Allison Wolff, Micro-Documentaries colleague and co-founder of Frack Free Colorado, sent me the message below with a note: “for our daughters.” Thank you Allison for finding the time and energy to do this important work for our daughters and for all of us. We are most grateful for the way you are helping to change the energy conversation in this country.
Natasha
My daughter Emerson and I went up to Aspen Saturday to participate in a big demonstration that I and my Frack Free Colorado team helped organize along with 350.org, Sierra Club, Food and Water Watch and others at the Democratic Governors Association meeting. It was amazing … dozens of groups from everywhere across CO. We went to the rally with my friends Casey and Tara Sheahan—Casey is the CEO of Patagonia so you can imagine how happy the activists were that he was standing right there with us chanting at the governors as they came out of the St Regis. I was interviewed for ABC channel 8 in Grand Junction—see video here.
After the rally I got to ask the million-dollar question at the forum at The Aspen Institute, where hundreds of people listened to six governors discuss a variety of issues. They let five people in the crowd ask questions…others were about marijuana, gay marriage, childhood obesity. I talked about my concern with fracking—the chemicals affecting children’s lives—Emerson at my side, the only kid in there—and asked what it will take to move our country and the state of CO to renewable energy…a plan on par with what most European countries have in place. I got the last question and it changed the energy in the room—truly. WA’s governor Inslee gave a rousing answer about his take on the Feds doing “bupkis” on renewable energy and that it’s up to the states, then listed off what he’s doing/believes. Vermont’s Shumlin also gave a great, inspiring answer. Hick didn’t answer—just nervously drank his water, and then the session ended. To his credit, however, when the panel ended, Hickenlooper walked across to me and said “I didn’t get a chance to answer your question”… and he then talked to me for about 15 minutes and then another 10 with my Frack Free CO cohorts when Emerson started yanking me away. Sadly, he spent the entire discussion defending fracking, telling us why it was safe instead of addressing my real question about creating a renewable energy plan. You can hear it here on Aspen Public Radio and see the picture of me and Emerson talking to Hick!
The video above has more on the rally (we hired a Guv Hick look-a-like).
Here’s a bit about what Inslee said—it was really something.
And here’s a Flickr page of pics.
Emerson was a trooper—a four-and-a-half-hour drive to Aspen then protesting right with us, then sitting through the hour Aspen Institute meeting saying, “Mommy, raise your hand!” Afterward, she and Casey took their shoes off and put their feet in a little stream that ran just outside the Aspen Institute venue with all the hoity toity people and security walking by them. Doubt that happens very often there … Pretty friggin’ cool.
We are changing the energy conversation in this country dammit! Feels good to stand up!
Allison Wolff
