Mass Power Shift was a climate change conference in Boston last weekend put on by a number of mainly student organizations. They did an impressive job pulling together a logistically very complex event in only four months. The weekend was packed - with lots of Speakers (John Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz-Kerry were the most famous, but the whole line up was very diverse and impressive - Miss Rhode Island, Claire Allen, State Senator Pachico and on and on), about 30 workshops on different aspects of Global Warming and Activism (Networking on the web to green roofs to spiral dynamics, you name it), panel discussions, regional community break-out sessions, entertainment, a march and fair and, as the culmination and maybe most important part - lobbying in the State House for the State Congress to pass the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) on Monday morning. This legislation has already passed the Senate in MA, and our goal was to urge as many of the representatives as possible in person, to pass it in this legislative session. We were aiming for a firm commitment to do whatever they could to make this happen, and there is a follow up plan in place. (The GWSA demands a reduction of greenhouse emissions of 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Some people say this isn't even going to be enough according to the latest science, but - one step at a time.)

It was all new to me, as well as most of the other 50 or so 'lobbyists' - but we practised our meetings with experts in advance - in the first one I was nervous never the less. We worked in small groups or pairs and I think we all felt strengthened from this action - it's good to get to know the people in the legislature, as much as they might be just a small part of the picture, they do hold power - and speaking with them about their own concerns about this issue. First and foremost was the 'human connection'!Almost everyone was incredibly gracious and interested and some said that this kind of event carries a lot of weight in their mind. Meeting real people with real stories makes them feel supported too as they are up against a multitude of interests.

It was a powerful opportunity to begin to build relationships with people you have so many ideas about.

And then we will see - let's hope the act will get passed and MA will emerge as a leader in action as it could and should be. Mass Power shift and the organisations involved in this event are definitely not going to stop. If you want to take more action right now: http://www.350.org/4/, www.1sky.org and www.itsgettinghotinhere.org

That was a shock - right here on 'my' NPR station, the interview with a professor from Montana, the auther of the new book - The Sky's not falling. (The best of our knowledge, #917)
After an intro about both sides of the 'heated debate' (is it really?) whether humans are responsible for climate change or not - and thorough discussion of the lawsuits having been fought or about to be fought in England over Al Gore's movie, the interviewer discusses all aspects of climate change with her.
Her main argument about why it is "okay to chill about Global Warming" is that CO2 emissions do not precede climate change, but climate change precedes CO2 emissions. What that actually means is not being explained. And I do not understand it. I would like to.
Then, in less than a sentence, things like carbon off-setting and many other complex issues of Climate Change are getting the boot with a laugh.
My mind starts to spin. Have I fallen for some kind of 'saving the world hype' in wanting to do something about climate change? Apparently there are many (how many?) scientists convinced that whatever CO2 emissions we are creating do not have an effect on the climate, which IS changing, but would do so regardless, because of certain activities of the sun. Why aren't the important people listening to those sccientists?
Or is this another example of the smart tactics of scepticism - throw in just enough doubt that no response can be justified....are we in the middle of an enormous conspiracy to drive the world crazy with concern about a  phenomenon that doesn't even exist?
But okay, even if we are not the ones causing climate change - you never know it might be the truth after all- is there any reason to not work for cleaner air, water, sustainable agriculture and fish stocks and a responsible handling of our resources? That is where the program went in the end, but managing to leave you with an aftertaste similar to the Kansas vs. Darwin debate.

One thing that is amazing about learning about Climate Change is the amount of good news you actually come across amongst all the terrifying ones...these are two sites I found today:
http://www.sristi.org/cms/en/our_network
www.benjelen.com/foundation
www.thesunnyway.com

It makes me wonder how we would view the world if these kinds of things would dominate the news.....

One thing I did for Earthday: went to http://www.greendimes.com/ and got myself off any junk mailing lists - for free! And then found this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eUXEWpZO0E.


The NPR programm I mentioned a couple of days ago? It was 'To the Best of our Knowledge' #917...I did write to Glenn Busby, the host, about it. He answered back immediately, which I thought was really impressive, given the amount of mail they must get, particularly on a topic such as this. His goal, he said, was to get people to do research themselves about Climate Change since, as he said in the programm too, a lot is wrong with the way Al Gore and the IPCC Panel present it. I realized that I had not looked into the 'sceptics' point of view enough - and spent some time on the web, doing just that. It's important. There is a LOT out there in terms of climate science, even a theory that the earth is actually entering another small ice age. So the most accurate thing to say is that a lot is uncertain. What I did realize though from my response to the program and Glenn's response to me (he didn't want children to be 'force-fed' Al Gore's film, he said) is how emotional this issue is and that that isn't going to get us to making the right decisions. And needless to say there is enough to respond to even if things are not going to develop as dramtically as some say. When the stakes are this high, it does not always bring out our most rational and clear thinking part and it is more challenging to try and reach for the highest perspective.
What I do see is a big puzzle of mass-extinctions, obese and asthmatic children, depleting fish stocks, hunger riots and more and more people wanting to do something about it. The most important and challenging thing seems to be not to pull each other down because of this view or that action not being perfect or complete. It's a rollercoaster ride alright!

I bought a bike! And I am looking forward to running errands to Lenox and Lee (about 4 miles away) and get my work out at the same time (it's hilly around here!!), instead of driving the car and then having to try and fit my workout into the day later.
And another thing about diet - it's really strange, but since I am drinking and eating a lot of greens and other vegetables (if you are curious about the details, let me know) wanting to eat eggs, yoghurt, cheese, even normal bread - is all droppping away. Most of it suddenly feels 'dead' to me compared to all the energy in the 'live' foods. The thought of being vegan or even more extreme - a raw eater - always scared me, but here it seems to be happening quite naturally and organically and I feel a lot better.
maybe it is because of this: a lot of what we eat does not give us the nutrition we actually need, once we find out what does, (I think this might slightly differ from person to person) the desire to eat the other, less nourishing foods will decrease significantly. Shopping is getting simpler and faster too. I don't think it helps to think about this as something one should do. But if it is discovered from the insight out, as the result of one's experimetation and thinking it is powerful and very energizing!

There are two websites I am spending time on as well - thesunnyway.com and itsgettinghotinhere.org. Both are run by young people and are indepth discussions of various aspects of climate change. The level of response is very high, even though some of the points are controversial to say the least. And I want to know how people younger than my generation are viewing it all. Some of it reminds me of thought 30 years ago in Europe - going back to nature, a simple lifestyle and the anger against industry and politics, looking for a scape goat. But a lot is really new, very forward looking and mature, looking at the topic from a broad range of perspectives. Have a look!