Keep calm and ‘CARI’ on – Acting for climate protection
Hey fellow urban farmers!
You may have perceived this a bit, by the nature of some of my recent columns, but I’ve been keeping myself SUPER busy over the past few months, with involvement in various environmental and political endeavors. Much of it has centered on climate change and environmental action, with lots of other progressive activism stuff thrown in. I just wanted to give you all an update today, and discuss some ways you can very easily get involved.
The first thing I want to talk about is Climate Action RI – “CARI,” for short. This Providence-based group has very quickly become my family in the environmental and progressive movement! I got involved with CARI this past winter, when my friend and I went to a demonstration against offshore drilling in Providence, which was organized by the then-fledgling group. We and a bunch of other attendees signed up for an email list, went to our first meeting a week later, and haven’t looked back!
We, the new members, have grown alongside CARI in the six months since then. In that period, many of us have gotten heavily involved in protesting, legislative action, and electoral politics, where we weren’t before. I am one of those, and it is really inspiring to watch this unfold from the inside!
CARI’s basic founding principle is right in its name: the push for immediate, pragmatic action on climate change. This generally includes legislative action (lobbying for good bills like carbon pricing and renewables investment, and against bad bills like efficiency caps), electoral work (endorsing and campaigning for environmentally-minded candidates), public education, peaceful protesting, and fostering a supportive environment amongst those of us activists who are acutely aware of the dire, existential threat of global climate change that we are currently facing. CARI has done a lot of good work in all of these areas, both before I joined and in the time since.
So my first suggestion: JOIN CARI! It’s an amazing group, growing more every week, and together we have the tools, voice, and energy needed to foster serious, pro-environmental action in the Ocean State and beyond. The more members we have, the more power we can build. Email me if you want to get involved.
As I said earlier, one of the important parts of CARI’s work is endorsing and helping out political candidates who are proven climate leaders. I am CARI’s Politics Chair, and our political subcommittee has spent countless hours poring over candidates’ platforms and records, and talking to them personally, to find prominent environmental leaders in RI. We have made nine endorsements for the 2018 Primary Election.
For the Governor’s seat, Matt Brown has CARI’s enthusiastic endorsement. Matt has a vision for Rhode Island that includes 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, and a well-detailed plan to develop solar and offshore wind capacity to exceed Rhode Island’s usage and meet that goal. He understands the nuance of environmental issues, and would guide the legislature to a much greener future.
For the Lieutenant Governor’s seat, Aaron Regunberg has CARI’s enthusiastic endorsement. Aaron is a two-term Representative for Providence, and in that time has sponsored and passed an incredible amount of environmental and climate-related legislation in the Statehouse. He is a proven, vocal champion for climate action and environmental protection, and will use the Lieutenant Governor’s seat to push the General Assembly towards concrete action.
We have endorsed seven General Assembly candidates.
Jeanine Calkin (Senate District 30, Warwick – incumbent) has made environmental action a primary focus of her platform, working on carbon pricing and a gamut of other climate-related legislation, and demonstrating alongside us against
offshore drilling.
Laufton Ascencao (House District 68, Bristol/ Warren) has worked for years as a citizen activist on carbon pricing and other environmental legislation, as well as doing renewable energy installations around the state. He is ideologically-driven and committed to climate action.
Marcia Ranglin-Vassell (House District 5, Providence – incumbent) has been a vehement supporter of carbon pricing and environmental action, and has made environmental justice a prominent part of the conversation in the State House.
Justine Caldwell (House District 30, East Greenwich) has a broad environmental focus woven into her campaign, focusing not only on climate action, but on plastic pollution, mass transit, and responsible municipal development.
Sam Bell (Senate District 5, Providence) is a proven environmental activist, demonstrating alongside CARI against offshore drilling and aiding in a variety of climate-related campaigns over the years. He has well-thoughtout plans for green urban development in Providence and carbon reduction goals statewide.
Terri Cortvriend (House District 70, Middletown/ Portsmouth) sits on a slew of environmental- and climate-related boards in her area, and has made climate action a prominent part of her platform. She approaches it from the perspective of a coastal community which will be unduly affected by sea level rise, and therefore injects climate resiliency and preparedness into the conversation.
Paul Roselli (Senate District 23, Burrillville/Glocester/North Smithfield) has been a prominent climate activist for years in Rhode Island, and has vehemently protested the proposed Burrillville power plant.
CARI has focused on statewide environmental activists in our endorsements, and we have every faith that this slate of candidates will come through for climate action in the state house. The primary is this week, Wednesday Sept. 12.
Make sure you get out and vote!
Alex Kithes is an urban farmer and a lifelong resident of Woonsocket. He studied engineering at Boston University and Brown University, and works as an electrical engineer in Cranston. Email him at agkithes@gmail.com or visit his blog at TheOpinionatedFarmer.wordpress. com. His column runs every other Sunday.