Contact: Jon Booth 914 522 0822
E-mail: northeast@climateconvergence.org

This past weekend approximately 250 people came together in High Falls, New York for the first Northeast Climate Confluence. The Confluence ran from July 31st to August 3rd, with workshops, trainings and panels ranging from immigration raids and the prison-industrial complex to mountain top removal and disaster relief. This wide range of workshops aimed to address, as the organizers put it, “the root causes of climate change.”

“The same system that wages a daily war on our communities is poised to destroy our very life blood: the earth, the water, our food, and our culture,” says Sundeep Sood, Confluence organizer. “By combining our knowledge and energy we will create real solutions and decrease our dependence on the institutions that are attacking the planet and all life.” With these ideas in mind people of all ages and backgrounds from across the Northeast came to the Epworth Center in High Falls to create the kind of world they want to see.

The Confluence opened on Thursday night with a speech from Tom Porter, the elder of the Mohawk Nation. He blessed the event and gave permission for the Confluence to take place on land that had once been part of the Mohawk Nation. In his beautiful speech he expressed hope for the future and a willingness to work with those attending the Confluence to help build a better world.

The three workshop streams, Ice Storms to ICE Raids, Self Sufficient Communities and Connecting Grassroots struggles all had a great variety of workshops and came up with concrete action plans for future activism on a variety of issues. Most people would agree with Dan Cabrera when he said, “I was able to learn so much about important issues at the Confluence, and also meet so many great people to network with. It was definitely the highlight of my summer.”

There were also two major panels at the Confluence. On Friday there was the “Cages and Walls” panel which focused on the prison industrial complex, which included former Black Panther prisoner Ashanti Alston. Saturday’s panel was titled “Indigenous Struggles for Land,” and included indigenous activists from Ecuador, Palestine, Canada, Puerto Rico and New York. Though less interactive than the rest of the Confluence, the panels were extremely interesting and informative.

In addition to all of the workshops and educational events, the nights were filled with music and fun. Performances from folk singer Evan Greer, Albany based hip-hop band Broadcast Live and others played late into the nights, which all ended with a large bonfire where people from across the region were able to stay up late, talk and network.

“The thing that made the Confluence different than other environmental conferences was its ability to make the clear connections between social and environmental justice struggles,” said Nicole Elliot of Barrie, Ontario. “These connections are often ignored,” she continued, “but if we want to do anything about climate change we have to fight it at its racist and colonial foundations.”

The Confluence occurred concurrently with convergences in Oregon and England, and other climate convergences are planned for the coming weeks in Australia, Virginia, Quebec and Hamburg, Germany. There are already plans in the works for a 2009 Northeast Climate Confluence, which promises to be even larger than this year’s.

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29231637@N03/

Please note that this schedule is subject to change , we’ll do our best to keep this updated with all the latest info.

To learn more about a specific Workshop Streams and read workshop descriptions, click the links below:

1. Youth Track
   
2. From Ice Storms to ICE Raids: Disaster Preparedness Network
3. Building Self Sufficient Communities
4. Connecting Grassroots Struggles

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Confluence Climática Noreste: Puntos de unidad

Reconocemos que los sistemas que están destruyendo el planeta son sistemas basados en el colonialismo y la opresión. Reconocemos, por eso, que combatir el cambio climático es no solamente una cuestión de reducir las emisiones de carbono, sino también de enfrentar a las instituciones que atacan a nuestras comunidades y culturas, así como a nuestra Tierra.

Esta visión informa nuestros puntos de unidad, que son:

Estamos comprometidas a trabajar como un grupo multirracial de estructura horizontal, el cual promueve una cultura contra la opresión. Rechazamos las inequidades de poder y la violencia estructural basadas en privilegios de clase, raza, género, sexualidad, religión, nacionalidad, capacidad, y edad.

