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www.foe.org | Volume 39, Number 3 | Fall 2009 N E W S M A G A Z I N E

Making Waves for Climate JusticeMeet Our New President page 4

Come Celebrate Our 40th Anniversary page 11

DURING MY SUMMER vaca-tion this past August it wasrefreshing to see progressbeing made on clean energyas I toured wind farms inupstate New York. Forinstance, to the west of theAdirondack Mountains, theMaple Ridge wind farm,withabout 200 turbines, generatesenough power to supply twopercent of the state’s residen-tial electricity. I wasimpressed by how quiet thewind turbines are, even whenstanding underneath them,and by how well they fittedinto the agricultural landscape.

Turning to the Obama adminis-tration and hope for the future, thebig question is how the newappointees are doing in the admin-istration’s first nine months in office.Friends of the Earth believes that thetime has come to demand morefrom Obama officials on humanrights, health, and environmentalprotection.We are not seeing thekind of decisive positive actions fromObama’s appointees that we sawfrom the Bush appointees who werezealous in their efforts to dismantlehealth, workplace safety, and envi-ronmental safeguards. In fact, theBush officials were so blatant intheir frontal assault that Friends ofthe Earth proceeded to document,month by month, the major anti-environmental actions taken by thatadministration.

Obama officials are too weak-kneed and simply not stepping up tothe plate to seize opportunities andlead.Take human rights and the fate

of our environmental colleagues inCentral America.Members of Friendsof the Earth Honduras fear for theirlives following themilitary coup inearly summer, but the United Statesdid not vigorously condemn this coupnor did it did immediately cut off U.S.aid as required by law. As a result thebrutalities have continued through-out the summer and a tacit greenlight has been given to the world forsuch anti-democratic outrages.

There is growing concern about theblistering array of harmful chemicalsnow being found in our bodies, butObama’s people have not reversed theanti-environmental procedures thatBush officials put in place.

When it comes to crucial appoint-ments, we applaud Obama’sSupreme Court nomination of SoniaSotomayor, but in other less visiblepositions, once again the fox is giventhe job of guarding the chickencoup. At the Food and DrugAdministration,Michael Taylor, whowas Monsanto’s Vice President for

Public Policy beginning in1998, has been designated asSenior Advisor to theCommissioner. So much forObama’s policy of not puttingfat-cat lobbyists in top influ-ential positions!

Mountain-top coal mininginWest Virginia and Kentuckyis one of the most blatanttransgressions against theforests and waters of the U.S.despite the fact that it’sagainst national law. YetObama has nominated abusiness-as-usual state offi-cial to head the Office of

Surface Mining. Joseph Pizarchik’srecord on Pennsylvania mining hasbeen abysmal in terms of grantingpermits that lead to serious waterpollution and toxic contamination.

In the international arena lastJuly, President Obama claimed hecould ignore Congress’s mandate topressure theWorld Bank on environ-mental and labor standards.

In the global negotiations thisyear on climate, Friends of the EarthInternational member groups areastounded to find that Obama’steam is basically indistinguishablefrom the Bush negotiators on cer-tain positions.

I hope that all Friends of the Earthsupporterswill demand fromObama’sappointees swift and decisive action torepair the damage done by Bush andtomove our nation forward as adefender of human rights, social jus-tice,and the environment.

Obama Officials Are Not Leading

2 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Fall 2009

Brent spent his summer vacation on Silver Lake in New York with hisfamily; in this picture he is canoeing with his niece Evelyn.

O U T G O I N G P R E S I D E N T ’ S C O L U M N �

E C O B I T E S �

In July, reports surfaced that a D.C. lobby-ing firmhired by the coal industry hadforged letters to Congress in an attempttoweaken energy legislation.The letterswere purportedly from local NAACP andLatino groups,but in fact were sentwithout their knowledge. Friends of the

Earth and activists fromAvaaz.org react-ed immediately by holding a protestoutside the offices of the firm,Bonnerand Associates, to call out the firm’snaked fraud.Rep. EdMarkey (D-Mass.)followed up by announcing a congres-sional investigation into thematter.

Dirty Coal Lobbyists Caught in Forgery Scandal

The D.C. Environmental Network, spear-headed by Friends of the Earth, cele-brated a victory whenMayor AdrianFenty signed into law the AnacostiaRiver Cleanup and Protection Act of

2009.This law attaches a small five-cent fee on disposable shopping bagsto curb the use of these bags resultingin a cleaner Anacostia River, PotomacRiver and Rock Creek.

