For the second consecutive year, the Northeast L.A. Radical Neighbors (NELA-Rad) and Converging Storms participated in the annual world-wide 350.org event (see:
http://www.350.org). (Other groups were represented this year as well, including the Montrose Peace Vigil.) However, unlike last year, we organized two events: one on October 2, which coincided with Eagle Rock's annual Music Festival and thus benefited from the heavy foot traffic. The second event happened on October 10 in conjunction with the other 350 activities around the world.
The October 2 action was designed to be more interactive: a solar cooker was displayed and explained, another exhibit showed how each of us can reduce our water use, there were also displays and information about electric bicycles, transition towns, population, and why changing our lifestyles is not enough.
A fair number of people showed interest in these subjects and took information. (It appeared that people who showed the most interest in the solar cooker were from other countries and had already seen them in use.) However, not surprisingly, not all reactions were receptive. “If we die, we die,” remarked one teenager. Another person said that a gun would have to be put to her head before she'd change her lifestyle.
At the second event of October 10, “No on Prop. 23” signs were available, and some were given out. (Proposition 23, which will be on the November 2 ballot, would suspend AB 32, the Global Warming Act of 2006 .)
Coverage of our event of last year can be found here:
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2009/10/231759.php and here:
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2009/10/231746.php 