With climate extremes and disasters growing year after year  – with 2024 being the hottest year on record, and 2025 starting off with horrific Los Angeles wildfires, the most costly un-natural disaster ever in the US – it is understandable that communities, residents, voters, and taxpayers are all worried about how to pay for rebuilding and adapting in the face of mounting climate impacts. And especially worried when the Trump Administration is cutting federal disaster relief and FEMA, NOAA’s weather services and forecasting, and research on climate change and clean energy solutions, among the countless other cuts and chaos. 

So, no wonder that at least 10 states in 2025 introduced state legislation to address this funding gap by making fossil fuel companies pay their fair share of contributions to climate change impacts. This follows the two new “Climate Superfund” laws adopted in 2024 in the states of Vermont and New York, where Third Actors helped build public support and persuade state legislators to pass the bills and influence NY State Governor Hochul to sign the bill into law. Third Actors are at it again and are working in numerous states to pass more of these “make polluters pay” bills.

The approach is based on past legal approaches that have held Big Tobacco and big hazardous waste and toxic polluters accountable for the health impacts and messes they made. The “Climate Superfunds” created by the proposed bills generally impose a fee on large greenhouse gas emitters’ past emissions and the amounts are determined using the established climate attribution science methods, raising billions of dollars from large oil, coal, and gas companies over a specified period like 25 years. Read on for details on our progress, the status of various bills, and what you can do.

Progress on State Climate Superfund Legislation

Third Act Maryland, together with the big statewide Chesapeake Climate Action Network, helped build support for the RENEW Act (Responding to Emergency Needs From Extreme Weather Act) to to make polluters pay. Third Actors participated in numerous rallies at the state house, attended sessions, lobbied legislators, submitted testimony, shared on social media, called and wrote legislators, and more. While the RENEW Act did not pass in its original form, it was amended to become a “study bill” and renamed the “Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: Total Assessed Cost of Greenhouse Gas Emissions – Study and Reports” bill (HB0128/SB0149). It passed both the Maryland House and Senate and has moved to Governor Wes Moore’s desk for signature, and it is expected that the Governor will sign the bill by the May 27 deadline as it has strong bipartisan support. The Maryland General Assembly committed to the first step of “Making Polluters Pay” by requiring the Comptroller’s Office to lead and complete a study by December 2026 to quantify the cost-impacts of climate change in the State of Maryland. This will make Maryland the third state, after Vermont and New York, to pass legislation in support of enacting the climate superfund concept and principle. To make fossil fuel companies pay their fair share of the costs of climate change, we will have to come back to the Maryland General Assembly with another bill after the study is done.  

New Jersey is a state where volunteers are preparing to launch a new state-level Working Group soon, and it’s also a state that has introduced a Climate Super Fund Act. Third Act supporters in New Jersey and also members of Third Act Union affinity group have been collaborating with partner Food & Water Watch to host 5 “town hall” style meetings to educate New Jerseyites about the bill and what it would do. Third Actors are also collecting petition signatures and postcards that they will deliver to legislative leaders in mid-May, urging leadership to get the bills posted and voted on. They’ve been working to get legislator co-sponsors of the bill (32 co-sponsors in the Assembly & 8 in the Senate so far)  and town resolutions in support of the bill (36 towns have signed resolutions in favor with at least 8 more pending), which was a successful strategy in New York State. The NJ Climate Super Fund Act passed in both the Assembly and Senate environmental committees and is now pending in the Assembly Budget and Senate Commerce Committees. The state coalition is working to get the bill passed before the July summer recess.

California is a big state where Third Act has three Working Groups – Third Act Bay Area, Third Act Sacramento, and Third Act SoCal – and is the world’s fifth largest economy. The Golden State has introduced two companion Climate Superfund bills (AB and SB). There is a huge statewide coalition led by the Center for Biological Diversity that Third Act is participating in. Third Act Working Groups in California have been working to build public support through getting Third Actors to take action and email their legislators, getting signatures on digital petitions (link), calling and meeting with state legislators on key committees, attending a press conference in Los Angeles, participating in committee hearings and rallies in Sacramento, joining with environmental justice allies to bring attention to climate impacts in frontline communities like in Richmond, CA (link to Bay Area blog), and more. The Senate bill passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee and the Assembly bill passed out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. There are several more committee hearings to go in both the Assembly and the Senate, and then the bills must pass each house with a two-thirds majority because these bills impose a fee. The California legislature does not adjourn until September 12 and Governor has until Octoebr 12 to sign bills. So there’s a ways to go to continue to build visible and vocal public and political support and persuade key legislators to support the bills.  

Bills Pending With Promise

There are at least two other bills that are still pending in the Maine and Massachusetts legislatures and Third Act working groups are actively working to get those passed.

Third Act Maine is collaborating with Maine Youth For Climate Justice, which is the lead organization putting forward the Maine Climate Superfund Act, as well as Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition, a statewide alliance of 39 conservation, climate action, and public health organizations. There was a Youth Day of Action at the Maine State House on April 17th where Third Act Mainers joined up with youth activists. The bill was introduced on April 25 and a public hearing will be scheduled early to mid May. The coalition will be working to pass this by the end of session on June 20, 2025.  (photo from youth climate day)

Third Act Massachusetts is working to build support for the Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Cost Recovery Act together with the statewide “Make Polluters Pay MA” coalition. Third Act MA and the coalition are gathering petition signatures and working on organizing a big in-person “lobby day.” Work is ongoing to persuade more towns and municipalities in Massachusetts to endorse the bill, and to activate more Bay Staters to engage with their state legislators. These bills have been introduced in a two-year session, and so there is more time to organize visible support before committee assignments and a vote in 2026. 

Bills That Faced Pitfalls, But May Return

Other states introduced similar legislation in 2025, but some bills did not pass out of committee or get a hearing or a vote, such as in Tennessee and Connecticut. Third Act Connecticut collaborated with partners and got an op-ed published, but opposition from big business won out. 

Third Act Oregon supported the Oregon Make Polluters Pay Act by hosting an educational webinar for Third Act Oregon supporters, submitting written testimony, and participating in a hearing on April 7, which included legal and climate experts as well as survivors of Oregon’s wildfires. Unfortunately, the bill died in the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment without a vote. Senator Khanh Pham, one of the authors, said she would continue to bring forward and advocate for this kind of legislation in future legislative sessions and that there is no time to waste for taking action to address climate change. 

How You Can Help

One indication of both the promise for advancing climate resilience and the threat that “Make Polluters Pay” bills pose to the fossil fuel industry is that the Trump Administration has singled out these laws and signed an Executive Order directing the Attorney General to go after states’ climate laws. The House also passed a bill that would give “blanket immunity” to Big Oil and fossil fuel companies from any lawsuits or legislation striving to hold them accountable for their contributions to climate change, impacts, and damages. That bill is pending in the Senate, and we have an opportunity to kill it because it will unlikely get the full 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. 