Saving the Rivers of the Nation’s Capital

In August, nine years and two courtbattles after Friends of the Earthfirst demanded that the U.S.Environmental Protection Agencycraft more protective air pollutionlimits for large ships, the agency

announced proposed cleaner air pol-lution standards for ocean-going ves-sels. The rules would reduce harmfulpollutants by 80 percent or more by2030, preventing between 13,000 and33,000 premature deaths.

Ship Shape: Cleaner Ships Save Lives

www.foe.orgVolume 39, Number 3Fall 2009

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N E W S M A G A Z I N E

Fall 2009 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 3

Ecobites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Giving ThroughYourWorkplace . . . . . . .3Meet Our NewPresident Erich Pica . . .4Behind the Scenes:Danielle Fugereand Sara Schedler . . . . .5Cover Story:MakingWaves for ClimateJustice: Copenhagenand Beyond . . . . . . . . . . .6Celebrating 14Years of The DCEnvironmentalNetwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10The Age of Stupid . . . . 1140th AnniversaryParty in DC . . . . . . . . . . . 11

G I V I N G �

GIVING THROUGH YOUR WORKPLACEis a great way to support Friends ofthe Earth’s advocacy for the planetand all the life it supports.

If your employer participates inthe federal government’s CombinedFederal Campaign (CFC #12067),UnitedWay, or other workplace giv-ing campaigns, you can supportFriends of the Earth through anautomatic payroll deduction.

Another great way to give isthrough Earth Share, a nationwidenetwork of leading environmentalorganizations that works to educatethe public about the environmentand to provide opportunities to carefor our planet through workplacegiving.

For more information or to findout if Earth Share participates at yourworkplace, visit www.earthshare.org.Friends of the Earth’s CFC designationnumber is 12067. For other questions,contact Peter Stocker at (866) 217-8499,ext. 216, or pstocker@foe.org.

Get involved in issues and debates affecting human health and the planet by signing up for Friends of theEarth action alerts and monthly newsletters by email. Go to www.foe.org and enter your email address in the boxprovided in the left-hand navigation bar.

O U R N E W P R E S I D E N T �

DEAR NEW AND LONGTIME friendsof the Friends of the Earth,

It is with great enthusiasm andhope that I’d like to introduce myselfas the next president of Friends ofthe Earth. For more than a decade Ihave worked with Friends of theEarth, first as a fellow and for the lastsix years as Director of DomesticPrograms. It is an honor to lead thisorganization, and I know together weare going to achieve great victoriesfor our planet.

We are living in a historic time forglobal environmental advocacy. Theimminent threat of global warming,our reliance on fossil fuels instead ofrenewable energy and clean trans-portation, toxins in our homes andenvironment, and other threats alldemand solutions that go beyondinflating tires and changing lightbulbs. They require challengingthose who would put profit over thehealth of our planet and its people.The fulfillment of our mission “tochampion a healthy and just world,”demands that we continue theaggressive advocacy that we havepursued since our founding 40 yearsago.

I come from a family of farmersand educators in a conservative partof southwest Michigan. I enjoyedgrowing up on and exploring myfamily’s farm and surrounding openspace. Those experiences taught meearly on to value the freedom andbeauty of wild places and farmland,even if farming itself wasn’t for me.But it wasn’t until I attendedWestern Michigan University, andread Lester Brown’s “State of theWorld,” that I woke up to the crisisthreatening our fragile environ-ment.What moved me then, andwhat motivates me now, is the

urgent need to protect our planetand its people from economicexploitation. We must break thevicious cycle of destroying the envi-ronment for the sake of profit andeconomic growth. The future of theplanet and all the life it supportsdepend on it.

Following graduation, I movedwith my wife-to-be, Amy, toWashington, DC, to work on environ-mental policy. After searching longand hard for a job, I received twooffers. The first was a high-payingenvironmental position with a well-known consulting firm. The secondwas a fellowship at Friends of theEarth offering miserly pay. It was adifficult choice so I sought the adviceof my father. My dad said:“Erich, Idon’t know which job is best for you,but if you inform yourself, follow

your gut and your heart, then you’llmake the right decision.”

My father’s advice sits at the coreof Friends of the Earth’s philosophy,and it’s been exemplified by bothour founder, David Brower, and ouroutgoing president, BrentBlackwelder.We inform ourselves bytalking to the world’s experts; wecheck these facts against our funda-mental beliefs in environmental pro-tection and justice; and then wefight like hell for what we believe in.

This is what brought me to Friendsof the Earth and I hope it’s part ofwhat inspired you to join ourmove-ment. I look forward to continuingthis powerful advocacy together.

