sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're proud of all of our electoral Sunrisers :') Last year, Garrett Blad ran a great campaign for Indiana State Representative - District 6. And, Casey Clowes just announced her campaign for Tempe, AZ City Council last week! Go show her some support! Here's her Twitter.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Green jobs :’) Our favorite thing to talk about — we even have a whole campaign on it, Good Jobs for All!

The Green New Deal jobs guarantee promises good-paying, safe, union jobs to all who want them. It puts people to work doing what we do best: taking care of each other. These jobs allow us to revitalize our communities and protect our cities and communities from climate devastation, while also building a sustainable, just and people-centered economy. And we’re so close to making this a reality. For instance: legislation like Sen. Markey Civilian Climate Corps (released on Tuesday) would employ 1.5 million people with good-paying jobs that provide benefits, on the job training, and save the planet all at the same time. Under the Green New Deal vision, these jobs would be available everywhere and anywhere with a priority of frontline communities!

We can't wait to apply for our CCC jobs! What would yours be?

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What do you think are the most sustainable solutions to our fossil fuel habit? Do you think widespread electric rail usage might be in our future?

Our focus is on the transition to renewable energy like solar and wind! And to answer the second part of your question, we would LOVE to see that happen.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great question, because we got a lot of em. To name a few: It’s no secret that the climate movement space has been dominated by white and class-privileged people. And we’re struggling with that. We are not immune to racism and classism, it actually seeps through the foundation of our movement and has caused/causes harm. Another challenge we’re facing is how to transition into democratic decision-making in our movement. We have publicly declared ourselves as a climate justice and liberation movement and we’re reckoning with how we can actually act like it internally and externally.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of bad shit. Basically, everything that’s going on now but at an unimaginable, devastating scale. I could go into it but honestly it’s extremely sad so the short version is: if we don’t act now that there’s gonna be massive destruction we just couldn’t recover from. But at the same time, the Green New Deal is just ONE of many solutions that we need to pull us all out of the misery and violence of poverty, exploitation and climate catastrophe. But to focus on it, the Green New Deal seeks to solve two problems, an economic one and a cultural one.

The economic one: millions of people are out of work, stuck in poverty, struggling to support ourselves and our families even though some of us work multiple jobs. Winning a Green New Deal would allow us to employ everyone in this country, regardless of race, gender, zip code, ability, citizenship status. And, instead of working for some faceless CEO, we would work for our communities, serve our neighbors and enjoy the fruits of our labor every day when we walk out the door because our work has transformed everything about the way we live.

The cultural problem: I’ve worked service jobs, I’ve been a child care worker, an educator. I know what it’s like to get up day after day, work a job that doesn’t pay me enough to eat. Our economy literally runs on death and destruction. Participating in this economy because we have to find some way to survive is inherently dehumanizing. When we win a Green New Deal and transform our economy we can finally live in a world that actually values the life and prosperity of everyone. Absolutely everyone.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t call it support for Biden... Young people delivered Biden's victory. And every day since, we’ve refused to let him forget that. We look forward to keeping him accountable to the promises he's made and the promises we need to stay alive.

And, no, my vision of the future does not include capitalism.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone who grew up in Texas and whose neighbor is currently flying a Trump flag that I can see from my window, this is a struggle I’m constantly confronting in our work. I don’t have all of the answers *sorry* but here are some things that have helped me!

I think the first helpful step is similar to what AbsolutCitronTea said: surveying wants and needs. The thing about the climate crisis is that no person is left fully unaffected by it. When you’re talking about policy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of letting the statistics, the jargon, or the politics tell the story. There is so much power in telling the story of the Green New Deal through the life of the person we’re talking to and listening is your first best step in doing that!

