Month: September 2014

#PeoplesClimate Moves Masses and The United Nations

IMG_3173Triumph for the #PeoplesClimate, as we were heard by the leaders and public awareness is being raised. World Team Now was a partner organization, we also organized the roller skate hub demonstrating energy in action skating in the march. There were estimated to be close to 400,000 people attending the march.  We were the die-hard World Team Now/CPDSA skaters that weathered the dangerously wet concrete and rough route road, in the “We Have Solutions” section of the march’s story. Here are some of our photos.

Check out our partner organizations’ photos, and these photos from our campaign partners in TckTckTck– to get a flavor of the scale of the event; Team works!

Here are three articles that captured this historical #PeoplesClimate March: TimeNew Yorker & NYTimes.

Here is an anonymous drone’s aerial coverage of the PeoplesClimate March

20140919_224905At WTN we have Action Embroidery to thank for our World Team Now embroidered logo stick-on, and iron on patches!  We had hundreds standing for our World Team Now!  Now for the leaders to heed the voices of the people, and it has begun…

Today at the UN Climate 2014 Summit opening, a mother’s poem to her baby daughter brings the leaders at the United Nations’ General Assembly to their feet, for a standing ovation.  Footage of the Peoples’ Climate March augments  Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner’s heart moving poem.

“We look at our children and wonder how they will know themselves, or their culture, should we lose our islands. Climate change affects not only us islanders. It threatens the entire world,” said Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner—she left the opening ceremony after delivering her message. Her emotional plea that “We deserve to do more than just survive; we deserve to thrive,” set the tone for the day’s activities, that helped to building momentum for the global climate deal expected in 2015 COP21, Paris.

UN 2014 edit 20140922_132518

 

Why We March, Skate and Move with Action: #PeoplesClimate

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Photo by Ellie and Akira Ohiso

Structure change, not climate change… Do you remember the 21st night of September? I’m not talking about the Earth Wind and Fire song— I’m talking about the night after the People’s Climate March/Skate taking place tomorrow.   Were you there to make history?  History where the tide turned and all people’s voices were so loud, the leaders listened-and they too were going to make history, moving forward with actions for a sustainable future.

We watch the Arctic’s snow caps melt, Sandy take us by storm, unprecedented droughts, floods, hurricanes, water shortage, and extreme weather.  We watch the rise of the sea level and ocean acidification. We watch people who suffer innocently as the structures we have built to play the game of life within do not serve humanity.  Is it fair that indigenous peoples lose their innocent livelihoods from the results of developed nations’ priorities? Marvin Gaye captured the soul with this iconic lament in 1971 about the destruction of our world-please listen to Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology).

We have a choice, to stay still or move into action to live on 100% renewable energy, but we will need public policy to support the changes we want to see. We want Climate Justice from the People’s Climate March and Skate.

As roller skaters, we have choice to stay still or roll out on our skates to the beach, park, the streets or rinks.  We witness the closing of many extraordinary rinks that were homes for us skaters on both coasts, in the middle and around the developing world. The economic model has yet to prioritize with justice, choosing profit over people and the planet. Unfortunately, with the current financial model, it makes the property more valuable as a parking lot, as Joni Mitchell sung about in Big Yellow Taxi back in the 70’s. With the closing of our rinks, we skaters know that story, only to well that was told in Big Yellow Taxi.

The connection between these two big picture trends is the placement of our values— choosing to value financial profits over people and nature.  In both cases, the economic model is missing the prioritization of humanity, community, health, well-being, and sustainability of all of our resources for all species.

I’m Skating for clean air, pure water, real food, and an earth our children would be proud to inherit. I’m skating to be alternative transportation, for renewable energy as the founder of the non-profit charity, World Team Now– for electric vehicles, and to be part of the sea of humanity that deserves better structures, and can imagine better structures.  I am talking about net-positive buildings, and energy sourced by the earth, wind, fire, and water! I am skating to move political, financial, legal, medical, educational structures to evolve to support all people, all life force and our planet.

“We march because we know that climate change affects everyone, but its impacts are not equally felt: those who have contributed the least to causing the crisis are hit hardest, here and around the world. Communities on the frontlines of global warming are already paying a heavy price, in some cases losing the very land on which they live. This isn’t just about polar bears any more,” says Bill KcGibben.

We, the people, can live in balance with all species and prosper economically by placing greater value on the quality of life considering all people, and our planet in addition to profit—that’s why we skate for the People’s Climate, and I will remember the 21st night of September, will you?