4 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Fall 2009

A Message from Erich Pica

Erich Pica, President of Friends of the Earth.

Over the past 10 years, and withthe help of members like you, Ihave:• continued the campaign to cutmore than $54 billion in envi-ronmentally harmful andwasteful spending from thefederal budget as a lead cam-paigner on our Green ScissorsCampaign;

• headed our efforts to cut oiland gas subsidies; andmorerecently

• led Friends of the Earth’s globalwarming advocacy, culminat-ing in our campaign to “Fix orDitch ” the weak Lieberman-Warner GlobalWarming bill,and our opposition to the newWaxman-Markey bill, legisla-tion that would actually takeus a step backward.

Fall 2009 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 5

Danielle Fugere and Sara Schedlercoordinate the Clean Cars Programfor Friends of the Earth.

How is your transportationchoice a reflection of your work?DF: More than thirty percent of ournation’s greenhouse gas emissionscome from the transportation sector,so reducing car emissions is an essen-tial and logical solution to the climatecrisis. The Clean Cars Program pro-motes, among other transportationalternatives, plug-in vehicles thatachieve 100+miles per gallon (MPG)and can be fueled with solar-generat-ed electricity. Plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars will be coming tomarketbeginning in 2010, but until then,when I need to drive, I rely onmy2000 hybrid Honda Insight, a car thatachievesmore than 50MPG.SS: I use public transportation mostof the time, but I also have abiodiesel car that runs on fuel madefrom 100 percent locally sourced andrecycled vegetable oil. I use waste oilthat doesn’t have to be shipped fromlong distances, given that virgin bio-fuels can be very carbon-intensiveand often cause land and rainforestdestruction, further accelerating cli-mate change. If given the choice, Iwould buy an electric car because

they are the cleanest vehicles on theroad today. However, I don’t have agarage or access to a charging sta-tion. For this reason, I am personallymotivated to work on our campaignto promote public solar fuel stationsthat charge electric vehicles from100 percent renewable solar power,to create one of the least carbon-intensive modes of transportationpossible.

Do your work and your choiceof transportation affect thosearound you?SS: Mymom just bought aToyota Priusand is on awaiting list to get it convert-ed to a plug-in vehicle,whichwouldallow her to drive 25miles per day onelectric power,using no gasoline.

What is your campaign goalfor the next six months?DF: Wewill continue to promoteplug-in vehicles and solar fuel stationsin order to achieve zero emissionsdriving.To that endwewill meet withcity planners, businesses, transitagencies, and others in California topromote planning for and purchasingof plug-in vehicles.We are alsoworkingwith these entities tomovethe solar fuel station concept from anidea into reality.We aspire toeventually take thismodelnationwide.

Go to www.foe.org/what-drives-us toread the full interview and to see acomplete rundown of how Friends ofthe Earth staff get around.

What Drives Us: An Interviewwith Danielle and Sara

B E H I N D T H E S C E N E S �

Danielle test driving a plug-in Prius not yetavailable on the market.

Sara shares a biodiesel car.

At Friends of the Earth we try to practice what we preach and our transportation choices are no exception.

AdinaMatisoff,China Sustainable Finance Campaigner:takes public transportation towork andboughta roadbike lastwinter for going on extremeadventures aroundCalifornia, includingbiking fromSan Francisco to Los Angelesvia the scenic Route 1 coastal highway.

Hillary Blank,Major Gifts Officer: ridesSan Francisco’s BART (Bay Area Rapid

Transit) or Muni (MunicipalRailway) to and fromwork.

6 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Fall 2009

By Elizabeth Bast

IN DECEMBER, Friends ofthe Earth staff will jointens of thousands of gov-ernment officials and dele-gates, activists, and busi-nesspeople gathering inCopenhagen, Denmark, forthe 15th Conference of theParties of the United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Change.

These global climate talks bringtogether the nations of the world tofigure out how to address climatechange and its impacts around theglobe.While President Obama’s cli-mate negotiators converge in officialtalks at the convention, Friends ofthe Earth staff members NickBerning, Kate Horner, KarenOrenstein and I will be reporting in avariety of ways on what’s happeningboth inside and outside those talksvia www.foe.org/copenhagen. If you willbe in Copenhagen that week, joinFriends of the Earth International aswe ‘flood’ the streets with thousandsof people in a call for climate justiceon December 12!

The Copenhagen negotiations willbe a critical step towards achieving aglobal plan to deal with climatechange. The last major milestone of

the climate negotiation processcame in December 2007 when lead-ers from around the globe met inBali, Indonesia, and agreed on aframework for the discussions lead-ing up to Copenhagen. At that time,the Bush administration re-affirmedthe principle that rich countries, likethe United States, should reducetheir emissions while simultaneous-ly helping poorer nations to pay fora transition to clean energy and forthe impacts of climate change; how-ever action did not follow.