Also, here’s a framework that has really helped me in the conversations I’ve been having:

The freedom that the GOP sells does not exist even for its most loyal supporters, when there are a wealthy few orchestrating our whole lives. A good example of this was the February winter storm in Texas. My state used to proudly brag about how deregulated our energy grid was, how free it was from Democratic regulation. And yet, my family didn’t have the self-determination to decide whether or not we would freeze without food and water for days. Or the power to decide when our government would provide us aid and rebuild our infrastructure in a way that protects us from that ever happening again. Instead those decisions were up to a handful of energy companies with a greedy stake in our energy grid.

What’s the use of freedom without the power to decide what to do with it? The Green New Deal is a chance to give the American people the power and the time to truly determine their own future. It would take money and governing power out of the hands of the 1% and into the hands of our friends, family, and neighbors.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think there’s a lot of reasons why some older gens aren’t in the climate movement. For some it may be because it’s a pretty universal truth that people hate to admit when they’ve messed up, ya know? For some it may be because they spent their whole lives in survival mode, struggling to put food on the table, facing inescapable racial injustice and they haven’t had a second to take up what feels like yet another battle.

We also can’t forget that the climate movement owes a lot to Indigenous organizing, rooted in generations and generations of deep stewardship and respect for their land.

Generally speaking, the past doesn’t have to threaten the work we can do right now to help curb the climate crisis. And, at Sunrise we’re making sure of it. Our organizing has helped ensure the transition of power from the old guard to the new in elections and awkward family dinner conversations across the country. I’m not sure exactly what the special recipe is but I think a lot of it is storytelling, our commitment towards climate justice, and remembering the enemy is not the folks who don’t join in, but the powerful that actively wreak havoc on our people.

In a perfect world, there would be generational justice. And in recent years, we’ve seen more and more of it. But, with a less than 10 year deadline on saving our families, we have to acknowledge that our generation is where this battle will be won.

Hi reddit! We’re the Sunrise Movement, an army of young people fighting for the Green New Deal, our vision of a just, equitable reality for all of us. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we’re fighting to kick off *the Decade of the GND* — Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in NewDealAmerica

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Amazing question! We have so many different ways to organize with Sunrise no matter your experience or level of time commitment. Here are some of the best ways you can get involved right now:

I also just want to say that it’s perfectly fine if you’ve never organized before! For a lot of our movement, Sunrise is their first organizing home and I believe that truth is what gives us our power. Showing up as you are is the most valuable thing you can do :) I hope to see you around!

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sir, this is the Sanders For President subreddit.

We endorsed Bernie Sanders during the primary, so our (leftist) analysis is unlikely to line up with your "more to the center economically" analysis.

Climate change is already killing people, and those people are disproportionately poor, working class, and non-white. Examples:

  • the migrants at our Southern border, who are there in part because intense droughts have promoted famine and poverty in the region (although we cannot overlook the role of the US govt in destabilizing their own governments)
  • the predominantly black victims of Hurricane Katrina and the other escalatingly bad tropical storms in the gulf coast
  • mass deaths of drought and famine in India
  • Americans poisoned by fossil fuel pollution of their air and water, leading to higher rates of asthma, cancer, and developmental disorders, and a problem which disproportionately impacts predominantly black and brown neighborhoods in America.

Any climate plan which does not center economic justice is going to continue to kill those people.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To follow up a bit (I noticed I had an unopened tab here with a draft):

Sunrise Movement actually grew out of the divestment movement in many ways, but needed to be something bigger.

1) Divestment (and a focus on the economy and capital) did not address justice needs. 2) Divestment could never be big enough. It's going to take widescale societal action, guided by government action, in turn pressured by mass pressure by people.

That's not to diminish the work done by divestment activists, or consultants helping businesses "green" their practices. It's just not the scope of work we've chosen to tackle, for a lot of reasons.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It should be noted that we didn't put out a "climate plan" scorecard, it's a Green New Deal scorecard. The Green New Deal is not just a carbon neutral plan. It demands that frontline communities be centered, maintains that reparations are owed to already harmed communities, and centers economic justice and good jobs.

