hollyg's blog

During Mountain Justice Spring Break in Virginia, I listened to a workshop by the amazing Mary Olsen, from the Nuclear Information & Resource Service, titled Nuclear Resistance. She brought along a map of the Southeast states with existing nuclear reactors and waste sites labeled as well as proposed reactors and weapons facilities. My hometown of Anderson, SC, was smack dab in the middle of the icons, and suddenly something dawned on me. My personal connection to this movement was revealed as I thought of my grandma, great aunt and numerous other family and friends who died from cancer, wondering if the nearby coal plant in Williamston or the upwind Oconee Nuclear Station had anything to do with their deaths.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to Highlander Research and Education center in Tennessee for a weekend workshop. Themes of the weekend included personal sustainability, the 'non-profit industrial complex' and transitioning from a youth to an adult, taking on responsibility and also giving up some responsibilities so others can step in and lead. The two womyn who helped facilitate were amazing, keeping the morale up through songs, games and frequent breaks. Everyone at this particular gathering came from the Southeast and worked on a variety of issues. It was truly refreshing to see a snapshop of the Movement, so multi-faceted and diverse.

This weekend, hundreds of students from around the Southeast will converge at Valdosta State for the 5th Annual Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference. Drawing off the momentum of Powershift and Focus the Nation, this is shaping up to be a solid weekend of movement building, strategy, and FUN! Student and youth organizers in Southeast states have been busy networking to develop strong statewide alliances and this gathering will continue to grow our regional power. From South Carolina, over seventy students will make the trek down to Georgia, with nearly sixty traveling together on a charter bus, helping cut down on the carbon footprint of the conference.