• Reconocemos la omnipresencia del racismo ambiental, y el hecho de que las personas más lastimadas por la extracción y la quema de combustibles fósiles, así como las más lastimadas por los desastres naturales, han sido y serán las más privadas de sus derechos por las estructuras dominantes de poder. En todo el mundo, los pobres, las mujeres, y las personas del color son los menos responsables de las emisiones de gases de invernadero y son las víctimas del mismo sistema de opresión causante del cambio climático.
• Reconocemos que estos mismos sistemas de violencia estructural se extienden a la dominación y explotación humana de otros animales, otros organismos y ecosistemas enteros en busca de beneficio económico y poder, y que este desequilibrio de poder se sostiene en y perpetúa otras opresiones. Creemos en la biodiversidad y el eco-centrismo, el cual afirma el valor inherente de toda forma de vida y no valora ninguna forma de vida de acuerdo con su utilidad para los humanos o su valor en el mercado.
• Rechazamos las soluciones injustas y falsas para el cambio climático que recibimos de corporaciones y gobiernos, tales como como los mercados de carbono, carbón limpio, bio-combustibles industriales, y poder nuclear. Las soluciones falsas crean una ilusión de progreso a la vez que permiten que las clases dominantes del mundo y las corporaciones multinacionales continúen realizando sus prácticas para beneficio económico que son las causas raíces del cambio climático. A demás, las soluciones falsas no prestan atención a las injusticias sociales causadas por esos mismos sistemas, y de hecho empeoran esas injusticias a bajo el lema de “salvar el planeta”.
• Apoyamos el derecho de los Pueblos Indígenas a la autodeterminación y rechazamos el colonialismo, neo-colonialismo, e imperialismo del oeste en todas sus formas. Apoyamos todas las luchas indígenas por soberanía, aquí en el noroeste, en todas las Américas, y en todo el mundo. Esto incluye, pero no está limitado a, la protección de lugares sagrados, el retorno de tierras robadas, y la anulación de la privatización de minerales, el agua, y el aire.
• Reconocemos que el apoyo a las luchas indígenas incluye el derecho de los Palestinos a la libertad y la autodeterminación en toda su tierra histórica. Estamos en contra del sionismo como una ideología política que toma el patrimonio histórico judío, la religión judía, y la identidad judía, y los equipara con el Estado colonial de Israel. También nos oponemos al sionismo como práctica, o el apoyo y el mantenimiento de la colonización en cualquiera parte de la Palestina histórica. Reconocemos que la lucha contra el sionismo es crucial a cualquier movimiento contra el imperialismo, la militarización y la opresión de los pueblos indígenas.
• Rechazamos la militarización de las fronteras y las políticas anti-inmigrantes que criminalizan a comunidades aquí en los Estados Unidos y en todo lugar. Queremos crear un espacio que exponga los ciclos del desplazamiento: del robo colonial de la tierra, a la migración forzada por la economía ; del aburguesamiento y desplazamiento a las redadas del ICE.
• Creemos que la justicia reproductiva debe estar atada a la lucha por la justicia climática. Comprendemos que argumentos ambientales basados en la “sobrepoblación” han sido utilizados para justificar programas racistas y xenófobos para control de la población, como las campañas de esterilización orientadas a mujeres de color y peligrosas pruebas de drogas para el control de la natalidad. Como tales, dichas políticas del control poblacional deben ser entendidas como una forma moderna de eugenesia.
• Con el caso del huracán Katrina, hemos visto que los gobiernos responden a los desastres climáticos con un incremento del estado policíaco y con la misma maquinaria de guerra que ocupa la tierra para extraer los recursos que causan el cambio climático. El estado de seguridad policial completo, incluyendo la seguridad de las fronteras y el complejo industrial de las prisiones, es una grave amenaza para la vida que acompaña a cualquier desastre “natural”. Por eso, queremos construir respuestas a nivel local contra la crisis climática las cuales funcionen en el marco de la abolición de las prisiones y se orienten al desarrollo de sistemas de justicia responsables y basados en la comunidad. Reconocemos también que es responsabilidad de todos los movimientos por el cambio social y político el resistir la represión política y luchar para la liberación de los prisioneros políticos.
• Estamos inspiradas por los movimientos internacionales de campesinas, y afirmamos la importancia de la soberanía de alimentos. Creemos que la comida, el agua, la conservación de semillas, y el acceso a tierra fértil, son todos derechos humanos y no recursos para el beneficio económico, y que las personas, y no los mercados, deben definir la producción de la comida.
• Creemos que soluciones exitosas al cambio climático y la injusticia social deben estar basadas en la comunidad, ser definidas por las personas más afectadas por el cambio climático, y ser puestas en práctica por quienes han sido excluidos sistemáticamente de la toma de decisiones institucionales.
• Creemos en la autosuficiencia de la comunidad; el poder de nuestras comunidades para recuperar el control de nuestras vidas, nuestras culturas, y nuestras tierras mediante la independización de las industrias y las instituciones que están destruyendo nuestro mundo. Nuestra meta es que la Confluencia sea un espacio para diseccionar esos muchos problemas y para construir soluciones reales para la autosuficiencia de la comunidad y la solidaridad.

