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Importamt documentary Sunday

[Thank you Mark Taylor at The Daily Call for noting this event!]

TV Primiere Today! – Watch Leonardo DiCaprio’s National Geographic Climate Change Documentary Online for Free

Posted on October 30, 2016 by markt

By Lorraine Chow
EcoWatch (10/25/16)

By now, you have probably heard that Leonardo DiCaprio has a new documentary about climate change coming out. So how can you watch it?

The Fisher Stevens-directed documentary will make its television debut on National Geographic’s channel in 171 countries and 45 languages on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Additionally, in an unprecedented move, National Geographic also announced today that Before the Flood will premiere commercial free across digital and streaming platforms around the world as part of the network’s commitment to covering climate change.

That means not only can you catch the critically acclaimed film on cable, from Oct. 30 through Nov. 6, you can also watch it on just about any website or device where you regularly stream online videos. The exhaustive list includes: Natgeotv.com, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu, Sony PlayStation, GooglePlay, VOD/Video On Demand (through MVPD set-top boxes), MVPD Sites and Apps, Nat Geo TV Apps (iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, Roku, Android phones, Xbox One and 360, Samsung Connected TVs) and more.

The idea behind this historic premiere is to educate as many people around the world about climate change and to also bring the topic to the forefront before the Nov. 8. election where a number of candidates seeking public office—including a certain orange-hued Republican—denies that climate change is even real.

“There is no greater threat to the future of our society than climate change, and it must be a top issue for voters this election season,” said DiCaprio, an Oscar-winning actor-winning actor and prominent environmental activist. “Fisher and I set out to make a film to educate people around the planet on the urgent issues of climate change and to inspire them to be part of the solution. I applaud National Geographic for their commitment to bringing this film to as many people as possible at such a critical time.”

“The level of support National Geographic is providing to create awareness about climate change is exactly what Leo and I were looking for when we made this film,” Stevens added. “Climate change is real, and we are feeling its effects more and more every day; it’s time we stop arguing its existence, and do everything we can to bring this issue to the forefront of people’s minds so that real action is taken to combat climate change.”

The documentary has already made its theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 21. It has also been shown at international film festivals, the United Nations and at the White House South By South Lawn event before President Obama.

The film is also screening at more 250 colleges and universities nationwide and being made available to churches and religious institutions via Interfaith Power and Light, National Geographic said. The network has partnered with Rock the Vote and theSkimm to allow people who attend screenings of Before The Flood to register to vote and to become informed on the issues.

“In our minds, there is no more important story to tell, no more important issue facing our planet than that of climate change,” said Courteney Monroe, the CEO of National Geographic Global Networks. “At National Geographic, we believe in the power of storytelling to change the world, and this unprecedented release across digital and streaming platforms is not only a first for our network but also in our industry, underscoring how exceptional we think this film is and how passionate we are about it. We are committed to ensuring as many people as possible see this film as we head into U.S. elections.”

Before The Flood, as well as the award-winning documentary seriesYears of Living Dangerously, will kick off the National Geographic Channel’s “Earth Week“—a week of programming starting Oct. 30 dedicated to bringing awareness to issues surrounding climate change.

Before The Flood depicts how Earth is changing due to rising temperatures and how individuals and society-at-large can help preserve our precious environment. DiCaprio travels around the world to interview a number of world leaders and experts about climate change, including President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry, U.N. Secretary-General Ki-Moon, Pope Francis, Elon Musk as well as top NASA researchers, forest conservationists, scientists, community leaders and other environmental activists.

The film was produced by DiCaprio, Stevens, Brett Ratner and James Packer and executive produced by Martin Scorsese. Watch the trailer below:

Link to Story and 3-Minute Video

Citizens Climate Lobby - 10/13

from La Crosse CCL:

October La Crosse CCL Meeting

**NOTE NEW DAY**
Thursday, October 13th, 6:30 p.m.
UU Fellowship of La Crosse
401 West Ave S, La Crosse, WI
Parking behind the UU Fellowship building

Watch the October International CCL Webinar

• CCL's monthly calls now use ZOOM Web Conferencing: Watch the recording.

Complete the Constituent Letter to Your Members of Congress (and ask your family and friends to complete one, too!)

