As I type these words sitting in Chennai, India, half a world away from the North American campuses and communities where the Week of Action is unfolding, I still feel an amazing sense of solidarity and excitement. When I first became active around climate change issues three years ago, I was only beginning to realize a long-deferred dream of becoming an environmentalist. Now this youth movement has taken on so much more meaning to me than I could have ever imagined. So in the spirit of the WOA, I would like to share a poem I wrote last summer, when excitement about the Campus Climate Challenge was really starting to build up. It’s called “One World At A Time” and normally I like to deliver it in a slam-poetry style, but for now the written/typed word will have to do. Enjoy! “One World At A Time” (by Aditya Nochur, August 2006)
One campus at a time
One city at a time
One state at a time
One country at a time
One world at a time.
One world at a time when we are standing on the edge of a new beginning.
One world at a time when we are rising to the challenge of a generation.
I can feel this movement coursing through my veins
As I gaze into the eyes of my brothers and sisters
Knowing that we are all in this together
Knowing that the bonds of solidarity will connect us forever.
One campus at a time
One city at a time
One state at a time
One country at a time
One world at a time
We are making change and reclaiming our future.
And we will continue to transform minds –
One world at a time!
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Adi! Definitely inspiring. I love your slam poetry. You’ll have to perform it for us when you get back. For those that don’t know, Adi is a fearless performer of climate-themed poems that will shake you up and rock your soul.
Awesome Adi!! Shake up the system! Spread it to all of India and beyond!
Thank you Adi.
Adi - it’s so good to hear from you while you’re across the world. Thank you for the poem and your continuing vision for this movement. We’ll be thinking of you during the next week here at Middlebury.
Great job Adi…great poem! I, like you feel that we can change the world, but we must work together as a team. My school, New Roads High School in Santa Monica California has recently joined the Campus Climate Challenge. My family is also a big supporter of the environment and we advocate for change, even in the little ways like driving a hybrid. Let’s keep up the good work and together, all of us can beat back the challenge of our generation.