350 Milwaukee
Education and action are at the forefront of 350 Milwaukee’s plan to end the age of fossil fuels. This Milwaukee chapter of the international climate movement, 350.org, has been working towards building a clean energy future for Wisconsin since 2013. Members of this grassroots organization lead protests, hold companies accountable to the realities of fossil fuels, and host monthly meetings to educate Milwaukeeans on the urgency of the climate crisis the world faces.
“We just can’t fool around anymore. You have to look at the overall global weather patterns because fires don’t happen only in northern California. Siberia, Greece, and Turkey were all on fire - it’s horrendous. We have to get out there and have our voices heard. We have to act on it before it’s too late,” Julie Enslow, one of the 350 Milwaukee leaders, says.
The 350 chapter in Milwaukee emphasizes how climate change is not only a global problem, but an issue that affects cities and communities across the state of Wisconsin.
Pipeline Protests
Concerns over an oil and gas pipeline in northern Wisconsin were raised by 350 Milwaukee as well as other environmental activists at the beginning of September. They protested the Enbridge Pipeline, called Line 5, which starts in Superior, WI, and ends south of Lake Huron. This pipeline cuts across Ashland County and could potentially pose risks to the region.
“This is a Wisconsin issue. All of these pipelines have leaked at some point, it’s just inevitable. It’s not a matter of if, but when,” Enslow says. She added that there are two other pipelines, Lines 3 and 6, that bring dirty oil and gas to parts of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan too. Enslow also says that stopping fossil fuel infrastructure is critical to putting an end to these dangerous pipelines.
In attempts to put an end to fossil fuel infrastructure, 350 Milwaukee participates in a national effort to address the funding from financial institutions that goes into fossil fuel industries.
Fossil Fuel’s Banker
According to the Banking on Climate Change 2020 report, JPMorgan Chase contributes more money towards fossil fuel industries than any other bank in the world. The report indicated that Chase has put a total of $268 billion into coal, oil, and gas firms over the last four years.
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Given this, the Milwaukee chapter protests every Friday outside of the downtown Chase building on Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street. Wells Fargo also sits on Wisconsin Avenue across the street from Chase and their bank is known for being one of the top four fossil fuel investors in the world.
350 Milwaukee puts pressure on We Energies too for their coal burning plants and urges the company to use solar and wind power instead. The local chapter is a member of Clean Power Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin which aims to eliminate We Energies’ Oak Creek and Elm Road Power Plants.
The group has been protesting We Energies in Ziedler Park for the last several years and has received attention from We Energies management, according to 350 Milwaukee leader Greg Walter. He says there was a petition presented at the We Energies office a few years ago which initiated more interactions between 350 Milwaukee and We Energies.
“We’re continuing to put pressure on them to accelerate their adoption of renewable energy as well as accelerate their closing of coal and fossil fuel generation throughout their territory,” Walter says.
To learn more about 350 Milwaukee, visit their website. The group’s next march will be on Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. to bring attention to environmental racism in Milwaukee. They will be marching from Victory Over Violence Park at MLK Drive and Center Street to the We Energies Headquarters.
