Images ©Robert vanWaarden

Project Survival Media‘s new website launched at the Copenhagen International Climate Conference and it looks great! Check it out and get dispatches from Project Survival’s media teams around the world.

©Mihai Giurgiu

Romania was a land of diversity. We used to have four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Now we are having two seasons. So, what can be the reason of changing? It could be a natural transformation, just a temporary phenomena or the global warming. All Romanian people are affected by this change: their lands are not that good as before, their fruit production has problems and people have to fight more against the floods. The Romanian scientists say that we can’t prove yet if one of the causes is global warming or not and if the human race is responsible of it.

©Mihai Giurgiu

Săcel Mountain is a little village in Romania. Here, farmers used to have more than 600 sheep, 300 cows, lots of pigs and other animals. Now, they don’t have sheep anymore, and a family has maybe a cow and no more than two pigs.

The agriculture was strongly based on potatoes, corn and tomatoes. The altitude (771- 1125 m) of the village didn’t give people the possibility of having something else. But now, they are concerned because of the harder conditions to grow their vegetables and fruits compared with 20 years ago.

Asking people if they noticed possible changes regarding the four seasons, their answers are simple and complex at the same time. However, they are not surprised about the question, because those facts affect every corner of their life. Why? Their food and their entire activity are limited on agriculture and farming. Therefore agriculture means land, weather, rain, snow, ice, sun and a good connection between all these natural phenomena.

“Nothing good is happening anymore”

Older people (their ages are between 60 and 80 years) are concerned. They have lived enough to have an experience of appreciation about good or bad results of “their agriculture”. The Oneţ family has lived in Săcel Mountain for almost 55 years. They had a little farm in the past with sheep and cows. Now they have one cow, two pigs and ten chickens, and they practice agriculture for their own use.

©Mihai Giurgiu

“I remember when I was younger and the snow was so big that I could hardly go out just in the neighborhood. Since a few years ago, winters are warmer and it’s rarely snowing hard. I saw on T.V. that in places where it has never snowed, last years they had snow. As I can see, the snow left us and moved to other places, which is bad, because the land is freezing and it’s losing its good properties. When spring should be here and have good rain, it is freezing again and after few weeks of warming we lose our fruits. We have less and less vegetables and fruits. All the time when it should be raining is drought. When it should be warm is raining too much. Nothing good is happening anymore”, Ms. Oneţ.
Last ten years, people lost their crops because of ice rain: “This ice rain was rare when I was young and I never heard my parents complaining about it, but now… a big part of our cultivation is destroyed. We don’t know what to do about it. We are old anyway and our children live in the city” says Ms. Oneţ.
Missis Oneţ showed us some corn from the past year and gave us a gift: a pocket of walnuts.

Changes produced by man, still a supposition

Florin Moldovan, scientist and teacher at Geography University from Cluj Napoca, has a balanced opinion about the weather changes in Romania: “It is too soon to say something that big like climate changes are caused by human behavior. Until now we just can say that dangerous phenomena are more frequent and intense. You have to understand that we don’t have enough proof in this way and we don’t have relevant statistics about it”.

The floods made them change the road trough the forest

©Mihai Giurgiu

In summer of 2005 Săcel Mountain was affected by floods, created by unusual powerful storm and rain. The weather devastated some lands, a bridge and a few houses. About that time, people have bad memories: they were isolated and helped with provisions by Romanian Government.

The oldest people from the village remember that floods like these began in last 20 years, but the worst was four years ago: “We couldn’t use our cars to get aliments to the village and we had access to the other communities only through the forest”.

©Mihai Giurgiu

Virgil and his parents are saying that things are changing: “The summer is dry now, but in the same time we have floods. The rain is not enough to naturally irrigate our lands, and we have a big storm during the year that makes bad things happen. And that’s it. It rains often in autumn and spring, but this will never help the land. It will destroy it. Those situations are totally different than 20 or 50 years ago”.

People from Săcel Mountain feel some changes about their weather and scientists approve those opinions. A tendency of increase in average temperatures is clearly visible and demonstrated. Romanian scientists are declaring that the stats are clearly showing an increase in frequency and intensity of meteorological risk phenomena during past years. They are reserved in saying for sure if this is human fault or if Mother Nature is doing its circuit, but anyway a change in human mentality concerning climate change is a must.

