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#reclamation

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So, some communities in #Maine were like, #NIMBY when a #TrashToEnergy plant was proposed. After all, folks had to deal with air quality issues with the old paper mill in Westbrook for many years (it was still belching smelly shit when I worked at a local library). However, #EcoMaine built the plant, and from what I can tell, they are doing it the right way. Our community signed up for participating in their program years ago, and now there are 20 communities participating. ecomaine has even upgraded their facility to be able to retrieve even more usable metal from the resultant ashes. And they are implementing programs based on Maine policy change, which requires businesses that do a lot of shipping (like Amazon) to make their packaging recyclable and to pay for communities to deal with packaging waste (more about that in another post).

Anyhow, here is more information about ecomaine's #WasteToEnergy plant...

ecomaine’s Waste-to-Energy Power Plant

"Our waste-to-energy #(WTE) plant receives trash identified as #unrecyclable and converts it at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to energy in the form of electricity. The ecomaine WTE plant processes about 175,000 tons of trash a year and, from that process, generates enough steam to create about 100,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually.

"That’s enough electricity to power our WTE and recycling facilities, our company’s electric vehicles, plus about 15,000 homes for a year!

"Converting the trash to energy also benefits the communities we serve by reducing its volume by 90 percent, leaving only inert ash to be stored at the landfill site. (There are also statewide economic benefits from WTE plants; read the results of a Maine study -- linked below).

"By reducing the volume of trash by 90%, controlling #pollution, and generating #electricity, waste-to-energy clearly has many benefits. These and more are outlined in a 2021 study by Dr. Marco Castaldi, The Scientific Truth about Waste to Energy Facilities and Quantifiable Benefits They Provide. (Sneak Peek: did you know that areas in the U.S. with waste-to-energy have higher #recycling rates than those without?) "

Source:
ecomaine.org/our-facility/wast

Maine study:
ecomaine.org/wp-content/upload

#SolarPunkSunday #Recycling #Reclamation #ReducingWaste #Landfills #Maine

ecomaineWaste-to-Energy Power Plant - ecomaineEcomaine owns and operates a 100,000 MWh Waste-to-Energy power plant - learn more here.

#Minneapolis #powwow celebrates belonging for #TwoSpirit, #queer community

#TwoSpiritPowwow invites natives to dress and dance on their own terms.

By Auds Jenkins
June 23, 2023

"Em Matson leaned intently over a long table to arrange the delicate pieces of water lily appliqué.

"Amid the mechanical whir of sewing machines and the lively chatter during a community regalia making night, Matson zeroed in on the task at hand: finishing their ribbon pants in time for the Two Spirit Powwow.

"On Saturday, New Native Theater will sponsor Minneapolis' second annual 'Reclaiming Our Identities' Two Spirit Powwow, part of a burgeoning movement of powwows across the country that honor Two Spirit and #indigiqueer (Indigenous and queer) people.

"'I can't wait to see everybody turn out. I know that if you come specifically to this powwow, it means you support our community,' said Wase Mannidu Ikwe, a Two Spirit person of the Rocky Boy Chippewa Cree Tribe. 'It's nice to see our allies. As Two Spirits, we make large impacts in the native community. We are valid.'

"'Two Spirit' is an umbrella term derived from the #Anishnaabe '#NiizhManidoowag' (literally translated as "two spirits") that describes native people who exist outside the #GenderBinary and hold sacred roles in their communities.

"Popularized by activists in the 1990s, the term honors multiplicity within native conceptions of gender identity and spirituality. It also reflects a pre-colonial legacy of gender diversity that is being reclaimed today.

"'Prior to European #colonization, #GenderDiversity was the norm for many tribes. Gender was based on your roles and responsibilities, not what you looked like,' said Matson, a Two Spirit of the Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe and one of the organizers of Minneapolis' Two Spirit Powwow.

"In the months leading up to the powwow, organizers have hosted regalia-making nights for local Two Spirit and indigiqueer folks to make ceremonial clothing that authentically represents their identities.

"'Our goal was for you to come and make whatever makes you feel comfortable,' said organizer Beth Seidl of the White Earth Band of Chippewa. 'We wanted everyone to feel safe, without any chance of someone coming by and saying, 'You're a boy. Why are you making a ribbon skirt?' if that's not how they identify."

startribune.com/powwow-two-spi

#Minnesota #Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer

www.startribune.com · Minneapolis powwow celebrates belonging for Two Spirit, queer communityTwo Spirit Powwow invites natives to dress and dance on their own terms.

