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Solar Summer: step back from the abyss and act

By Camilla Feibelman, Chapter director

Sierra Club members and activists come from all backgrounds. But I think on Thursday, June 18, we all felt a little bit Catholic, and those of us who are Catholic or were raised so might have been especially proud. Pope Francis brought his powerful voice to the science of climate change and made a call to action to all people to protect our delicate planet from the ravages of climate destruction. But that day was also a day of national mourning in the wake of the racist, terrorist killings in South Carolina.

Jon Stewart, who gives many of us comfort in humor, took his program that night to reflect. Here’s what he said:  “I honestly have nothing other than just sadness once again that we have to peer into the abyss of the depraved violence that we do to each other and the nexus of a just gaping racial wound that will not heal yet we pretend doesn’t exist. And I’m confident, though, that by acknowledging it, by staring into that and seeing it for what it is, we still won’t do jack s—. Yeah. That’s us.”

Can this be a different kind of moment? Can we first acknowledge that climate is a racial-justice issue? Can we see that the the people and countries that have paid the highest price for climate change are in the global south? Might this be a moment where we take the action we know we must? Will we join together across communities, races, neighborhoods, classes, ages, ideologies to protect the people and places we love? We must, because the alternative is not acceptable.

With this in mind, the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter has launched its Solar Summer program for people like you who are already active, to harness your work to get even more people involved. At Solar Summer Orientation, we will give you the tools you need to reach out and make a difference. We’ll go over writing letters to the editor, effective informational tabling, powerful presenting at public hearings and making presentations about renewable energy with organizations you are involved with. These are skills you can apply to our efforts to take New Mexico toward a renewable future and to other important areas like racial and social justice.

So many people are already speaking up. In May, we rallied with solar-industry workers, residents living in the shadow of San Juan Generating Station’s coal pollution and small-business owners at PNM’s shareholder meeting to protest the utility’s risky investments in dirty energy. And it’s working: support for PNM’s coal plans is collapsing.

Solar Summer will help to build a base of people who support a renewable future for New Mexico.

To get involved in Solar Summer, please email us at riogrande.chapter@sierraclub.org. Click here to learn more about solar events and here to learn about going solar.

Feature Photo by Curious Lines

Licensed under Creative Commons

Solar Summer: step back from the abyss and act