SEAC’s History
Numerous regions began corporate accountability campaigns around issues like British Petroleum’s pollution in Ohio and Coors’ destruction of rivers in Colorado. The momentum of Catalyst also carried into regional and state gatherings around the country. Then in January of 1991 the US went to war with Iraq. Many SEACers organized against the war and SEAC launched an Energy Independence Campaign to coincide with the anti-war effort and its corporate accountability campaign. Unfortunately, only a hundred people attended the main event, a rally in DC.

In the summer of 1991 SEAC held its 2nd National Council Meeting. At that meeting, the organization decided to no longer hold national campaigns and launched two new projects, the Common Ground conference (2500 attended it in Boulder Colorado), and the Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development (A SEED) an international effort of several youth organizations to impact the Earth Summit in Rio. Also SEAC started a field-organizing program.

A SEED grew into SEAC’s largest single project. There was a speaker’s tour with educational events at over 120 campuses. There was a weekend of conferences in three states and 23 countries networked by email and fax to discuss the issues. In March 1992, SEAC organized a series of demonstrations at the United Nations in New York. In June, one of the three official observers on the U.S. Delegation to the Rio Earth Summit, and the only student, was a SEACer. In Rio, A SEED organized more actions, and students on 4 continents, including SEACers in the US, went on a hunger strike. In the end, SEAC became part of network of student groups in 62 countries struggling at the grassroots for environmental and social justice.

During our peak in 1991-92, SEAC had 13 people on its full-time staff: five in the national office; five working on A SEED and three field organizers. In 1992, SEAC’s budget fell rapidly and the staff was cut to five people. At the July National Council meeting, the People of Color Caucus (POCC) demanded and received equal representation on the National Council. During the fall, the SEAC office continued SEAC’s new strategy of focusing on supporting the development of local coalitions. The office was moved to a larger space in Chapel Hill, and the administrative capacity was increased.