And despite President Obama’scampaign for change, current con-gressional legislation and theadministration’s negotiating teamare echoing the same failure to

commit to real climate action.What happens inWashington in the monthsleading up to Copenhagenwill have substantial impli-cations for the success ofthe international agree-ment. The United States isresponsible for a quarter ofthe world’s greenhouse gas

pollution and therefore mustbecome a global leader in order

to achieve an effective internation-al climate agreement. BothCongress, by way of sound climatelegislation, and the administration,through its stance in negotiations,must address our pollution here athome and support climate action inother countries.

Ingredients for a Fair andEffective Global ClimateAgreementBefore the world turns its gazetoward Copenhagen the U.S. needsto recognize its responsibility toboth reduce emissions at home andalso help our global neighborsaddress the climate crisis. TheUnited States, with less than fivepercent of the world’s population,has produced more than 25 percentof the world’s greenhouse gas emis-sions since 1990. Yet as the world

Making Wavesfor Climate Justice

The Path to Copenhagen and Beyond

Fall 2009 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 7

C L I M AT E N E G O T I AT I O N S �

experiences rising seas, glacial melt-ing, increasingly violent storms,droughts and floods, and conflictarising from resource scarcity, we asthe perpetrators of climate destabi-lization will be relatively shelteredfrom the chaos. Instead it will be thecountries, communities and peoplethat are least responsible for theproblem that will be most affectedby climate change and least able torespond and adapt. For examplePrakash Sharma, the Director ofFriends of the Earth Nepal, warnsthat rapid glacial melting in theHimalayas is causing glacial lakes tooverflow and could lead to cata-strophic floods that wipe out entirevillages, threaten rare animals suchas the snow leopard and damage atourist industry that serves asNepal’s primary source of income.Friends of the Earth’s unique per-spective is formed by the collabora-tion of organizations in 77 countriesuniting for the common good.Weall agree that a fair climate dealwould take into account the respon-sibility and capacity of countries toaddress climate change – essential-

ly, countries with a greater “climatedebt” like the United States wouldhave to make greater emissionsreductions and pay more to cleanup their climate pollution andfinance global energy solutions. Afair climate deal would:• Demand developed countries reducegreenhouse gas emissions to at least40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020;

• Transition economies to usingclean energy in order to phase out

reliance on fossil fuels and there-fore reduce emissions;

• Eliminate offset loopholes as anoption for “reducing” emissions;

• Obligate developed countries tofinance and share technologywith developing countries to tran-sition to clean energy, adapt to cli-mate change impacts, and haltdeforestation;

• Recognize the right of all peopleto a healthy climate, particularly

Friends of the Earth International had a strong presence at the 11th Conference of the Parties of theUnited Nations in Montreal in 2005.

September 20-25International climate week in the U.S.

The United Nations General Assembly

will hold a special session on climate change

in New York City, and on September 24-25, the

G20 will meet in Pittsburgh. Obama has asked

finance ministers to report back to the G20

with suggestions on funding for climate-related

needs.To Do: Join people from all over the world in

signing the Demand Climate Justice petition

and tell President Obama in advance of the G20

meeting that we need his leadership. Go to

www.demandclimatejustice.org.

Timeline toCopenhagen

8 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Fall 2009

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that of Indigenous Peoples andforest dependent peoples.

For a fair and effective internation-al treaty, we need two things: first,a national climate bill that sets ahigh standard for U.S. commitmentto fighting global warming, andsecond, 67 senators to vote in favorof ratifying the treaty. To achievethese goals, we need the Americanpublic to be vocal about the impor-tance of our nation’s role in tack-ling climate change.

Shortfalls of CongressionalLegislation in the U.S.In June, the United States House ofRepresentatives passed Reps.Waxman andMarkey’s AmericanClean Energy and Security Act (ACES),a bill intended to spur the nation’stransition to a clean energy economyand reduce global warming pollution.What should have been a triumph forAmericans was instead a bill sowatered down by the congressionallackeys for big oil, dirty coal, corporateagribusiness, andWall Street lobby-ists that it falls laughably short of

what is needed domestically andglobally to address global warming.

Friends of the Earth flew intoaction as soon as the bill wasreleased, unleashing ads denounc-ing the corporate polluters that werebacking the bill and producingvideos (available on YouTube)explaining some of the bill’s biggerflaws. Because of our stand againstthe bill, Erich Pica was invited toappear with Bill Moyers on his show,Bill Moyers Journal. For links to moreof our media coverage and analysis,visit our website at www.foe.org/global-warming/we-can-do-better.

