Sat 2/8 @ 1:30-3:30PM
A few weeks ago, we ran a piece titled “What To Do Next,” talking to those discouraged by the gusher of hate, bigotry, lies and corruption that have overrun our country in a mere couple of weeks.
We had two main suggestions. One was to take a break for self-care. Please continue to do that, whether it’s doing yoga, walking your dog and reading romance novels by candlelight. Whatever works for you. And we suggested disengaging from a Trump-justifying mainstream media, feverishly working to normalize things that aren’t normal. (Imagine how the media would’ve responded to ANY other president reacting to a plane crash with mass casualties while blaming “DEI” and “dwarfism” among other things, while openly admitting he didn’t know but this was his “opinion.” It would have been unified in its shock, calling for his resignation.)
But we also said, “Don’t disengage from activism forever.”
Right now, dozens of organizations and causes are demanding attention and money — and many are worthy. But you can’t make everything you cause unless you want to burn out quickly. We suggested that instead of running in circles with your hair on fire because you’re angry and upset about 20 different issues (and there are more than that to be upset about!) to choose one or two issues on which to focus your energy. Become really involved in them. Get to know your fellow activists in that space. Choose a couple of achievable goals so you don’t feel like you’re always tilting at windmills.
One place to get your foot in the door is the Resistance Fair, sponsored by the Cleveland Heights Democratic Club Saturday February 8 at the Cleveland Heights High School cafeteria. There you can meet and chat with representatives from organizations working to address the issues you’re interested in. More than 30 organizations have signed up so far, representing issues such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, gun safety, the environment, restoring democracy to Ohio, and many more. Talking with people already engaged in these causes can give you a better idea of what they are doing, what kind of work they need people for and where you might fit in.
Anyone who wants to make positive change for people in their neighborhood, in Ohio and in the country is welcome. No registration is required.
2 Responses to “Learn What You Can Do to Make Change at Cleveland Heights Resistance Fair”
Heidi
Looking forward to attending
Thomas Slabe
I returned to Cleveland after a 14-year career with the U.S. EPA. I retired after contractors (proto-MAGA non-career people working for the U.S. government) at my lab kept sabotaging my laboratories and the director at the lab failed to do anything. I did speak frequent with the Region 8 Administrator and managed to get the lab (Region 8 EPA Lab, Golden, CO) shut down. Staff were moved to The Federal Center, Lakewood, CO, and provided with labs with separate security card entry. This was about 10 years ago.
I was an effective EPA employee who tested drinking water and environmental samples for things like Escherichia coli, nitrites, phosphate, and other water contaminants. Some of my analyses were used to prosecute environmental criminals. One day upon returning home, I found my doors to my home and second floor office were kicked in and my bicycle was gone, as was my computer and my camera. That’s all that was taken. My $1,000 double barrel Ithaca 20 gauge beautiful shotgun was left untouched, as were other valuable objects. So, it seems reasonably clear to me that I was a target. I had to leave and did two years later as sabotages at my labs were increasing in frequency.
Why did contractors sabotage my labs? 1. Because they lose money when EPA career staff run analyses and 2. because the EPA staff produce superior results necessary to solve cases of environmental crimes. In Northern CO where the perpetrator was from (I finally was informed who did it, a person by the name of Steve Auer from northeastern CO), they do not want the EPA to tell them what to do with “their” water. In other words, they feel that they can do whatever they want with it, even thought water should be part of the people’s “commons.”
So I retired seven years ago and rehabilitated two houses, one in Cleveland and one in NY, and rehabilitated a total of six acres of degraded pasture land, removing most invasive plant species and planting 500+ native trees and shrubs.
So, I am prepared to work on something else, which would most logically be related to the environment. I currently volunteer for the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, serving on the Conservation Committee and am steward of 180 acres in NY. I am planning on spending more time in Cleveland and wish to find somewhere to volunteer here. My background includes biology, ecology, sustainable development, energy, chemical analyses, microbiology, and medicine. I am a Navy veteran. For about 10 years I studied renewable energy technologies and joined an energy company that seeks to produce renewable alcohols that could take the place of petroleum in our society. I have used this fuel in four-cycle engines and it burns cleanly and is easy to produce, but must be produced at large scale in order to bring production costs down to below the cost of gasoline at the pump. It can be done and it could readily solve solid waste and landfill challenges and create local jobs because by necessity this industry would be a “distributed” verses “centralized” operation because the feedstocks (trash, construction debris, lumber slash, biofuels, commercial and industrial liquid, solid and gaseous wastes, and even carbon dioxide. The process is an offtake of methanol production, which is practiced in many places throughout the world such as Canada, Iceland, China, and is cost effective and is probably the most important technology that very few people know about.
So, please contact me if you could use a member with this type of knowledge. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Best wishes,
Tom Slabe