Enviro-Education’s Recent Comments

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  This article does a great job of illuminating the teflon coating that covers the exterior of the agriculture industry. Regulations just don't seem to stick. The GHG exemption is just a continuation of the numerous exemptions granted to the regulatorily invisible AG industry. In the early 1990's agriculture was the only major industry exempted from the first phase of storm water regulations. That set of Clean Water Act regulations created storm water runoff standards for cities greater than 100,000 in population, industrial sites and construction land disturbance. More than 10 years ago the AG community was invited to the table to assist in crafting regulations that all could live with and instead opted to flex their mighty political muscle. Exempting the industry from this comprehensive set of storm water regulations has left the AG with a bit of a problem. Cities, industries and the construction folks have been implementing best management practices (BMP's) for more than a decade. They have been collecting data and have managed to gain some insight into the runoff contributions of each segment that fell under the regulations. Now with the data in, cities, industries, and construction can point to their data when a problem arises and say with authority, "this is not our runoff because we know what is in our runoff and this is not our stuff!" This leaves the AG industry with the rather lame defense that "We need the food and fiber!" No argument here that we need what AG produces, but at what environmental price? Perhaps the storm water and GHG issues combined will finally bring the teflon coated AG industry to the table.On New climate legislation overlooks a major GHG source: industrial ag posted 7 months, 4 weeks ago 21 Responses

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  Saving the Planet

  Bill is right we should scrap the canary metaphor and personalize the issue.  When someone asks me what can be done to save the planet I respond:

  "Don't worry about the planet, the planet has been fine for several billion years, you should focus on saving yourself."

  People need to understand that it is not only canaries at risk.

  Regards, Professorlife

  On No more canaries in coal mines, please posted 2 years, 6 months ago 31 Responses

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  Priest and Prophet

  Jensen and MaDonough represent the opposing poles of a larger continuum.  Both are correct in their assessment of the future but for different reasons.  I suspect the true path to the future lies somewhere in the middle of the continuum represented by the priest and prophet.

  The priest advocates a technological solution to sustain civilization.  McDonough's work is pushing development closer to Aldo Leopold's view of the land.  McDonough is advocating the development of technologies that place human development squarely into the flow of matter and energy that composes the land community.  In McDonough's future humans would again become in Leopold's terms members of the land community.

  The prophet advocates the destruction of civilization as soon as possible for the protection of the biota.  While a radical approach, this is indeed what must happen.  Rather, civilization as we know it must be reshaped.  We must adapt to a changing global environment and we must remake our civilization to become one with the land. Jensen is right in the urgency of his call, the resturcturing of civilization must be agressive and most important, it must begin now.

  A prudent approach to the salvation of human kind and a revised version of our civilization is to find ways to use technology to improve the speed at which civilization is reshaped.  The predictions of the priest and the prophet are both right and wrong at the same time.  The two seemingly opposing views of the future are not mutually exclusive, rather they cry out for a measured, well planned, well executed cooperative effort.

  I look forward to a future human civilization that has once again become a full and participating member of the land community.  Where sustaining the land is understood to be the pillar on which humanity must stand.On Can industrial civilization really become sustainable? Should it? posted 3 years, 3 months ago 40 Responses

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  Environmentalism

  Environmentalism is -

  Understanding that:

  All wealth comes from the land.

  Regards, Professorlife

  On An elevator pitch for environmentalism posted 4 years, 10 months ago 154 Responses

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  Environmentalism

  Environmentalism is -

  Understanding that:

  1. Everything is connected to everything else.
     
  2. Everything has to go somewhere.
     
  3. There is no free lunch.
     
  4. Nature always bats last.

  Regards, Professorlife

  On An elevator pitch for environmentalism posted 4 years, 10 months ago 154 Responses