CONTENTS:
PHILLY AREA ACTION:
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:
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PHILLY AREA ACTION:

GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE PHILADELPHIA  -  TRIAL


 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2006  -   8:30 AM
MUNICIPAL COURT -  1401 ARCH STREET

11 Grannies were arrested on June 28, 2006  trying  to enlist at   the  Phila. Military Recruitment Center.     They  said,  "Take   us, not our   children and grandchildren.   "The Grannies say:  " We are innocent of  the charge 'defiant trespass'.  This War in Iraq is illegal, immoral and expensive. Too many U.S. troops and  Iraqi people  have died.

 Support our troops - BRING  THEM  HOME  NOW !

GRANNY PEACE BRIGADE PHILADELPHIA
WWW.GrannyPeaceBrigadePhiladelphia.org  JOIN & SUPPORT THE GRANNIES: ninahuizinga@yahoo.com or Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia, 4609 Spruce St.,  Phila. PA 19139
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 Join us Friday,  December 2,  International Day of Protest against the
attack on Gaza!  @ Noon on S. 15th Street above Locust

                                                   
         Philadelphia Jewish Voice for Peace will be joining us.
Make every effort to attend – so that we can make a more powerful statement than usual!
        Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the Middle East
Box 56293        Philadelphia Pa 19130        phillyjewishpeace.org
          ???? ??? ???   You must pursue justice
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SUSTAIN-Philly will host "Letters for Palestine: Words of Resistance"

         Sunday, December 3rd from 2-5 pm
         The Last Drop Coffee Shop [1300 Pine St.] .
This letter-a-thon will benefit Samidoun in Lebanon and Women for Life/Flowers against the Occupation in Palestine. *Because of the crisis in Gaza, we're adding the Middle-East Children's Alliance's emergency efforts there to the list of organizations.* Please join us for an afternoon of education and solidarity!
        Participants in the letter-a-thon will write letters to politicians, family, members of our communities of origin, our teachers and clergypeople, newspapers, Flowers Against the Occupation, our neighbors, organizations, long-lost friends, and others. Our letters will be political, educational, and personal. For inspiration, we will read from Beirut Blues by Hanan al-Shaykh, Letters from Young Activists, and more.
        Our goal is to raise $1000. We ask all participants to contribute at least $50 through sponsorships, personal donation, or combination of the two. If you can't come but want to support the effort, sponsor a friend or contact us! We will collect all donations at the event; checks should be made out to "Philadelphia Palestine Film Festival" with "Letters for Palestine" in the memo line.  CONTACT:  sustainphilly at gmail.com or visit sustainphilly.blogspot.com!
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GAZA ON THE GROUND: Washington Report for Middle East Affairs,
 Gaza Correspondent- Mohammed Omer (New American Media’s “Best Youth Voice of 2006”)


WHEN:         December 5th @ 7PM
WHERE:       Friends Center, 15th and Cherry Streets, Center City

Sponsored by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Friends Service Committee, Bubbies and Zaydes for Peace in the Middle East, Jewish Voice for Peace, SUSTAIN, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
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Hip Hop for Palestine, an amazing fundraiser going down on Wednesday
December 6th at 7:30 pm at the Rotunda on 4014 Walnut St.

Needs YOU to- SHOW UP- VOLUNTEER- RENT A TABLE to SELL ART and CLOTHES
or HAND OUT INFO - SPREAD THE WORD- DONATE PICTURES

                Cost: Sliding scale $5-$15
We need VOLUNTEERS the night of the event. If you can help, set up, break
down, run tables etc. Please email hiphop4palestine@gmail.com  with
VOLUNTEER in the subject line.
- If you would like to RENT A TABLE for $25 to sell product or give out
information Please email hiphop4palestine@gmail.com  with TABLE in the subject line.
- If you have any PICTURES from Palestine please email hiphop4palestine@gmail.com
with PHOTOS in the subject line and descriptions of your photos in the body.
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INTERFAITH CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Faith & Nonviolence - A free Advent Lecture Series
Three Sunday evenings-December 3, 10 & 17, 2006, *5:00 - 6:30 PM, St. Augustine Parish Hall, 4th & Vine Streets, Philadelphia
December 3 - Lebanon in the Mideast Crossfire: A Background Account of the War, Kail Ellis, O.S.A.
December 10* - The Gospel Call to Nonviolence, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton (N.B.-The Bishop will speak only at the 7:00 PM liturgy and following meal-all are welcome)
December 17 - Nonviolent Conflict Resolution - Quaker Methods of Actively Waging Peace, George Lakey.
Liturgy following at 7:00 PM for those interested.  Co-sponsored by St. Augustine’s Justice and Peace Committee and the Catholic Peace Fellowship

Talk by Mohammad Omer, Gaza Correspondent, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
Tuesday, December 5, 2006, 7:00 PM, American Friends Service Committee, 15th & Cherry Sts., Phila
Mohammad Omer has, with great difficulty, managed to obtain a visa to the US.  Raised in the Rafah refugee camp, he has developed an impressive resume as a translator, journalist and program coordinator.  He has been honored by the New American Media as the "Best Youth Voice" for 2006.

