Fwd: Help us plan the march for climate change coming to Toledo

 
From: "Tom McDonald" <tommcdona3@PROTECTED>
In-Reply-To: (no subject)
Date: September 14th 2014
To:  Terry, Steve, Karen and other NWOPC plus AUSCP committee

I just wanted to get this response out from March organizer Jimmy Betts to all in anticipation of Tuesday's NWOPC mtng. and Wednesday's AUSCP meeting.  I haven't begun to digest it all; will try to do so prior to meetings.  Lots to do in a very short time....we'll do what we can!

--Tom McDonald


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jimmy Betts <Jimmy@PROTECTED>
Date: Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: Help us plan the march for climate change coming to Toledo
To: Tom McDonald <tommcdona3@PROTECTED>, "greenbus@PROTECTED" <greenbus@PROTECTED>, Gavain UPrichard <gavain.uprichard@PROTECTED>, Dana McGuire <blissdragon@PROTECTED>, Sarah Spain <sarah@PROTECTED>, Jerry Stewart <jlstewct@PROTECTED>, Kelsey Juliana <kelseyrjuliana@PROTECTED>
Cc: Benjamin Bushwick <foreveracone@PROTECTED>, Doug Cooley <dougcooley1957@PROTECTED>, John Abbe <johnca@PROTECTED>


Dear Tom, I've "bolded" my responses and have included others in this thread.  If there are any specifics that need correction, please respond directly to me so I can update Tom with a single response for this initial email.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm helping to plan events as well as accommodations for your passage through Toledo.  I want to brief you on what we have confIrmed thus far, along with some questions we have.
*I'll be your dedicated point person for the march, so feel free to contact me at any time.  There are a number of marchers interested in working with you and we want to be on the same page for the next 2 weeks to be certain. Thank you for your flexibility.   

Michael Dowd will be speaking on Thurs., 9/25 at 7 PM at Lourdes Univ. in Sylvania, a suburb of Toledo (for those being copied in this message, Mr. Dowd is a highly regarded minister and author in the field of ecology, eco-spirituality and social justice who has been presenting in support of the Great March).
*Michael is a good friend & steadfast supporter of the Great March and has been with us from the beginning, it is a privilege to have him with us and I hope the community appreciates his immense contribution to our human movement and unification.  I will actually attempt to be present for the sermon if I am able.  

Our subcommittee--AUSCP (Assoc. of U.S. Catholic Priests) has secured Good Shepherd School in east toledo for overnight accomodtions on 9/26-9/27.  Beds are available, but sleeping bags would be needed.
*Marvelous, we have sleeping bags aplenty and it's important to note that we'll need to have places to park support vehicles.
Here's what we have for our fleet:
1). 20' Gear Truck, 1988 GMC that pulls our SOLAR GENERATOR,
2). 14'Uhaul (Our Kitchen Truck) that hold our refrigerator, food and water tanks. 
3). ECO-Commodes pulled by *Gavain's biodiesel pickup truck with OPEN BACK that carries stuff (unable to lock things up)
4). John Jorgenson's 1995 Ford Ranger: that pulls our Bike Trailers OPEN BACK (unable to lock things up)
5). Sarah Spain's 1996 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. 
6). Kim Foley's Toyota Prius.
7). Jimmy Betts' Mercury Sable  sedan. 

We have secured Helping Hands of St. Louis, an outreach center/soup kitchen, also on the east side relatively close to Good Shepherd, for potluck dinners around 5 PM on 9/26 & 9/27.
*I am including Marie Davis (greenbus@PROTECTED, 802-863-8334), who is the kitchen commandress and ALL meal-food-planning information must be considered through her leadership & advisement so as to avoid us making food purchases that we are hard pressed to afford.  This is wonderful of you to take the initiative on requesting meals for us.  :)

We are attempting to arrange a panel discussion on climate issues for 11:00 AM on the 27th. tentatively at Sylvania United Church of Christ which is on the opposite side of the city from Good Shepherd.  The mid-late afternoon of the 27th is open depending on the length of the panel discussion  (negotiable).
*The location for this is wonderful.  What involvement will the March & Marchers be allowed in the facilitation or content or speakers?  Has Melissa Green been contacted or others seeking more environmental/social justice-focuses from communities of diversity, low-income, or under-representation? 
*One theme to consider per Benjamin: "Water Disruption Dialogue Event" of sorts that could be a prayer/panel discussion/demonstration/etc. Not sure where this could be filled in or developed, but I know this was a discussion based on the water issues, frontline communities, and climate change in the Toledo area/NW Ohio area.