One of the bill’s flaws is that itwill create giant, volatile carbon

markets dominated by the sameWall Street banks that brought usthe current financial crisis. MichelleChan, our Senior International PolicyAnalyst, testified before Congresslast spring, warning the HouseWays&Means Committee of the threatposed by setting up carbon marketsthat allow unrestricted trading ofcarbon offsets, and beseeching themembers to keep this in mind asthey draw up climate policy.

The bill also fails to include suffi-cient international climate funding– money that could begin to financea clean energy transition, repay our“climate debt” and show leadershipon international finance.

It is clear that corporate interestsare pulling climate policy in thewrong direction, and that specialinterest lobbyists,managed to sub-stantially weaken the House bill. Thebill gives pollution permits worthhundreds of billions away for free topolluting industries, including oiland coal corporations. In fact, giantpolluters like Shell Oil, which isinvesting in the most carbon-inten-sive oil sources, and Duke Energy,

September 21Age of Stupid film release in NewYork City with Kofi Annan.To Do: Go see the movie in your local theater;you can find out how to get tickets by goingto www.foe.org.

September 28 – October 9Negotiations will continue in Bangkok,Thailand, under the UN FrameworkConvention on Climate Change.

October 24The Green the Block Party to

Tackle Poverty and Pollution will

happen inWashington, DC, along with events

around the world to call for action on climate.

To Do: If you live in the DC area, join us

(www.350.org/dc)! You can join or create an

action near where you live by going to

www.350.org.

October 29 – November 4

Negotiations will continue in Barcelona, Spain,

under the UN Framework Convention on

Climate Change.

photocredit:RobinHolland

Friends of the Earth’s Erich Pica andGreenpeace’s Mary Sweeter on the BillMoyers Journal in July talking about the woe-fully inadequate House climate bill.

Fall 2009 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 9

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which is trying to build new coal-firedpower plants, helped construct theblueprint policy the bill is based on.

The Senate climate debate isnow heating up, but unfortunatelysenators are starting with an

already flawed model. Any climatelegislation coming out of Congressmust get out from under the weightof the corporate lobbyists who willwork at all costs to weaken a bill ifonly to boost their own profits.

Friends of the Earth orchestrated asign-on letter directed to senators andwe now have more than 300 signerson the letter, asking the Senate to cre-ate stronger legislation. This is becausewhat Congress decides this fall willultimately determine how the Obamaadministration will approach thenegotiations in Copenhagen.

President Obama Must ShowInternational LeadershipAt the G-8 meeting this July,President Obama acknowledgedthat as part of the U.S. response toclimate change,“Developed coun-tries, like my own, have a historicresponsibility to take the lead.Wehave the much larger carbon foot-print per capita. And I know that inthe past the United States hassometimes fallen short of meetingour responsibilities. So let me beclear: Those days are over.”

Later in his speech the Presidentannounced that G-20 financeminis-ters have been asked to take up cli-mate financing issues and reportback at G-20 meeting inPittsburgh this September.

China and India: Pieces of the Climate PuzzleAs climate talks progress this year,much will be made of the need forIndia and China to cut emissions. These nations will likely be blamed forlack of progress and in fact the New York Times has already accusedthese countries of “undercutting the drive to build a global consensus.”

Despite all the criticism, China has arguably outpaced the UnitedStates in addressing its own rising emissions. China has implementedaggressive fuel economy standards, passed a renewable energy standardof 15 percent by 2020, agreed to a 20 percent reduction in national energyintensity by 2010, and approved additional energy efficiency measures.

The United States continues to be one of the world’s highest per capi-ta emitters at 23.5 tons per capita, compared to China’s 5.5 tons per per-son and India’s 1.7 tons per person.1 Looking at these figures, it is difficultto argue that the United States should not be responding first andfastest to the problem of global warming.

Furthermore, in spite of their size and global presence, China and Indiaare still developing countries trying to catch upwith the industrializedworld.They can’t be held to the same standards as the United States whenlarge percentages of their populations are still living in abject poverty.

1 Oxfam Briefing Paper 128. Hang Together or Separately? How global cooperation is key to a fair andadequate climate deal in Copenhagen, p. 9.

December 7-18The 15th Conference of the Parties will

be held in Copenhagen, Denmark,

under the UN Framework Convention

on Climate Change.