]]> http://firedupmedia.com/2009/12/01/the-snow-left-us-and-moved-to-other-places/feed/ 0 rvanwaarden children and sheeps 2 Sacel Mountain madame Onet flood 2005 III Virgil with his mother http://firedupmedia.com/2009/11/18/round-up-people-covering-fired-up-media-project-survival-media/ http://firedupmedia.com/2009/11/18/round-up-people-covering-fired-up-media-project-survival-media/#comments Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:53:48 +0000 Madeline Kovacs http://firedupmedia.com/?p=293 ]]> “The Youth Climate Movement’s Global New Media Push for Survival” by Kyle Cassidy – Wend Greenery & The Huffington Post – November 17, 2009

“Just in Time: Youth Journalists Take on Climate with Project Survival Media” by Celia Alario – Huffington Post – September 16, 2009

“Project Survival Media” Video by Michael Montalban – Project Green Generation – August 19, 2009

“Richard Graves: The Scoop on Climate Justice” Interview by Adam Waxman – WireTap Magazine – August 3, 2009

Then, teams are distributing content through youth blogs in 15 languages, online and offline news outlets. We will be showing delegates what is happening on the front lines of the climate crisis in their region, what it is doing to the people they are sworn to serve and protect. We are taking the message to our delegates at Copenhagen: As you negotiate our planet’s climate, “Survival is not Negotiable.”

Team leaders have compiled a media pitch that we are using to approach hosts and syndication partners, as well as some outlets who want to pay for original content. It’s awesome. We also made this video, 350=Survival, with Jon Warnow of 350.org. Read the conversation below the YouTube post – a prime example on how a video like this can help educate on climate change.

Fired Up Contributors: This fall, Richard was hired as the online campaigner and blogger for the TckTckTck campaign, which is run by the Global Campaign for Climate Action. The campaign’s highlights include organizing the Global Wake Up Call, with 2600 events in 134 countries, as well as serving as the liaison with Change.org for Blog Action Day, single largest social change event on the web, with 13,600 Blogs in 156 Countries participating, collectively reaching an audience of 18,085,076 people.

Richard also wrote a series of articles for Grist Magazine on climate policy and healthcare, and an article for the US State Department’s eJournal USA, “International Youth: Fired Up About Climate Change“ which was featured together with articles by Dr. Pachauri and fellow It’s Getting Hot in Here editor, Zoë Caron. Richard is also now a contributor to The Huffinton Post. Lastly, Mara MacKinnon, a friend of Fired Up, recently wrote a noteworthy piece on the American Pika and implications for US climate policy for SolveClimate.

Photography: Fired Up and PSM Europe Team Leader Photographer Robert Van Waarden was accepted into the International League of Conservation Photographers as an Emerging Photographer. A collection of his photos on the youth climate movement was also on display at Bonn – Presently, we are seeking donations to help get this amazing display of artwork in place for climate negotiators to view during their next meeting in Barcelona.

Consultancy and Connections: Shadia worked closely with 350 in New York, pulling together thousands of photos from climate actions around the globe. Fired Up also made contact this summer with It’sHotInHere, an awesome environmental campus news show out of Ann Arbor, MI. Madeline appeared on the show! (That’s right, after the Nelly song 20 minutes in). Madeline has also been working for the last four months part-time as a Communications consultant with www.ourtask.org. She helped them film a new video, and will be taking some information about OT with her to Copenhagen, including resources about the global outlook studies and strategies that shape our future.

We are the new project of the Earth Island Institute: Lastly, but certainly not least, we are very proud to announce that Fired Up Media is the newest project of the Earth Island Institute. We have been accepted into a wonderful family of environmental organizations, including the Energy Action Coalition, Baikal Watch, Women’s Earth Alliance, and the Sacred Land Film Project. We had our orientation in early October, and can’t wait to keep growing our capacity.

Young people from the developed world have pioneered uses of new media for advocacy and partnered with youth networks around the the world to build platforms, like YouthClimate.org. However, UNICEF and the other Unite for Climate partners have developed appropriate technology to connect young people without access to the internet and computers or in low-bandwidth areas, by using SMS polls and other online-to-mobile technology to reach youth in the developing world.

Another focus of the effort is online video, with low cost video-camera manufacturer FlipCam, YouTube, and the 1 minute to save the world contest coming together to provide equipment, host content, and screen video. Alongside the online video initiative, the site will have social networking tool available on the Unite for Climate site, for young citizens engaged in facing the challenge of climate change.

The platform was unveiled at the TUNZA International Children and Youth Conference in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, which is organized by the youth network affiliated with the UN Environment Program, TUNZA. Children and youth from some 110 countries participated in the launch of United for Climate, as well as released a statement they are delivering to world leaders.

The statement, titled “Listen to Our Voices”, led with this statement

We, young people – 3 billion of the world population – are concerned and frustrated that our governments are not doing enough to combat climate change. We feel that radical and holistic measures are needed urgently from us all. We now need more actions and less talking.”

The statement also made commitments by young people to work for sustainable solutions, work to green schools, campuses, and communities, as well as mobilize around the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen, this fall.

To support this youth commitment on campuses and schools, Unite for Climate will connect at least 150 schools around the globe from September 2009. The Connecting Classrooms project will foster dialogue on climate change between school children, and is supported by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Mediterranean Center for Sustainable Development.

