1989:
SEAC produces it's first national publication, "Network News".
1990: "Network News" continues to be printed on a regular basis and starts reporting on issues beyond SEAC-specific campaigns.
Fall issue reports on the 7000 strong Catalyst Conference in Champaign,-Urbana, IL.
Eric Odell is hired to expand the newsletter into Threshold, a full-fledged movement magazine.
1991:
Threshold reports a massive national SEAC campaign to stop British Petroleum (a company that was little known in the U.S. at the time) from committing a number of serious environmental and social violations.
SEAC forges alliance with indigenous groups to save the sacred and ecologically sensitive Mt. Graham from development by the University of Arizona, a struggle that still rages today: "The UA's position perpetuates centuries of oppression against native people…[The] issues are misrepresented and trivialized by simplistic dualities like 'squirrels' vs. '[tele]scopes' or 'owls vs. jobs'."
1992:
A big year for Threshold, with reports about SEAC's national and local campaigns A-SEED actions, high-school organizing, and NAFTA.
1993:
Ohio SEAC fights a deadly toxic waste incinerator in the working class town of East Liverpool: "[T]he town erupted in one of the largest displays of civil disobedience in Ohio in recent memory. During seven days of protests, 124 arrests were made…
SEAC launches it's first Summer Training Institute, an annual skills-building event (now called the Activist Training Camp) that has proven to be consistently popular year after year.
1994:
Special edition of Threshold published on indigenous issues, highlighting native-led struggles for environmental and social justice in Chiapas, Mexico, James Bay, Canada, Western Shoshone territory in the U.S., and many other places throughout the continent. Information is given about how to support these efforts: "Columbus' legacy persists, as industry and our government continue to team up and threatern the livelihood of native peoples who wish to hold on to their culture…SEACers across the country are…connecting with native peoples and the land, supporting efforts toward sustainability and participating in today's struggles for social justice".
SEAC's People of Color Caucus launches the Environmental Justice Initiative (EJI), a project aimed at educating and empowering youth and high school students.
1995:
Threshold probes the question, "What is environmental justice in 1995?", examining cases of environmental racism and classism from the inner city to the reservation. The formation of SEAC's White Alternative Group (white allies addressing issues of racism) is announced.
Threshold reports on SEAC's fourth National Conference in Chapel Hill North Carolina, which attracted nearly 2,000 people. Washington DC hosts global conference of A SEED, an international network of grassroots environmental and social justice groups from dozens of countries and six continents. A SEED was born during SEAC's historic Common Ground conference in 1991.
1996:
January issue reports on the Shell Boycott and the death of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, murdred by the Nigerian government with the consent and support of Shell Oil.
Threshold's October 1996 issue reports on SEAC's infamous "Crash," printing four perspectives, and the question "What next..?"
1997:
Due to a devastating collapse of SEAC National in 1996, Threshold is reduced in size, frequency and paper quality and is temporarily published by New York SEAC at Cornell University. However, there remains a great deal of continuity in the Threshold committee-many names cited in the credits page are the same as in '95 and '96. SEAC renews its dedication to an international campaign to free Burma from the shocking oppression and incredible environmental destruction of a brutal military dictatorship that is doing business with major U.S. corporations.
A special issue explores the environmental and cultural impacts of Peabody Coal's destruction of Big Mountain in the heart of Diné (Navajo) territory.
1998:
Threshold reports on forest defense campaigns throughout the United States in the December issue.
1999:
SEAC celebrates its 10th anniversary. To save money, SEAC shares Threshold with Campus Green Vote, the "flagship program of the Center for Environmental Citizenship". The lead story for October is "The WTO and the countdown to Seattle…where will YOU be November 29?".
2000:
Threshold was not printed this year due to financial and organization constraints.
2001:
The national office is hard pressed for staff and funding (The office "collective" is composed of two people). Consequently, Threshold is printed on plain copy paper folded in half. The editorial of the October issue acknowledges the magazine's shortcomings and states: "[H]opefully the next one will have a real editor."
2002:
SEAC, with Threshold reporting, plunges into the mobilization to stop the war against Iraq. Much of the Fall issue is devoted to anti-war themes.
2003:
Threshold highlights new developments in SEAC's three national campaigns: "Militarism and the Environment", "Youth Power Shift" and "TampAction", as well as a "bittersweet victory" over forest destroyer Boise Cascade.
A feature titled "Speculations" polls SEACers about whether student organizations should play a role in the upcoming elections. Some answers include "I think it is very important that Bush not be the president again for another term. We as youth are a constituency that doesn't show up to the polls in high numbers and it is very important we make our voices heard…" and "…I really question how much energy the youth movement should be putting into presidential politics at this point….There are plenty of victories that we can win in the next year and LOTS of movement building that needs to be done regardless of who the two big-money candidates end up becoming."
2004:
Threshold reports extensively on SEAC's three national campaigns, including the April 1st "Fossil Fools" day of action and the October Day of Action to Declare Independence from Dirty Energy.
A Feature article is printed in the Winter 2004 issue about the 20th anniversery of the Bhopal catastrophe and the continuted organizing against Dow Chemical Company to hold them accountable.
2005:
Threshold enters its 15th year of publication.
Return to Table of Contents
