Mourning the Loss of Rebecca Tarbotton: “A Force of Nature”

Earth Quaker Action Team joins thousands in mourning the loss of Rainforest Action Network Executive Director Rebecca Tarbotton, who died suddenly on Wednesday  at age 39.

To learn more, click on these links to reports in the Washington Post and Grist.

RAN has set up a special memorial page on their website, “for Becky’s whole community to memorialize her, celebrate her, share  memories, images, and feelings.”

This is a significant loss, made more painful for its unexpected and sudden nature.  We send love and light to all who are suffering, and we commit ourselves to carrying on the work that Becky called us to:  “big, brash, nonviolent climate protests.”

EQAT Day of Action Report is Guest Blog for RAN

Earth Quaker Action Team was invited by Rainforest Action Network to share the story of our Day of Action on December 1.  Read our special blog post here.

Thanls to RAN.org for their great work and support of our campaign.

Earth Quakers Day of Action

Click here to view a slideshow of photographs from Dec. 1st as they arrive!

Protests at 15 PNC Bank branches across Eastern Seaboard, from OH to WV 

Largest single-day protest against PNC’s investments in mountaintop removal

Quakers, students, and community activists held the largest coordinated action of their campaign at 15 PNC banks across the eastern seaboard today as part of Earth Quaker Action Team’s effort to curb PNC’s investments in a controversial strip mining practice known as mountaintop removal.  At many locations, activists brought samples of drinking water taken from a family well in Eunice, WV that had been contaminated by mountaintop removal operations.

Demonstrations included a banner drop over a highway in Morgantown, West Virginia, mock “taste tests” of contaminated water in Princeton NJ, a parade of toxic chemicals and a 15 person sit-in inside a bank in Bryn Mawr, PA, account closings, and more. ”PNC comes from a merger between Pittsburgh National and  Provident Bank, which has a Quaker heritage” said Amy Ward Brimmer, Executive Director of EQAT. “As Quakers, if PNC is going to advertise itself as a ‘Green’ bank, it’s important to us that they act with integrity and live up to their environmental commitments.” Mountaintop removal has destroyed over 500 mountains in Appalachia and buried over 2000 miles of streams, leaching toxic chemicals into the water table, toxins that have been linked to health conditions such as cancer and birth defects.

“We know PNC can do better, and we are committed to using nonviolence to stand up for the people of Appalachia.” said Bryn Mawr student Samantha Shain. “A full sector exclusion [on mountaintop removal investments] will bring Appalachia closer to having clean and safe drinking water for everyone.” Two years ago, in response to demonstrations by Earth Quaker Action Team,  PNC updated their Corporate Responsibility Report with a policy that prohibits investments in coal companies that source more than 50% of their coal from mountaintop removal. The updated policy, however, does not apply to any of the six largest mountaintop removal corporations that PNC does business with and has not significantly impacted PNC’s investments in the industry, according to a report from the Rainforest Action Network.

Earth Quaker Action Team is a Quaker-based direct action group whose current campaign is “Bank Like Appalachia Matters.” To support their goals, EQAT has organized an initiative encouraging individuals, Quaker meetings, and institutions to remove their money from PNC.

Actions occurred at PNC Bank branches in:

New Castle County, DE
Princeton, NJ
Bala Cynwyd, PA
North Philadelphia, PA
Media, PA
Harrisburg, PA
West Chester, PA
Washington, DC
Bryn Mawr College, PA
Swarthmore College, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Center City, Philadelphia, PA
Bloomsberg, PA
Morgantown University, WV
Cincinnati University, OH

EQAT Seeks Campaign Organizer

Earth Quaker Action Team is seeking to fill the position of Campaign Organizer.  The job description and application instructions can be found on our new page called “Employment.”

If you or someone you know has the passion and skills to join us in our ever-growing campaign for a just and sustainable world, please contact us!

Join us for our December 1st Day of Action!

This December 1st, EQAT will be visiting PNC Banks all over the tri-state area (and beyond) with samples of drinking water taken directly from a contaminated well in Eunice, West Virginia. This is an opportunity for us to challenge PNC on their record as a “Green Bank” with a tangible example of the consequences of mountaintop removal affecting thousands of families in Appalachia, and to emphasize that our work isn’t just about the environment, it’s about human rights.

Find the action nearest you, then email an action organizer to get plugged in!

All actions will be December 1st, unless otherwise noted.

