Salons are about creating a space for thoughtful conversation and camaraderie. We typically gather in the afternoon/early evening of the second Sunday of each month.
The first Earth Day in 1970 was a response to catastrophic pollution. About 10% of the US population marched in the streets. Recent mass mobilizations have been a response to attempts to dismantle many advances made since 1970. How do we use this moment to galvanize mass mobilization and direct action?
Our March 2025 Salon conversation was about operational security (OPSEC) and how to improve our security culture. The opening question “What is the biggest threat to our work?” sparked responses that converged on the theme of trust - in one another and in our institutional structures. Surveillance, including through infiltration of our groups by bad actors, is a major concern.
Our working definition of consumerism: an economic theory and social order that encourages people to buy more goods and services than they need for survival or status, based on the idea that consumer spending is the key to economic growth and individual well-being. We use nonviolent direct action to prompt reconsideration of the consumerist agenda, and seek to create a space where people can imagine alternatives like a wellbeing (buen vivir) economy.