'We are medicine': Saturday's #TwoSpiritPowwow celebrates #LGBTQ+ community amid adversity

by Madeline Nguyen
Arizona Republic

Feburary 16, 2024

"The fourth annual #Arizona #TwoSpirit #Powwow will celebrate the state’s two-spirit and LGBTQ+ communities on Saturday at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.

[...]

"Historically, two-spirit individuals were esteemed as talented and respected members of their communities, often assuming roles as healers and visionaries. However, with the spread of colonization and conservative Christian values, they began to face discrimination.

"'Powwows were meant for a social gathering of different tribal communities, and they came together, danced, sang, had fun, and it was a way for each of us to socialize with each other,' said Navi Ho, a cochair of the powwow who identifies as two spirit. 'So in that sense, being part of the two-spirit, LGBT community, we never felt welcome at a powwow because of the colonial thought that gay people are not welcome or queer people are not welcome.'

"Saturday’s powwow seeks to assist two-spirit individuals within the local community in reclaiming their identities. This will be achieved by removing the binary gender divisions typically found at standard contest powwows and instead focusing on nonbinary categories, Ho explained.

"The event will showcase drum groups and dancing contests catering to attendees of all ages, from 'tiny tots' to adults. Additionally, there will be a market featuring local LGBTQ+ or allied businesses selling art and other goods, along with various food trucks offering frybread, kettle corn, and shaved ice. Moreover, booths representing local organizations and providing free testing for sexually transmitted infections will be available to connect attendees with community resources, Long explained.

"The event aims to not only give two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people an opportunity to celebrate their identities but to also educate people of all ages within the local community about what it means to be two-spirit, according to Ho.

"'We are medicine within our community,' they said. 'We are that sacred piece that once we come back into the circle, the sacred circle, we will complete it. So that’s all there — there’s unity; there’s love; there’s connection. And so this is very important for our community.'"

azcentral.com/story/news/local

#Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer
#IndigenousYouth

Arizona Republic · 'We are medicine': Saturday's Two Spirit Powwow celebrates LGBTQ+ community amid adversityBy Madeline Nguyen

Why #Montana’s #TwoSpirit people are challenging a state law that defines sex as binary

“It’s scary, in our reservations we have a lot of suicide already because of just being who they are,” Steven Barrios.

By Nicole Chavez, CNN
December 4, 2023

"As they fight to reclaim their history, some in Montana’s Two-Spirit community are challenging a state law that defines sex as binary because it 'infringes' on their spiritual and cultural beliefs.

"The law, #SenateBill458, defines 'male' and 'female' based on the presence of XY or XX chromosomes as well as reproductive systems. The legislation, which took effect in October, inserts those definitions of male and female in several parts of the state’s legal code, impacting driver’s licenses, demographic records and the state’s anti-discrimination law.

"In October, attorneys representing the Two-Spirit nonprofit #MontanaTwoSpiritSociety along with a group of #transgender, #intersex and #nonbinary #Montana residents, filed a lawsuit in Missoula County District Court challenging the law.

"They argue the state’s definitions of sex 'improperly categorizes many Montanans, excludes others from legal recognition entirely, and deprives them of the benefits and protections of myriad state laws.' The complaint also argues the law violates Montana’s individual dignity, #EqualProtection, privacy and freedom of speech laws.

"David Herrera, co-founder and executive director of the Montana Two Spirit Society, said it was important for the group to join the lawsuit because limiting gender goes against #IndigenousTraditions and cultures.

"'We don’t ascribe to just simply biologic definitions. We acknowledge that there are different genders, and our cultures have always known that there are more than two genders. In some of the Indigenous cultures, there may be as many as four to six different genders,' said Herrera, a 61-year-old who is Two-Spirit and adopted Blackfeet.

[...]

"Two-Spirit is an umbrella term that emerged in the 1990s, referring to people in many Indigenous and Native American who historically had both a masculine and feminine spirit, and who filled specialized social and spiritual roles. Some Native American people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex or gender non-conforming also use the term to self-identify.

"Prior to #colonization, Two-Spirit people had roles of honor in healing and ceremonies, but as Indigenous people were forced into assimilation that part of their tradition was lost.

“For folks that were seen as being Two-Spirit, men dressing as women, or women dressing as men and warriors, that went against the teachings of the church and so they were seen as an abomination or deviance. In some of the histories, our Two-Spirit people were actually murdered and killed, while in others, they were forced to subscribe to specific gender roles,” Herrera said.

"Steven Barrios, a 71-year-old enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation and co-founder of the Montana Two Spirit Society, said the organization supports efforts to fight back against the state’s new gender definitions.

