Archive for the ‘Walk the Talk’ Category

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are you bio-curious? (biodiesel, that is)

Monday, March 26th, 2007

Don’t know much about biodiesel? Why not open yourself up to a new experience… at a local renewable energy co-op?

Spend an afternoon with your fellow bio-curious Tractivists at Piedmont Biofuels on April Fuels Day… ahem, April Fools Day. We’ll meet in Durham and catch a ride on a biodiesel bus to the local plant to learn more about this alternative energy source.

DETAILS
What: An April Fuels Day Adventure — Tour of Piedmont Biofuels Coop and processing plant
Date: Sunday, April 1st
Time: Bio-bus departs at 11:45am and returns by 5:00pm
Where: Durham –> Pittsboro –> Durham
Cost: FREE! (Donations are appreciated)

We’ll provide lunch from the Chatham Marketplace, plus excellent conversation with other Tractivists during the busride, including two urban transportation planners: Tobin (who, along with Sarah, is co-lead on this event): an alternative fuels planner and Jennifer who does bike / pedestrian planning, plus climate change activists and simply bio-curious folks like me — all free of charge!

Tour time (including the fascinating and closed-to-the-public processing plant) plus lunch will last about 3 hours and we should be back in Durham by 5:00pm. We’ll all walk away with a few changes we can make in our daily lives to help the environment. And maybe some of us will decide to reform our fossil foolish ways and switch to biodiesel!

This excellent fuelish adventure is brought to you by Traction, Greenway Transit and the Triangle Clean Cities Coalition.

Spaces are limited. Contact sarah/at\getTraction/dot\org to reserve your lunch and seat on the bio-bus (or to let her know you plan to meet the group at the plant).

Posted in Environment, Events, Tractivists in Action, Walk the Talk | 1 Comment »

opportunity: help shape a new environmental education project in Durham

Friday, March 16th, 2007
I found this on the Durham County Cooperative Extension website, and thought some Tractivists might be interested in the opportunity to help in the creation of a cool new project in Durham:
“In 2003 a large plot of land was donated to the NC Cooperative Extension Service to be used for environmental education. This land is located in Durham County off Briggs Avenue south of Durham Technical Community College. We are currently in the process of recruiting interested volunteers to serve on our Advisory Board for the Briggs Avenue NC Cooperative Extension Demonstration Landscape. The advisory board will be instrumental in coming up with a mission statement, program objectives, goals, ideation for Landscape Design, and instrumental in making financial decisions for this project. If you are interested in getting involved in this project please contact Michelle Wallace, Consumer Horticulture Extension Agent @ 560-0526.”

Posted in Education, Environment, Walk the Talk | 1 Comment »

First, do no harm… poll on stopping executions

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

This morning a Wake County judge issued an injunction to stop two impending executions until the state of NC can come up with a new protocol for carrying out the death penalty without physicians.  This comes after a new policy from the NC Medical Board prohibiting doctors from assisting in executions, because of their pledge to do no harm.

The judge’s decision this morning has brought to center stage the conflict between the oath taken by doctors and their role in executions.  Go to the WRAL site and check out this story on whether or not we should stop executions that don’t have a doctor present. Then be sure to see the poll (on the right side) and vote on the issue!

Posted in Civil Rights, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

Eyes on Education as a Civil Right

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Join Traction again this Tuesday to hear from local civil rights heroes & sheroes and watch another episode of the amazing Eyes on the Prize. This week, the prize is EDUCATION.

When: Tues 1/23, 7pm.
Where: Durham Food Co-op, 1101 W. Chapel Hill St. (at Buchanan).
Cost: FREE, but donations are appreciated!
Contact: eyes@getTraction.org

This week, we’ll hear from
- Irv Joyner, legendary civil rights attorney and co-chair of the NAACP-NC Legal Redress Committee
- Floyd McKissick, Jr., whose family led the fight to integrate Durham’s public schools
- Tractivist Torrey Dixon, fellow at the UNC Center for Civil Rights who’s monitoring the Leandro decision and the state of NC education today

Then we’ll watch Episode 2:
Fighting Back (1957-62), on the legal and street showdowns to desegregate the public schools. (Afterwards, some of us will watch the State of the Union address either at the Co-op or somewhere else nearby where we can get a stiff drink…)

By popular demand, we’re making this a weekly series, as we learn from our elders, watch the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America, and ground ourselves in the ongoing progressive and civil rights movement. Until…

On Feb 10th, Tractivists will join the NAACP and many other progressive organizations for a movement-building event in Raleigh called Historic Thousands on Jones Street, or H K on J!

