A Green Train is a Rollin

There are three major environmental and food conferences this semester and one tremendous day of action.
Click here to get the scoop on what's going on.

Counter Culture

The experiment of a P.a.T.C.H. went pretty well. In the darkly lit old, wooden community center of Saint Luke's Church in West Harlem about thirty people spent a few hours sharing tunes, artwork, ideas and food. Although all activists were invited it became thoroughly routed in Environmental Justice, Food Justice and Eco Defense. There was Vegan and Freegan food. People spoke about MTR, Fracking and EJ history. Folks from Campus Sustainability groups met folks from Radical Environmental groups. The way it should be. Because it is a break from the everyday fabric of materialism and waste, degredation and exploitation, we say Reduce, Reuse, Resist! But I guess the main thing, as was intended, was that people shared how they felt, and that's what it's all about.

NYC Gas Pipeline??????

Wednesday is the last day to register as an intervener of the proposed Natural Gas Pipeline that is headed to run below Lower Manhattan, Jersey City and Staten Island. If you're like lots of people who recieved flyers about this in Chelsea from United For Action, you're gasping. Bloomberg, the same guy who rejected Fracking in the NYC Watershed, supports a Marcellus Gas Pipeline to be built in NYC? And these things do blow up. Sorry to be all code orangey all over again, but yes, they are terrorist targets. But that aside, a pipe blew up accidentally in California months ago killing 8 people. And accidents aside, it compliments unnecessary fossil fuel extraction while pushing away Green Jobs and putting Green Jobs in the category of youthful idealistic fantasy. Here's a better idea:

United For Action created a guideline page for registering as an intervener, which may lead to the opportunity of participating in the democratic process of a public commentary period. Even though you probably have to be in this sphere of things to even know about this, Wednesday is the deadline, so let's register as stakeholders who have the most STAKE in the FUTURE! It takes 25 minutes. Please register as an intervener.

*Photo: San Bruno Pipeline Fire (San Fransisco Examiner)

Phili Victory/Harrisburg Rally

A victory in Philadelphia coincided with a protest in Harrisburg.

From Protecting Our Waters:

Philadelphia utility to avoid Marcellus natgas
Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:27pm GMT
* Commission concerned about effects of "fracking"

* Marcellus buys banned pending EPA review due in 2012

By Jon Hurdle

PHILADELPHIA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Philadelphia officials on Tuesday directed a city utility not to buy natural gas from the Marcellus Shale until more is known about the safety of the hydraulic fracturing technique used to extract it.

With its largely symbolic gesture, Philadelphia becomes the first major U.S. city to refuse to buy natural gas obtained by the controversial method of hydraulic fracturing, said Philadelphia Councilman Curtis Jones, who sponsored the measure.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN1813865220110118


We celebrate this positive breakthrough, which took place on the same day as a significant statewide rally we helped build:

Reporting from Harrisburg, Protecting Our Waters organizer Liz Arnold comments: We definitely made an impression. It was great seeing everyone who made it out to Harrisburg. Press coverage is never accurate (I counted 200 people at the rally), but everyone who reported on the inauguration at least mentioned us, and often explained some key concerns about fracking:

Harrisburg Patriot News

Pittsburg Tribune-Review

Bloomberg

WTAE Pittsburg

York Daily Record

Phillyburbs.com

AND an inspiring one about the anti-gas drilling actions going on in England

Art

Still going on at Exit Art in Manhattan is a Frack Art exhibit. In one section, there is a wall of postcards in which folks sent in equal sized art about Fracking from all around. There was abstract art dipicting the graininess of pollution and industrialization in Rural America, and the dim colors of Injustice, to clear pictures of Dimoch P.A.




Speaking of ART and EXPRESSION, about 1 month before the Amp Up! Summit, is an activist art gathering at Saint Luke's Church in Harlem. It's called P.a.T.C.H., a people's art, theatre and concert happening. It's going to be free or just about free. All are welcome to perform anything, anything, or bring art or even food or posters or short stories to tell.



a P.a.T.C.H.
141st Street and Convent Ave (St. Luke's Church)
Friday, Jan 21st 7p.m.-10p.m.
Please RSVP and express if you wish to perform at AyalaShannon@gmail.com

Spring 11 Semester

FEBRUARY 19th: Amp Up! Summit

FEBRUARY 25: Northeast Food and Justice Summit

April 1st: Power Shift 11

April 20th: Anniversary of the Gulf



Stop and consider how you are going to be a part of each and everyone of these events. The Food and Climate Justice Movements have only gotten bigger every year in the past decade. And the problems have largely gotten worse- yet the progress that there has been have come from Social Pressure.

The Gulf Tragedy, the failure of the UNFCCC, the rising empire of Natural Gas and Hydrofracking, the development of the XL Pipeline and the Tar Sands and the continued affects these have had predominantly on communities of low income and color. Not to mention the affects Fracking has on Sustainable Food. But we have held up Fracking in NY, we have slowed down MTR, there have been Environmental Justice Victories and more community gardens. This year it's really going to turn around. This year we are going to really make the country think again about the state of Fossil Fuels and Local/Sustainable Agriculture and what an Organic, Just, Sustainable Society looks like, sounds like, tastes like, dances like, and grows like.