The Great Unless

We hear a lot about the privilege and wealth of the 1% - the tax breaks, the gated communities (or mansions), the private jets, etc. We complain about the burden put disproportionately on the remainder of us - in stagnant wages, rising costs of living, and so much more. Genocide: according to Merriam-Webster it is defined as " acts committed with intent to partially or wholly destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group; also : the crime of committing such an act." More thoroughly, the United Nations defines it as pictured below: I share this now because we have just seen the latest report from the IPCC  and my question is this: when will we hold the fossil fuel industry responsible for their actions? They have known the consequences of burning death dug up from the ground for decades and they led a campaign of misinformation and lies in order to continue making profits while the poor and the disadvantaged payed the heaviest tolls. Now we are all finally real

I am adrift. Lost in a sea of rage and despair with only this tiny lifeboat to cling to. How do we keep going, knowing what we know? In a world gone mad, what do we do when faced with countless bodies - victims of the largest mass murder in history? People whose lives ended because of the careless and soulless greed of humanity? Not all killed by a single person or a small band of felons, but by an industry and society gone mad. The climate is changing. Our world is changing. In a real, physical way. And it's not slowing down any time in the foreseeable future. And as it's changing, life is already getting harder for millions of people around the world. Resources - food, water - are becoming more scarce. We say BLACK LIVES MATTER. But what are we doing about the fact that black and brown bodies are the first to be sacrificed to the gods of oil and coal and gas? We say HONOR THE TREATIES. But what are we doing to prevent the contamination of Native lands? What are we doing

What to do What to say I feel like the world Ain't a clue As to the world of shit that it's in Look at me Here I'll be Just desperately Trying to fit in While waiting for it all to burn Every day I try To hide my tears My fears My certainty That it's likely all fruitless Until people Everyone everywhere Realize the truth Of this crisis We are heading toward doom Every single death From heatstroke From flood From hurricane From insect-borne disease From starvation From thirst Caused by a shifting climate Is a murder with no hope of justice What is violence if not this? If not now? If not here? If not everywhere? Corporations killing millions For blood soaked money Earned through fossilized black gold and dust

I had a revelation this morning Looking in the mirror Tracing the lines etched on my face Usually I see them, try to smooth them Worrying about the worry lines & signs And how they reveal my age But today as I stared at my reflection I saw movements in those lines & marks Acts of defiance and resolve The bruised color beneath my eyes: the fight to always act on climate This line next to my eye: the trench where we say Black Lives Matter Where we strive for equity and understanding among all people And this one: filled with the shouts of females all over the world As we continue to rise up and claim the future The furrow between my brow: carved there by countless conversations With those who don’t understand the harm done by fascism and bigotry And then I move on to see those lines next to my mouth: The result of countless smiles blessed to me by my daughters And all those who have brought me joy So many more triumphs and sorrows Etched into my face Th

Speaking with a friend the other day, we were both lamenting the inaction of many young people to get really involved in the fight against climate change. (In fact, I even wrote another blog about the lack of young people showing up a few weeks ago.) As we were talking, my friend questioned why the youth don’t feel urgency around this issue, why they aren’t willing to make sacrifices now knowing what the future holds if we don’t take action. And my response was: “I’m sure that the kids, just like the adults, are fucking terrified and just want to live while they can.” And it struck deep for both of us as we realized how scary and big this problem must seem to millennials and “Generation Z”. Facing this issue is overwhelming for us, but it’s existence-shattering-scary for most young people who take the time to really look at it. The “fight or flight” response kicks in when we are faced with a threat and, evolutionarily, if we are facing an opponent that we have little to no c

(Disclaimer: I love lots of "old white people" and if you are one of those old white people who is working to make the world a better place, then my thanks to you; just know that you are in the minority. This post, however, is directed at (mostly) young people. And is about showing up. Or NOT showing up, as the case may be.) My timeline is full of people in my generation and younger complaining about the state of the world. Complaining about the sexism. Complaining about the racism. Complaining about the fascism. Just generally complaining. But you know what isn't full? Attendance at volunteer trainings. The Statehouse on advocacy days. The inboxes of our state legislators. Campaign offices. The freaking ballot boxes on election day. You know who does occasionally show up? Who does make the decisions on actions and bills? Old (mostly white) people. Are you okay with old white people determining the future of our country and our world? Because that, my friends, is wh

Being home with my daughters over their break has been enlightening in many ways. Most notably today I realized how easy it would be to cocoon myself in the cares and worries of the everyday and ignore the world at large. It would take very little effort for me to block out the horrors committed daily, the violence impacting our people and our planet, and only to do the right thing for those closest to me without agonizing over the impact it may have on those I do not know or the Earth at large. I intellectually understand how people can put blinders on and just live day to day. And I was tempted. To move back into a world where all I had to think about was those I love most. A world of more contentment and peace. One where my every action isn’t tempered with thoughts of how this might not be best for the planet. Or guilt over all the things I have that others do not. One where I don’t constantly remind myself of the privilege I hold as a white woman born to a family that was abl