Knowledge is Power... and its Funding is About to Be Cut

Edit:
Well, it didn't work, people. On February 19th, the House voted to remove funding from PBS completely. BUT, it's not too late... yet. It goes to the Senate for a vote very soon. Please please please, follow this link and take action!

Thanks!

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Today our government votes on whether or not Public Broadcasting continues to receive funding. PBS receives grants from corporations and from viewers, but they also receive federal funding.

This may not be an obviously green issue, but it has green ramifications. One of PBS's primary topics is nature. Nature education helps to foster an appreciation for the world in which we live, can spark ideas, passions, creativity. We NEED this kind of an education available to the public, to adults and children alike.

Some numbers to consider:

• Public television has a monthly broadcast audience of 121.9 million people.
• Public radio has a four-week broadcast audience of 64.7 million people.
• Network websites reach 13.7 million unique visitors per month at npr.org,10.8 million unique visitors per month at pbs.org, and 9.5 million average unique visitors per month at pbskids.org.
• Other digital media reach millions of people each month – through podcasts, mobile devices, smart phone apps, and satellite channels. Examples include 972,000 monthly unique users of NPR Mobile Web and 692,000 monthly unique users of the NPR News iPhone App.
• Public media educational technologies and services are resources for millions of teachers and students through instructional TV content, interactive video and distance learning systems, online professional development for K-12 teachers, and workshops and services for childcare providers, pre-school instructors, and classroom teachers.
• In-person connections. Stations and producers connect in-person with regular activities and special events including, concerts and performances, lectures and forums, workforce development programs, and oral history projects. Many of these activities are partnerships with local school districts and educational institutions, museums and libraries, and national institutions, including the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian.

If you support the good that PBS does for all of us, contact your representatives today, right now, and tell them how you feel! They represent you. They represent the common good.