Mass Power Shift
Group-led versus revolutionary change.
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The government is solid. Recently, there was a contest on Whitehouse.gov for GreenGov, how the country can go sustainable. They received a ton of responses to the initiative, on which everyone with a federal .gov or .fed email account had to submit votes for the best ideas to implement a full sustainability plan by June of next year, many of which are actionable immediately. Watch the meeting here: your-greengov-ideas.html Our ideas are being listened to, and the President’s priorities are in place.
People are good. Already, we’ve found that here at the frontlines in Massachusetts, (not just) young people are ready to give up time, money, or comfort for the cause of global environmental sustainability. These are the basic tenants that you need to give up in business, economics, or sociology to have a national will.
The solution lies there. It does. You can see some of my research on the commercial feasibility of clean energy designs in my other posts, but things that can participate in by the people are number one. My next post is going to be on the strategy of social change, bottom up (revolutionary) versus top-down (political mandate) sustainability and who’s going to win out. [ANSWER:) Both]
History’s evidence.
In all cases, having a healthy sense of historical context is good to correct any unrealistic presumptions. 1. Things happen when they are a priority to people; they give the time to make sure that it’s implemented. 2. Most of the work is in implementation, that is the real physical processes of business: who gives what to whom, how does it get there and what is the application to finish the job. 3. We are in an unprecedented time for the environment. What we decide in the next 50 years really will go down in history as either a mitigation or disaster management story.
4. In almost all cases, it is the youth that lead social change. We are not alone here, or misguided in any way. If the younger generation feels that it’s a priority, that means that the necessary steps for democracy occur. For example, from the bottom left can come the protests, from the top come the reforms. From the young come the ideas (now, submit online at http://www.whitehouse.gov/), and from our super-awesome rockstar politician president come the executive mandates! (Like for a federal sustainability program by next June at the latest, that he already DID 
Choose an approach.
A: Marxist start. The fuel of this world system is the labor of the poor. We have to mobilize the proletariat, as its called, to live and serve by doing manual labor to implement anything in local or national solutions.
B: Capitalist start. You have to work within the system to create change. Starts under the premise that change must be necessary for it to be possible, a new clean energy future mandated by strict cap-and-trade law. Professionalism, how you look and who you represent, becomes a real factor here.
C. Change comes from within. I am seriously looking at my own life here. If you believe that being healthy and sustainable is the most important thing, I hope to remind you that it starts in the choices you make every day. Life doesn’t require anyone else, and it’s okay to opt out of anything that makes you uncomfortable. But stay informed as the most important thing, please!
The three don’t necessarily get along, and I’m a little worried actually about the [conflict] emerging within my own group , maybe for the next post on change!
Maximize power. Here are more basic steps on what you can do.
Accept responsibility to compromise: Listen to the people around you, even especially the ones with a soft voice.
People like visuals. People also like food. Start here in your planning.
Expect results, but be flexible with your goals. And the methods on how to get there.
Conclusion:
Change, I’ve learned, also doesn’t happen from within a vacuum. This is a common mistake which includes a 300-person “Hillarycare” drafting session, the 2-person small office at Small Planet, or a 8-person closed steering committee over one summer trying to solve “the world’s” problems. It doesn’t come from the left (see previous posts!), or the right (link). But requires both. If you are in charge of outreach or communications, how much can you forget what you think you know and move towards reality. That’s where the chance to save our future lies at.
I am going to keep working on it, and hope that you continue to follow on the bright path ahead. Now, to the sleepout! http://theleadershipcampaign.org/participate !
Other posts: Http://Eddiemill.WordPress
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Leadership camping best practice
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Hello leaders, we found this out at BU. When we had bread and a small camping stove set up as a center of our camp, it brought about twice as many supporters in to the site. These supporters were often interested in what we were doing, and sometimes able to sign our clipboard and join us the next night. Here’s how we doubled support in one night:
1. Scope out bakeries in your area. Panera is what I went with because it is on the way and closes at 10 which is when we start the S-Os. Go by during the day.
2. Ask if they usually give away their extra bread at the end of the day. If they don’t, and they bake the bread there, they’ll usually be throwing a lot out.
3. Get a number of a night manager you can contact, thank them, and then call that night. Tell them that you were hoping to confirm the donation of extra bread and pastries, and go by either just before close or up to 30min later.
If done properly, you are going to have a lot of bread for your event. We got donations of wrapped baguettes, loose bread, pastries, donuts, bagels, and sweets. (The Blondies were delicious). We were able to have open boxes and plenty to share around. It was a source of community and friendly gesture to the people who were interested in the campaign.
I hope to follow up with Panera now to arrange a weekly schedule pickup. From just one load with 2 volunteers (we couldn’t carry it all!), we could support the S-O for two days.
Next up: figuring out coffee donations. Stay tuned for more from BU!
-Eddie
Community Outreach,
Tuesday Night Site Coordinator @ BU
440-935-5434
What Could Have Been: Uniting Diverse Groups for Social Change
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Hello, friends! This is Eddie Miller from BU with a weekly post. The subject is of the Sunday protests, and recent campaign call that changed everything. The story involves food, a grassroots protest, and a new vision for our platform: follow along!
