Los Angeles Oxfam Action Corps

Join us for a beach cleanup on September 20

2008-09-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, September 20, we'll be joining Heal the Bay in Santa Monica for their Coastal Cleanup Day, from 9 AM til 12 PM.

This is an annual event, and a fantastic opportunity to help the environment, meet other volunteers (last year, more than 11,000 people participated), and spend some time at the beach.

We'll be meeting at Tower 8, Santa Monica Beach (810 Pacific Coast Highway, at Montana Avenue). The Coastal Cleanup Day site has maps and directions.

Hope to see you there!

Related action - small islands ask the UN Security Council to take action against global warming

2008-09-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

According to Avaaz.org, as ocean levels begin to rise, small island nations such as the Maldives face a growing risk of catastrophic flooding and other environmental damage. A group of these nations, which have already begun preparing evacuations plans, will table a resolution next week asking the UN Security Council to recognize global warming as a serious threat to international peace and security.

In order to help their campaign, Avaaz.org has prepared a petition to be presented to the Security Council by the islands' ambassadors, to demonstrate that citizens of many nations are concerned about the impact of climate change on these tiny countries.

If you would like to sign the petition, or simply watch the video, which includes more information about the campaign, please follow this link.

Meeting Tonight!

2008-08-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the last-minute notice, but we're meeting tonight to discuss the upcoming campaign season, and we'd love to see you there!

Please check the eVite for more details, and make sure to RSVP, so we know how much pizza to order.

What Oxfam America is doing - and why

2008-07-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Oxfam America president Ray Offenheiser and people affected by climate change in South Africa, India, Bangladesh and Uganda explain how climate change is impacting communities around the world, and what Oxfam is trying to do about it.

Adaptation Examples from Oxfam Exchange

2008-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

One of the aims of the Oxfam American Climate Change Campaign is to secure funding for adaptation initiatives in poor nations affected by climate change. The Spring 2008 issue of Oxfam Exchange includes an essay by Anna Kramer which highlights the ways in which several communities around the world are already adapting to the changing climate.

In Peru, people have revived an ancient canal-building technique designed to provide moisture to farms during drought and drainage during heavy rains.
In Vietnam, communities are planting dense mangroves along the coast to diffuse the waves caused by tropical storms.
In Uganda, people are using the radio and Internet to share early warning and climate information at the local level.

These are the types of projects which Oxfam America is committed to supporting - projects which reduce the vulnerability of world communities to climate-related disasters and help these communities adapt to changing circumstances. But adaptation requires funding. The United Nations estimates that as much as $86 billion each year will be necessary to provide adaptation assistance to nations and communities in need of it.

If you'd like to read more, please download the Spring 2008 issue of Oxfam Exchange (which also includes articles on civil rights training for women and girls in El Salvador, humanitarian efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programs to ensure that residents of mineral-rich nations like Ghana have a say in how oil, gas and mining companies develop their natural resources). Then, get involved! Join the campaign, sign the petition, or contact your legislators (Project Vote Smart has an excellent tool for finding them) and let them know that you're concerned about the impact of climate change on the world's poorest communities.

Oxfam LA Movie Night!

2008-06-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

We're wrapping up the first quarter of our Climate Change campaign, and we wanted to recap the campaign so far, and discuss our next steps.

On Wednesday, June 11, we'll get together to watch a short film on global warming and talk about where the campaign will go from here. If you'd like to join us, please email us, or call (909) 724-9727.

Where: 241 Wallis St. #1, Pasadena, CA 91106
Map

When: Wednesday, June 11, 7 PM

Please join us, and bring a friend!

The Waxman Letter

2008-05-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

US Representative Henry Waxman, a strong proponent for environmental protection and human rights, has prepared a letter to be presented to the US House of Representatives this summer. Although Rep. Waxman's letter is not an official policy statement from Oxfam America, it does hit on some of the key "asks" that we are stressing in this campaign. A summary of the letter appears below.

Key Principles (Or Asks)

Reduce emissions to avoid dangerous global warming
1. US must do its part to keep global temperatures from rising more then 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial levels
2. Cap and cut global warming emissions. Targets are:
  1. Reduced to 15%-20% below current levels in 2020
  2. Reduced to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
3. Make emission targets certain and enforceable
  1. Cost-containment measures must not break the cap on global warming pollution. Any offsets must be real, additional, verifiable, permanent, and enforceable.
4. Require the United States to engage with other nations to reduce emissions through commitments and incentives.
Aid Communities and eco systems vulnerable to harm from global warming
1. Assist states, localities and tribes to respond and adapt to the effects of global warming to respond to harm from global warming and adapt their infrastructure to its effects, such as more severe wildfires, intensified droughts, increased water scarcity, sea level rise, floods, hurricanes, melting permafrost, and agricultural and public health impacts.
2. A portion of auction revenues should be provided to help the developing countries most vulnerable to harm from global warming and defuse the threats to national security and global stability posed by conflicts over water and other natural resources, famines, and mass
  migrations that could be triggered by global warming.
3. Assist wildlife and ecosystems threatened by global warming.
Transition America to a clean energy economy
1. A significant portion of revenues from auctioning emissions allowances should be invested in clean energy and efficiency measures
2. Preserve states authorities to protect their citizens
Recognize and minimize and economic impacts from global warming legislation
1. Use Cap and Trade
2. Emissions allowances should be auctioned with the revenues going to benefit the public, and any free allocations should produce public benefits.
3. Revenues from auctioned allowances should be returned to low- and moderate-income households at a level sufficient to offset higher energy costs.
4. Return revenues to workers and communities.
5. Protect against global trade disadvantages to U.S. industry.

