Redford and Youth Poetry

I have always believed that poetry and activism go hand in hand, that poetry is a verbal activism in and of itself, and a precursor to actual physical action. It is no surprise, for instance, that for many decades, Central and South American revolutionary activity has been accompanied by a ragged and beautiful poetry of the soul. Well, environmental activism is the revolution of the 21st Century. Here in the old U.S. of A, that movement is being fostered by young people, and it comes as no surprise to me that Robert Redford is behind some of it. Redford, known for his support of environmental causes, is apparently a big backer of youth poetry slams as a means to communicate the dangers of global warming. Check out the following story that ran on NPR.