News from Redefining Progress

Here's an update of what's happening with Redefining Progress:

Greetings from Washington, D.C.! With all that we’ve been up to in California and other states, I bet many of you didn’t realize we had a D.C. office. In fact, I like to think of it as our headquarters, but maybe that’s just because from here it’s easier to keep our eyes on the prize: Federal climate change legislation that is environmentally and economically smart and socially just.

In fact, a lot of us had almost given up hope for action at the Federal level, but in the last few months the Capitol has been a hotbed of debate on how—not if—we should tackle global warming. There are no fewer than seven bills in various stages of the legislative pipeline, any one of which would at least make important first steps in addressing the environmental problem. The bad news is that not one of them adequately addresses economic or environmental justice. The good news, of course, is that these important conversations are happening, and we’ve managed to convince quite a few that equity and justice do matter and that we don’t have to sacrifice them for environmental progress. We’re not going to stop until we convince the rest.

To that end, we’re convening a meeting here in August that will bring together environmental justice leaders from around the country. We’ll be designing a policy platform that gets it right on economics, equity, and the environment, and then we’ll begin bringing our message to communities across the nation, girding the grassroots for change.

I’ll let you know more about the conference as it develops. In the meantime, look for Redefining Progress at the U.S. Social Forum (June 27-July 1, Atlanta, GA) and Tall Ships Road Island (June 27-July 1, Newport Harbor, Rhode Island), where there will be a kiosk for you to take the Ecological Footprint Quiz and learn how to reduce your footprint.

Then join Emerging Leaders, Emerging Solutions (July 10-12, Newark, N.J.), a conference organized by the Environmental Leadership Program to highlight model policies and practices for how to create change in our lives and communities. Nia Robinson, director of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, will be speaking, as will Redefining Progress Board Member Dr. Beverly Wright of Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.

PS. If you like what we do here at Redefining Progress, please pass this message along to a friend. Word of mouth is a great way to spread the news about the need for a fair and efficient climate policy.

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