Join the March for a Clean Energy Revolution - and Celebrating the Life of Michael Mariotte (1952-2016)
[Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) issued the following action alert, and tribute to the life and work of Michael Mariotte. See below.
Beyond Nuclear has joined in the NIRS-initiated planning for the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, and will take part on July 24th. Beyond Nuclear encourages everyone who can make it, to join in the Carbon-Free, Nuclear-Free contingent in Philadelphia on July 24th, as well as at the teach-ins, meetings, gatherings, etc., the day before. If you can't make it, please spread the word widely to those who can.
Also, see Beyond Nuclear's own tributes to Michael Mariotte, posted at our website.]
June 29, 2016
Dear Friends,
We invite you to join us for the next historic safe energy mobilization--the March for a Clean Energy Revolution, July 24 in Philadelphia. You can find more details on the march below.
We have good news and sad news to report today. On at least this occasion, it's appropriate that they go together. Many of you know that Michael Mariotte, NIRS's President and long-time Executive Director--and primary sender of these emails--had been struggling with cancer for some time.
Recently, that struggle came to an end. Michael passed away a few weeks ago. He has left us all with a legacy of his achievements from which the movement for a nuclear-free world will benefit for many years. We encourage you to visit our memorial webpage to find out more about Michael's enormous contributions and his unique life, which have been comemorated in some of the U.S.'s most prominent news outlets, as well as in the humble pages of our own Nuclear Monitor and the GreenWorld blog that Michael founded and edited.
Michael's death is a major loss for NIRS and the anti-nuclear movement. His brilliance and his voice will never be replaced, so you will notice some changes in the coming months. For instance, emails like this addressed from other NIRS staffers, and soon we will be rolling out one of the last projects Michael was working on: a new and revitalized website and a new image for NIRS, that connects our movements roots to our ongoing work.
As Michael would have it, we are continuing the fight--and our work for a nuclear-free, carbon-free world is only expanding.
Two years ago, 400,000 people joined the historic People's Climate March in New York City -- including thousands who marched with NIRS and the Nuclear-Free, Carbon-Free Contingent. Michael Mariotte was the architect and chief organizer of that enormous, vibrant, and visionary contingent, and our mobilization was one of the moments of which he was proudest.
Collectively, we sent an incredibly powerful message that day, which not only led to the first-ever truly global climate action agreement. The visionary statement made by those marching for a nuclear-free, carbon-free world both helped keep nuclear power out of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan and, ultimately, prevented the international climate agreement from endorsing it, as well.
Join us on July 24 as we March for a Clean Energy Revolution in Philadelphia.
The Democratic National Convention will be meeting there starting the next day. The Nuclear-Free, Carbon-Free Contingent will be marching with thousands of anti-fracking, climate justice, First Nations, fair trade, unions, and clean energy activists, demanding an end to dirty energy and a total commitment and a just transition to clean, sustainable, renewable energy. And we need you to join us!
Our victories since the People's Climate March have led to more and more reactor shutdowns, but the nuclear industry hasn't given up--and their attacks on our clean energy future are getting more severe this year. Dirty energy corporations see the 2016 elections as their opportunity to block renewable energy, no matter who wins the elections.
And the nuclear industry is no exception. In fact, there is a nuclear lobbyist and spokesperson on the Democratic Party Platform Committee: Nuclear Matters' Carol Browner. We need as many No Nukes and safe energy activists as possible to join us in the streets of Philadelphia.
And if you can't make if you can't make it, or just want to help us build our numbers, please consider making a donation to support our organizing for the march. All donations to NIRS are being matched two-to-one this month--for every dollar you donate, some generous NIRS donors will double it.
Thanks for all you do,
The NIRS Team
Diane D'Arrigo, Denise Jakobsberg, Tim Judson, and Mary Olson
June 29, 2016