"Well it's too late to turn back, here we go."
- form Portland, by Middle Brother
I didn't know if I'd make it, but I'm on the cusp of my fourth and final quarter of this adventurous year. With one week left in North Dakota, life is busy and exciting. Although some challenges still lie ahead, the future looks incredibly bright.
It's amazing how two months can go by, and it seems like nothing has happened, but the fact that I was too busy to update this blog means that many things certainly did happen. I doubt there's a better moment to reflect on all of it than sipping a vanilla "Teecino" at my lime green desk on a Saturday night, after working on a wooden flute cover of the Fleet Foxes' Blue Spotted Tail.
National Pride
Let's see - when I last wrote I was heading off to San Francisco for February training. This training was the best yet; we got to see how those at the top devise campaign strategies and messaging. We tried this ourselves in workshops, which were challenging. I could see how this type of thing becomes easier once you've been working on an issue for a while, and understand where all of the key players fit in and what their motivations are. Nowhere was this more apparent than in a discussion we had with the founder of Corporate Ethics International.
They ran a "ReThink Alberta" campaign, targeting the province's tourist industry to bring attention to the tar sands. They now want to expand the campaign to a "ReThink Canada" campaign in an effort to up the ante on the tar sands fight. We were asked to come up with effective ad campaign angles, and as the only Canadian in the room, it was fascinating to evaluate the ideas of my American friends. I relished sharing a Canadian perspective, and understood how rarely it's heard by the majority of Americans. This situation isn't unique to the Canadian-American exchange however; it's rare for most people to have the opportunity to hear and truly appreciate how one culture perceives its relationship with another, and it's certainly something that should happen more often.
I explained that Canadians care a great deal about what Americans think. From the economy, to war, to entertainment, it's no secret that Canadian decision makers and the public look to the U.S. constantly before they make decisions. As a mouse living next to a gorilla, it is very much a necessity. I shared that a smear campaign attacking the "greenness" of Canada would probably be extremely effective. If it was widespread enough, it would certainly make national news and irk a great many Canadians. I think it's fair to say that our expansive natural wilderness is a notable point of pride for most Canadians, and that we have this idea that we are good stewards of the land (however false that may be). It will be interesting to see what Corporate Ethics International decides to do, and how effective it is. I know that personally, when I was handed an NRDC/Sierra Club tar sands research report in Houston featuring a black maple leaf dripping in oil, I just about cried. I suppose it's the same feeling many Americans have when they see their flag being burned in the streets of Kabul. Canadians can ponder what their national identity is, but threatening it is really the best way to show that it's there.
Little Campaign on the Prairie
Here in Fargo my campaign has been coming along slowly but surely. We've held two media events, and I had TV out to both of them which was fun. The link to the first news segment can be found below, but I won't be posting the second, as it involves me being interviewed in a cow costume. It's not that I'm embarrassed about being in the suit itself, I'm more simply opposed to using cheap gimmicks like that to attract media attention, even though it works. I suppose I wish we lived in a world where the media covered things because they are actually important to people's lives - not because they're sensational. But, as a seasoned media guru in San Francisco told us: "You can either work with the system and use it to your advantage, or your voice won't be heard. Your choice."
TV hit: http://www.wday.com/
We had our second meeting with Senator Conrad's staff, and although they couldn't assure us that Conrad will cosponsor the Livestock Marketing Fairness Act, they said that "we don't expect that his support will change," which is encouraging. We've collected over 700 petitions statewide (over 1/1,000th of the state's population!), and now have almost 40 organizations and businesses signed on to our coalition letter to the Senators. I'd say it's been a great success, and we're finishing things off with an activist training this Saturday, a film screening of Fresh, and a small goodbye party. The people I've worked with here are some of the most sincere and kind people I've ever met, and I'll miss them. I'll also have to make sure I pick up Westhope: Life as a Former Farm Boy, written by one of my volunteers Dean Hulse. I know that when I read it, I'll wish I read it sooner, because it contains all of his passion for preserving rural American communities and creating a more sustainable food system.
The Road Out
From here I'll be heading home for a much-needed visit with my family. It will be a whirlwind of dinners, coffees with friends at Queen's, and completing my Canadian taxes, but hopefully it will recharge me for my subsequent week of training in New York City. NYC will be followed by a week of training in Boston, and finally moving to Philadelphia, where I'll be working for the summer. I'll be raising funds for the Human Rights Campaign - specifically for LGBTQ rights - which is something I can certainly get behind. I feel more strongly about freedom to marry than some environmental issues, so I'm hoping that helps to carry me through.
I've been gone from the east coast a long time now, and although I don't miss it, going back will be good for me. I think it will help me settle on where I want to end up in this world, although I'm in no mood to settle just yet.