“Understanding Islam & Muslims through History and Jurisprudence” - A free CAIR course
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 and Thursday, January 18, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30 PM, The Foundation for Islamic Education, 1860 Montgomery Ave., Villanova, PA
The Philadelphia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-PA) is pleased to announce this class, which will approach Islam from a historical and jurisprudence perspective, covering the foundations of the religion and then building on the economic, political and cultural institutions that arose in Muslim societies. A final unit will be the involvement of the U.S. in the Muslim world and its ramifications.

CAIR-PA has offered the course through multiple educational and interfaith venues, including Mishkan Shalom, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, and recently, the Paoli Presbyterian Church.  CAIR-PA Chairman Iftekhar Hussain will lead the course.
REGISTER AT: CAIR-PA,  HYPERLINK "mailto:cairphilly@cairphilly.org" cairphilly@cairphilly.org
CONTACT: CAIR-PA: 215-592-0509; E-Mail:  HYPERLINK "mailto:cairphilly@cairphilly.org" cairphilly@cairphilly.org
CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 30 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Philadelphia Monthly Dances of Universal Peace
Second Saturday evenings - December 9, 2006 at Villanova University, Corr Chapel, Villanova, PA, 7:30 - 10:00 PM
The Dances of Universal Peace are participatory simple circle dances with songs and chants from the Earth's spiritual traditions, such as: Jewish, Christian (Gospel, Aramaic & Creation Spirituality), Islamic Sufi, Native American, African, Celtic, Hindu, Buddhist & other Universal Songs of Peace.
All dances are taught as we go.   Dress Casual.   Singles & Couples are welcome.  $12 Registration at Door.
Jeanne Ayesha Lauenborg, Interfaith Minister, Senior Mentor Teacher, PeaceWorks International Certified Dance Leader
For Free Parking: Entrance from Ithan Avenue - Tell Guard you are coming to Corr Chapel for the Dances of Universal Peace and mention Father Shawn Tracy.
For info, see  HYPERLINK "http://www.SufiCaravan.com" www.SufiCaravan.com or call 215-877-2777
     
Compiled by Lance Laver for the Phila Interfaith Walk for Peace and Reconciliation planning group
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12/6 Wednesday -   Screening of VIETNAM HOMECOMING, with Vets for America Panel, at St Joes  4:00 to 6:00

12/7 Thursday - "GROUND TRUTH" Panel    University of Pennsylvania
Panel includes Iraq Vets Patrick Resta, Cap't Chad Hetman, Sgt Mark LaChance, Spec 4's Mike Blake & Del Val Sgt of Arms Steve Mortillo, & Toby Hartzbarger - Host:Faith Anderson
http://events.thegroundtruth.net/page/event/detail/wrrz  sign up here
University of Pennsylvania, Stitler Hall (Philadelphia, PA) -  South 37th Street, Room B21 on First Floor

Be Well, RAISE HELL !
Bill Perry  215-945-3350
Delaware Valley Veterans For America, Disabled American Veteran, VVAW, VFP, VFW, VVA
http://www.arlington-libertybell.net/,   http://www.VFP144.org
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Northwest Greens will meet on December 7

If you want health care for everyone, and if you want to build the
RecycleNOW Campaign, come to the monthly meeting of Northwest Greens at 7:00
pm on Thursday, December 7, in the Weavers' Way Meeting Room, 610 Carpenter
Lane (near Greene Street) in West Mount Airy. More information from
215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>. Join Northwest Greens by clicking
onto <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwgreens/> and then "JOIN THIS GROUP."
- - - - - - -

Northwest Peace & Justice, December 12

If you want to tell Congress to end the U.S. occupation of Iraq, please help
us organize for the January 27 peace march in Washington, DC. Northwest
Peace and Justice Movement will meet at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, December 12, in
the Parish Center behind Saint Vincent's Church, 109 East Price Street in
Germantown. Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information:
215-843-4256 or <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
- - - - - - -