To Do: Check out our video

blogging from Copenhagen

at www.foe.org/copenhagen to

stay informed on the lat-

est in the climate negotia-

tions. Keep an eye out for

e-alerts from us on how

you can get more

involved.

December 12Join Friends of the Earth Internationalin ‘flooding’ the streets in Copenhagenwith thousands of people in a call forclimate justice.To Do:Wewill be bringingmessages from peopleall over the world demanding climate justice fromthe decisionmakers gathered in Copenhagen.Write your ownmessage – why is climatejustice important to you – and send it to us:http://www.foei.org/en/what-we-do/affected-peoples/global/2009/climate-capsuleInternational campaigners

Karen Orenstein (pictured)

and Kate Horner reported

via video blogs from Bonn,

Germany, where the U.S.

failed to show leadership

during the climate talks.

(continued on page 10)

10 Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Fall 2009

THE DC ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK �

NOW IN ITS 14TH YEAR, the DCEnvironmental Networkwas foundedby Friends of the Earth, the Sierra Cluband others on the idea that the nation’scapital should be amodel of sustain-ability for the nation. Composed of acoalition ofmore than 150 local andnational organizations, its achieve-ments run the gamut from fighting airandwater pollution, to fighting globalwarming, to protecting parks fromWard 8 toWard 3.The Network haswonmore than 25 campaigns. It has:• Restored curbside recycling for cityresidents

• Passed the Tree Bill, a law protect-ing trees with a circumference of55 inches or greater

• Stopped a $300 million parkinggarage that would have promoteddriving in the city

• Saved parkland at picturesque OxenCove inWard 8 by blocking a prisonfrom being built along the shore

• Stopped a road from being built inKlingle Valley adjacent to RockCreek Park

• Campaigned successfully to createthe District Department of theEnvironment

• Helped save Kingman and HeritageIsland Islands in the AnacostiaRiver from foolish developmentand a giveaway of public land

• Stopped the wetland destroyingand parkland smashing 6-lane$200million Barney Circle Freeway

• Stopped the Cadillac Grand PrixRace from polluting District neigh-borhoods along the Anacostia River

• Stopped the District governmentand EPA officials from legalizingdumping of raw sewage into arearivers and creeks and achieved ini-tial funding to fix sewage overflowproblem

• Helped pass legislation to protectthe Anacostia River by curbing theuse of plastic bags by attaching asmall fee to their use

• Passed a Clean Air Act ComplianceFee to deter driving into District

• Helped pass cutting edge environ-mental, housing and jobs creation

standards for all new developmentsbuilt along the Anacostia River

• Passed a Renewable PortfolioStandard to bring more clean ener-gy (wind & solar) to the District

• Helped pass Energy EfficiencyUtility legislation in the District tofight global warming

• Passed legislation to re-route dan-gerous rail cargo out of theDistrict. Helped inspire nationalre-routing legislation

• Ended coal burning at theCongressional Power Plant inWashington, DC

• Passed Clean Cars legislation tobring California standards to theDistrict

The DC Environmental Network

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What the United States says inPittsburgh is key because thus farthe Obama administration’s climatenegotiating team has refused toacknowledge its moral and legalobligations to support climatesolutions elsewhere.

Moving Towards CopenhagenWe need both an internationalclimate agreement and a strongnational climate policy.

But fundamentally, we need toachieve real shifts in the way we liveand work. To effectively address cli-mate change and reduce poverty,we will need stronger localeconomies, we will need to shift toeating more food grown locally, wewill need to travel by clean alterna-tives – walking, biking, and publictransportation, and we will need toreduce our consumption and

fundamentally alter howwe partici-pate in the global marketplace.

The essential shifts in policy need-ed to tackle climate destabilizationare unlikely to happen this year. Butthe negotiations in Copenhagen willbe a critical step in the process, andwe will be there demanding thatdecision makers listen.

(continued from page 9)

AFTER NEARLY FORTY YEARS workingwith Friends of the Earth,Dr.BrentBlackwelderwill be retiring during thecoming year.Brent’s vision andability tosee emerging opportunities haveinspiredunique campaigns that havestopped attempts to destroy our rivers,oceans,mountains,air,wildlife and cli-mate. Join us aswe celebrate his environ-mental achievements and introduce thenewPresident of Friends of the Earth.

Proceeds from the event will helpsupport our work.

Formore informationon sponsoringthe event orpurchasing tickets,please visitwww.foe.org/forty-years or contact StephanieLozanoat 866-217-8499ext. 212 or emailslozano@foe.org. Tickets are $125 each.

