Category: What You Can Do Now - PACG - Progressive Action for the Common Good

IA ACLU September Challenge Drop In - PACG Event

9/12/2023

IA ACLU September Challenge Drop In
Saturday, September 16th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm

Bettendorf home

Gender Equity ForumWe are working with Iowa ACLU to gather signatures for their September Challenge - Reproductive Freedom for All. Read our blog post here. Drop in to get informational materials and learn how to collect signatures for this important initiative.

Contact me for information about this event.

Alta Price

Week 3 of Plastic Free July - Say no to styrofoam!

7/15/2023

Plastic Free July - You can make a difference!
Week 3 of Plastic Free July - "I will not use single-use containers this week!"

Environmental Forum

As part of Plastic Free July we are asking that you spend each week of the month doing specific plastic elimination challenges. This week our focus is single use containers. Read this article about how one woman eliminated these items. One suggestion she has is to carry a "reusable kit" with her everywhere she goes. In it are a reusable coffee cup, bags and containers.

If you are caught out at a restaurant and don't have your reusable container for your "food to go" items, ask for a few pieces of aluminum foil. These can be easily cleaned and recycled at home once you put your food in a storage container at home. Whatever you do, say no to styrofoam!

Let us know your feedback on this third step of Plastic Free July.

Read our other blog posts for Plastic Free July below:

Week 1 - "I will eliminate single use straws this week!"
Week 2 - "I will only use reusable grocery bags this week!”

Susan Leuthauser

Week 2 of Plastic Free July - Reusable Grocery Bags

7/8/2023

Plastic Free July You can make a difference!
Week 2 - "I will use only reusable grocery bags this week!"

Environmental Forum

Environmental Forum

Our first week of the Plastic Free July focused on giving up the use of single use straws. Review that here. If you have transitioned to going plastic strawless a part of your regular practice - congratulations! It wasn't that hard, was it?

For Week 2 we ask that you start using reusable bags for your groceries, produce and all other errands. Once you gather the supplies you need you only have to remember to bring them into the store with you!

The Plastic Free July website answers the question, "What shopping bags should I use?" like this: the best bags to use are ones you already have! They encourage you to keep stashes of bags in handy places and to remember that they are only reusable if you remember to use them! Read this article about the best reusable grocery bags.

Produce bags are another single use plastic that is wasteful and harmful to the environment. Here is a source for various types of reusable produce bags.

Let us know your feedback on this second step of Plastic Free July.

Read our other blog posts for last week here:

Week 1 - "I will eliminate single use straws this week!"

Susan Leuthauser

Week 4 of Plastic Free July - No plastic water bottles!

7/3/2023

Plastic Free July - You can make a difference!
Week 4 of Plastic Free July - "I will not use single use plastic water bottles this week!"

Environmental Forum

As part of Plastic Free July we are asking that you spend each week of the month doing specific plastic elimination challenges. This week our focus is single use plastic water bottles. The Plastic Free July website says this: "Planning ahead and bringing a reusable water bottle when on the go is a healthier, cost-effective way to stay hydrated and avoid single-use plastic water bottles."

They also suggest that...In places around the world with access to safe drinking water, a reusable water bottle avoids unnecessary single-use plastic water bottles.

Choosing a reusable bottle that suits your lifestyle can be a great way to get into the reusable routine. Bottles don’t need to be fancy. Some people simply repurpose a glass jar or bottle. If you do purchase a bottle, consider its lifespan. Plastic Free July participants tell us they prefer durable materials such as stainless steel.

Most people keep their bottle in a handy location so they remember it. If you accidentally forget, you can always:

drink from a water fountain,
ask a cafe for a glass of water or
make do in the workplace with a mug or clean jar.

Read this article about the best reusable water bottles. If you are looking for one with a straw, read this article. You can also find water in aluminum bottles at local natural grocery stores. Although these bottles are not as sturdy as some, they can be reused and then recycled when they have finished their service.

Let us know your feedback on this last step of Plastic Free July. We strongly encourage you to continue these practices year-round. None of these is that difficult.

Read our other blog posts for Plastic Free July below:

Week 1 - "I will eliminate single use straws this week!"
Week 2 - "I will only use reusable grocery bags this week!"
Week 3 - "I will not use single use containers this week!"

Susan Leuthauser

Week 1 of Plastic Free July - Go Straw Free!

7/3/2023

Plastic Free July You can make a difference!
Week 1 - "I will eliminate single use straws this week!"

Environmental Forum

For many years, our forum has been working to educate the community through the Plastic Free July program. Plastic Free July was established in 2011 and has done a lot to raise awareness about the dangers of plastic waste and its impact on the environment and health. You can sign up for the Plastic Free July Challenge on their website. What many of our forum members report is that these changes that they made in July were easy to continue throughout the year.

This month our focus is on convincing you that "You can make a difference!" We are sometimes asked, "I'm just one person. How can my simple action help when everyone else uses these plastics?" What we find is that our actions often stimulate a discussion about how easy it is for people to make these changes. Others see your behavior and learn to understand that just being a role model spreads change. Try it and see! And remember that Earth Day started in 1970 as a simple call to action for college campus students. Its reach has slowly changed to a worldwide effort today.

