rickeym’s Recent Comments

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  Books to read

  Thanks to Van Jones for mentioning Octavia Butler's Parable series. She was one of the most important writers of our time, and those who avoided her because of the sc-fi label should open their minds and read her. She was so much more than that.

  Props to Carl Pope's list, which gets at the cultural aspects of our dilemma. Never mind the star-studded "green is glamorous" books. Forget the solar-powered espresso maker. We will be living like the characters in World Made By Hand in no time.

  Finally, I'd recommend books by Derrick Jensen, Zerzan, Stanley Diamond, and Kirkpatrick Sale. We're not going to have a green civilization, sort of like the one we have, but with everyone driving a Chevy Volt to their eco-Pilates class. Forget it. Civilization is what's unsustainable.

  Enjoy. On Seven green leaders reveal their favorite reads posted 1 year, 4 months ago 6 Responses

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  What About the Soil?

  I'd be more sanguine about all this if you could reassure me about the health of the soil. Sounds like we'd be working the soil to death ... but I'm not a farmer, so I don't know if my fears are valid.

  Also, monoculture is monoculture, which is not a good long-range strategy for the planet in general. We've already lost so much biodiversity owing to monocultural agribusiness, suburban and exurban development, roads, etc. We're just going to displace more critters just so we can keep driving to the megamall.

  Call me a romantic, but it seems to me that we need to rethink our living arrangements at the same time as we move toward energy independence and sustainability. Start with a LOT less driving (doubling of MPG is great, but far from the answer), much more efficient housing (the biggest user of energy of all), and something along the lines of cluster villages (dense, walkable to essential services and cultural - in the larger sense -- venues) connected by rail, more localization in general. Just for starters. Not my original ideas, cf. Richard Register and others.

  My point is, aren't industrial solutions to industrial problems misguided? Just wondering.On Where will biofuels and biomass feedstocks come from? posted 1 year, 9 months ago 16 Responses

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  What's So Great?

  That anyone can be blown away by Clarke's op-ed suggests a certain tunnel vision among Gristers.

  Aside from acknowledging that global warming is a neglected issue -- props to Clarke on that, although he leaves unstated what might be the best approach to that problem -- most of the rest is still framed in the context of American imperialism. Consider the following.

  "Formerly debt-ridden economies were implementing pro-market reforms, and the United States was welcomed as a partner."

  Does anyone on Grist know how to decode that? Let me help: "Countries which have been sufficiently humiliated and brought to their knees by the (American-controlled) IMF, are now resigned to allowing American multi-national corporations to exploit their resources, their people, and their economy, lest we Americans unleash black-ops warfare, assassinations, embargoes, or other ways of making you ... um ... partners"

  For Grist readers, it's also important to make the leap from "trading partner" to the environmental degradation that typically accompanies globalization. Being a "good partner" to the U.S. means environmental hell for the locals.

  Drug control is another smokescreen issue , as the U.S. has consistently used drug trafficking for its own purposes, not least of which is the financial power of all that money to finance covert warfare, and float many of our major banks -- it's estimated that maybe a trillion dollars a year is laundered through American banks, a great boon to a financial system that is otherwise leaking money. Believe it, George HW Bush was not seriously interested in eliminating the drug trade, just controlling how the money gets used. And congress gave him a new budget to do that.

  I could go on.

  Clarke brings up a great list of issues, but the solutions that a loyal servant of the American Empire might offer are not necessarily the ones -- I hope! -- that a reader of Grist would want if we are to arrive at not only a sustainable planet but a just and humane world.On Richard Clarke writes the op-ed of the year posted 2 years, 10 months ago 15 Responses

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  The Land of Crunchy Capitalists?

  My overall impression of the fair was that being green is a new consumer lifestyle. And in my view, that's not necessarily a good thing.

  A few of the featured speakers made impassioned pleas regarding an end to our consumer-oriented ways. Meanwhile, out in the booths, retailers were flogging every conceivable product -- most of which, while organic, fair trade, sustainable, and otherwise full of righteousness, were simply consumer substitutes, still manufactured and packaged and shipped, etc.

  Aside from the oxymoronic notion of the "green consumer," the event itself has now outgrown the venue. The press of humanity and the cacophony of the current venue is absolutely brutalizing. It was hard to enjoy the speakers when they were being drowned out by the Live Music Stage. What the festival needs is to take over a university campus for the weekend, where they would have access to a real auditorium (for the main speakers), lecture halls for the other sessions, and so forth. Also, this is a networking venue, yet it's almost impossible to carry on a conversation with someone.

  Suffice to say, I will not attend another Green Festival as it is currently constituted.

  One particularly gaff at this year's gathering was to assign the only session devoted to people of color in the green movement to an auxiliary tent outside of the convention center itself. This wasn't even the back of the bus; it was like hanging on to the rear bumber! I'm embarrassed for the movement.

  I don't know what to make of the crunchy observations. Perhaps because I'm a native San Franciscan (living in exile currently), but that sort of thing doesn't register with me as much as the sheer capitalist energy of the scene. You could smell the testosterone. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for local businesses supplying us with life's necessities. But a lot of the energy seems to be leaning toward larger scale effort: Become the next Body Shop. Then sell it for bazillions. Whatever.

  To end on a more positive note, What I like best about the Green Festival is the pep rally aspect. Korten was great, Suzuki was great, numerous other speakers had great things to say. You leave all pumped up to do more good work, and you know you're not alone.On A report posted 2 years, 12 months ago 5 Responses

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  Let Me Join the Echo Chamber

  As usual, the Gristmill folks see right through this. How come Amanda Grissom didn't seek some dissenting views? Where's that hard-hitting journalism?

  Yep, GE loves nuclear plants.On Biggest energy companies in U.S. call for caps on carbon emissions posted 3 years, 7 months ago 3 Responses