Van Jones: Power Shift Conference 2011

 From Brad Johnson, The Wonk Room:

In a passionate keynote address, green jobs leader Van Jones exhorted the 10,000 youth climate activists at the Power Shift conference in Washington DC to “shift the power” and lead the clean power revolution. He argued that both parties need to be held accountable for their failures, and that activists must explain that the climate movement isn’t just about “hippie power” but that it is a vision of liberty and justice for all.
Van Jones had harsh words for the national political establishment. “You have to be wise enough to hold both parties to high standards,” he said: While they’re stuck on stupid in DC, your generation is rising.

Van Jones also discussed President Barack Obama, who hired him as a green jobs adviser but then let him go  after Jones’ politics and person came under a relentless barrage from Fox News’ Glenn Beck. Jones argued that President Obama is like the friend who has the potential to be an A-plus student, but is only getting C’s and D’s. Jones told the assembled youth from campuses around the nation they can be a “hero for making sure your friend gets an A-plus on his presidency.”

Read the rest of the article here

Today's Wisdom From Judy Wicks

"The Local Living Economies Movement is about:Maximizing relationships, not maximizing profits,broad-based ownership and democracy, not concentrated wealth and power, sharing, not hoarding, life serving, not self-serving, partnership, not domination, cooperation based, not competition based, win-win exchange, not win-loose exploitation, creativity, not conformity, a living return, not the highest return, a living wage, not the minimum wage, a fair price, not the lowest price, “Being more, not having more” (from the Earth Charter), interconnectedness, not separation, inclusion, not exclusiveness, community and collective joy, not isolation and unhappiness, cultural diversity, not monoculture, bio-diversity, not mono-crops, family farms, not factory farms, slow food, not fast food, our bucks, not Starbucks, our mart, not Wal-Mart, love of life, not love of money" Judy Wicks From her talk at The 2009 Bioneers Conference

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