Gas Truth of Central PA + Clean Water Action

Well, these past couple of weeks have been hectic! On Thursday, we joined with Clean Water Action to start a new group: Gas Truth of Central PA. About 40 people turned up and 35 are now taking some action to educate citizens and politicians about fracking in PA.

The committee that I am part of is the Fracking: Long Term Solutions Group. Here is our report:

• Boycott fossil fuels for one day (raise awareness of the issue)

• Bicycle paths: create them in your neighborhood & connect to other neighborhoods

• Electric buses: solar panels for charging

• Neighborhood solar generation

• Gift Circle: to shift perspective from individual effort to group interdependence (http://2020climatecampaign.org/content/practice-and-theory-gift-circle-fairfax-california)

• Local currency: to strengthen local economy by keeping money local; strength of economy not based on amount of money in circulation, but how often money changes hands

• Time Banking: to strengthen ties among neighbors (http://www.timebanks.org/)

• Neighborhood Associations: build community and educate members through presentations

• Common Security Clubs: to reconnecting neighbors by supporting one another in difficult economic times (http://commonsecurityclub.org/)

• Community housing

• Permaculture: apply these principles to growing food and to building better society (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture)

• Faith-based organizations: ethical and moral dimension of fracking's short- and long-term effects on people and environment

This group's purpose is to find long-term solutions and alternatives to natural gas extracted using hydraulic fracturing (fracking). By educating those who live above the Marcellus shale formation in Pennsylvania, we can help them make informed decisions when approached by drilling companies offering to lease their land. By rebuilding the connections among individuals in a community, we can help neighborhoods reject short-term monetary gain and embrace long-term sustainability. 

We reject dependence on corporate-controlled, short-term and short-sighted monetary profits when doing so does permanent damage to ourselves, our communities and our planet.

Fracking is a desperate reaction to fossil fuel depletion. Fossil fuel depletion has no solutions, only adaptations. We reject fracking's implementation on these grounds: permanent pollution of our waterways, permanent scarring of our land, and long-term fracturing of communities and wildlife habitat.

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Our next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 21 @ 7:00 p.m. We will post the place in the next couple of days.