• WE NEED YOUR HELP: CCL is collecting letters to members of Congress expressing concern about climate change and supporting legislative action to reduce carbon emissions.
• ASAP Please download the letter template PDF, print it, fill it in, and send it to Larry Sleznikow, 2203 Cass Street, La Crosse, WI, 54601.
• I'll see that it's delivered to your members of Congress during CCL's Fall Congressional Education Day on November 15th in Washington, D.C.
• THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

CCL'S CLIMATE GUEST FOR OCTOBER
George Lakoff, linguistics expert

Linguistics expert George Lakoff, author of “Don’t Think of an Elephant,” “The Political Mind,” and many more books examining the power of language, is our guest for the October national call. He’ll share his recent work on the distinction between direct causation and systemic causation, which is the frame through which climate change can be better comprehended. Mr. Lakoff is recently retired from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics..

We look forward to seeing you at the October 13th meeting. Email lacrosseccl@gmail.com with any questions.

October 10 - Your support needed!

Cross posted at Coulee Progressives.

Reprinted from SOUL of Wisconsin (Save Our Unique Lands) newsletter. If you can, please SHOW UP TO SHOW SUPPORT (no public hearing) ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 10 FOR THE 1:45 HEARING AT LA CROSSE COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 4TH AND VINE).

The Proper and Prudent Public Discussion of Electricity Costs in Wisconsin
Badger-Coulee Appeal, October 10, La Crosse, WI 

No public discussion stands to affect our electricity costs and environmental goals more than the possible appeal of the Badger-Coulee transmission line decision.

In 2015, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) rejected multiple public objections and stamped approval of the costly, 170 mile, high-capacity expansion line between La Crosse and Madison. Oral arguments challenging and defending the approval will be heard in 3rd District State court in La Crosse on October 10th. At question is whether the PSC is required by law to publicly justify how our energy dollars are spent and our environmental goals met.

The PSC is not rushing to clarify its reasoning in approving the project. Instead, the PSC is asking the court to grant the agency "great deference” in their judgments despite the agency’s refusal to study potential need under current flat and declining electricity use and other irregularities.

The agency does not dispute that the energy growth assumptions it used to economically justify the Paddock-Rockdale 345 kV line in 2008 never materialized. Rather than discuss how the agency will prevent repeating the same mistake in Badger-Coulee, their request for "great deference” aims to avoid discussions about the bottom line altogether. Such deference would effectively say to the court, to the public, and to the electric customers that such decisions are too complicated for all of us to understand, so we must defer to their “superior" judgment.

The PSC takes this position despite five years of steady requests for transparency and cost analysis from more than 90 local governments, 12 state lawmakers, and record public participation in public hearings. With electricity use flat and declining, most states are shifting investments to energy efficiency, modern load management and local power development because, unlike utility expansion, they guarantee savings and rapid CO2 reductions. Electric customers, who would assume debt for Badger-Coulee over the next 30-40 years, do not take lightly any dismissal of economic and environmental accountability.

Proven, lower cost solutions emphasizing efficiency improvements in our homes, farms and businesses were charted by state lawmakers in 2009 when they approved a $1 per month increase in Focus on Energy rebate pools. Though the lawmakers’ request met PSC inaction in 2010, public discussions with state lawmakers revived as utilities starting asking for historical fixed fee increases to pay for expansion and ballooning utility debt.

Opposition to highly questionable transmission expansion is erupting in every hill and dale in southwest Wisconsin as transmission builders propose another high capacity expansion line between Madison and Dubuque. Cardinal Hickory Creek would be the eighth high capacity line approved in our state in ten years. Persons from these communities will be joining court observers in La Crosse.

The appeal brought by the Town of Holland is already successful in exposing attempts by a state agency to discourage public discussion of prudent electricity cost accountability. This “day in court” presents a rare opportunity to let one’s presence speak for every concerned electric customer in the state.

No matter the outcome on the 10th, it is very possible that we will look back at the PSC’s attempt to justify Badger-Coulee as a key turning point in our energy future. Oral arguments start at 1:45 pm at the La Crosse County Court House, 333 Vine St.

Pipeline Resistance Growing

The Sacred Stone Spirit Camp, which formed months ago on the Missouri River near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, to resist construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), has grown in size to include thousands of people (see this article in the Huffington Post for a quick recap). Indigenous people from across the country and around the world who have fought similar battles have travelled to the camp to show their support. And the movement is spreading! A similar camp, although much smaller, has been set up where the DAPL is supposed to pass under the Mississippi in southern Iowa (see their website or Facebook page).

