This was one of the most fantastic weekends of my life. 10,000 people congregated in the hub of our nation's capitol to shift the power running the world. Through key-note speeches, workshops, music, and information sessions we learned how we can make a difference in making the communities safer and more sustainable.
It was such an empowering experience. I have never before experienced such a large demonstration of solidarity for one cause. (Well, excluding the Radiohead concert I went to in Montreal a few years ago.)
Though the main concern brought up in Powershift was obviously changing what resources are used, eliminating the use of "clean" coal and fossil fuels to wind or solar energy, but there was also an undercurrent to the message. Many of the presenters demonstrated a strong interest in getting people of color more involve in the environmental movement. They shed light on the severity of the situation. Our nation specifically targets areas of low income and communities of color to dump toxic wastes and largely ignore people's lives. The speakers addressed this issue, and it seemed like they were seeking to get more people of color involved.
Although I completely agree that they should also join the fight for their health and the ecosystems where they reside, to use the voices they have. However, I am somewhat unsure about how it would happen. The areas that are most polluted are also the areas with more poverty, so those are the people who cannot risk their jobs or get a few days off to go to Powershift for 4 days for example. How can they give up the time?
If the environmental movement is serious about getting more people of color involved, there should also be a creation of programs to give these people jobs. Anyway, I attended many speeches and took some notes. Here are some ideas from fabulous people whose names I more often than not did not get:
We have distorted the idea of supply and demand. Production should be made for human need rather than profit. Most of the products we create serve no real purpose, like snuggies and silly bands while there are countries still struggling to feed their people. People need medications for example, but cannot afford them and therefore don't buy them, so we do not produce enough to keep our population healthy. Instead we create cheap materials which are consumed at great levels because they are inexpensive.
The use of money in the world is also concerning. It would take 44 billion dollars to end world hunger, while the pentagon receives a 700 billion dollar budget annually. The pentagon also produces more carbon emission than 32 entire countries combined.
The way our capitalist system works is business are made to compete against eachother until someone loses, and has to end it. We should be operating with cooperation not competition.
To prevent further destruction the government should be giving out environmental reparations.
Our nuclear power plants have poor health regulations, and even with the policies in place they are often ignored or overlooked. Day workers are hired in nuclear plants to run in quickly, do a job that machines should be doing, and run out after a very short amount of time to avoid over contamination instead of creating safer methods of running the plants or using wind power. When has a wind-turbine ever gone rogue and killed someone? Nuclear power regularly threatens the health of employees and the surrounding communities.
Al Gore: ...need to decipher notes
Van Jones:...need to decipher notes
Lisa Jackson:
"If their air isn't clear my air isn't clear. If they can't drink their water, I can't drink my water." - referring to the polluted areas in low income regions.
Poison in the ground causes poison in policy.
The protection we need doesn't happen by accident, because we know they are worth fighting for."
Her speech was filled the brim with a lot of statistics, and to be honest her speech was actually a little disappointing.
Bill McKibben:
Referring to DC, "...it looks clean and it looks sparking, No. It's as polluted as Beijing...it's polluted by money."
Political system, we need to build and use a different currency, a currency of bodies, creativity, and spirit.
He spoke a lot about fighting with civil disobedience, and how the younger generation is who needs to start fighting. We have voices and we are strong. We can use art and music to fight. We are all interconnected, though we have been historically divided. There is no division between race, class, gender, socio-economic status, we all need to fight. This is not a one dimensional movement.
There was also a chicana woman who told her story. She was from the barrio of San Antonio, where people would develop liver cancer, asthma, and other health conditions because of pollution. When she was younger she thought that it was part of living in the barrio, but when she moved away she realized that everywhere is polluted. She joined the military to support her family, and she saw the pollution that the military brought. She realized that social justice, workers rights, were part of the struggle for fighting for the community and pollution was a part of it too.
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