A Soldier's Question Peace Event, December 17

        From 2:00 until 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 17, 2006, twenty peace groups
will demonstrate near the home of Senator Arlen Specter on Schoolhouse Lane
(between Henry Avenue and Gypsy Lane) in East Falls. They will ask Specter
to author a bill like HB 4232 which will cut off all Pentagon funding in
Iraq, except money needed for an orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops. More
information from 215-843-4256 and <nwgreens@yahoo.com>.
        In December 2004, Pentagon Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was visiting Kuwait
when a soldier asked him, "Why do we soldiers have to dig through local
landfills for pieces of scrap metal to up-armor our vehicles?" Rumsfeld
replied, "You go to war with the army you have." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
called that "a flippant comment," and Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) called for Rumsfeld's replacement.
________________


A Night of Scenes

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - 6 p.m. Reception, 7 p.m. Presentation
Free, donations gladly accepted
        Join us for a holiday reception to celebrate visual artwork that shows off some of the essential painting and drawing skills developed through our partnership with the City of Philadelphia Big Picture Mural Arts Program. And stay for a presentation by participants in our GenerAsian Next theater workshop, who spent the season reading and interpreting Asian American plays that interrogate media roles, racial stereotypes, interracial relationships, and family relationships-and turning these dynamics on their head!
        The Asian Arts Initiative is grounded in the belief that the arts can provide an important political and cultural voice for the Asian American community in Philadelphia. We serve as a community arts center where artists and everyday people are developing means to express our diverse experiences as Asian Americans.
- 1315 Cherry Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215)557-0455 |         info@asianartsinitiative.or <http://asianartsinitiative.org>
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EVENTS OCCURING EVERY WEEK:


Thursday

6:00-8:00 p.m. Workshop: "Build Your Own Computer"
Nonprofit Technology Resources, 1524 Brandywine St., Philadelphia, Pa
$25 per session  To register, call 215-564-6686.

7:00-9:00 p.m. International Concerned Friends & Family of Mumia Weekly Meeting
4601 Market St., 5th floor, Philadelphia, PA For info, call 215-476-5416.

Friday

12:00 @ Noon on S. 15th Street above Locust                                                
        Grandparents (Bubbies & Zaydes) for Peace in the Middle East
Box 56293        Philadelphia Pa 19130        phillyjewishpeace.org
          ???? ??? ???   You must pursue justice

4:30 p.m. Anti-war leafleting and picket
Market & 11th Sts., Philadelphia, PA For info, email pawf@critpath.org

5:00 p.m. Vigil--Women in Black
Swarthmore Train Station, Park Ave. & Chester Rd., Swarthmore, PA
For info, wibswarthmore@hotmail.com.

6:00-8:00 p.m. Mt. Airy Community Computer Center Open Access (& Tues.)
Offers free computer access to the community
Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church lower level, 17 East Mt. Pleasant Ave., Philadelphia, PA
For info, call 215-247-0870.

Saturday

noon-1:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
Rte. 38 & Cherry Hill Mall Dr., Cherry Hill, NJ  Info, greatercamdenunitycoalition@yahoo.com

1:00-2:00 p.m. Protest at Ferber Furs
1708 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA For info, email phillyar@yahoogroups.com.

Tuesday

5:30-7:00 p.m. Speak Out of Turn Poetry Workshop
Aspace, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale fee $7-10. For info, call 215-435-6621.

7:30 p.m. Books Through Bars Packing Cafe
The A Space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Help pack books to send to prisoners. Email info@booksthroughbars.org

Wednesday

4:30-5:30 p.m. Peace Vigil Federal Building, 601 Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by House of Grace Catholic Worker For info, email brandywine@juno.com .

5:00 p.m. Vigil for Peace
Outside Unitarian Society of Germantown, 6511 Lincoln Dr., Philadelphia, PA
For info, see www.northwestpeacecoalition.org.

6:00 p.m.  Movement Class taught by Sophia Hoffer-Perkins
A-space, 4722 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
Sliding scale donations  For info, call 215-727-0882.

7:00 p.m. Peace Vigil
==============================


NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACTION:

The war has caused between 420,000 and 790,000 Iraqi deaths.
                                OR
Why the Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia, GPBP Goes to Court

        Friday, Dec. 1, 2006,  8:30 am, at 1401 Arch St.

That's according to a study by Johns Hopkins University and
Iraq's Al-Mustansiriyah University researchers that was
published in The Lancet medical journal last week.

It's a staggering number.

We need to bear witness against the chaos and anarchy. We need to get
Congress to stop funding military solutions to the problem when
diplomacy and reconstruction are needed. We need to hold our
government accountable for this disaster.

To do that, we must motivate more people to speak out against this
war. The majority of public opinion is with us, but more people need
to join our call for peace if we are going to end the violence.

