4/11/25
This was their first community dinner; they plan to have more of these.
Sponsored by Dena’ Movement and FCAC and
Attended by maybe 30 or 40 people (and a pretty good pot luck).
They played a 15 min. clip from Gopal Dayaneni “Provide Alt. Solutions to Fossil Fuel.
20 years of Just Transition in practice (Just Transition is a group).
Most of my notes are written from the video clip of Gopal.
On Wikipedia, Just Transition is defined as:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines just transition as follows: "A set of principles, processes and practices that aim to ensure that no people, workers, places, sectors, countries or regions are left behind in the transition from a high-carbon to a low carbon economy".
The meeting was deeply philosophical and centered on building a community of people that could self-govern. Their idea is centered in fighting for the world and community and government they DO want, not what they Don’t want. It seems we have spent a lot of energy recently fighting what we Don’t want.
Their goals:
Food sovereignty
Energy democracy
Food as medicine
Self-governance
Gopal talked about human rights, which they believe to include a right to housing. He talked about the laws that get in the way of people building houses. There is a difference between right and wrong and legal and illegal. If it’s the right thing to do then we have every right to do it.
Don’t let the current law limit your revolutionary imagination.
Contest the legitimacy of existing authority. Housing is a human right, things that impinge upon it are violence.
How are we organizing our communities to make sure our needs are met?
He talked of the systematic and well organized violence of the state.
If we are not prepared to govern, we are not prepared to win.
Also, people want to decarbon, but first we must democratize energy. Then decarbonization will come.
Commandeer existing forms of governance.
Get our people elected to change the system.
We need a finely tuned moral compass and community practice.
We need to create the world we want.
If it’s not soulful–it’s not strategic.
Soul, spirit and feeling of the world we live in. Guard against warping our hearts with negativity.
We can’t keep taking without giving back (to the land), or it’s going to collapse.
Example: The Lorax
Their goal is to share a meal and thoughts. Strategic. Build a community, by building trust first.
They will have more of these Community dinners.
LINKS:
I couldn’t find the video they showed, but here is another that may be similar:
Gopal Dayaneni on building relationships to build power | Free the Land | Movement Generation
Movement Generation
As one of Movement Generation’s founders, Gopal Dayaneni understands better than anyone the central role that relationships play in our movements—from the ecological to the interpersonal. He talks about how building spaces like the Justice & Ecology Center gives us a physical space for daily practice of these values. Support MG’s Free the Land Campaign to build the Justice & Ecology Center at http://FreeTheLand.net.
Filmed and edited by: Survival Media Agency
https://youtu.be/bHo7_0N2vOU?si=S8BvQ0g2tFrS5b2q
JUST TRANSITION
Wikipedia
Just Transition is a concept that emerged in the 1980s through efforts by U.S. trade unions to protect workers' rights and livelihoods as economies shift to sustainable production, primarily protecting workers affected by environmental regulations.[1] Since then, it has evolved and gained global recognition, including having a place in the Paris Agreement in 2015. A just transition focuses on the connection between energy transition and equitable approaches to decarbonization that support broader development goals.[2][3] A growing number of countries are incorporating just transition strategies to achieve ambitious climate goals, with 38% of 170 countries referring to just transition in their short-term climate plans as of 2022. [2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_transition
NATIVE MOVEMENT
We envision a society that embraces Indigenous values of reciprocity
and respect with all beings. Our actions are grounded in ceremony, justice,
and love in support of regenerative communities.
Native Movement is dedicated to building people power, rooted in an Indigenized worldview, toward healthy, sustainable, & just communities for ALL. We support grassroots-led projects that align with our vision, that endeavor to ensure social justice, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, and the rights of Mother Earth.
FAIRBANKS CLIMATE ACTION COALITION (FCAC)
They have a calendar of events.
We are a growing group of concerned citizens motivated by the moral, spiritual, & scientific duty to take action & elevate voices calling for responsibility to each other, the earth, and all living beings. Formed in November 2015, FCAC seeks to amplify Alaskan voices for climate action and build momentum for a just and equitable transition to a new way of living with each other and with our environment.
https://www.fbxclimateaction.org/
THE NORTHERN CENTER
Our Mission
The Northern Alaska Environmental Center promotes conservation of the environment and sustainable resource stewardship in Interior and Arctic Alaska through education and advocacy.
OUR VISION
We envision a Northern Alaska far into the future that remains a land of superlatives—as inspiring, healthy and supremely beautiful as it is today. Our globally important wildlands will remain biologically diverse and productive, with abundant fish and wildlife that support vigorous subsistence traditions and an extraordinary, increasingly sustainable quality of life for Alaskans.
Alaskans will maintain these enviable qualities undiminished across generations by protecting our vast expanses of ecologically intact habitat, by shifting our economy toward sustainable use of renewable resources, and through careful stewardship of non-renewables. We thrive by respecting environmental carrying capacity, thereby safeguarding the rich natural environment that has supported Alaskans for over ten thousand years.
We envision a Northern Alaska Environmental Center that plays a leading role in achieving this promising future through strong grassroots organizing, defensive work, exploring solutions, and by building broad coalitions that translate Alaskans’ passion for our home into an environmentally and culturally sustainable future.
https://northern.org/about-the-northern-center/
