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In the DC area, we face countless threats to our air, water, land, and climate.<\/strong><\/p>\n We have Trump and his\u00a0oil-soaked mockery of the Environmental Protection Agency<\/a> in our backyard, big polluters threatening our communities\u2019 drinking water with\u00a0numerous\u00a0pipeline projects<\/a>, and rising seas putting our region\u00a0at risk of devastation and massive displacement<\/a> during a time of\u00a0rampant and increasing gentrification<\/a> that\u2019s already hitting vulnerable and minority communities hardest.<\/p>\n But through local organizing and distributed action, every one of us has the tools we need to fight back. <\/b>350 DC strives to partake in both, and we have made some huge strides towards local climate justice over the past few years. I\u2019m new to the group, and in just the few months I\u2019ve worked with 350 DC, I\u2019ve seen our scrappy, volunteer-led organization accomplish crucial climate goals.<\/p>\n 350 DC members rally against the fracked gas Potomac Pipeline<\/p><\/div>\n As 350 DC member Rachel Goldstein\u00a0writes in Feministing<\/i><\/a>, we\u2019re part of a coalition of other incredible local groups, including the\u00a0Rising Hearts Coalition <\/a>and\u00a0Potomac Riverkeeper Network<\/a>, fighting the fracked-gas Potomac Pipeline \u2013 a project proposed by TransCanada, the company behind Keystone XL. 350 DC lobbied the DC Council to sign a letter urging Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who has decision-making power over the project, to reject the pipeline. A large majority of the Council signed, in addition to\u00a0unanimously<\/i><\/a> endorsing a local resolution opposing the pipeline. But we didn\u2019t stop there. We organized carpools to public hearings in Hancock, MD, and Berkeley Springs, WV, to make\u00a0formal testimony<\/a> against this climate-wrecking, water-threatening fracked-gas disaster.<\/p>\n On top of that, 350 DC is also targeting national banks that continue to fund fossil fuel infrastructure. As part of the Indigenous-led\u00a0DC Reinvest Coalition<\/a>, we\u2019re working to pressure the DC Government to divest its holdings and banking operations from Wells Fargo, which is\u00a0among the biggest funders of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines<\/a>, a major investor in\u00a0for-profit prisons<\/a>, and an institution with a long history of\u00a0racist lending<\/a>.<\/p>\n These causes are merely the two I\u2019ve gotten to know best in my short time with the group. 350 DC is also pushing for a local\u00a0carbon rebate that would make polluters pay and reinvest revenue in our communities<\/a>, and supporting\u00a0Sunrise DC, a youth-led grassroots movement<\/a> fighting to make climate justice a central political issue.<\/p>\n At our core, we are an organization driven by powerful messages and bold aims. But what\u2019s most inspired me about 350 DC is the passion of its members. We\u2019re volunteers driven by compelling ideas. In a frightening political moment, being part of this community helps me recommit myself to working for a better world on a daily basis . I\u2019m confident that through the Fossil Free movement, millions more across the country will also be able to find that drive and inspiration to stand up for our communities and climate.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why I\u2019m asking on behalf of 350 DC that you join us for\u00a0<\/b>\u201cFossil Free Fast: <\/i><\/b>The Climate Resistance\u201d on January 31st at George Washington University.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n This event will feature some of the most galvanizing leaders in the climate movement:<\/strong> Bill McKibben, Senator Bernie Sanders, Cherri Foytlin, Tara Rodr\u00edguez Besosa of the Puerto Rico Resilience Fund, Varshini Prakash of Sunrise, Jacqueline Patterson of the NAACP, and more.<\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t already, take a moment to\u00a0watch and share this short video<\/a> to get excited.<\/strong><\/p>\n Then,\u00a0<\/b>snag yourself a ticket<\/b><\/a> before they\u2019re gone.<\/b> (And if you can\u2019t make the event, make sure to\u00a0RSVP to a watch party<\/a> \u2013 there are nearly 200 across the country \u2013 or if there isn\u2019t a party in your neighborhood, you can easily host one yourself.)<\/p>\n The more we come together \u2013 town by town, city by city, state by state \u2013 the closer we get to warding off climate disaster and building a more just world for future generations. Let\u2019s get to work.<\/p>\n![\"350](\"https:\/\/gofossilfree.org\/usa\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/01\/DNz_NynWAAI2gmG-1024x587.jpg\")
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