Gasland: A film by Josh Fox

The shadbush collective formed in the spring of 2010 out of a desire to develop a more radical response to the climate crisis and environmental injustice as they manifest in Pittsburgh and throughout our region. In many ways we came together around the immediate need to organize against natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, which threatens even some of our own neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. This struggle is at the forefront of our work. But we do not wish to limit our work to a single campaign or issue – the destruction of communities and ecosystems under capitalism will not end with a single practice, nor will the “solutions” offered to us from above lead us to a sustainable future. Regionally, we see the need to work in solidarity with coalfield communities in Pennsylvania and throughout southern Appalachia, affected by longwall mining and mountaintop removal. Connecting struggles against coal and natural gas is critical to showing that no form of fossil fuel extraction, or consumption, is safe or clean. We also see a need to help grow community solutions to climate change and peak oil. In our city, we see the growth of so-called green businesses, development projects, and city programs heralded as the seeds of a green economy. However, these institutions often undermine our capacity for self-sufficiency by co-opting community projects and contributing to gentrification. We hope to support projects which truly build community sustainability and autonomy in Pittsburgh.

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