Sharon J. Smith - The Young Activists Guide to Building a Green Movement and Changing the World

Copyright 2011 by the Earth Island Institute, Inc.
Foreword copyright 2011 by julia butterfly hill

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com

Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Sharon J.
The young activists guide to building a green movement + changing the world / Sharon J. Smith.
p. cm.
Summary: A practical, step-by-step guide for young activists to planning and executing successful environmental campaigns, featuring strategies and lessons learned from Earth Island Institutes Brower Youth Award winnersProvided by publisher.
1. Environmentalism. 2. Green movement. 3. YouthConduct of life.
I. Title.
GE195.S555 2011
333.72dc22

2010043750

eISBN: 978-1-60774-016-2

v3.1

To all the BOLD AND VISIONARY YOUNG
LEADERS at the heart of the movement for
sustainability YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION.

You have opened a book that has the power to support you in changing your life and changing your world. Yes, thats right, its your world. And its our world, and its about time we take it personally! You are taking the first step by reading this guide. But we all know its one thing to feel that call stirring deep within us, and its another thing all together to confront our fears.

I climbed up into Luna in a Northern California redwood forest on December 10, 1997. I touched ground again for the first time on December 18, 1999, holding an agreement with the logging company to permanently protect Luna and a buffer area around the tree. Mine is the longest tree-sit in our collective story. I am not telling you this so youll be impressed by me, but because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we all have our own tree.

Your tree is whatever issue in life is calling you to be bigger and bolder than you ever could have imagined. The call is so powerful that you dont have the choice to be silent and walk away. Because you know in your heart that the time is now for youyes, youto step up, step out, and be a force for the world you envision living and thriving in.

When I first considered getting involved in the campaign to protect the ancient redwoods, I had all kinds of not enough conversations with myself. What can I do? I dont know how to be an activist. Im not even sure I know what that means! I dont have any experience. There are plenty of people working on this issue, they dont need me. These thoughts and more were running amuck in my mind, trying to keep me from taking a risk and just going for it. Most everyone involved in and committed to making a real difference in the world has felt these same fears and concerns.

But when I was chatting with the universe, trying to figure out if I should get involved or not, the answer that came to me was, Julia, if you know something is wrong, if you know that an injustice is happening and you have the opportunity to say or do something and you dont, your inactions are as much a part of that injustice as the actions of others. That answer came to me again and again, so loud and so clear that I knew it was time to acteven though I had absolutely no clue how or what I was going to do.

Never let the fact that you dont know how to do something stop you from doing it anyway. We dont always know how we are going to get from point A to point B. Sometimes we arent even sure where or what the points are, let alone how to navigate them. But I can tell you from experience that as soon as we get ourselves in motion, the path becomes clear. The people we need to meet show up, and the necessary tools and resources become apparent as well. After all, you found this book, right?

Now more than ever in our collective story, we need as many of us as possible to stand up and be courageous in our vision. Each one of us is a unique gift and each role we play is equal in importance. What is challenging for me is a walk in the park for someone else and vice versa. It is up to you to step into your greatest selfwho you are is who you are meant to be and your contribution is vital.

Remember to enjoy the journey and to celebrate the victory that happens every single time you choose to care. And from the very depths of my heart, thank you for having the courage to put that care into action, to live your life as a legacy today and for future generations. May this book help you make the difference you are committed to making and become the very best you that you can possibly be.

In loving service and deep gratitude,
julia butterfly hill

Without the vision, support, and best thinking of two individuals, this book would not be in your hands. I want to shower abundant thanks and praise on my colleague Jason Dove Mark for his thoughtful edits, helping bring clarity and life to my ideas. He was my copilot on this project, start to finish. Katherine Cowles of Cowles-Ryan Literary Agency saw the potential of this book to be a useful tool for young activists and helped birth the idea. Jason and Kitty, Im tremendously grateful for all of your contributions.

Thanks to Julie Bennett, my remarkably talented and committed editor at Ten Speed Press; your coaching helped me embrace the writing process and produce my best work.

The Earth Island Institute and Brower Youth Awards community consists of some of the most dedicated change-makers on the planet. Thank you John Knox, David Phillips, Kevin Connelly, Ellen Manchester, and Anisha Desai for your moral support and constant backing. Our extended community of supporters has made the Brower Youth Awards so dynamic: thank you Eric Kessler, Marika Holmgren, Jennifer Snyder, Thao Pham, Nadine Weil, Michael Mitrani, Adrienne Maree Brown, Kyle MacDonald, Andre Carothers, Adam Werbach, Lynn Hirshfield, and so many others. Brower Youth Award recipients: I am blessed and humbled to know and work with you. And the Brower family membersBarbara, Ken, Shirley, Joe, John, Rosemary, Kathryn, and Davidare incredible individuals who have kept Dave Browers legacy alive.

I would like to acknowledge all of the mentors and guides who have helped me on my journey as an organizer, activist, and now author, but listing you all would fill many pages of this book. You know who you are, and I have been shaped by your influence.

Finally, a thank-you to my family: Mom, Dad, and Steve. You are my backbone, and I am ever grateful.