We have asked the Unitarian Church to prepare a prayer service for 9/27 at 7:00-7:30.  This location is in southwest Toledo, about a 15 min. drive from the evening supper location at Helping Hands....problematic??
*I would like to inquire as to how we would transport +50 marchers (potentially this many by Toledo) across town.  

The Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition (NWOPC) who's veteran activists have also worked on environmental issues in the past are interested in exploring with you and the March community the possibility of collaborating on an action event.  They will be meeting on Tuesday, 9/16 @ 5:30 PM in the Kelly Room of the downtown Main Library (325 Michigan Ave.  Would Ben be able to attend?  We could provide a place for him to stay that night.  Alternatively, could he or a marcher participate via conference call? (1-605-475-5900 followed by a request for a code number, which is: 499877#).  Mr. Terry Lodge of NWOPC has arranged for this number and can be contacted at: tjlodge50@PROTECTED.  Our own AUSCP subcommittee will meet the next day, 9/17 at 4:30 PM to continue our separate planning efforts.
*Action Events are essential -- as long as there is community support & benefit.  I can definitely phone in, though if especially helpful, I will arrange transportation to Toledo to meet you all.  It would be my pleasure. 
*Benjamin is taking a more peripheral role in organizing from what he has expressed to our community, so I'll be picking up where he has left off in Toledo.  There may be additional contacts at UToledo who would be ideal to include in the planning stages so as not to overcommit or double-book our time.  Please keep me apprised of further developments.  Any calls that you need me on, I will be there.  Also, any questions at any time: 515-708-2463

SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

--NWOPC asked: "Is there a high-profile environmental activist with some name recognition among the marchers who could be a media draw for an action event?  Their members suggested, also, a planned event at the BP refinery on the east side (also along your route out of Toledo).  
*I would recommend our own Kelsey Juliana, some brief details here: http://ourchildrenstrust.org/event/615/today-oregons-kelsey-juliana-talked-bill-moyers-nyc-about-public-trust-doctrine-peoples  who was on Bill Moyers recently.  I'd also very-strongly recommend Lee Stewart, who is an outspoken climate citizen who I have the joy of marching with every day -- his ability to speak and call for bold action is truly worthy of recognition, he starts at about 20:00 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuIlhZL_kjo.  We could even consider having both of them for gender balance.  Is there a local leader, a person of the global majority who might be able to also be a part of this event as a true representative of the unheard voices of the climate movement?  
*Yes, a Toledo BP Refinery event would be amazing when paired with a march with local organizations, good messaging, and long-term action plans.  This is very, very appealing.  

-- Would marchers be available to participate in the panel discussion and prayer service on Sat./27th.?  The planners for the prayer service are worried that the public will not show up for it on a Sat. night, and that marchers may want to rest on that night after a 5 PM potluck and other posssible Sat. activities.  They want to rethink this event, AND WOULD APRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS QUESTION BY SUNDAY EVENING, so that they could move ahead --or not -- with the planning.  
*It would be easier to schedule something on the evening of the 26th for this panel purpose, though the 27th in the evening could be reasonable to do, too.  Really, I do not have enough information to make this call -- what is the timing for all of these events, actions, panels, marching segments to your knowing so far?  

--IMportant related question:  can your support vehicles transport marchers to closely scheduled events that may be a good distance from the o-night & potluck locales?
*We only have limited space in our support vehicles (10 people at most in both cars, which work for outreach-type events, but not for all-camp events).  This is one of my only concern regarding the locations and schedule. Additionally, on stay days (the 27th) many marchers are simply pooped-- exhausted.  And later afternoon/evening activities are more likely to be attended by more of the community.  During the day, however, with notice, contingents can be organized more easily for outreach events in the community -- I make myself available to do these types of activities as I do feel the need to network and appreciate the community efforts that function every day in Toledo to make our world a more resilient, earth-respecting, human-honuring place.  