For more information:

United for Climate:  www.uniteforclimate.org

Youth Climate Debates: www.youtube.com/youthclimatedebate

Youth Climate: www.youthclimate.org

It’s Getting Hot in Here – dispatches from the youth climate movement – www.itsgettinghotinhere.org

Imagine:

What if, on all seven continents, there were young people equipped to globally broadcast pivotal stories about the climate crisis?

What if these young people were empowered to amplify disenfranchised voices and propel the principle  of “Survival” to the forefront of the political debate?

Well this is Project Survival Media. In the lead up to the UN Climate Negotiations, we are assembling a global network of youth journalists who will use video, photography, and blogs to report from the frontlines of the climate crisis.

We use names like climate change and global warming. Really, we are talking about Survival. It is very clear that this struggle is not about future generations. It is right now.

Right Now

* Desertification is running rampant in Africa, detrimentally exasperating every social and health issue.
* Heat waves have spread over Europe claiming hundreds of thousands of lives
* Basic resources like water are becoming extinct in many parts of Asia or too plentiful and are already claiming islands
* Droughts lay thickly over Australia, exhausting their agricultural system
* Diseases are spreading exponentially each year all over South America
* And, Hurricanes and forest fires have spun out of control throughout North America.
* Oh and the Ice Caps, our global climate stabilizer, are melting

Everywhere, the fossil fuel industry is wreaking havoc. And as a result, everything is changing.

And yet, we continually hear this false contradiction parroted throughout the most powerful nations in the world: what is scientifically necessary is not politically viable.

So, it is not politically viable to adhere to scientific targets that ensure a sustainable, peaceful, equitable, and collaborative treaty? But somehow it is politically viable to let half the world drown in climate chaos?

The vast majority of people all over the world are calling on their governments to make these necessary changes, and Youth are at the forefront of this. We do not accept that some people are just not worth saving.

We call on our leaders to follow our example:

Event Details

Guest Speakers:
Adrienne Maree Brown the Executive Director of The Ruckus Society
Antonia Juhasz from the Chevron Campaign at Global Exchange
Shadia Fayne Wood Coordinator and Found of Project Survival Media

Live Art & Silent Auction
We have also secured artists who will do some live art.  Their pieces will then be up for silent auction.  All proceeds go to benefit Project Survival Media.

Bay Area DJ’s
-Haylow
-LN
-Dion Decibels
-The Whooligan

To Get involved with the project email me at Shadia.fayne@gmail.com.

Madeline J. Kovacs : SolveClimate & It’s Getting Hot in Here-  Jul 26th, 2009 – Students Lead Charge to Power School with Renewable Energy

Richard Graves: CommonDreams.org – Friday July 24, 2009 -  Unregulated Carbon Credit Markets Threaten Local Sustainability Projects Worldwide

Kevin Kim: It’s Getting Hot in Here – July 21st, 2009 – A Green Way Forward? US/China Launches Joint Energy Research Center

Richard Graves: It’s Getting Hot in Here – July 14th, 2009- Unity over Divisiveness: Generational Approaches to the Climate Crisis

We will do another round-up soon, as we are writing up articles for America.gov’s eJournal USA and other publications, so keep an eye out!

He wrote:

Hey, everyone. My name is Kevin Kim and I’m from the Orange County in California. I’ve been involved with a youth rights organization, many student groups, and grassroots political campaigning, and I hope to bring a new perspective to Fired Up and help you guys out on your projects. I’m really happy that I get the rare opportunity to actually roll up my sleeves and do some serious work that could bring about an important change in the youth climate movement today. I know we’ll have a great time.

Getty Images, the leading distributor of still imagery, launched the Grants for Good program to support exceptional photographers partnering with a nonprofit to support a cause and issue that needs to be visualized. Robert van Waarden, together with the Global Youth Action Network and Fired Up Media, submitted an application to photograph the emerging global youth climate movement. It was an exciting application to put together, including the development of a new media platform of social documentary photography. Now, while unfortunately our application was not selected as one of the two winners, it was selected as an exceptional finalist. Read about the finalists.

“In its inaugural year, Getty Images received more than 403 proposals from photographers in 26 countries, who partnered with non-profits working in more than 55 countries. Jurors Dennis Freedman, Creative Director for W Magazine, Christopher Phillips, Curator for International Center of Photography and Lesley Martin, Publisher for Aperture Foundation, selected the winning proposals. [emphasis added]” Read their release.

“In addition to the two grant winners, Getty Images and the judges wish to recognize a number of outstanding finalists and their innovative grant proposals benefiting non-profits from around the world:”

For more information on these finalists and their proposals, please visit www.gettyimages.com/grants. Those interested in supporting any of these exceptional projects can secure additional information by sending an inquiry to Grants2@gettyimages.com.

The winners were really incredible photographers and one project in particular is one that will be really powerful on the issue of climate and justice is Karen Kasmauski’s project with Save Our Cumberland Mountains. She is going to be showing the Appalachian way of life and its devastation by Mountain Top Removal mining, one of the great American tragedies. View her work here.