Author: Jane

For a number of years, I organized a Disco Dancing Halloween fundraiser for CED, the California Campaign for Economic Democracy. This is the same organization that profits from “The Jane Fonda Workout” supported but this particular event in 1979 was benefitting a project within CED aimed at expanding solar energy in California. Michael Jackson attended several of these events with me. He said to me at the last one he attended, that one day he would ask me for a return favor. And in 1980 he called me and ask if he could come visit me on the set of “On Golden Pond” in New Hampshire. He stayed with me for about 10 days there. That’s when we went skinny-dipping together and he did long taped interviews with Katharine Hepburn. He had just finished “The Wiz,” his first movie and he wanted to learn all he could about film acting. I write about that experience in my memoir, My Life So Far. In this photo, The Village People, Valerie Perrine and Bruce Jenner, far left, were all shooting a film together, “Can’t Stop the Music.” I must have visited their set and persuaded them to come as a package. I had a lotta guts in those days. I especially remember Bruce Jenner at that party because he was so nice to me and asked a lot of questions about my life and my work. So much has changed. But not the need for solar energy. This throwback photo reminds me how long we have been working towards breaking our reliance on fossil fuels. Solar energy has come a long way, more and more people are seeing the economic and environmental benefits of investing in solar for their business’ and homes. Most exciting however is that in this moment we actually have the ability to drastically change our energy policy and infrastructure in a way that will benefit all people and preserve life on our planet. If that sounds like great news, well it is! One of the brilliant minds at work on remaking our energy system, Shalanda H. Baker will join me this Friday for Fire Drill Friday. I could not be more thrilled and excited to discuss her new book Revolutionizing Power: An Activists Guide to the Energy Transition. I have so many questions, but I’m especially wanting to hear about the connection between energy policy and advancing civil rights. Please join us this Friday https://www.facebook.com/firedrillfriday.

A most exciting, rewarding evening last night. Grateful to my son, Troy Garity, for filming all the important moments. Wish he’d been on stage with me, he looked so gorgeous. One of my favorite Golden Globes evenings was when I was his plus 1. He was nominated for his leading role in “Soldier’s Girl.” Grateful to all my pals who did shout outs prior to the presentation. That was unexpected and I was very moved. The one thing I left out of my speech because I didn’t want it to be too long was the “My Octopus Teacher” made me fall in love with Octopii. I’ll never eat them again. Turns out they’re as smart as border collies.

I got to know Larry because I was married to Ted. We spent many fun hours with Larry. I especially liked it when he’d visit us on one of Ted’s ranches and be a totally out of his comfort zone, 100% the city slicker. Didn’t know the first thing about navigating mud or riding a horse. I had to practically carry him across a shallow creek once. And every time Larry visited, all the critters would come out, like they’d been waiting to freak him out. Once a bald eagle carrying a large jack rabbit flew so low over Larry’s head he could see the whites of the terrified rabbit’s eyes. Once a black bear came around the corner not far from where Larry was standing. It took awhile for Ted to calm Larry down after that but he also loved these encounters because they were great storytelling material when he got back to his city life. On his last visit he agreed to get on a horse but only if Ted walked alongside him, leading the horse. He had us take loads of pictures cause he needed proof he’d actually done it. One of my favorite memories was the time Ted was driving us to a spot where we were going to have a picnic. But Ted, as was his wont, got lost. (It was a 300,000 acre ranch so getting lost wasn’t hard..) You know how, when you get really hungry all you want to talk about is food? Well, it was almost two hours that we’d been driving around looking for the spot where staff had set up the picnic under a giant cottonwood tree and we starting talking about what each of us would want for our last supper. Larry’s choice for his final meal was crisp calves liver, bacon and sautéed onions with mashed potatoes. I found it an odd choice and it was certainly forbidden food for Larry who’d suffered several heart attacks. Maybe that’s why he chose it. I will miss Larry King. RIP dear friend.

