Campaigns and Social Media
In 2013, EarthAction focused on educating and mobilizing our global network of over 2,000 organizations and other groups and individuals through our use of social media including our websites, email, Facebook, and Twitter. Highlights follow.
EarthAction’s Website—www.earthaction.org
Throughout the year, EarthAction’s homepage featured information on 57 important global environment, development, peace and justice issues. These included:
1. Stop the Illegal Logging in the Prey Lang Forest of Cambodia
2. Is this Tibet's big chance?
3. The Next Big Thing in the Energy Sector: photovoltaic (PV) method of converting solar energy directly into electrical energy.
4. Creating Art From a Plastic Ocean
5. Researching the Benefits of Climate Action
6. Obesity Rate For Poor U.S. Children Falls Significantly For The First Time
7. Indigenous Peoples Fight for Inclusion in Development
8. Israel/Palestine Peace Talks to Set a Precedent?
9. Arctic Permafrost Melts at Extreme Speed
10. Let's Talk About Malnutrition: The Case of Cameroon
11. Standing With Malala is Standing With Education
12. Every Day is World Refugee Day
13. Parliament Raises the Roof for Tar Sands Protesters
14. The Next Steps Towards a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World
15. Germany Sets Bar High for Renewable Energy
16. Millennium Development Goals: Progress and Further Development
17. An Open Letter to the CEO of Herakles Farms
18. Global Action on Military Spending
19. UN Adopts Landmark Treaty Regulating Global Arms Trade
20. Muslim States Agree to ‘Historic’ UN Statement on Women
21. California, Fracking and Tomorrow’s Energy
22. Oil Execs Fail to See the Big Picture: Stand in Solidarity - Stop the Tar Sands!
23. One Billion Rising against violence against women
24. Sustainable Development in China
Calls to Action
Eight posts on our homepage called for action in support of campaigns organized by other organizations including: the Prey Lang Network, A World at School, 350.org <>, Global Day of Action on Military Spending <http://demilitarize.org, Control Arms <http://controlarms.org>, and Global Solutions, <http://globalsolutions.org/>. Targets included: the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, the Chinese Government, and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
In addition, EarthAction emailed and posted 4 unique EarthAction Action Alerts on the following topics to our global network throughout the world:
- Reduce Global Military Spending
- Support the Indigenous Spiritual Leaders in Colombia—the Heart of the World
- Stop the Illegal Logging in the Prey Lang Forest of Cambodia
- Reduce Spending on Nuclear Weapons
Facebook and Twitter
Through our use of Facebook and Twitter we shared our blog posts and action alerts with a broader global audience. Facebook and Twitter were also used to bring attention to many additional pressing issues. We shared content from other organizations we ‘follow’ on Twitter and ‘like’ on Facebook. We shared posts from: TreeHugger, 350.org, Sacred Fire Foundation, UNEP, Greenpeace, Union of Concerned Scientists, Prey Lang Network, Conservation International, Global Solutions, Devex.
We also used our social media pages to promote Valley Gives Day and, working with the Sacred Fire Foundation, we helped to raise $20,000 for The Elders Project, a project of the EarthAction Network.
Persistent Focus on Renewable Energy
Since EarthAction’s start in 1992, we have campaigned in the U.S. and worldwide to replace the burning of fossil fuels with clean, renewable, sources of energy. Year by year, renewables are playing an increasingly important role in power generation. 2013 will be a record-breaking year for solar with the U.S. installing more capacity than world leader Germany. Last year, wind power was dominant in the U.S.—comprising the top source of new electrical energy generation. Distributed renewables, in particular, are proving transformative. A new solar project was installed about every four minutes on average this year; distributed wind turbines now generate more than 800 megawatts (MW) nationwide.
2020 Action
EarthAction continues to be the sponsor of 2020 Action, a project that educates and mobilizes US citizens and encourages them to communicate with policymakers about important peace and environmental issues. Please see 2020 Action Report for 2013 at 2020Action.org.
The Elders Project
In 2013, The Elders Project (TEP) continued with it’s mission to work with and provide assistance and support to the traditional authorities (Mamos) of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia for projects aimed at strengthening their traditional practices.
In February 2013, Rick Harlow, the Project Director, traveled to the SNSM to help coordinate and oversee the expenditure of funds for this year’s Black Line Journey (BLJ). He met TEP team member Nora Diaz in Valledupar and they traveled to Nabusimake (Arhuaco territory) to meet with Mamo Seukukwi and the rest of the Arhuaco delegation to finalize plans and set the date for the beginning of the BLJ. A delegation of Arhuacos then traveled with Nora to Kogui territory to coordinate with the Kogui participants.
The BLJ began on February 24 with 19 indigenous participants from the Arhuaco Kogui and Wiwa pueblos, including members of the Central directive of Arhuaco Mamos. The Journey was successfully completed in 8 days.
Nora stayed on to go back to Nabusimake with the Arhuacos. There she met with the Central Directive who expressed their gratitude for the assistance TEP is providing for the BLJ. They said that TEP’s assistance has helped greatly with the internal unification process of the Arhuaco pueblo. They also had high praise for the book “Ordenamiento Ancestral y Permanencia Cultural” (published by TEP in 2010). They plan to use the book as a guide for the traditional ordering of the Arhuaco pueblo. They also expressed gratitude for our efforts to bring awareness of the destructive mining operations in the SNSM by showing video and photographic documentation to the people. This has helped motivate many to give greater support to the traditional elders’ efforts to mount a “spiritual” defense of their homelands. Some years ago the work of the Central Directive had the support of about 150 people. Today they have the support of about 5,000 Arhuacos. The total Arahuaco population of the SNSM is approximately 40,000.
In July and August TEP team members Jesús Ortiz and Nora Diaz traveled to the SNSM to work with the mamos on the next book, “Our Leader, The High Mamo Juan Marcos Pérez”, which TEP hopes to publish in 2014. Nora and Jesús met with the Arhuaco Central Directive of Mamos. They also traveled to Wiwa territory to discuss future involvement with TEP activities including the BLJ and historical archives. They traveled to the remote village of Donachui to visit with the grand Mamo Donkin who was very ill. He passed away at the age of 101 the following day. They stayed for his funeral a few days later and recorded the ceremony. They also made plans to return in 2014 to record the memories of the people of the life of Mamo Donkin for their historical archives.
At the end of October TEP applied for a grant from the Sacred Fire Foundation. They accepted the proposal and made TEP the focus of their year-end fund drive. They were able to raise $20,000 for the next Black Line Journey set to take place in February 2014.
Click here to learn more about The Elders Project.
Thank You
EarthAction thanks all our Partner Organizations, individual members, staff, and donors for their ongoing participation and support. Special thanks to the Thomas D. Hormel Trust, the Stewart R. Mott Foundation, and to Louise Hoffman.
EarthAction, PO Box 63, Amherst, MA 01002 USA
Tel: 1 413 549 8118 E: [email protected] www.earthaction.org
