I had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Fletcher '07, Henry Steinberg '06 and Sarah Lawson-Stopps '07, three of seven COA students who attended the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Curitiba, Brazil this April.

Shawn:  Could you explain a little bit about the convention and its global context?

Students: There were actually two separate but related conventions going on while we were in Brazil.  The first week was the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).  The second and third weeks were negotiations on the Bio-safety Protocol.  These both fall under the umbrella of the UN, with the Bio-Safety Protocol being the more binding agreement.  Both agreements seek to address the safety of genetically modified organisms.

The U.S. has signed the Convention on Biological Diversity but has not ratified it and at this point is not a party to the Bio-Safety Protocol.  While the U.S. had no official delegates present, there were representatives from the U.S. government there to influence delegates.

Shawn: What was the involvement of COA students?

Students: We were involved both in education and activism.  We communicated directly with delegates, wrote press releases that were picked up by the media, and drew attention to our positions by doing skits, making signs, etc. 

One of the ways we got the attention of delegates was by making banners and holding them in the entryway to the convention so that as the delegates filed in they would have to pass by our banners.  Since over 1,000 delegates passed through the entryway, we were able to communicate our message to many participants.

We also wore armbands that read "Contains” which referred to the need to contain genetically modified organisms. We actually got some of the delegates to wear the bands. 

In addition to this kind of general activism, we were able to sit down and meet with several delegates, one of which was the Norwegian delegate who represented a similar position to the youth movement.

In terms of education, this was really an extension of work that we had begun at COA under faculty member Doreen Stabinsky who had attended every prior conference and gave us an incredible amount of background information ahead of our trip.  As it turned out, we had a greater understanding of what was being debated than many of the delegates due to the preparation we had prior to the meetings.  So education involved both us having an educational experience as well as educating the delegates on issues that we had studied.

Shawn: Did the youth have the opportunity to address delegates in any of the group or working sessions?

Students: Kate Tompkins '08 made a statement on "Terminator Technology” to over half of the attendants of the convention.  This was the first time the Convention on Biological Diversity has allowed the youth to make a statement in a working group.  We spoke to the chairman and asked him to call on the youth and he did.  This gave the youth something to be really proud of and since it was a COA student, the college should be proud as well.

Shawn: What exactly is "Terminator Technology”

Students: "Terminator Technology” is one type of genetic engineering that renders a seed infertile after it has gone through its life cycle.  What this means to farmers throughout the world is that they would not be able to save seed from year to year, a practice that is as old as agriculture itself.  This type of technology is obviously in the interest of the GMO seed companies because it would enable them to sell their seed year after year, gaining profit each year.

Fortunately one of the outcomes of this convention was to extend and strengthen the moratorium on "Terminator Technology”.  That was the position of the youth statement.

Shawn: I heard that the students who attended the convention started a blog to keep people informed of what they were doing.  Can you tell me a little about that?

Students: Yes, we started a blog that you can visit at www.wheredidmygenesgo.org We wrote daily comments on what was happening at the conference and the position of the youth.   There are some photos as well.  You should check it out.

Shawn: Were there any other students from the U.S. or abroad present?

Students: There were no other U.S. students present but there were students from San Paulo, Brazil and a few other places.  COA students took a leadership role in organizing the youth.  We were the only people from the U.S. aside from U.S.-based NGO's.

Shawn: A few of you have attended other international conferences on different topics such as climate change, how do these different conventions and conferences relate from a student's perspective?

Students: There is a lot of overlap between UN conventions.  As you can imagine, if the topic is poverty it is hard to avoid talking about agriculture, bio-safety, trade issues, etc.  All of these global topics are intertwined. To have students attend different conferences is a great way for us to see the connections first hand and bring our human ecological perspective to the table.

Shawn: What were the most important things you gained from this experience?

Students: We learned that we could organize effectively and make a difference through our actions.  This experience was an opportunity for us to put into practice a lot of the things we have learned by studying policy at COA and made us realize that if we pursue a career in policy work, we can be effective.

Another wonderful thing about being present at this convention was the sense that we were representing the U.S. even though the U.S. had not ratified these agreements.

Shawn: Are there any upcoming conferences or conventions you or other COA students are planning to attend?

Students: Next term there will be courses on International Environmental Politics, Climate Science, and a group study of the Kyoto Protocol.  Following those courses will be the second round of Kyoto negotiations in Nairobi in November.  We are hoping that the students who take those courses will be able to attend the conference in Nairobi.

In the U.S. there are also some conferences on climate change that students will participate in that focus on campus initiatives.  Next winter, COA will host the State of Maine Climate Conference.