New Castle County, DE, (Hockessin DE., 7421 Lancaster Pike, 9am) with Gail Newbold at GailNewbold@Verizon.net.
Princeton, NJ (76 Nassau Street, 11:30 am), with Ann Yasuhara at ayasuhara@earthlink.net
Bala Cynwyd, PA, (Starbucks next to the PNC at 4060 City Avenue, 12:00 pm) with James Strong at Jmm.strong@gmail.com.
North Philadelphia, PA (3244 North Broad Street, 10:30 am) with Chris Baker-Evens at chris.bakerevens@gmail.com.
Center City, Philadelphia, PA, with Kaz Uyehara.
Media, PA,  (ACME Parking Lot across from PNC, 527 E. Baltimore Pike, 10:30am) contact Robin Harper at RobinMHarper@Verizon.net.
Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Friends Meeting, 4836 Ellsworth Ave, 10:00am) with Wanda Guthrie at wanda.guthrie@gmail.com.
Harrisburg, PA (PNC Bank, 1400 Camp Hill Shopping Mall, 32nd St. and Rt. 15 Camp Hill PA, 1:30PM) with Melissa Manning at mcarleym@gmail.com.
West Chester, PA, (West Goshen PNC 1527 West
Chester Pike, West Chester, 10:30am) with Victoria Pearson at victoria.pearson@westtown.edu.
Gladwyn, PA, with Althea Culclasure (email eqateam@gmail.com for contact info).
Washington, DC, (N. Side of Fountain at Dupont Circle, 11am) with Ted Conwell at tconwell@climatefirst.us.
Bryn Mawr College, PA, (18 South Bryn Mawr Avenue  Bryn Mawr, PA, 10AM) and other colleges, contact Karen Lietner at kleitner@brynmawr.edu or Johannah CordonHill at jcordonhil@brynmawr.edu.
Swarthmore College, PA. with Ben Goossen at bengoossen1@gmail.com.
Morgantown University, WV
Cincinnati University, OH (Action will be Nov 30.)

Direct Action Encounter in the PNC Narberth Branch

 

A reportback by George Lakey

A couple of weekends ago, Earth Quaker Action Team held a training to prepare another 15 people to join our Day of Action on December 1.  It was mostly students, but it also included older people (even some with gray hair!).  We were joined by mother/son team from Southern West Virginia. Nada Cook White is a nurse who has many years of experience with health problems caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. Dustin White works full-time with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), a grassroots group in Appalachia organizing people against the coal companies.

It was grand meeting Nada and watching her interact with a whole new set of people.  A big moment was in the PNC bank branch in Narberth.  Our training was nearby, at the Merion Friends meetinghouse.  The trainees plus others (about 25 in all) walked to the bank, went inside, and sang songs like “This Little Light of Mine.”  We passed out our leaflets, talked with the tellers and customers, and tried to talk with the branch manager, who was pretty upset with our being there.

The manager walked into the lobby to confront the whole group and order us out.  Nada spoke up about the illnesses that were spreading. The manager said, “I’m just trying to do business as usual.”

Dustin stepped toward him and showed him a jar of faucet water from his town – it was dark brown in color. Dustin said that the water showed what “business as usual” looks like in West Virginia.

Dustin’s mom emphasized that the people there are hurting and want it to stop.

The manager looked at Judy, a new member of our group who was holding up her plastic PNC bank card, for an account she intends to close on December 1.  “This is no way to stop it,” he said to her.

“We believe that it is,” Judy replied.

Then the police arrived and we left, having agreed not to get arrested that day.  We stayed in front of the bank and held our signs for a while before going back to debrief our experience.  Everyone felt very good about the whole episode, especially those from West Virginia and Judy, who had never before participated in a protest!

 

December 1st: PNC Day of Action!

This December 1st, EQAT will be visiting PNC Banks all over the tri-state area (and beyond) with samples of drinking water taken directly from a contaminated well in Eunice, West Virginia. This is an opportunity for us to challenge PNC on their record as a ‘Green Bank’ with a tangible example of the consequences of mountaintop removal affecting thousands of families in Appalachia, and to emphasize that our work isn’t just about the environment, it’s about human rights.

This is our December 1st PNC Day of Action, and coming out of our Larry Gibson Nonviolence Training we have a group of action organizers ready to lead demonstrations in over 10 different locations. The only question now is – will you join them, or will you be leading an action of your own?

Find out more by following this link.