Wow, what a day! Saturday, as some of you may have heard, was when we officially kicked of RISE, a one-day event built around supporting the Global Climate Action Summit being held in San Francisco next week. GCAS will be bringing together politicians, lobbyers, and the general public in order to discuss and possibly take action on one of the greatest threats to our survival known today: climate change. Now, I might have another post coming up on how well the summit goes (it's schedule for September 12th-14th), but today I wanted to talk about something that was just as great: the RISE for climate events happening all around the world. And, I'm happy to say that, amidst a busy schedule, I was able to participate in one!
What was RISE?
First off, we need to get an idea of what exactly this collection of events was. Essentially, RISE was a global, one-day movement aimed at bringing together hundreds of thousands of people to fight for solutions to climate change. There were over 900 events spanning a total of 95 countries, each with their own unique format. The general theme was climate change, but many events, like the one that occurred in Boston, had their own focus that targeted a problem related to climate change on the local level. All of them, however, were created in support of a progressive stance on climate change, especially when it relates to the Global Climate Action Summit. While I can't speak for just how well the summit or other events went and will go, I can say with certainty that the Boston event was incredible. Here's some more about it:
What were we fighting for?
While the general theme of the event was in support of solutions to climate change, Boston's event had its own specific, local focus. Eversource, a major energy provider in the Boston area, is planning to build a redundant and dangerous energy substation in East Boston, one that would not only likely be destroyed, but would threaten the people around it. Let me explain: the substation (which would be used to generate energy) is planned to be built about 50 feet away from the nearest river. It's estimated through modeling that the area will be completely flooded in the next 50 years, and that same area experiences frequent flooding throughout the winter season.
Additionally, the substation would be built about 100 feet away from a major jet fuel storage tank, which stores about one hundred gallons of said fuel. Both of these projects, of course, are built or are being built in a heavily settled, impoverished neighborhood, where the planning team did the best they could to remain within the law, all the while preventing citizens from actually learning about the project. One of the organizations at the event, named Green Roots, polled citizens in the area: almost none of them had any idea that the project was happening. What's more: the energy isn't needed. Another poll of the Boston area showed that the demand for energy was going down within the region, and that such a substation would not only be redundant, but dangerous. And of course, there was one last thing: the volatile station is going to be built right next to a playground.
The event
So, we were coming together to show our support for the cancellation of the project. It's dangerous, redundant, and even outright stupid, so it was time to say something about it. Here's what the group of about 200 people did with our time:
First: speakers. Now, unfortunately, due to some complications, I personally didn't get to experience this part. But, from 12:00-1:00, the event hosted a variety of of speakers, with names like Mañuel Peña, Boris Marín, Li Castillo, Juilio Perez, and Steve Malagodi. They were each from different organizations, including GreenRoots, Cosecha Boston, 350 Mass For a Better Future, and more. Again, I unfortunately was not able to hear them speak, but from what I heard from others they were all quite good.
Second: after the speakers, there were two periods of teach ins: the first from 1:30-2:30, had a variety of different talks and workshops about advocating for immigrants and the people often lost in the discussion of climate. While I did listen to a bit of the talks, I spent most of this time networking with some of the organizations that were tabling there. The Sunrise Movement, MIRA, and Mothers Out Front were there, along with a few others as well. While there was only one that was youth focused, all of them seemed to be doing incredible things within the Boston area, and in other locations as well. There was even an organization for the elderly!
Third: the second teach-in period was hosted from 2:45-3:45, and I sat through a full one this time. This presentation, led by a member of the GreenRoots organization, talked all about the East substation I mentioned earlier, and everything that was wrong with it. I chose to sit in on this one because, I'll be honest, not living in the Boston area myself, I hadn't even heard of the proposed station. So, I learned all about it, from the steps taken to stop the planning so far, to the detriments it would cause, to how we can help stop it now. It was a great talk.
The march
Finally, after the teach-ins and talks were done, we marched. Now, the city didn't give full permission for the march to be held in cordoned-off streets, so the group stuck mostly to the sidewalks. We passed through playgrounds, neighborhoods, and store fronts, chanting and holding our signs, demanding that the plans be cancelled. The march route took us all the way to the proposed site, where we gathered and rallied. We got to take an awesome aerial photo as well, with all of us holding up specific letters to spell out a message (I got to hold up the first one!). After rallying for a bit, we marched back the way we came, all the way to the park where the talks and teach-ins took place. There were people waving, chanting, and even joining with us as we took to the streets.
Conclusion
The event was incredible. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it was to see so many like-minded people in one place. PEOPLE WHO CARED! I met so many front line fighters, and came to realize that, no matter where you look, there is always another problem caused by climate change that needs to be solved. Whether it be a greedy corporation intending to install a redundant, dangerous substation, or otherwise, there's always something more to learn about. And, wherever there's a problem, there will always be people fighting to solve it.
But this was just ONE event. One out the nine-hundred. All around the world, events on the same and even larger scales were held, bringing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people together to fight for solutions to climate change. We all came together, and, even though we may have had different specific focuses, worked with each other to create a truly global movement. I can't say what the future of climate change will look like, but I can say that yesterday proved there are people who won't rest until we make it better. Truly an inspiration, truly a cause for hope, and truly, truly, an incredible day.
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/Eversource-customers-to-save-21-a-month-7392768.php
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/13408403
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