Let's Move Towards the Light
In an April essay published in Financial Times, novelist Arundhati Roy wrote: “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” Now it’s November, and we have to keep asking: what world do we want to imagine? Will it be a world that upholds the status quo, that values short-term thinking, and that continues to put off our problems until later? Or will it be a world that recognizes that if we don’t act now, there won’t be a later?
Our survival depends on whether the relationship we hold with our planet is extractive or regenerative, and preventing future pandemics from ravaging our societies means we must take climate action: changing our agricultural practices, fighting deforestation, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. NYC should be leading this charge by employing visionary policies that help us grow in the right direction, but our local government has been slow to act. Thus, our strategy team has identified three overall goals for the next six months to help us imagine the future we choose before it’s too late:
We’ll continue to raise awareness about the severity of the climate crisis and actively recruit new rebels to join our growing base.
We’ll build connections with city and state officials and candidates, continuing to push for a climate justice citizens’ assembly where everyday people can come together to imagine a better world.
We’ll roll out our new affinity group organizing model (more information below!) allowing us to plan and execute an even greater number of actions to keep the struggle for climate justice at the forefront as we move into 2021.
So as the days grow colder, darker, and grayer, let’s remember that we’re still in a transitional period. It’s more urgent than ever that we keep our vision for a better world front and center. Talk to your friends and family, share information on social media, continue to educate yourself, and get involved with local actions (like saving composting in NYC - more information below!) that will help signal the direction we need to travel if we are to emerge from that gateway in a better place. Let’s move towards the light!
Local News
New! XR NYC Affinity Groups
We are excited to be launching a new organizing model to empower rebels to plan and execute their own actions, events, and social activities. Called Affinity Groups, this structure aims to bring together small groups of people with different skill sets and strengths who learn together, build together, and take action autonomously in the name of Extinction Rebellion. Click here for more information on Affinity Groups and to schedule a one-on-one Affinity Group integration call!
The North Brooklyn Pipeline
This past week, Mayor de Blasio spoke out against the North Brooklyn Pipeline, a seven-mile natural gas pipeline that would run through Brooklyn, stating “Racial and environmental justice go hand-in-hand, and National Grid has failed to clearly demonstrate that this pipeline is needed to keep New Yorkers warm and safe.” While it is exciting to see continued support from our local government, especially for our North Brooklyn neighborhood group who participated in a coalition of activist groups protesting the pipeline over the past year, we’ll have to keep up the pressure to make sure that this statement is more than just hollow words.
#SaveOurCompost
City-wide composting cuts 4 billion pounds of co2 per year which is equal to 385,000 cars off the road. In 2019, NYC Compost diverted over 1.7 million pounds of organic waste from landfills. However, the NYC composting program is currently in danger due to budget cuts and composting facilities being evicted from their current locations. The situation is changing rapidly so checkout #SaveOurCompost on Instagram and Twitter for the latest information!
Roles
Events external coordinator: Help support and plan events by serving as a liaison between working groups and central Events Support Team, providing resources and support as needed (3-7 hrs/ wk). Contact xrnyc.events@gmail.com if interested!
Events toolkit coordinator: Project manager responsible for managing event submission form to ensure new event information is properly disseminated, following up with event planners as needed (4-8 hrs /wk) Contact xrnyc.events@gmail.com if interested!
Social media manager: Attend weekly media & messaging meetings and oversee XRNYC Facebook or Instagram platform, posting at least once a day. Manage engagement, XRNYC event promotions and current events that align with the Four Demands. (3-6 hrs/wk) Contact xrnyc.events@gmail.com if interested!
Do you want to get involved but aren’t interested in the roles above? Check out our open roles page for all our open working group roles or reach out to xr@xrebellion.nyc to talk further!
Additional Reading
Instead of our usual round-up of articles and short form writing from around the internet, this week we’re sharing our favorite books about the climate emergency. Give yourself or your loved ones the gift of climate consciousness this year!
Weather by Jenny Offill
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Connie Noble: Can One Woman Change Our Destiny? by Richard Cavalieri
Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance by Nick Estes
A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and Its Assault on the American Mind by Harriet A. Washington
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate by Naomi Klein