As you all should be aware, there will be NO polar ice this summer in the Arctic. We have entered a very critical moment. We hope to reach out to all of Boston's neighborhoods and bring everyone to Boston City Hall Plaza on 9/26 & 9/27 to understand the climate chaos reality we are facing. We want to help them understand things in a way that will not immobilize or frighten, but will empower people and move them into action. This event will have 4 parts to it: the problem, the process, solutions, and celebration. We already have more than 30 groups, exhibitors, vendors, performers ready to join us for these two days. We need to reach out to more and we need help around certain areas.
Here are the areas we are looking for people:
Time Tunnel Entrance on to the Plaza: We have a vision to create a tented tunnel with lots of images (video/painted/collage etc.) and special effects (music/blowing air/sounds) showing the world today and how through solutions involving working together, we can begin to make a positive impact. This is the first part of "posing the problem."
We need: artists, video specialists, tech specialists - students, professionals, talented people willing to work together to make it reality in 6 weeks.
Problem Restated/Start of Process inside Main Tent: Once people leave the Time Tunnel, we want to let them get a feel for the problem in a more "hands-on" interactive way. using simple exhibits and examples such as, being passed a small cup of water and as they hear/look/learn about the problem, they will drink the water and realize that once the water is gone, there is no more. Of course, we would have them recycle the cup. It does not have to be this exact example, but this is the idea. We would want to show different angles of how we are affecting our lives and planet by the way we live right now and where things are headed if we do not change course ASAP.
We need: scientists, children's education specialists, education specialists, curriculum writers, creative thinkers, healers, artists, architects, etc. - willing to think creatively to make this a reality in 6 weeks.
Process I: Area set up for facilitated discussions to help people talk about what they are feeling and how they can start working together - youth, neighborhood leaders, young and old, university students, new immigrants, etc. There should be a section dedicated to youth, but another area where there is cross-fertilization. These discussions are meant to help heal and motivate.
We need: people interested in facilitating, organizing, brainstorming and bringing this section to reality (6 weeks).
Process II: Area adjacent to discussions for inspirational speakers and for movies such as Invconvenient Truth, 11th Hour, Greening Southie, Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff, Bill McKibben's
350.org animation, etc. as well as a children's movie section:
Arctic Tale (difficulties the polar bears are having); Hoot (about burrowing owls about to be destroyed by development);
Over the Hedge (problems due to development); etc.
We need: people willing to find the movies, get permission to run them, get the equipment - hopefully loans from companies/universities for the two days of Boston GreenFest.
Solutions: Series of exhibits, vendors and displays that help people find tools, resources, and networks to return to their neighborhoods and begin the work that must be done. There will be interactive exhibits that make it fun to learn to eat and grow organic food, improve nutrition and healthcare, green our city, build healthy communities, take political action, create green jobs and a green economy, and focus on youth. Specific ideas include: organic farming, CSAs, community gardening, farmers' markets, planting trees, green roofs, green cleaners, reducing consumption, recycling clothing and other goods, hand-push lawnmowers, health and wellness, recreation, transportation, energy and water conservation, clean energy, education, etc.
We need: energetic creative people who want to work with our core team to get this done in time.
Some BIM Solutions: (Building Information Models). These are virtual solutions that can help us become more efficient in planning our bulidings and our neighborhoods. Mike Bordenaro (
MBordenaro@cs.com) is heading this effort and would be happy to connect with as many people that are able to put some time into this and learn more about some cutting edge BIM methods.
We need: architects, landscape architects, engineers, creative thinkers...
Celebration: We already have many people ready to participate including the Boston Community Choir (gospel); INCUS (a local band gaining national recognition); performers connected with the Boston Music Conference taking place on the same dates; and a Mexican dance group. We need much more. Christina Lanzl (
christina.lanzl@massart.edu) is heading this effort and would be happy to have help. I would like to have the
Blue Man Group be the Green Man Group for this event! Anyone have any connections? We are also looking for children's performers/activities.
We need: people with interest/background in art, theater, dance and music who love the excitement of public events!
**We need volunteers to help during the two days of Boston GreenFest 2008.**
**We need people who speak Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, CapeVerdean Creole, Chinese, Vietnamese... as we will have an important outreach to all our families that attend.