--What is your walking schedule vs. "down" time for the weekend?  That is, we're wondering at what times we need to secure walk permits for particular areas of the city, etc.
*It looks as though we'll be walking from a yet to be determined Monclova campsite around 8AM to Toledo on Friday the 26th. The distance is approx 13.5 miles, but this depends on where our march will lead us; whether to camp directly at Good Shepherd, an action along the way, a welcoming rally at city hall, or whatever is determined to be our trajectory. We can accomplish this distance in a little over 5 hours. Arriving between 1 & 2pm, though we have been known to run late, so any appointments should be discussed with us before hard scheduling.  
*At this point, based on preliminary scheduling & routing (which has not been locked down yet -- we could definitely use some recommendations from our time from our departure from Montpelier, OH on the 23rd to our arrival in Toledo on the 26th.  Here is our route timeline thus far, still in rough phases of planning.  We have marchers (Gavain U'Prichard (660-342-8219, gavain.uprichard@PROTECTED) & Dana McGuire for route/campsite procurement) and staff (Sarah Spain for additional networking along the way) who can work with any local supporters to fashion something safe, visible, and cooperative with local authorities/municipalities.  This route/campsite planning is a big priority to make sure we get to you on time in Toledo.  

I guess this is it for now, Jimmy.  Am hoping the upcoming meeting on Tuesday will provide an opportunity to clarify.
*Call at any time to clarify.  515-708-2463
*If you end up having an itinerary that our organizers can review here to be sure it is doable and also creatively aligned to have a bolder offering for Toledo, please feel free to add them to our working notes document.  

This was a ton of information, but I hope this is basically accurate for your discussion tonight -- biggest concerns:  transportation to/from events, scheduling & attendance, and creating bold, action-inspiring events that include active listening, climate conversations that serve to redefine what it means to take climate action due to the urgent necessity of all people to directly engage, and ultimately inspiring a long-term plan for ongoing climate-forward coalition organizing in Toledo.  And, of course, some specific "down time" for those marchers who really, really, really need it (which is all of us).  :D

Much Love!
At your service,

Jimmy Betts, Volunteer Program Director & LA to DC Marcher

The Great March for Climate Action    
     --LESS CARBON, MORE FOOTPRINTS--

Jimmy.Betts@PROTECTED | (515) 708-2463
ClimateMarch.org | facebook.com/ClimateMarch | twitter.com/ClimateMarch
Unofficial Personal March Blog:  theMountainPath.com


On Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 12:37 PM, Jimmy Betts <Jimmy@PROTECTED> wrote:
Yes, Tom!

Thank you for getting in touch with me -- I was actually JUST in the process of sending ya'll an update request to figure out what we could pull together :)  I see some amazing environmental justice possibilities in addition to a brief energizing kickoff rally and community march through strategic, under-represented areas of Toledo.   Let me study your email a bit further -- I simply wanted to send you a quick message letting you know that I am with you :)  We are with you.  

Love,

Jimmy Betts, Volunteer Program Director & LA to DC Marcher

The Great March for Climate Action    
     --LESS CARBON, MORE FOOTPRINTS--

Jimmy.Betts@PROTECTED | (515) 708-2463
ClimateMarch.org | facebook.com/ClimateMarch | twitter.com/ClimateMarch
Unofficial Personal March Blog:  theMountainPath.com


On Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 11:58 AM, Tom McDonald <tommcdona3@PROTECTED> wrote:
Jimmy,

I am Tom McDonald (see above).  Thursday, 9/11 I sent the above lengthy e-mail to you, BUT MIS-TYPED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, and only found out this a.m.,
Thus loosing 3 days in notification.  The response email from Terry Lodge of NWOPC follows.  I'll look forward to hearing from you, OR, Bev Bingle is a co-contact in the local planning for the marchers:  urbanhermit@PROTECTED.
Note: often when I forward emails, the text appears below my message to you rather than above.

Thanks,
Tom

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Terry Lodge <tjlodge50@PROTECTED>
Date: Sun, Sep 14, 2014 at 10:23 AM
Subject: Help us plan the march for climate change coming to Toledo
To: Tony Szilagye <3000aws@PROTECTED>, Kristina Moazed <krismoz1@PROTECTED>, Sean Nestor <Seannestor@PROTECTED>, Steve Miller <stevepeaceactivist@PROTECTED>, Douglas Jambard Sweet <dougiefresh43537@PROTECTED>, Valerie Crow <CrowFliesHome@PROTECTED>, Tom McDonald <tommcdona3@PROTECTED>, Karen Wolf <dakotakwolf@PROTECTED>, Jeff Klein <jeff.warrenproffitt@PROTECTED>, Marilyn Bernstein <wow4moo@PROTECTED>, JEFFREY ZENZ <gratefulzenz@PROTECTED>