C E L E B R AT I N G 4 0 Y E A R S �

House of Sweden is the crown jewel of theSwedish presence in the U.S., nestledbetween Rock Creek and the Potomac Riverin historic Georgetown.

Celebrate – 40 Years of Environmental LeadershipHonor – Dr. Brent Blackwelder, Retiring President of Friends of the EarthMeet – Friends of the Earth’s New President

When: Thursday, October 1st • 6:30-9:30pm • Cocktail ReceptionWhere: House of Sweden • 2900 K Street NW •Washington, DC 20007

Presenting Sponsors - Louise Dunlap &Joe Browder, Dan & Bunny GabelSupporting Sponsors - The Summit FundofWashingtonEvent Sponsors - Jayni & Chevy ChaseSponsors - David E. Bonior, Paul & EllenHoff, RickMorgan&Arlene Rodenbeck,Marcia Rodgers &Garrett Loube,AnnRoosevelt, Jane&Daniel Solomon,TheWoodbury Fund,TinaWeaver, CBREMedia Sponsors -Washington Life Magazine

Fall 2009 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine 11

MOVIE REVIEW: SPECIAL EDITION �

By Rebecca Connors

A few of us had the opportunity recentlyto watch a sneak preview of the newfilm Age of Stupid. This movie is an enor-mously ambitious drama-documentary-animation hybrid that stars Oscar-nom-inated Pete Postlethwaite as an oldmanliving in the devastated world of 2050.He spends his days watching“archive”footage from 2008 and asking: whydidn’t we stop climate change while wehad the chance?

The filmweaves together six differentstories from six different people from sixdifferent regions in the world. Throughtheir narratives,we come to see howbig the problems are that we face, butthe movie also delivers amazing proof

that small actions domake a difference.These narratives are interspersed

with striking animations describingcomparative historical emissions, wars

for resources and other ways that liv-ing chained to fossil fuels has dam-aged our livelihoods.

The archivist becomes our call toaction, as he hauntingly asks,“We couldhave saved ourselves, but we didn’t. It’samazing.What state of mind were wein, to face extinction and simply shrugit off?”

On September 21st Friends of theEarth attended the New York eco-pre-miere of the film, where a solar-pow-ered movie tent in Central Parkhoused celebrities, filmmakers andenvironmental activists. For informa-tion on how and where you can seethe film and to learn more, go towww.ageofstupid.net.

Friends of the Earth: Not Stupid

Oscar nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite inter-acting with the futuristic interface designedspecifically for the film by designer Taiyo Nagano.

PERIODICALSPOSTAGE PAID ATWASHINGTON, DCAND ADDITIONALMAILING OFFICESFall 2009 | Volume 39, Number 3

1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 600Washington, DC 20036-2008

A copy of the latest Financial Report and Registration filed by this organization may be obtained by contacting us at Friends of the Earth, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW Suite 600, Washington DC 20036-2008. Toll-free number:877-843-8687. Or, for residents of the following states, by contacting any of the state agencies: CALIFORNIA – A copy of the Official Financial Statement may be obtained from the Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts,Department of Justice, P.O. Box 903447, Sacramento, CA 94203-4470 or by calling 916-445-2021. FLORIDA - A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVI-SION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida registra-tion # CH960. KANSAS Annual financial report is filed with Secretary of State #258-204-7. MARYLAND For the cost of copies and postage: Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401. MICHIGANMICS 10926.MISSISSIPPI – The official registration and financial information of Friends of the Earth, Inc. may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration by the Secretaryof State does not imply endorsement by the Secretary of State. NEW JERSEY INFORMATION FILEDWITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTOR-NEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. NEW YORK Office of the Attorney General, Department ofLaw, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271. NORTH CAROLINA FINANCIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS ORGANIZATION AND A COPY OF ITS LICENSE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE STATE SOLICITATIONLICENSING BRANCH AT 1-888-830-4989. THE LICENSE IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT BY THE STATE. PENNSYLVANIA – The official registration and financial information of Friends of the Earth may be obtained fromPennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free within the state 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. UTAH – Permit #C495. VIRGINIA State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultureand Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218; 1-800-552-9963.WASHINGTON - Charities Division, Office of the Secretary of the State, State of Washington, Olympia, WA 98504-0422; 1-800-332-4483.WESTVIRGINIAWest Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration does not imply endorsement.

Friends of the Earth (ISSN: 1054-1829) is published quarterly by Friends of the Earth, 1717Massachusetts Ave.,NW,Suite 600,Washington,DC20036-2008,phone 202-783-7400, fax 202-783-0444, e-mail: foe@foe.org,website:www.foe.org. Annualmembership dues are $25,which include asubscription to Friends of the Earth.Thewords“Friends of the Earth”and the FoE logo are exclusive trademarks of Friends of the Earth, all rightsreserved. Requests to reprint articles should be submitted to LisaMatthes at lmatthes@foe.org. Periodicals postage paid atWashington,DC.