U.S. Climate Convergences :

www.climateconvergence.org

Southeast Climate Convergence - August 5 - 11 :

www.climateconvergence.org/southeast

West Coast Climate Convergence - July 28 - August 4 :

www.climateconvergence.org/west

UK Camp for Climate Action - August 3 - 11 :

www.climatecamp.org.uk

German Climate Camp / Klimacamp - August 15 - 24 :

www.klimacamp08.net

Camp for Climate Action Australia - July 10 - 15 :

www.climatecamp.org.au

Climate Camp New Zealand - Dates TBA :

climatecamp.org.nz

Q: The postcard says it starts July 27th but the website says July 30th.  Why the difference?
A: Wednesday July 30th is the day to arrive, register, and get settled in.  On wednesday evening we will hold the opening event to kick off the Climate Confluence, and the bulk of the Climate Confluence will be Thursday July 31st through Sunday August 3rd.
July 27th through July 29th is a three-day set-up period, where we will be building example models of self-sufficient living and preparing the space for everyone to come.  If you want to come help set up and learn skills in the process (or offer skills you know), then let us know!

Q: I can’t come for the whole time, what should I do?
A: Come for however long you can!  We know that people are busy with work, family, and other plans, and expect that people will come in and out.  If you can stay the whole time that’s even better!  Check the registration form to register for individual days.  The registration cost for the whole time is $50-200, wheras the daily cost per day is $15-50. (All costs are sliding scale, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds)

Q: How do I get there?
A: Check the “Getting There” section of the website.  There are driving directions, and if you are coming by car please car-pool and post to the ride-share if you have extra space.  New York City’s Metro North train line stops in Poughkeepsie, there is an Amtrak station in Rhinecliff, and Adirondack Trailways has a bus terminal in Rosendale.  We will post information about daily shuttle pick-ups at each of these locations shortly.

Q: Can I bring my kids?
A: Yes!! Please!!  There will be childcare provided throughout, please make a note of this on your registration form if you need it.  If your kids are between age 13-18 they can participate in the Youth Track - you can find more information about the Youth Track on the website.

Q: Is this just a camp-out thing or will there be beds and houses?
A: Most Confluence participants will be camping, although cabins and lodges are available for those who need extra facilities based on age and/or handicap accessibility. If you would like to stay in a lodge or cabin please call 202-215-1720 ahead of time to book a bed.

Q: Is there a price difference with the different housing options?
A: Epworth Camp and Retreat Center is charging us more for lodges and cabins, but the registration cost for the Confluence will not be more if you need these housing options because of age or physical needs.  However, if you simply want a cabin because it is more comfortable but do not require it, we will ask you to pay the extra to cover the costs.