    Tony, Kris, Sean, Doug, I'm inviting you to a meeting at the downtown public library this coming Tuesday, Sept 16 at 530 p.m. to help us put together details for joint sponsorship of about 40 climate marchers to come through Toledo the weekend of September 26-28.  Below is an email from Tom McDonald, who's been involving people from Lourdes University. The NWOPC is looking for broad activist community support because the issue of Climate Change cuts across and connects so many negatives of American patterns of consumption, foreign policy and energy policy.
    We have reserved the Kelly Room in the business and technology dept of the Downtown Library for our meeting. I hope you can be there to help.  If you can't, or if there are additional people you believe could be of help, please pass this email on to them. We're inclusionary, not exclusionary. That means if there are Libertarians or marijuana legalization activists, or others whom you think might be interested, please notify them.

    Thanks.

         Terry



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Tom McDonald <tommcdona3@PROTECTED>
To: jimmy@PROTECTED; foreveracone@PROTECTED; Bev Bingle <auscp.toledo@PROTECTED>; Dakotawolf@PROTECTED; jeff.warrenproffitt@PROTECTED; Terry Lodge <tjlodge50@PROTECTED>; stevepeaceactivist@PROTECTED; crowflieshome@PROTECTED
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2014 11:10 PM
Subject: Great March for Climate Change

Dear Jimmy,

I'm helping to plan events as well as accommodations for your passage through Toledo.  I want to brief you on what we have confIrmed thus far, along with some questions we have.

Michael Dowd will be speaking on Thurs., 9/25 at 7 PM at Lourdes Univ. in Sylvania, a suburb of Toledo (for those being copied in this message, Mr. Dowd is a highly regarded minister and author in the field of ecology, eco-spirituality and social justice who has been presenting in support of the Great March).

Our subcommittee--AUSCP (Assoc. of U.S. Catholic Priests) has secured Good Shepherd School in east toledo for overnight accomodtions on 9/26-9/27.  Beds are available, but sleeping bags would be needed.

We have secured Helping Hands of St. Louis, an outreach center/soup kitchen, also on the east side relatively close to Good Shepherd, for potluck dinners around 5 PM on 9/26 & 9/27.

We are attempting to arrange a panel discussion on climate issues for 11:00 AM on the 27th. tentatively at Sylvania United Church of Christ which is on the opposite side of the city from Good Shepherd.  The mid-late afternoon of the 27th is open depending on the length of the panel discussion  (negotiable).

We have asked the Unitarian Church to prepare a prayer service for 9/27 at 7:00-7:30.  This location is in southwest Toledo, about a 15 min. drive from the evening supper location at Helping Hands....problematic??

The Northwest Ohio Peace Coalition (NWOPC) who's veteran activists have also worked on environmental issues in the past are interested in exploring with you and the March community the possibility of collaborating on an action event.  They will be meeting on Tuesday, 9/16 @ 5:30 PM in the Kelly Room of the downtown Main Library (325 Michigan Ave.  Would Ben be able to attend?  We could provide a place for him to stay that night.  Alternatively, could he or a marcher participate via conference call? (1-605-475-5900 followed by a request for a code number, which is: 499877#).  Mr. Terry Lodge of NWOPC has arranged for this number and can be contacted at: tjlodge50@PROTECTED.  Our own AUSCP subcommittee will meet the next day, 9/17 at 4:30 PM to continue our separate planning efforts.

SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

--NWOPC asked: "Is there a high-profile environmental activist with some name recognition among the marchers who could be a media draw for an action event?  Their members suggested, also, a planned event at the BP refinery on the east side (also along your route out of Toledo).

-- Would marchers be available to participate in the panel discussion and prayer service on Sat./27th.?  The planners for the prayer service are worried that the public will not show up for it on a Sat. night, and that marchers may want to rest on that night after a 5 PM potluck and other posssible Sat. activities.  They want to rethink this event, AND WOULD APRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK ON THIS QUESTION BY SUNDAY EVENING, so that they could move ahead --or not -- with the planning.

--IMportant related question:  can your support vehicles transport marchers to closely scheduled events that may be a good distance from the o-night & potluck locales?

--What is your walking schedule vs. "down" time for the weekend?  That is, we're wondering at what times we need to secure walk permits for particular areas of the city, etc.

I guess this is it for now, Jimmy.  Am hoping the upcoming meeting on Tuesday will provide an opportunity to clarify.

Thanks so much,























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