“I Ain’t Collateral Damage. I Am Somebody”

This past weekend I went to West Virginia to say goodbye to my friend Larry Gibson. He passed away on September 9th on his home on Kayford Mountain, West Virginia. Hundreds turned out to Charleston’s civic arena to pay homage to this simple man who decided, 25 years ago, to take a stand against one of [...]

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Keystone XL Rejected: Thank You President Obama

President Obama has just rejected the Keystone XL pipeline! This puts a halt to current plans for a massive 1700-mile pipeline that would have allowed some of the world’s dirtiest oil to travel from Canada’s tar sands through America’s heartland — jeopardizing our water, our air and our climate. Six months ago the pipeline project [...]

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Top Five Ways to Change the World in 2012

2011 saw more people power than I could have dared to hope. Last New Year’s Eve, who could have predicted that the protests in Tunisia, just then making the news, would lead to the ousting of its president of 23 years not two weeks later; that this would inspire citizens throughout the Arab World to [...]

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Keystone XL: Not a Done Deal Anymore

It was a done deal. At least, it was until a grassroots movement—driven by strong action—threw a major monkey wrench into the process. This afternoon the cards collapsed for TransCanada, the corporate giant behind the proposed 1700-mile tar sands pipeline. It looks like we stopped the Keystone XL. Today, the U.S. State Department announced that [...]

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Man Up: Music Video Call-To-Action To Oppose The Keystone XL Pipeline Nov. 6th

Obama: Man Up! No to the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline! Becky White and the Secret Mission have just released this catchy and hilarious protest anthem/call to action track and music video — featuring RAN’s own Executive Director Rebecca Tarbotton on violin — called “Man Up!” The song calls on people to gather at the [...]

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Drawing A Line In The Tar Sands

tipping point  (tɪpɪŋ point) — n  the crisis stage in a process, when a significant change takes place This last week, I went to Washington D.C. and joined the Tar Sands Action, the biggest environmental mass action in a generation. Over a thousand were arrested calling on Obama to deny the permits for the Keystone [...]

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VIDEO: The Tar Sands Action Was Just Phase One

The Tar Sands Action wrapped up last Saturday, and I have to say it was a truly amazing thing to watch transpire. In all, 1,253 people were arrested protesting the expansion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. But more than that, they were protesting what the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline has come to [...]

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This Week In DC, The Outcry For Climate Solutions Has Become An Uproar

Last fall, Bill McKibben, Phil Radford and I issued a letter calling on people of conscience to take direct action to amplify the demands of the climate movement. Of course, we were far from the only people making that call — the outcry for solutions to the climate catastrophe looming over us has been loud [...]

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Photo Of The Day: Appalachians Join Texas Landowner In Tar Sands Sit-in At White House

Today another 111 people were arrested sitting in at the White House calling on President Barack Obama to deny the Keystone XL pipeline’s permits. In a powerful example of cross-movement solidarity, a large delegation of Appalachians who have been fighting mountaintop removal coal mining participated in the sit-in. They joined a delegation of pipeline landowners [...]

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Photo Of The Day: RAN founder Randy Hayes, Darryl Hannah, 70 Others Blockade White House Sidewalk

RAN founder and board member Randy Hayes was arrested today along with actress Darryl Hannah and over 70 other concerned citizens protesting the expansion of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by blockading the sidewalk outside the White House: Photo by Josh Lopez Read Randy’s post here on the Understory about why he was willing [...]

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