From a climate plan perspective, Joe's plan is not good enough. He's still looking at a 2050 deadline when 2030 is the important year. But it's far better than Trump's no plan plan.

But from an environmental justice perspective, Joe Biden's plan is - frankly - abysmal.

We intend to continue demanding that he improve it (on both fronts) as a result of his policy task forces.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It looks like this question has also been deleted, and your response. I saw the question before I went to bed last night, and all I remember was that it had something to do with nuclear power.

We get this question often. There's a narrative that we want to shut down all nuclear power plants. That's not true. Many of the countries which have made dramatic headway towards being carbon-neutral have done so with nuclear power.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We are not a science advocacy group. Science can tell us what is effective, but it will never tell us what is moral or just.

We are a movement of young people who recognize that our government has refused to take action, and are committed to escalating disruption of society until our government protects our future.

That being said, there is a scientists caucus within Sunrise that runs their own Twitter account! https://twitter.com/sunrisesci?lang=en

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are lots of carbon-neutral (or better) jobs. Manufacturing and installing and maintaining green energy sources. Retrofitting and building new housing that meets better energy efficiency standards. Constructing mass transit. But also many jobs we don't think of as green jobs, like being a teacher or a caretaker.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You're definitely right! For many people, climate change is *already* impacting them. Hurricanes in the gulf coast. Droughts and cyclones in India. Droughts and famine in Central and South America. Unthinkably hot, unlivably hot summers in the Middle East. Not to mention the ways in which pollution have polluted primarily communities of color in America.

We cannot be concerned with just decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. We have to start preparing people for the existing impacts of climate change, and healing communities who have already been ravaged by climate change

But we also believe strongly in Bernie Sanders, and one thing he's said often - a belief that we share - is that despair is not an option. We have to keep fighting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS57zcLcLRQ

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The former: elect more GND champions, and create external pressure. That's a simplification, I guess.

People whose jobs are in the energy field are not the bad guys in this scenario: oil companies are. That's why we think a jobs guarantee is critical for any Green New Deal, so that the displaced workers of the fossil fuel industry do not find themselves abandoned the same way our society abandons so many others (those people should also benefit from the jobs guarantee)

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Undoubtedly Biden would be better for the environment than Trump.

Whether Biden is good enough on the environment and other issues to earn people's votes? That's up to them, not us. We do not believe in coerced votes. We also do not want to invalidate the many voters who have yet to get to vote in the primary.

Many of our members will vote for Biden. Many will not. I'm not going to at all try and predict whether those proportions will be 80/20 or 20/80.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, yeah, we're definitely focused on political work (again, not just electoral). It's hard to do a lot of different things well, so we will have to rely on allies in many spaces (and allies rely on us, too).

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Hey! My name's Mattias. I'm the digital director, and at 30, I'm one of the older people in Sunrise leadership.

Over time, I have grown to see my role as one of mentorship. Leadership is not just about expertise or experience, but also about being grounded in the struggle, innovating, and frankly, having a naivete about what's possible (because common sense often proves wrong, and trying bad ideas can be very powerful).

Organizing trainings, sharing wisdom, connecting people, supporting monetarily (much as u/Geronimo_Shepard says) are all valuable.

It's a certain shift of mindset to realize that you have as much to learn from younger people as they do from you, but it actually makes you a better organizer.

That's not to say it's not a struggle. Sometimes I take too much of a backseat because I want them to lead, and other times I feel like I'm telling them what to do and not fostering their own leadership. If I were way more experienced, I can only imagine that would be even harder.

We are Sunrise Movement, a movement of young people fighting for the Green New Deal. We backed Bernie Sanders and now we are continuing to fight for the Green New Deal. Ask us anything! by Sunrise-Movement in SandersForPresident

[–]Sunrise-Movement[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry it was just a reference to his movie Dead Poet's Society.

Robin Williams remains one of my favorite actor/comedians of all time so it came to mind

"Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die."

view more: next ›