Flex Your Constituent Muscle: Phone Banking TONIGHT and TOMORROW!

Thanks for sticking with us through this tough time, and for taking action when it's needed most. If you didn't get a chance to add your name to the Senate petition demanding climate action, you can do so here. Then, take a moment to check out Oxfam's latest e-action regarding the Senate failure to address climate change.

You can make calls on your own, or, TONIGHT and TOMORROW, as promised, we will be holding gatherings around the Bay Area for local volunteers to join together in contacting Senators and other influential community members in California to urge them to keep fighting to pass climate legislation. Locations and times are as follows:

TONIGHT - TUESDAY 7/27/10

San Francisco:

6:30-8pm @ Megan Ferreira's house, 44 Ulloa, San Francisco, CA 94127, email megimegs1@gmail.com

East Bay:

5-8pm @ Nickolas Johnson Berkeley, email johnson_nickolas@mac.com

TOMORROW - WEDNESDAY 7/28/10

South Bay:

5-8pm @ Karen Crumlin's house, 1048 Keeble Court, San Jose, CA 95126, email karen.crumlin@gmail.com

Email hosts for more info, or just show up with your phone and be prepared to make some calls! Flexing your constituent muscle with a phone call is one of the most powerful things you can do as a concerned citizen in this country. Remember, the government works for and represents us, so it's our right and our duty to voice our opinions.

Thanks everyone and we hope to see some of you tonight and tomorrow!

The US Senate Puts off Climate Legislation Again While Poor People Continue to Suffer - Your Help Needed!

In reaction to the announcement that climate change legislation is delayed by the United States Senate, perhaps indefinitely, David Waskow, Oxfam America's climate change program director, made the following statement:

“It is critical that the US pass legislation to deal with the oil spill and impacts on communities in the Gulf Coast, but the world cannot stand to hear, again, that the Senate will not act on climate change. While Senators go on their summer break, millions of poor people on the front lines of climate change around the world can’t take a break from the droughts and floods made worse by climate pollution.”

"Without a commitment that the United States will work with other countries to solve the climate challenge and build resilience to its consequences, we cannot move forward globally. All eyes are on the US to show leadership. Failure on this critically important issue is just unacceptable, but the Senate has failed to match the leadership in the House and the Obama Administration has abandoned the helm.”

“Time is ticking away. We urge President Obama to lead and Senators to get back to work determined to deliver legislation that cuts harmful pollution and invests in the resilience of poor communities on the front lines of climate change. "

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST OF SUPPORTERS CALLING FOR CLIMATE ACTION NOW!

Phone-banking gatherings are still tentatively scheduled to take place in South Bay, East Bay, and San Francisco locations next week July 27-29. Stay tuned or email oxfam.sf@gmail.com for more details...

ACTION UPDATE:

New forecasts for the climate bill release in the Senate have moved to next week, on July 26th. Please note that phone banking gatherings around the Bay Area will now be scheduled to take place July 27-29th, in response to this new information. Email oxfam.sf@gmail.com for more information on how to attend or throw your own gathering.

Also, if you are a fan of the R&B/Rap group, Foreign Exchange, come see us this Thursday and Friday at Yoshi's Jazz Club in San Francisco where Oxfamers will be tabling and doing local outreach. Check out the flyer for more info:

Senate Climate Bill Vote Approaching - Mark Your Calendars for Action!

A vote on the Senate climate bill will be taking place this month and we need your help to ensure the bill passes with international adaptation funding in tact! Vulnerable communities around the world are counting on the U.S. to do their part to combat climate change on a global scale, and that begins with setting an example and taking responsibility at home by reducing our carbon footprint and helping those most effected by (though least responsible for) climate change.

On July 19th-21st, the Oxfam America Action Corps will be holding gatherings in cities across the country to generate constituent calls to Senators. Join us at one of several locations in the Bay Area to add your voice to this important cause! Phone lists and scripts will be provided at what promises to be an exciting and inspiring time for everyone involved. Please contact oxfam.sf@gmail.com if you would like to attend one of these gatherings, or if you would like to hold your own!

We'll be updating our blog soon with more details about this call for action and the bill, expected to be introduced for debate in the Senate on July 19th.

Also, click here to watch the trailer for "Beautiful Islands", an award-winning film about three locations, Tuvalu (South Pacific), Venice (Italy), and Shishmaref (USA), that are sinking into the ocean due to sea level rise. The serious threat posed by climate change stands to eliminate entire countries and cultures.

And, check out the new iPhone app based on the film, the "Flood Camera", which allows you to see what your favorite places might look like flooded. Shocking stuff.