Artists Against Fracking | Artists Against Fracking

Two New York Top Chefs Ask: Fracking or Food?

Fenton — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:30:41 +0000

It’s no secret that New York City prides itself on its incredible restaurants and ability to rely on organic, locally grown food. And thanks to Upstate New York’s watersheds that supply New York City with clean, fresh water each day, the city is home to some of the best bagels, pizza and coffee known to mankind.

Yesterday, two of New York’s well-known restaurant owners and chefs, Mario Batali and Bill Telepan, voiced their concern over the threat that fracking poses to New York’s agriculture and restaurant industries in a New York Daily News op-ed called “Fracking vs. Food: N.Y.’s Choice.” They raise some excellent and frightening points. If our water supply becomes contaminated with the dangerous chemicals used in the fracking process to extract natural gas, our livestock, crops and therefore health will be at risk. Here’s what Mario and Bill have to say:

“. . . in Pennsylvania in 2010, 16 cows died after apparently drinking water that was contaminated with fracking chemicals. The gas company involved refused to disclose further information about the chemicals . . .”

Yikes! Imagine taking a bite out of a hamburger from one of those cows! No, thanks. The celebrity chefs go on to say:

“Whether we are cooking at home for our families or dining at restaurants, we all have a deep interest in the quality of what is on the table and in the health of the people producing and enjoying it.

Well said, Mario and Bill. You can read the rest of this chilling piece here and decide for yourself. Will it be fracking or food, New York?

Gov. Cuomo puts New Yorkers’ health above politics

Fenton — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:30:07 +0000

As recommended by the New York State Department of Health, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision on whether or not to ban fracking for gas in New York has been further delayed. We are pleased the Governor’s administration recognizes the need for in-depth analysis of the risks that fracking poses to our health. We are confident that such analysis will demonstrate the need for a continued moratorium on fracking.

Countless phone calls, petitions, tweets, emails and peaceful demonstrations highlighting the dangers of fracking did not go unnoticed by the Governor, and we are thankful that he has rightfully honored majority public opinion in New York. In addition to the 204,000 public comments submitted to the Department of Environmental Conservation, our petition on Causes to ban fracking has rallied more than 50,000 signatures. We thank the Governor for listening to his constituents’ concerns about fracking, and we hope he will continue to carefully review the issue, ignore the propaganda of the oil and gas industry, listen to the science and act further to protect the well-being of New Yorkers.

This fight is not over yet, but we commend Gov. Cuomo for this decision! Stay tuned for further updates.

Sign Our Petition Now

In New TV Ad, Yoko Ono Speaks to Gov. Cuomo About Fracking

Fenton — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:55:09 +0000

The deadline for New York Gov. Cuomo’s decision on fracking is quickly approaching. The Governor wouldn’t meet with us about fracking, so we’re putting our message on TV in the hope we can reach him that way. Starting Feb. 8, a 30-second TV ad will air in New York City, Westchester and Albany, featuring Artists Against Fracking co-founder Yoko Ono directly addressing the Governor.
“Gov. Cuomo, since you haven’t met with me about the dangers of fracking, I will show you … Keep fracking out of New York. P.S. Nice to meet you, Governor,” Ono says in the ad.

The ad will air from Friday through next week on channels like CNN, NY1 and NBC, but in case you miss it, you can watch it right here!

Gov. Cuomo could make his decision on whether or not to allow fracking for natural gas in New York as early as Feb. 13, and he must make his decision by Feb. 27. Let us know what you think about Yoko’s new ad, and be sure to share it with your friends and fellow activists!

Sign our petition now

Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon announce winners of the #DontFrackNY video contest

Fenton — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:43:06 +0000

Artists Against Fracking is pleased to announce the winners of the #DontFrackNY video contest. Congratulations to – drumroll, please – Michael Lebron and Mariah Prentiss!

Nearly 100 videos were submitted to the contest prior to the January 30th deadline in two categories: TV-ready ads and short videos. Yoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon, carefully reviewed the submissions and together selected one winner from each category. Yoko and Sean said it was a very difficult to choose only two videos, as there were a number of excellent submissions to choose from.

The winning 30-second TV ad, “Protect Our Water Before It’s Too Late,” will air in the New York City and Albany media markets next week, but you can see it here first. Originally created for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, it was directed by Michael Lebron with visual effects by Adam Teninbaum’s team at AST Studios.

Mariah Prentiss, staff advisor of New York Youth Against Fracking, submitted the winning short video, “You’ve Been Fracked,” which will be featured on Artists Against Fracking website and social media channels. Watch it here!

Also, check out the runner-up videos that Sean and Yoko also loved.

30-second TV Ad

Don’t Frack It Up, Lee Nowakowski
Safe Responsible Fracking is a Myth, Scott Cannon

Short Video

Meet the Frackers, Eric Walton
I Want a Future Too, Zach Freidhof

Thanks to all who participated in the #DontFrackNY video contest. Keep an eye out for Michael’s ad on television next week!

Must Watch: Josh Fox/Artists Against Fracking Mini-Documentary

Fenton — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:59:46 +0000

Here’s a must watch 7-minute documentary from Gasland’s Josh Fox about the recent Artists Against Fracking Tour of Pennsylvania. Give it a watch, then say you’re with us–together we can make sure Governor Cuomo bands this toxic practice in New York State.

