David Feld.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I am the national program director of GeesePeace.

What does your organization do?

GeesePeace is an educational nonprofit organization that helps communities humanely resolve wildlife conflicts. Currently our specific focus is Branta canadensis -- the Canada goose. Many communities in the U.S. have a growing problem with resident Canada geese that were born in the area and have no need to migrate. Canada geese born in Canada will migrate in the spring to nest in Canada and fly south in the winter.

What are you working on at the moment?

In March we have regional training meetings for GeesePeace communities. We have projects in Oyster Bay, N.Y., the New Jersey Shore, and Stratford-upon-Avon, U.K., to name a few. Our largest project is one covering an area of 60 miles around New York City. It covers areas as far north as Greenwich, Conn., and as far south as Spring Lake, N.J., and includes a good portion of New York's Hudson Valley. We call this the 60 Mile Tri-State Regional Canada Geese Populations Stabilization Project.

The program in the U.K. is run by the Stratford Town Management Partnership. They will have a symposium next year in Stratford for other communities in the U.K., like Chesterfield, which has expressed an interest in starting a program.

How do you get to work?

Everyone in GeesePeace has a "virtual" office. We use technology to keep in touch and meet, eliminating the need to commute to a fixed office site and minimizing unnecessary work-related travel.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

Actually, it was a very direct road. My community had a problem with Canada geese. Some people wanted to kill the geese, others did not. As a community leader, I chose to find a humane solution and committed to helping other communities do the same. I said, "We went to the moon -- we can figure out how to solve a goose problem humanely and without controversy." That is how GeesePeace began; now it is an organization with international reach and effectiveness.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. Now I live in Lake Barcroft, Va.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

There has been no worst moment. Even when things do not work out as expected or there is a disappointment, there is always some good that is derived from the experience or the journey.

What's been the best?

Making the decision to get GeesePeace under way, and then doing it.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Smoking in public places. With regard to geese, it's how this problem started in the first place.

Goose on the loose.

Photo: iStockphoto

Millions of Canada geese used to migrate north in the early spring to the Hudson and James Bays to nest and have their young, then migrate south in the late fall. Along the way, the geese were hunted by commercial hunters for down feathers and for meat, and by recreational hunters for sport. To increase the "take," or kill, the commercial hunters would bait fields with corn, capture migratory birds, and clip their feathers so the geese could not escape. Then the geese were placed as live decoys in lakes, sometimes with weights on their legs so they would stay put. Migrating flocks saw these geese, assumed everything was fine, flew in, and were blasted out of the air or on the water when they landed. Needless to say, this very efficient hunting practice was devastating to the migratory flocks of Canada geese.

Thus begins the story of one of the greatest cases of mismanagement by wildlife agencies (federal and state) in America. In 1965, a single flock of geese was discovered in Missouri after over-hunting drove them to near extinction. Wildlife agencies took these geese and encouraged them to nest all over the country by taking eggs, incubating them, and encouraging geese to double clutch (produce two nests). Unfortunately, migration is a learned process, so all of the geese that were born under this program did not know of Canada. They had no need to migrate, because the weather was temperate enough. So now we have Canada geese that do not migrate. These are the ones who are causing problems in communities. It's not the geese's fault. By nature they return to the place where they were born to build their own nests; then, in June, they molt (lose flight feathers) and are stuck in the area.

The geese problem in the U.K. began in the 1600s when King Charles II brought a few geese to England for his wildlife gardens.

Who is your environmental hero?

Holly Hazard, chief innovations officer of the Humane Society of the United States. She was previously the executive director of the Doris Day Animal League and is responsible for many programs that protect animals and improve their lives.

What's your environmental vice?

I'm not yet a vegetarian.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

I watch for ways to stimulate serendipitous events.

What's your favorite meal?

Pasta and salad.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I do not litter.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Keukenhof tulip gardens in Lisse, Holland. There are 7 million tulips, arranged by thoughtful people.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Each year, I would ask each agency or department of every government to identify and implement at least one change in their operation or activities or institute a new idea that would lead to a cleaner, friendlier, or safer environment for all living things.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

Then and now, Rolf Harris, singer of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport."

What's your favorite movie?

The Red Tent, a 1969 film about an expedition to the North Pole by Italian explorers.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

Joe Friday from Dragnet.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

The next time you see someone litter, pick up the paper or cigarette butt, catch up to the person, say, "I think you dropped this," and return it to them.

Here in the temperate half of Oregon, there are millions of resident geese. They annoy or endanger farmers, golfers, airplanes, and others. How should those folks be thinking about their goose problem, now that it's arrived? And what can they do that is both humane and effective to make the geese go away?    -- Charlie Weiss, Portland, Ore.

David Feld, GeesePeace.

Excellent question -- this is a very common problem. In your temperate half of Oregon you have both resident and migratory Canada geese. My suggestion is to let them all be in the winter. During that time, just focus on keeping them away from areas where people are out and about. This is best accomplished by using a community border collie to flush the geese to other areas where no one cares. In the GeesePeace model program, the border collie has a home with a local family; volunteers or community staff take the collie from site to site to keep the geese moving, eventually arriving to a sanctuary or other refuge area. There are plenty of places geese can go where nobody cares. Eventually, the migratory geese will leave on their own. The resident geese will stay, and this is when you implement the complete GeesePeace program. There is more detail on the GeesePeace website.

Are "goose dogs," trained to chase (but not catch) ducks and geese, a humane alternative?    -- Annette Dutro, Indianapolis, Ind.

The goose dog is a border collie, trained to herd on voice and hand command. Border collies should only be used when geese can fly. Using a dog against flightless geese and goslings is inhumane and ineffective. The best time to use a border collie is after the nesting season is over, about mid-May. Geese molt in mid-June and are flightless for six weeks, so getting them out before they molt is very important.

A border collie will flush the geese from land to a nearby water body and can continue flushing the geese with the assistance of a boat or kayak from the water. The border collie should be in the boat or kayak when this is being done. The geese then believe that the collie can reach them both on land and in the water, so they will eventually abandon the site for a safer, more secure location to molt.