Day after tomorrow, Monday the 21st, is the Winter Solstice. A year ago in D.C. at the Fire Drill Friday action on that day, I told the large crowd, “The solstice reminds us that even in the darkest time, the sun is not vanquished. Out of darkness, light is born. Out of disappointment and despair comes new courage and new hope. At Winter Solstice, a metaphorical seed is planted in us. Over the coming year, this seed, planted in the darkness of winter, will sprout and grow, becoming something manifest in our lives at harvest time next November. Let’s think about what we would like to bring forth to birth this coming year.” I told them that what I wanted to birth, together with the young climate strikers and all of the climate movement, was a non-violent army of people concerned about the climate crisis, ready to commit themselves to activism on behalf of the planet. Well, Monday is also my 83rd birthday and what I want to birth remains the same. I’ve been working all year on behalf of this goal and will continue . . . probably until I fall off the perch. Let me give you a few stats to explain why this—building a non-violent army– is so important: Erica Chenoweth, political Scientist at Harvard, has determined through extensive research, that if one can win over just 3.5% of a population to one’s cause, you win. 3.5% indicates that your ideas have tipped beyond the usual suspects and seeped into the consciousness of a broader spectrum of the population. In the U.S., 3.5% equals 11 1/2 million people. Okay. And there’s more: The Yale Program on Climate Communication has found that 23 million Americans are concerned about the climate crisis, know that it’s human-caused, but have not taken any action because– no one has asked them!!! The same research program shows that 13 million Americans are ready to commit civil disobedience, but, again, no one has asked them. There’s a ‘Great Unasked’ out there. What this research shows is that if we commit to asking these Unasked, we’ll have way more than the requisite 11 ½ million people. We’ll have anywhere from 20 to 30 million Americans willing to step up and engage in non-violent civil action– assuming not all the ‘unasked’ will come through. So, my Winter-Solstice-83rd-birthday pledge is to do all I can to accomplish this. This is what is needed. Right now. This is our time. We are the ones. The last generation that can ensure there will be a livable future. Another bit of good news is that since last March when we went virtual, Fire Drill Fridays reached 8,068,000 viewers. Many thousands of them volunteered pre-election to join Greenpeace’s efforts to call climate voters in battleground states who had sat out the last election. The majority of these volunteers had never done that before. The Great Unasked! With all the horrors and grief we’ve experienced this year, I will enter the New Year feeling good because I have done my best to move the goal forward. I hope you’ll join me in the New Year. Here’s something else interesting about Monday for you cosmic nerds like me: Jupiter and Saturn, the largest planets in our solar system, will move closer together than they have been since 1623. This event is known as a conjunction. But this will be the first time we can actually witness the conjunction since the Middle Ages in 1226. One friend said of the planets, “They’ll be kissing!” Another said, “It’ll be an exfoliation.” This once-in-a-lifetime (at least for us older folks) event will happen just after sunset in the southwestern part of the sky. Use a telescope or binoculars if you have them but if you’re not in a huge city with too many lights you’ll see this rare astrological occurrence with the naked eye and the planets will look about as far apart as the thickness of a dime although, in actuality, they’ll be more than 400 million miles apart. The photo at the top of this blog was taken by NASA and if you look closely, you’ll see a tiny white spot just above the lower, duller ring. That’s Earth, seen through the rings of Saturn. Keep that image in your mind Monday night when you look at the conjunction. You’ll be looking at Saturn and you now know what the reverse looks like . . . Saturn looking at Earth. I have this photo in my bathroom because when I look at it, it puts things in perspective for me. We’re basically just a speck in the cosmos, yet we may well be, as Margaret Atwood says, the only “Goldilocks planet, neither too hot or too cold, neither to wet or too dry . . .” the only one that can sustain life. We mustn’t take that for granted.

I did it myself. It took 2 days. I put the TV music station on a listened to cool jazz. My college music. Here’s the tree with lights off. …and lights in Some of my longtime favorites: This one has a miniature crèche inside. Tulea’s decoration A gorgeous, hand blown Frabel ball that refracts the light gloriously A salted martini for Grace Ever since I watched “My Octopus Teacher” I’ve fallen in love with octopii so I found this octopus ball. The yellow one behind it with mirrored circles I made in 1965 while filming “Barefoot in the Park.” I made The panda With my grandkids when they were little. These lovely wooden figures came from Germany and I’ve had them for 70 years! Someone gifted me this: It’s me as a workout angel!

It may well just be me at Christmas time. I’ve posted pictures of my Christmas tree over the years. It’s 14 feet tall and plastic. My daughter, Vanessa, persuaded me to stop using real trees about a decade ago and I must admit plastic ones are easier cause the lights are already attached (but I add some red heart-shaped lights). It’s also easy to put up but the decorating part takes 2 days each way…2 days to put up and 2 days to take down and this Holiday I’ll be on my own to do it…with a very tall ladder. Still, I’m going to do it. I decided today. I’ll start the day after Thanksgiving. I mean, if I’m going to do it I might as well have it up a full month. My squirrel can see the tree through the window. She’s quite fat now. We’re talking liposuction fat. Should I stop feeding her? There are squirrel experts among you that’s why I’m asking. BTW, when I’m late putting peanuts (in their shells) in her feeder, she comes onto my porch and looks through the window for me. Most of my time these days is spent writing climate articles and my opening for our weekly virtual Fire Drill Fridays and reading. I read about a book a week. I stop everything around 6pm, watch the Rachel Maddow show and then scroll around for shows to watch. I’ve pretty much scraped the bottom of the barrel watching things I never thought I’d see. I won’t name names. But last night, the new season of “The Crown” started and it’s really good. Also, a multi-parter on Showtime about Ronald Reagan which tells the real story of his rise and the effect he had on American politics. Finally the truth! I mentioned this before but if you haven’t already seen “My Octopus Teacher,” a documentary on Netflix, you must! It’s amazing and very moving. We’ve gotten word that “Grace & Frankie” will continue filming our 7th and final season in early June of 2021. A long time to wait but, given the age and vulnerability of the 4 leads, it’s best. I’ll be headed into 84 by the time we’re done. Yikes! This last season will have 16 episodes instead of the usual 12. It’s clear (and it makes me sad) that when I write a blog about something serious, like the climate crisis, way fewer people follow it as opposed to when I write this sort of every-day-what-I’m-doing blog so I’m trying to intersperse them. And big thanks to those of you who follow regardless. Believe me, I notice.

