#grassroots

[auntiebillionaire]

A series of posts from the Alt National Parks Page regarding Elon Musks take over.

[enfinizatics]

dear americans,

as a polish queer woman and human rights activist, i know exactly how you're feeling right now and what to expect from these elections. i lived through the 2015-2023 regime of pis, a right-wing populist party that divided families in the same way trump did. i’ve experienced the rise of fascism in poland, the influence of far-right parties like konfederacja, and their “santa’s little helpers”—ordo iuris, an ultra-conservative catholic organization (banned in many countries, mind you) that helped enforce a near-total abortion ban and runs anti-queer campaigns in public spaces. i supported the black protests in 2016 as a middle schooler when they first tried to ban abortion. as an adult, i actively participated in the 2020 women’s strike, running from police tear gas daily after they finally passed the ban. i supported friends who faced charges.

i’ve lived through intense homophobia in poland as a queer teen and adult. i survived the first pride march in my hometown, where far-right extremists threw stones and glass at us. i endured the anti-queer propaganda spread by the ruling party in state-owned media. i survived the “rainbow night,” poland’s own stonewall moment in summer 2020, when police arrested around 50 queer activists following the arrest of margo, a nonbinary activist. i survived the "lgbt-free zones," the targeted violence, the slurs from strangers on the street, and the protests i held against queerphobia. it was hard as fuck, but i survived.

but just because i survived, it doesn’t mean others did. many women died because of the abortion ban—marta, justyna, izabela, dorota, joanna, maria, and many others who didn’t survive pis’s draconian anti-abortion laws. milo, kacper, michał, zuzia (she was 12), wiktor, and other queer and trans kids and young adults took their own lives because of the relentless queerphobia.

despite all of this, our experience in poland can serve as a guide now. here are some tips for staying safe and how we, polish queers and women, organized under the regime:

safety first, always. if you know someone who’s had an abortion, no you don’t. if you know someone is trans, no you don’t. if you know people who help with safe abortions, no you don’t—at least not until you know it’s 100% safe to share. if you are queer or have had an abortion, only share this with people you trust fully. most importantly, not everyone has to be an activist just because they’re part of a minority. if it feels unsafe to share that you're queer, trans, etc., then don’t. it doesn’t make you any less queer.

use secure, encrypted messaging like signal for conversations on potentially risky topics, such as queerness, abortion, organizing counter-actions, protests—anything that might be used against you.

stay anonymous online. if you want to research or report something without surveillance, do not use regular internet. get a vpn (mullvad is affordable and reliable), download the tor browser (for both onion and standard links), and if you plan to whistleblow, consider using a riseup email account.

organize and build networks. community is everything now. support each other, foster independence, because your government won’t have your back. set up collectives, grassroots movements. create lists of trusted professionals—lawyers, doctors, etc.—who can offer support.

to lawyers and doctors: please consider pro-bono work. this is what got us through poland’s hardest times. your work will be needed now more than ever.

for protests or risky actions: always write a pro-bono lawyer’s number on your arm with a permanent marker.

get to know the anarchist black cross federation and other resources on safety culture: "Starting an anarchist black cross group: A guide"; Still We Rise - A resource pack for transgender and non-gender conforming people in prison; Safe OUTside the system by the Audre Lorde Project;

for safe abortion info or involvement: get familiar with womenhelpwomen.

stay radical, stay strong, stay informed: The Anarchist Library

if i forgot to (or didn't) include something, don't hesitate to reblog this post with other resources.

[reasonsforhope]

Knitting collective provides life-saving winter wear to homeless LGBTQ+ youth across the country

After Austin Rivers took knitting up as a hobby during the pandemic, the New Yorker soon launched a knitting collective for vulnerable commu

"According to National Coalition for the Homeless, 40% of the country’s homeless youth population is comprised of LGTBQ+ teens. 

When New York native Austin Rivers took up knitting during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was this staggering figure that drove him towards action. 

“I don’t have the capacity to build a shelter, the network or the connections to help in that way, but what I can do is knit,” Rivers told NBC News. 

“And I know that New York City is cold, so I decided I would start knitting and create this nonprofit.”

That’s when he founded Knit the Rainbow, an organization that distributes free handmade garments to those in need. 

And nearly five years after it was first created, Rivers’ knitting collective isn’t just serving the queer community in New York City.

Their nationwide network links local yarn stores and local nonprofits with over 550 volunteers from 45 states. 

As of 2024, they have collected and distributed over 25,000 winter garments — including sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, and socks — throughout homeless communities in New Jersey, Chicago, Detroit, and beyond. 

Once clothing items are shipped to Rivers’ apartment, he works with volunteers to unpack boxes, tag and sort donations, and pack and deliver them to local shelters that provide housing to LGBTQ+ and HIV+ homeless youth. 

Although the organization’s impact is wider, and the piles of mail have grown higher, Rivers still has a hand in day-to-day deliveries. 

“We’re going to do it whether it’s rain, or snow, or shine,” Rivers said in his NBC News interview, pulling a handcart topped with boxes. 

Those clothes could be the difference between frostbite and hospitalization, especially in cities that often drop below freezing in the wintertime. 

But Rivers also noted that every handmade item — knitted, crocheted, or stitched — has a dual impact, because every piece of clothing is made with love. 

“A lot of the times, the reason that they’re unhoused is because they were kicked out by their families,” Rivers said. 

“We’re not just providing warmth, but we’re also providing that love and that compassion that they so often don’t have.” 

To the members of the community Knit The Rainbow served, he had a clear message.