What do you say to people who claim that when geese are harassed out of one area into another, they simply become a problem for someone else?    -- Sharon Pawlak, Medford, N.J.

I say to them, "You're asking the wrong question." And I hear this one a lot. Introducing a border collie to harass geese is actually changing the environment. It makes it a place where the geese don't want to stay or feel safe. There are other ways to change the environment at the site, like draining a pond or building a high-rise. Using a border collie to flush the geese has the same effect, but is more environmentally friendly. Also, there are plenty of places geese can go where they do not cause conflicts with people and recreational facilities.

I've heard that goose poop is "poison" and somehow defiles our drinking water. What's the story here?    -- Lee Wallace, Greensboro, N.C.

Goose poop is just digested grass. If there are poisons or dangerous bacteria in the environment and the geese eat it, it will likely show up in the poop. Getting rid of the geese does not change the fact that the poisons were in the environment in the first place.

What are local and federal wildlife agencies doing now that this problem has been put in the spotlight? Also, what is the status of the traditional migratory goose population?    -- M.G., Denver, Colo.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently passed new regulations [PDF] for managing resident Canada goose populations. The migratory goose population is still recovering.

Some of my earliest and fondest childhood memories involve feeding the ducks and geese at a local park. I know that's an ecological no-no, but I think it helped form the foundation of a lifelong love of the natural world and concern for the environment. I'm curious about your suggestions for good alternative ways to engage little ones in a similar connection with nature and wildlife but without the baggage. -- Christy H., Seattle, Wash.

I'm glad you asked this question. First, thank you for not feeding wildlife. Feeding bread and corn to Canada geese and other waterfowl is like feeding Twinkies to your children -- they will eat it, but a steady diet of it will not be very nutritious. A high-protein diet of corn and bread causes angle wing in young geese. This is a deformity brought on by the feathers growing too fast for the developing bone structure to support.

So what is an alternative way to enjoy the wildlife? How about getting up early in the morning near a lake to watch the geese fly in a V formation, put out their wings in a long glide, and gently land in unison on the water? I'm from the city, where wildlife is a treat. The more I learn about wildlife and their habits and behavior, the more I appreciate them. It is fascinating. For example, if one looks at the pyramids of Egypt, they see pyramids and look in awe at the marvelous accomplishment. On the other hand, if one first studies the pyramids, the construction practices available at that time, and the history, seeing the pyramids takes on an even greater level of appreciation of the accomplishment and its meaning.

Recently I moved near a park with a lake that's home to hundreds of geese. Is there a way to somehow make the flock smaller without having an urban goose hunt?    -- Rebecca English, Denver, Colo.

Get the flock out of here.

Photo: iStockphoto

Implement a Canada goose population stabilization program using the protocol developed by the Humane Society of the United States. This will mean no goslings or just a few goslings. Without goslings the adult geese have no biological need to stay at the site and can be encouraged to fly elsewhere to molt. Check with your state wildlife agency on registration and permit requirements, or see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website for Resident Canada Goose Registration. A border collie is the best way to get geese without goslings to leave the area before the geese molt. Once they are gone you will have a goose-conflict-free environment for the spring, summer, and fall.

We heard that Kool-Aid was an effective solution for goose control but was not currently approved by the FDA for that purpose. Can you tell us anything about that?    -- Gale T., Huntington Station, N.Y.

Kool-Aid will not work. You are probably referring to a liquid repellent that smells like grape juice. Repellents like this have only site-specific application. They will only work for a short period of time. They wash off in the rain and must be reapplied after cutting grass. After a while the geese will continue to eat the grass.

Canada geese nest in the landscaping of the parking lots near my work. I always hear coworkers complaining that a goose "went after them" as they were coming in to our building. Do you have any tips for how to keep a goose from chasing a person into a building?    -- Annette Dutro, Indianapolis, Ind.

When a goose is nesting close to an entrance or walking path, the gander will defend the nest from anyone who approaches too closely. First try fencing off the nest, leaving an opening for the mother goose and gander to walk in and out. Storm fencing is a good choice. Leave plenty of room around the nest. If that does not work, have a skilled person take down the nest. The goose will rebuild elsewhere. You must register with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to destroy a nest, and state regulations may be more restrictive.

Are Canada geese a federally protected bird in Alabama? I have a friend who says they hunt them almost all year round down south. -- Randy Mize, Birmingham, Ala.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have regulations that limit hunting to only certain times during the year. States may have other limits, but must be more restrictive, not more liberal.

Can you play the didgeridoo?    -- Merrilee Cichy, Little Falls, N.J.

I play the wobble board.

Related Links:

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

Tweet for the bees

James Bond calls for more marine protected areas

U.S. green groups sue feds over polar bear, walrus protection

Two green groups have sued the feds for failing to protect polar bears and walruses (walri?) from the nasty combo of oil drilling and global warming. Pacific Environment and the Center for Biological Diversity say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service didn't consider the effects of warming when it issued rules on industrial "incidental takings" of the animals in Alaska's Beaufort Sea area. Does "taking" mean bringing a cub home to the missus? No, it means killing or harassment -- even driving by a den could count if the bear emerges to check you out. Between 1994 and 2000, oil and gas operations reported a total of 66 polar-bear harassment cases; in 2004 alone, they reported 36. Such activities, the plaintiffs say, can disrupt life cycles. And with thinning sea ice causing its own disruption, the stakes are raised. "The government is well aware that global warming ... is transforming the entire Arctic ecosystem," says CBD's Kassie Siegel, "yet these regulations fail to take this into account."

Related Links:

Chuck Norris on Copenhagen

Climate Denial Crock of the Week: The big mist take

Obama headed to Copenhagen, sets the bar for success

Kristen Berry.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I am the president of BirdPAC.

What does your organization do?

We are a fledgling political action committee dedicated to protecting the environment and species by harnessing and focusing the power of conservationists on the political process -- specifically elections. We are one of only a handful of conservation- and environment-focused political action committees. There is a clear need for bird enthusiasts to have access to a higher caliber of advocacy training and information regarding the politics of conservation, the environment, and birds.

