January / February 2009 Newsletter
THINKING BIG, THINKING
FORWARD
We all rejoice in the election of our first
African-American President, and share with him our hope for change
that is truly meaningful.
As his daughter, Malia, said, “First African American
President … better be good!”
The work of remaking
In his inaugural address, President Obama
stated that “our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of
violence and hatred” and concluded saying the
However, we Americans have become used to “our
way of life”, based on easy credit, cheap oil and cheap food,
despite the debt piling up for our children and grandchildren.
As a country with 5% of the world’s population, we use 25% of
the world’s resources. The way we have been living over the last 50
or so years is not sustainable.
(People in countries like
These are the “hard choices” of which our new President spoke. We are impressed with his initial actions, and applaud the openness of his administration. We will support him enthusiastically when he is right and when we perceive him to be wrong, we will hold him accountable. He wants us to make use of the internet to help him meet the challenges ahead. Remember: it isn’t about him, it is about all of us!
To get to the new and very innovative Whitehouse Web site, go to: www.whitehouse.gov., or to: www.mybarakobama.com/neworganization for information on Organizing for America (OFA) which will work alongside the President to support a progressive agenda.
What's in
the Future for the
Progressive Movement?
“All good movements turn into organizations turn into businesses turn into rackets.” ( Old Organizers Saying)
So
where do progressives/democrats go from here?
Two very insightful articles have been written which outline
some important points:
What Happens to the
Progressive Movement Now?
by Sara Robinson
(go to
www.ourfuture.org/search/mode/Sara+Robinson)
and
From Uprising to
Movement: Five Ideas,
by David
Sirota. The opening
quote about movements describes the way it has usually gone down in
the past for the Democrats and now for the Republicans.
It could happen to the progressive movement as well unless,
as Ronbinson hopes, we “choose to think of this transition as the
transformation of the existing progressive movement into a large and
diverse ‘progressive community’”.
When this happens, one of the most important reasons is that
the movement has not lost touch with its own principles! If we are
to remain communities formed for inclusion, mutual support, trust
and shared values, how do we proceed?
Here are some ideas gleaned from the articles:
n
Nurture the
community members and expand the circle
n
Develop a
new, more democratic way of doing business, even a new way of being
n
Focus on
local, but think global; use the power at the state and local level
that hasn’t been used effectively in the past
n
Encourage
the labor movement, to give members a sense of ownership and control
n
Build wide
coalitions on economic as well as social issues
n
Recognize
that politicians are vehicles for change, not change unto themselves
n
Use direct
action, the actions outside the electoral arena that can change
things.
n
Remember
that communities are transformative
February 25 (Wed.) – 7 to 9 pm. –
Tello’s (back room) Grill and Café,
SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009
OCAF SECOND ANNUAL SUSTAINABILITY FAIR
and EARTH DAY CELEBRATION!
“Going Green = Saving Green:
Food, Water, Power”
Presented by:
Ozaukee Community Awareness Forum
– Location and
time to be Announced:
Mark your Calendar
The time to
look at our communities in terms of environmental sustainability is
NOW! We are inviting
some exciting speakers and exhibits to share their ideas with us, as
well as describe the work of their organizations and businesses.
Topics which are being planned:
urban gardening, solar panels, sustainable food processes,
becoming an eco-community, and many more.
There will be music and art and a surprise or two, like LED
light bulbs given away again, all in the wonderful Lake Michigan
community of Port Washington! So plan to be with us and bring your
friends! FREE!
A TRIP TO TURNER HALL:
SUSTAINABLE FOOD PROCESSES
In
November, several OCAF members had an opportunity to participate in
a program at Turner Hall on sustainable food processes – a panel of
knowledgeable people from the food and garden sectors were there to
present ideas and answer our questions.
Here are some of the interesting
things we learned from such experts as Will Allen of “Growing
Power”:
·
·
Less than 1% of our food is locally grown
·
84% of people surveyed do not know where their food comes
from!
·
The
·
Inner cities are “food deserts” where quality food is not
available
·
Food costs are consumer-driven for the most part; the
consumer chooses!
·
Local farmers are today pushed out of the market because they
cannot provide 12 months of service --the last fresh carrot sold in
Wisconsin was in 2000 – all vegetables now grown here are put in
cans and sold through the Chicago interchange; in fact, if you are
receiving federal farm subsidies and grow fruits or vegetables in
the Midwest, you are doing something illegal!
