As co-facilitator of Third Act Maine I am disappointed that there was not one mention of the role the money well off Americans have in the big dirty banks plays in increasing ones carbon footprint. As Bill McKibben likes to say, 150 K in a Chase savings account is like having 3 Cadillac Escalades idling in your driveway all year long. Here in Maine, the faith community has not been willing to challenge the corporations for fear of alienating their fellow members. Just emphasizing personal carbon footprints is just what BP and Exxon-Mobil want us to do. It's well past time to throw the money lenders out of the temple!
Hi Tom, I agree with you utterly about targeting dirty banks. At Third Act Faith we are working on all three of TA's current campaigns (banking, supporting democracy, and democratizing energy), and as you can see on Third Act Faith's home page (https://thirdact.org/working-groups/faith/), we prioritize banking. This particular article concerns a different piece of Third Act's work.
While it is true that the petroleum companies' support of the carbon footprint concept is hypocritical and misdirecting, it is also the case that we cannot get to 100% renewable energy as long as we are still directly dependent on burning gas and oil in the buildings and transport systems we ourselves own or manage. It's not easy or inexpensive to convert. This is why "electrifying everything" is so important, and why promoting the help offered in the IRA matters. Since solving the climate crisis involves rethinking many aspects of our current cultural practices, I am grateful that Third Act strives to contribute significantly to many efforts, and not just one, important as it is.
As co-facilitator of Third Act Maine I am disappointed that there was not one mention of the role the money well off Americans have in the big dirty banks plays in increasing ones carbon footprint. As Bill McKibben likes to say, 150 K in a Chase savings account is like having 3 Cadillac Escalades idling in your driveway all year long. Here in Maine, the faith community has not been willing to challenge the corporations for fear of alienating their fellow members. Just emphasizing personal carbon footprints is just what BP and Exxon-Mobil want us to do. It's well past time to throw the money lenders out of the temple!
Hi Tom, I agree with you utterly about targeting dirty banks. At Third Act Faith we are working on all three of TA's current campaigns (banking, supporting democracy, and democratizing energy), and as you can see on Third Act Faith's home page (https://thirdact.org/working-groups/faith/), we prioritize banking. This particular article concerns a different piece of Third Act's work.
While it is true that the petroleum companies' support of the carbon footprint concept is hypocritical and misdirecting, it is also the case that we cannot get to 100% renewable energy as long as we are still directly dependent on burning gas and oil in the buildings and transport systems we ourselves own or manage. It's not easy or inexpensive to convert. This is why "electrifying everything" is so important, and why promoting the help offered in the IRA matters. Since solving the climate crisis involves rethinking many aspects of our current cultural practices, I am grateful that Third Act strives to contribute significantly to many efforts, and not just one, important as it is.