“Sustainable We” Forum
April 19, 2016
The Club Room at Red Stag
Sustainable We forum #5 was titled “The Visibility Cloak,” part of the citywide Fierce Lament activities coordinated by art activist Camille Gage.
How are we making the rape of our land/air/water and people visible? How do important issues come to light — especially those that we tend not to see even though they are all around us? How do we succeed at getting the stories out?
Our discussion was led by the perspectives of:
- Healthy Legacy’s Kathleen Schuler: How visibility with legislators and manufacturers is improving — and not — as consumers demand less toxic home products. Audio clip #1: the state of federal law
Audio clip #2: the impact on public health
Audio clip #3: Example — the case of tire mulch in parks
- Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy’s Shalini Gupta: why local communities are fighting to be heard about their right to clean air and water. Audio clip: making decisions about the appropriate use of technology/industry for community, not commercialization.
- Sarah Super on how her “Break the Silence” movement about the prevalence of non-stranger rape has shown the impact of personal stories.
The Challenges
As we began a group discussion, a man in the audience asked what each of the women believes is at the root of the issues.
Sarah: on objectification (55 seconds)
Kathleen: on domination (23 seconds)
Shalini: on commodification
The Hopes
Kathleen: on strong companies, and consumer demand, taking the lead even before regulation
Shalini: on breaking the silence — reminding everyone that our lives matter
Sarah: on how we heal