Thursday 31 December 2009
The truth about that warehouse floor
I went to the National Express office several times and they told me consistently I could only travel from Hereford on a Wednesday and Sunday. Looking back now, knowing that there appears to be a coach every day, I have no idea why! But thankfully it all worked out beautifully. It meant I arrived a day or so early with the very best of companions from Climate Camp Ireland who took me under their wing and helped me feel safe, hugged and included from the very first coach stop. It also meant - almost as good! - that we took first choice of the accommodation and were snuggly and warm throughout in the office block of the warehouse, complete with a wonderful shower and our own loo ... cushty.
Feeding the Five Thousand (genuinely - and no fish)
One of the most impressive things for me about the fortnight was the organisation of the catering and accommodation. I stayed in a large warehouse (not quite the truth! - confession in accompanying blog), several miles out of the city in a commercial area - conveniently the last stop on a bus route, stopping right at our gate. On the night of the large march (12th December) we had 1100 people sleeping on pallets. 500 people had already moved on from us to a school gym that day and another warehouse type site to the north housed similar numbers to ourselves. There were kitchens at each facility, another in the city centre and one more at Christiana serving filling, wholesome soup throughout the day and usually an organic, vegan main meal as well. These kitchens provided for more people than just the few (!) who were in the large sleeping areas, for example many who participated in the Klimaforum sessions and those living in various other accommodations around the city. it was completely remarkable - well, certainly to one such as me who makes a fuss about feeding 3 people most of the time. The people's activist kitchens - Food for Action (see their website) - were all co-ordinated by a tiny (relative to the work) dedicated team from Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands and UK and overall they had paid out many thousands of euros befin advance on diesel, gas, equipment and ingredients, most of which thankfully came back eventually in donations.
The free accommodation too was supported by just a few hard-working people who had hoovered up layers of dust, sorted electrics, created partitions and worked hard in just 2 weeks to create a safe space for so many tired people to come and collapse into. This made for a fantastic atmosphere - very laid back but very much looking out for eachother. Early on hundreds of people had little more than 2 flush loos between them with some dry compost loos arriving shortly after and thankfully a whole compartment of pristine toilets not long after that (things were created round us, they just manifested gently) but despite this, the politeness and kindness of most people in these fairly difficult circumstances was utterly remarkable.
Like many of us, I have a friendly Jehovah's Witness in my life. She keeps holding out that I will eventually see the light and I know how far I can tread and still keep her as a friend but I overstepped that boundary briefly in our conversation prior to me going away. I was so excited about the idea of the accommodation I called it "heaven on earth" which ofcourse is significantly outside the JW parameters of that phrase. To many of our arrivals it was far from heaven on earth with its hard floors and cold warehouse, queues for the loos and dining outdoors in the snow (some shelter) ... but to me it did still come close. That many people from many countries co-existing, looking out for eachother; the accommodation maintained and offered free to whoever just wanted to come and be part of it; people volunteering for shifts at night to look out for us (fire, security, etc) and the dream of something bigger and more enduring too. The small team who had set it up had the promise of keeping the facility up to April 2010. They have a dream to build a 'floating city' and will use the centre as their base. After their generosity and hard work it is great to think of something exciting and further reaching coming from it all so we need to 'watch their space': I'll let you know.
The free accommodation too was supported by just a few hard-working people who had hoovered up layers of dust, sorted electrics, created partitions and worked hard in just 2 weeks to create a safe space for so many tired people to come and collapse into. This made for a fantastic atmosphere - very laid back but very much looking out for eachother. Early on hundreds of people had little more than 2 flush loos between them with some dry compost loos arriving shortly after and thankfully a whole compartment of pristine toilets not long after that (things were created round us, they just manifested gently) but despite this, the politeness and kindness of most people in these fairly difficult circumstances was utterly remarkable.
Like many of us, I have a friendly Jehovah's Witness in my life. She keeps holding out that I will eventually see the light and I know how far I can tread and still keep her as a friend but I overstepped that boundary briefly in our conversation prior to me going away. I was so excited about the idea of the accommodation I called it "heaven on earth" which ofcourse is significantly outside the JW parameters of that phrase. To many of our arrivals it was far from heaven on earth with its hard floors and cold warehouse, queues for the loos and dining outdoors in the snow (some shelter) ... but to me it did still come close. That many people from many countries co-existing, looking out for eachother; the accommodation maintained and offered free to whoever just wanted to come and be part of it; people volunteering for shifts at night to look out for us (fire, security, etc) and the dream of something bigger and more enduring too. The small team who had set it up had the promise of keeping the facility up to April 2010. They have a dream to build a 'floating city' and will use the centre as their base. After their generosity and hard work it is great to think of something exciting and further reaching coming from it all so we need to 'watch their space': I'll let you know.
New Year Shift
Happy New Year. I have been recommended this link: theshiftmovie.com . At present they are looking for backers small and larger which may or may not appeal to you but it is worth keeping half an eye on regardless being a movie about the shift - or a shift - that many people see in all countries, in all sections of community: a significant change in how things can be done and a pressure to do them differently coming from ordinary people, most especially young people.
