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Moral Monday, June 16: Our Planet: Climate & Environmental Justice [1]

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Date: 2025-06-16

On Saturday, June 14, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. hosted the largest military parade in the U.S. in 34 years, according to a press release from the Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign (Sac PPC):

The event featured thousands of soldiers, tanks, parachute jumpers, artillery, and dramatic flyovers from vintage warplanes. The parade and accompanying festival commemorated the 250th anniversary of the Army, coinciding with President Trump’s 79th birthday. Initially, the estimated cost for the Army Birthday Festival and parade ranged from $25 million to $45 million, but the Army's latest estimate placed it at $40 million.

The Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign (Sac PPC) is raising concerns about the environmental impacts and associated costs of the parade:

The event produced significant pollution, generating over 2 million kilograms of greenhouse gases—equivalent to the pollution from 67 million plastic bags or the energy used to power about 300 homes for a year.

Many of the military vehicles burned dozens or even hundreds of gallons of fuel per hour.

The parade coincided with proposals for a $1 trillion Pentagon budget, alongside massive cuts to healthcare and food programs, and an ideological attack on climate initiatives both in the Pentagon and across the government.

The funds spent on deploying these fuel-intensive tanks and helicopters globally detract from our ability to protect our people, communities, and the planet.

The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, consuming more petroleum than any other institution.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the AFL-CIO, the $45 million spent on the parade could instead support education, healthcare, housing, veterans' services, and food assistance while also benefiting communities through investments in essential services such as:

About 1 in 5 veterans go to bed hungry each day. The funds used for Trump’s birthday parade could provide SNAP food assistance for nearly 18,000 veterans for an entire year.

There are an estimated 33,000 homeless veterans in the United States. With $45 million, our government could provide housing for nearly 6,500 of these forgotten heroes.

For $45 million, more than 10 million school lunches could be provided, enough to feed 56,000 hungry kids—whose only warm meal each day might be at school—for an entire year.

For $45 million, nearly 3,000 veterans could receive GI Bill benefits, demonstrating our nation’s appreciation for our brave soldiers with the college or vocational training we promised after their service.

To read more about the parade costs, please visit: https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hopewatch/5-things-washington-military-parade/ or visit: https://aflcio.org/2025/6/13/weekends-military-parade

The Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign (Sac PPC) will hold two Moral Monday events that address the impact of the administration’s proposed budget cuts on poor and low-income communities. The discussions will focus on the planet and the climate (June 16), and finally on immigration, civil rights, and Palestinian support (June 23).

The events of Moral Mondays will also address the Campaign’s interconnected pillars of racism, poverty, militarism, environmental destruction, and the increasingly distorted moral narrative facing our country. The Campaign is a national initiative led by faith leaders, advocates, and community members who have been directly impacted by social and economic injustice.

SacPPC Concerns About the House Republican Bill

1. Rollback of Clean Energy Initiatives:

The bill includes provisions that will reduce or eliminate support for clean energy initiatives and renewable energy projects. Specifically, the House bill targets tax credits for rooftop solar installations. It eliminates electric vehicle tax credits after 2025, with a one-year exception for EVs manufactured by automakers that have sold fewer than 200,000 qualifying cars. Credits for solar and electric vehicles, which reduce harmful emissions, help boost demand for these technologies and drive down their costs.

2. Increased Reliance on Fossil Fuels:

The bill will lead to increased dependence on oil, gas, and coal, potentially resulting in higher pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Changes to Environmental Policy:

The provisions in the bill affect environmental regulations, altering protections for air, water, and land.

4. Threats to Public Land and Ocean Protections:

Provisions in the bill undermine protections for public lands and oceans, opening them up to development.

5. Impact on Public Health:

We believe the bill's provisions will exacerbate pollution and pose risks to public health, potentially affecting communities nationwide, especially low-income and communities of color.

Contacts:

Chris Brown, 916 384-7476/[email protected]

Brother Kevin Carter, (916) 275-8737

Faye Wilson Kennedy, (916) 812-7429 [email protected]

Join us for the Moral Monday Event:

Our Planet: Climate & Environmental Justice

Music & Land Acknowledgements

Welcome & Introductions, Chris Brown, Sacramento Climate Coalition & Faye Wilson Kennedy, Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign

Opening Prayer, Pastor Carla Dietz, Parkside Community Church, UCC

Call To Action

Jamier Sales, CREW

Zuri K. Colbert, CLAP and Sac PPC

Allison Hickox, College Student, Sacramento Climate Coalition and Fridays for Future

Dr. Goli Sahba, MD, Sacramento, Third Act

Matthew Windsors, Unhoused and Sac PPC

Faye Wilson Kennedy, Sac PPC/RBGEJC

Pastor Chris Sparkman, Street Ministry

The Sacramento Moral Mondays will feature peaceful events in response to severe budget cuts, the erosion of rights, and unjust policies at various levels. Held centrally in Sacramento, these gatherings aim to unite the community in promoting moral budgets. Each event will counter misinformation, harmful policies, and misconceptions about democracy within the state.

We Won’t Be Silent Anymore!!

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