Latest Articles
-
An insult generator for tree-huggers
Inspired by Mark Peters' piece on tree-hugging and name-calling, a dear reader and his friend converted an Elizabethan insult generator into a Conservative insult generator and then into a combined Elizabethan-Conservative insult generator. So there, you quailing, hazardous-waste-spooning pignuts!
-
Business Week cover story looks at the watering down of the organic ethos
A fine feature story in Business Week this week -- The Organic Myth, by Diane Brady. "As it goes mass market, the organic food business is failing to stay true to its ideals," the cover proclaims.
When I first glanced at the mag, I expected rah-rah boosterism for corporate organics and spite for old-school purists, but the article actually struck me as a pretty fair assessment of the culture clash between the organic ethos and the Big Biz model -- the gist being that the two are remarkably ill-suited. Corporate enthusiasm for organics notwithstanding -- and there's plenty of enthusiasm out there, from Wal-Mart to General Mills to Kellogg and beyond -- these two approaches to comestible commerce look increasingly irreconcilable.
None of this is new, of course -- our own Tom P. has written about the issue (and I'm interested to hear his assessment of this story). But this is the first article that's made me think the organic juggernaut is really about to blow up into a big ol' mess. Not just organic getting watered down, as is already happening, but the whole system breaking down, unable to support the new model of globally sourced organic items pouring into processed foods and mega-stores. Demand is outstripping supply by huge margins, corporations are demanding lower prices, production is being offshored to unreliable suppliers, individuals are growing even more confused about what "organic" means.
-
They’re on board
I read the statement below after a round of knocking on church doors to pitch a local screening of The Great Warming to pastors and priests -- yes, thank you, I did feel a bit silly. Anyway, Moab's 8,000 residents are served by 19 official houses of worship (you can find the less-organized believers at the co-op). By and large, churchgoers here vote, and they're pretty pro-active, especially when it comes to the health and welfare of the canyons.
Rick Sherman, a Catholic priest who's written on stewardship for a few newspapers, was quick to point out that his church has been on the environmental ball for years, and handed me a few pamphlets on the subject. Not having read many religious tracts lately, I was impressed -- and not scared a bit! This is from Global Climate Change: a plea for dialogue, prudence and the common good, a statement from the U.S. Catholic Bishops. Yes, it's a serious read, but it's not Latin and there's no math.
-
Business as usual is expensive too
Will global warming eventually cost the world's economy $12 trillion? I've got no clue. I mean, even the specialists who've studied the economic impacts of climate change have no real idea. The latest figure is just their best guess.
But this much is clear: no matter whether this estimate is on the mark, the idea that we should tally the cost of "business as usual" -- i.e., letting climate change run amok -- is exactly the right framework for thinking about the issue.
-
A guest essay by Melanie Griffin
We present a guest essay from Melanie Griffin, director of Sierra Club's Partnerships Program.
-----
I've been a "professional environmentalist" for 25 years now. While the right wing paints a picture of environmentalists as negative obstructionists and prophets of doom and gloom, I don't fit that description and neither do most of my environmentally inclined friends. It's true we are forced to spend a lot of our time "stopping" things -- hazardous waste dumping, irresponsible development, oil drilling in America's Wildlife Refuges and the like. And if you're paying any attention at all to the current trends and predictions about global warming, or to the Bush Administration's unraveling of decades of basic environmental safeguards, you probably wonder how a career conservationist ever gets out of bed in the morning.
But let's face it, to dedicate your life to protecting the planet from basic human behaviors like greed and power and selfishness, you've got to be an optimist at heart. You have to believe that you can make a difference with your life -- that there is hope.
-
The Great Warming pops up in Moyers’ special
It may only have been a couple of establishing shots, but when America's great documentarian gives you the nod, baby, that's legit. This brief brush with fame came during the PBS Moyers on America special Is God Green?, when "Courtesy of The Great Warming" flashed across the screen -- twice! I dropped my fork and called the folks.
-
Tips to save energy
I wish I'd written this: an energy economist's seven-point prescription for using energy more efficiently.
-
More navel-gazing!
Now that the wingnuts have moved on to their latest outrage of the day, let's take a closer look at the notorious Nuremberg analogy. On reflection, I've come to think that it's inappropriate -- and not because it gave Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh (and Brit Hume!) one of their patented umbrage woodies. Three reasons:
First off, never violate Godwin's Law. It's a law for a reason.
Two, the Nuremberg trials resulted in executions. I'm opposed to state-sanctioned execution in all cases, but would certainly never advocate it merely for the crime of being a lying scumbag.
Third -- and more to the point -- Nuremberg was primarily about prosecution and punishment. I'm not a particularly vindictive person, and I'm not that interested in retribution. What I'm interested in is the truth: that the truth be aired; that those who have lied own up to it and be held accountable; that those who suffered as a result of the lies be allowed to tell their stories.
For these reasons, a far better analogy for what I had in mind would have been South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or perhaps what the Germans call Vergangenheitsbewältigung:
-
From Ellen to Illin’
Ay, there’s the scrub First came the ads and webisodes showing Dawn detergent cleaning itty-bitty oil-soaked critters. Now Ellen DeGeneres is barking about becoming a seal on Dawn’s world-saving website. Nemo has yet to comment on the development. Photo: Kevin Mazur / WireImage.com Remote controlled Channeling vintage Grist List, Connecticut has launched a “No Child […]