Monthly Meetings

2008-05-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

We met at The Ragazzi Room on May 14 to catch up on everything we'd done in the past month, and talk about what's coming up. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, June 14 at 7 PM, and we'll be watching An Inconvenient Truth.

The "Come to a Meeting" link in the sidebar will be updated as soon as we have more information. Meanwhile, please email us or leave a comment if you'd like to join us.

Concerts, Concerts, Concerts!

2008-05-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

We've attended three concerts in the past month, with excellent results.

Our first show was the Breeders concert at the Glass House in Pomona on April 29th. The turnout was great; we got nearly 100 new signatures for our petition. Some people may have been drawn to us because we had the only non-vendor table at the show, but whatever caught their attention, they seemed very interested in our campaign, and in Oxfam America in general.

On May 15, we went to the Ra Ra Riot concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. It was the first time Oxfam had set up a table at this kind of venue, but the response was fantastic. We got about 80 signatures.

Our third concert was particularly special, though. Crowded House played the Orpheum on May 16 and 17. Not only is the Orpheum a spectacular theater, Crowded House's lead singer, Neil Finn, is an Oxfam Ambassador. The fans and staff stopped by to talk; they were very encouraging about our work on this campaign.

There are a lot more concerts coming up - this is a great way to spread our message and raise awareness about our campaign (and also a great way to get into some fabulous concerts!). If you'd like to join us, please let us know.

Earth Day!

2008-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

On April 20, 2008, we attended the Green Apple Festival at the Santa Monica Pier. Because our table was right on the pier, we were ideally situated to appreciate the sparkling water and clean ocean air. It was a perfect setting for a day focused on creating a green, sustainable future for all, especially those in the world's poorest communities.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by - our Oxfam signs, tent and gear attracted a lot of visitors! More than 500 of you signed our petition, and you seemed eager to talk to us about its message - "Stop Harming, Start Helping." This petition will be sent to the presidential candidates, to help them see how important our mission, to not only reduce America's contribution to climate change, but help the poorest communities in the world adapt to the effects of climate change, is to American voters. A number of you also signed up to volunteer with our campaign - we look forward to working with you in the months to come.

The highlight of an amazing day, though, was our Climate Justice Walk around the pier. More than 30 people joined us, and the visual impact of our group, clad in white t-shirts and carrying buckets to symbolize our commitment to creating real, lasting change for the world's most vulnerable communities, was profound. We would like to extend a very special thank you to everyone who joined us. Your presence was very powerful, and very much appreciated.

If you'd like to read more about this event (and see some great pictures - you do want to know what we did with those buckets, don't you?), check out the coverage from Santa Monica Close-up, the Broo-Waha, and Oxfam America's Flickr set, which includes photos from Climate Justice Walks all over the country.

And if you'd like to get involved in our next event, let us know!

Welcome to our blog!

2008-04-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Allow us to introduce ourselves
Welcome to the Oxfam Action Corps - Los Angeles blog! We're a recently formed volunteer group dedicated to taking the fight to global poverty from here in Los Angeles. We're non-partisan, grassroots, open to all, and fun. We are embarking on an important campaign to flight climate poverty and injustice for the poorest communities around the globe. It's a project of Oxfam America.

Impact of Climate Change on Poor Communities Worldwide

From floods in Bangladesh to droughts in Kenya, glacier melts in Peru to hurricanes in the Caribbean, poor countries are already suffering from the effects of climate change. Oxfam America is undertaking a campaign to address the disproportionate impacts of global warming by creating equitable solutions to the crisis. We are asking that the US cut greenhouse gas emissions, and provide financial assistance so that the most vulnerable communities can adapt.

Learn more about the Climate Change campaign through the links found on the sidebar.

Our Role
We're educating our neighbors about the Climate Change campaign and the benefits of taking actions now while encouraging everyone to contact members of congress on this critical issue. We're reaching out at community festivals, concerts, homes, libraries, and special venues. Together, we can reverse the trend of climate change.

Join Us
You can make a difference. Check out the 'Get Active!' information on the sidebar and take the first step toward making a world of change.