Branches Host Earth Democracy Events

From West to East, five Branches are actively participating in the Earth Democracy program with a focus on water and on Guardianshipfor Future Generations, developed by Carolyn Raffensperger and one of our framing initiatives  We hope you’ll be inspired by their work and invite you to contact the person at the end of each report for more detailed discussion and mentoring.  

In California with drought across the state, Jean Hays and Ann Carruthers of the Fresno Branch Earth Democracy Issue Group have organized for May 10 an extremely important water conference titled “Troubled Water,”  with expert speakers on the very controversial, and some say, disastrous $50 billion water management plan.  In mid-April, the Sacramento Branch hosted an Earth Democracy Workshop (you could post some photos) and Millee Livingston, who attended from the Sierra Foothills Branch, link writes that “they are now inspired to work with other local groups to develop a water issue program.” 

Meanwhile, two Branches are working on Guardianship for Future Generations. After two years of work inspired by Carolyn Raffensperger’s 2012 tour, Santa Cruz is working with their County Supervisors and Department of the Environment to amend the County Code to include Guardianship and the Precautionary Principle. And, the Burlington, VT Branch that recently hosted a tour with Carolyn reports they “will now work to put together their own statewide plan to go forward on guardianship for future generations.” Cherly Diersch writes, “We highly recommend our WILPF sisters in other cities sponsor your own Earth Democracy, Attorney Raffensperger tour. Thank you WILPF Mini-Grants for your support and the WILPF Earth Democracy group’s leadership that gave Burlington and Vermont a kick start to be a leader in new sustainability policies.” 

In Fresno, members of the Earth Democracy Issue Group have been working since January on the H20 #2 Water Conference. The first, 2010 Fact vs. Fiction Water Conference was a great success. As Jean Hays and Ann Carruthers write,  “it is still “fact vs. fiction, so it was time for another water conference so the facts could be presented, thus clearing some of the troubled waters of misinformation. At the close of the conference, participants were asked to write what they planned to do next to save Mother Earth’s water supply. They were all photographed holding their written pledges, and will soon be available on Facebook and YouTube, at which time, we will link them here.  They write: “It has been a labor of love…love of Mother Earth!” Read their full report and conference flyer here.  

On April 11-12, the Sacramento Branch link hosted an Earth Democracy workshop at the famous co-op housing. Millee Livington from the Sierra Foothills Branch attended along with Theresa Cote and writes that “WILPF members were inspired by the presentation Friday evening. Contact was made with Caleen Sisk to schedule a time and date that she would be available to come to Auburn, CA. They wil be contacting other local Auburn community interested organizers to help develop a water issue program in the near future is in the works.

Photo: Carolyn shares a laugh with Scott Farley of the Gund Center for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont, who is introducing her to a brown bag lunch crowd at the Center.