Weekly e-Newsletter 2/15/2022

Art of the Week

One, No Matter What
by Louis Alemayehu

If you looked into my Grandfathers face,
Where all the times and trials had come to rest,
Into his eyes,
You would see that all the world merges into
One Dream,
One Linking Unity,
Like the Earth, the Sun,
the Righteous Rain,
One Sacred fluidity,
One perfect, complex, simplicity
One exquisite, eternal, moment, unbelievably
One gorgeous movement
Of coming and going, coming and going,
Moving slowly, slowly on this wheel of time,
Caked with a muddy Love,
Carrying our One Soul
To a New Birth.

Louis is a community leader, elder, activist, teacher and artist who is a member of the Wild Path Collective in Osceola, WI.

Wild Path Collective is an intergenerational, multicultural, and interfaith community and non-profit with the intention to support healing for the land and for people who experience systemic and oppressive challenges to land access.

Much of Louis’ non-artistic work today is centered on food security, climate change, human rights, and environmental justice.

Upcoming Events

Q&A

Credit: Maheen Arshad

Q: Are Cryptocurrencies Harming the Environment?

A: Yes. A single bitcoin transaction could power the average US household for a month.

The Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index reports that bitcoin accounts for 0.40% of the world’s total electricity consumption – greater than the total energy required to power all the tea kettles in the UK for 29 years.

As the popularity of cryptocurrency continues to rise, Bitcoin could alone produce enough CO2 emissions to push global warming above 2°C in less than three decades. 

https://earth.org/are-cryptocurrencies-harming-the-environment/

What to Watch

Please watch Amazon’s newest Super Bowl commercial, Mind Reader starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost.

This funny, yet troubling ad explores a popular question asked by many consumers over the past few years: what happens when Big Brother has the capability to read our minds?

We learn that it is not as perfect as one would hope. As we consider the implications of advancing technology, this commercial is an important addition to the conversation. 

Weekly e-Newsletter

February 15, 2022
Editors: Rae’Jean Alford & Terry Gips

At the Alliance

We welcome your newsletter submissions and donations toward our SHE Kindness Campaign for sustainability, health, equity and kindness.

Our forthcoming SHE Kindness School Program will inform, inspire and engage students, teachers, staff, administrators and parents in taking action to bring about SHE Kindness at school, home and in the community.

We are looking for 20 schools, 10 from under-served communities, that are interested in participating. If you are an educator and interested in collaborating with us, please send us an email at info@afors.org.

Don’t forget to participate and join the Alliance team in the month-long Plastic-Free Challenge sponsored by Hennepin County! 

Sustainability Tip: 5 Acts of Kindness to Practice

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Foundation

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is encouraging everyone to participate in Random Acts of Kindness Day (RAK Day) on Thursday, February 17. Here are five of our favorite kindness ideas shared on their list: 

  1. Smile to at least 5 people a day
  2. Give animals some love and have a meat-free day at least once a week
  3. Pick up at least one piece of trash a day
  4. Volunteer and help a nonprofit or run or walk for a cause
  5. Have a judgement-free day about yourself and others

If these inspire you, additional kindness ideas can be found here. They have also provided a number of printable resources such as coloring pages, bookmarks, posters and kindness bingo. 

Take Action: Tell the President to Cancel Student Loan Debt

Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Student loan debt impacts millions of Americans, making it difficult to pay for rent, bills, food, and healthcare. Furthermore, student loan debt disproportionately affects Black and brown Americans: Four years after graduation, the average Black college graduate owes about $52,726, while the average white college graduate owes about $28,000 in the same timeframe. 

Last April, President Biden asked the Department of Education to write a memo outlining his legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower. Over 80 House and Senate Democrats (including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth  Warren) recently wrote a letter to President Biden, urging him to release the findings of the memo. Forgiving up to $50,000 in student loan debt is estimated to cost about $1 trillion.

President Biden has already extended the payment pause on student loans through May 1, 2022. While this action helped millions of Americans, forgiving up to $50,000 in student loan debt would have much more profound effects: about 80% of student loan borrowers, or 36 million people, would see their entire student loan debt cleared. Young Americans will be able to enter the economy, buy homes, and begin to live comfortably.

The Alliance would go further in assuring true equity by providing non-college attendees, the working class and low income people the same equivalent benefit.

Join the Alliance and NextGenAmerica in urging the President to forgive student loan debt up to $50,000.

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