So, while there are several bills still working their way through state legislatures – and you can join a Third Act Working Group to get more involved in your state, people all across the US can sign this petition to Congress that will get delivered to Senators and ask them to oppose this Big Oil bailout. We can’t give this toxic industry any more free passes when our communities are burning, flooding, and being destroyed by climate change.

The New York Times reported that nearly 300 students have had their visas revoked by this administration. To make matters worse, on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump was allowed to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to process swift deportations—the very same act used to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It was wrong to use it then, and it’s wrong to use it now.

We feel particularly strongly about this as older Americans, who have enjoyed these liberties our entire lives, and who have the pleasure of working side by side with students and other protestors from here and around the world on important fights. We know our country has no monopoly on wisdom, and are proud that so many have sought an education here, and in the process broadened and improved our nation.

Image courtesy of Gerald Simmons/Flickr.

It’s been widely reported that the EPA will soon announce that it no longer considers carbon dioxide—and other fossil fuels—a danger to human health and welfare. This is a clear attempt to remove the statutory basis for climate concern by the federal government.

That this is the logical outcome of the Trump administration’s insistence that climate change is a hoax does not lessen the disgrace of this moment. American scientists were the first to chart the growth of CO2 in the atmosphere, and the first to announce definitively that it was warming the planet. Those were honorable and important moments of truth-telling, but when they happened, truth-telling was taken for granted. 

If this decision holds, gas and oil companies will profit tremendously while the people of this country will suffer. This administration will demonstrate, as it has done countless times, that profit is more important than irrefutable facts and the health of this planet and all who live here.

In our sad new world, our leaders lie to us about basic physics and chemistry. We will do what we can to resist this remarkable dishonesty.

Below, you can find other organizations devoted to environmental justice, working on the front lines to support those who will be most impacted by this; we encourage you to support them.

Not all of us were parents, but most of us were, and if not parents, we have been caretakers in other ways: aunts and uncles, teachers—we have, cumulatively, millions of years of experience raising children. We know that they thrive when treated with love and acceptance, and that they wither when they are rejected and scorned. The new policies announced by the president are bullying, and they will damage minds and hearts.

If there’s one hope most of us had for our children when they were born, it’s that they would grow up to be kind. That we are now run by an administration that celebrates cruelty is regrettable; we are determined to do what we can to make sure they don’t damage the generations that will follow.

Third Actors will continue to stand up for oppressed families and communities, even if these families and communities are not their own. It’s the right thing to do. Below, you can find some organizations devoted to transgender rights and safety; we encourage you to support them.

(GA, PA, AZ, NV) Beginning October 19, older Americans will rally for “Get Out the Vote” events and door-to-door canvassing across Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada. This is part of the Silver Wave Tour: Elders Rising for Climate and Democracy, organized by Third Act, a movement with nearly 100,000 supporters nationwide, co-founded by environmentalist and author Bill McKibben, and supported by GrayPAC, a new political action committee launched by Third Act’s founders.

McKibben adds, “Mobilizing older Americans is one of the key parts of winning this election––maybe the key part, given the size of our cohort and their willingness to get out and vote!” He continues, “At a time when our democracy and climate are both on the line, elders have a critical role to play, bringing their experience and determination to the forefront. And when an elderly lady is on your doorstep to share her thoughts on political candidates, you’re more inclined to open the door and respectfully listen to what she has to say!”

As climate disasters like hurricanes and wildfires intensify, the Silver Wave Tour will highlight the urgency of collective action, reminding voters that this election is not just about candidates, but about the future of our planet and democracy. The Silver Wave is rallying older Americans to be the decisive force in the fight for both.

Where & When

• Atlanta, Georgia

Local representative contact: Bill Millkey, bmillkey@gmail.com 

Saturday, October 19, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friends Meeting House, 701 West Howard Avenue, Decatur, Georgia 30030

Join Third Act Georgia for an evening featuring  Bill McKibben and Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney Bill Sapp in dialogue about elders, climate change and the upcoming elections. RSVP here.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Local representative contact: Jo Alyson Parker, joalysonparker@gmail.com

Monday, October 21, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
320 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

Join Third Act Pennsylvania  for discussion about our crucial role in the election, featuring Bill McKibben, and Philadelphia Councilmember Nic O’Rourke. RSVP here.

Tuesday, October 22, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Clark Park, Chester Ave & S 43rd St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Canvass to turn out climate voters, southwest side of Clark Park, with Environmental Voters Project, POWER Interfaith, and Dayenu. RSVP here.

• Phoenix, Arizona 

Local representative contact: Chris Wass, chris@wormlab.co

Wednesday, October 23, 5:30 p.m.
Bulpitt Auditorium at Phoenix College, 1202 W Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 85013

Join Third Act Arizona for discussion about the crucial role of older Americans in the election, featuring Bill McKibben and Rebecca Solnit. RSVP here.

Thursday, October 24, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Lucha Office, 5716 N 19th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85015

Canvass to mobilize voters for Harris. RSVP here.

• Reno, Nevada 

Local representative contact: Cathy Fulkerson, cathy.fulkerson@gmail.com ‭

Friday, October 25, 6:00 p.m.
780 Del Monte Lane, Reno, Nevada 89511

Join Third Act Nevada and Indivisible Northern Nevada for discussion about our crucial role in the election, featuring Bill McKibben; Rebecca Solnit; Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar; Jan Gardipe from the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, and Katia Escobar from Seed the Vote. RSVP here. 

Saturday, October 26: 10:00 a.m.
The River School Farm, 777 White Fir Street, Reno, Nevada 89523

Canvass to mobilize voters for Harris, with UNITE HERE, Seed the Vote, and Indivisible. RSVP here.

Summary 

The Silver Wave Tour mobilizes thousands of older Americans in critical states to protect the future of our climate and democracy. Formed in 2024, GrayPAC is the political action committee powered by Third Act, for Americans over 60, to elect leaders who support a vibrant future for our democracy and climate. Third Act works with many thousands of supporters year round on initiatives that help safeguard democracy and protect the climate. In addition to the featured events, GrayPAC is mobilizing older Americans in dozens of other districts like these.

Donald Trump pulled America out of the Paris climate accords; Joe Biden not only put us back into the international talks but instructed every agency to consider the climate in its work, passed the Inflation Reduction Act to build clean energy across the nation, and just weeks ago ignored the shrieks from Big Oil and paused the granting of new permits for liquefied natural gas, as big a blow as any president has ever delivered to dirty energy. On the democracy front, Donald Trump attempted a coup to overturn the results of the 2020 election; Joe Biden has tried throughout his career to expand voting rights and to protect the civil rights of every American. 