Our Mission: Friends of the Earth defends the environment and champions a healthy and just world.Board of DirectorsMichael Herz, Chair; Harriett Crosby,Vice Chair;Clarence Ditlow, Secretary; David Zwick,Treasurer;Jayni Chase;Marion Edey;Dan Gabel; Jeffrey Glueck;Douglas Legum; Russell Long; Patricia Matthews;Avis Ogilvy Moore; Arlie Schardt; Doria Steedman; RickTaketa; PeytonWest.

StaffBrent Blackwelder, PresidentElizabeth Bast, International ProgramDirectorNick Berning,Director of Public Advocacy andMedia

RelationsHillary Blank,Major Gifts OfficerMichelle Chan, Senior International Policy AnalystHugh Cheatham,Chief Financial OfficerTom Clements, Southeastern Nuclear Campaign CoordinatorRebecca Connors, Internet OutreachManagerMichael Despines, Climate Resilience Campaign

CoordinatorWill Driscoll, Director of Foundation RelationsDanielle Fugere, Regional ProgramDirectorDavid Hirsch, Program&Operations DirectorKate Horner, International Climate & Energy CampaignerIan Illuminato,Health & Environmental CampaignerJohn Kaltenstein,Marine Program AssociateMarcie Keever, CleanVessels Campaign DirectorNeesha Kulkarni, Legislative AssociateStephanie Lozano,Development AssociateAdinaMatisoff, China Sustainable Finance CampaignerLisaMatthes, PublicationsManager; Executive Assistant to

the PresidentKateMcMahon, Energy &Transportation Policy CampaignerKaren Orenstein, International Finance Campaign

CoordinatorErich Pica, Director of Domestic ProgramsDan Riedel,Manager of Information TechnologySara Schedler, Plug-in Hybrid Campaign AssociateBenjamin Schreiber, Climate and Energy Tax AnalystPeter Stocker, Donor Services ManagerChrisWeiss, Director of D.C. Environmental NetworkCandiceWills, Accountant

Publications StaffLisa Matthes, EditorDesign by JML Design

Consultants/AdvisorsRobert AlvarezBart BruilJim CorbettFred FellemanJen HolzerJohnW. JensenBoshen JiaDorothee KrahnFred MillarAndrianna NatsoulasShems Dunkiel Kassel & Saunders PLLCElinor TaoCori TraubDavidWeinmanJamesWinebrakeYang Yang

Member GroupsArgentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium,

Belgium (Flanders), Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria,Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, CostaRica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, CzechRepublic, Denmark, El Salvador, England-Wales,Northern Ireland, Estonia, Finland,France,Georgia, Germany,Ghana,Grenada,Guatemala,Haiti, Honduras,Hungary,Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia,Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,Macedonia,

Malawi,Malaysia,Mali,Malta,Mauritius,Mexico,Mozambique,Nepal, Netherlands,New Zealand,Nigeria,Norway, Palestine, Papua NewGuinea, Paraguay, Peru,Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, SouthAfrica, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Sweden,Switzerland,Tanzania,Timor Leste,Togo,Tunisia, Uganda,Ukraine,United States, Uruguay.

AffiliatesAfrica: Earthlife Africa; Australia:Mineral Policy Institute;Australia: Rainforest Information Centre; Brazil: Amigos daTerra Amazonia - Amazônia Brasileira; Brazil: Grupo deTrabalho Amazonico; Canada: Blue Planet Project; CzechRepublic: CEE Bankwatch; Japan: Peace Boat;Middle East:Friends of the EarthMiddle East; Netherlands: Action forSolidarity, Equality, Environment and DevelopmentEurope;Netherlands: Stichting De Noordzee (North SeaFoundation); Netherlands: Corporate Europe Observatory;Netherlands:WISE Europe;United States: Corpwatch;United States: International Rivers Network;United States:Rainforest Action Network

Friends of the Earth is printed with soy inkon 100% recycled paper, 100% post-consumercontent. Bleached without chlorine.

Friends of the Earth International

Earth Share giving campaigns allow you to designate a donation to Friends of theEarth. Federal employees can donate through the Combined Federal Campaign bymarking #12067 on their pledge forms.To set up an Earth Share campaign at yourworkplace, contact Peter Stocker at 866-217-8499, ext. 216 or pstocker@foe.org.