Climate Action, Sustainability, and Environmental Justice (CASEJ)

This is the Climate Action, Sustainability, and Environmental Justic'e (CASEJ)' Working Group wiki page.

Contact e-mail: occupyboston.climate.action@gmail.com

Mailing List: <a href="https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/climate-action">Click here for the signup page for our mailing list</a>

Discussion Board: http://casej.boardhost.com

Meetings: Our meetings are currently held Mondays at 7 pm at the Old West Church (131 Cambridge St., Boston, MA).

For an overview of our history and activities and our connections to the broader fight against the tar sands and the Keystone XL pipeline, see this article from the Boston Occupier:http://bostonoccupier.com/2012/02/13/calling-foul-on-fossil-fuels

Draft Mission Statement

The Occupy Boston Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Justice (CASEJ) Working Group seeks to provide a space where members of the Occupy/99% Movement and their allies can come together to help create a more just and sustainable world, locally and globally. We will accomplish this goal by:

• Educating ourselves and our communities about climate change and the environmental issues and solutions before us;
• Building Alliances within and beyond the Occupy/99% Movement, without regard for ideology or tactical preferences, to increase our collective power; and
• Taking Direct Action to confront the social, economic and political forces causing environmental injustice and highlight a new paradigm for life on earth, both human and non-human.

Proposals

On February 4, 2012, members of CASEJ brought the following proposal to the Occupy Boston General Assembly, which was passed by consensus.  See also http://www.occupyboston.org/2012/02/06/occupy-boston-supports-fossil-fuel-nuclear-subsidies.

The below proposal reached agreement at OB General Assembly, on February 4, 2012.

Fossil fuel and nuclear corporations are some of the wealthiest interests on the planet – yet they still suck up billions of dollars in government subsidies. They buy off elected officials and corrupt our political process while sticking us – the 99% – with the bill for the health, ecological and climate destruction they cause. Their coal, oil, gas and nukes fuel our unjust economic systems, imperil our planetary future and prevent us from shifting to a clean energy economy of, by and for the people.

Occupy Boston therefore calls for:

• An end to all government subsidies to fossil fuel and nuclear energy interests;
• An end to corporate influence, including energy industry influence, on politics;
• Immediate action to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations to below the safe atmospheric threshold of 350 parts per million CO2e; starting with the rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline;
• A just transition for workers currently employed in fossil fuel and nuclear energy sectors to sustainable employment.

We pledge to make personal and group choices that support these aims.

Meeting Process

[This protocol can be revised by proposing an amendment for consensus at group meetings]

Propose Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Justice Protocol

This set of guidelines assumes that collectively demanding respect for each voice, and

therefore establishing a system through which any individual can bring their perspective to the group as a whole, is critical in the building and growing of an effective movement. It assumes that this is especially crucial to achieving the goals of the Climate Action, Sustainability and Environmental Justice working group of Occupy Boston, as these goals require the formation of coalitions capable of effecting change both across a diverse political landscape as well as on a global scale. Demanding this requires establishing a clear means through which diverse perspectives can be voiced, that is agreed upon and modified by the groupʼs own participants. In establishing this we are seeking to both effectively collaborate within and outside of Occupy Boston, and to pursue the ideals, central to the Occupy movement, of horizontal participatory democracy. However, these guidelines will only be effective if each one of us takes responsibility for ensuring that everyoneʼs voice is present.

MEETING PROTOCOL

"Facilitation"

For each meeting designate...

1) Facilitator - At least one prepared, neutral, moderator for each meeting Note: the Facilitator sacrifices their own voice for the sake of ensuring that others are heard. This means that they withhold their own opinions when facilitating. 2) Stack Keeper - lists and keeps track of an agreed upon agenda 3) Note Taker 4) Time Keeper

These roles should rotate each meeting. Alternatively, one person can facilitate/ take

notes the first hour, and another person do this second hour. At the end of each meeting we ask someone to volunteer to facilitate the next meeting who has not done this in the past few weeks. They should have some experience, or be willing to familiarize themselves with the process before the meeting.

