BOTL segment excerpt:

The parent — teacher — community campaign style of the Chicago Teacher’s Union has spread across the country. Parents and students stood with teachers in Boston earlier this year to oppose the expansion of charter schools. Thousands signed petitions and educated the community, mobilizing a network prepared to form a wall against outside, corporate monied interests.

Most of our country’s communities are smaller than Boston and Chicago, however. Many are without strong union support and wonder how they are to stand up to conservative governors and skeptical voters as they work to halt charter school development and fight budget cuts under already bare bones conditions. Teachers and parents in Elkhart, Indiana decided their students were worth fighting for despite the odds. “Yes 4 Elkhart” is a referendum to support the Elkhart Community School System’s more than 12,000 students by repairing aging facilities, increasing safety and improving transportation.

No matter where you live, these are the grassroots efforts we should be amplifying. Let’s build on wins and repeat what works in school districts and cities from coast to coast. We do have power at the local level; find out what’s happening to the schools in your community and see if the Yes 4 Elkhart and Chicago Teacher’s Union efforts can changes conditions as we work to rebuild the foundation our of nation’s public education system.

Take Action:

Yes 4 Elkhart referendum

Yes 4 Elkhart on Facebook

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Yes 4 Elkhart, episode #820 "More misplaced incentive structures (Education)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

As the “Start And Win Campaigns To Protect Our Common Future” page says, "People power will solve the climate crisis...Taking on global warming is a HUGE task, so we need people working all over the world on lots of different campaigns to make it happen.”

Take Action:

Create your own activism: Start And Win Campaigns To Protect Our Common Future from 350.org

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: 350.org Campaigns, episode #806 "Moment of truth (climate/keystone xl)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

Thanks to a recent ruling out of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Shell has announced it cannot make its yearly push for new leases and fewer regulations. The courts have said that the Department of the Interior failed to conduct an adequate environmental impact assessment before allowing the sale of Arctic Ocean areas for oil and gas exploration.

The Obama administration has the power to cancel all current Arctic drilling leases and halt all future lease sales. As the Sierra Club petition reminds us, “the Arctic's extreme weather, harsh cold, sea ice, winter darkness and sensitive wildlife make it the last place we should be drilling for oil.”

Take Action:

Add your voice/name to the Sierra Club's White House letter: Protect the Arctic from an oil spill disaster!

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Protect the Arctic, episode #815 "Past and future destruction (Climate)"

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

Wouldn’t it be great if someone was spearheading a project that connected science, climate reality, practical solutions and concerned citizens? That thought lead actor and activist Mark Ruffalo to Professor Mark Jacobson, the Stanford researcher who had done a study on making New York state 100 percent reliant on renewable energy. Ruffalo thought, why not a study with a realistic plan for every state?

These are not happy, overly-excited liberal fantasies. They were developed by scientists and business leaders with research from Stanford, UC Davis and Cornell. By combining wind, water and solar power, each state can break free of its dependence on carbon fuels — and there’s no admission fee or purchase requirements or entrance exam for leaders in government and business to get their hands on the plans. They just have to say yes.

Take Action:

Visit the The Solutions Project website for tools and to stay updated on their efforts.

Other Activism: Put Solar on It will help you attach solar panels to almost any structure!

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: The Solutions Project, episode #795 "It's hot, it's cold, it's polluted (Climate/Energy)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

Planet killing energy giants control everything, right? That’s the assumption most of us residing outside of deregulated, competition-rich Vermont live under. Coal, oil, natural gas — all are pumped into our homes by the company we’ve always used or who bothered to drop the flier into our mailboxes.

It turns out we’re wrong; there is competition for our heat and electricity.

The US Department of Energy website’s “Buying Green Power” tab can connect you to the options in your state — many of which are cheaper than use going through the obvious corporate conglomerate. Depending on where you live, your options vary due to ingenuity, availability, feasibility, etc. Not every area has off shore wind farms, for example, or access to Vermont’s “Cow Power Program” which turns farming by-products into energy. But even if your state hasn’t implemented market competition for electricity, you should still be able to purchase green power or use a “green pricing program.”

Take Action:

Buying Green Power, The Green Power Network

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Buying Green Power, episode #824 "Investing in a green future (Climate)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

Rich, white men rule this country. We can deny it and point out anomalies, but by and large rich, white and male is the trifecta — a winning lottery ticket to a life of ease and power. And as minorities become the majority, women and the LGBTQ community chip away at the millennia-long privilege, and equality gets chiseled into our federal and state constitutions — the Koch brothers & their ilk are doubling down on their efforts to rig the system.

As the governmental accountability nonprofit Common Cause explains on their website: If the Court sides with the plaintiff in McCutcheon v. FEC and overturns aggregate contribution limits, a single individual could spend as much as $3.6 million on a single election -- enough to buy the attention of the President and every single member of Congress.

Take Action:

Take Action on McCutcheon v FEC at the Common Cause website.

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Citizens United, Take Two, episode #811 "The affliction of wealth on people and society (Economics)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

From the Free Press petition page:

No one woke up this morning wishing their cable company was bigger or had more control over what they watch and how they get online. But that's the reality we’ll face unless the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission do their jobs and block this merger.

Putting this much power in the hands of one company is dangerous. This deal would lead to less consumer choice, less diversity and much higher cable bills. This is a fight we can win.

Take Action:

SIGN: Petition to Stop the Time Warner/Comcast Merger

Additional Activism: Keep up to date on net neutrality and other important internet freedom issues at Save The Internet Action Page

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: FreePress.net Fights Against Media Monopolies, episode #799 "Rise of the gatekeepers (Net Neutrality)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

Robert Greenwald revolutionized activist documentary filmmaking when he launched Brave New Films in 2002. Moved by the voter rights abuses in the 2000 election, Greenwald discovered audiences were similarly hungry for in-depth investigations told through personal, relatable stories. You may have seen some of his work without even realizing it; take this opportunity to binge on what you’ve missed.

Take Action:

Watch existing documentary films and shorts, follow on social media and keep up on the latest projects: Brave New Films from Robert Greenwald

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Brave New Films, episode #800 "A parody of itself (Media)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

From the Color of Change campaign:

It's time to end so-called "Stand Your Ground" laws and other such laws that undermine public safety, senselessly put people at risk, and enable the kind of tragedy we've witnessed in the cases of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis. I'm calling on you to take leadership and undo these dangerous laws now.

Take Action:

Contact your representatives: ”Stand Against ‘Shoot First’ Laws” petition from ColorOfChange.org

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Stand Against ‘Shoot First’ Laws, episode #805 "Unequal Justice Under the Law (the (in)justice system)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich

BOTL segment excerpt:

The ineffectiveness of the “war on drugs” is not a new concept to listeners of this show. We regularly discuss the for-profit prisons, racist structure of the court system and hurtles impeding a return to full citizenship in clips as well as in our voicemail and commentary segments.

What’s often left out is a major (and politically inconvenient) cause of our prison population spike: mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Congress passed mandatory minimum sentencing laws in the 80’s as part of an attempt to appear “tough on crime.” Since then, the federal prison system has seen a nearly ten-fold increase in incarcerations. Consequently, one out of every four Department of Justice dollars is spent on locking up mostly nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons.

Take Action:

Add your voice in support of common sense reform: Tell the Commission: Cut These Drug Sentences!” from Families Against Mandatory Minimums

More info:

Listen to the source segment for this activism at BOTL Activism: Families Against Mandatory Minimums, episode #798 "Learning to play nice with human nature (War on Drugs)”

Written by BOTL social media/activism director Katie Klabusich