A vote is not a valentine, it’s a chess move.
– Rebecca Solnit

Even in the places where we want Biden to pursue different policies––Gaza, Mountain Valley Pipeline, Willow project––we think his opponent would be far worse. And our members find dozens of other places—from a woman’s right to control her own body to a teacher’s right to pick books for his classroom—where we favor Biden’s leadership. We bear constantly in mind our board member Rebecca Solnit’s advice that “a vote is not a valentine, it’s a chess move.” And in 2024 that move for us is obvious: four more years for Joe Biden, to advance the work he’s already done to heal our planet, our economy, and our polity. So we’ll not just vote for Joe; we’ll work hard to see that Trumpism is defeated. 

But if our support is predictable, we feel nonetheless that we have a particular role to play in this election. Every member of Third Act is in their 60s, 70s, 80s,  90s, or 100s, and so we find that we have something useful to say on what is emerging as a central question in this contest: the role of age in American politics. And in this week, when the Trump adherent who has called him an ”elderly man with a poor memory” testified before Congress, we wish to say that we consider Biden not just competent but wise—more seasoned than eroded by age. 

Age does not disqualify anyone from serving. Obviously one’s body is not as nimble as once it was, but the president does not have to carry sofas up the White House stairs; instead he has to carry the heavy responsibility of governing the country, and the last four years have shown Biden is entirely capable of that job.

We do not support candidates because they are older. In fact, one of our founding principles is to back up the leadership of younger people. Some of us can remember the thrill when John F. Kennedy announced that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans: all things being equal, we think it makes sense for those who have long lives ahead of them to set the course for the future. But that’s not the choice this time around—we have two men to choose from, one 77 and the other 81.

And so let us state unequivocally: age does not disqualify anyone from serving. Obviously one’s body is not as nimble as once it was, but the president does not have to carry sofas up the White House stairs; instead he has to carry the heavy responsibility of governing the country, and the last four years have shown Biden is entirely capable of that job. He has, by wide consensus, gotten more done than his younger predecessors, passing sweeping and important legislation despite slender or non-existent Congressional majorities and despite constant obstruction by the GOP. Surely that’s in some part because age brings it with some real advantages, persistence chief among them. Biden has had long decades to understand the governing process; he’s seen what works and what doesn’t. This amounts to what we call wisdom, a trait that societies have always associated with age. It’s not Biden’s gift alone. Consider, say, Nancy Pelosi, who in her 80s was the oldest Speaker of the House—and who, despite or more likely because of her years, managed to hold together her thin majority, pass the COVID relief bill, keep Congress together during the January 6 attacks, and pass critical infrastructure legislation. Compare that to her much younger successors, who are unable even to rein in their own members. 

If you’re an older person try to recall, say, the calendar year your father died. Maybe you can, maybe you can’t—but the deeper question is, can you recall what your father taught you?

Let us also state something else that should be obvious. A president is not president by him or herself. The commander in chief brings along five thousand or so political appointees to do the actual job of running the government. Biden’s choices—many of them young—have been competent and honest. Trump’s cabinet was not filled with people like Pete Buttigieg or Deb Haaland or Jennifer Granholm; instead, he chose cronies to regulate industries they came from, and one after another flamed out in scandal. Under Biden, the U.S. economy weathered the COVID economic whiplash better than any other on earth, precisely because the administration was filled with honest and expert people of all ages who offered good counsel; even by the standards that Trump used (how high the stock market, say), Biden’s team delivered, and there is no reason to think that will change going forward. 

That said, however, we are all too well aware that ageism is real; indeed, it’s perhaps the last permissible prejudice (it’s unlikely, thank heaven, that you’d find late night comics making endless jokes about a candidate’s skin color or gender). The current debate about Biden’s age centers on his memory. The Trump appointee serving as special counsel in the documents case cleared him of wrongdoing but asserted that during a five-hour interview he couldn’t immediately recall the calendar year his son Beau died. Aside from its obvious cruelty, this is a dumb test: if you’re an older person try to recall, say, the calendar year your father died. Maybe you can, maybe you can’t—but the deeper question is, can you recall what your father taught you? 

And it is precisely here that we want to make an affirmative case for Biden’s age—to understand why in some ways it is a remarkable asset. Because Biden remembers, in his bones, the lessons of his life. Joe Biden came of age in a particular America. The first presidential election in which he was eligible to vote featured Lyndon Johnson beating Barry Goldwater. History remembers LBJ’s presidency as chaotic because of his tragic adventuring in Vietnam, but in other respects it was a remarkable moment. The federal government took ambitious steps to advance civil rights, to rein in poverty, attack disease, beautify human landscapes and conserve wild ones, and to back science—these were the Apollo years. Not every project worked, but lots of them did: Medicare and Medicaid and food stamps, for instance. Biden was socialized in a world where governments took on big causes—and you can see this in his first-term commitment to rebuilding infrastructure and boosting everything from solar panels to battery factories. 

Joe Biden not only put us back into the international talks but instructed every agency to consider the climate in its work, passed the Inflation Reduction Act to build clean energy across the nation, and just weeks ago ignored the shrieks from Big Oil and paused the granting of new permits for liquefied natural gas, as big a blow as any president has ever delivered to dirty energy.

His record is quite distinct even from his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, who cast his first vote for president in the 1980 election, and who therefore came of age amidst the Reagan revolution with its rejection of government. That experience left an imprint. Obama—wonderfully reflective as always—said as he stepped down that “when I first came into office, I think there was a residual willingness to accept the political constraints that we’d inherited from the post-Reagan era. Probably there was an embrace of market solutions to a whole host of problems that wasn’t entirely justified.”

Joe Biden simply doesn’t have that residual Reaganism; his political makeup had been formed before the Reagan revolution, and it connects clearly back to FDR, the man who was president when he was born. Where LBJ oversaw a booming economy that narrowed the gaps between poor and rich, Reagan made sure that his economic boom benefited the rich, and that those gaps began to widen. Now Biden is back in LBJ mode, and those gaps have—for the first time in decades—begun to narrow again. 

This commitment to the principles of the New Deal—to the idea of America as a group project, not as a series of isolated and individual efforts at personal advancement—has worked well in his first term, and it can work even better in his second. The particular flow of American history makes Joe Biden’s age an extraordinary asset. No one recognizes this as plainly as those of us who share his formative experiences. 