What are you working on at the moment?

We are currently in the midst of a grand assessment. It seems funny for a three-year-old organization to be engaged in a process like this, but we are. We've learned so much in the last two election cycles. Conservation issues -- especially those related to birds -- don't garner much attention, at least at the national level. So we are trying to figure out how the heck we can make conservation issues more prominent in the political conversation. For us, part of the bottom line is how to get more conservationists involved in elections.

How do you get to work?

I work from a home office, but when I did go to an office I rode my bike or took public transportation. When I traveled out of town, I often took trains and buses -- which often made me the butt of jokes among work associates.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

In second grade I had a teacher that asked the basic question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I said I wanted to be a duck. She laughed and said, "You can't be a duck. What else do you want to do?" After wiping away the tears, I said, "Well, then I'll be the president." From that point on I was interested in politics and elections, and very early on I got involved as a volunteer.

Be the bird.

Most campaigns are so hard up for help that they'll take anyone who is willing to do anything. I was willing to do anything, and that willingness quickly landed me into paid positions or important volunteer roles. After a while I was able to leverage those roles and contacts into more work.

After a disappointing campaign season in 2000, I went off to fight forest fires in Montana. I heard about a position at the National Audubon Society and was lucky enough to score a job. Finally, I combined my love of the environment with my love of advocacy, education, and grassroots political activity. It was a real love affair. Ultimately I decided that bird watchers -- an estimated 80 million of them here in the U.S. -- could do more for the environment and for politics, and that led me to decide to start BirdPAC. A fellow Audubon public-policy employee and I synergized our energies, talents, and resources, quit our great jobs, and ran with it.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Indiana and live in Washington, D.C.

What has been the best moment in your professional life to date?

Realizing that I could combine what I cared about and what I was good at and still pay the rent.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

General environmental cowardice, such as calling global warming a hoax and blocking debate. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and every other member of Congress who won't have an open debate about the issue are cowards. Let's get it all out there and have a good fight.

Who is your environmental hero?

Theodore Roosevelt.

What's your environmental vice?

I love driving.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

I spend as much time as I can sailing. I spend a fair amount of time coaching sailing and racing sailboats.

Read any good books lately?

I am reading a biography about each president -- in order. I just read an interesting one about George Washington titled His Excellency.

What's your favorite meal?

Breakfast. Corned beef hash, two eggs over medium, dry wheat toast, and regular old drip coffee.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I'm often unreasonable.

What's your favorite place?

Chesapeake Bay.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Open-mindedness. I really think that is a reform. Closed thinking is why we are where we are with environmental issues, and we're all guilty of it at some point. I really think we all have to open our ears and expand what we think is possible. The long-term solutions to our environmental concerns will require new thinking that we've yet to even dream of.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

At 18, I am sure Bob Marley was my answer. Today, I'm into old Hank Williams Sr.

What's your favorite TV show? Movie?

Marty Stouffer's Wild America is my favorite show of all time, followed closely by Seinfeld. Buffalo '66 is my favorite movie -- but I am easy to please.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

The answer is always Leo, right?

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Get involved with a campaign -- at any level. Make it clear that you are an environmentalist, work like hell, and never give up.

Where would you place the potential impacts of wind power on avian populations in the context of other threats? Do you think there is an opportunity for the avian and wind-power communities to work together? If so, what does that kind of alliance look like to you?    -- Cameron Brooks, Boulder, Colo.

Kristen Berry, BirdPAC.

Wind turbines are clearly a threat to birds and other species such as bats. Whether they are a bigger threat than house cats, cell towers, city building lights, or reflective windows is something I can't answer with confidence. I do believe that some of the threat can be mitigated through thoughtful site selection.

Pitting the protection of any species against clean energy sources is something that concerns me. I cringe to see the environmental community argue with itself, and I think there are many opportunities for avian and wind-power communities to work together. In some cases they already have, by changing the shape of turbines, slowing blade speeds, picking appropriate places to locate wind farms, etc.

When it comes to lobbying and politics, what do you think are the most effective tactics to help save an imperiled species and its habitat?    -- Leigh Robertson, Ridgway, Colo.

I don't believe in cookie-cutter approaches; I believe there needs to be a specific approach to protecting each individual species, habitat, and ecosystem. Strategically and tactically, I think we can best protect species by protecting and improving the habitats that support them. Politically, we can start demanding with our votes that candidates address the environment and conservation. Use real issues to help decide who is going to best protect the environment, and vote for that person. Forget party affiliation. Ask real and hard questions, vote the environment, and demand accountability.

As a movement we can build broader coalitions with unlikely partners. Think unions and Wal-Mart uniting for universal health care. These coalitions will make the environment harder to ignore and cause activists to develop creative and workable solutions to the most pressing problems.

In BirdPAC's opinion, who should win the Democratic and Republican nominations for the presidential election of '08? And of the two, who should (and who will?) win the grand prize?    -- Chip Weinert, Merlin, Ore.

Hmm. It's a bit early for an endorsement. With Iraq and other security issues as big as they are, I don't think we will get much play from the candidates on the sort of conservation issues I'd like to address. Yet I do think energy will play a key part in the 2008 election. I think the candidate who honestly addresses the real issues surrounding our energy needs and develops a Great Society-like program to deliver us to a better future will win -- not necessarily because of the program, but because he or she is thinking big, speaking truth to power, and taking appropriate risks.

Why did you decide to start a new organization rather than join forces with an existing, powerful environmental group that works on elections, like the League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, or Defenders of Wildlife?    -- Betsy Carlton, Seattle, Wash.

Simply put, we didn't think that LCV, NRDC, or Defenders were directly addressing the concerns of the estimated 80 million bird watchers in the U.S. Other birding groups were reluctant to move into the "electioneering" arena, so we went for it.

LCV, NRDC, and Defenders are doing great work -- bye bye, Mr. Pombo -- but there are plenty of niches out there, and, in our opinion, plenty of contributors who wouldn't give to LCV but would give to BirdPAC.