“There are thousands of people out here that are constantly thinking of you and using their hands to make things for you,” Rivers emphasized. “So don’t give up. Keep going.”

To download free knitting [and crochet] patterns, donate a garment, or sign up to volunteer, you can visit the organization's website to get started." 

‍-via GoodGoodGood, December 23, 2024

[hope-for-the-planet]

How Pakistan pulled off one of the fastest solar revolutions in the world | CNN

Pakistan has become one of the biggest new solar markets. It’s bringing cheap, clean power but analysts warn of potential trouble ahead.

From the article:

Pakistan, home to more than 240 million people, is experiencing one of the most rapid solar revolutions on the planet, even as it grapples with poverty and economic instability. The country has become a huge new market for solar as super-cheap Chinese solar panels flood in. It imported 17 gigawatts of solar panels in 2024, more than double the previous year, making it the world’s third-biggest importer, according to data from the climate think tank Ember. Pakistan’s story is unique, said Mustafa Amjad, program director at Renewables First, an energy think tank based in Islamabad. Solar has been adopted at mass scale in countries including Vietnam and South Africa, “but none have had the speed and scale that Pakistan has had,” he told CNN. There’s one particular aspect fascinating experts: The solar boom is a grassroots revolution and almost none of it is in the form of big solar farms. “There is no policy push that is driving this; this is essentially people-led and market driven,” Amjad said.

The rapid shift to solar in Pakistan is particularly interesting in that it is being primarily driven by individual families and communities rather than the government--so individual solar panels are dispersed throughout communities rather than big solar farms operated by utility companies.

A large driver of this transition is the rapid increase in the cost of electricity in Pakistan, which is unfortunately something that the solar panels may make worse in the short term since fewer people are paying for electricity from the grid. However, the adoption of solar is also bringing electricity to families who would have had very little reliable access to it before. The article gives the example of several families pooling resources to use solar panels to operate their community well instead of relying on a diesel pump.

[canary-prince]

Indigenous Aid Organizations To Give To In This Shitty, Shitty Time

First Nations Development Institute: From addressing economic inequality, to preserving and uplifting native languages and arts, to fighting for land stewardship, to directly supporting COVID relief in California native tribes, they really do it all.

Native American Rights Fund: A law and advocacy network dedicated to fighting for tribal recognition, sovereignty, resource control, and human rights. In addition to court battles (local, state, and federal) they consult on issues of tribal law.

Lakota Peoples Law Project: Founders of the Lakota Child Rescue Project, they are another law and advocacy collective that fight to enforce the Indian Child Welfare Act, secure Native voting rights, and restore the sovereignty of indigenous peoples over their sacred lands such as the Black Hills and lands stolen by the Catholic Church.

Indigenous Women Rising: This grassroots mutual aid fund is open to all Indigenous peoples seeking abortion care, prenatal care, or delivery care. In addition to the direct donations, they have a bonfire store.

Quileute Move To Higher Ground: The Tribal School has been completed!!! The children of the Quileute community have a new, safe school to attend, but, tribal housing is still located within the tsunami zone. Donations now go towards construction of safe housing. I repeat: the school is BUILT. The school!!! Is!!! BUILT!!! This is objectively WONDERFUL.

American Indian Resource Center: A nonprofit focused on providing cultural events/resources and educational experiences to native children. Among other programs, they operate Camp Sevenstar, a project aimed at immersing Cherokee youth in the traditions of their culture, and the Cherokee Little Seeds Program, which aims to produce a new generation of Cherokee speakers.

[embodiedfutures]

OUR DISCORD IS BACK!!!

After a much needed season of rest, reflection, and rebuilding, we're opening our arms again! The EFC Discord server is officially back :)

In the past, this space held hundreds upon hundreds of people across the globe! This included organizers, students, artists, healers, thinkers, dreamers, and more. Each of these individuals showed up to learn together, exchange resources, and care for one another through deeply political times, like now! We're so excited to welcome new family members into the next iteration of this living ecosystem.

Our Discord, after all, is the beating heart of our global connections at EFC. It is a place for shared study, peer support, embodied dialogue, and collective imagination. We want to help you learn and connect globally while organizing locally! And because we value trust, vulnerability, and alignment, we're welcoming folks in with intention through a short invitation form.

Encrypted Form

CryptPad: end-to-end encrypted collaboration suite

If you feel called to grow alongside a global, Black-, queer-, disabled-, woman-, AND youth-run collective rooted in decolonial, revolutionay, and embodied wisdoms, we'd love to meet you. Genuinely.

Remember: Take your time. Be yourself. We'll take care with your words!

See you soon :)

Sincerely,

Reaux Founding Executive Director since 2016 <3

[bumblebeeappletree]

In the northeastern part of India, the greater adjutant stork has been considered an ill omen for generations, and the endangered bird has paid the price. Its breeding population here fell to just 115 birds by the 1990s.

But when biologist Purnima Devi Barman witnessed villagers chop down a tree crowned with the storks’ nests — and chicks — she launched a grassroots effort to do something about it. Today, 10,000 women across the region have banded together to protect nests, raise fledglings, and run educational programs for children and adults explaining the benefits the storks bring to their communities. They even produce textiles that celebrate the giant bird — and bring critical income and empowerment to the local women who are safeguarding its future.

These efforts have been a resounding success for greater adjutant stork conservation. A recent survey found 1,830 of the distinctive birds in Assam, and the species’ status on the IUCN Red List has been changed from “endangered” to “near threatened” — a testament to what can be achieved with community conservation.