Comments Mark Powell has made

  • Now there's a Congressman to be proud of

    Go Jay, thanks for working hard to build a better future.  It's a pleasure to be represented by Jay, not only on Capitol Hill, but also on the basketball court where he takes 90% of the shots for our team.  On What will it take to make 2008 great? posted 1 year, 10 months ago 9 Responses

  • better advice on seafood-mercury

    Here's a place to go for some unbiased info from Purdue University scientist Dr. Charles Santerre.

    http://fn.cfs.purdue.edu/fish4health/Walletcard/walletcar ...On Research funded by seafood industry concludes that moms should eat fish posted 2 years, 1 month ago 2 Responses

  • We need both

    Breakthroughs are needed, because pushing further with everything we have now won't solve the problem.  We also need to do everything we can with existing technology.  We need both efforts, and for each side to attack the other side is counter-productive.  On The death of 'The Death of Environmentalism' posted 2 years, 1 month ago 16 Responses

  • Look forward, not back

    The growing trend for a new civil society is people and groups working with businesses rather than pushing change through governments.  The regulated have gotten better effective control of the regulatory process, so it's harder to get new regulations.  In contrast, corporations see a value in being perceived as green, and we the people have power to the extent that we can encourage businesses towards green behavior.  We still need to push for regulatory changes, but we also need to supplement that with business/NGO/people joint action for the common good.On It's not that individuals can't do anything about climate -- they just can't do it by themselves posted 2 years, 2 months ago 30 Responses

  • Don't forget right whales!

    Northern right whales are the most endangered whales on earth.  They are large whales that are being killed by getting tangled up in fishing gear and rammed by ships.  

    They're big, and they're in trouble today.On Iceland announces it will reinstate whaling ban next year posted 2 years, 3 months ago 2 Responses

  • CA reserves ban all fishing

    RE: question on rec/sport/comm fishing restrictions.  Most of the closed areas ban all forms of fishing.  Some allow limited fishing.  The article was unclear on this point.  More info at LA Times link in the story or blogfish.  On Bring in the Reserves posted 2 years, 3 months ago 4 Responses

  • ocean wildlife refuge smackdown

    Amazing that this common sense idea created such a fight.  Fishing interests fought like crazy to protect their perceived "right" to fish in every square inch of the ocean around the islands.  This story is interesting, for more info stop by blogfish  http://blogfishx.blogspot.com/2007/08/ocean-wildlife-refu ...On Bring in the Reserves posted 2 years, 3 months ago 4 Responses

  • Out of the frying pan, into the fire

    Grey whales are just finished recovering from the bad old days of whale hunting.  Now we're after them again, indirectly.  This news has been leaking out for a while, glad to see Ken Weiss cover it prominently in the LA Times.  On The LA Times reports on global warming and skinny whales posted 2 years, 4 months ago 13 Responses

  • Please don't pee in the ocean

    At least not in heavily used sites.  While pee is natural, it's probably time to start worrying about pee where many thousands of people visit sensitve sites like coral reefs.  This is especially true where reefs are already under stress.  I hate to be the downer guy here, but maybe try to hold it in popular coral reef diving sites. On Umbra on peeing at the beach posted 2 years, 5 months ago 8 Responses

  • Strange bedfellows

    Partners are where you find them.  Just as McDonalds and Wal-mart are advancing sustainable fishing, fishery managers in New England continue to "just say no" to sustainability.  And the good family fishermen of New England are the real force blocking change.  

    Just exactly who occupies the moral high ground here?  On I'm lovin' it posted 2 years, 5 months ago 7 Responses

  • Drift gillnets are still legal?

    The back story here is that drift gillnets are still legal.  Most people think we banned drift gillnets in the 1990s, following bad publicity.  Drift gillnets up to 2.5 kilometers are still widely used, and lots of other harmful fishing practices are still used.  When will we get serious about fixing problems in our oceans?  

      On Latest victory protects Pacific sea turtles posted 2 years, 5 months ago 5 Responses

  • No more false choices

    Food that you love to eat need not be bad for the earth.  Reject false choices.  Don't stop buying what you like just because it's unsustainable.  If you love it, buy it--and dig in and work to make it sustainable.  On On the peculiar American habit of demonizing food posted 2 years, 5 months ago 22 Responses

  • Amen, brother

    Optimism is the spark that will save us.  Change seems impossible looking forward, but looking back in time at change it seems like it was somehow inevitable.  In 1984, who saw the Berlin Wall falling?  In 1990, who saw the decline of public acceptance of smoking?  In 2007, who sees the fundamental reconfiguration of business towards sustainability?  On What would you like to ask him? posted 2 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

  • The well-defended fortresses of denial

    I like to call these denial efforts the Well-Defended Fortresses of Denial.  I think it's useful to note that they can look like an impenetrable wall of defense, but seen correctly they're nothing more than specific points of denial where defenses have already been built. It's usually possible to find ways around the denial rather than trying to bring the denial crashing down.  

    Ok, long and tired metaphor, but it can be a useful exercise to ask whether it's possible to go around the denial rather than confronting it head-on.  

    BlogfishOn A video you simply must see posted 2 years, 6 months ago 9 Responses

  • Inslee vs. Scarlett

    I'm proud to be represented by Mr. Inslee!!On A smackdown in Congress posted 2 years, 6 months ago 7 Responses