I think we have too many focused grassroots organizations. It creates fighting for the same funding, and grassroots organizations have goals that can adversely affect or not take into account the greater cause. Do you think BirdPAC is too focused? How do you think you can have a larger impact?    -- Spencer Rowe, St. George, Utah

I think the way people organize, activate, and form community is changing, and the environmental movement needs to change. I'd agree conceptually that in order to be most effective we shouldn't divide our efforts. Yet, unlike a monolithic force, we must continue to engage new people in the cause of conservation. Finding new and creative ways to do that is important to the long-term viability of the movement.

As for BirdPAC's focus, the answer is yes and no. (Remember I once aspired to be a politician.) I don't think we are too focused, because I think we are attempting to bring together conservationists through a common thread -- birds. There are approximately 80 million admitted bird watchers in the U.S., and 10 million bird hunters (yes, they are conservationists too). So our focus has a broad potential constituency.

Where we are too focused is that we've attempted to handicap candidates on birding issues alone. There are a handful of bird-specific bills that move every year, and we need to do a better job of judging candidates on a broader range of issues that impact bird species, access, and activities.

It is obvious we need to reduce per capita consumption of resources to save the planet from destruction. I see Americans who claim to care, but actions speak otherwise -- they drive gas guzzlers, eat too much meat, and live in oversized homes with oversized appliances. How do we teach the public that the fate of the environment and the planet is literally in their hands?    -- Daniel Barker, Lakeland, Fla.

The man to answer that question is Rev. Billy Graham. We should take a page from evangelicals of all stripes. As I understand it, they have four pillars of the evangelical movement: conversion, the belief that lives need to be saved; activism, the expression of belief in action; Biblicism, a high regard for the Bible; and crucicentrism, a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

With this they've also built broad and disparate coalitions. Subsequently, black Baptists, Dutch Reformers, Mennonites, Pentecostals, Christian Charismatic, and Southern Baptists all show up at the same parties. And at these parties they change minds and votes and develop successful strategies that help them achieve success in their movements.

I see opportunity in this approach. We need to be shameless in our evangelism -- that would be infective. We need to commit to converting the gas-guzzlers, be active, have high regard for science, and stress that the planet is in everyone's hands.

I'm working to develop economic valuation of wetlands where I live, in terms of what they provide -- water storage, flood mitigation, water purification, and wildlife habitat. I want to put a dollar figure on these services in contrast to the cost of building dams, dealing with flood damage, building water purification systems, and losing revenue from bird watching, hunting, etc., if wildlife is diminished. I would appreciate your thoughts on how to go about this and how to get the word out once we develop solid information. -- Rio de la Vista, Alamosa, Colo.

Keep it up! I would suggest you develop a concise summary of what you want to do, and what your "success day" will look like -- a business plan for the idea. Then shop it around to everyone who will listen and half the people that won't.

Leveraging the resources of other organizations and interested parties will improve your access and distribution. For instance, cities and towns carry the costs of water treatment and are challenged by stormwater runoff systems. By sharing your data or even just your idea with local municipalities, you may gain the support of local elected officials who have access to, and credibility with, other elected officials. Moreover, they may be able to connect you to financial support or be able to help you broadly communicate your findings. Spread your wings by building coalitions of supporters. Feel free to for a more specific response.

Related Links:

Top 25 reasons to give a damn about climate change

Tweet for the bees

James Bond calls for more marine protected areas

Doug Koplow.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I'm the founder of Earth Track in Cambridge, Mass., which focuses on increasing visibility of environmentally harmful subsidies. This visibility comes through direct analysis, consolidation of research from around the world, and descriptive materials understandable by general audiences.

Subsidies transfer value from the public sector to private interests, sometimes in cash, but more often via complex and hard-to-track methods. A good general observation is the quicker your eyes glaze over reading eligibility requirements, the bigger the subsidy is likely to be. At an estimated trillion dollars per year globally, these subsidies degrade and destroy our natural environment. They contribute to many of the most challenging environmental problems we face today, including climate change, fisheries loss, deforestation, water depletion, and declines in biodiversity.

What are you working on at the moment?

We recently completed a major analysis of U.S. subsidies to ethanol and biodiesel for the Global Subsidies Initiative. Trendy though biofuels may be, there are quite severe environmental downsides that need much more attention. We will soon produce a top 10 list of the most distorted energy subsidies from around the world -- a useful starting point for subsidy reformers.

I'm just beginning a major upgrade to the Earth Track website to enhance its look and capabilities, including some new web-based subsidy-tracking tools. If you are a skilled programmer with a fierce commitment to environmental protection, we may be able to use your help in this effort.

Slated for later in 2007 (not all funding is yet in place) is a comprehensive update of U.S. fossil-fuel subsidies. In the midst of serious issues on carbon emissions and an upsurge of new coal plants, updating 10- to 15-year-old data on fossil-fuel subsidies is a prerequisite for supporting good policy decisions.

How do you get to work?

I drive. Since I haul my kids to school en route, perhaps it would count as carpooling. But I'm burning gasoline nonetheless.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I discovered environmental economics in college, and was most interested in political economy. No matter how important the environmental impacts, political and financial issues seemed to drive the pace and direction of policy. It was clear that I had to understand the business angle to be successful in influencing policy outcomes. First, I needed credibility in confronting business arguments against taking action. Second, this worldview would help me to structure more effective solutions as well. Being among a handful of environmentalists at Harvard Business School, I was in the perfect venue to gain these important skills.

Subsidies entered the picture in the late 1980s when I happened to work on a project for the U.S. EPA on disincentives to recycling. Subsidies to energy used in primary-materials manufacture turned out to be quite important, which led me to the tremendous work done by Rick Heede (then with the Rocky Mountain Institute) on U.S. energy subsidies. For some crazy reason, I decided I wanted to do an update. I thought it would take a few months; it took almost three years. But it was fascinating to do, and I was hooked.

Unfortunately, one-off studies are not enough if people are to make better decisions about resource use from the outset. A range of reforms is needed to detail how government proposals and expenditures are reported and tracked.

