Community Presentation at Keen: Where Do We Go From Here?
Photo by Anna Brones
Thanks to the 100+ people that came out on Tuesday night and attended our first official community presentation. And a big thanks, of course, to Keen for hosting us in their space. Project Leader Mike Rosen presented some of our next steps, including taking part in Northwest Earth Institute’s Eco Challenge, participating in the upcoming Park(ing) day, continuing with fresh content right here on the website, producing a book-length comic and a short documentary piece as well as developing curriculum.
Photo by Anna Brones
So how do you take part?
Engage with us. Leave a comment, follow us on Twitter, friend us on Facebook, send us a link… we need to get this conversation going and it can’t happen without your participation. Keeping in touch with us will also allow you to stay up to speed on everything that we’re working on. So be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter and keep a lookout for upcoming events and projects that you can take part in.
Spread the word. We have to start thinking and talking differently so that the people and places of the Gulf aren’t forgotten, and so that we create a better dialogue for our own communities moving forward.
Photo by Anna Brones
Think proactively. Keen CEO James Curleigh was kind enough to speak at Tuesday’s event and he made a point of talking about how there are two ways of approaching disasters and catastrophes: retroactively and proactively. Yes, it’s important to give assistance to those devastated by catastrophes, but we can’t always live in reaction mode. Part of finding a solution to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is taking a look at our everyday lives and figuring out how we can make personal changes that help us live more in balance with nature and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to take part in NWEI’s Eco Challenge – because all of our individual choices do add up, and you can start taking action NOW.
1 COMMENT
Heartwarming to see the love and dedication to so many and such a wonderful land and sea so far from yours. We’re doing a little better here now that the flow has been stopped. The rainy, stormy tropical weather has helped to cleanse the waters a bit. We’re playing lotsa music, eatin lotsa good seafood again. The biggest thing you could do for us is insist on Gulf Seafood. While you can’t trust the FDA (as they don’t even test imported seafood), nothing leaves our (LA) waters without thorough testing. It’s our livelihood, and we’re not going to cut our own throats making someone sick. So we test and test again. We’re eating it, it’s wonderful and we need you to eat it too.
Chinese and Thai shrimp are pond raised in untreated, chemical and sewage filled water. Our shrimp are wild caught and abundant, more so than ever due to lack of pressure, and are bigger and healthier than ever. Our oysters are still down and for the most part unavialable, but most of that is due to the massive influx of fresh water diverted from the Mississippi into the marshes and bays to flush any encroaching oil. They’ll be back next year. Our crabs are harvested from waters never touched by the spill. Plenty to be had and we’re the biggest supplier of crabs and shrimp in the nation, Finfish are great and oil free. Eat ‘em.
Ya’ll are awesome. Keep up the cause and know you’re appreciated here.
Elton the musician/fisherman/lawyer/father and dog rescuer.
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