June felt exorbitantly long. Maybe it was because we did so much cool stuff. Maybe it was because it was super-hot out outside. But here we are rolling into July. As always, we have an exciting month in store for you. But first: June was amazing! And we have to bear witness to that!
First. We had our fourth annual Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference in Valdosta, GA!. We laughed, we cried, we karaoked. Most importantly, we learned the importance of bearing witness and lifting up voices.
No one is coming to save us. We have to make change for ourselves.
Cancer doesn’t just run in your family. It runs in your zip code.
When the storm hits, and the power and water is gone, suddenly, no one cares about party lines or other petty divisions.
Other June events of note:
We had a fabulous Climate Survival Training on Bike Repair.
We had a road trip to Athens where Michael gave their world-renowned Misinformation talk. It was fabulous to do a join event with our friends Athens Science Cafe and Union of Athens Scientists.
And we had a great talk about How Do Pet’s Think in partnership with our friends at Stand Up for Science.
Your turn to bear witness
Usually I don’t find a PowerPoint slide all that compelling, but the above is a call to action.
Although 94% of respondents use scientific data at least weekly, only 10% are concerned that cuts to federal support for science might impact their access to this information.
How do we bridge this cognitive divide? We must bear witness.
We need you to share your stories of the good, the missing, and the ugly. We need to flood the airwaves with impact stories. We need to make it impossible for people to ignore the real cost of what is happening.
Things to Do in July
We have some fun ways for you to get involved in July:
July 10 – Online Membership Meeting. Learn ways you can contribute and voice your opinion.
July 20 – Monthly South River Water Testing. We will be doing our monthly water testing at Everett Park on the South River. Come join and hang with us in the spring morning on the river. We are a fun little group.
July 23 – GSJ: How Vaccines Work: They Really Are Good and Safe. Here you will learn how vaccines work, and how they are evaluated and approved. Have doubts about vaccines? Worried about additives, or that vaccines might make your children sick or give them autism? You’re not alone – come and ask questions!