That's a wonderful idea, on several levels. And I love that the authors respond to the students. I bet it was fun to read those essays. Does it make you more optimistic about the next generation and its stewardship of our planet?
Let me tell you what really made me optimistic about the next generation--Powershift. I expected to be impressed with the passion of the thousands of young climate activists from all over the country who gathered in Washington DC this spring. What blew me away was how smart they were about galvanizing the power to actually take on the big, powerful energy corporations. They had a lobbying strategy, a green jobs creation strategy, and a long-term organizing strategy that they were bringing home to do the hard work of building a grassroots base for a powerful youth climate movement. Here's an interview I did with one of the founders of Powershift.
Great interview! That Jessy is quite a ball of energy. I've been impressed with her and Powershift as well. What else would you like to talk about, Sarah, before we wrap this up?
We are celebrating our 15th anniversary this year, so we are doing a lot of reflection on why we started and what comes next. We started YES! Magazine in 1996 to tell a story that wasn't being told. Bad news was getting plenty of coverage. Now and then, you'd find solid reporting on the deeper social and environmental crises, and the root causes of crime, pollution, family breakups, poverty, and so on. But almost no one was reporting on the people--young and old, of all races, religions, nationalities, and genders--who were taking the future into their own hands, building better communities, restoring ecosystems, reaching across divides, living lives of meaning and purpose, and building social movements to press for change.
We started YES! Magazine to uncover those stories and show how they weave together to create possibilities for a just and sustainable society. We knew that business as usual wasn't working for people or the planet. And we wanted to show the alternatives that are not only possible, but are already happening.
Today, many of the crises we worried about in 1996 -- from climate change to corporate overreach -- have deepened. That makes the work of the people and communities we've featured in YES! during these 15 years that much more important. There are practical means available to preserve Earth's life-sustaining capacities, to share the Earth's gifts without killing each other, and to create societies that provide for everyone.
As we celebrate 15 years of powerful ideas and practical actions, we ask you to join us in saying YES! to building the sort of world we know is possible.
Please come to our website, www.yesmagazine.org , to learn about how to stay connected with YES!
I look forward to each and every issue of YES! It's my favorite publication. Thank you, Sarah. It was truly a pleasure talking with you.
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