Letters

A thousand thanks to Drawdown East End and Carbon CREW Project, which, in partnership with Southampton Arts Center and filmmaker Damon Gameau, produced a superb weekend of conversations and talks about climate issues and solutions for making a difference.

Presenters ran the gambit, from the Shinnecock, our original inhabitants/ caretakers, to local high school students, town planners (including Southampton Town’s own ahead-of-the-curve-in-every-way one), farmers (one from as far away as Tasmania!), public policy-makers from all corners of the globe, and environmental superstars Paul Hawken (“Drawdown” author), filmmaker Damon Gameau (“2040”) and Bill McKibben.

More than 650 people “attended” via Zoom, a format that could not have worked better for this event, with the chat box lighting up with questions and enthusiastic comments coming in from all over our world. The organizers, some of whom were stationed at Southampton Arts Center, not only had the technical details down and made sure each speaker was succinct and on time, but also clearly had a sense of humor and enjoyed their own event.

If I begin to list all the people who planned and presented this spectacular event, you would probably stop reading, but suffice it to say that it took the efforts, time and commitment of a core group of Drawdown East End and Carbon CREW Project members making herculean efforts to pull it off.

On a personal note, I knew I would be attending because Darr Reilly, who took the lead in organizing this event, is my sister. What I did not anticipate was spending the weekend glued to my screen, riveted by the stories of amazing people from all over the world who are doing spectacularly brilliant things. As inspiring as it was to learn of efforts on a global scale, I also learned that I can make small but impactful changes in my own life that will have a ripple effect.

I left this extraordinary weekend full of hope and look forward to Drawdown Festival 2023.

Penelope Wright

Southampton