From: Keely Gammon
To:
Mr. Jim Kenney, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia
City Hall, Office 215
Philadelphia, Pa 19107
Re: In support of permanently closing MLK Drive to cars
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Dear Mr. Kenney,
On March 20, 2020, in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) successfully petitioned for the temporary repurposing of a 4.3-mile stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive (MLK Drive), from East Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval, as a car-free, mixed-use, recreational roadway(1). The subsequent 16-month-long closure gave thousands of Philadelphia-area residents the opportunity to safely leave their homes and connect with nature in ways that also placed an emphasis on physical fitness.
U.S. News...
Environment
Dear Mr. Woods,
The company that you are the Chief Executive Officer of, ExxonMobil, has long been the leading energy and oil company in the United States. For many years, ExxonMobil has refined oil and provided gas to millions of people. Between the number of jobs that Exxonmobil creates and oil production, ExxonMobil has played a critical role in the growth of the American economy and in access to energy. However, these benefits have come at an enormous cost. Exxonmobil’s carbon emissions are extraordinarily high. Your company is the highest emitter of all American companies. If Exxonmobil was a country, it would rank in the top 10 for highest carbon emissions, with roughly the same amount of carbon emitted per year as the entire nation of Canada.
I grew up in Colorado -...
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Dear Sir/Madam,
In less than a month’s time, the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) will take place at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference in Egypt. During the two-week conference, government and non-party stakeholders will deliberate about delivering greenhouse gas emission reductions and helping ensure a transition to a net-zero global economy. This open letter addressed to the COP 27 African delegates offers suggestions on negotiating with your counterparts, especially those from the Global North. As representatives of over a billion Africans, I need not remind you that your people's future depends on what you agree with your colleagues. From history, we learn how western colonial powers used blank treaty forms to strip Africa of its resources - we...
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Every week more 10,000 trees are chopped down around the world but only 2,000 are replanted. To make things worse global wild fires claim another 500,000+ acres of forest lands every year. This is why the price of lumber increased 377% in just one year from 2020-2021.
China and India now consume more than 70% of all the lumber in the world for new housing and infrastructure construction where over 80,000 sheets of plywood are used every day to mold poured concrete structures like bridges, office buildings, railway trestles, etc.
Because of all this forest depletion, one old military vet who taught critical thinking in China has come up with an incredible new "green goop" made from recycled natural waste material that can be used to make plywood and wood products that are twice as...
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Imagine all the water in Michigan—dried up, contaminated, gone.
What would you miss the most?
For me, it would be my grandma’s cabin on the White River. I have been kayaking there for as long as I can remember, and each time is just as fun as the last. Whether we go for an hour or three, I always have fun. Kayaking is peaceful (if you mind the rocks) and there is always so much to see and do-- I have kayaked behind sandhill cranes as they go about fishing, scooped turtles off rocks, fished from the shores and jumped off every bridge.
Or perhaps, for you, it would be going swimming in Lake Michigan and getting ice cream afterword (Traverse City Cherry, anyone?), exploring our thousands of campgrounds, parks, waterfalls, forests, islands, and lakes. From rock hunting for Yooperlites...
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AN OPEN LETTER TO MY TWENTY FIRST CENTURY CHILD
By Alex Butler
I AM SORRY about the shape the world is in, and for being part of a generation that neglected to consider the impact our behavior would have on your future.
We have failed to protect our habitat by indulging in a way of life that has despoiled the land, sea and air. And we've valued convenience over sustainability, creating a stressful lifestyle that has increased loneliness and diminished community.
Our short-sightedness has played havoc with your future and now it is you and your generation whose shoulders, hearts and minds are burdened with the problems we leave behind.
We are remorseful and want to use our hard-earned wisdom to help create a better future for you.
Can you forgive us?
Please...
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The title of this letter is the attitude that commits our planet to passing the point of no return with climate change. I myself was somebody who thought this way for the longest time - I saw brushing my teeth in the shower, carpooling to work, or riding my bike instead of driving as inconveniences that would yield no results. In reality, the outcome of these actions is what you believe it will be. If you say they're insignificant and therefore you don't do them, our situation will stay the same or worsen. The people around you will probably take the same attitude too. If you do the opposite and turn yourself into a force of change while inspiring others to do the same, before you know it it could become the new norm. When everybody contributes a little bit, a lot gets done, and without...
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To Those Who Care About The Earth,
The Amazon is “gasping for air”
What actions are you taking today to help it breath?
Deforestation within the Amazon has played a central role in the negative effects posed on wildlife and the place they call home in the largest rainforest on the face of the Earth. The Amazon has taken a large beating from deforestation…and is expected to lose almost one fourth of its trees by 2030 if the rate keeps going in the same direction. This reality should open your eyes to see the drastic and horrible effects of simply using paper wastefully can have on the world as a whole. The main cause for this tragedy is the increased demand for cattle ranches, room for plantations, and building more roads throughout the land. You have the option of contributing...
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Traveling within our country is truly special. We have dry red deserts, snow-capped mountains, vast flat plains, deep blue lakes, and rapid rivers. Since it is such a treasure, it is always exciting when my mom randomly states “let’s go. Right now.” With a packed up grey blue minivan, we go to national parks and monuments where these special places reside. I grew up traveling around this country for 18 years; seen it change but bloom with more excited tourists, like myself. However, I have also seen more fossil fuel companies mining more of these beautiful landscapes.
Why do we see this as a concern? In 2017, Trump cut down the size of two national monuments in Utah for fossil fuel companies. Half of the land that was once beautiful red rock wilderness, with buttes and Native American...
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An open letter to all Environmentalists,
“Renewable” energy sources are awful. So many people rave over how “good they are for the environment”, or that they are “cheaper and more efficient”. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case, Renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric do massive damage to the environment and have the poorest efficiency ratings of all available power sources.
One of the most agreed upon power sources is hydroelectric, it makes use of a natural process and doesn’t require any dangerous chemicals or pollutants. However, there are a few significant problems. First, it is incredibly expensive. Costing billions of dollars to install, it will take many years to recoup the initial cost. Secondly, the production of power is completely dependent on the...
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