MAPS Emergency Meeting: Decisions and Updates
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Hello, all!
Thanks for checking in.
Here are the notes from the Saturday, October 18th emergency meeting in Boston.
Notable decisions include items on:
1. Flashdance Thursday, October 22nd.
2. Sleep-out materials, and messaging.
3. Contingency planning for the campaign ie. WhatIf…?
4. New media and partners engagement plan
5. NEW NAME FOR MASSACHUSETTS POWER SHIFT — to be decided on among some finalists Sunday.
Respond to someone if you have feedback before then! Keep tuned for a new website, before October 24th (say goodbye to this blog.. *sniff*)
-Eddie Miller
facebook.com/eddiemill
twitter.com/eddiemill
eddiemill@gmail.com (WAVE invite me)
Blog Action Day: Massachusetts Power Shift Leads Students to 350
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This post is part of Blog Action Day, 8414 blogs and counting, all writing about climate change on the same day and together calling the US to take serious action on climate. Sign their petition here.
As a response to climate devastation, thousands of people have taken up in protest. In how they behave, in what they buy, in homes, in lobbying halls of congress, and on the internet. All with a message to spread: We need a new clean energy economy! Designing solutions such as solar and wind, along with reducing how much we do use as a state, can bring us together and provide jobs in a time of crisis.
It is especially important that everyone be involved in Climate activism in Massachusetts right now– Our senator, John Kerry (Follow on twitter, this is going to be essential in our lobbying approach) is long a champion of the environment and pushing new legislation that is sufficiently bold. But not enough to solve the real problems we face! Neither of the bills currently in Washington are strong enough to get us to 350, which is where our corn crop starts to melt and our coral reefs are gone already. We have to act, and fast. Kerry and Barack Obama can hopefully ride this wave of public support and bring home a great treaty for America. There’s broad support in the US, and Massachusetts is the “Saudi Arabia of Wind”. (Clean Power Now Website) Help us transform our energy future!
Get Involved
There are plenty of ways to get involved, right around you.
The easiest is to find a 350.org International Day of Climate Action Event nearby or help plan one with a local group. After that, join MAPS and its partners for a Sleep Out action until action is made at the Statehouse, MA. October to November we will be represented at the doors of the Statehouse or John Kerry’s lawn until better legislation comes up about this!
Sign/Support Blog Action Day! http://www.blogactionday.org/
MAPS Boston U,
-Eddie Miller
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Massachusetts Power Shift Site
Mass PowerShift– Regional Trainings Take Place Across MA
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Massachusetts Power Shift is gaining Power as the campaign takes off into fall. Groups will be able to run 14-20 campaigns around Massachusetts campuses this year, including school favorites from Boston, Worchester, Western Mass regions, as well as new additions from Greater Boston, West Mass and the Cape.
September 19th was a big date as our campaign presentations reached the public, or “The DL,” as we unveil plans for a great fall action. As you may know, our campaign follows a Gantz model of organizing (add link) which dictates how an organization builds over time. “Morally necessary, technologically possible,” the leadership campaign follows logical steps in a 2-month series for the Copenhagen protocol, organized to build our capacity, footprint, and influence of us and our allies. December 7th is our deadline, November 17th for a new bill to be passed in Massachusetts. 350 parts per million is what we want, 10 years is the time we have to implement serious sustainable energy generation. The bill would be an upstream Carbon Tax, with incentives for alternative energy companies to start up in Mass. Massachusetts needs to lead worldwide. See full platform, at: http://mapsblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/leadership-campaign-platform.doc
With climate, we don’t need to wait until tragedy occurs like December 7th, 40 years ago, Pearl Harbor.. but can start now, proactively. In nomination of this action, our new campaign color is red. Click the platform if you missed this presentation.
Trainings included in two regions covered Personal Narrative, 1-1 Meetings, Task Design, Leadership Structure, and Timeline Organizing. Students alternated with who prepared and directed these educational and unifying workshops. In Western Massachusetts, more schools were brought in to the cause. Watch this blog for more potentially this weekend for any student groups or partners who missed it! Also, for anyone not yet involved who wants to be, there will be another Fall session this October, the third. Campaign Calendar here.
Our next big action is September 24th, with a press conference around Climate Week.
See my full meeting notes at:
-Eddie Miller
Community Outreach, MAPS
mapsblog.wordpress.com/
Al Gore: Strategies towards a Goal
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I see an organizational goal as the yardstick against which all planning, investigation, research,
philosophical underpinnings and action are measured. Strategy is the set of blueprints for achieving those goals, and tactics are the steps taken to implement these strategies.
I would further simplify and distill our goal, call it the over-arching goal if you will:
Reverse global warming.
Not simply stop it, because it has already gone too far (e.g., Hansen’s *maximum* “safe” level of 350 ppm, while we’re currently at 387 ppm), and positive feedback loops are taking it farther and faster than we had ever expected. The goal must be to turn it around. Is there any point in aiming for
less than that?