For the first week in July we are asking you to stop using single-use straws at home and when you are out. Here are some reasons to stop using them:

Single-use straws are used for a few minutes then discarded, where they’ll remain in the environment indefinitely
They are lightweight and easily blown down drains and into waterways, rivers and oceans
Straws can become stuck in the airways of animals, or if mistaken for food and ingested can be fatal
Together, we can get straws out of the top 10 list of items collected in beach cleanups

There are plenty of alternatives for them, including reusable straws like these and switching to a reusable water bottle with a straw when you are out. These water bottles have straws.

Take the QC Straw Free Challenge and forgo the use of straws for at least this first week of July!

We should love to hear your feedback after trying this. You can contact me at the link below or reply to this blog post. Good luck and have fun!

Susan Leuthauser

3rd Anniversary of the Racial Equality rally - After Action Report

6/25/2023

Third Anniversary of PACG's Racial Equality rally After Action Report

Civil Rights Forum

Since George Floyd's murder in 2020, members of the PACG Civil Rights Forum have gathered at noon every Saturday in Moline to advocate for racial equality and justice in our country. This past Saturday, June 24th, we were joined by several other people to mark the third anniversary of our effort. The group remains encouraged by all the passersby that honk, wave and give a thumbs up in response to our weekly effort. This indicates that people still want to have the conversation about race and racial equality in America. You can see more pictures at our blog post here.

That being the case, the Civil Rights Rally will continue indefinitely until racial equality and justice for all are a reality in our society. We welcome anyone who supports these values to join us at noon on Saturdays. There are extra signs, or feel free to bring your own.

Caryn Unsicker

Support PACG with Birdies for Charity 2023 - A Message from the Board

4/13/2023

Chip in to support PACG through Birdies for Charity!
through Friday, July 7th *

Chip in for PACG!

Chip in for a chance to win!

Once again, this year PACG is participating in the John Deere Birdies for Charity drive! The John Deere Classic runs from July 5th through 9th this year. Here is some information from the Birdies for Charity website about what this means for us:

When you chip in to help area charities, you could win! But your favorite charity will be the real winner. That’s because participating charities receive 100% of the donations pledged to them in this program, plus a bonus from the Birdies for Charity Bonus Fund which is a guaranteed 5% match.

John Deere Classic week is always exciting. Not just for the tournament, but also for what the tournament means for charities. Since 1971, the John Deere Classic has delivered over $159 million to regional charities, most of it through its innovative Birdies for Charity program. No other event on the PGA TOUR does it better -- and it's the generous and hardworking nature of this area that makes it happen!

Progressive Action Update readers, you can win a two-year lease on a new car by submitting your pledge donation form by June 16th!

And whatever you give to PACG through Birdies for Charity increases your donation by 5% through their generous matching offer.

Click this link or the button (above and below) to donate online to PACG! Our "Bird" is #2363
https://birdiesforcharity.com/donate?charity=2363

OR

Download your Birdies for Charity pledge form here. Fill it out (include PACG and Bird number 2363 at the top) and mail it to:

BIRDIES FOR CHARITY
15623 Coaltown Rd
East Moline, Illinois 61244

Make checks payable to Quad Cities Golf Classic Charitable Foundation.

* Important dates:
Friday, June 16th: Pledges and Guesses for the Grand Prize are due.
Friday, July 7th: Pledges and donations must be received.
July 5th through July 9th: John Deere Classic Tournament Week

Ann McCluskey
Treasurer, PACG

Chip in for PACG!

Celebrate Minority Health month with free screening - Of Interest to Our Forum Members

4/7/2023

Celebrate Minority Health month with free screening
Saturday, April 22nd from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Community Health Care Rock Island
2750 11th ST
Rock Island, IL

Health Care Reform Forum

To celebrate National Minority Health month, these free screenings will be available to people of all ages. Let Metro know you are headed to this event and your ride will also be free!

You do NOT have to be a minority to get a screening! Undocumented people will also be screened. All are welcome!

Frank Samuelson

"Let's Talk About Reproductive Rights" workshop - Of Interest to Our Forum Members

4/1/2023

Let's Talk About Reproductive Rights workshop
Wednesday, April 12th from 6:00 to 7:00 pm

Online

ACLU Iowa
PACG Gender Equity Forum

The ACLU of Iowa is offering a workshop that we think will be of interest to our PACG Gender Equity Forum members. Here is their description of this short, informative workshop:

Are there topics or questions you have struggled with when talking about abortion with others? Have you ever been nervous to broach the subject altogether?

Having personal conversations with the people in our lives is one of the most important things we can do to advocate for reproductive rights in Iowa.

Join us on Wednesday, April 12 at 6 PM for a 1 hr workshop on how to make these conversations helpful & effective.

This workshop will:

provide brief info on reproductive rights in Iowa
equip folks with effective conversation tools & proven messaging
provide a safe space to practice hard conversations.

Register here for this online event.

Marie Gleason

Purchase banned books - No Hate In Our States

3/24/2023

Purchase banned books - No Hate In Our States

Civil Rights Forum

Stay at Homestead Mom (on Facebook)

Hooray for Barnes & Noble’s Banned Books section (kids edition)! Each of these books has been banned by various libraries, schools, and organizations. Several are on the American Library Association’s top 100 most banned and challenged books.

PACG has created purchase links from Barnes and Nobel for these books. Buy them for all of the kids in your life! (Click on the name of the book for more information about it and to find a purchase link.)

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Lorax
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus
Melissa (previously published as GEORGE)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
A Wrinkle in Time
Winnie the Pooh
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
The Wizard of Oz
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Hop on Pop
Something Happened in Our Town
And Tango Makes Three

PACG Webmaster