We think most of the critique of Biden is superficial. Even his opponents—Kevin McCarthy, for instance—have testified to his sharpness in discussion and debate. But he looks old: always a stutterer, he’s sometimes soft-spoken, though his State of the Union address demonstrates that he can bring the noise when it is required. Still, the contrast with the ever-bellowing Trump is obvious, because all of what Trump announces with such fervor is nonsense: he will be a “dictator;” Putin should invade our allies; windmills give you cancer. Trump is not just a threat to those around them (he is, remember, an adjudicated rapist); he is a threat to everything that we believe about our democracy, and everything that we love about our country and our planet. 

We trust Joe Biden will make good use of the bully pulpit that is the presidency, speaking with honesty and good humor. But we—and many other Americans—will also speak for him in the months ahead, as loudly and clearly as we know how. Even as we press him for more action on everything from Gaza to global warming, we will back him with all that we’ve got. He has begun to restore confidence in an America that had turned on itself.

We will do all that we can to insure he has another term to restore the country, and the planet, to a place of reason, balance, and decency. A place where all are welcomed and all belong. 

Media contacts:

Judith Crosbie: 929-584-3344

[January 19, 2024] New Costco CEO Ron Vachris has told shareholders he will discuss climate action with its credit card issuer Citi, after delivery of a petition signed by 40,000 people calling on Costco to drop Citi because of the bank’s poor climate record.

Mr Vachris on Thursday was responding to questions during the annual shareholders meeting following delivery of the petition the day before by Costco shoppers, shareholders and climate activists. The petition signatories include 18,000 Costco members.

Mr Vachris told shareholders: “we are aware of those petitions that were signed” and that Costco is “going to continue moving forward with our climate action plan and have been in discussions with Citi about their carbon reduction plans in the future”. He added: “We’re going to focus on our efforts that we’re going to take forward, and we’re going to stay very close to Citi and their efforts that they’re going to take forward as well.”

The petition was delivered in a giant card on Wednesday along with a cake at Costco headquarters in Issaquah, with a party, speeches, and songs held afterwards welcoming Mr Vachris to his new role as CEO but telling him not to “let Citi ruin the party… or the climate.” On Thursday as the annual shareholders meeting was taking place, a mobile billboard drove around Costco headquarters and nearby neighborhoods with a message for Mr. Vachris and Costco to “clean up your credit card.”

Photos and video of the action and mobile billboard at Costco HQ are available here.

The push for Costco to drop Citi is being supported by 12 organizations across the US including Third Act, Stop the Money Pipeline, Hip Hop Caucus and Stand.Earth.

The pressure on Costco comes as new data shows the retailer’s carbon footprint from its cash deposits – where banks get to use its money to fund oil, gas, and coal – is equivalent to 85.3% of Costco’s total operational carbon emission (all the energy and gas used for its warehouses, deliveries, capital goods, employee travel and commuting, and more). Costco’s carbon cash footprint is equivalent to 10.1 gas-fired power plants operating for one year.*

Costco’s board has been forced to bend on climate previously. In 2022, almost 70% of shareholders backed a proposal to curb greenhouse gas emissions with Costco agreeing later that year to a plan.

Citi has a dismal record on climate. It is the second biggest funder of fossil fuels in the world and is a major backer of oil, gas and coal companies in the Amazon and Africa. Its biggest fossil fuel client is Exxon Mobil, receiving over $15 billion from the bank, and Citi was lead advisor on the Exxon-Pioneer merger in October, which will see the company double down on oil production. Citi has angered its own shareholders over its funding of oil and gas companies and projects opposed by Indigenous land owners. Despite the global consensus to transition away from fossil fuels, Citi continues to fund new projects.

The petition was launched in September and quickly attracted thousands of signatures. Signatures were also gathered at more than 40 Costco stores around the country, local farmers markets and libraries. Thousands have written to Costco’s customer service raising concerns about the link with Citi.

Bill McKibben co-founder of Third Act, a group for older activists, said:

“Costco has taken a good first step: it has acknowledged the concerns there are with Citi as its credit card issuer. The next step should be robust discussions with Citi over the billions it continues to pour into harmful projects and companies that are contributing to climate change. We eagerly await the outcome of these discussions.”

Chris Goelz, who owns shares in Costco and attended the petition delivery and shareholder meeting, said:

“As a Costco shareholder, I’ll be watching closely to see what emerges in the coming months from Costco’s discussions with Citi on the bank’s funding of oil, gas and coal. Our call remains the same:  Unless Citi significantly curtails its funding of fossil fuel expansion, Costco must find a new credit card partner.”

Anne Shields, a Costco shopper and member of Third Act:

“We are pleased that new Costco CEO Ron Vachris is prepared to listen to 18,000 of his customers like me and to discuss with Citi about getting serious on climate. But Costco should know that talk isn’t enough, we want to see action. We want Costco to make it clear that they will take their business to another bank if Citi doesn’t get serious on climate. I am doing this for the future of my sons and I won’t be giving up.”

Other organizations supporting the push for Costco to drop Citi include Climate Defenders, New York Communities for Change, Green America, Oil & Gas Action Network, Friends of the Earth Action and Climate Action California.

*Data analysis done by Topo Finance, which co-authored the Carbon Bankroll report.

Costco to receive climate petition over links to Citi as new data shows spike in Costco’s carbon cash footprint

Costco shoppers, shareholders and climate activists will today (January 17) deliver a petition signed by 40,000 people to Costco’s CEO ahead of its annual shareholders meeting, calling on the retailer to drop Citi as its credit card issuer because of the bank’s poor climate record.

The petition, whose signatories includes 18,000 Costco members, will be delivered in a giant card along with a cake to new CEO Ron Vachris with a party held outside Costco headquarters in Issaquah, Washington. The push to pressure Costco to drop Citi is being supported by 12 organizations across the US including Third Act, Stop the Money Pipeline, Hip Hop Caucus and Stand.Earth.

The event will be livestreamed here and photos and video will be available afterwards here.

The event in Issaquah comes as new data shows Costco’s carbon footprint from its cash deposits – where banks get to use its money to fund oil, gas, and coal – is equivalent to 85.3% of Costco’s total operational carbon emission (all the energy and gas used for its warehouses, deliveries, capital goods, employee travel and commuting, and more). Costco’s carbon cash footprint is equivalent to 10.1 gas-fired power plants operating for one year.*

Costco management has refused to meet the groups pushing for Costco to drop Citi and stated in an email that the retailer “plans to honor” its contract with Citi, despite the bank’s $332 billion funding of oil, gas and coal since 2016.

Costco’s board has been forced to bend on climate previously. In 2022, almost 70% of shareholders backed a proposal to curb greenhouse gas emissions with Costco agreeing later that year to a plan.

Citi has a dismal record on climate. It is the second biggest funder of fossil fuels in the world and is a major backer of oil, gas and coal companies in the Amazon and Africa. Its biggest fossil fuel client is Exxon Mobil, receiving over $15 billion from the bank, and Citi was lead advisor on the Exxon-Pioneer merger in October, which will see the company double down on oil production. Citi has angered its own shareholders over its funding of companies and projects opposed by Indigenous land owners. Despite the global consensus to transition away from fossil fuels, Citi continues to fund new projects. 

