Peace, Justice & Environment Project official website release

Peace, justice and environmental organizations in 26 states representing over 800 local groups and organizations use the Actions Options Tool web application to facilitate online communication and cooperation. The first group to use the software was the Illinois Coalition for Justice, Peace and the Environment (http://www.icjpe.org) which went live on April 1, 2006. Since that time the number of states using the Actions Options Tool web application has grown to include FL, MI, MN, IL, OH, IN, MO, ME, PA, KY, TN, GA, CT, RI, VT, NH, MA, CA, WA, VA, MS, AL, MD, DE, IA and AZ. Currently, the software is used by 20 networks and 2 statewide coalitions with more in development.

The website application offers an online petition center, actions center, forums, calendars, resource center and more. A sophisticated communications center offers all members email access to every organization within the system with automatic notification occurring when organizations toggle support or participation for each other's actions. See http://www.actionsoptions.org for more detail.

Several actions have emerged in these websites and have then gone on to receive local, statewide and even national media coverage as a direct result of the websites' use. In December 2006, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan groups worked closely together through their respective versions gathering over 1800 signatures and the endorsement of over 40 organizations combating the U.S. Coast Guard practicing in the Great Lakes with live lead ammunition dumping 7000 lbs of lead into the lake annually. The three websites provided the opportunity for member organizations to notify, educate, organize and direct their members to the targeted events where online petitions were delivered. The Coast Guard withdrew their proposal as a direct result of the use of this web application and the efforts of participating activists.

This is where the power of this programming comes into play. In addition to spreading actions and information across a state, actions emerging in one state frequently jump to other states creating the spontaneous proliferation of political action from the bottom up.

Administrators for individual groups commit less than 15 minutes a week to post actions and answer communications from other participating groups. This involves from five to twenty minutes on training to get started.

If you'd like to discuss your organization participating in this project in conjunction with other organizations within your state, please email Andrew@pjep.org.

In May 2007 we made the web/email application behind these networks open source. Its use is spreading too. Activists from several continents have now downloaded the Actions Options Tool from http://www.actionsoptions.org.

Visit http://snap.actionsoptions.org/uploads/demo/introduction.mov to view powerful new features coming soon to established statewide networks. Click http://icjpe.org/graphics/aot-full.pdf for a pdf (11.3 mg) of a brochure that provides more detail.

Who are we? We are 14 volunteers working on this project (so far), helping local organization use the programming as each site goes up. Many of us are from the Illinois Coalition for Peace, Justice & Environment. Several of us have come on board over the last year as websites have gone up in our states and we’ve seen the potential of the project.

We do not charge to create or maintain the statewide networks. This is what we can do for peace. Please call or email if interested.

Participating networks in their order of appearance.

Live in 2006[/]

Illinois Coalition for Peace and Justice
http://www.ilcpj.org

Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers
http://map.actionsoptions.org/actions

Florida Action
http://www.flaction.org

Michigan Peace Network
http://michiganpeacenetwork.org

PA Action Network
http://paactionnetwork.org

Live in 2007

Ohio Peace Network
http://www.ohiopeacenetwork.org

Indiana Action Network
http://www.network4peace.org

Show Me Peace and Justice
Missouri Peace Justice and Environmental Action Network
http://www.smpj.org

Maine Peace Justice and Environmental Action Network
http://www.mpjen.org

Sites live in August 2007
these networks are in the early phases of development in working together

New Hamphire-Vermont Peace Justice and Environment Network
http://www.nhvpjen.org

Georgia Peace and Justice Network
http://www.gpjn.org

Connecticutt/Rhode Island Peace Justice and Environmental Network
http://www.cripjen.org

Massachusetts Peace, Justice & Environment Network
http://www.mapjen.org

Tennessee/Kentucky
Peace Through Justice Network
http://www.ptjn.org

Site live as of October 16, 2007

California Action
http://www.CalAction.org

Sites Live in November 2007

Washington Action Network
http://www.WAnet.org

Virginia Progressive Action Network
http://www.vpan.org

Live in 2008

Arizona Action Network
http://www.azactionnetwork.org

IowansAct
http://www.iowansact.org

Del-Mar Action Network
http://www.demdan.org