Here are three ways you can help bring the reality of Iraq to your
friends and neighbors.

1. Please ask your friends to watch the Wage Peace Campaign's
updated web movie about the human cost of war. (If you haven't
seen it lately, we encourage you to see it.)  Watch the movie:
http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=_8AKah5uiotQe-1JLlQcGQ..

2. Sign the letter to Congress
At the end, they'll be encouraged to join with us in calling for
an end to war, to tell Congress, "Not One More Death, Not One
More Dollar."  We plan to deliver our call for peace with
thousands of signatures at the start of the new Congress in January.
Would you like to host the memorial in your community?  If so,
please fill out our online sign-up form or email your name, city,
state, and phone number to me at askaboutiraq@afsc.org.

Register as a host by following the link below:
 http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=QY4s2Pg-Ms-C7_cj0ISs5Q..

Together, we can and must end this war.

Peace,
Peter Lems, For AFSC's Wage Peace Campaign & Marlena Santoyo, GPBP
        P.S. For more information about the study published in the Lancet, see
        Peter's blog at http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=kG_2PT_Ym3NXQZUMvZe-Sg..
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 Join nationwide campaign to put Cuba on the agenda of the new Congress

Click here to lookup your elected officials: http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/actnow/lookupsen-rep.html
To havethe greatest impact, contact should be made no later than the week after Thanksgiving.

-- The highest priority, if applicable to you, are those newly elected.  We must obtain the support of most new Members of the House and Senate in order to legislatively end travel restrictions.
-- Second priority are those who were first elected in 2004.  (Many did not support the right to travel because of very effective lobbying by the other side.)
-- If neither category fits your district or state, or you have additional time, make the same approach to all other returning incumbents. Even if they voted against repeal of restrictions in the past, the political context has changed.

Time is of the essence.  The letter can be sent by just one person or organization, but if it can be done quickly, a joint letter signed by as broad a group as possible is even stronger.  This can include persons identified with:

-  Cuban Americans
-  University and high school teachers, administrators, students and alumni organizations
-  Travel agents and other business persons -  Farmers and agricultural exporters
-  Foreign affairs and people-to-people dialog organizations
-  Art and cultural institutions, museums -  Religious bodies and humanitarian aid groups
-  Environmental organizations -  Sports teams -  Political activists

Sample letter re position on travel of newly elected and returning Representatives and Senators:
Dear Representative/Senator ________,

The new make-up of the House of Representatives and of the Senate, offers an opportunity to renew bipartisan support for ending restrictions on travel by all Americans to Cuba, without the risk of maneuvers in Conference that frustrate majority will.
I am [we are] writing as a constituent [as constituents] to ask your support for reform of an anachronistic policy that has put special interest regional politics ahead of American values of personal freedom and our nations security and humanitarian goals.

As Cuba goes through an internal leadership transition, our country is completely absent from the process except rhetorically. If we wish to have a positive influence, we should be encouraging mutually respectful engagement at every level by American citizens and civil society, just as the US has with Viet Nam and China, countries whose political and legal systems are not very different from Cubas.

Over the past four years our nations policy has taken a completely counterproductive course. Cuban Americans have been harshly limited to a single trip every three years to see a narrow range of family members.  Virtually all visits have been barred by teachers, administrators, students and alumni organizations; by world affairs, professional associations and people-to-people dialog organizations; by art and cultural institutions and museums; by religious bodies and humanitarian aid groups; by sports teams and environmental organizations.

Thanks only to Congress, farmers and agribusiness representatives have been able to go to Cuba to win an annual export market (despite bureaucratic obstacles) of half a billion dollars, but travel agents and other exponents of the American free market system cannot do the same.

I/we ask you to think seriously about the benefit to average people in both the US and Cuba of legislatively ending all restrictions on travel in 2007.  I/we would be honored if an appointment can be scheduled to discuss this issue before the new Congress convenes.

Sincerely,
_____________________________________________________

 Speak out! Anti-Birth Control Appointee Is a Bad Choice

TAKE ACTION: http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/replace_keroack2/wx7dung4rttm76m?

In a stunning act of disregard for women's health, the Bush
administration has just appointed anti-birth control activist
Dr. Eric Keroack to oversee the country's family planning
program, which provides birth control and other prevention
services to underserved communities.

