ESLI Youth Blog

Today was a powerful day for the ESLI Youth Delegation!

We woke up to a rocky start, literally… but had two experiences whose positivity and hope balanced the disappointment from earlier this week.  First, we had the pleasure of being invited on a small Greenpeace fishing boat out into the harbor!  It was freezing, wet and sometimes sea-sick because of today’s bad weather – BUT they took us out to have an exclusing look at Denmark’s windmill farm!

It was definitely a sight to see – especially because what would be built RIGHT next to the windmills, but a coal-fired power plant!!  The visuals were so great.  How ironic, right?

Stay tuned for pics and videos (camera cords are in Ellen’s stolen suitcase!).

Then, we had the HONOR of joining a historic dinner hosted by the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, of 30-40 EJ leaders from the US that had made it to Copenhagen.  There were folks from all over the country.  Many of the people there were some of the most respected, inspirational leaders of the EJ movement – Dr. Robert Bullard (Clark Atlanta Univ. EJ Resource Center and EJ pioneer), Dr. Beverly Wright (Deep South Center for EJ in New Orleans), Tom Goldtooth (Indigenous Environmental Network), Michael Dorsey (Durban Group for Climate Justice), Felicia Davis (EJCC/Black Women’s Roundtable), Jose Bravo (Just Transition Alliance), Mari Rose Taruc (Asian Pacific Environmental Network), and many others.  And the other folks that were there – about 10-12 of us – represented emerging environmental justice leaders, including Brower Youth Award winner Kari Fulton and the ESLI Youth Delegation!  We were thankful for the knowledge and experience that those leaders brought into the room – and for the relationships we were able to start or support while there!  There was definitely a strong spirit of solidarity and responsibility that was passed on to the new generation.  A few of the older leaders made statements in our go-around introductions that targeted the youth that were there and recognizing their appreciation for our presence.  Dr. Beverly Wright said tonight was the first time she felt satisfied that the movement they had created from the ground up was okay to pass on and to allow youth to inherit the work of the environmental justice community.

Videos and pics of this will also be posted soon.