Bob: When I have mentioned the approaching 10 year anniversary celebration of the Neahtawanta Center, many folks are surprised that it's only been 10 years. They thought we'd been at it longer than that.

Sally: Yes, that's been happening to me too. I think what makes it feel longer is that I started out working with NMEAC in 1980, and then you joined in around the mid-80's.

Bob: It wasn't until 1986 or so that we began to feel a little limited by the focus of NMEAC. We wanted to continue working on environmental issues but wanted to work on peace and social justice issues as well.

Sally: And I also wanted to bring in personal growth and spiritual aspects, with my interest in yoga.

Bob: So here we are 10 years later. I have been enjoying looking back at our past activities and events as we've been writing the script for our play and preparing for the 10th celebration.

Sally: Let's talk about some of the highlights of the last 10 years.

Bob: The GWEN tower controversy back in 1990 comes to mind&emdash;going down to Buckley to the school gymnasium for the hearing with the military people, doing the research, calling the Philadelphia Enquirer, talking with national organizer Nancy Foster...and the public hearing at the civic center...

Sally: Yes, that was heavy...as each person got up and spoke out against the expense and waste of putting up a tower to prepare for AFTER a nuclear attack was underway. It just wasn't what the people wanted. Remember when I got up, I started crying when I spoke of nuclear war...later people came up and thanked me for talking about it.

Bob: I'll never forget meeting in the mayor's conference room with the County's Public Safety Committee. Something magical happened in that room. I remember the sun shining in the window and the U.S. and Soviet flags casting shadows on the table as we spoke about the best way to protect the people from nuclear attack. Before the meeting I tried to surround the room with thoughtful energy as we focused on the survival of the planet. Ultimately they passed the resolution opposing the GWEN Tower. It wasn't all our doing, but we were able to raise the issue up for the public discussion. In the sea of sound and noise and confusion, with everyone clamoring for attention for their issue, the challenge is to raise a big enough red flag to attract enough like-minded people to speak up.

Sally: Yes, the GWEN Tower brought so many issues together&emdash;economics, the use of resources, local control, government intervention, and of course, the larger issue of preparing for nuclear war.

Bob: The County Commissioners decided that given the economic needs of this community, they did not want to spend the money on the GWEN tower.

Sally: That brings to mind the Gulf War. What a bleak time that was.

Bob: I remember the media called me to come down as the token peacenik and I went on TV the night the war started.

Sally: What surprised me was how quickly the vast majority of people hung out those yellow ribbons and jumped on the bandwagon in support of the war. The patriotism was scary.

Bob: I couldn't understand why the Christian churches sided with the government and supported the killing. I guess I thought the Christian churches would be more non-violent.

Sally: Going to Washington on the bus to protest the war was quite an experience. It brought back the feeling and memories of the Vietnam War.

Bob: It was the biased coverage of the war that spurred some of us to pursue the idea of establishing our own local media&emdash;including TV channel 2. Lots of grassroots media sprang up across the country during that time, speaking out against the war.

Sally: The whole issue of control of information makes me think of all the UN conferences you attended. You were involved with Internet training for the non-governmental organizations that were always present and had parallel conferences while the official UN conference was going on. It was interesting to hear what the media was saying and then to get an email from you as to what the grassroots folks were saying.

Bob: Yes, the main issue at the Earth Summit, and all the subsequent conferences, was the economic gap between the haves and have-nots. Protecting the environment is only part of the picture. People working on social justice issues were able to bring the economic inequity issue to the attention of the environmentalists as a crucial piece of the whole picture. It's interesting that this is a global trend in the developed world and the developing world&emdash;the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. As I rode the bus back from La Guardia in New York and looked out the window, the only difference between the slums of New York and Rio was the language of the graffiti.

Sally: I think your exposure to that issue through your participation in these conferences has helped to move us here at Neahtawanta to realize that the key issue we need to address is economics&emdash;local, sustainable economics.

Bob: Yes, we need to find a way to counteract the large corporations who extract money from a community with little regard for the long-term health of that community.

Sally: It's difficult for folks to get excited about saving trees and land when they can't find meaningful work that pays a living wage.

Bob: And, a more localized economy tends to lessen the gap between rich and poor, and promotes environmental awareness. I'd like to see Traverse City implement a local currency like they have in Ithaca, New York.

Sally: That would be interesting. It would keep more of the money circulating within our own community.

Bob: Well, it seems we've started talking about the future...let's get back to the past. Remember the Zero Discharge Campaign when the International Joint Commission met in Traverse City in 1991?

Sally: Wow, that was quite an organizing job! What I liked about it was empowering people to stand up and speak out to our governments&emdash;US and Canadian&emdash;about actually phasing out the use of persistent toxic chemicals in the lakes. People felt like they could make a difference&emdash;and they can, but it just takes time.

Bob: Too bad the governments don't always listen.

Sally: Another gathering that empowered people was the Faith & Resistance Retreat in 1989.

Bob: Yes, it was interesting bringing in the spiritual aspect, and including other religions, not just Christianity.

Sally: I also liked the idea of spending one day focusing on spirituality, and the next day actually going out and doing something&emdash;some folks going over to protest at Wurtsmith Air Force Base, and others planting trees at the senior citizen housing in Peshawbestown.

Bob: Thinking about personal empowerment brings to mind some of the inspiring people we've helped to bring here. Folks like William Sloan Coffin and Amory Lovins.

Sally: Yes, and even though those two had different areas of interest, they both used humor to get their message across, and both were humble about their accomplishments&emdash;I like that.

Bob: I also think of Starhawk in that way. She was so down-to-earth and relaxed about who she was.

Sally: And so good at creating a sacred space where deep personal work can occur. I liked especially the workshop on creating communities of resistance and renewal. The idea was to release obstacles that prevent us from doing the work in the world that we are called to do...powerful.

Bob: A couple of other wonderful people we can't forget are Jack and Carol Lawyer. Their workshops on conflict resolution were so valuable in building those skills in our community.

Sally: I'll never forget the visioning sessions we had with them when we were writing our mission statement and doing some strategic planning for the Center. We sure wouldn't be where we are now, if we hadn't written down a plan back then.

Bob: I like to think also that our annual events, like the Hiroshima Day Candlefloat, the Casa Materna Collection Day, and Earth Day help to empower and inspire folks.

Sally: Yes, those are worthwhile events, as are the rituals around the Solstices and other Earth holidays. There's power in coming together as a community at certain times of the year for reflection and celebration.

Bob: I wonder what the next ten years will bring...the themes of peace, environmental sustainability, and personal growth will continue to guide us. I hope that we'll carry on some of the same traditions and also that we evolve and change to meet new situations. That is the challenge.

Return to the Index of Synapse 40, Summer 1997