Patricia's report: Day 3 – The People’s Summit

Post by Patricia Grossi Reis

Instead of going to Rio Centro, today I wanted to experience another side of Rio+20: the People's Summit. This is a nine-day event organized by civil society, which is taking place at Flamengo Park about 40 kilometers away from the Convention Center where the official negotiations unfold. Many of us are wondering why there is such a large geographical gap between the two events, and I have heard several different explanations. Regardless, the setting for the People’s Summit is a lot more pleasant – it is by the beach, and it has one of Rio’s most famous landmarks as a background: the Sugar Loaf mountain. The atmosphere there is also more relaxed; there is music, plenty of sunlight and people everywhere, from all ages and backgrounds. The energy of the place is invigorating.

I attended an event that marked the launch of Earth Charter’s Brazilian Network, and a very large audience was present. Among the key speakers were Mirian Vilela, Executive Director of the Earth Charter International Secretariat, and Leonardo Boff, scholar of theology and philosophy and one of the co-authors of the Earth Charter. Mirian’s talk was inspirational. She told us about the origins of the Charter and about all the hard work that has been done in the last decade to disseminate the principles and encourage their adoption across the globe. She compared the Charter to a coin: on one side it is a document that lays out the values and ethical principles for sustainable development, and on the other side it is a movement that turns the principles into practice. Therefore, the Earth Charter is the combination of a philosophical, ethical foundation and a process of action and reflection that brings this foundation to life.

Leonardo Boff wrapped up the event with a speech full of passion, causing many in the audience to shed tears, myself included! He spoke about the need for a new start, which requires both a new mind and a new heart, and how this is the only way we will achieve a more sustainable way of living. A new mind entails looking at the Earth in a different light, one that recognizes the planet as a living, breathing entity, in a state of physical, chemical, and ecological balance articulated in such a way that it gives life to everything. A new heart involves rescuing our emotional reasoning and perpetuating values such as caring, love, and protection to all beings in our community of life.

I could go on about this extremely moving talk, but I am running out of space and I hope you get the idea! For me, the main lesson of the day was to realize that, while formal negotiations have their place, grassroots movements are the engine that drive real change. And it feels great to be part of this movement.