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Earth Day 2020: 'Learning Experience' for Activists
By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
03:43AM / Wednesday, April 22, 2020
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Williamstown residents Sam and Elizabeth Smith strung up the Earth flag at First Congregational Church. In another year, it would have been the backdrop for public demonstrations on the front steps of the historic structure.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — For activists committed to saving the planet, the climate change crisis is top of mind, every day.
 
But there is one day each year when they can plan to rally together with like-minded citizens and engage the apathetic and unaware.
 
In a normal year, that day would be Wednesday, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
 
As it is with so many so many other things, normal is not part of the conversation.
 
"It's definitely been a change," said Jane Winn, the executive director of the Pittsfield-based Berkshire Environmental Action Team. "One of the things that hurts the most is we had student interns, who were absolutely wonderful, all of whom we had to let go. That is painful.
 
"But I have been surprised at how good the attendance has been at our online meetings."
 
There will be no face-to-face meetings, no in-person lectures, no workshops and certainly no marches in the street — not this year, not with the social-distancing necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
And, Winn admits, it can be a little disheartening for a movement that has known its share of heartache the last few years.
 
"Normally, I would feel uplifted on Earth Day as we all come together and celebrate how far we've come," she said. "I'm not sure whether my sense of loss comes more from the fact that our federal government is trying to push back on anti-pollution advances or the fact that everyone is hunkered down.
 
"Then, I think, maybe this isn't a bad thing. Maybe it's a good time to say … if we can do it for coronavirus, maybe we can do it for climate change. I don't know how I feel.
 
"I've been on [virtual] meetings with other leaders and one minute we're feeling energized and the next minute we're depressed and confused and not sure where we are."
 
In Williamstown, Bridget Spann agreed that it will be an Earth Day unlike any in the history of the movement.
 
"And especially since this is the 50th year, it feels like there was a lot of excitement about honoring that," said Spann, the community organizer at Williamstown's First Congregational Church. "One thing we were thinking about was there's a national effort called the Faith Climate Action Week. We had gotten as far as thinking about interfaith activities and were thinking this would be an interesting thing uniting people of different faiths.
 
"We were thinking about protests, strikes, demonstrations and other activities to get people involved and informed. … At the First Congregational Church, a lot of members are always eager to have a visible presence. The church is their faith and part of a moral mission to bring awareness to climate change."
 
Even in the pandemic, at least one physical manifestation of that mission endures.
 
"On a positive note, one of the small things we were able to do was Sam and Elizabeth Smith, the founders of Caretaker Farm, biked into Williamstown … and worked together to put up the earth flag in front of the church," said Spann, who operates the CSA farm with husband Don Zasada.
 
Meanwhile, much of the work and education and networking normally associated with Wednesday's holiday continues online.
 
The First Congregational Church, which would have hosted a public screening of the film "The Human Element" as part of the Faith Climate Action Week, instead is inviting its congregants to view the film at home through April 26. Spann will host a discussion about the film via the Zoom conferencing platform on Wednesday, April 29, at 7 p.m.
 
Winn's BEAT is promoting a monthlong (virtual) Earth Day Celebration and Challenge for all ages with activities that include: "Write a love letter, poem or song to the Earth;" "Research and support local organizations;"  "Support pollinators;" and "Eco-friendly gardening."
 
At the other end of the commonwealth, the grassroots group Boston Climate Strike has a full day of Zoom meetings, online training and e-rallies planned for Wednesday.
 
On Thursday, the group plans an event called the "Stop the Money Pipeline Actionar," a play on the term webinar, to train volunteers to take their argument directly to the banks, investment groups and insurance companies that underpin the fossil fuel industry.
 
"Everyone who joins the call gets an introduction and overview of the financial industry's role in fueling the climate crisis and focuses specifically on the top executives in the companies that are the worst: Chase Bank, JP Morgan, Black Rock, Liberty Mutual in our area, headquartered in Boston," said Michele Brooks, the community outreach coordinator for Sierra Club Massachusetts, an ally of Boston Climate Strike. "They are given background on the top executives, the CEOs, the chairs of the boards. People are briefed on their history of denying climate science and the decisions they've made on behalf of their customers and shareholders.
 
"Then we go into breakout groups. There's a facilitator in each group who provides a call script and email template. They create some buzz of getting calls and emails and tweets directed at that individual, and then they come back together and talk about who people have reached and how it went.
 
"It's inspiring and gives people a sense of purpose that there are things we can be doing while we're at home right now."
 
Brooks said that for an organizer like herself, putting together a livestream rally for Facebook was a new experience. But the event she pulled together last Saturday went well, in part because people are looking for a "sense of community" at a time when so many are sheltering in their homes.
 
On the other hand, she does worry that an online only model for Earth Day activities — as opposed to marches and public demonstrations — has the effect of "preaching to the choir," and that only those already invested in the climate change issue are paying attention.
 
"I think that's definitely a concern," Brooks said. "There is a difference in not being able to get out there on the streets publicly and get that broader awareness.
 
"My hope is we are really trying to focus on using this moment to get our stories out there in different ways and through narrations on videos. I know a lot of the younger people are working on a story-telling video that is going to come out this week, and there are a lot of creative art projects that are happening."
 
Winn said BEAT's online efforts are paying dividends in surprising ways.
 
"I thought exactly what you're saying," Winn said when asked whether Zoom meetings create a Zoom echo chamber. "Instead of getting a bunch of our regular people, we're getting new people who don't seem to come out to in-person events. We're reaching new and different crowds but also losing some people who might come to an in-person event.
 
"It's a learning experience. I'm not overly comfortable running a Zoom meeting, but I'm working on it."
 
Williamstown's Spann likewise is no fan of video conferencing. She misses and longs for the kind of in-person meetings and discussion groups that normally are the hallmark of a grassroots movement. But she recognizes that social distancing is necessary to curtail the suffering associated with COVID-19.
 
"We do feel profound disappointment that we're not able to gather in person, but I don't want that to sound like I'm complaining because the pandemic is a crisis, and we must do what we can to keep everyone safe," she said. "People are experiencing devastating losses right now — economic and otherwise.
 
"It will be interesting to see when we exit this current state of emergency that we evaluate what we need to do in-person and what can be done online."
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