·
During World War II, home gardens provided 40% of food eaten
in the
·
CAFO’s do not distribute animal waste properly because of
their volume, so many communities object to them.
·
Grass-fed production of meat is on the rise; we must support
local small meat processors, of which there is a shortage
·
Aquaculture (growing of fish in environmentally sound urban
areas) is a new way to provide protein that is growing
·
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says
that half the world’s food is wasted!
In
conclusion, he panel emphasized that as citizens, we must be engaged
in changing the food system so food production is more sustainable
as to infrastructure, soil practices and transportation.
Mass cultures such as corn and soybeans are unsustainable.
Hybrid selection of crops takes nutritional density out of food,
resulting in illness at the cost of high production.
Changing the food system to make food more local, fresh ,
tastier and more nutritious would also lower environmental impacts,
pump money into the local economy, and encourage smaller farms,
where waste is more evenly distributed.
We will also need to increase the number of acres in food
production ((back to the 80’s!) and grow more food with less water
as water is becoming scarce in parts of the
For
more on food sovereignty and sustainability, go to:
www.familyfarmdefenders.org.
or
www.foodandsocietypolicyfellow.com.
**********
WATER,
WATER, WATER ….
One in six people on our
planet lacks access to safe water, mostly in the southern
hemisphere. A person
needs about 5 gallons of safe water each day for drinking, cooking,
hygiene and domestic needs, and poor people pay some 12 times more
per liter of water than their wealthy neighbors.
Agro-chemical products (fertilizers and pesticides) are one
of the principal causes of water pollution.
Water conservation does not mean we have to do without;
rather, we simply need to reduce the water we waste.
Water is a human
right and must be protected by and for everyone!
An important and informative book on this crucial topic is
BLUE COVENANT, by Maude Barlow, available in the public library
system.
The
Did you know
that
Water bottles … Americans
consumed 50 billion plastic water bottles last year, yet only
recycled 23% of them!
Remember: plastic is
forever! So recycle your
plastic bottles or, better yet, purchase a stainless steel bottle to
carry tap water (which most bottled water is anyway).
COMING EVENTS
February 11 (Wednesday): 7 - 8:30 p.m. – Circuit Court (Branch 3)
Candidate Forum:
Ozaukee County Board Room, Adm. Center,
February 19:
Humans from Plant’s
Point of View (Michael Pollan Film)
Can looking at humans
from the point of view of plants and animals cure the disease of
human self importance?
March 19:
The End of Suburbia:
Is the suburban lifestyle
sustainable?
April 16: An
Inconvenient Truth:
Al Gore presents facts about global warming in a
non-political but passionate way.
May 21: The Sacred
Balance, with David Suzuki: Journey into Worlds:
What have
we gained or lost from the achievements of science?
Celebrating our interconnectedness!
BOOKS THAT INFORM
The Green Collar
Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems,
by Van
Jones. The author shows
the close connection between our nation’s economic crisis and our
devastating environmental problems.
He lays out a comprehensive and feasible plan for solving
these two problems. Van
Jones recently testified before Congress about the green economy,
and also appears on the website:
www.greenforall.com.,
where a guide to the book can be printed out, which makes it ideal
for discussion. (NOTE:
A library discussion group using this book has been suggested
for this summer– please call the Port Washington Niederkorn library
for details.)
The Tyranny of Oil:
The World’s Most Powerful Industry and What We Must Do to
Stop It,
by Antonia Juhasz. An extensive, sobering investigation
of “big oil” and its phenomenal power, historical implications, and
relevance to today’s problems.
The book proposes some unique ideas of how to deal with this
powerful industry.
Highly informative.
“The ignorance of the public is the real capital of monopoly.”
(Henry James)
The
Limits of Power,
by Andrew Bacevich, is a hard-hitting expose of
American exceptionalism.
Mr. Bacevich, a conservative historian and former military officer,
offers an historical perspective on the multiple illusions that have
governed American policy since 1945 and proposes a return to a
distinctly American approach: the neglected tradition of realism.
This includes a respect for power and its limits; sensitivity
to unintended consequences; aversion to claims of American
exceptionalism; skepticism of easy solutions, especially those
involving the use of force; and a conviction that eventually the
books will have to balance!
Only 182 pages but forthright and concise.
Parting Thought
- Thomas Paine, COMMON SENSE
F.Y.I
Senator Kohl:
(202) 224-5653
http://kohl.senate.gov/contact.html
Senator
Feingold: (202)
224-5323
http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
Rep. J.
Sensenbrenner: (202)
225-5101.
http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/contactform