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USE OF THIS SITE DEPENDS ON AGREEMENT WITH OUR DISCLAIMER: This website is intended to help advance knowledge and contribute to public awareness. While all reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the validity of the information given, no warranty is given of its accuracy. It is not intended to substitute for medical or legal advice nor as a final statement with regard to possible prevention and avoidance recommendations or potential biological effects. No liability is accepted by the authors for damages arising from its use or misuse and interpretation by others. All references to smart meters refer to digital, wireless and powerline carrier (PLC) devices, which may vary in their emissions and frequencies. All content on this site is copyrighted by StopSmartMeters.org unless otherwise indicated. Brief (max 3 sentences) excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to StopSmartMeters.org with appropriate and specific links to the original content. All other uses are prohibited, unless specific and written permission from StopSmartMeters.org is provided.
The Joy (and Importance) of Public Outreach
As time goes on, grassroots efforts to educate the public on the truth about “smart” meters are gaining momentum. The spring and summer are a great season for outdoor events. Why not set up a table or bring some flyers to one near you? It can be a lot of fun and make a huge difference.
Change depends on awareness. The most effective way to spread awareness is face to face. Using the internet alone is only part of the solution to stopping smart meters. The web is great at disseminating lots of information quickly but it does not provide the opportunity for eye contact and answering people’s questions that is key to understanding and subsequent action.
Drew Lewis, a Stop Smart Meters! supporter who has been passing out our wireless warning cards (available in the SSM! store) near Silicon Valley wrote to us yesterday:
“I met two guys today when I was handing out your “Public Warning” cards who were in the TI work, One was a writer of Cell Phone Apps and the other was a Tech person who developed software for business systems. They were both open and interested in the cards I gave them and especially what I said about the cancers showing up where cell phones are pressed next to the body like brain tumors and breast cancer where the phones are put in women’s bras. I think as the word gets out more and more people are starting to take a second look at the data.”
Setting up a table at community events in a great way to do outreach to the public and recruit new volunteers. A group from Columbia Missouri has been tabling at recent events to an enthusiastic response. Likewise in Sacramento, CA and many other places.
Some reports from the field:
“We had a blast talking with the people and they were amazed about what they had let onto their houses. If you have not tried this type of event booth exhibit you will be rewarded when you do. It is fun and builds team spirit. We add to our numbers each time we do.”
-Eric Windheim of Sac Smart Meter Awareness
“Take Back Your Power Como had a fantastic time yesterday at Earth Day. We did so much educating and even had our HF35C meter to measure people’s phones. Smart Meters potentially emit 100x more radiation than a cell phone. We had pages of our petition signed to take to City Council 5/19 to show we don’t want to be charged extortion fees for requesting our analogs back. This is not fair to those with fixed incomes, medical implants, disabilities (i.e., alzheimer’s, parkinson’s, cancer) or those who educated themselves and don’t want this radio frequency spiderweb in our homes.
Not effort is too small!”
-Kelly Pascucci of Take Back Your Power Como
As we have found out when tabling- anywhere from the Green Festival to Tea Party conferences, people are hungry for this type of information and are often very grateful for your presence and contribution.
If you have spent the time to acquaint yourself with the facts, we feel it’s your responsibility to share this info with others, not just to sit on it. Edward Abbey said, “sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.”
If you don’t have a local Stop Smart Meters! group near you, why not start one and start reaching out to your community today? You just might find that there is more interest than you realized. We can help support your outreach activities.
Contact us to get advice on organizing in your area. It does make a difference and someone has to do it- it might as well be you!
SSM! Director Meets “Smart Girl” in Bristol, UK
I’m currently on a trip to see the half of my family who live in London (I am a dual UK/ US citizen). While here I am meeting with our allies at Stop Smart Meters! UK and working with locals in Bristol and Totnes to organize screenings of the new more concise version of Take Back Your Power. This week I’m in Bristol where I lived for 3 years while studying for my Masters Degree in Transport Planning. Next week I’ll be in Totnes, Devon.
When I arrived at Bristol Temple Meads Station on Tuesday, I had one of those “Shining” moments- queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I saw a little girl in the distance- there was something distinctly odd about her.
As I approached, I realized this was no ordinary little girl.
Then I saw what the matter was. This poor girl had been digitized by her “smart” phone.
This is the difference between analog and digital- the flesh and blood and the real vs. the illusion. When you get right down to it, digital is just zeros and ones. And zeros and ones are hard to love.
The girl clutches her phone and it becomes her- she has become less real and more abstract because of her (over)use of technology. The details have been lost in averages. Some deep philosophical questions about our relationship with technology are raised by this installation, called “Maya” by Luke Jerram.
Other art making a point about technological addiction has been raising eyebrows in Bristol of late. A mural by Banksy entitled “Mobile lovers” was found on a boy’s club and is now being auctioned by the club to raise funds.
I love Bristol. We will be screening Take Back Your Power at Kebele Social Centre 14 Robertson Rd. this Sunday at 7:30pm following a vegan dinner at 6:30pm, with a little chat afterwards. If you are in the area, come and join us.
Then on Tuesday we’ll be doing another screening in Totnes, the home of the Transition Town movement at 7pm at the Methodist church on Fore St.
Posted in Britain, neighborhood organizing
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Fort Collins CO Stands Up to Council Corruption
On April 15th, residents of Fort Collins, CO outraged by the treatment of Virginia Farver and others by City staff and law enforcement, rose up and attended the city council meeting en masse to demand the removal of smart meters in their town. We visited Fort Collins in late March as part of our whistlestop tour, went and confronted the utility manager, spoke at a TBYP screening event at the library, and got kicked out of a utility event for quietly spreading awareness to the public in attendance. Fort Collins is a nice town with good people, but unfortunately a corrupt and dangerous city government continues to impose its will on the public despite the mounting evidence of harm from their smart meter program.
Members of the public all provided key facts and information which the council struggles to digest or respond to. It must be pretty troubling to realize that as an elected official you have made ill-informed decisions that have put people’s lives and health in danger. Much easier psychologically to dig in deeper and refuse to take any of it on board. Just move on to the next administrative item and pretend those members of the public don’t exist, or are all crazy. It’s easier that way.
When one in confronted by a brittle, unresponsive council in denial while people are clearly hurting, and their rights being violated, what do you do? “We’re not forcing anything on you” says one of the council members who admits that RF from smart meters does cause changes in cells. With a smirk, he says, they are not forcing anything on anyone- you can choose to live without water service and electrical service- and presumably that is your only choice if you are not happy with your cells being changed or your private activities monitored.
It’s “choices” like these that led to the (first) American Revolution.