How Northwest Communities Are Stopping Big Oil Projects
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
Steinke's advice for others who want to make a difference: “Show up, speak up, and make your case repeatedly. Without advocates, nothing happens. Elected officials don’t want to rock the boat, but if you rock it, they will be receptive.” And, if Steinke’s experience is any indication, the deeper sense of community and commitment that results could be oxygen for local revolution.
Who Has the Skills to Build Community? We All Do
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
So I began wondering: What if the people I met in one city—say, Detroit—could share what they know with people in other communities around the country? What if people had access to the skills that would allow them to step up with confidence together with others where they live? We have a lot of work ahead of us—especially with the retrograde politics in Washington, D.C. Could work in our communities deepen relationships while building our power and nourishing our spirits?
Our Best Shot at Meeting Paris Goals? Make Energy Public
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
Mayors across the country have vowed to deliver on the goals of the Paris climate accord in defiance of President Trump’s decision to back out. But how can they, realistically, when the national government is questioning climate science and promoting coal, fracking, and pipelines? Simply put: Make energy public.
As Climate Change Threatens Food Supplies, Seed Saving is an Ancient Act of Resilience
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
On a recent Saturday afternoon, a group of volunteers in the northern Montana city of Great Falls met in the local library to package seeds for their newly formed seed exchange, and to share their passion for gardening and food security.
In Berlin, a Model for Creative and Affordable Housing
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
Berlin’s creative culture is under tremendous pressure as real estate speculators from around the globe buy up apartment buildings. But a culture of resistance and grassroots revitalization is putting a brake on gentrification, helping to protect the residents’ right to their city.
Small-Scale Farming Could Restore America’s Rural Towns
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
There is nothing inevitable about the demise of rural America. Nothing inevitable, that is, if we turn away from the extractive model of corporate agriculture and the trade deals and subsidies that support it and instead reestablish the small- and medium-scale farming and ranching that can support sustainable prosperity.
How Standing Rock Has Changed us
By Sarah van Gelder, YES! magazine
Here are just a few things that have shifted in our world because of the extraordinary Native-led uprising at Standing Rock.
A Turning Point at Standing Rock?
By Sarah van Gelder, Revolution Where You Live
“The battle at Oceti Sakowin is deeper than the pipeline. It’s about how we are to redefine our leadership and how we rebuild community and how we love and have compassion for each other and Mother Earth and all the people who come to support — that’s what all this means.”