco, Texas.

It just happened that I was driving across the country this weekend. On Friday, I visited the Clinton Library in Little Rock, where I came across an exhibit on the Oklahoma City bombing. It struck me that the anniversary was coming up, the Timothy McVeigh tapes are being released, and I would be driving from Little Rock right through Oklahoma City on my way to Albuquerque. And so, I am able to bring you this picture slideshow on this anniversary.

"May all who leave here know the impact of violence."