Boston Climate Change Rally

Carrick and I went to the climate change rally this last Saturday in Boston, and we were invited to speak to the crowd about our cross-country eco-video project as an example of one family's action for change. Representatives from many nations are meeting in Poznan, Poland to lay the foundation for the next climate change treaty after the Kyoto Protocol. Greenpeace organized rallies in cities across the U.S. to show support for the new treaty - in Boston we all met at Faneuil Hall in front of the Sam Adams statue, where there were a number of speakers, then we walked over to Boston Common for a group picture. Here's a picture of Carrick and me waiting to speak: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darenfiske/3089149702/

I spoke first for a minute about our cross-country video project and our plans to distribute it to science teachers nationally to use as a resource to teach about renewable energy and sustainable living. Carrick spoke briefly with this message:

"I have a message for the leaders meeting in Poland: the choices you make now will affect my future. Don't pass the issue of climate change onto us kids. Be bold. The young people of the world are counting on you."

Carrick and I visited several places last week to promote our cross-country eco-video project: We spoke in the auditorium at Bancroft School in Worcester to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, then again for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. They were a great audience and we had a great time showing some of our videos and answering questions from the kids. I dropped by Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston with our veg-oil powered Beetle to show to the Energy and Conservation class. Carrick and I also gave a brief presentation of our project for the Mass. Climate Action Network steering committee, working to gain support from MCAN for our project and hopefully some more speaking opportunities with chapters in Massachusetts.

Be well,

Colin

Contacts!

This has been a week of good news and good networking!

I got a preview of our updated web design and it's great - such an improvement! It's a great design which makes all the important content easy to get to. I'll be making the big announcement when that goes online soon.

I met this week with Rep. Jennifer Callahan, representative to the Massachusetts State House for our town, Sutton. Rep. Callahan has been a strong supporter of the recent environmental legislation at the State House, including the Green Communities Act and the Global Warming Solutions Act. She's offered to help us network with schools and we talked about visiting the State House on Earth Day before we begin our cross-country journey. Carrick and I were also invited to give a presentation about our video project to the Sutton Board of Selectmen on January 20 at 7:00pm. It's great to have the support of our local government and their enthusiasm for our project.

I attended the Mass Climate Action Network (MCAN) annual conference at MIT on Sunday which affirmed for me the need to draw from many different groups for support of renewable energy and sustainability. As an environmentalist, I think we focus too narrowly on a single motivator like climate change and I think it's important to remember that issue is only one reason of many why people "come to the table" to work for a sustainable future. We won't succeed by trying to convince everyone about climate change - we don't have time and the work is too important. Van Jones of Green for All is a strong advocate of that broad-based appeal. Carrick and I are finding support from people of many different viewpoints - if we can do it then surely it can work on a much larger scale.

Be well,
Colin McCullough
www.OurRenewableNation.org

Our Public Speaking Tour Begins

This past week, we began giving presentations to spread the word about our cross-country eco-video project, making connections in the community, and gaining support for our work. My son Carrick and I are showing selections of our eco-videos, talking about our upcoming cross-country video project, and talking about everyday ways to live more sustainably.

A week ago we spoke at Sudbury Earth Decade, a chapter of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, and again on Saturday at Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, a Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary. At both talks we met some great people and made important connections.
We have five more speaking events coming up before the end of 2008, but I'm scheduling a heavy list for after the holidays are over. It's hard enough to get people to come to speaking events; I don't want to compete with the holidays and shopping! We're networking and setting up talks in a whole variety of places, including churches, schools, libraries, senior centers and civic groups. My goal is 2-3 per week until we leave in May for our journey.

This week I also began a weekly email update for people who want regular updates on our cross-country project. We'll talk about new destinations added, new sponsorships and partnerships, appearances in the media, etc. Once we begin our journey in May we'll start sending out daily email updates as we travel across the U.S. and back.

I'm hoping to have a new and improved design for our website, www.OurRenewableNation.org, within a month. What's there right now is the best I could do on my own, but we could do with a more professional appearance. Our friend Tracy Axelson, a professional web designer, has generously agreed to help us look sharper on the web. Look for the updated website soon!

Be well,
Colin
www.OurRenewableNation.org