This coming Thursday, April 1st is the annual Fossil Fools Day celebration, when all over the world, people expose that fossil fuels are the opposite of what we need!

The first time I participated in Fossil Fools Day, I rode 40 miles on my bicycle to the Vermont statehouse, urging the state senate to vote in support of increased wind power. There were about 40 riders in all, each of us adorned with pinwheels on our helmets. It was a memorable day, and was part of a series of campus organizing successes that eventually led to the formation of 350.org!

We wanted to highlight one event in particular, organized by our friends in Salt Lake City, Utah. Turns out, due to extreme storm warnings, their event will be April 3.

Here's more, from the event announcement:

"Most of us know that the Wasatch Front, and in particular the Salt Lake Valley, has the unfortunate distinction of having some of the worst air in the country. We also know that the brown soup that hides our beautiful mountains and degrades our quality of life is not just ugly to look at —  it causes diseases…The [Kennecott] power plant doesn't even need to burn coal.  It can run on natural gas, which is far cleaner, but coal is cheaper. That means that there has been a cost/benefit analysis and the company has measured the health and lives of all of us as less valuable than the money they save by burning coal."
 

Our demand is that Kennecott immediately stop burning coal and commit to switching to renewable energy by 2015. Not that hard!

We are also demanding that Kennecott doesn't take the cost of being responsible out of the paychecks of the workers.  Saturday's event will be an opportunity for us to get the attention of the workers and invite them into a dialogue about how we can work together so that Kennecott can no longer force us into the choice between health and jobs.

According to Kennecott's own report, the plant emits more than 1 MILLION TONS of CO2 PER YEAR.  They acknowledge that climate change is a serious threat, and yet they continue to put their cost savings above a livable future for our children.

We need to tell Kennecott Utah Copper: NO MORE COAL IN OUR VALLEY.

Join us on April 3rd for a peaceful, legal demonstration outside the gates of the power plant.  Tell Kennecott to be good neighbors and stop agitating our air quality and climate crisis. There will even be some silly improvisational theater. It will be fun!

THE PLAN:

WHERE: Central Pointe Trax Station parking lot, 2100 south 200ish West, Salt Lake City.   We will meet by the bike racks, and probably be holding a tall banner so you can find us.

TIME:  11:00 AM. We will leave by 11:30. The demonstration will last from 12:00 to 12:45 or 1:00.

WEAR: Blue, to represent the color that the sky should be on a sunny day!

We will carpool out to the gates (which are a couple of blocks from the heart of Magna) and stand by the sign at the gates leading to the power plant. The press will be invited.
This is (a belated) part of a national day of action, called "Fossil Fools Day" Please forward this to your friends and family, and remember, this is a legal, peaceful, and good-spirited action.

This is the FIRST of a series of actions planned to convince Kennecott to transition to clean energy and stop polluting our valley. Please join the Peaceful Uprising Action Team to receive regular alerts and invitations to actions on the ground!

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