Candlelight Vigil
On SJ Campus
A candlelight vigil will be held 7 p.m. Sunday, June 6, on the front lawn of the SJ Campus to draw attention to the children who ‘‘went to school and never came home.’’
This week 215 eagle and raven feathers were placed on the SJ Campus lawn in observance of the children whose remains were discovered on the site of Canada’s largest Indigenous school.
The public is invited to attend.
Carol ‘Sue’ Falkner
Life Celebration Set
A celebration of life service to share all the joy of Carol “Sue” Falkner’s life will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19, at the Sitka Christian Center.
‘‘Every day is a new opportunity to choose joy, despite sorrow,’’ family members said. ‘‘We have much to be thankful for and plan to be together to give thanks for her. Please bring your joyful memories to share.’’
Pastries and other refreshments will be available.
‘Understory’
To be Shown
Alaskans’ Own and Southeast Alaska Conservation Council will hold a free virtual screening of new documentary ‘‘Understory’’ 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, World Oceans Day.
The film, directed by Colin Arisman, explores the ‘‘phenomenon of clearcut logging and its impacts in the Tongass National Forest and subsequently climate change,’’ a press release from organizers said.
Producer Elsa Sebastian, president of the Organized Village of Kake Joel Jackson, and Matthew Jackson from Southeast Alaska Conservation Council will be on a panel. A question-and-answer session is planned.
To register go to https://tinyurl.com/AOunderstory.
For information, email info@alaskansown.com or call 738-1286.
Climate Connection: Financing the Race to Zero
In the news, an increasing number of corporations are pledging net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. This is great news but, taking a look at how companies like Amazon are operating now, it’s hard to imagine how they can achieve this goal. While there are many different factors and forces that will need to change to enact this pledge, there is one green influence that often determines our future: money.
The podcast Outrage + Optimism is a valuable resource to understand the climate crisis on a global scale, through current events and inspirational ideas. The former UN chief, Christiana Figurers, hosts the podcast with a team of UN leaders who created the Paris Agreement.
The podcast has a specific series called Financing the Race to Zero. This series does a great job of unpacking the reality of what companies must do to reach net-zero carbon emissions. While finances can be difficult to understand, this episode stresses the importance of taking time to acknowledge this crucial factor in the climate crisis.
This episode features Mark Carney, a UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, who speaks about the value of public investments made by governments. He acknowledges that public investments toward a sustainable future will not be enough, but the political symbolism of governments investing their finances in these issues has a profound impact on private investments. When the government shows that the risk of investing in a net-zero carbon future is worth it, then the private sector will surely follow.
Madeleine Albright once said, “Our business is to help investors vote with their money.” Indeed. We must all opt in to a sustainable, equitable and just future. Many are able to do this with their money. Driving a greener future with investments in businesses that are working toward future solutions to the climate problem.
New York State Comptroller Thomas Di Napoli spoke on the strategy taken for the state of New York. He focused on the importance of encouraging change with investments, rather than pulling money out of any environmentally harmful organization. There is a lot of power in working with a company when investing long-term, making sure they’re going to be making the changes needed for the future of the planet.
When thinking about a green future, we cannot do so without considering the power of money. The power it can have in signaling the importance of this issue. The power investors can have to incentivize companies to be a part of the solution. This idea of holding corporations responsible for the future they are creating is deeply important as we move towards net-zero emissions.
–––––––
Anna Zauner is a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and an AmeriCorps Volunteer.