The federal government may have temporarily halted pipeline construction in the area around the Missouri River, but the water protectors in North Dakota and their allies recognize that the resistance must continue, and many plan to stay at the camp throughout the winter. If you're wondering what you can do to show your support, there are many options. Donations can be made online through the camp's official go fund me page. The camp has an Amazon.com "wish list" too, where you can purchase requested items and they'll be sent directly to the camp. Also, there is a local group, "La Crosse Stands with Standing Rock", collecting supplies that they will take to the camp themselves in mid-October and mid-November. Needed supplies include winter clothes (jackets, gloves, hats, sweaters, socks, boots), blankets and winter sleeping bags, camping gear, and canned goods or dried food. Drop-off sites include English Lutheran Church, UW-L's Cartwright Center, and Three Rivers House (on Main St. across from the library). You can also contribute to the Mississippi camp in Iowa, or buy a t-shirt to support their cause.

Another way to help is to ask your friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances if they know about the camp and the resistance. Many people who get their news solely from mainstream media don't know what's going on! Here's a 9-minute video from PBS New Hour (a fairly neutral source) that covers many aspects of the story and could be shared with a wide audience. If you've heard of other ways to support the cause, please share them below in the comments!
  

October 29 Frac Activist Meeting

From Save the Hills Alliance, Inc.

YOU ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SAVE THE HILLS ALLIANCE, INC.

The Social Impacts of Frac Sand Mining  

Saturday, October 29, 2016 – 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Veteran’s Center of Menomonie

E4710 Co. Rd. BB, Menomonie, WI

(1 mile North of I-94 on State Hwy. 25)

Speaker, Thomas W. Pearson, is an associate professor of anthropology in the Social Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He received his PhD from the State University of New York at Binghamton and has conducted extensive research in Central America on environmental activism. For the past four years, he has been researching the social dimensions of frac sand mining, particularly grassroots activism and community-level conflicts. He is currently completing a book, tentatively titled, When the Hills Are Gone: Frac Sand Mining and the Struggle for Place, Community, and Democracy, which will be published in 2017 by the University of Minnesota Press. He lives in Menomonie with his partner Tiffani, their two young children, Aidric and Michaela, and an annoying dog named Poochacho!

Presentation - Frac Sand Mining and Quality of Life: Understanding Potential Social Impacts.

When evaluating the impacts of frac sand mining, policymakers, government officials, and concerned citizens often focus on economic and environmental questions. Social dynamics are commonly ignored, even though proposed mining operations typically generate community-level conflicts and introduce changes that alter people’s quality of life. This presentation brings a social science perspective to understanding the impacts of mining and other extraction-based industries such as hydraulic fracturing. Drawing on first-hand research in Wisconsin, it also examines people’s experiences living near frac sand operations. Residents grappling with a sudden influx of unwanted mining activity often describe increased suspicion among neighbors, loss of trust in local government, strain on community ties and social networks, increased stress and anxiety, confusion about potential hazards, uncertainty about the future, and a diminished sense of place and belonging. A better understanding of these sorts of impacts will help concerned citizens and local officials deal with controversial industries such as frac sand mining.                 

Speaker, Kimberlee Wright, was born and raised in central Illinois. She received a law degree and a BS in rural sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since graduating from law school she has worked statewide in the public interest on issues ranging from elder law, environmental protection, conservation, and support for people affected by family violence. Her professional experience includes serving as the director of conservation programs for The Nature Conservancy and as the executive director for Domestic Abuse Intervention Services.  Prior to joining Midwest Environmental Advocates as executive director, Wright managed a statewide grant program for land trusts working in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to protect critical habitat and natural areas. Wright’s community service has benefitted children and adults with disabilities, access to affordable housing, environmental protection, and the preservation of pristine natural areas.                

Presentation - The Role of Citizens in Public Policy.

The rapid expansion of the frac sand industry in western Wisconsin outpaced the establishment of standards to protect public health, the environment, and community assets. Oversight at the local level has been critical to filling the void of state failure to develop the regulatory framework needed for a landscape-scale extractive industry.  In spite of powerful special interests with undue influence over decision-makers, citizens have moved steadily forward while working together to protect their communities. Elected officials at all levels of government must be held accountable for shifting risks to citizens while industry profits from externalizing their costs to communities.

Our speakers will be introduced by Dave Carlson, an award-winning outdoors journalist. Dave is well known from his long-running TV series, “Northland Adventures” and “Northland Outdoors.” Dave will also moderate a period of questions and answers.                 

We will also present a short preview of Jim Tittle’snew and upcoming documentary, “Promise in the Sand.”

Presented by:  Save The Hills Alliance, Inc. STHA, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable tax-exempt non-profit organization. Our mission is to protect the natural environment and promote the ecologically sound use of land through public awareness, education, and advocacy. Email:AllianceSaveTheHills.register@gmail.com