This certainly matches and sums up the spirit and energy that was present amongst the 'middle' and 'bottom' summits in Copenhagen. Being such a so far unique experience to get representatives from most nations of the earth in one place, perhaps it was the first time to feel the intensity of what is possible and what we can all be working for. An unmistakeable privilege and a time of great hope summed up at the end of the trailer for the film by one young leader who implies that enormous change seems inevitable now but whether it is primarily hopeful and good or negative and destructive depends on the choices and actions of every single one of us.
I think most of us have felt and known that for a long time but there is something about the spirit and energy of these past 2 - 3 years and the past 4 months or so particularly that do suggest that this shift is going in the right direction and "all will be well" however much our heads might worry that it cannot possibly be so. We need to trust and act and choose to flow with it for every body's sakes - together.
This certainly matches and sums up the spirit and energy that was present amongst the 'middle' and 'bottom' summits in Copenhagen. Being such a so far unique experience to get representatives from most nations of the earth in one place, perhaps it was the first time to feel the intensity of what is possible and what we can all be working for. An unmistakeable privilege and a time of great hope summed up at the end of the trailer for the film by one young leader who implies that enormous change seems inevitable now but whether it is primarily hopeful and good or negative and destructive depends on the choices and actions of every single one of us.
I think most of us have felt and known that for a long time but there is something about the spirit and energy of these past 2 - 3 years and the past 4 months or so particularly that do suggest that this shift is going in the right direction and "all will be well" however much our heads might worry that it cannot possibly be so. We need to trust and act and choose to flow with it for every body's sakes - together.
Thursday 24 December 2009
Hopenhagen from the grass roots up
Many politicians and commentators have come back deflated and despondent from the weak agreements of last Friday/Saturday at the 'Top' summit. But too little publicity so far has been given to the 'middle' (Klimaforum) and 'bottom' (at Christiana) summits held over the same period involving many more thousands of people from all nations and at which people truly had an equal voice and where those voices were both heard and shared.
The hope for the next year before Mexico if forged links are followed up and through and work is done conscientiously is absolutely massive for all three levels of the work and the cross-fertilisation between them. Over the next few weeks I'll fill in some more of the details and links and encourage you to be part of the work in whichever ways you wish to be but for now go to sleep on Christmas Eve believing that potentially something incredible is on its way and every single person who cares about their world and their 'neighbour' is part of it over the next year.
The hope for the next year before Mexico if forged links are followed up and through and work is done conscientiously is absolutely massive for all three levels of the work and the cross-fertilisation between them. Over the next few weeks I'll fill in some more of the details and links and encourage you to be part of the work in whichever ways you wish to be but for now go to sleep on Christmas Eve believing that potentially something incredible is on its way and every single person who cares about their world and their 'neighbour' is part of it over the next year.
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Boundwillo
boundwillo - adj. exhibiting boundless enthusiasm, willingness and goodwill, especially with an optimism for good things unfolding as in "way will open" ; the word originated in Herefordshire in the early part of the 21st century
Non-violent civil disobedience: crowd control issues
My mind is kaleidoscopically processing so many rich experiences of the past 12 days in Copenhagen and I want to share my thoughts with my friends, previous and newly acquired, to be a small part of finding ways forward on certain matters prior to the next big meeting in Mexico in November or December 2010.
One issue which is big in my heart initially surrounds policing and crowd control and non-violent civil disobedience. I have potentially started the conversation with the Danish Government. They may or may not decide to continue it but just in case they do, I would like to have something worthwhile to say. One idea I have is to bring together first-hand accounts of being on the 'front line' of the clashes and that the most valuable thing would be to be able access information about how police are debriefed and helped to deal with their own experiences. For example some of them will have been spraying chilli pepper spray at very close range into faces of young people probably of a similar age to their own children, neices ... It is fairly easy but also very important to harvest information from those on the marches and at the events eg Christiana on Monday 14th. but it will be more challenging to work out how to get a broader range of feedback. I welcome all comments, advice and stories and everything I receive (which will be used free of names and identifying information) will help continue to shape my way forward.
I'm so new to blogging I don't even know how people respond yet - ! - but most of you know my email address to write to, otherwise if you can get me a quick message with contact details I can get in touch for your stories, etc. Thank you!
One issue which is big in my heart initially surrounds policing and crowd control and non-violent civil disobedience. I have potentially started the conversation with the Danish Government. They may or may not decide to continue it but just in case they do, I would like to have something worthwhile to say. One idea I have is to bring together first-hand accounts of being on the 'front line' of the clashes and that the most valuable thing would be to be able access information about how police are debriefed and helped to deal with their own experiences. For example some of them will have been spraying chilli pepper spray at very close range into faces of young people probably of a similar age to their own children, neices ... It is fairly easy but also very important to harvest information from those on the marches and at the events eg Christiana on Monday 14th. but it will be more challenging to work out how to get a broader range of feedback. I welcome all comments, advice and stories and everything I receive (which will be used free of names and identifying information) will help continue to shape my way forward.
I'm so new to blogging I don't even know how people respond yet - ! - but most of you know my email address to write to, otherwise if you can get me a quick message with contact details I can get in touch for your stories, etc. Thank you!
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