After three years of struggling to protect the air they breathe, citizens in the Champlain Valley are holding their breath as the clock ticks down to Monday, Nov. 6th. That’s when International Paper, an enormous paper corporation based out of Tennessee, plans to do a test burn of tires in its Ticonderoga factory. Burn tires? You heard right. The IP proposal has enraged people across New England, but especially here in Vermont where we’ll be breathing most of the toxins and heavy-metals released by the burn. For student global warming activists in the state, the issue has become a no-brainer: this movement at its core is about protecting the health and environment of communities. That’s what is now at stake in Vermont. We are proud to have joined with People for Less Pollution and others to try and stop the IP tire burn. Last Friday, we demonstrated at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and pressured them to make a public statement against the tire burn. Tomorrow, we will join our neighbors, teachers, and fellow young people in a peaceful march across the bridge separating Vermont and New York. It is a symbol of what this movement is at its best: a way to connect us in the face of tremendous adversity. As the saying goes, “El pueblo junido, jamas sera vencido” The People United Shall Never Be Defeated!
About Jamie
Jamie is the co-coordinator of 350.org, an international global warming campaign. A recent college graduate, he lives in San Francisco, CA. In 2007, he co-organized Step It Up, a campaign that pulled together over 2,000 climate rallies across the United States to push for strong climate action at the federal level. He's also an early member of the youth climate movement, leading one of Energy Action's first campaigns in 2005: Road to Detroit, a nationwide veggie-oil bus tour to promote sustainable transportation. He's traveled to Montreal and Bali to lobby the UN with youth, but he's a strong believer that change happens in the streets not in meetings. Jamie received the Morris K. Udall award in 2007 and has been recognized by the mighty state of Vermont for his work on climate change. You can also find him blogging at Campus Progress' "Pushback," Changents.com, and 350.org.
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This is exciting stuff, Jamie. There is so much potential for campus-community solidarity around things like this and I’m glad that you guys are taking it on!