"'We’ve already been traumatized through so many things that the government has done to us and so we just figured it’s time – we have to step up and reclaim what’s rightfully ours and not let the government take that away from us,' Barrios said.

"Barrios added SB 458 and similar legislation could add more challenges for Two-Spirit youth."

Read more:
edition.cnn.com/2023/12/04/us/

#Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer #MontanaLegislation #TransRightsAreHumanRights

For #TwoSpirits, An Opportunity To Reclaim Acceptance Across #IndianCountry

KLCC | By Brian Bull
Published November 29, 2018

"The term '#TwoSpirit' in #NativeAmerican culture often describes a person possessing both male and female spirits. And they’ve been around well before the Santa Maria or the Mayflower dropped anchor. And while 'Two Spirit has been used for Indians who identify as gay, bisexual, or transgender…many say there’s more to it than that. KLCC’s Brian Bull explores a community that’s finding its voice again after generations of oppression, prejudice, and oversight.

"This summer, the annual #Powwow in #SiletzOregon presented something subtle…yet powerful.

"A new sign affirming tribal members could compete in the gender category of their preference debuted at this year's annual #SiletzPowWow.

"Lisa Norton, a member of the #ConfederatedTribesOfSiletz Indians, explains.

"'It’s a competition pow-wow, so people dance in categories…traditionally male or female.

"'So one of the things we wanted to do was #ungender that, so we were able to post a sign that said we were an open and affirming pow-wow. And that people could feel free to compete in the category they desired.'

"It was the first time such a sign was posted at the event. This pleased #JackieCloud, a Chippewa who identifies as a 'Two Spirit'.

"'And I also saw Two Spirit individuals out there dancing. And I was like, 'YEAH! Cool!'

"Cloud joined the other dancers.

"'Y’know there’s that twinge of excitement, exhilaration, oh like…it’s okay. And I commented to someone that I was with there at the pow-wow, and she said, 'That’s where we need to be. That’s where we need to be going.'

"'And so I was very proud of the tribe of #Siletz to…to acknowledge that.'"

Read more:
klcc.org/arts-culture/2018-11-

#Decolonize #NonBinary
#GBLTQI #Activism
#Reclamation #Indigiqueer

For many #NativeAmericans, embracing #LGBT members is a return to the past

By Katherine Davis-Young
March 29, 2019 at 1:48 p.m. EDT

PHOENIX — "The sound of drums, singing and prayers marked the opening of a powwow in Phoenix on a Saturday afternoon this month. Marchers carried the flags of the United States and some of Arizona’s tribal nations onto the grass field, but the procession also included rainbow flags, and the pink and blue #transgender flag. It was #Arizona’s first #TwoSpiritPowwow, one of a handful of powwows that have sprung up across North America to celebrate LGBT Native Americans.

"Among the marchers in the grand entry was #KayKisto, the reigning #MissIndianTransgenderArizona. 'To actually be here, to be at the first-ever [Two-Spirit Powwow] in Arizona — I’ve been having goose bumps ever since I got here,' Kisto said.

"Kisto, 35, grew up on the #GilaRiver Indian Reservation, south of Phoenix. Growing up, she feared harassment or violence if she were to reveal her transgender identity. But to be able to celebrate her identity and heritage in an event on her tribe’s traditional lands was an overwhelming feeling and a sign of change, she said."

Source:
washingtonpost.com/national/fo

Archived version:
archive.ph/p1JtJ
#TwoSpirit #Decolonize #NonBinary #GBLTQI #Decolonize #Activism #Reclamation #Indigiqueer

A Map of #GenderDiverse Cultures

By Independent Lens • August 12, 2015

This text and the language in the corresponding map was updated in consultation with a world gender expert* in October, 2023.

NOTE to teachers and students: Some school or corporate domains block custom Google Maps so you may need to log in under a different or personal email address to see the map.

"Throughout recorded history and since time immemorial, thriving cultures have recognized, revered, and integrated more than two genders. Terms such as transgender, gay, or bisexual are Western constructs that often assume three things: that there are only two sexes (male/female), as many as three sexualities (gay/straight/bisexual), and only two genders (man/woman).

"Even after the end of the modern era and as the colonial period wanes, hundreds of distinct Indigenous societies around the globe still retain their own long-established traditions for third, fourth, fifth, or more genders. The subject of Two Spirits, Fred Martinez, for example, was not a boy who wanted to be a girl, but both a boy and a girl—an identity his Navajo culture recognized and revered as nádleehí. Meanwhile, Hina of Kumu Hina is part of a native Hawaiian culture that has traditionally revered and respected mahu, those who embody both male and female spirit. It’s not uncommon for third gender people to perform critical spiritual and religious functions in their communities.