Environmentalists are objective-oriented: carbon controls, energy efficiency, reduced pollution. Too often, though, we don't see the fiscal subsidies coming through the back door. New legislation, special tax breaks, regulatory exemptions, and the like can undermine years of regulatory and policy work to protect the environment.

A revolution in the quality and transparency of data on government subsidies would yield tremendous environmental dividends. We would see more coherent policies, reduced pressure on critical ecosystems and resources, and much greater leverage to challenge environmentally harmful policies. Since subsidies normally favor the large and well connected, improved transparency would also benefit smaller firms and newer and cleaner technologies.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Boston, and live here today -- with a few years away in Connecticut and Washington, D.C.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

A big project evaluating how energy subsidies affected environmental quality in the Canadian aluminum industry was canceled in the middle of an update meeting. The cancellation was political: a coalition of aluminum and government interests didn't like our findings. This is not an uncommon outcome for many government-based subsidy-reporting initiatives that I've seen, underscoring the importance of non-governmental organizations in the subsidy-reform arena.

What's been the best?

Discovering arcane wording worth hundreds of millions of dollars to particular industries in pending legislation, calling attention to the problem, and then seeing the subsidy disappear in the next version. I can't be sure I caused the shift, but I like to think my work at least contributed.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Big picture, it's seeing how much better UPS can track a package than the government can track hazardous waste, or how much more a fast-food restaurant knows about its buyer demographics than the government knows about industrial emissions. Little picture, it's going into "earth-friendly" food stores and seeing organic produce like apples or broccoli mummified in plastic wrap.

Who is your environmental hero?

I've got a few. The Nature Conservancy, for its focused strategy to save core ecosystems, often using private capital and innovative financial instruments. The Rocky Mountain Institute, with founder Amory Lovins, for their tireless work to refocus discussion from energy supply to energy services, paving the way for many of the demand-side options we see today. The Publish What You Pay consortium, for their efforts to apply basic principles of transparency to resource-extraction industries around the world.

What's your environmental vice?

I drive a car and I fly.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)? Read any good books lately?

Mostly I spend my free time with my three children, all under the age of nine, and my spouse. The majority of the books I read are with the kids, though I am enjoying Brice Smith's Insurmountable Risks, on the myriad problems with nuclear power as a solution to climate change.

What's your favorite meal?

Does dark chocolate count as a meal?

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I like to garden and eat organic food.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Bryce Canyon National Park.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Mandatory cost-benefit assessments for any fiscal subsidy that harms environmental quality. If these steps are needed to ensure environmental regulations are efficient and well thought out, aren't they at least as important to screen environmentally damaging subsidies?

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Fight the glaze and learn to decode enough subsidy language so you can expose and oppose these things when they come up in your area.

Notes from the Funderground

Can you give examples of some of the most ludicrous subsidies you've encountered?    -- Andrew B., Seattle, Wash.

Doug Koplow, Earth Track.

Two of the craziest subsidies I've seen happen to be out of Canada. The first involves subsidies to the hunting of baby harp seals, though the Canadian government argues these ended by 2001. The second is continuing support for asbestos mining and export out of Quebec. Canada continues to ship asbestos products throughout the developing world.

With pressure on Congress to curtail earmarking, do you foresee the problem of harmful subsidies getting better or worse?    -- Name not provided

In combination with reinstatement of pay-as-you-go requirements in the House, which require spending cuts to offset new programs, earmark reform should help. But these reforms don't cover every type of value transfer -- tax expenditures, for example. As particular subsidy venues are constrained, expect a migration to less visible methods. Structural reform in budgeting, along with more direct incentives for Congress as a whole to act with fiscal prudence, are likely needed for long-term success in beating back harmful subsidies. You can read more about these issues here [PDF].

How does the U.S. subsidy system compare with other countries around the world?    -- Lorcan Lyons, Paris, France

There are two issues here: subsidy programs, and the transparency of those programs. In terms of the actual programs, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development systematically tracks agricultural subsidies quite well (with some gaps in irrigation). OECD, the International Energy Agency, and the World Bank periodically track other areas of social policy, though not systematically. Comprehensive data on subsidies to energy, water, fisheries, and timber is rare almost anywhere.

The WTO's Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures was supposed to help change this. However, its rules don't incorporate all subsidies of concern, and reporting has not been systematic enough [PDF] to make it a powerful resource. Multi-country evaluations usually rely on overview metrics, such as comparing the world price of an energy resource to domestic price levels (the "price gap" approach). These miss many subsidies. Single-country evaluations (e.g., IEA country studies) have lots of policy detail, but the subsidies are not usually quantified in an integrated way.

In terms of subsidy transparency, countries with more open governance tend to have better information on subsidies. In the U.S., for example, budgeting rules that require government agencies to issue annual reports with outside auditors, tax expenditure reporting at least at the federal level, and estimates of credit subsidies have greatly improved data availability. Similar information exists for many European countries. However, important gaps remain. In the U.S., estimation models and assumptions for tax breaks and credit subsidies are not publicly available, and it is hard to tell how accurate they are. Given the complexity of the measurements the government analysts must make, and the short time frame they have to do so, my guess is that model accuracy is not great. Other areas, such as contingent liabilities (insurance caps on private responsibility for damages from a nuclear accident, for example) remain extremely murky.

Still, we know much more about subsidies to nuclear power in the U.S., for example, than we do about such subsidies in France or China. If you have data on either of these two areas, please send it my way.

The Iowa caucus prods prominent politicians to swear fealty to corn and ethanol subsidies. How could we get around this problem?    -- Grist editors

The ballooning costs and impacts of ethanol subsidies may have opened the door to their demise. Farm interests are increasingly split over the benefits of ethanol supports, and a variety of farm interests (pig farmers, feed producers, grain elevator operators, corn exporters) are being hurt. Smaller, cooperative producers are giving way to much larger plants owned by agribusiness majors, and the farmers themselves are being squeezed out of the profit chain [PDF]. The environmental costs in terms of long-term land fertility and water quality are also being threatened around the country, and many farmers do still care about these things. At the same time, the fiscal costs of ethanol subsidies continue to rise unabated, making the political costs of supporting them higher.

