1/19/10 Heartland Network Call
2020 Vision: Reflections on Copenhagen
Many thanks to those of you on the call. As Paul said, thank you for your kind attention and willingness to take action for a healthy climate.

Many thanks to our Conversation leaders:
Paul Thompson, One Cool Planet
Katherine Ball and Alec Neal, SeaChange Gallery

I. Learnings from Copenhagen
II. What we each can do
III. How to influence policy makers
IV. additional URLs/information

quote from JRR Tolkien (found in a Climate Magazine by the Federation of Young European Greens, Green Economics, A Youth Perspective): "It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish"

I. Learnings from Copenhagen
There is power in people gathering and connecting. There is power in learning how to create global connections that can affect global change.
Leaders can only lead as fast as the people can move into creating the politics and actions for new ways of being.
Participation in the conference gave me inspiration to continue to act and strengthen my individual actions around climate change.
Prince Charles, spoke as an advocate for rainforests, talking to the world leaders. His call to action: 20 years from now will our children ask, “what did you do?”

II. What we each can do
http://www.earthaid.net/dashboard: sign up for a simple way to monitor your gas and electric usage and receive incentives for lowering your emissions

Mexico City Peoples’ Climate Summit: let’s all bike together to the Summit. Katherine and Paul are exploring how this will happen.
Bike whenever you can.
Figure out a way to green your house and/or lifestyle. Eating less meat is a great start.
Organize your neighborhood.
Build a community garden.

http://www.instructables.com/
Compost bins – wind turbines – solar panels
Build a bio swale on your boulevard
Turn your toilet tank into a garden

Activate love as the guiding principle (listened to Martin Luther King yesterday)
Build relationships that are strong and support everyday lives. Have a solid foundation to go out and do the bigger things. Support us in the essential conversations that need to happen.
This is the conversation of my life—I want to have kids— there is a lot of work to be done to focus on love and where that guides me. And showing up. Just showing up.

Harness the new powers of being able to communicate with one another; with global conversations affecting local action.

There are over 6BB people on the planet, more connected than ever. Most are at the same place economically, striving for the same thing: good quality of life, freedom from oppression, healthy environment. How can we harness the technologies of communication and healing and bring those people together the common cause of social justice?

III. How to influence policy makers
Catalyzing investment in a low-carbon economy. Encourage and support businesses to change toward a green economy. Shine a light on the positive changes.
Acts of non-violent civil disobedience with a focused message.

New media tactic: The Yes Men
A genderless, loose-knit association of some 300 impostors worldwide who agree their way into the fortified compounds of commerce, ask questions, ...

get a critical mass together: Organize bicycle rides, marches, mass actions

Campaign finance reform

Stop talking/take action
December: come to Mexico City Climate Change Summit

IV. Other URLs/information
Mexico City Peoples’ Climate Summit: A formal date for the 2010 conference has yet to be set.

Lessons From the Copenhagen Climate Talks

Progressive Democrats of America: environmental issues policy

Video on banner-making: http://seachangegallery.org/
>NEXT CALL: 2/16 Register here

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