The Power of One.

Hello friends.  I'm sure you've had plenty of moments in recent months when you've been discouraged at the political and environmental circumstances in which we find ourselves; I know I have.  Before I began this blog a year and half ago, I was horrified, frustrated, and scared by story lines that seemed more appropriate for science fiction novels than the reality in many of our own backyards.  "I'm one person," I thought.  What the heck can *I* do?

And then by chance I came across the Edmund Burke quote which graces the banner of my blog:  "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little."  That quote gave me the inspiration to start this little blog.  Over the past several months, its Facebook audience has grown to nearly 2000 people who have been brought together over a common concern.  Still, I'd become discouraged of late.  And as the universe always seems to throw you what you need when you need it, I thought I'd share what was thrown my way tonight. Never underestimate the power of one person to affect change!

Upcoming protest on Marcellus drilling

What promises to be a large protest rally & march on Marcellus drilling is scheduled for October 1st in western PA.  The rally will be held in concert with the industry's SHALE GAS SUMMIT taking place at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.  The Shale Gas Summit is bringing together industry executives, financial experts, legislators and gubernatorial candidates and other key stakeholders in Marcellus drilling.  Such a rally could take advantage of the many Marcellus players gathered in one place and would send a clear message that PA residents will not sit quietly as their wells are contaminated; farmlands are ruined; homes are devalued and tourism dollars disappear.  For more information on the rally, click HERE to visit the Marcellus Shale Protest website. 

What better way to join forces with other Pennsylvanians and have our collective voices heard!

800 fans and growing!

We've nearly doubled our 'fan' base on our sister Facebook site in the last 2 weeks; we hit 800 FANS today!!  Can we make 1000?

Please help us spread the word by 'suggesting' our Facebook page to your own friends who may be interested.  A sister Twitter page is coming soon.  Thank you to everyone who has helped us grow so far; there is great strength in numbers!

Why ask why?

In a recent edition of the Wellsboro Gazette, there appeared a letter to the editor which gave me pause.  John Kesich of Millerton wrote of a recent presentation he attended given by Scott Blauvelt of East Resources.  During the presentation, Mr. Kesich asked questions many of us are no doubt thinking, but for whatever reason have kept to ourselves.  Some don't like public speaking; some fear asking a 'dumb' question (note: there are no dumb questions); perhaps some don't want to hear the answers.  Many of us no doubt think there's not much we can do when faced with big corporations who can throw money at an issue and make it go away.  Some of my own family and friends fall into this category.  So why should we bother worrying about or questioning the inevitable?  It's all a done deal....right?  Wrong.


Mr. Kesich asked his questions and not to my surprise, the responses left much to be desired.  But the point is that he asked.  When the drilling began just across the border in New York, one person dared to ask questions.  That person made it a little easier for the next concerned citizens to come forward.  There's now an incredibly active group of concerned residents asking a whole lot of questions; their group goes by the name of Shaleshock.  (Their website is a treasure trove of information; if you haven't seen it yet, check it out.  You can also find them on Facebook under the great name of No Fracking Way!).


And guess what?  Things are changing.  There are no done deals.  Chesapeake Energy, the only leaseholder in that region and one of the largest natural gas producers in the entire country, has said it will not drill there now because of the huge amount of opposition they have received.  (You can read all about it here.)  It started when one concerned citizen dared to ask questions. 

So thank you Mr. Kesich--and to all of the others out there like him (I know you're out there).  While the answers you received were less than satisfactory, one hopes it won't be the last time these companies and their representatives hear them.  As Albert Einstein famously said, "the important thing is not to stop questioning."  Please keep voicing your opinion as loudly as you can--at meetings, in the newspapers, and in letters to our legislators.  If enough people speak up, they won't be able to ignore us.  

Thanks for letting me wax a bit philosophical on this first post of the new year.  Over and out-

Area newspaper coverage

If you live in the Tioga County area, you can read all of the stories and editorials written on natural gas drilling by clicking here for info appearing in the Wellsboro Gazette. Read the coverage in the Elmira Star Gazette here. The Williamsport Gazette has a special page on their website devoted to natural gas drilling information.

Better yet: submit your own Letters to the Editor of these or other area newspapers.  

Click here to submit your own Letter to the Editor of the Elmira Star Gazette.

Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor of the Wellsboro Gazette.

Letters to the Williamsport Gazette can be submitted here.

Think the problem is too big? Too overwhelming?

The following is excerpted from "Wanna Get Some Action?"--a collaborative pamphlet produced by several environmental groups including the Energy Action Coalition, Energy Justice Network and Ruckus.org.


What kinda power we got?
Throughout history we can look to examples of how everyday people have used their community-based power to win a more just society in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  In fact, many of the rights and comforts we now take for granted resulted from people like us getting together and collectively taking action when injustice couldn’t be ignored anymore, like…

• The 40 hour work week (and weekends!)
• Voting rights for women, youth (over 18), African-Americans
• The end of formal slavery
• Maternity leave
• Ending child labor / The right to go to school
• Civil rights
• The rights of people with disabilities to reasonable accommodation to hold jobs and access businesses....

These social movements faced massive opposition in their time - the power holders put everything they had into maintaining the status quo, and making it seem like there was no alternative. But they were wrong. People used the power of their numbers and, at strategic moments, took bold actions to demand changes, which were eventually put into law by policy makers.


You *can* make a difference.  But you can't wait for someone else to do it for you.  If you're upset, scared, concerned--you need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and do something.