The petition was launched in September and quickly attracted thousands of signatures. Signatures were also gathered at more than 40 Costco stores around the country, local farmers markets, libraries, and elsewhere. Thousands have also written to Costco’s customer service raising concerns about the link with Citi.

Bill McKibben co-founder of Third Act, a group for older activists, said:

“Costco is that rarest of things, a brand that people trust and admire, for a bevy of good reasons. But its partnership with Citi endangers that, since as the temperature soars more and more people are making the link to the bank that’s one of the biggest fossil fuel funders on earth.”

Chris Goelz, who owns shares in Costco and will attend the petition delivery, said:

“I bought Costco shares because I thought it was a good investment and that Costco was trying to ‘do the right thing’ for the climate.  But its relationship with Citi, which is funding the continued build-out of the oil industry’s fossil fuel infrastructure, is antithetical to Costco’s climate commitments. The Board needs to take immediate steps to end its relationship with Citi.”

Anne Shields, a Costco shopper and member of Third Act, said:

“I’ve been a Costco shopper for many years but I don’t use their co-branded Citi card because I don’t want my money going to a bank that funds so many oil and gas projects. I want to do everything I can to help my sons and my grandchildren inherit a livable planet. That’s why I’m here today and call upon the CEO and board to drop Citi and find a better banking partner.”  

Rev Lennox Yearwood Jr., President & CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, said: 

“Communities are coming together to fight climate change because it is already destroying their homes, livelihoods and their lives. Costco’s highly-engaged customer base is not only impacted but has a core demographic that is known to care about climate change. Costco can do the right thing and support these communities by saying no to a bank like Citi, which is a major funder of oil, gas and coal, and which forces these industries on regions where there are predominantly people of color.” 

Other organizations supporting the push for Costco to drop Citi include Climate Defenders, New York Communities for Change, Green America, Oil & Gas Action Network, Friends of the Earth Action and Climate Action California.

*Data analysis done by Topo Finance, which co-authored the Carbon Bankroll report.  

At Third Act, we’ve been looking towards one of the most important climate fights–the rapid buildout of LNG export terminals along the Gulf of Mexico. We need your help to convince Jennifer Granholm, the Secretary of Energy, to halt new export licenses for these terminals via the Department of Energy. On February 6-8, join in-to the #StopLNG Sit-In in Washington D.C. 

In January, we are gearing up for a significant initiative at Costco, a major client of dirty Citibank. Working collectively, we’ll present tens of thousands of petition signatures urging Costco to leverage its influence as a valuable client and transition away from Citibank. We need your voice: There’s still time for you to sign the petition!

 You can also get more involved and stay updated about local initiatives by joining a working group today!

That’s why building a strong organizing program based on the members’ connections with each other and with Third Act’s strategies is essential to our success.

Our Third Act model is based entirely on volunteers running their operations in their state-based or affinity working groups. It’s a huge responsibility. We’re darn lucky to have so many capable volunteer leaders running our working groups. Yet we have tens of thousands of people who want to be activated and connected to our groups, and we can’t help them all fast enough.

Our organizing staff team consists of myself and one other person. We can’t amply tend to our existing groups or start new ones with such limited capacity. We also know that if we are to have any chance of succeeding against the fossil fuel giants, or beating back the rising tide of authoritarianism, we are going to have to grow our numbers and power greatly. That’s why we’re asking you to help support the No Time To Waste Fund.

“This is the most important work of my lifetime.”
– B Fulkerson

We’re hard at work to raise $500,000 by the end of this year to supercharge our organizing work and bring on a few more staff to help hold it all together. Even though we know that solid organizing is critical to the success of our movement, it is by far the hardest thing to raise money for. People like to see immediate wins—and those can be important—but we know that to land truly transformative change we need to change the story of a moment, of a culture. That’s what this movement-building work does.

We’re excited about the No Time to Waste Fund because it will help us to hold in-person convenings in multiple regions in the U.S., providing a wonderful opportunity for training, networking and for Third Actors to share their challenges and victories. With these funds, we expect to be able to provide more resources to everyone, and more financial support to those groups giving their all to plan more extensive campaigns and actions.

I’m honored to know so many wonderful Third Actors and excited to see what more we can all do in 2024. Many people have already given and we thank you! After launching this fundraising campaign last week, folks like you have already helped us reach a big milestone toward our goal—we’re already a fifth of the way there!

If you haven’t yet, will you chip in to make next year as powerful and impactful as possible? Please give generously to the No Time To Waste Fund!

But here’s the rub. Costco partners with Citibank for its co-branded credit cards. And Citibank is the definition of uncaring and heedless. It’s one of the four biggest lenders on earth to the fossil fuel industry, and they hand out the cash indiscriminately. This funding is making it possible for big oil, gas, and coal companies to keep expanding dirty, polluting projects that are contributing to the climate disasters we’ve all experienced this summer: deadly wildfires, smoky, unhealthy air, floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat waves. Citi is the number one biggest US  funder of coal; it is the second-biggest lender for oil and gas development in the Amazon rainforest (a climate crisis two-fer), and it has forked over billions for building out the LNG (liquid natural gas) terminals we’re opposing together with local communities in the Gulf Coast. Citi has lent billions to Conoco Phillips, the developer of the vast new Willow oil complex in Alaska.

What does this mean for Costco? The analysts at a think tank called TOPO have estimated that Costco’s cash in banks is the retailing giant’s biggest source of operational carbon emissions: if the retailing giant considered its emissions associated with its banking providers as part of its operational carbon footprint they would represent more than a third of the carbon it produces from its own operations. Costco has done a credible job of starting to clean up its stores and trucks.  As the company says on its website:

“we understand that we impact the environment through operating our 850 locations worldwide — and we are committed to running these in an energy-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. These efforts support our mission to remain a low-cost operator, while serving our communities, promoting environmental stewardship and reducing our carbon footprint.”

We take Costco at face value; and indeed it’s only in the last two years that we’ve really begun to realize how much carbon pollution is produced by corporate cash in banks that they then use to finance dirty fossil fuel projects. (Here’s a piece I wrote for the New Yorker that lays out the problem in detail). We hope that now that we’re raising the issue, Costco’s execs will get on it. They’re a big enough client that they can probably sway Citi to change its policies and stop lending to companies still expanding their fossil fuel operations. If Costco can’t, they should find a bank that operates as responsibly in the world of finance as Costco does in the world of retailing.