"Among many #Indigenous societies, two prominent features often distinguish the lives and social roles of third gender persons from those of cisgender persons or contemporary transgender persons in non-Indigenous societies. The first is that many Indigenous terms for third gender people contain both the word for 'man' and 'woman' in their construction, and that third gender people are seen as embodying both of those genders in diverse ways. The second is that the history of many third genders is in the community role of religious specialists, which also takes diverse forms, depending on the beliefs of diverse cultures. While not all third gender persons are defined in these terms, across our species, this phenomenon of the third gender religious specialist, healer, or spiritual worker has been part of our collective identity and human experience since time immemorial.

"Take a tour with this world map, and learn how many cultures see gender diversity."

*Note: The 2023 update for this text and the map was made in consultation with Badly Licked Bear, an educator, writer, artist, and mutual aid worker. They are a storyteller who teaches storytelling by storytelling and they tell circle-shaped stories. Their work is rooted in shifting identity, Looney Tunes, BDSM, deep observation, and their lived experience as an #Indigiqueer #transfemme.

pbs.org/independentlens/conten

#TwoSpirit #Decolonize #NonBinary #GBLTQI
#Decolonize #Activism #Reclamation

Independent LensInteractive Map: Gender-Diverse CulturesOn nearly every continent, and for all of recorded history, thriving cultures have recognized, revered, and integrated more than two genders.

Fight to save #PugetSound #KelpBed underscores NW #habitat challenges

July 25, 2024

"The #WashingtonState Department of Natural Resources and the #SquaxinIslandTribe have announced a partnership to conserve the #SquaxinIsland Kelp Bed, the last major kelp bed in South Puget Sound.

"DNR and the Squaxin Island Tribe will work to surround the kelp bed with a priority habitat zone, try to reduce #environmental stresses to improve the kelp bed’s health, and partner with #PugetSoundRestorationFund on future #restoration projects, according to a news release.

"Since 2013, DNR and Squaxin Island staff have seen a 97% decline in the kelp bed, which holds both ecological and cultural significance. In #Oregon, the #coastline lost more than two-thirds of its canopy of #BullKelp.

"'We recognize how important it is to protect this critical resource,' said #KrisPeters, Squaxin Island Tribe chairman, in a statement. '#Squaxins can’t do it alone; it takes us all coming together as partners. That is why this local inter-governmental agreement is so important and monumental.'

"The Squaxin Island Kelp Bed is the first habitat DNR is prioritizing in its statewide #KelpForest and #Eelgrass Meadow Health and Conservation Plan, which state legislation directed DNR to hatch in response to the loss of bull kelp and eelgrass on the Washington coastline.

"The plan’s goal is to conserve and restore at least 10,000 acres of kelp forest and eelgrass meadow habitat by 2040.

"Restoration efforts will initially focus on three pilot sub-basins: South Puget Sound, the Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and Grays Harbor. As DNR works toward its 10,000-acre goal, it intends to explore conservation and recovery in all sub-basins, according to DNR’s website.

"'Squaxin people have been stewarding these waters and lands for thousands of years,' Peters said in a statement. '#KelpBeds have also been stewarding these waters for thousands of years, providing nourishment and a critical ecosystem for the many plants, animals, and fish of the #SalishSea.'"

oregonlive.com/environment/202

#Northwest #LandBack
#NativeKnowledge #Nature #IndigenousKnowledge #conservation #sustainability #decolonization #PacificNorthwest #PNW #environmental
#IndigenousLedProject
#reclamation #decolonialism #Restoration #Landback #Rewilding #RestoreNature #Salish

oregonlive · Fight to save Puget Sound kelp bed underscores NW habitat challengesBy Tribune News Service

The #ClamGardens #RestorationProject has reclaimed #W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge, improved #ecosystems and provided the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation with additional funding.

From 2014 to 2019, #ParksCanada, the #W̱SÁNEĆNation and the #Hulquminum #FirstNations participated in the Clam Garden Restoration project.

Clam gardens are #AncientSites along shorelines in W̱SÁNEĆ territory that #Indigenous people tended for thousands of years to enhance the production of #clams and related sea creatures. Clams were an important source of protein for W̱SÁNEĆ people. The Clam Restoration project spent 5 years working to restore clam gardens in W̱SÁNEĆ territory. In addition to improving the #ecology of two clam gardens, the project also aimed to reclaim W̱SÁNEĆ knowledge, practices and culture related to clam gardens.

