Amanda Braden at the Feb 18 Jackson County Board Meeting

FRACK FREE FEAST! Potluck and Gathering

We invite you to join us for a festive potluck January 30, 5 pm.

 We will update you on our ongoing activities and together we can explore ways of increasing
our influence in the county.  Let's look toward the future and prevent
harmful activities before they happen.

January 30, 5 pm
First Christian church, 306 W. Monroe Carbondale. 
 Parking directly across
Monroe from the church or in the city hall lot.

If you can, bring a dish to share. You can call Sarah at 415-265-5988 with
questions about food and drink.

December 5 at Noon. Join us and other climate activists in Carbondale

The COP 21 talks are going on right now but the petroleum industries still think they are people, and that they can get a pass. The people in Southern Illinois say no- enough of that- keep it in the hole! We invite everyone to join the Peace Coalition, SIU S.E.N.S.E. and S.A.F.E. in a vigil to express a unified vision for Action on Climate Change. We will bring our no frack banners; feel free to bring signs too!

As the United Nations International Climate Conference in Paris works to make progress in slowing human's headlong plunge into climate disaster, we want to remind the citizens of the United States that we are the world's largest economy, responsible for nearly 15% of global emissions, and critical in recognizing and planning for dramatic action to reverse global warming. A new "Space Race" to reduce emissions by converting to efficiency and clean energy would be a huge engine for jobs and improved living conditions in the U.S.

Sponsored by the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois/FOR, SIU S.E.N.S.E. (Students Embracing Nature, Sustainability and the Environment) and S.A.F.E. (Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing Our Environment). We all have different strategies, but we still share a vision for Action on Climate Change. Please bring signs related to climate change topics such as sustainable energy/hydraulic fracturing/divestment/green jobs, etc. 

Comments at the Jackson County Board Committee on Health, Safety and Solid Waste

There are some misconceptions circulating about how the ordinance we have written will impact the County's economy. These statements are intended to clarify some of these misapprehensions and fears. 

A Community Bill of Rights will  not hurt businesses that are not in the oil extraction business.

It will not hurt gas stations

It will not subject JC residents and businesses to litigation if they are not involved in the fracking industry.

It will not change farming in Southern Illinois. It will not regulate particulate matter from farming (dust).

It will not have any impact on utility rates; utility rates are negotiated by the utility board.

It will not impact businesses in JC that are not involved in the gas or oil extraction business.

It will not impact development positively or negatively. All regions that have seen a boom in fracking have also experienced declines. Any construction expressly built for a and in a boom economy is not necessarily sustainable development- eg the kind of development that will serve the County in the future. 

The Ordinance will be good for businesses and land developers and others whose businesses depend on clean air, clean water, and clean soil.  

Phil Brewer on community rights at the Jackson County Board Meeting October 20, 2015

People who want to ban fracking in Jackson County came out to the regular Jackson County Board meeting last night to show our county level elected officials how we feel about corporate oil and gas using Jackson County as its warehouse for raw materials. Phil Brewer gave a great talk! Check it out!

October 20: Jackson County Board Meeting- We still want Community Rights!

A new moon!  Come join us! 5:30 pm on TUESDAY- at the Jackson County Courthouse!
Lets keep on with our Community Bill of Rights to ban fracking! People who stand for Community Rights- we continue on the path to cultivating a democracy that reflects the attitudes of the people in this County! 
We will hold our banners high and speak inside the meeting. 

Come share 35 minutes of your time this Tuesday with others who want to ban fracking in Jackson County by passing a Community ordinance that asserts our right to pollution free air, and clean and plentiful water. 

We will remind our County Board that we are here, and we stand for a grassroots and democratic response to corporate power. 

We will continue to meet, talk and learn together-- and find ways to work with our representatives at the local levels to BAN FRACKING and to build a pathway to creating a sustainable, safe, healthy-for-all of us- economy. Come at 5:30 so we can greet our representatives on the County level with our banners and our persistence.

How a Community Bill of Rights can Empower People against Corporations

Reposting this article from a couple of years ago- What is the big deal about a Community Bill of Rights anyway? In Jackson County, Illinois we are pursuing the legal question as to why people who live in a place do not have any legal say over the quality of their environment. In fact, most of the good things we might try to do in a municipality to protect land and water, or to protect or put limits on the wasteful use of resources would be challenged by either the state or corporations.

"if people have a Bill of Rights on the individual level, what about a set of rights bridging the individual to her or his community? A right to water and clean air, a right to exist in a peaceful environment, a right to sustainable energy..." Continue to read here: How a Community Bill of Rights Is Empowering People Against Corporations