Where's Fashion?

Why isn't fashion openly, publicly, officially endorsing anti-nuclear actions around the country? In one word "Unions"!

In private, hush hush, quietly, at VIP parties, professionals in the New York fashion industry, from designers, to models, makeup artists, photographers will tell you how much they would love to see Indian Point closed. But when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, actually do something about it, they scurry like little scared animals.

Yes, there's a few like Kenneth Cole and Donna Karan, who behind the scenes support Riverkeeper events at ABC Home on Broadway. But ask them to go on the record, and they run the other way, don't return phone calls, ignore anti-nuclear activists like the plague. So why is that?

The reason is the unions. The entire garment district in New York walks to the beat of unionists, who drive the trucks, load the dresses, wire the lights, build the sets on the catwalk, load and unload the ships at the dock, deliver the goods. Upset the apple cart, and your fashion house could easily go belly up, with unexplained delays, mysteriously damaged or lost shipments, the works!

Threaten the jobs of unionists at Indian Point, and you threaten the jobs of all unionists, who work in cahoot like an ant hill, supporting each other like legs of the same table. So fashion stars who easily lend their name to Sean & Yoko's Artists Against Fracking, stay away from Indian Point, and No Nukes, because of the possible repercussions.

In New York, fashion trumps politics. Influential fashion houses have more leverage with elected officials than any other group of professionals. New York is the fashion and media capital of the world. But that relationship is fragile, precarious, and there are taboo subjects. While Riverkeeper and the Governor tirelessly advocate the immediate shut down of Indian Point, New York's number one most powerful industry, keeps silent, for fear their entire delivery system gets disrupted, costing them millions.

A strong coalition of top fashion professionals in Manhattan could shut down Indian Point tomorrow, it would be a slam dunk, but they lack the courage. Anna Wintour doesn't dare for it might jeopardize Fashion Week or Fashion Night Out. Presidents of modeling agencies like Faith Kates, who raise millions for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, ignore what is probably the number one cause of soft tissue cancer in New York's 19th congressional district, Indian Point!

Make a point next time you walk into a fashion boutique, a beauty supply store, write a letter to the editor of ELLE or Vogue. Ask them why they ignore the issue of nuclear power, why they skim over the horrors of Fukushima, why they won't use their resources and visuals to support anti-nuclear activists? Ask them why they side with the Unions who are only protecting 1200 jobs that threaten the lives of 20 million people?

Support Rock The Reactors!

(image: Fashion Poland magazine)

Shut Down SDIPN Now!

(wrong approach!)

Professional New Yorkers have nowhere to turn if they want to shut down Indian Point! The only New York City based organization working on the issue is so profoundly anti-capitalist it prevents businesses, especially green businesses, from joining. It's time for a new, green business friendly group to emerge.

Entergy, the company which owns and operates Indian Point, funds powerful pro-relicensing business associations in the Hudson Valley, like the Business Council of Westchester and the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance. Without similar strong green business coalitions opposing the relicensing, Entergy controls the political process. 

The first meeting of Shut Down Indian Point Now! was held March 28th 2011 at Green Spaces, the entrepreneurial collective on Broadway. It was spearheaded by Rosie Tovi, a figure skating champion, who had launched a facebook page and website.

People started walking out when the radical left overpowered the meeting by wanting to exclude businesses from the organization. In essence preventing solar companies, LED companies, organic farmers, eco-friendly stores, etc... from joining the organization, insulting the green business professionals in attendance.

Many came from the New York chapter of the Green Party and Time's Up which had already been organizing shut down Indian Point protests throughout the City, but also use the issue to promote their own narrow socialist agenda.

They label sustainable fashion and green beauty companies as "sexist" which is not conducive to enlisting the enthusiastic participation of such companies, who are otherwise quite supportive of our effort.

Rosie Tovi quit. She kept the facebook page and website she designed to herself. The remaining members created a new website and facebook page, with the same name, which is why there are now two different Shut Down Indian Point Now groups in New York.

The splintering of the shut down Indian Point community in Manhattan over this issue is costing the movement to shut down Indian Point precious time and resources.

Riverkeeper and Clearwater, have also not worked to form a green business association against the relicensing of Indian Point, leaving the road wide open for Entergy to influence the political process.

Green Drinks, a popular host of social networking events, held promise if members could be reached and organized. Instead it has played host to ConEd representatives touting energy efficiency at the expense of any mention of Indian Point. In fact, many attending Green Drinks now in New York, Weschester, and Connecticut, work for the utilities.

Large trade events like Go Green Expo and Green Festival were shunned by Shut Down Indian Point Now for green washing rather than used as an opportunity to gain more support, recruit volunteers and gain sponsors.

My own organization Rock The Reactors, which since 2006 has brought wide attention to the dangers of Indian Point, producing over 100 intervention papers with FUSE USA, is penalized by Shut Down Indian Point Now for selling t-shirts, promoting LED lighting, and partnering with soft drink and nutrition bar companies.

It's time we change all this, bring the shut down Indian Point movement to those who can really make a real difference, New York City green business professionals!

Do we want to shut down Indian Point or do we want use the Indian Point issue as a means to promote a radical feminist agenda? Can't do both and be successful I'm afraid. 

Good Morning Campus!

Alright, it's been an eternity since I posted anything here, it's not like there's so much traffic anyone's been missing it. But I just wanted to send whoever actually logs on once in awhile a head's up about a few important things.

First of all, don't miss the day of anti-nuclear rallies scheduled for October 1st all over the country, a project spearheaded by Priscilla Star, a friend of Helen Caldicott. Helen will attend the New York City gathering from Noon to 3:30pm at Pier 95 in Manhattan. You can get all the detailed information by Googling the Coalition Against Nukes or log on to Rock The Reactors, our sister website.

The other upcoming event is the Riverkeeper EcoSalon fundraiser dedicated to Indian Point on October 13. Riverkeeper is the organization with the lawyers making sure the NY Department of Environmental Conservation sticks to its guns. Indian Point lost its water permit because of the 2.4 billion gallons of super heated water poured back into the Hudson river every day. We have a ton of giant bass who love the high temperatures, at the expense of every other native species.

Without a water permit, the NRC cannot award Entergy its renewed license to keep operating Indian Point for another 20 to 40 years. That's a good thing! That means the plant will start decommissioning reactor 2 in 2013, and reactor 3 in 2015. We've ducked so many bullets, we wish it could be sooner. There's still a good chance we can close Indian Point now if enough influential people come together.

Many more events, gatherings, legal actions, are being organized. A new group has formed in the Hudson Valley called Stony Point 55. In Manhattan, Shut Down Indian Point Now. It's a time of reorganizing the grassroots. In Norwalk, join us every Saturday from 8pm to 10pm at the Aquarium Steampunk Reading Room for Norwalk Green Drinks. Thousands of books chronicling the evolution of the environmental movement are there to inspire future actions.