Just to take a couple of examples of how we might contemplate measuring our strategies against the goal as I’ve stated it:
1. Education – clearly, education of students, parents and community are essential. Most sources of information
are sorely lacking in honesty, clarity and effectiveness. The question with any educational effort is
whether and how well it moves us towards reversing global warming. Considerations would be content, medium,
style, viral effectiveness. Furthermore,
equitable and sustainable solutions require far more than substituting hybrids and lightbulbs – we will need to change our hyperconsumerist globalized lives. That’s fundamental culture change
- how do we grow our understanding and further the transition?
2. 100% renewable electricity by 2020 – does this meet the goal of ultimately ending Global Warming? Bluntly, no. But can we use it as a strategy to move in that direction – perhaps. We would have to think it through, and figure out how to use it as a short-term stepping stone to the larger goal. The 100% in ten years target will be out of date pretty quickly, but so much will have changed by then that we won’t even recognize our current efforts.
Comments?
Source: AL GORE, “Green Energy by 2018, (7/17 Speech)” Washington, DC: August 17th, 2008. watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt9wZloG97U
MAPS: A Call to Action! (Platform attached!)
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All around the world, people are stepping up. School children, college students, actors and actresses. Corporations, foundations, philanthropists, specialists… governments are convening this December in Copenhagen to discuss our future.
The hope is to stop rising melting ice and rising sea levels, that could soon take entire communities, beaches and shores. The main immediate threats are rising food and energy prices, availability of water, and increasing human migration due to changing temperature/seasonal conditions. A new Army report shows that the consequences could be grim, the scope and scale of which could condemn “billions” of people to poverty and result in the collapse of “much of civilization” by 2100 (!). When military people start talking like that perhaps we should listen.
The struggle for global environmental sustainability is inherently tied to all other struggles. Peace, social justice, security, equality all have a say in the outcome. It is a fight, most fundamentally, for the real solutions we know we need. It is a generational fight, on the hope that we can be that generation that uses our democracy to changes proactively and preempt a crisis. The costs of action are not that high, and the means mainly political.
Massachusetts Power Shift (or MAPS) has a plan this fall, and we’re looking for you to lend time to the cause. 100% Clean Electricity by 2020! 350 Parts Per Million in international climate law! We have exciting times ahead and no time to lose.
We are looking for club and group leaders, researchers, policy people, organizers, families of all race and ages. Won’t you join us the 19th for a meeting and training introduction? Sept. 19th at Northeastern University! Location: Google Map.
Q: What’s the plan??
A: See latest Leadership Campaign PlatformFall_’09_Platform, attached!
Send a policy support or inquiry to our policy team: tmooring@mit.edu!
Q: How do I get involved?
A: Please come to our intro training Sept. 19th at Northeastern University! They will be held in room 346 Curry Student Center at Northeastern University.
Directions:
1. Take the Green “E” line to the Northeastern T stop.
2. Walk back towards the Inbound Northeastern T stop, away from Forsyth St, towards Opera St.
3. Cross Huntington Ave towards the quad and academic buildings (there’s a big sign that says
Northeastern University outside the quad and a pillar on the right with a map of the campus that says Krentzmen Quad on it).
4. Walk through the quad and continue on the path between Richards Hall and Ell Hall.
5.Go down the stairs (outside).
6. The next building entrance you meet with sliding double doors on your left will be the Curry Student Center (there is a red awning that says Curry Student Center).
7. Enter the sliding doors and take a right. Walk straight until you reach the elevator on your left.
8. The room is located on the 3rd floor at 346.
Number as contact people for day of in case people get lost. Mine is 5163027861, Dan’s is 5185279168.
Questions please contact coordinator@masspowershift.org.
Or visit our website- http://masspowershift.org/
Tags: Climate Change, issues, MAPS, news, opportunities
MAPS Blog!
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This is the Massachusetts Power Shift (aka MAPS) official weblog of the site. Here we will document the internal workings and campaign updates from within MAPS. It is an open blog to members and campus leaders, also open to development by the greater climate change community as well. Please bookmark: http://mapsblog.wordpress.com/
MAPS is currently in retreat on the coast of Hull, Mass. There are 16 leaders in attendance from 12 colleges in the network, planning an intensive fall campaign around the December 7th Copenhagen meetings. Among the topics discussed we’re finding our current political context, influence tactics, anti-oppression, web media and the fall organizing campaign. The campaign will be kicking off in 2 weeks with emergency meetings across different campuses, and a regional training for anyone who wants to join on the 19th of September.
Other resources to contact MAPS includes:
Email a regional coordinator
Join the mailing list: Massachusetts Power Shift on Wiggio.com. This is our primary mailing list: massachusettspowershift@wiggiomail.com and group manager: craigaltemose@gmail.com.
Plan to come to a statewide training event: October 3rd for regional hub trainings and September 19th for campus event planning.
Follow us on Twitter.
Eddie Miller
Trainings coordinator, MAPS
facebook.com/eddiemill
want something posted? eddiemill@gmail.com
Research update: NYT
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Great New York Times article today on the analysis side of renewable
energy targets:
Enjoy!