Q: What’s the deal with this “sliding scale”?
A: Sliding scales are used to be more accessible to people from different income and class backgrounds.  Those who can afford to should pay at the upper end, which makes it possible for anyone to attend regardless of their ability to pay.  Because of our high costs in putting on this event, the sliding scale does not start at $0, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.  We encourage people to do fundraising to cover their registration costs, and can provide materials and ideas to help you do this.

Q: What kinds of facilities will be there?
A: Check http://www.epworthcenter.com/facilities.html for a description of the facilities provided by Epworth Camp and Retreat Center.  There will be a YMCA day-camp happening at the same time, and our access to some of these facilities will be limited during certain times.  In addition to these, we will be building solar-heated showers, outdoor latrines, and outdoor kitchen, and greywater handwashing stations.

Q: Is food included?
A: Yes, food is included in your registration fees and will be provided by a central kitchen.  Due to cost and sanitation, the central kitchen will only cook vegan food (no meat or dairy) and a separate meat and dairy kitchen will provide supplemental items.  We are working to get most food donated locally, and ask that all participants try to bring some food staples with them to donate to the kitchen.  In addition, bring any snacks and extra food items that you know you’ll want to have.

Q: What should I bring?
A: Check the “what to bring and expect” section of the website.  In general, bring rain gear, camping equipment, toiletries, some food snacks and staples, and some writing materials.  And of course, bring your friends, family, and co-workers!

Q: I’m in a wheelchair - does that mean I can’t come?
A: Please come!  We selected Epworth Camp and Retreat Center as our site specifically so that we could meet in an outdoor rural place that still had enough facilities for people in wheelchairs or with other needs.  Please contact us to let us know that you will be coming, so that we can talk about your needs and make sure that you are comfortable and able to participate.

Q: Will this be some weird lily-white hippy thing like other environmental events?
A: Definitely not - this will NOT be your average environmental gathering.  There are lots of people coming who have never been camping before.  Confluence organizers, participants, and workshop facilitators come from a wide range of communities and backgrounds, and the Confluence is meant to be a space to connect and learn from each others’ struggles.

Q: Will people be drinking and doing drugs?
A: NO.  The Confluence will be drug and alcohol free.  Illegal substances, regardless of what we might think of the laws around them, can bring the unwanted attention of police, and we want to keep this space safe for everyone.  Introducing alcohol to a space greatly increases the number of sexual assaults, and can also cause difficult situations for recovering alcoholics.  Please help us keep this space safe and healthy for all participants!

• Beehive Design Collective
• Climate Convergences
• Global Justice Ecology Project
• In House Freestyle
• La Via Campesina
• Liberation Ecology
• Looking the Storm in the Eye
• Network for Climate Action
• R.U.S.T.
• Rising Tide
• WESPAC Foundation
• Youth Track Myspace Page

To see the schedule, click here

Send any workshop-related questions to education@climateconfluence.org

The “Points of Unity” are listed below but they are also available for download in .pdf format  by clicking here!

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 Northeast Climate Confluence:  Points of Unity

We recognize that the systems that are destroying the planet are systems rooted in  colonialism and oppression. We recognize, therefore, that combating climate change is not solely a matter of addressing carbon emissions, but also confronting the institutions that attack our communities and cultures as well as our earth.

This understanding informs our points of unity, which are:

We are committed to working as a horizontally structured multi-racial group that promotes a culture of anti-oppression. We reject the power inequalities and structural violence based on privileges of class, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, ability, and age.

