What an honor it was to be invited to participate in Expedition Copenhagen of the Will Steger Foundation! In 10 days, often running 18 hours--even 21 on occasion--I had the chance of a lifetime to join the convergence of humanity that was Copenhagen. While the negotiators, the heads of state will get 90% of the press, for me the real story of Copenhagen was the coming together of youth, who built cross cultural networks, soberly asking the negotiators in a sea of orange T-shirts, "How Old Will YOU be in 2050?" Our team of youth delegates was a diverse and wicked-smart bunch who came from 7 states across the Midwest--MI, WI, MN, IA, IL, ND and SD.
Seems everybody's trying to make a run for the border these days. With Latinos becoming the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in America, everyone wants them as customers, and yes, voters. Latinos (or Hispanics or Chicanos) are fiercely brand-loyal, credit averse, and proudly patriotic. If Latinos take up the cause of climate change and climate mitigation, they'll be formidable allies.
This past weekend, I was fortunate to attend an inspiring day-long event,
Climate Justice: A Retreat to Explore a New Way Forward, which was sponsored by the
Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Held at the
Wilder Forest International Retreat Center, we spent the day delving into the potential impacts of global warming on our communities and the ramifications of various forms of federal climate legislation. Most importantly, we also explored the many different paths we can take to tackle many of the root issues--societal, health, food, political and others--that have set the stage for our expansive call to action to solve global warming.
Along with presenters and facilitators from the Institute as well as two doctoral candidates from the University of Delaware's Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, the keynote presenter for the day was Bill Gallegos, Executive Director of Communities for a Better Environment, based in Oakland, California. Bill brought over 30 years of experience in social and environmental justice organizing, along with profound insight to the discussions, and equally moving was the diverse group of attendees and multi-cultural aspects of the conversations.
On a remote location of 2.4 million acres in north central South Dakota, wind is the focus of the tribal government and the 8,000 members living on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation.
The Arctic Circle has always been known as ground zero for climate change causing a variety of unnatural problems, and many Indigenous communities have been trying to communicate these problems to the rest of the world for years. Just recently another Indigenous village has been echoing the same message.
In late April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew the air quality permit it issued last summer for the Desert Rock coal-fired power plant, which is supposed to be built on the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners region just southwest of Farmington, New Mexico.
According to a report featured in E&E News on April 28, residents of low income and minority communities are breathing disproportionately dirtier air than other Americans.
American Indian activists Winona LaDuke, Clyde Bellecourt ,and Sandy Nichols took the stage at the Capitol last Wednesday to talk about the proposed tar sands pipeline going through the Leech Lake Reservation in central Minnesota. The Enbridge pipeline would carry this dirty energy source from the Canadian province of Alberta all the way to Wisconsin, running through various Minnesota communities along the way.
Talk about a bill that is long, long overdue. U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) recently met with various tribal leaders from South and North Dakota to discuss legislation he introduced to make wind energy projects a reality more than a thought on tribal land.
This is great news! Author and activist Van Jones, who recently added to his credentials by having his book on the New York Times bestseller list, will be a special adviser to President Obama for green jobs, enterprise and innovation.
Fresh Energy Blog