We've been away from the site for a few weeks now, readying for the upcoming summer art scene in our community and readjusting our lifestyles to the newest member of our family, a cockatoo that was in desperate need of a new and loving home. It's been a bit like adopting a 2 year old child, both rewarding and challenging. We're all settling into our new roles now and it's time to get back to the business of raising awareness of all the great resources out there that offer opportunities to participate in making the world a better place for all of us. First on the agenda is the proposed climate bill.

This bill, as many of you may already know, was supposed to go to the hill for discussion last week. You probably already know by now that the usual politics we see played out on a daily basis have stopped it in its tracks. Repower America is doing something about it, and they need our help to get things back on track. The following is an excerpt from their website and provides the necessary details on how you can help. Given the recent Gulf coast oil spill, a clean energy bill seems more important than ever to our environmental and economic success as a nation. All it takes for you to make a difference is the time it takes to make a phone call. A message from Maggie L. Fox, C.E.O. of the Climate Protection Action Fund. This was supposed to be the week the Senate made history. After years of planning and many months of careful negotiating, a major bipartisan proposal on climate and clean energy was all set to be introduced this week. The press conference was scheduled, the speeches were written, and the media was alerted. It would have kicked off debate and served as the foundation of the strong Senate bill we need so badly. Then it all fell apart. Comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation is being held prisoner to partisan bickering and political posturing. History has been put on hold — and I need your help to get the Senate back on track. If enough of us make noise, we can jump-start the process and make sure that this is just a minor detour instead of another dead end.

Call your Senators right now and urge them to put partisan politics aside and take immediate action on climate and clean energy: 1-877-9-REPOWER (1-877-973-7693). And then report your call here.

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. If our leaders in Washington cannot overcome the current climate of partisanship and distrust, the bill that Senators John Kerry, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman have spent so many months laboring over could be left with no Republican support. That would mean any hope of passing a comprehensive bill this year — a bill that would finally address the climate crisis, our addiction to oil and the future of our economy — would fade away.

We can’t let partisan bickering stand in the way of policy that is critical to Americans across every region, party, and demographic — and whose policy substance has support from courageous Senators on both sides of the aisle. The only way to get this bill back on track is for every Senator to hear from constituents who are demanding action. Call your Senators now and tell them that they can and must end our addiction to foreign oil, create almost 2 million clean energy jobs and begin to cut carbon pollution: Let’s be clear: The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill draft won’t be perfect — and we hope to be fighting over the coming weeks to strengthen it as much as possible.
But we won’t get to have that fight if we don’t make ourselves heard, right now, about how important it is to solve the climate crisis and transition to a clean energy economy. Your voice is needed like never before.