This example aside, overcoming the entrenched political constituency of any subsidy is a challenge. Making the political process a zero-sum game, so politicians fight with each other for their slice of subsidy pie, is one important element of a solution. However, nongovernmental organizations also need to stop trying to take on the entire subsidy issue on their own. What is needed is a complex, comprehensive reporting system that can challenge and embarrass politicians in real time. While no single organization can afford to build or maintain such a system, a consortium of groups certainly can. Unfortunately, data systems like this don't have nearly the level of donor appeal as activist campaigns on particular policy issues do, despite being much more important in the long term in protecting the environment. This would seem a perfect project for large environmental funders to take on, and I would be happy to speak to any of them about how such a system might work.

Any chance of positive outcomes on subsidy reductions through international negotiations?    -- Justin Fried, Berkeley, Calif.

Such changes are possible, though I personally don't hold high hopes. There's simply too much subsidy money flowing to producers, and too many opportunities to delay and divert action on international subsidies. We already see more and more agricultural subsidies being reclassified as "green box" environmental payments, and therefore not subject to the same controls as "regular" trade-distorting subsidies.

Which companies in the U.S. benefit the most from subsidies?    -- Grist editors

Good question, but I don't have an empirical answer. Archer Daniels Midland operates in so many subsidized sectors that it would likely be high on a list in terms of subsidies as a percent of total revenues. Tax returns are sealed, however, and corporate financial reports provide only hints of total public support, so a large tally of corporate subsidies doesn't really exist. The closest I've seen to this is from Citizens for Tax Justice. Though they evaluate subsidies at both the state [PDF] and federal [PDF] levels, their assessment includes only tax breaks and they don't update their information every year.

How does one know when a subsidy is being considered in one's area? Would subsidies appear in county commission meetings? Should one be checking a government site regularly?    -- Michelle Smith, Asheville, N.C.

There's no single answer to this. Local papers often pick up on emerging subsidies, though the terms they use may be different. Look for phrases like "economic development," "incentives for business," or "tax package" as placeholders for government giveaways. One should be skeptical of the claims commonly made to support these packages -- usually that there will be lots and lots of new, high-paying jobs.

Subsidy coverage on government sites is spotty at best, with many states providing no data at all on programs like tax breaks or loan guarantees. Where subsidies are tracked (Minnesota is a good example), you don't see data on the state system until well after the subsidy has already been granted. It's better than nothing, but not exactly a great point of leverage for challenging new subsidies.

Increasingly, government statutes are online and you can search by keywords and find surprising little gifts to particular industries buried in there. State taxpayer groups and D.C.-based Good Jobs First are also useful resources.

Of the 10 most distortionary energy subsidies that you identify, which do you believe is most politically susceptible to being killed in 2007? Where should "free-market" environmental advocates focus first for success?    -- Derek Supple, Somerville, Mass.

While I remain concerned about the ability to precisely monitor carbon sequestration and emissions levels, I think that the basic structure of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership makes the institution of carbon caps in the U.S. feasible for the first time. Seeing price signals on emissions of greenhouse gases would be a tremendous step forward, though the initial allocations must be monitored carefully to avoid massive windfalls to the fossil-fuel or nuclear industries.

I think that tax exemptions to fuel used in international transport could be removed fairly quickly if the goal was not to provide revenues to particular governments, but rather to allocate funds back to the industry in proportion to their energy efficiency or low emission. The tax reform would restructure the incentives of shippers to focus on energy efficiency and environmental impacts in ways they don't at all today.

I am concerned that massive new federal subsidies to nuclear power will result in many new plants without anybody really understanding the costs associated with liability caps, waste management, and proliferation. At the very least, I'd like to see comprehensive costing of these subsidies done by a non-industry party. This information is a critical counterbalance to the irrational exuberance of nuclear boosters around the world.

In terms of actions outside of government, I'd like to see some of the nation's top university engineering or operations management programs take on the problem of electrical-grid pricing and control. Their objective should be eliminating as many cross-subsidies as possible, and making new entry by alternative suppliers much easier than is now the case. Our electrical grid five years from now should be like the phone network was five to 10 years after the breakup of AT&T -- with plentiful opportunities to enter the generating market and tremendous innovation in services delivered.

When and why did subsidies become a regular part of doing business in America?    -- Name not provided

I believe that subsidies are likely as old as human governance. Like matter and anti-matter, the search for exceptions begins as soon as a tax is levied. A friend of mine works for the State Archives of Massachusetts and was going through tax records from the early days of the Commonwealth. The state levied a property tax on horse-drawn buggies, and the tax level was differentiated based on the age and quality of the carriage. My friend noted that the very same year the tax was instituted, the state began receiving letters seeking tax reductions. She described one petitioner who argued that because his higher-grade carriage had been in an accident, he should pay a lower tax. Though the taxes and the arguments for abatement may have changed, the basic dynamic remains the same.

In comparing subsidies between different primary energy sources, why is it useful to report subsidies per unit of useful end-use energy produced? Are there examples where subsidies reported on an aggregate industry basis may lead to misinterpretations?    -- Derek Supple, Somerville, Mass.

One of the most important concerns about government subsidies is that they distort the relative prices of goods and services in the economy. If subsidies make coal cheaper, we use more coal, build more coal plants, and slow research and development into alternatives. For natural resources or products associated with polluting industries, the subsidies can actually make it harder for environmentally preferable products to enter the marketplace. Subsidies per unit of energy produced provide a better indicator of the likely distortions than you get looking only at aggregate subsidies. Aggregate subsidies are a better indicator of total cost to the taxpayer.

One important caveat is that subsidies per unit may be higher because an energy resource is new with a very small installed base. There is certainly an argument for government support of basic research into new energy technologies. However, this argument gets progressively weaker as the technology enters production, and as that production is scaled up. Basic research into enzymatic breakdown of cellulosic material into ethanol is a far more justifiable target for public support than are the excise tax credits to ethanol blenders that spiral upward without limit for each gallon produced.

