Who Knew?

Glascock County is just to the north east of Washington County where I live. This will give you an idea of where it is: Glascock County The county lives in the shadow of its neighbors, and is know for being very conservative and having very little racial diversity (86.5% white from 2009 data  Glascock County data).

The tiny town of Gibson held its annual Winterfest and parade today. Dianna Wedincamp with Ogeechee Riverkeeper, my husband David, and I set up a display about the river and the proposed coal fired power plant and hoped for the best. We were surprised with the great response we got from people of all ages.

Very few people said they weren't interested, and many people wanted to learn more, share our flyers with their friends, and sign comments opposing water permits for Plant Washington (find out more here:  FACE http://faceenvironment.org/). We met men and women who are county leaders who not only signed comments opposing the plant, but brought friends and family to our booth to sign too.

The only person who approached us who supports the plant is county commission chair Anthony Griswell. After challenging him on every point in support of the plant, he finally gave us some suggestions on how we might shape our arguments to make stronger points. We didn't change his mind, but we stood our ground.

Today was much better than we expected. It was encouraging to talk with people who know we must protect our water and air. I had sold Glascock short on having community members who are forward thinking and willing to speak up for what they think is best. I learned a lot today too.