• We recognize the pervasiveness of environmental racism, and the fact that the people most hurt by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, as well as those hardest hit by natural disasters, have been and will continue to be those most disenfranchised by the dominant structures of power.  Worldwide, the poor, women, and people of color are least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and are targeted by the same systems of oppression that are the causes of climate change.
• We recognize that these same systems of structural violence extend to the human domination and exploitation of non-human animals, other organisms, and entire ecosystems for profit and power, and that this power imbalance is both supported by and perpetuates other oppressions.  We believe in biodiversity and eco-centrism, which  affirms the inherent value in all life forms and does not value any life according to its usefulness to humans or value in the market.
• We reject the unjust and false solutions to climate change handed down to us by corporations and governments, such as carbon (cap and trade) markets, clean coal, industrial biofuels, and nuclear power.   False solutions create the illusion of progress while  allowing  the world’s ruling classes and multinational corporations  to continue  their profit-driven practices which are the root cause of climate change.  Moreover false  solutions do not address the social injustices that  are caused by these same systems, and in fact worsen these injustices under the banner of “saving the planet”.
• We support Indigenous People’s right to self-determination and reject colonialism, neo-colonialism, and Western imperialism in all its forms.  We support all indigenous struggles for sovereignty, here in the Northeast, throughout the Americas, and throughout the world.  This includes but is not limited to the protection of sacred sites, the return of  stolen lands, and the cancellation of mineral, water, and atmospheric privatization.
• We recognize that support for indigenous struggles includes the right of Palestinians to freedom and self-determination on all of their historic land. We are against Zionism as a political ideology that equates Jewish heritage, religion, and identity with the colonial settler state of Israel. We also oppose  Zionism as practice, meaning the support and maintenance of colonial settlement in any part of historic Palestine. We recognize that confronting Zionism is crucial to any movement against imperialism, militarization, and the oppression of indigenous peoples.
• We reject the militarization of borders and the anti-immigrant policies that criminalize communities here in the United States and elsewhere. We seek to create a space that exposes the cycles of displacement, from colonial land theft to economically forced migration, from gentrification to ICE raids.
• We believe that reproductive justice must be tied with climate justice.  We understand  that environmentally-based arguments around “overpopulation” have been used to justify racist and xenophobic population control programs, such as targeting women of color with sterilization campaigns and the dangerous testing of birth control drugs.  As such, the politics of population control must be understood as a form of modern eugenics.
• We have seen with Hurricane Katrina that governments respond to climate disasters with an increased police state and with the same war machine that occupies lands to extract the resources that cause climate change.  The entire police security state, including border security and the prison-industrial complex, is a dire threat to life that  accompanies any “natural” disaster.  Thus, we seek to build grassroots responses to the climate crisis that work within the framework of prison abolition and move towards building accountable community-based justice systems. We recognize that it is the responsibility of all movements for social and political change to resist political repression and fight for the release of political prisoners.
• We are inspired by international campesina movements, and we affirm the values of food sovereignty. We believe that food, water, seed saving, and access to fertile land are a human right rather than a resource for profit, and that people, not markets, should define food production.
• We believe that successful solutions to climate change and social injustice will be community based, defined by those most affected by climate change, and practiced by those who have been systematically excluded from  institutional decision making.
• We believe in community self-sufficiency; the power of our communities to reclaim control of our lives, our cultures, and our lands by becoming independent from the industries and institutions that are destroying our earth.  Our goal is that the Confluence will be a space to dissect these many problems and build the real solutions of community self-sufficiency and solidarity.

In order to build towards empowering conclusions and concrete action plans, the workshops during the Confluence will be organized into four themed “streams.” Each stream will build from a basic foundation of educating about the issues and sharing stories, and move towards making concrete plans for projects and strategizing for collective action.

The 4 Confluence Workshop Streams are:

1. Youth Track
   
2. From Ice Storms to ICE Raids: Disaster Preparedness Network
3. Building Self Sufficient Communities
4. Connecting Grassroots Struggles

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Here are some of the workshops that will be part of the “Youth Track,” with lots more to come!

• Building Youth-Led Programming for Organizations
• Bike Fixing
• Anti-Oppression/Points of Unity
• Visual art and social change
• Organizing in High School
• Direct Action 101
• Media and Messaging
• Consensus Decision Making
• Climate Justice
• Edible and medicinal plants