Occupy The Ground You Stand On

It's pretty mind-blowing that in the course of a few months, a word can take on an entire new meaning. Back in the summer, "occupy" was just another average word in the English language. 
occupy: 

oc·cu·py

 verb, -pied, -py·ing.

verb (used with object)

1.

to take or fill up (space, time, etc.): I occupied my evenings reading novels.

2.

to engage or employ the mind, energy, or attention of:Occupy the children with a game while I prepare dinner.

3.

to be a resident or tenant of; dwell in: We occupied the same house for 20 years.

4.

to take possession and control of (a place), as by military invasion.

5.     to hold (a position, office, etc.). 

The movement began on September 17th, 2011, in New York City. Now, as the Washington Post recently stated, 

"...the Wall Street occupation has become a national phenomenon. The president is interested, celebrities are popping by, and pizza shops are adding the OccuPie to their menus...The movement has spawned hundreds of Occupy locales in a national Occupy Together network. And now there is talk of going global: Occupy the World" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/what-is-occupy-wall-street-the-history-of-leaderless-movements/2011/10/10/gIQAwkFjaL_story.html)

Now that is what I call momentum. The environmental movement, particularly Bill McKibben and the Tar Sands Action activists, stands in solidarity with Occupy. Now the protesters on the UC Berkeley campus who organize the days of action for public education are framing the effort as "Occupy Cal." 

So why has this simple, average word latched on to the public consciousness with such tenacity and force? Look at the dictionary definition, and the answer is pretty clear. Who doesn't feel passionate about taking up or filling up space, or engaging the attention of someone else, or dwelling in one's community, or taking possession of rights, of livelihood, of freedom. Every "little guy" deserves a power trip once in a while. 

Yes, this is about empowerment.  Empowerment to the individual, to the family, to the community. It's about occupying the ground that you stand on- filling up space, seizing control of your own life and your own power, planting roots in your community but growing up toward the sky in limitless potential. We all tend to feel like just a number sometimes, belittled by gigantic corporations, gigantic government, gigantic world population, gigantic global problems. But here is a reminder that we all occupy physical space, we all dwell in our communities, and we all occasionally have the power to engage the attention of the world. 

And you know what? That last paragraph is a lot of what I would say about sustainability. Sustainability is all about community, giving power to the people, localizing our lifestyles, and creating a resilient society that occupies firm ground with strong roots - without sacrificing the future. 

That's why Solar Mosaic is "Occupying Rooftops" with solar panels on Community Solar Day - November 20th, 2011. By occupying rooftops and transitioning to clean, localized energy, we are occupying our communities and empowering the people, the 99%,  to seize control. I love how this single, average word is starting to unify social movements that have historically been so frustratingly disparate. Word. 

You don't have to join the rhetoric, you don't have to use the jargon, you don't have to "stand with the 99%" to occupy space in this world. Own your personal niche in the world; occupy the ground you stand on. 

Quotes from Edible Education 101

I've had seven lectures of Edible Education 101 already, with a diverse array of speakers on topics ranging from the agricultural movement in Italy, to food equity among races, to nutrition and the evils of sugar. I'm learning so much and it's making every bite I take, and every decision about what bite I take, much more conscious. I've stopped drinking soda all together and I bring my own lunch to campus most of the time now... and more changes are coming I'm sure. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the various speakers Michael Pollan has brought in for us:

My Moving Planet Speech

I wrote this speech on the eve of Moving Planet in bed, and inside Anne's Kitchen over chocolate-chip pancakes on the morning of the big day. Somehow I mustered up a little bit of courage and delivered these words to the twenty or so students who showed up to the Sproul Steps before heading to the San Francisco event.