Learn more & sign up to help out:
wsanec.com/the-clam-garden-res

In a #Cleveland suburb, this old #CoalPlant will soon be replaced by a massive #SolarFarm

Inside Climate News
July 26, 2024

"#CoalFired power plant that started running more than a century ago is about to get a long-overdue retirement, and its electricity will be replaced by a solar farm and a #BatteryStorage system on an existing #brownfield.

"The project in #PainesvilleOhio, a suburb of Cleveland, is one of about two dozen clean energy and emissions-reduction initiatives across the country that are sharing $4.3 billion in funding announced on Monday by the #BidenAdministration.

"It was a happy day for Doug Lewis, Painesville’s city manager. He and his colleagues have been considering how to close the city-owned power plant and replace it with a cleaner alternative. They also have wanted to redevelop the site of a long-shuttered #chemical factory near the shores of Lake Erie.

"The federal government will now pay about $80 million to install solar and batteries on the former factory land and to beautify the rest of the brownfield by planting a #meadow of #wildflowers and constructing a #BikeTrail. The trail will provide a connection between Painesville and a regional trail that runs along the lake.

[...]

"The solar farm will have capacity of 35 megawatts and the battery storage system will have capacity of 10 megawatts. It will be capable of running for three hours at that level before recharging.

"The new construction will be on land that once was home to the Diamond Shamrock Corp. chemical plant, which operated there from 1912 to 1977 and occupied about 1,100 acres. The plant’s products included baking soda, chromium compounds, and hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.

"Since the site closed, the community and the federal government have gone through the slow and trying process of removing #pollutants to make it site safe for redevelopment.

The current project can serve as a case study for many things, including regional cooperation. Painesville, in Lake County, worked with officials in neighboring Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland city government to file an application with the federal government that included #RenewableEnergy projects for all of them."

Read more:
msn.com/en-us/money/markets/in

#SolarFarms
#RenewablesNow
#RenewableEnergy
#LocalEnergy
#NoNewNukes
#NoNukes #Ohio #Bicycles #BikePaths #GreenSpace #Reclamation #SolarSundays

www.msn.comMSN

A #CulturalReclamation is underway in the #Mikmaw community of #Sipeknekatik in what we now call #NovaScotia. The #FirstNation is situated just eight kilometres from the site of the former #Shubenacadie Indian #ResidentialSchool. The #IndianDaySchools operated on the reserve from 1894 to1996. During centralization in the 1940s, the federal government #ForciblyRelocated many #Mikmaq from around Nova Scotia to two reserves, one of which was Sipekne’katik.

Together, these #colonial policies tried to strip Mi’kmaq of connection to land, language, culture & dentity. But the Mi’kmaq are still here, still strong.

#StudentJournalists in the Reporting in Mi’kma’ki course – a collaboration between the University of King’s College & Nova Scotia Community College – headed to Sipekne’katik to learn more.

They met #community members who shared their time & expertise to pass on teachings, from ribbon skirts to medicines to culture & language in the classroom.

aptnnews.ca/ourstories/reclaim

APTN | Our StoriesReclaiming culture: On the land, community and classroom in Sipekne’katik - APTN | Our StoriesStudent journalists in the Reporting in Mi’kma’ki course headed to Sipekne’katik about a cultural reclamation that's underway.

#Radical #sovereignty, rhetorical borders, and the everyday #decolonial praxis of #Indigenous #peoplehood and #TwoSpirit reclamation

#IanKharaEllasante
07 Apr 2021

ABSTRACT

"As #SettlerColonialism has forcibly constricted vast expanses of #Indigenous lands, criss-crossing them with superimposed borders, it has sought to redraw the boundaries of Indigenous identity by imposing definitions and categories that invariably lead to Indigenous diminishment. Strategic and eliminatory categorization is essential to the settler-colonial imperative. This essay explores settler-colonial exercises of rhetorical imperialism that deploy language, connotation, and categorization to dismantle Indigenous cultural systems. The author discusses the political stake in who is designated Indigenous, the drive to remake Indigenous nations in the image of the settler-state, the enforcement of #cisheteropatriarchal #capitalist norms, and assimilationist strategies aiming to disrupt #Indigenous formations of #gender and kinship. The author argues that Indigenous assertions of peoplehood as a definitional and unifying framework and Two-Spirit as a self-identifier are acts of resistance that they term 'oppositional identification' and 'contrast mechanisms.' They are exercises of rhetorical and radical sovereignty, tantamount to everyday #decolonization."

Full paper:
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10