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[Ralph Wyman (rwmuusja]

Minutes of the MUUSJA EcoMinds Meeting of Aug 6, 2009
By Dick Ottman

Present:  FUS - Marcy Luessler; First Universalist - Ralph Wyman, Cecelia
Newton; White Bear - Catie Olson, Dick Ottman

MUUSJA Fundraiser Party - Aug 20 - 5-7pm - Jenny Thomas's house (4744 Thomas
Ave. S., Mpls.).  New ministers from First Universalist, Michael Servetus,
and MN Valley will be present.

Pledge walk for MUUSJA - Sept. 20 - noon to 2:30pm - First Universalist.  On
Aug 23 Catie (Unity) and Marcy (FUS) and on Aug 30 Ralph and Cecelia (First
Universalist) will sign up walkers.  On Sept 13 Catie (Unity), Marcy (FUS),
and Ralph and Cecelia (First Universalist) will work on getting pledges.

350.org is an organization that reminds us that we can't exceed 350 ppm of
CO2 in order to avoid serious damage to our climate.  On Saturday Oct 24
they are declaring an International Day of Climate Justice just prior to the
start of the world climate talks in Copenhagen.  Ralph will find out what
the 350.org buttons cost, and we will consider at the next meeting providing
buttons for the 26 UU congregations in MN that are interested to wear on
Sunday Oct 25.  [Ralph adds: 350.org info from UU Ministry for Earth has now
been added to the MUUSJA home page www.muusja.org]

MUUSJA joined Health Care, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy in MN (HIRE)
in March 2009.  They have working groups for the legislative agenda, green
jobs (Ralph is in this group), and infrastructure (Catie in this group).
Infrastructure is working on the state of MN's lack of compliance with the
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise requirement in contracts.  

The green jobs group has the following criteria:
1. Jobs are long term - not part time, not seasonal.
2. Jobs are family sustaining - decent wages and benefits
3. Jobs employ processes or make products that are de-carbonizing
4. Jobs are accessible and intentionally inclusionary
5. Jobs produce a multiplier effect - they contribute to a larger green
economy
6. Jobs that value the whole persons

Ralph will ask the UUA to design a message on their web page that we can
link to that will allow UUs to email a message to their Senators on the
American Clean Energy Act in the near future.  Ralph will try to get a face
to face meeting with Senator Klobuchar's Minneapolis office energy staff
person (it was Charlie Poster, who now works for Sen. Franken).

We will work on the Work Plan for MUUSJA for 2009 - 2010 at the next meeting
in Sept.  Lisa and Catie will set the date for the Sept meeting.