Happy Earth Day 2020!

April 22, 2020

April 22nd marks EARTH DAY 2020, and what odd times! 

Spaceship earth has been losing its operators due to many reasons, mostly linked to human activity. Humans, who are passengers are also at huge risk, as if we lose our support system, the production of Oxygen in the air we breathe, raising temperatures, raising waters, and the potential dangers of the permafrost melting.

We are running out of time to at least be able to protect our own position on this planet. 
 
Pandemics have emerged through the food chain with humans raising and eating animals and I think at this time we should be agreeing that in order to protect ourselves we do need to be nicer to our planet or else we risk the same fate as a virus that cannot survive because it killed its host. 
 
We should be using this extreme situation to reflect on how we contribute to the planet’s well-being, and as we seem capable of confinement we are also capable of changing our bad habits.

(Photos Rep. Michel)

We should reflect and think about what we are doing that is actually hurting but also helping this planet. It is clear, through science, that if we threaten Keystone and Apex species we are threatening a very fragile balance that is, in fact, currently, still protecting us.
 
If we hurt the whales by pile driving steel pipes into the sea floor then why not do it with silent techniques which at the same time can create around 25 times the amount of jobs (that sounds like the definition of the green new deal)?
 
For those who know me, I often use the whales as an example. The whales and the phytoplankton they garden and maintain are both responsible for a huge absorption of Carbon. A whale represents hundreds of thousands of trees, and that phytoplankton, our sea “forests", produces 80% of the oxygen in the air we breathe. Without the whales we could potentially lose the phytoplankton that not only absorbs Carbon and gives us oxygen but also feeds the zooplankton (baby fish and crustaceans).

When industry talk turns to fighting climate change there should be talks on the potential threat we are binging to the species that protect us. Then, we will work with you. Elections are crucial for this. If some officials dismiss ours and the planet's well-being for industry, are they serving their constituents the best? 
 
All life is interconnected and our breathing, eating and drinking are sustained by this Planet Ocean.
 
Should we continue forward without taking action or without immediate strategy, we will lose our bees, our whales, then we will go as well. Let’s pursue sincere and definitive initiatives in our lives to make life better; be more compassionate and to be more mindful. 

(Photo Rep. Michel)

We are all ruled by the same laws of ecology. Everything is connected to everything. Everything must go somewhere. Nature knows best. Nothing comes from nothing. Interconnectedness needs to be understood and respected. We are running out of time. Our youth has expressed it over and over again and no longer wants any talk about it - but action. Actions speak louder than words.
 
It is our responsibility as adults to take on immediate action, particularly as elected officials. It does not stop at fossil fuels but the daily habits that give profit to animal agriculture and other sources of destruction, that simply pollute our soils, air and water and are source of unimaginable cruelty.

Oceanic dead zones, and pollution we cannot see, are at times a direct effect caused by animal and non-organic plant agriculture. Those come mostly from gigantic corporations that put profit before social justice that in some case sell at a loss and make a profit on our tax dollars through subsidies. This needs to stop. Give the heavy gear industrial fishing subsidies to the independent fisherman, so he makes a living on pulling pollution out of the ocean rather than the very scarce marine life we have left. Give the Animal Agriculture subisidies (beef for example is at least a dollar in taxes at the end of the year for a dollar spent on beef by all Americans) to the plant agriculture that utilizes best practices with only organic products, and to the millions of people who suffered from health issues because of their nasty neighbors.
 
Daily habits like eating animals, using plastics, using fossil fuels, certain types of transportation are on the list of bad habits destroying our planet. Please consider being more mindful and changing habits. Even a little bit of change can go a long way. 

Celebrate with us, the earth, for the lives our amazing spaceship is protecting, nourishing, and recycling. Let’s protect our future and put pressure every day on our governments, neighbors and friends for a better future on our blue planet.

Happy Earth Day! 
 
Kind regards,
 
Rep. Michel

Special thanks to Martha Klein (CT Anti-Fracking Group Coordinator/Sierra Club Volunteer/ Beyond Gas Campaign Lead Volunteer/Chair of the nominating committee of the Scantic River Partnership) for providing below a list of Earth Day-related events going on through Saturday including an online rally for a Green New Deal.

Earth Day: Rally Online for a Green New Deal

  • Wednesday, April 22, 2020
  • 4:00 PM  5:30 PM

Although COVID-19 will prevent us from meeting in person, we know that now more than ever, we need to stick together and keep fighting for the health and well-being of all peoplePlease join us to Rally Online for a Green New Deal on Wednesday April 22nd, from 4:00 - 5:30pm. We’ll hear from inspiring speakers about the connections between COVID-19 and climate, what a Green New Deal could look like in our community, and why we need it. We'll also hear personal stories and take crucial political actions together from our homes.
RSVP
View on Facebook
Download Flyer
Continue reading…
 

Stop the Money Pipeline Day of Online Action

  • Thursday, April 23, 2020
  • 11:30 AM  1:00 PM

Connecticut is the Insurance Capital of the world. There are many CT-based Insurance companies are investing profits in fossil fuels and other projects that put our community in danger and continue to exacerbate the climate crisis.
We have a unique opportunity to directly call out major U.S. insurers. Join us on Thursday, April 23rd for a day of online action to call out key insurance offices in Connecticut to demand they stop investing in and underwriting fossil fuel projects.
RSVP today to attend the action scheduled for April 23rd and to be kept updated on the #StopTheMoneyPipeline, #InsureOurFuture NOT fossil fuels!
Continue reading…
 

Sunrise Climate Strike

  • Friday, April 24, 2020
  • 3:00 PM  4:00 PM

Event Organized by Sunrise Connecticut

Stand with youth and other concerned citizens to demand immediate and drastic climate action! Join us online as we strike with activists across the country and globe.
RSVP
 
#CT4ClimateJustice Virtual Rally

  • Saturday, April 25, 2020
  • 1:00 PM  2:00 PM

Join us for a three-part virtual rally featuring almost a dozen speakers and online actions for all to participate in. Including speeches on a variety of topics, such as Killingly, fracked gas, renewable energy, immigrant justice, COVID-19, Puerto Rico, Keystone, Indigenous action, public transportation, and war, and a musical performance from State Troubadour Nekita Waller, we will make our voices heard and our presence known!

Click here to register for the Virtual Rally
Continue reading…

P.S. Vegan Recipes : 
 
1. "Vegan Tuna Salad” (my wife’s)
Mix in a bowl, cooked green lentils, tomato, avocado, red onion, basil, lemon juice salt and pepper
 
2. "Vegan Hachis Parmentier” (mine)

Ingredients - Beyond meat / Yukon Gold or starchy Potatoes / your choice of Mushrooms / Scallions / Vegan Butter (preferably with ethical sourcing of palm if palm in it) / truffle salt or oil salt, pepper / Follow your Heart Cheese provolone slices to grade / vegan sour cream
Directions - Lay the raw Beyond meat in your oven dish, cover with your homemade mashed potatoes (mixed with mildly sautéed scallions and thinly cut or minced mushrooms). Cook in oven. When getting 20 minutes from being ready, cover the dish with graded vegan cheese mixed with the vegan sour cream…it will let it melt and cover the whole dish.