So what is 'The Outside'?

Upon learning that we would be able to make it to Copenhagen just one short week ago, we've been scrambling to contact as many people and groups (probably some of whom are reading this) as possible so that, in addition to activities with KilmaForum09, we could hopefully volunteer with some NGOs and make the absolute most of our time in Denmark. What we very quickly learned was that everyone we talked to had the same first question for us: "Are you accredited?". When we informed them "No", they also always had the same response: "Oh, so you'll be on the outside then.".

So for those of you who aren't familiar with what exactly that little dialogue means, allow me to provide a brief explaination. COP15 is working on an accreditation system, which means that in order to get into the UN conference itself, one must be - you guessed it - 'accredited'. People can get accredited through both governments, as well as NGOs and other organizations. It basically means you are part of an official delegation. 'The Outside', refers collectively to the many activities that are happening concurrent to the official COP15 meeting, but that do not require accreditation in order for one to attend and are generally more open.

It is to this series of organizations and events that we dedicate this blog: 'The Outside'. We found this discription of all non-COP15 events as 'The Outside' interesting because, as with most 'inside/outside' dicotomies, the casting of all non-COP15 events as 'The Outside' and thus the official UN/state government conference as 'The Inside', is misleading...or at least undeserved. The people both in attendance and represented by the organizations and activities being hosted on 'The Outside' are a far more diverse group than those within the actual COP15 summit, so to cast them as 'Outsiders' seems inappropriate. We have been in contact with a number of organizations that we hope to work with in Copenhagen, and we will be attending many activities and events aimed at letting the delgates know just how many people will accept nothing less than strong international action on the climate crisis. Part of our activism in Copenhagen will be to maintain this blog and let all those who can't join us on the ground know what's happening on 'The Outside', so check back as often as you wish and we'll try our best to keep you informed!