Hey so I received the 'Witnessing Whiteness - The Need to Talk about Race and How to Do It' book.  I'm a couple chapters in.  This is going to be a bit of a slog.  The writer, Shelly Tochluk, is kinda boring.  She makes good points in her story telling but they are slow in coming.  Between Shelly's long winding stories and my minuscule attention span, I'm never going to get through the next 7 chapters.  White privilege is an issue I'm committed to become more 'awoken to' but holy shit Shelly, tighten up your stories!  New strategy:  Skim not Study.

Do what you can My Friends!

I am bothered today.  
I know why.  
It will evolve to a more comfortable emotion eventually.  
It has before.  We are older now.  It is time to grow up.  
There is no compromise for us.  
But there will be common ground.  
My heart breaks.  
I reinforce it with Steel Magnolias.

Ecological Refugees.  This term has stuck in my head from the Climate Reality Program I attended yesterday.  Ecological Refugees are people who are displaced by the result of climate change.  

Fires: it used to be that there were 100 acre fires every few years.  Now there are a few 100 acre fires every year - displacing hundreds of families.   Floods:  hurricanes and rising sea levels are having devastating effects on our coastal areas, much of which remains un-livable.  Rising temperatures:  it recently reached 165 degrees in Iran.  (That is NOT a typo!)  Crop failures:  a coffee fungus in Guatemala causes poor farmers to be poorer and more desperate (think US southern border migration here).  Failed wheat crops due to drought:  Syrians to migrate to the Russian border looking for food and refuge which sparks a war.  This shit is real.  

Climate experts say the the changes we are experiencing are the effects of the Earth warming 1 degree.  They say we have 12 years before the Earth warms to the critical 2 degrees.  What sort of world are we giving with our children and grandchildren?

It's time to act.

Work with your community to committing to 100% renewable energy.  The city of Cincinnati Ohio has made such a commitment with a target year of 2030.  Stop eating meat (or at least reduce it to once or twice a month).  It takes 6.7 pounds of grain and 53 pounds of water to produce ONE quarter pound of beef!   Eat vegetarian one day a week (or every day!).  Reduce your water consumption.  Unplug unused electronics: even off, they draw energy.  Drive a hybrid or electric car.  Have one no-drive day a week.  Carpool, take public transportation, ride your bike.  Most importantly:  talk to your friends about climate change.  Become involved.

Be part of the solution my Friends!