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Yoko’s Albany Times Union Op-Ed: Imagine NY without fracking

Fenton — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:17:27 +0000

Photo by Sean Lennon

Our co-founders Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon went to Albany, NY today to help deliver more than 200,000 public comments to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Cuomo, all resoundingly in oppostion to fracking. It was the most public comments delivered on proposed regulations in state history.

Also today, Albany’s Times Union published an op-ed from Yoko, in which she explains why she and Sean are so invested in convincing Governor Cuomo to do the right thing by banning fracking and making New York the Clean Energy Empire State. Here’s what she said: Here’s what she said:

My husband, John Lennon, and I bought a beautiful farm in rural New York more than 30 years ago. We loved the tranquility and beauty of the area. Our son, Sean, spent many precious days there growing up. Our family still enjoys it now.

Like the rest of our state, this peaceful farming community is threatened by fracking for gas. Giant pipelines, thousands of tractor-trailer trucks ripping up roads, loud air compressors, air pollution — and most of all, the certainty of poisoned drinking water.

We can’t win the fight to keep our air and water clean without your help. Add your name to our petition right now.

Yoko’s Letter to the Editor of the New York Times

Fenton — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 20:55:34 +0000

The New York Times got our attention last week when it editorialized in favor of the supposed benefits of exporting natural gas fracked from the ground beneath communities across the United States. Checkout the letter to the editor our co-founder Yoko Ono wrote in response, published in today’s paper:

In “Sending Natural Gas Abroad” (editorial, Dec. 16), you write that environmental concerns about fracking for gas should be addressed by tighter regulation, not by restricting exports. But the evidence shows that there is no amount of regulation that can make fracking safe.

Industry documents show that 6 percent of the wells leak immediately and that 60 percent leak over time, poisoning drinking water and putting the powerful greenhouse gas methane into our atmosphere.

Read Yoko’s full letter to the editor here. Then, take a second to get on the public record by standing up against fracking here in New York State.

Taking it to the Streets

Fenton — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:13:21 +0000

Did you hear? Governor Cuomo has delayed a decision on fracking New York until February, 2013. It is good that he is studying the issue more.

PLEASE LET HIM KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!

We’re hitting the streets with a poster campaign (HT @MarcDSchiller) across New York City. If you see a poster, Tweet it at the Governor (@NYGovCuomo). If you want to start your own poster campaign you can download one right here: http://bit.ly/AAFposter

We are pleased that the health impact assessment has been delayed to make time for a more serious study. We are also glad to see Governor Cuomo talking clearly about climate change in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Fracking does not help climate change, as the powerful greenhouse gas methane leaks from cracks in the wells and other gas infrastructure. We need to move to clean, non-carbon energy!

Imagine Clean Energy. #DontFrackNY.

Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon Launch the #DontFrackNY Video Contest

Fenton — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 12:00:55 +0000

New York’s Gov. Cuomo recently delayed until February a decision on whether to allow fracking for gas in the state. To help inform the Governor and the public, Artists Against Fracking announces the #DontFrackNY video contest. Help us make the case in the most compelling and moving way.

The Rules
We’re looking for two types of videos: a 30-second TV ad and a short video. The 30-second TV ad should be directed at the Governor. The short video should focus on educating people about the hazards of fracking and gas company propaganda and be no more than three minutes long.

Aside from the length limits, we aren’t putting any restrictions on your video submissions. You may enter work in either one or both categories. Show us your creativity!

All videos should be submitted by January 20.

The Prize
Artists Against Fracking founders Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon will judge the submissions and choose one winner from each category. The creators of the winning videos will get to have lunch with the two celebrity judges in New York City.

The winning TV ad will also be broadcast as a paid ad in New York City and Albany. The winning short video will be featured on the Artists Against Fracking website, on Causes.com and other social media plus sent out widely by activist groups.

The Submission
Once you’re ready to make a submission, upload the video(s) to YouTube or Vimeo, and then fill out our entry form. Check out our submission guidelines for more details.

Happy filming!

Health Study Victory

Fenton — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:20:10 +0000

As the pressure mounted from groups across the state, Governor Cuomo delayed any decision on fracking New York until late February, 2013. We applaud the myriad local activist groups, outspoken organizations and our own members for continuing to pressure the administration.

We are pleased that the health impact assessment has been delayed to make time for a more serious study to be completed. However, we want to remind the Governor of his pledge during Superstorm Sandy recovery to “get serious once and for all” about climate change and our energy infrastructure. Fracking does not help climate change, as the powerful greenhouse gas methane leaks from the wells and other gas infrastructure. We need to move to non-carbon energy!

Fracturing bedrock for gas is an inherently dirty and unsafe technology. Cement and pipes at these great depths are simply not reliable, as the industry’s own documents show. The pressures of the deep earth and the differences in temperature along the cement expand and contract it to the breaking point, some right away, more over time. Water laden with toxic chemicals leaks into aquifers and wells. Powerful methane leaks into the airand changes our climate. Pastoral rural areas are turned into brownfields.

New York can create far more jobs, and create and save far more energy than fracking will ever produce by insulating all buildings, replacing all windows, and greatly expanding clean, renewable energy. Let’s make New York the clean energy state.

Imagine Clean Energy. Don’t Frack New York.