I confess I feel this one a little personally. Costco is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington (hence the name of their store brands). It’s now a big and wealthy Seattle suburb, filled with Microsoft engineers. But once upon a time it was a small ship-building town connected to Seattle by a ferry. And in those days my grandfather was the only doctor in town; somewhere I have a picture of hundreds of locals wearing shirts saying “I Was a Dr. McKibben Baby.” My Dad grew up there during the Depression, playing for the local baseball team. So when I reach for a bottle of Kirkland olive oil, it always brings a little burst of nostalgia, which is a lot better than a little burst of carbon.

Bottom line: people like Costco, and with good reason. But Costco has a problem that can be fixed fairly easily: by persuading Citi to strengthen its climate commitments or else switching to a better credit card company that isn’t wrecking the planet. These other choices exist—Sam’s Club (a Costco competitor) uses Synchrony, which does not invest in fossil fuels.

We’re asking Costco—together—to fix this problem.

You can join Third Actors, Costco members, and climate-concerned people and sign the petition urging Costco to call on Citi to step up on climate or else Costco will drop Citi. You don’t need to be a Costco member or Citi Visa card holder to join the petition. And if you are a Costco member, you can use a different Visa card at Costco stores (and find better Visa cards here and here).

Costco’s motto is “do the right thing.” Let’s remind them to do the right thing and call on Costco to shop for a better credit card.

Climate-driven catastrophes are wreaking havoc worldwide with devastating consequences for communities. Even Costco’s own stores have had to evacuate due to wildfires and severe flooding. From dangerous heat waves to destructive hurricanes, climate extremes are worsening.

We all deserve a future worth living, free from climate chaos and the pollution caused by dirty fossil fuels. The giant oil, coal, and gas corporations––bankrolled by institutions like Citi––are obstructing our transition to clean, renewable energy. Big box retailers like Costco are uniquely positioned to hold the banks to account.

Costco is a beloved brand. It strives to keep prices low and recently adopted na decent climate policy. Its motto is simple but powerful, “do the right thing.”

Since our founding, Costco has operated under the guiding principle of doing the right thing – for our members, our employees, our suppliers, our communities, and the environment. We understand that when we do the right thing, good things happen.

We want Costco to do the right thing here and demand change from Citi. That’s why we’re launching the Costco: Clean Up Your Credit Card campaign, spearheaded by Third Act, Stop the Money Pipeline, Stand.earth, Climate Organizing Hub, New York Communities for Change, and other dedicated partners.

The Climate Problem with Costco’s Banking & Credit Card

We’ve got the receipts on Citi: Citi is the second biggest funder in the world of dirty fossil fuels, providing more than $330 billion in financing to fossil fuel companies and projects since 2016, and is the largest US funder of coal. This funding is making it possible for big oil, gas, and coal companies to keep expanding dirty, polluting projects that are contributing to relentless climate disasters. The Wall Street banks are growing even bigger from corporate cash, retail customers, and credit card profits. From credit card partners to the cash it keeps in the banks, large retailers like Costco need to take the climate impacts of its financial relationships into account and compel its banking partners to stop undermining its own climate progress..

To demonstrate the need for Costco to take into account the climate impacts of its banking, Third Act and Stop the Money Pipeline commissioned analysis of Costco’s “financial carbon footprint” by TOPO, a “think and do” tank known for its work on The Carbon Bankroll report in 2022, which revealed the hidden and substantial climate impacts of corporate finance. TOPO’s analysis estimated that the pollution stemming from Costco’s cash in the banks it uses is more than one-third of Costco’s greenhouse gas pollution from its own operations. TOPO’s analysis is based on an average across US banks and is not Citi-specific, since Costco does not disclose publicly which banks it uses, separate from its credit card partnership.

If Costco considered the emissions generated by its banking as part of its operational carbon footprint, these estimated “cash emissions”—a total of 1.53 million metric tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide—are its biggest single source of carbon pollution, even more than the emissions from all the energy used in Costco’s warehouse stores for lights, heating, refrigeration, and deliveries. This amount is equivalent to more than 340,500 gasoline-powered vehicles driven for one year, or 1.7 billion pounds of coal burned, or 3.8 gas-fired power plants operating for one year (using EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Calculator). That’s a lot of pollution!

The Solution: Costco, Push Citi on Climate or Else Drop Citi

Costco is one of Citi’s largest credit card clients. Citi makes a lot of money from its relationship with Costco, and you know what banks care about? Money. That’s why Costco has the power to  persuade Citi to stop financing fossil fuel expansion or else to switch to a better credit card bank partner that isn’t wrecking the planet. By pushing Citi on climate or ending its credit card relationship with Citi, Costco can step up, keep its own climate promises, and compel Citi to stop funding fossil fuels.

In keeping with Costco’s existing climate policy and commitments, Costco should include the financed emissions associated with the banks it uses in its own annual reporting on its carbon footprint, just as it will report on the emissions associated with the suppliers of the products it sells. This will reflect Costco’s true carbon footprint. Lastly, Costco should include climate-friendly criteria in its requirements for how it selects its bank service providers, including credit cards.

Costco has the opportunity to be a leader among large retailers by addressing the climate impacts of its banking relationships. There are other credit card company options, and reporting a company’s complete carbon footprint will soon be required by a new law passed in California

What You Can Do

We know that Costco cares about its reputation. Costco listens to its members, and Citi listens to Costco.

You can join us by signing this petition urging Costco to drop Citi as its credit card issuer if Citi doesn’t stop financing fossil fuels.  While Costco members have a special voice, anyone concerned about climate can sign the petition. To win this campaign, we will need lots and lots of people to sign. So, let’s make sure Costco hears from members and non-members alike!

There are other ways you can help too, as described in the FAQs below. Many of us like shopping at Costco—free samples, infamous cakes, bulk buys, $1.50 hot dogs—and we’d like it even more if Costco shopped for a better, cleaner, climate-friendly credit card.

Want to know more? Check out the FAQs linked below.

The Arctic Refuge is also vital to the land-based Indigenous Gwich’in people, who depend on the caribou for their subsistence and cultural survival.  The migratory Porcupine Caribou herd concentrate and give birth to their young each year in the Arctic Refuge coastal plain – right where the oil companies want to drill and develop.  

“With climate change warming the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the planet, we must do everything within our control to meet the highest standards of care to protect this fragile ecosystem,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland in announcing the lease cancellations. “President Biden is delivering on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in history. The steps we are taking today further that commitment, based on the best available science and in recognition of the Indigenous Knowledge of the original stewards of this area, to safeguard our public lands for future generations.”

