When the laws regulating forest practices, endangered species, clean air, and water were put on the books, it was well before the 1990s when our society became enthralled with neoliberalism which elevated economic utility and job creation above all in matters of public policy. Public resource managers now face local political pressure to base every […]
– The Problem with Partnerships and Roundtables Read More »
All successful environmental campaigns resemble one another. All unsuccessful ones fail in their own unique way. From company personnel officers to politicians, those who attend to official “complaints” say that people who present grievances and complaints almost never state the exact relief they seek. But agencies, legislators, and the entire American political process are organized
– What is the relief you seek? Read More »
The vast majority of environmental campaigns are businesslike and seldom create personal confrontations, but for some issues and in some areas of the country, public meetings on environmental issues can occasionally subject activists to bullying and personal threats. The overwhelming majority of personal threats, while unnerving, never result in physical harm. Fortunately, there is an
– Confronting Goons and Bullies In Public Meetings Read More »
One of the best ways to stop a project that threatens to ruin your neighborhood is to prove it might harm some species of plant or animal threatened with extinction. After years of making these arguments, you learn the habits and idiosyncrasies of other species, sometimes rather obscure ones. Environmental advocacy is weaponizing biology to
– What Are Other Species For? Read More »
When we lived on the coast of Oregon, we had to constantly fertilize the poor, sandy soil to maintain a garden. Also, the area received very high rainfall—100 or more inches on the coast where we lived and 200 inches in the coastal mountains that began at the edge of town, so nutrients were continually
– The Broccoli That Ate Port Orford Read More »
Buckminster fuller often used the example of the behavior of chrome steel to demonstrate that complex systems are far more than the mere sum of their parts. Its constituents are chrome, nickel, and steel. No one of these metals is very strong and if one was to make half-inch rods of each and bundle them
– Why Mother Nature Doesn’t Love You Read More »
This guide will be useful to anyone who needs to stop a proposed timber sale; and interesting to those curious about the geological, silvicultural, biological and ecological problems that arise when you turn forests into 2x4s. These defects and issues are typical in timber sales on USFS and BLM land whenever the political process makes
– Illustrated Guide to Finding Defects in Timber Sales Read More »
Vol. 3 is the last volume in the series Organize To Win. It makes an argument that by any metric such as number of speeches given, letters written, groups mobilized, meetings held, press releases issued, etc., today’s wilderness campaigns are waged with perhaps 1% or less of the vigor and intensity of grassroots campaigns before
– Organize To Win Vol. 3 now available to download Read More »
Environmental activists must oppose bad environmental projects (like the Makah Indian tribe whale hunt approved by the U.S government) even when promoted by or designed to financially benefit minorities, or the oppressed and disenfranchised. Paradoxically, not opposing them can lead to worse ethical failings than racism, colonialism and the other “-isms.” What ethical issues arise
– Indigenous Logging, Whaling and Other Activist Dilemmas Read More »
Since 1970, the purpose of Earth Day has changed from one day each year when corporate polluters were exposed (what corporations should do), to a celebration of the personal (what you can do). Today’s bland, uncontroversial event typically features everything from 5k runs to esoteric spiritualties, but almost always carefully avoids any discussion of local
– How “Act Locally” Became “Shop Locally” | What Happened To Earth Day? Read More »