Taking Action Against Coal
You know, everyone’s doing it these days. First it was Al Gore who said, “I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.” And now it’s Wendell Berry and Bill McKibben–you can read their statement in this HuffPo post by Mike Brune.
See, all the cool kids think that coal is not the way of the future. So, a bunch of people are getting together to give a kind of show of strength on March 2–to do a mass nonviolent action at the Capital Coal Plant in Washington DC. Why should you be there? Because climate change is something you can’t ignore.
This is an opportunity, especially for people who don’t have experience in protest or direct actions, or who wonder about what they can do besides watch TV and worry – thousands of young people will be there because this action coincides with PowerShift – an amazing and powerful gathering of young people from around the U.S. who know that together, we have the ability to make change.
Get Some Action
My friend Josh just put out this awesome booklet called “Get Some Action!” You can download it as a pdf or you can email to get a copy mailed to you.
I wanted to take a moment to give a shout-out to Josh (and anyone else who worked on the booklet) and thank them for their work on this project – it’s amazing! Intended as a primer to direct action for young people and students just starting to be concerned about the environment and the future, this seems like a great tool to move people on to the next steps – answer the question what happens after the election?
This booklet is short, beautiful to look at, and follows a clear & simple logic – all along illustrated with photos and examples of people-power in action. It basically goes like this: Why should we be concerned about climate change? >> Why should we take responsibility? >> What happens when we work together? >> What is direct action? >>The role of youth >> Success stories >> The Future >> Resources
I think this pamphlet could really inspire people to get involved, because it’s so straight forward. My only criticism is that while it inspires people to action, other than giving them info on organizations doing this work, it doesn’t spell out how to get involved. I think adding a sentence or two saying, “There are groups around the country already doing this work. Get in touch or start your own” would be the absolute only change I would recommend for the entire thing.
If you’re working with youth or people new to the movement, get this booklet to share with them!!
