Notes from the meeting:¶

Logistics:

• Handed out three articles for next week’s reading:
  - Toward an Ecological Conversation by Steve Talbott
  - The State & Policy: Imperialism, Exclusion, & Ecological Violence as State Policy by David Naguib Pellow
  - “Free Trade” & the Eclipse of Civil Society: Barriers to Transparency & Public Participation in NAFTA & FTAA by J. Robert Cox

• Tentatively proposed 4pm on Saturdays at Cyberpunk Apocalypse for a regular meeting time.
  Decided to meet at the Miller Gallery at 4:30pm next Friday to see the Experimental Geography exhibit before discussing the readings at a nearby cafe.

• Chose to read excerpts from Gathering Moss by Kimmerer for the following meeting, scanned by Jessica & made available through this wiki

Ideas for how to work as a group
We went through a few ideas of how we might coordinate our interests & time for maximum benefit.

• Read excerpts rather than whole books, if possible/desirable
• Splitting into two groups (based on interests) who read different books & report back to the other group
• One or two individuals might bottom-line a book or project
• Individuals might bottom-line different aspects of a group project, including reading/researching the topic for group discussion

Aspirations & Interests
We then went around the circle, gave some of our interests & skill sets, trying to gauge where the group wants to go. Here’s a list of what people said:

interventionsist tacts
linking up vacant land
physically build something
fury & rage
readings that are non-legal, non-economic in focus
more about ecology, as science
stuff that inspires us
farming
practical, not reactionary
useage of space in urban areas
reclamation: buildings & land
history of urban planning, the whys & hows of the modern city
alternatives to current uses of space & infrastructure
how ecology does or does not fit into culture
cities as anti-ecological— can we transform them?
bring ecology/ecological thinking into people’s lives
making connections
integrating indigenous & colonists/“Western” perspectives
permaculture & native plants
why do we think the way we do about the environment?
practical experiments with communication
making things “visible,” making histories apparent
direct actions & information sharing
stay open to all ideas & strategies
viewing ourselves as human animals
analyzing how we live & move
thinking about how what we do shapes what we need
actions beyond “hobby activism”
intersection
ecology of decaying cities
not over-abstracting nature, imposing false divisions
biology & ecology within urban centers, where-what-how
sociology & the human story within urban areas
focus on the local
becoming ecologically literate
confident & competent observers of the natural world within the city
exposing environmental racism within Pittsburgh
feminist critique of environmental decision-making
understanding the failures of liberal/institutional environmentalism (versus radical ecology)

First Meeting: 08 November 2009, 3pm-5pm @ The Mousetrap¶

1200 Boyle St. (off North Avenue), on city bus lines #500 (from Oakland) or #54C (from Bloomfield).

Come for tea & treats in order to meet the gang, select books, hash out logistics & brainstorm about potential activities for the group. We do NOT plan for our regular meetings to happen Sunday afternoon’s at the Mousetrap unless the group decides to make that the case… only our introductory get-together is scheduled for this time & place. We’ll have physical copies of each of the proposed readings (see Proposed Readings page of this wiki) available for folks to flip-through as we discuss what to read & in which order.

This first meeting also carries NO obligation to join on a longer-term basis, so come even if you’re merely curious… especially if you plan to bring cookies!