2014-09-05
Margaret Hender
The People's Climate march being organised to coincide with UN climate meetings in New York has adopted the slogan 'Action, not Words', meaning asking governments worldwide to stop talking and take action. In Australia, there'll be equal emphasis on what 'the people' can do themselves, since our government is currently not listening well. Accordingly, CORENA has launched a strategy to make September 20-21 a day of REAL Climate Action in Australia.
In Australia last November, 60,000 people turned up to the National Day of Climate Action. If most of them had chipped in $100 for REAL action, we could have had $5 million or more towards a citizen-owned solar thermal plant already! We've set up a mechanism to enable just that this September.
Make September 20-21 a Day of REAL Climate Action!If you are going to a rally or event on September 20-21, or even if you are not but you want REAL climate action anyway, you can chip in here, either now or on the day. Now is good to help build momentum! Already more than $11,000 has been contributed. We're asking for $100 each, but any amount is fine, and there is an option to make smaller regular weekly or monthly contributions.
Then, you can download and print a message selfie template, write why you chipped in, and send it to us to help with Facebook promotion of REAL Climate Action. Keep your message sheet, stick it to cardboard, and take it along as a placard when you go to a rally. That way the people around you in the crowd can use the QR code in the corner, or the website address, to chip in on the spot via smart phone.
Or, you can simply print this placard with QR code, and mount it under your Greens triangle or whatever other placard you want to carry on the day.
There'll also be donation buckets labelled with REAL Climate Action stickers for those who don't have smart phones.
We'll be monitoring donations as they come in during rallies and events all over the country and regularly posting 'amount so far' updates via Facebook and Twitter, using the #REALclimateaction tag. MCs or rally speakers will announce the updated totals and encourage the crowd to find a placard with the QR code and to chip in. Even if you can't chip in much yourself, you can help make this strategy huge by carrying the REAL Climate Action placard and talking people through the donation process!
The REAL Climate Action strategy was instigated by CORENA as a means of empowering the public and achieving tangible renewable energy results, but we are keen for as many other groups as possible, big and small, to collaborate and share 'ownership' of the September 20-21 achievements. CORENA is apolitical, but we know many of our supporters happen to be Greens members, and we particularly welcome local Greens branches and/or individual Greens members to join in and help make September 20-21 massive. If your branch would like to collaborate, contact admin@corenafund.org.au.