Whew! I was told not to believe the election night ‘red mirage.’ I knew that the voters who voted on election day were largely Trump supporters and that Biden supporters tended to vote by mail. I knew that. But living through election night was another thing entirely. OMG. BY 11pm pacific time I couldn’t eat or hardly move. I was in major PTSD trauma, 2016 flashback. I felt nauseous. That lasted until Friday. By the time I did my Fire Drill Friday virtual rally I was way better. Not 100%, I hadn’t slept well, but no longer nauseous. The next morning, I was actually watching TV when the People decided and Biden was announced the winner and I burst into tears. I so loved watching all the celebrations around the country and the world. I so loved the faces of all black and brown women and girls shouting Kamala’s name and holding up posters of her. I’m sleeping well again now and my appetite has returned. So, here are my thoughts now. Elections are really important. They are major milestones along the road of social change. But what matters almost as much, is what people do after elections to force the new elected leaders to do what they promised and more. 70 million Americans voted for Trump. If the Biden administration doesn’t make them feel seen, safe, more secure, then in 4 years, a more refined, less corrupt and clownish Trump-figure may run for office and win. Yes, among those 70 million are staunch white supremacists who will never agree to a nation that respects and serves people of every race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and level of physical ability. We don’t need them. But among those millions are folks who have felt totally left out by the Democratic Party and they are right. They have been. There has not been a true effort to create good paying jobs that will help them regain their self-esteem and sense of security. That MUST happen and it won’t if we return to “normal.” Normal was the problem, even prioer to covid-19. African Americans had a huge role in getting Biden/Harris elected. 91% of Black women voted for Biden/Harris. But if the Biden administration doesn’t start removing the laws and policies that maintain racism in this country, the black vote won’t be there anymore. They hoped it world happen during the Obama Administration and maybe it would have had not Mitch McConnell and the Senate not blocked everything Obama tried to do. This is why winning the 2 senate races in Georgia that will face a runoff on January 5th is so critical; to Biden’s agenda…to solving the climate crisis, to ending racial injustice and economic inequality. To make happen what needs to happen, Biden must take bold steps, like Roosevelt did to lift us out of the Great Depression in the 1930s and it will be almost impossible if Democrats don’t have the Senate. So between now and January 5th, that’s a key fight to focus on, those of you who follow my blog and live in the U.S. (and I do love that people from other countries follow my blog!!!!). We need to register new voters, the youth who will have just turned 18, and any voters who didn’t vote this time must get to the polls. Then, who Biden appoints to his cabinet is critical and will send a major message about what he plans on doing. If it’s a bunch of white men from business and Wall Street we can forget about it. His cabinet needs to look like the coalition that got him elected and they need to support the decarbonizing of this country and the move to a sustainable, green energy sector. Just about every department, Labor, Transportation, Energy, Agriculture, Trade, Commerce, will have a role to play in that and must be on board. These appointments are being decided now, during the transition. Write letters to Biden telling him: No lobbyists, no connections to fossil fuels, no Fed connections in his administration. Then here’s what we need to make sure the new president will do by executive order in his first 10 days: Declare a national climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act. (This will unlock some funds from the Defense budget for Biden to use to address the climate crisis) Keep fossil fuels in the ground Stop fossil fuel exports and infrastructure approvals Shift financial flows from fossil fuels to climate solutions (This means stopping the billions of dollars of our taxes that subsidize the fossil fuel industry) Use the Clean Air Act to set a science-based national pollution cap for greenhouse pollutants. Then, use all Clean Air Act programs to drive emissions towards zero economy-wide Power the electricity sector with 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030 and promote energy democracy Launch a just transition to protect our communities, workers, and economy Advance Climate Justice: Direct federal agencies to assess and mitigate environmental harms to disproportionately impacted Indigenous Peoples, People and Communities of Color, and low-wealth communities Make polluters pay: Investigate and prosecute fossil fuel polluters for the damages they have caused. Commit to veto all legislation that grants legal immunity for polluters, undermines existing environmental laws, or advances false solutions Rejoin the Paris Agreement and lead with science-based commitments that ensure that the United States, as the world’s largest cumulative historical emitter, contributes its fair share and advances climate justice That’s what I’m going to be working on with Fire Drill Fridays and Greenpeace. Do you know that our volunteers contacted 4.4 million climate voters in battleground states who sat out the last election!!! More than double our original target. GO PEOPLE POWER!!!!