Ecology Emerges

Posted on March 19, 2010 in Attended

Tonight was #1 in the Ecology Emerges series held in Oakland, led by Chris Carlsson and his SF history project, Shaping San Francisco. This is a great series; see upcoming dates here.

The theme was the Evolution of Eco-Activism, “Following the compelling shift from conservation to environmentalism to environmental/social justice over the last half-century”, with Jerry Mander (International Forum on Globalization), Karen Pickett (Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters), and Carla Pérez (Movement Generation).

Chris showed an evocative new 10-minute film, then there was a valuable panel talk. Jerry Mander said that things have gone so far that we need systemic changes and worldview changes, but that localization and sufficiency will be crucial. Karen Pickett talked about the Headwaters campaign and the importance of direct action.

Carla Perez then answered a question of mine from the floor about where are the opportunities for near-term progress. She gave a very Transition-friendly answer – Resiliency; work with your neighbors, not your Facebook friends spread all over; understand that economy is local first. Her group, Movement Generation, refers to it as translocal solutions. Carla went on to say that the upcoming crises will see many lives lost – and an amazing outpouring of creativity.