In addition to canceling the leases in the Arctic Refuge the Biden Administration proposed new regulations for the Western Arctic that would ensure maximum protection for the more than 13 million acres, while supporting subsistence activities for Alaska Native communities. These bold initiatives add to Biden’s actions to protect millions of acres of lands and waters in the Arctic, including withdrawing approximately 2.8 million acres of the Beaufort Sea, ensuring the entire United States Arctic Ocean is off limits to new oil and gas leasing.

Biden’s move is politically bold as well as scientifically essential. His predecessor, Donald Trump, working with the Republican-controlled Congress during his first two years, added a provision requiring the leasing of the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to their massive 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy legislation. The theory was that the falsely projected giant oil leasing revenues would help offset the cost of the tax breaks for billionaires. This never panned out. Gwich’in and environmental groups lobbied banks and oil companies not to fund or bid on Arctic Refuge leases when they were offered. This paid off because banks pledged not to fund the development and no major oil companies bid on the leases when they were offered. In the end only an Alaska state corporation took up the leases, while other existing leaseholders forfeited their leases realizing drilling in the Arctic was bad business. The state corporation is now rushing to challenge the lease cancellation in court.  

This epic struggle is far from over. Ultimately, we need Congress to designate the Arctic Refuge and other key parts of the Western Arctic as wilderness and permanently withdraw them from any future industrial development. But that will take a much more favorable Congress so this immediate administrative action is an essential interim reprieve. 

President Biden made pledges during his campaign to end new fossil fuel development on federal lands to address the climate crisis, but he has abandoned this pledge and disappointed climate justice advocates by approving some major new leases, most noticeable the Willow Project in the Arctic. Still, it must be noted that he has successfully championed more climate justice actions than any prior administration.  

Biden’s historic conservation and climate agenda, which already includes protecting more than 21 million acres of public lands and waters across the nation, and securing the Inflation Reduction Act, is the largest investment in climate action in history. This latest action to protect the Arctic adds to that legacy and demonstrates to the world that the United States is serious about setting an example and leading on addressing the climate crisis. 

Much more must be done, and, as the International Energy Agency notes, most of the existing dirty fossil fuel leases on public and private lands need to be left undeveloped to have any hope of keeping global temperatures from rising to intolerable and life threatening levels. We need all decision makers at all levels of government and private industry to finish the job by rapidly transitioning us to a clean energy economy, before it is too late.  Do it, for our families, for our future, and for all the special and fragile natural areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

I learned that college students are generally very polite and would spend time talking with me. I learned about their interests and what they were studying. I also learned how some thought voting didn’t make a difference, while others couldn’t wait to vote in their first election. And many had little knowledge of how our party system works. None of them knew that in their District 13, the Republican Congressman won by less than 600 votes.

You might not think there are competitive congressional districts in your state, but even in California, we have several districts that are targeted to be flipped in 2024 so that climate champions can win. Northern California is specifically looking at Congressional Districts 13 and 22.

Yet, what struck me most about this action isn’t just the number of people we’ve registered, but the astonishing diversity of volunteers working together. Four of us did the long 2-3 hour drive to Modesto together. During the drive, we shared our life stories. Many of us have fought for decades in civil rights and anti-war movements. Others are new to activism. Many have parents and grandparents who fought in labor movements. Among our community of volunteers, there is an incredible array of life experiences. We looked at one another and realized that with all our differences, we were doing the same work together and were united in our passion for fighting to protect our planet.

As we approached home and were talking about our shared concerns for our planet, we got on to a birding conversation.  I mentioned how I love sandhill cranes and that I always see the same pair of cranes by the Boulder River when I visit Montana and it makes me so joyful. One of the Third Actors responded how she had been a docent at an Ecological Reserve visited by sandhill cranes not far from where we live. She is going to take me there this fall to see hundreds and sometimes even thousands of sandhills cranes arrive at dusk. I can’t wait.

It’s difficult to envision a world that could be better for all of us, especially when there are marginalized people who have never experienced that part of the world. But for better or worse, we cannot lose sight of our expansive imagination that leads us to believe in what we can create when we organize and build together. We have the luxury of learning from our movement elders, their tactics, writings, sermons, and words of hope ring as true today as they did 60 years ago. 

They asked themselves, as we do now, ‘how do we live in the reality of this moment, as difficult and gut wrenching as it can be, and still hold on to the hope of what’s possible?’ I often look at Dr. King, Bayard Rustin, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker and so many others that did exactly that. They lived in the reality of a racist nation, determined to quell their demands for dignity and humanity—they kept the faith, not in spite of that pushback, but often because of it. With every new hardship, they were demanding more, adjusting tactics, and being in constant communication with those closest to the communities they wished to serve. They weren’t perfect—as we all know women, who were at the center of that work, were excluded from speaking at the March—or without their own hardships, pain and humanity. They brought all of that along in everything they did. Fannie Lou Hamer’s now often repeated phrase, “nobody’s free until everybody’s free” rings true for Third Act and what we’re doing in the world; we’re making a livable planet for ALL. We share this home, and we all deserve to live, breathe, and hope freely on it! 

We have no choice but to continue the work of making this world worthy of our efforts. We’re human and that work will feel daunting and often painful, which makes our emphasis on joyfulness and community both necessary and important. But it’s also imperative in a historic moment where joy and community are in short supply. We’re building a new world, where the needs of our planet and the people on it take center stage—while that work is always vital, doing it with joy and in commitment to one another makes it lasting and wondrous beyond our current limited imagination.

We are always learning from our movement elders, and we are so incredibly grateful for all they did to get us to this once unimaginable moment. We honor their legacy by continuing the work, striving for better, and doing so in collaboration with one another! 

But you’ve done so much already to fight back. In the last year we’ve together registered huge numbers of voters, fought effectively to beat election deniers, and worked to make ballot access easier for everyone. And we all won at least a minor victory last week when the Supreme Court refused to allow Alabama’s absurdly racist new election districts.

Today, as the spectacle in Miami unfolds, we’d ask you to take one action that will not, at least immediately, change the course of history. But it will matter. Could you please contact your Congressperson and your Senators to prioritize the John Lewis Voting Rights Act? We’re under no illusion that it can pass the current Congress, but if we build up support for it now then the prospects for its adoption after the next election will improve.

This fall, we’ll continue to engage civically together by expanding our national voter registration work, and supporting the extraordinary efforts made by Third Act’s Working Groups to counteract state-level threats to voting rights– all of which will help us gear up for the 2024 election and federal voting rights work. 

We need to put America back on solid democratic footing. No one is above the law, even those in high places, but in the end, repairing the big holes in our democratic system is the truly crucial work. Thank you for being a part of it.

Bill McKibben is a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. He founded the first global grassroots climate campaign, 350.org, and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2014 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the ‘alternative Nobel,’ in the Swedish Parliament. He’s also won the Gandhi Peace Award, and honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities. He has written over a dozen books about the environment, including his first, The End of Nature, published in 1989, and The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened (2022).

