Community invited to town hall meeting on New Green Deal

The Sunrise Movement, a grass roots organization of young people working for a sustainable future for the planet through a “green” economy, will be the focus of a Town Hall on Earth Day, April 22, 2019.
 
The Sunrise Movement was inspired by the international youth movement led by Greta Thunberg of Sweden.
 
The Town Hall will be at 7 p.m. at the Cook County Community Center and it is part of a cross-county tour of 50 major cities and 100-plus town halls in communities like Grand Marais, to explain the Green New Deal and how it is intended to move the country away from fossil fuel pollution. 
 
Organizers explain that the Green New Deal is a blueprint for stopping climate disruption and creating millions of new jobs in the process. 
 
The presentation from the Sunrise Movement will include slides and video clips and will focus on how communities can create green new jobs to transition the economy away from fossil fuels and into green energy businesses.
 
Organizers liken the Green New Deal to the Civilian Conservation Corps, which is an example of how a work force can be mobilized to repair existing and build new infrastructure.
 
At the Grand Marais event, people from Cook County will talk efforts under way. Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith-DeCoux will explain the city of Grand Marais' draft Climate Action Plan; other speakers will describe the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP), the Citizens' Climate Lobby plan for Carbon Tax and Dividend, and the ways Arrowhead Indivisible is working toward climate solutions. 
 
There will also be time for discussion.
 
If enacted, the Green New Deal plan will look a little different everywhere, and this is a chance for Cook County to talk about how the local economy might be part of a nationwide project.
 
WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with one of the local organizers, Nancye Belding, to learn more.