Meetings

Facilitator:

1) Welcome to the meeting 2) Introduce individuals helping to facilitate 3) Explain the process (hand signals etc.- mention that it is the responsibility of everyone to make sure everyoneʼs voice is respected) 4) Individual introductions: say your name and (X) 5) Take stack (list items to add to agenda- to be discussed in greater length after stack is taken) 6) We will come in with an agenda planned out, which will have some time allocated for new items added to stack (Decide weather group wants to modify order or time?) 7) Go through agenda in order agreed upon 8) If there is time: Additional things to add to the stack 9) Closing ceremony ;)

When Discussing Agenda

For all parts of the meeting excluding critical group proposals:

We discuss these points in the order decided, anyone can ask for a temp check, (We can discuss using formal process: raising hands and using hand signals etc. or informal process - informal group discussion. Anyone can propose we switch from one to the other, at which point facilitator will get quick temp check and proceed accordingly

For all critical proposals made to the group

(GA proposals, group statements, mission statement, parts of Wiki etc., requests for

funds, making changes to agreed upon protocol (this document after implementation): 1) When possible share this proposal at least a day in advance 2) Bring to the group for discussion (preferably in small groups) 3) Facilitator asks for statements of support (just what it sounds like) 4) Facilitator asks for statements of concern 5) Facilitator asks for friendly amendments: friendly changes people suggest in response to concerns and objections 6) The proposer(s) bringing this to the group may then choose to modify their proposal (incorporating the friendly amendments if they so decided) and then present the modified proposal to the group for steps 2-6. Otherwise, they may choose to table their proposal for the time being, or ask to bring it, unmodified, to a vote. Note: For the sake of expedience, if both proposers and group agree (meaning the proposers all agree and there are lots of twinkle fingers AND no objections from group), they can choose to skip a step and move directly to vote.

Voting: We do a formal vote, by show of hands. Proposal must have %75 support (might not be

perfect, but you are cool w/ it) to pass w/ no blocks (a strong principled opposition) “Note: The amendments offered are the response to concerns and objections. That proposers have the opportunity to consider amending their proposal is a way of addressing or resolving concerns and objections. The goal is to keep it non-confrontational and to focus on building solutions together by assuming that every input is a brick in a building and the next input is a brick placed above the foundation all the other bricks already laid.”

Quorum We will consider this on Jan. 9th and hold off on votes for proposals until that time

Committees

We will have a committee of three or more people manage each of these and

consider rotation every few months (these people must be in good working communication with each other):

Mailing list: we have one list and anyone can be added, managed by a List Committee

Wiki: the Wiki Committee will watch over the CASEJ wiki, helping to ensure a clear layout and accurate updates

Funds: Our Funding Committee keeps track of funding plans and logistics (including

proposals for funds that may conflict in a given week). All funding proposals should be brought to the group for a formal vote. In rare cases we may want to ask for funds directly at the GA which exceed $100.00. If we are asking for such money for the group, this should be through a proposal and formal vote within the group. Note: We will not need a Funding Committee until we decide we need funding.

GA Proposals: the GA Proposal Committee composes and presents a proposal to bring

to the GA, and then brings this to the group for revision or formal vote

Hand Signs (borrowed from Facilitation)

I suggests we learn these (but skip the “move it along” when possible and leave this to

the time keeper) a. I consent, I like, I feel good about this - hands up fingers wiggling upward b. Iʼm neutral, I feel so-so - hands flat with fingers wigging forward c. I donʼt consent, I donʼt like, I feel badly about this - hands down, fingers wigging downward d. Move it along, we hear what youʼre saying - roll fists around one another e. Speak louder - with index finger pointing up, move arm up and down Note: Indicate clearly that the following signals will bring a Floor Manager over to you in order to review your point and put it on a "mini-stack" for bringing to the floor when the current speaker reaches a natural break f. Clarifying Question - put index finger and thumb into ʻcʼ shape Note: define that a CQ is not an opinion. It must be answerable by the proposer(s) g. Point of Information - point index finger up Note: define that a POI is not an opinion. It is a fact relevant to the topic at hand. h. Point of Process - place tips of index finger together in horizontal line Note: define that a POP is not an opinion, it is a reminder to the Facilitators or Speaker about a point of order i. Friendly Amendment - “peace” sign j. Block - crossed arms over head NOTE: Blocks are generally considered to be an extreme measure, only used when a member feels a proposal endangers the organization or its participants and/or the person feels so strongly about her/his position, s/he will walk away from OccupyBoston.”

Meeting Minutes

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="CASEJ Minutes - Dec. 19, 2011">CASEJ Minutes - Dec. 19, 2011</a> blank right now, please click and add!

Resources

This section is suggested as a place to put links to other groups we might be interested in collaborating with, learning from, etc., as well as links to articles of interest.



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