How do you keep people at cocktail parties interested in your work?    -- Grist editors

Analyzing subsidies is no different from so many of the other noble professions that grace our planet, from accounting to zoology. For fear of grinding that cocktail discussion to a sputtering halt by raising a question on whether the outlay equivalent metric is applicable to an emerging new tax break, the gritty details of our daily job are best saved for technical reports and professional meetings. Better to focus on who is getting the subsidy, how much they are getting, why they don't deserve it, and how they can be stopped.

Related Links:

A video interview with Bill Moyers

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A video interview with the Yes Men

John Amos.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I'm president of SkyTruth, a nonprofit I founded in 2001.

What does your organization do?

SkyTruth puts into practice that old cliché, "A picture is worth a thousand words." We use photos of the earth taken from orbiting satellites and airplanes to help people see -- and feel -- for themselves how we're changing our planet. In geek-speak, our expertise is in remote sensing and GIS (Geographic Information Systems): processing and analyzing digital images, and creating media-friendly graphics, maps, and scientifically useful data from those images. We understand how these tools can be used to study and illustrate environmental issues. We work with many small NGOs that just don't have the resources to harness this dynamic technology.

What are you working on at the moment?

Our main focus, mostly springing from my experience as a commercial geologist, has been illustrating the rapid spread of natural-gas drilling in the Rockies, and the impacts of gold mining around the world. Right now we're working on the drilling going on in Wyoming's Green River Valley; on a huge open-pit gold mine that's been proposed in the pristine Bristol Bay watershed of Alaska (the Pebble mine); and, closer to home for me, on the widespread disruption caused by mountaintop-removal mining for coal in West Virginia.

We're also harnessing Google Earth and other "virtual globes" as a very fun way to interact with the images we produce. We're in the middle of a revolutionary leap forward in environmental communication.

How do you get to work?

It's a very low-carbon commute! I walk from the dining room up the stairs to my office. Occasionally I take the train into D.C. for meetings.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I've always loved the outdoors and wildlife, and wanted to know how the landscape around me came into being. That created a logical progression in my life: from avid reader of Ranger Rick, to Eagle Scout, to student of geology. And then to husband of Amy, a dedicated environmental advocate: we shared that deep-rooted affinity for wildlife and wilderness.

Ultimately I became a professional geologist: working as an exploration consultant for oil and gas and mining companies. At first it was fun to see the world, virtually, with satellite images. But over the years I became less and less satisfied with how I was spending my time and energy. Those fascinating images displayed unambiguous signs of human-caused destruction: oil slicks in the oceans, forest reserves being chewed away by logging on all sides, mines causing perpetual pollution of lakes and streams, oil and gas drilling spreading inexorably across vast areas of public land. And I couldn't ignore the fact that I was contributing to this both personally and professionally.

Finally, I saw two satellite images that changed my life. One was an image of the area around Mount St. Helens taken several years after the eruption. It clearly showed the forested area devastated by the blast. But there was something else, something the public hadn't been shown on the TV news: the blast damage was insignificant compared to the clear-cut logging in every direction. When it came to destruction, we had beat Mother Nature hands down, but that was the Forest Service's dirty little secret: you can't see those clear-cuts from the highway.

The other was an image of the booming Jonah natural-gas field in western Wyoming. The drilling is almost all on public lands overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Like most Americans, I thought energy development on public land was subject to stringent regulations. As a consulting geologist I knew there were a lot of economically viable and proven techniques that could greatly reduce the impact.

Jonah Natural Gas Field, upper Green River valley, Wyoming, as photographed in 1986, 2001, and 2005.

The BLM and oil industry missed no opportunity to suggest that these techniques were being routinely used, and that environmental damage was minimized. But the "footprint" of this drilling -- three- to four-acre parking lots bulldozed into the rangeland for each well, connected with miles of access roads and pipelines and power lines -- looked just like the bad old days of heavy impact. And when I started to ask questions, my colleagues confirmed that most of this drilling was being done the old-fashioned way: it was cheaper, and the BLM didn't object. The companies working in Jonah crow to Wall Street about the huge profits they're making. We were all being fed a line of BS while public lands were being needlessly damaged and wildlife was demonstrably being hurt. As a professional working for that industry, it really made me angry.

These images had important stories to tell, and the public needed to see them. That's when I decided to start SkyTruth.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Rochester, N.Y. After a too-short time in Wyoming, and 15 years in Arlington, Va., Amy and I moved to Shepherdstown, W.V. It's a groovy little town on the Potomac River about 70 miles upstream from Washington, D.C.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

I've been lucky. The worst moment I had was at the end of a meeting with a program officer from a large Bay Area foundation, when he announced that SkyTruth's business plan looked to him like just another dot-com from the 1990s. That was five years ago and we've thrived, so I get to laugh at that now!

What's been the best?

There have been a lot of great moments since I started SkyTruth: giving up my commercial consulting work; the tremendous support from Amy, especially during those first years; attracting phenomenal board members and volunteers; the confidence boost of getting those first grants from foundations, and the real validation of getting repeat grants; knowing at the end of each day that I did something good. But I think the best moment was when a community organizer told me that SkyTruth images of the proposed Pebble gold mine changed the minds of a dozen Native Alaskan community leaders from being pro-mining to being uniformly opposed. Then I knew for sure that we had launched something very powerful.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

The inaction of our government in the face of global warming. And I blame both parties for this. Even if the science all turns out to be wrong -- not very likely -- the actions we should be taking now are more than worth doing on their own merits: reducing pollution and increasing public health, saving land and forests and wildlife from destruction, improving energy efficiency to make American businesses more competitive in the global economy, freeing our foreign policy by reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. This really is not rocket science.

Who is your environmental hero?

