Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which we discuss all things climate and take action on behalf of people and planet. This week’s post will be quick because we’re heading out to rally and march in support of Palestinians as part of the Global Strike for Gaza this week, January 21-28. (Palestinian journalist Bisan has called for a weeklong global strike to disrupt economic movement and stop the genocide in Gaza. You can participate by not spending money all week, staying home from work/school, or protesting and disrupting. PLEASE read this from Bisan, posted yesterday. You can also follow her Instagram).

Okay, this week we’re focusing on Costco and their affiliate credit card provider: Citibank. (Note: I’m including info gathered from Bill McKibben/Third Act and Stop the Money Pipeline). I am a Costco member and have been for many years. There’s a good chance you are, too, as Costco is the third largest retail outlet (after Walmart and Amazon). BUT EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT A MEMBER, YOU CAN STILL TAKE ACTION.  Unlike those two companies, Costco treats employees well by paying above-average wages and providing decent benefits. So, what’s the issue with Costco? The Citibank credit card.

Citibank is the second largest funder of fossil fuel projects . . . in the world. (Here’s a guide to credit cards and fossil fuel involvement.)  The good news is that 40,000 people signed a petition to Costco demanding they put pressure on Citi to stop funding fossil fuel projects and, if they don’t, to cut ties with Citi and find a greener credit card.

The following is from an email from Stop the Money Pipeline (note: Ron Vachris is Costco’s new CEO, but his first job at Costco was as a forklift driver!):

On January 17th, a small delegation of activists visited Costco headquarters outside of Seattle in Issaquah, WA to deliver our petition in person and congratulate Ron on his new role as CEO. We even brought a celebratory card and cake! We were able to successfully deliver the petition to the front desk of Costco’s HQ to be passed along to leadership.

Then, on Thursday January 18th at Costco’s shareholder meeting, a group of shareholders asked Costco to address their relationship with Citi and Costco’s CEO, Ron Vachris, responded:

“Citi is indeed a key partner for Costco Wholesale, and we are aware of those petitions that were signed. We are going to continue moving forward with our climate action plan, and have been in discussions with Citi about their carbon reduction plans in the future. We’re going to focus on our efforts, and we’ll stay close to Citi and their efforts as well.”

Yay for the acknowledgement, but Ron still needs to feel the pressure! Per Stop the Money Pipeline: Help us make sure Ron’s top priority as the new CEO is putting pressure on Citi to stop expanding fossil fuels. 

They’ve drafted a letter for us to send but, as always, our messages make a bigger impact when we personalize the letter. (ACK! It doesn’t seem we’re allowed to personalize the letter. 😦  ) Please go here to send your letter in support of those 40,000 signatures. I’m not thrilled Costco will receive the same letter over and over, BUT it does mean this action can be completed in a matter of seconds. 🙂

Okay, that’s it for this week. Thank you for reading and taking action on behalf of people and planet. I appreciate you and wish you a good week.

Solidarity! ✊🏽