Here is a Peace Prayer we adapted;

We are one global skate family all colors are races, one world united, we skate for peace and healing  for all nations. Peace for our communities and peace within ourselves, as we join together in this PeoplesClimate March, and skate to connect heart to heart.  Through our diversity we recognize unity.  Through our compassion for one another, and love for skating, we embrace life’s ultimate mystery.  Our love is the power to transform our world.  Let’s make it a world team now, where we can live in balance with all species for a harmonious future…

Our World Team project has made it a quarter of a decade this month, acting for environmental sustainability and social justice with World Team Now and World Team-Building!  May we remember the 21st night of September, as the tipping point for the #PeoplesClimate, after a long journey of living into the vision, striving— we all know the power of the wheel, the skate hub, the circle- well the movement has come full circle into action, as we answer the Call for a real World Team.

PS: If you can’t be at the PeoplesClimate March find an event near you, or watch the real time live-stream.

PSS: WTN News

#PeoplesClimate

 

The #People’sClimate March -WheelProgress

WTN Statue-of-Liberty-ClimateMarch0748-PCM_SocialMedia600x600_LibertySolar_WorldTeamLogo

NEW YORK, NY USA–Join our World Team Now (WTN) September 21st; we will be rolling out on our skates, taking it to the streets in the #People’sClimate March in New York! Our goal is to show our leaders that the people are demanding climate action. Be part of the change and sign up here.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlJIymycYTA

There will be many events happening around the world,  striving to enroll everyone. This action coincides with Ban Ki-moon’s UN Climate Summit 2014, opening the next day headquartered at the United Nations.  The action is part of the launch of  Climate Week in New York, which is meant to shine the light of awareness on the all-important United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21 from November 30 to December 11th 2015 in Paris.

UN Climate Summit in September 2014, New York.

UN Climate Summit in September 2014, New York.

In addition to raising public awareness on  climate change,  it is our hope that we will all (especially our leaders), finally agree on needed global policy for humanity at large and our environment of our one home; earth.

We all know the “chicken and egg” cliché, which still seems to be stopping Climate Action. Ideally global leaders are indeed public servants, and do what is best and just for us people.  We, the people, have been asking for global environmental policy, and prior excuses from leaders proclaim it is not the will of the people.  After all, in the USA alone 43%  of our country does not believe that human behavior is a factor in the change of our climate, called anthropogenic climate change, according to the March 2014 Gallup Poll.  So if a leader needs to represent the “majority of the people,” they need to act with a known constituency of support; thus the #ClimateMarch, to raise public awareness and to demonstrate that we, the people, are indeed asking for climate action.

At World Team Now, we are usually about renewable energy demonstration projects— in our work, in our homes, and changing ourselves— looking at how we individually and collectively use our energy. Energy that is not just demonstrated by solar, wind, heat pump geothermal, tidal energy or use of LED lights— not just the technologies deployed in our buildings— but an awareness.  We want to build our constituency that understands that the decisions we make affect the air we breathe, the water we drink, the earth where we grow our food, our oceans, and the intricate biodiversity of all species.

WheelProgress

WheelProgress

We are the people standing and working for global climate justice in policy, locally and globally, in action changing; our buildings to net zero, our vehicles to electric and rolling forward on wheels and making real progress, we call #WheelProgress.  We roll forward a future based on teamwork and community and will demonstrate that in the Climate March by the way we actually move forward, on INLINE  or ROLLER SKATES, or if you use a wheelchair! We are already making #WheelProgress with renewable solutions not just for movement or transportation, but in demonstration projects— now let’s get ratified accountable global policy. Let’s all roll it along much faster for real progress.

WTN is part of the global TckTckTck campaign, where along with 350.org and another 500+ non-profit organizations are strategizing our environmental movement to work together.  One of the leaders in this capacity has been Bill McKibben, with his growing 350.org alliance, now working for the People’s Climate March.  They are the genesis around this Climate March, and WTN once again couldn’t help but join but to support teamwork to show that the people in the USA do want to see political action with policy to protect our challenged climate, that is actually changing.  We do play a role in the change, and it’s time to build our movement.

"O" World Team Now skaters for 350,  Brooklyn, NY USAWorld Team Now calls on our global roller skate family to engage our community around the world that will be in NYC and will join to roller skate for renewable energy, at the People’s Climate March. We will demonstrate by our own renewable energy, leg power– we can build on our movement to go faster! We will use our own human energy to naturally propel our movement and play to transform our world.   We will show our love for roller skating as a way to demonstrate to the world we have the power to choose how to use our resources, and keep them in balance with all species on this planet.  With wheels on our feet, we demonstrate it’s time to roll fast forward to the future we want to see. We invite all to be part of World Team Now, in the People’s Climate March, please join us on your feet, wheelchair, or roller skates.

Register here: http://peoplesclimate.org/march/?r=WorldTeamNow

If you skate, or are on wheels, please join us for the Wheel Progress & Skaters Hub on Facebook as well— it looks like we will have both groups rolling this out and hopefully together.

If you want to gain more motivation for this needed movement, see Disruption.

If you need transportation or want to be a bus or train captain, click here.

If you need housing for your stay in NYC, click here.

Let’s choose to join the action for our planet.  Take action now, and show that we, the people, do care about our future, please do join us!

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