Thank Governor Cuomo for Making History
Sunday, April 9
On Friday, April 7th, New York State passed a budget which made us the first state in the country to offer free tuition at four year public colleges.
(Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP)
As noted in the Washington Post,
"The $163 billion state budget agreement includes the Excelsior Scholarship, which covers tuition for any New Yorker accepted to one of the state’s community colleges or four-year universities, provided their family earns less than $125,000 a year.
Proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in January, the scholarship taps into one of the Democratic Party’s most popular ideas and advances a bipartisan movement to lower the cost of college that is taking shape across the country....The scholarship program will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019. Nearly 1 million families will qualify for the scholarship....In-state tuition at community colleges in New York pencils in at $4,350, while tuition at State University of New York schools is $6,470 for residents. The City University of New York schools cost about the same as their state counterparts."
Let's thank Governor Cuomo for taking this important step for New York families.
Call: 1-518-474-8390
Email · Twitter: @NYGovCuomo · Facebook
Mail:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Shy About Making Calls? Here Are More Ways To Take Action
Saturday, April 8th
(Adapted from Rogan's List and Whst Do I Do about Trump)
Just because you don't want to talk on the phone, you don’t have to be inactive.
Here is a handy guide to activism for introverts.
Tell Advertisers: Thanks for Leaving The O'Reilly Factor Behind
Wednesday, April 5th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Following up on yesterday’s notice that Mercedes-Benz was pulling ads from Bill O’Reilly’s show after sexual harrassment claims & settlements against O'Reilly were reported, 24 other companies (and counting) have done the same (read about them here).
Action you can take today:
Advertisers recognize the power of consumers.
Use this spreadsheet (below) to thank these companies via Twitter, and encourage the remaining few to stop supporting Bill O'Reilly and Fox's culture of misogyny:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q_ZNcml-rN7I6XRakgXZdRQAxygVeB5P45zQYsZEQ_A/edit#gid=0
Take Action: Decrease Your Carbon Footprint
Sunday, April 2
(Adapted from Shannon & Jane's Do A Thing)
Today's Action: Decrease Your Carbon Footprint
The car in this picture is 19 years old, and well-oved by its owner. It seems like a responsible act, using something as long as possible. But this car also gets terrible gas mileage, mostly under 20 mpg. It turns out that buying a new car might be one of the best things some of us can do for our carbon footprint, according to this NYT article, which says that if every American household drove a car getting 56 mpg, we could reduce US carbon emissions by TEN PERCENT.
That's big.
Small adjustments can add up too, though. For example, we could decrease emissions by another 2.2% if we each did ALL of these things:- Reduce the distance you drive by 1.2% (that's 13 miles/mo for the avg American driver)
- Keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure for max efficiency
- Just be a chill driver; no speeding, hard stops, or gunning it
- Fly 10% less
- Turn down your thermostat by 3 degrees for 8 hrs/day in the winter
- Replace 1 out of every 5 incandescent light bulbs with an LED
- Eat 2% fewer calories (roughly, the # of calories in a miniature box of raisins)
- Reduce meat consumption by 7%; about a pound per month, if you're an average American adult
- Reduce the amount of food you throw away by 13%. Make a meal plan so you cook or freeze everything you buy before it spoils! Plan your leftovers carefully so you actually eat them!
Effort matters - take nothing for granted!
Today: Advocate for Science
Friday, March 31st
(Adapted from the folks at the March for Science)
Advocate for Science Today
Tuesday, March 28th, the President proposed an immediate $18 billion cut from research, education, and additional programs. Although there are many hurdles before this version passes Congress, it’s important to make our concerns heard now. Take the time today to call your Member of Congress to push back against extreme budget cuts to the federal medical funding. These changes put everything at risk, including our health, our children's future, and the American economy.
Click here, enter your address and find contact info for your your members of Congress. Here’s a quick script, but always remember to personalize it and share why medical research funding matters to you.
“I’m calling because I want to urge Representative [Last Name] to oppose the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health. NIH’s research saves lives every day and the basic research they do creates new treatments and new medicine. It’s hard to believe we’re actually debating whether or not to fund an agency that saves lives, creates jobs and keeps the United States leading the world in medical research. Is my representative against these cuts or are they going to remain silent in the face of these unprecedented attacks on American science and people’s health?”