These banks are using our money to bankroll the climate crisis, investing in oil drilling, pipelines, and fracking wells that cause global warming. Seventy percent of the country’s financial assets belong to Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation and tens of thousands of older Americans—together with their children, grandchildren, and other youth fighting for their future—have signed the Banking on our Future Pledge to move their money out of these banks if the banks don’t move out of fossil fuels.

This is exactly the right time.

The recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and two others have exposed the mismanagement, deregulation, and lack of oversight of financial risks in the banking industry. And the big four banks, which before this upheaval approached 50% of the deposits in the US, are now growing even larger with Bank of America raking in $15 billion in new deposits in a matter of days. 

Now more than ever, these big banks must be held accountable for managing financial risks and climate risks. Indeed, climate risks exacerbate financial risk as many fossil fuel investments will become stranded assets and as damages from extreme climate disasters grow and decimate our economy and communities. 

As Third Act co-founder Bill McKibben and Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous share in their Guardian op-ed, the bank failures make the four big banks bigger and give them a quasi-governmental role in our economy, since everyone knows the taxpayer is backing up the banks. That extraordinary privilege brings these banks power and profit, but it also means they need to act responsibly and address the gravest crisis the planet faces. Climate scientists around the world, organizations like the International Energy Agency, and the United Nations have called for an end to any fossil fuel expansion. 

There’s more than one way for a bank to fail.

The big banks have failed because they continue to fund the expansion of fossil fuels, long past the point where scientists have told them to stop. The most recent example is of oil company Conoco Phillips, which has received $11 billion from these four banks for the Willow Project, a vast new oil complex in the Alaska wilderness that will spew annual carbon pollution equivalent to 76 new coal-fired power plants’ annual emissions. The cash these banks invest turns into carbon pollution warming the planet. And these fossil fuel projects devastate communities around the world, primarily Black, Brown, and poor communities who have been polluted, uprooted, redlined, and undermined. 

Where do you come in?

So, one of the biggest environmental decisions you make personally is where you choose to bank.  You can estimate how much carbon pollution is generated by your cash in your bank using this nifty “Cash carbon calculator” from Bank FWD, TOPO, and Green Portfolio, and compare it to emissions if you moved your money to a greener bank or if the big banks were to reduce their fossil fuel investments. 

Millions of Americans already get great checking, savings, and credit card services from local banks, online fossil-fuel-free banks, and credit unions. An easy first step to align your money with your values is to start by getting a new credit card and trying it out. We have resources and tips to help you find better banks and credit cards. Wherever you are on your journey to align your money with your values, it is important for you to speak with a financial advisor, ask the banks and credit unions about their security and stability, and check the financial health and FDIC status and limits of banks, credit unions, and your accounts.  

These big four banks are considered “too big to fail,” but we don’t want them to fail all of us on climate and a livable future. 

We don’t want our money and savings to be used to bankroll the climate crisis. Americans want climate action and they want banks to invest in clean energy, climate resilience, and healthy communities. 

That’s why on March 21, thousands of us will be showing up to demand that these big four banks stop investing in fossil fuel expansion. 

Here are things you can do:

• Join an event near you on 3.21.23
• Take a selfie with a sign demanding the banks stop financing fossil fuels and post on social media March 21, #StopDirtyBanks #32123
• Check out other ways you can participate even if you can’t get to an action on 3.21.23
• Send a letter to Bank CEOs
• Sign the Banking on our Future Pledge
• Explore better banking options

Let’s stand together and call on the banks to heed science, embrace justice, and respond to customer and community concerns. It’s time these banks start walking the talk, responsibly investing our money in service of a safe and abundant future. 

About the author:

Vanessa Arcara is the President and co-Founder of Third Act. She is an activist and administrator, a gardener and a mother. Vanessa began her activist work in the world of food justice at Slow Food USA, SolidarityNYC, and on small farms across the northeast of the United States. Her writing has been published in State of the World: Innovations that Nourish the Planet. For the last decade she’s worked on the climate crisis at 350.org, helping coordinate actions big and small.

“It is in collectives that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.”
-Angela Davis

As we are just getting started forming the Third Act Educators Working Group,  we are always looking for more energetic people to grow and learn with us.  We currently include K-12 classroom teachers, early childhood educators, health educators, intergenerational learners, and college professors who are honing our skills as activists and organizers! Eventually, we plan to fully represent K to 20 educators and anyone else who has found their path in teaching, training, etc… We are reaching out to educators in many settings, including those who have retired from active teaching. We are still recruiting a few more members for our Coordinating Committee to help in leading and organizing our larger Educators Working Group.

As a Third Act Working Group, we are collaborating with the “Seniors to Seniors: intergenerational voter registration” campaign to help register high school students and seniors throughout this 2022 graduation season! You can learn more about the projects and campaigns we are thinking about, and how the Third Act Educators Working Group will contribute to Third Act’s campaigns on climate and democracy, please visit our “How to Start” page. We’re still figuring out the areas that we hope to focus on and want to hear from you! If you’re interested in having your voice heard, please RSVP for our Launch Follow-Up Call that will be on June 15, 2022.

As educators, we believe that the purposefulness, passion, and play of learning are essential to the individual human spirit. We also believe that collaborative learning in working groups will be the foundation of building a successful Third Act community. Emergent collective wisdom to which we all contribute will be at the core of transforming our societies and civilizations. 

“It is in collectives that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.”
-Angela Davis 

As we are just getting started forming the Third Act Educators Working Group,  we are always looking for more energetic people to grow and learn with us.  We currently include K-12 classroom teachers, early childhood educators, health educators, intergenerational learners, and college professors who are honing our skills as activists and organizers! Eventually, we plan to fully represent K to 20 educators and anyone else who has found their path in teaching, training, etc… We are reaching out to educators in many settings, including those who have retired from active teaching. We are still recruiting a few more members for our Coordinating Committee to help in leading and organizing our larger Educators Working Group. 

As a Third Act Working Group, we are collaborating with the “Seniors to Seniors: intergenerational voter registration” campaign to help register high school students and seniors throughout this 2022 graduation season! You can learn more about the projects and campaigns we are thinking about, and how the Third Act Educators Working Group will contribute to Third Act’s campaigns on climate and democracy, please visit our “How to Start” page. We’re still figuring out the areas that we hope to focus on and want to hear from you! If you’re interested in having your voice heard, please RSVP for our Launch Follow-Up Call that will be on June 15, 2022.

If you want to learn more about us, make sure to watch Our Educators Working Group Launch Call (June 1, 2022), the May 25 All-In Call, where we were featured, and/or sign up on our website to join the Third Act Educators Working Group!

We hope to learn more with you all soon.