ecological movements and organizations

By Jeremy Brecher - Labor Network for Sustainability, March 11, 2024

The principal problems of movement unity do not involve uniting the already like-minded, but drawing together those who are siloed or even antagonistic. But how do we move past such fragmentation? My observation as a historian of social movements is that a crucial reason for movements to de-silo, cooperate, and converge is from a perception of the possibility of gaining power to affect problems through greater cooperation and mutual support.

To show that such overcoming of divisions does actually happen, and that it is related to the aspiration for more effective power, let me briefly sketch four examples of de-siloing, growing cooperation, and partial convergence among movements.

Globalization from below, also known as the anti-globalization or global justice movement, brought together a highly diverse range of movements and organizations from all over the world. After gestating for years in response to “globalization from above,” globalization from below burst into public view with the 1999 “Battle of Seattle” that shut down the attempt to establish the World Trade Organization as a neoliberal economic constitution for the world. As author and activist Vandana Shiva put it in the aftermath of the Battle of Seattle, “When labor joins hands with environmentalists, when farmers from the North and farmers from the South make a common commitment to say ‘no’ to genetically engineered crops, they are not acting as special interests. They are defending the common interests and common rights of all people, everywhere.”[1] That process has continued in myriad forms, notably in the global gatherings of the World Social Forum.[2]

By Jeremy Brecher - Labor Network for Sustainability, February 2, 2024

Green New Deal initiatives at local, state, regional, and civil society levels around the country have drawn together diverse, sometimes isolated, or even conflicted constituencies around common programs for climate, jobs, and justice. How have they done so?

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By Vanity Amano, Sydney Ghazarian, Gustavo Gordillo, and Marcelina Pedraza - Democratic Socialists of America, January 25, 2024

By Jessica Tovar, Ratha Lai, Alexis Sutterman, Jason Gumataotao, Anne Olivia Eldred, and Eric Veium - Local Clean Energy Alliance, January 13, 2024

By Jeremy Brecher - Labor Network for Sustainability, January 3, 2024

The appeal of the Green New Deal lies in its drawing together the varied needs of diverse constituencies into a common program that realizes them all. Here’s how that works at the sub-national level.

By Liam Fitzpatrick - California Environmental Justice Alliance, January 2024

At CEJA, we’re building a just transition away from our current extractive society and towards a sustainable future. We believe the lives of human beings should not be dictated by antiquated colonialist labor practices. So in keeping with our anti-capitalist, anti-white supremacist values, we’re thrilled to be launching a four-day work week pilot, starting this week.

Our full-time exempt staff will now work Monday through Thursday each week. We will not be reducing pay, extending hours, or cutting benefits. Instead, CEJA is adopting the 100-80-100 model – staff will receive 100% of their salaries, work 80% of current time, and maintain 100% of CEJA’s current impact.

To put it another way, we’re not doing less work, we’re working less. We will be innovating new workflows, developing tools for prioritization, and testing state-of-the-art technology to ensure we continue to represent the best interest of our communities. CEJA is committed to continuing its fight against structural environmental racism and injustice, and building a sustainable, just future for all Californians. 

This was not a simple decision. CEJA spent months researching and developing our four-day work week program before the launch of this pilot. We worked with 4 Day Week Global, a global organization dedicated to prioritizing productivity over working hours and improving work/life balance. And as the pilot continues, members of CEJA staff will continue to evaluate, iterate, and implement new benchmarks and strategies. 

So, why are we putting in this level of effort? 

A sustainable future requires a sustainable workforce – too often, burnout is accepted as the norm in environmental justice spaces. As CEJA continues to seek radical environmental justice solutions while operating in a capitalist system, we can challenge that structure by providing our team with the labor justice everyone deserves. We believe we can serve frontline environmental justice communities better than ever as we liberate our work force from the constraints of industrial-age work schedules.

By Jeremy Brecher - Labor Network for Sustainability, November 30, 2023

By staff - More Perfect Union, November 30, 2023