Fotos and Climate Change ... the Road from Media that Matters to Bolivia

I'm impressed. In a few days Bolivia will host another climate change confab, just months after things went sour at COP15. That was the UN Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December 2009 that was – many of us hoped – going to see some global commitments on global actions on an issue that affects all of us on this little blue globe. This time around, Bolivia is hosting a World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth.

What I'm impressed by is the determination of a southern hemisphere country to – as Nike used to say – "just do it." Just take the issue on and keep working it. Hats off to the Bolivians!

I'm also impressed at what's happening in my larger circle of Media that Matters 2009 alumni. MtM is an annual gathering of "media" folks that kick-started my creative, productive motors last year. It seems to have done the same for a number of others who participated last year.

Right now, viz this climate change confab happening this month in Bolivia I'm seeing Chris Jordan and Kris Krüg putting their energies into getting Kris into Bolivia to do his foto-reportage thing. In case you missed it, Kris shot tons of images at COP15. You can find them on Flickr. Chris was part of the Journey to Midway project that seemed to kick off from last May's MtM. But he's probably even better known for his large images that depict our consumer society. Amazing, gripping images that have their own "intolerable beauty."

Which takes to me to the point of my post: some of us creatives are rolling in cash; most of us aren't. To get Kris to Bolivia, Chris has donated one of his images for auction on ebay as a fundraiser. He's a big name in the art foto world, and his 20x24 inch print is valued at $3000. Right now the bid is at $500 (I won't tell you what my max bid is; you'll have to plug your own max bid into the ebay bid box to find out ;-) That's a deal. And, the money goes to help telling the story of what's going to happen in Bolivia between April 19-23, 2010. You can read what Kris & company wrote about their trip to Bolivia here.

This is an example of the kind of thing that people can get up to when we "just do it." I want to see Kris in Bolivia. I want to see his fotos splashed across the mainstream media, documenting people getting serious about climate change. So I put my money down for this print. And Chris put his print up for auction. Check it out. Be part of this story.

(And, as an aside, if you're interested in the kind of transformational, kick-starting experience that can happen at Media that Matters, the early bird deadline for this year's event is closing in on us ¡muy pronto! Check it out here... )

Thanks Kris. And thanks Chris.

hanspetermeyer
13 April 2010

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