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UK Rising Tide’s Santa’s Against Excessive Consumption


Greetings friends and supporters of Rising Tide North America,

This is the time of year many people donate money and gifts to groups, organizations, and causes they care deeply about. We thought we’d share with you a brief summary of 2007 for RTNA, that you may see what we have accomplished this year and whether you relate to our work and approach. Would you like to see us grow and build our increasingly dynamic network of groups and individuals striking directly at the root causes of anthropogenic climate change? We are humbly yet vehemently asking you, your family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and friends to support RTNA’s grassroots efforts in any way with which you are comfortable and please forward his plea far and wide.

RTNA is comprised of full-time, all-volunteer activists who receive very little outside funding for our many projects. Often we utilize our own rather frugal monetary resources (usually obtained through odd jobs) to support many of these projects. 2007 has been an exciting year for us, here is just a sample of what we and our allies have been up to: * After our intense and productive in-person strategy meeting in Austin, TX last February, our Spring Climate Action Tours traveled across the East Coat, West Coast, Midwest and Rockies Regions spanning over four months and visited hundreds of high schools, community centers, info shops, radio stations, and colleges giving interactive workshops about climate change and what people can do to take action in their own communities. This tour focused on community organizing and sustainability, local autonomy, debunking false solutions and exposing corporate and government greenwashing, and elucidating other critical issues conspicuously missing from the current climate debates. This tour often resulted in instantaneous networking and collaborating with many meaningful efforts already in place in each locality, ranging from community gardening and alternative energy to ecosystem defense and native land rights and sovereignty struggles. To read more about the tour link to: http://risingtidetour.blogspot.com/

* Organized a billboard banner-hanging in Asheville, NC protesting a new coal-fired power plant; the project was cancelled shortly thereafter. To read more link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/2007/02/06/2-arrested-in-protest-against-woodfin-power-plant/

* Gave a workshop on Carbon Trading, its glaring flaws, and its colonial implications at the US Social Forum in Atlanta in June.

* Organized two Convergences for Climate Action in August one on the west coast in Skamokawa, Washington, the other in the Southeast near Ashville, North Carolina. Hundreds of people came together for a week workshops and skill-shares and a coordinated day of direct action targeting Liquefied Natural Gas, Bank of America’s funding of Coal, and PacifiCorp Energy’s developments of coal-fired power plants, and salmon-killing dams on California’s Klamath River. To find out more link to: http://www.climateconvergence.org/

* RTNA’s False Solutions Campaign launched with an action at the Point Carbon conference in New York City, publicly offering the “Carbon Traitors” a “deed to the sky” for their plans to commodify the Earth’s atmosphere and industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. To find out more: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/2007/10/30/rising-tides-greenwash-guerillas-discrupt-carbon-traitors-ahem-carbon-traders-conference/

* Civil disobedience lock-down action at Duke Energy’s 800-megawatt power plant in Charlotte, North Carolina; 2 people were arrested. To read more link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/2007/11/17/duke-energy-headquarters-blockaded-in-opposition-to-new-coal-plant/

* Using fishing boats, sailboats, kayaks, and an umiak, participants in an occupation action crossed the Columbia River from Oregon to the Washington shore and occupied the beach at PacifiCorp Bradwood where Northern Star Natural Gas intends to construct a large LNG terminal.. There were no arrests-likely because the company wanted to avoid the negative publicity.

* Most recently Rising Tide played a major media prank on North America’s biggest coal and oil companies, by announcing that the members of the greenwashing lobby group The United States Climate Action Partnership had all committed to a 90% reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions. The hoax garnered international media attention. To read more link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/2007/12/03/international-hoax-targets-us-business-consortium-amidst-bali-climate-negotiations/
* RTNA is currently working with Native Forest Network-Gulf of Maine to stop a proposed resort and gated community proposed by Plum Creek Timber Co. in the Maine North Woods. Two of RTNA’s organizers are testifying as expert witnesses against Plum Creek’s dismal plan in state hearings hosted by Maine’s Land Use Regulatory Commission this month. To read more link to: http://www.nrcm.org/issue_plumcreek.asp

*Marea Creciente Mexico-Rising Tide Mexico is helping organize a caravan delegation of women to the 3rd Gathering of Zapatista Communities with the Peoples of the World “Comandanta Ramona”. La Caravan America del Valle is a collaborative effort between various groups, collectives, and individual activists in Mexico City and Oaxaca. To read more go to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/2007/12/08/la-caravana-america-del-valle/

And Here Are Some of Our Exciting Plans for 2008:

-Coordinating three to Four Convergences for Climate Action next Summer (West Coast, Southeast, Northeast, and Rockies/Intermountain West).

-More workshops and trainings at high schools, community centers, and colleges. RTNA has just completed a menu of workshops that we offer to any interested parties-ranging from ant-oppression and non-violence trainings to video documentation and editing, climate science and ecosystem defense to Indigenous land rights and food sovereignty. To learn more, link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/category/educational-undertakings/

-Organizing Fossil Fools Day, an international day of direct action against the fossil fuel industry on April 1st 2008. To fink out more link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/category/fossil-fools-day-of-action/

-Expanding and strengthening local Rising Tide groups across the country (already there are four in the U.S., as well as groups emerging in Canada and Mexico). To find out more link to: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/get-involved/

-Partnering with other organizations on dozens of events, including…
Indigenous Environmental Network
Black Mesa Water Coalition
Global Justice Ecology Project
Rainforest Action Network
Native Forest Network
Food for Maine’s Future
The Smartmeme Project
Student Trade Justice Campaign

-More organizing and actions from the False Solutions Campaign. Click this link for more information: http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/category/false-solutions-campaign/

So as you may have surmised by now-WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!! As a fledgling, all-volunteer collective it is more difficult for us to get funding than it is for more mainstream organizations-even if we are already off to an auspicious start. If you like our work and can help us grow by donating money or materials, we would be so appreciative!
For donations over $100, we have an excellent music “Climate Compilation” CD with appropriate songs and spoken-word from various radical and progressive musicians, as well as unique clothing patches made by the Beehive Collective in Maine. For those who donate over $500 we will also throw in an RTNA T-shirt (also designed by the Beehive Collective). Donors will also receive our monthly email newsletter.

You can send checks to:
Rising Tide North America
PO Box 11664 Portland, OR 97211

Or through Paypal here on our website!

The following is a wish list of material donations…since we are a national organization please call (202) 657-6772 to find out where to send materials and equipment:

LCD projectors Diesel vehicles that can run on veggie oil for tours
Art and banner making supplies
Free rooms or office spaces
Computers
Printers
Bicycles
Video and still cameras/videotapes and film/camera accessories
Office supplies (esp. blank CD & DVD disks) Software (graphics, music, video editing, etc.)

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