Ethical Action Report (2020-02-02)

Here is the Ethical Action Report for 02/02/2020, presented by Emil Volcheck, Secretary of the Ethical Action Committee (EAC).

1. This afternoon 4-6 pm, there’s a great opportunity to help increase voter turnout in Florida. There’s an action to write letters to unregistered Florida residents. Each letter contains a personalized voter registration form. All you have to do is write the person’s name and address and one line about why you encourage them to vote. This is at a private residence on North Charles Street. If you’d like to help out, please see me afterwards for the address.
2. United Workers (UW) will launch their Zero Waste Campaign at a meeting on February 22, 12-3 pm, at University of Maryland School of Social Work auditorium. (Note: this location is changed since the previous announcement.) (Register here.) The goals of their campaign include a plastic bag ban, a tax on paper bags, and to shut down the Baltimore incinerator. UW has asked for organizations to sign on to their Zero Waste Letter. This letter went to the committee, and I have ten copies here if anyone would like to review it.
3. Cathy reported on the Baltimore Beyond Plastic event.  (Full report here.)
4. A group of a hundred Johns Hopkins University faculty have written an open letter to the Hopkins Trustees opposing the private armed police force. This issue has been of concern to many members of our society and the neighborhoods around us.  This letter went to the committee, and I have some printed copies here if anyone would like to see it.
5. The EAC is launching an ethical action book club to read “The Uninhabitable Earth” by David Wallace-Wells. The meetings will be the first Sunday of every month after platform from 12:30 to 1:30 pm at The Village Learning Center. The book club begins Sunday, March 1st, 2020. Readers should have read to page 48 by that date and be ready to discuss! The group will meet at most 5 times (reading about 50 pages prior to each meetup).
6. Charlie sent a message to the Members list on Friday with links to a calendar of events and a legislative tracking spreadsheet. Our hope is to make this information easy to access in one place. We’re also sharing this report by email and posting or to the Ethical Action Blog.
7. MoveOn.org has announced an action: come to D.C. to attend a #SwarmTheSenate protest on Capitol Hill this Wednesday. There’s an orientation at 10 A.M. and Noon action. We can be back in time for Improv. MORE DETAILS ON ETHICAL ACTION CALENDAR or call Charlie at 4439458926.  Update from Charlie as of 02/03/2020: Change in Plans for Rally.  Instead of Washington DC, there will be a demonstration in Baltimore on Wednesday February 5 at 5:30 pm at McKeldin Square (McKeldin Square is at the corner of E. Pratt St. at Light St.)  Some more details on the BES Ethical Action Calendar.
8. Remember to vote in the special election on Tuesday!