Dr. Keroack has an anti-birth control track record, including
serving as the medical director of five so-called "crisis
pregnancy centers" that refuse to provide information about
birth control and provide misleading information to pregnant
women about their options. In Dr. Keroack's new role, he will
oversee hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding
designated to provide access to reproductive health information and contraception.
.. Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
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Negotiate a treaty banning cluster munitions

On Friday, November 17, Norway announced that they would start and civil society must be ready to put pressure on all governments to participate in negotiations on a new treaty banning cluster munitions.
WILPF has written a sample letter for our members to send to their governments and foreign ministers, urging participation. http://www.wilpf.int.ch/disarmament/CCW/sample.letter.htm
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Your Help is Needed to Reach 50,000 Endorsements of the Statement of Conscience of the National Religious Campaign                            
Against Torture by January 15, 2007

We  the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) are asking for your help. It would be a powerful witness if NRCAT reached 50,000 endorsers of the Statement of Conscience by January 15, 2007. Please contact at least five people you know to ask them to endorse - family members, friends, and members of your congregation.
        Give them a copy of "Torture is a Moral Issue" and ask them to endorse. They can do so online at www.nrcat.org/statement.aspx.
        Sincerely, Jeanne E. Herrick-Stare, Esq., Chair, NRCAT Coordinating Committee
        Rev. Richard Killmer, Senior Staff, NRCAT
 TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE        Questions? Please email campaign@nrcat.org/ www.nrcat.org
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 Health Consequences of the War in Iraq Power Point slide shows

The USLAW website now has available two Power Point slide shows presented recently to the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, and links to audio files of a program presented by the Department of Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO, on the health consequences of the war (in Iraq and at home available at:
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?list=type&type=48
_____________________________________________________


Gaza: Stop the Siege! Stop the War! The international online petition

 To Israeli Government and World Leaders - "The situation in Gaza has reached emergency levels - inadequate water, electricity, and medicine; widespread hunger, poverty, and unemployment; schools and other services rendered inoperative; constant bombardments and attacks by the Israeli military. This humanitarian catastrophe is man-made: It was brought on by the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel and the sanctions imposed by the international community on Palestine, made worse by repeated IDF attacks. If this situation continues, we will see spreading disease, malnutrition, and more violence. Under these conditions, negotiations - the only way to reach peace between both peoples - also become an impossibility. We call upon Israeli leaders to end the siege of and war on Gaza. We call upon world leaders to end the political and economic sanctions of Palestine. The siege and sanctions are sowing chaos and death in Gaza. They must come to an end."
                 -  Add your name to the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/SaveGaza/petition.html
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Support Ethiopian Coffee Growers

 Join a coalition of organizations led by Oxfam America to support Ethiopia’s negotiations with Starbucks to trademark its most famous coffees.  The coalition is urging Starbucks Coffee to sign a licensing agreement developed by the Ethiopian government to allow Ethiopia to control the names of its coffees and set export prices accordingly.  By sending this message to Starbucks, consumers can help the Ethiopian government to guarantee its 15 million coffee farmers a fair price
To send a message to Starbucks urging them to negotiate a licensing agreement with the Ethiopian government in good faith go to http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/starbucks?source=0611_ac_sbucks_ally
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Meenal's Climate Change Tips

By now, we know that Climate Change (AKA Global Warming) is way too much Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, caused by burning way too much fossil fuels, and that it's a Big Global Issue. So what's the individual American got to do with it, you ask?

For those that rent an apartment, often the heating and electricity choices may be included in your rent. If so, you can focus on how you move about: your transportation choices. Think about how you drive your car. Can you reduce this? Driving one less mile on average is approximately one less pound of CO2 emitted. Also, think about how often you take airplane trips. Some tips follow:

* When changing your job or home, select one that let's you walk, bike or take public transit. I used to drive about 20 miles to get to work. My current job is a 10 minute walk away, and I've recently decided I don't need a car of my own. This saves $300 in car expenses (loan, insurance, repairs, etc) and 800 pounds of CO2 (40 miles round-trip x 5 days a wk x 4 wks a mo) each month.

* OK, maybe you're not quite ready to part with your car. I understand, it's so much a part of being an American adult with freedom to go where one pleases. So, when you're next in the market for a new car, get one with a better gas mileage than your current one. My husband used to drive a mini-van that gave him 15 miles per gallon (mpg). He traded that in for an efficient little hatchback that gives him 35 mpg. Yes, this decision cost us several thousand, but he's more at peace driving a newer, more reliable car, and I'm at peace because he went from emitting 9000 pounds of CO2 each year down to an estimated 4000 pounds!

Reversing Climate Change is up-to to each of us. The time is now. We can do it!
Have energy-saving tips to share? Send them to me! Meenal Raval [meenal@mtairygreening.net]
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 Japan's dolphin massacre begins - help prevent more deaths, - Care2.com

Japan recently launched its annual mass dolphin slaughter - allowing "fishermen" to round up and butcher tens of thousands of dolphins.