You won’t want to miss H K on J, so mark your calendar and sign up now!

Note: Episode Information: Fighting Back (1957-1962)
States’ rights loyalists and federal authorities collide in the 1957 battle to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School, and again in James Meredith’s 1962 challenge to segregation at the University of Mississippi. Both times, a Southern governor squares off with a U.S. president, violence erupts — and integration is carried out.

Posted in Civil Rights, Education, Events, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

ReSisters March on DC to Shut the War Down, January 27th—Want to Join Us?

Friday, January 5th, 2007

The Rainbow ReSisters Radical Cheerleading Troupe is looking for new members! We are a group of energetic, progressive, loud, dancing women. In 2006 you may have seen us cheering for peace in Carrboro, Durham and Fayetteville, NC and Atlanta, GA.

IMG_12571.jpg

Now we need you! We’re going up to Washington, DC on Saturday, January 27 (J27) for a national anti-war rally organized by United for Peace and Justice.

Anyone who is interested in joining the ReSisters to march on Washington should plan on attending a preparatory meeting this Saturday, January 7th from 1-3:30 PM at Pacifica in Carrboro. If you’re interested in joining us for this or other events, please email us at grabowATemail.unc.edu.

Also, as we prepare for DC, weekly practices will be held on Tuesday nights at 8 pm in Southern Village, Chapel Hill (Jan 9, 16, 23).

If you want to go up to DC without picking up any radical pom poms, you can buy bus tickets from the Internationalist or Regulator bookstores while they last! ($35– sliding scale)

Please forward this along to anyone you know who likes yelling and dancing!

Onward,

The ReSisters

Posted in Peace, Tractivists in Action, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

A long night, a new beginning, and help paying the rent

Thursday, December 21st, 2006

Tonight’s going to be a long night. Literally.

It’s the Winter Solstice, which, as my friend Omi eloquently reminded me, “is when, because of the earth’s tilt, our hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the sun. It is the time of year when the day is the shortest and the sun has its lowest arc in the sky. The Winter’s Solstice also promises the gradual return of the sun after a prolonged period of darkness. Many cultures believe it is the time for introspection, reverence, and reflection — letting go of the past and celebrating this quiet dark time in hopes for the slow and steady return of the sun (abundance of the future). The Winter’s Solstice demonstrates that every ending is a new beginning and the promise of life is renewed.”

Nice, huh? Please take some time during this intense time of year to slow down and reflect on how you show up in the world, and to envision some kind of new beginning — whether personal, political or both.

And on that note… Alice Walker said “Activism is my rent for living on this planet.”

Traction is here to help us all make rent. Here are a few suggestions to consider as part of your new beginning:

1) Get more involved with Traction. There are many ways to put your skills and interests to good use – stay tuned for specific volunteer opportunities, or write us now if you’re ready to get started!

2) Go green by buying renewable energy from your utility company. Learn more by reading Tyler’s post about Green Power.

3) Commit to write a letter to the editor in the next six months. Ask us for tips.

4) Join a non-profit board or civic committee. We posted about some Durham opportunities here.

5) Contribute to a local progressive non-profit. There’s no shortage of good organizations. We recommend… Traction! Your contributions are now tax-deductible! Go here to learn how. Gracias!

Whatever kind of new beginning you envision, let us know about it by posting a comment below.

Happy Holidays, and we’ll be in touch.

– Lanya and the Traction Crew

P.S. Thanks, Omi, for the holiday inspiration and for doing more than your part to cover the rent all year round!

Posted in Walk the Talk | 1 Comment »

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