July 12-15—RUTLAND—350Vermont’s Summer Pop-Up Series is taking the Burlington-based climate organization to four Vermont communities: St. Johnsbury, Rutland, the Upper Valley, and Bennington this summer. On July 12-15, the pop-up will make its second stop of the summer in Rutland.
350Vermont takes its climate mission on the road, including a traveling exhibit, a film screening, workshops, performances, kids’ activities, and more. The first event will be a special screening of “Waking the Sleeping Giant,” on Wednesday, July 12, from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theater. “Waking the Sleeping Giant” is a feature documentary at the crossroads of the 2016 election and the fight for civil rights, economic fairness, and democracy for all.
From the campaign trail with Senator Bernie Sanders to a local political race in the failing economy of rural West Virginia; from a mass sit-in on the U.S. Capitol steps to racially charged police commission hearings in Los Angeles; “Waking the Sleeping Giant” makes sense of this moment in American politics, exploring widespread discontent during the 2016 election cycle, Donald Trump’s dramatic electoral victory, and the challenges ahead for those building a re-energized progressive movement.
The feature film will be preceded by a screening of the short film, “Joanna Macy and The Great Turning.” Director and University of Vermont Professor Jon Erickson will be available for Q&A afterwards.
Additionally, 350VT’s pop-up tent will be set up at Depot Park from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursday July, 13 and 12-8 p.m. (including during Friday Night Live) on Friday July 14. On Saturday July 15, the pop-up will be outside TD Bank fro 9 a.m.-2 p.m. to protest the bank’s investment in fossil fuel infrastructure such as the Dakota Access Pipeline. A full schedule of events and locations can be found at https://bit.ly/2tRwHXF.
350VT’s Jen Lazar describes the pop-up as a “mix of a traveling roadshow, a listening tour, a fierce commitment to climate justice, a set of powerful workshops and trainings, the excitement of overnight summer camp, and incredible climate leaders from across the state.”
The summer pop-up will encourage people to get involved, take action, and build community. 350Vermont’s mission is to catalyze the cultural and systemic transformation needed to reverse climate change and return to 350 ppm of carbon in the atmosphere. Although it is an affiliated group of 350.org with a similar mission, 350VT is an independent organization, with local campaigns to divest the state pension fund, advocate for a carbon pollution tax, and stop any expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure.
