SPEECH President's Message

by Janine Gates

This past summer I took my kids to Egypt and Jordan for six weeks. We had a blast and did our share of camel riding and swimming in turquoise waters, but it was also a trip where meaningful relationships and contacts were made with people, places and organizations we came to care about.

Even though our new friends may be 10,000 miles away, it's not hard to feel for their issues and struggles when they are so similar to our own. The global financial crisis also makes it all too clear just how interconnected we are to each other in so many ways. I feel a sense of responsibility to do what I can to educationally enlighten myself and others to the issues, especially when my government's actions are a big part of the problem, or not part of the solution.

I usually do a pretty good job of organizing my interests and responsibilities, but as of this writing, I do have 17 "saved as new" emails ranging from in-depth Middle Eastern news analyses to the City of Olympia's proposed Dark Sky Amendments.

This is an overwhelming and uncertain time for many people, locally and globally. It seems hard to focus on where best to put one's energies when there is so much to be done. John Dodge, environmental reporter for The Olympian, recently wrote a column about "eco-depression." He brought up a good topic.

So, it would be useful to discuss what we can do about eco-depression. Joining a great environmental organization like SPEECH can help channel your energies and interests.

This summer and early Fall, The Olympian made about 20 staff position cuts, many from the news room. There is a multitude of local environmental issues, and I welcome any staff person whose position was cut to consider coming to the South Sound Green Pages. Your skills are needed and would be appreciated.

Now, more than ever, we need independent sources of locally produced and uncensored news that covers our news - not news that's just pulled off the national wire service because it fills space. There are too many public meetings to attend and too much going on here to ignore. The Green Pages needs environmental beat reporters for county and port issues, as well as Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater city council actions. We need reporters to provide a service to our readers who care about our community interests, not just advertising dollars.

This issue of the Green Pages is entitled, "Environmental Activism: Where Do We Go From Here?" because there is so much to do and we have a lot of talent in this community to get things done.

Speaking of talent, thank you to outgoing board members Keith Cotton, Erica Guttman and Paul Allen for their many years of service to SPEECH. SPEECH also appreciates the new energy of incoming board members Joanne McCaughan, Jeanine McGann, Mark Bergeson and Jeff Mocniak. SPEECH is always accepting board nominations and volunteers.

As we go to press, we need a membership database entry person, a distribution/bulk mail coordinator and a new ad manager, and any other position you'd like to create! These positions do not take up much time, but are critical to our organization's operation. When such responsibilities are divided up, it lightens the load of all, providing fun and camaraderie. What a great way to fight back one's own feelings of "eco-depression," particularly during the coming winter months. Join us. I look forward to hearing from you.

Janine Gates is President of SPEECH. She can be reached through her website at www.janinegatesphotography.com.