Cascadia Rising Tide Hosted an Anti-Coal Dance Party In Downtown Portland

National Day of Action Against Coal Report
Cascadia Rising Tide
Contact: stephanie@RisingTideNorthAmerica.org
From: http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/11/369033.shtml

cascadia rising tide bank of america action
Cascadia Rising Tide Hosted an Anti-Coal Dance Party In Downtown Portland for the National Day of Action Against Coal On November 17th, local climate activists participated in a National Day of Action against coal by calling on Bank of America to stop funding the leading cause of global warming in the United States: coal.

“Coal has got to go if we’re going to solve the climate crisis,” said Elliot Cheifetz of Cascadia Rising Tide. “Citi and Bank of America talk a good game about environmental responsibility, but they’re
contributing billions of dollars to the single worst thing we could be doing.”

Approximately 30 people came out to get down and funky while hanging banners, convincing customers to cancel their accounts, and educate passer-bys about these atrocities. They held a dance party/rally to oppose the funding and building of new coal-fired power plants, and to raise awareness about the extremely destructive effects of the coal industry which include:

*Mountain top removal to get at the coal – It has destroyed over 450 mountains in Appalachia, buried thousands of miles of streams, poisoned water supplies, and devastated local communities.
*Responsible for 40% of U.S. greenhouse gases – 2 billion tons a year.
*The largest source of toxic mercury contamination.
*Power plants are a leading cause of asthma and lung cancer, responsible for killing 24,000 a year.

Bank of America has invested billions of dollars in new coal plant construction as well as in companies that practice destructive mountaintop removal coal mining in the Appalachian region, including Massey Energy, Arch Coal and Alpha Natural Resources. These companies are responsible for the loss of millions of acres of forests and mountains and the decimation of communities throughout Appalachia. On average, the carbon contained in forests destroyed each year by mountaintop removal is roughly equivalent to the carbon emissions of two 800 megawatt coal-fired power plants.

While Citi and Bank of America finance this climate-changing coal rush, leading climate scientists are recommending drastic reductions in global emissions in order to prevent climate chaos. If the 150 new coal plants in the planning stages are built, they will negate nearly every other effort to combat climate change.

The action was organized by Cascadia Rising Tide in conjunction with Rainforest Action Network’s Global Finance Campaign, Coal River Mountain Watch, Appalachian Voices , Rising Tide North America, Mountain Justice Summer, Student Environmental Action Coalition , Energy Justice Network and others who are calling on Citi and Bank of America to stop investing in coal and start investing in renewable energy.

The lives of future generations hangs in the balance of what we do NOW!
Join this grassroots effort to help end dirty energy and save our Earth!

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