My environmental heroes are everyone working for conservation at the grassroots level, in communities around the world. They face hardships every day: being ostracized by their neighbors and harassed by local authorities, working long hours with scant resources. These are smart, tough people, who could simply choose to go with the flow, to make money, to conform like everyone else. But I thank God that they don't. Anything SkyTruth can do to help them in their work makes me feel like I'm doing something useful.

What's your environmental vice?

Like any middle-class American, I use a lot of energy: I travel, and not by horseback; I eat fresh fruit in the winter that comes a long way to get to my table.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

If you want to be in conservation for the long haul, you've got to stay fightin' trim. I'm a fanatical cyclist in the summer, and love to hike in the winter. Whenever I travel, I take the time to get out into nature somehow, to keep my feet on the ground and revisit the source of my inspiration. Birding and bodyboarding are other seasonal obsessions. Indoors, nothing beats a great meal, great wine, and great company at the table.

Read any good books lately?

I just finished a great one: Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver. For me, she gracefully hits the nail on the head in so many ways that I can't articulate. On deck: Jimmy Buffett's Tales from Margaritaville.

What's your favorite meal?

Wild Alaskan salmon, grilled with a light teriyaki glaze. Roasted vegetables, crusty bread, and a bottle of pinot gris from Oregon. Key lime pie to finish it off!

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I wear boring shoes.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Home is my favorite place. But the high open plains of Wyoming make me thank God out loud for this life.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Charge a tax on all industrial emissions to our air, land, and water, including greenhouse gases. No more free passes for industry; no more free passes for us consumers, since we'll ultimately pay that cost. Who knows what conservation benefits will emerge, at every level of society, when the incentive is there to spur innovation in the ways we make, use, and dispose of things?

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

18: Jimi Hendrix. 43: Emmylou Harris. With an occasional guest appearance by Jimi.

What's your favorite movie?

Joe Versus the Volcano, The Year of Living Dangerously, Repo Man, and Blade Runner. And, I must admit, It's a Wonderful Life. I always cry during that last scene and I've seen the damned thing about a million times.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

John Amos, of course (remember Good Times?). But if he's not available, Owen Wilson might be up to it.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

How about two things?

First, volunteer for SkyTruth! We have loads of projects to do and a movement to build.

Second, adopt a place. A natural place, be it a stream, community garden, wilderness area, coral reef, or a spot on the map only you know about. Take action to protect that place: write to Congress, join an organization (or start your own), pick up the trash, pull out the invasives. Roll up your sleeves, get your fingernails dirty, make connections. Take ownership. Everybody can do something. And if everybody does do something, we'll have a much brighter future.

Such Great Heights

One aspect of gas fields that you wouldn't know about unless you've been on the ground is the incredible noise coming from the compressor stations that move the gas through the pipelines. Have you thought of including sound recordings with your images and using video as well as still images?    -- Bill Mitchell, Vashon Island, Wash.

John Amos is head of SkyTruth.

You are absolutely right about that. We've got a new YouTube video and companion Google Earth project up on our website that features drilling in western Wyoming, but we haven't captured the noise yet. Sound has a huge impact, especially on local residents, and possibly on wildlife. I've been on diesel-powered drill rigs and next to those compressor stations. The rigs run 24/7 while drilling, then move on to the next location once the well is completed; but the compressor turbines, which are a lot like a jet engine, run continuously for the life of the field (24/7 for decades). We'd love to collect some video with sound shot in the field, and post that to YouTube to give folks a feel for this. Now if we can only find a way to convey the smells as well -- got any ideas, folks?

By the way, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has just released a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Pinedale Anticline field, featured in our video, that would permit the drilling of 4,400 new wells. The public can comment on this plan until Feb. 12. Go straight to the source: the press release on the BLM's Pinedale Field Office website. And check in with the Upper Green River Valley Coalition.

What photo that you've taken has affected you the most, and why?    -- Name not provided

Hard to say, but the most recent one that made me go "Yikes!" is a time-series of satellite images we produced showing the downstream impact of gold mining in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Check out the images in our Grasberg Mine gallery. Mine waste (called "tailings") from the Grasberg mine up in the mountains has been dumped directly into the adjacent rivers that flow down into the lowland forests, burying the floodplains with tailings and killing off the vegetation across a huge area (the ugly purple swath in the images). When I saw this, my very first thought was, What makes anyone think they have the right to do this? My second thought was that if it wasn't for satellite imagery, few people would ever even know stuff like this was happening. We've harnessed a technology that will expose bad practices like this wherever they are happening in the world. From now on, no company or government will be able to get away with stuff like this without being noticed.

So I hope our imagery will make people think about that the next time they're shopping for a nice piece of gold jewelry, and ask some hard questions about where that gold is coming from and what the consequences are. Let's clean up our bling! A good place to start is the No Dirty Gold website.

First, you are the first person I know of besides myself who has admitted to Joe Versus the Volcano being a favorite film. Do you have any time-lapse type photos of the ongoing deforestation of the Amazon jungle?    -- Mark Foley, Wrentham, Mass.

Another Joe fan! That's a movie that you either love or hate. But what I really liked was the cartoonish way they explored a fundamentally important theme: it's your life, and it is what you make of it. Be bold. Swim upstream. It took me a long time (under a lot of grim fluorescent lighting) to learn that and do something about it. For that reason I rank it as one of the best films Tom Hanks has ever done, and Meg Ryan too.

Lots of groups have been using satellite imagery to monitor deforestation in the Amazon, including the Brazilian government. Google "Amazon deforestation" and see what pops up. Another great source for images showing all kinds of things, both beautiful and disturbing, is the Earth Observatory run by NASA. And when it comes to deforestation, let's not forget about the boreal forests of Canada and Russia, or the hardwood forests of the southern Appalachians which have the highest biodiversity in North America (and are being hit by a one-two punch of logging and mountaintop-removal mining for coal). See here for a great video and Google Earth project on that topic.

Does SkyTruth decide for itself where to concentrate its efforts, or do you respond to requests from concerned individuals and/or groups? Are the satellite images you use freely available to anyone? If so, how would one go about obtaining them?    -- Name not provided

I love a good nuts-and-bolts question. SkyTruth operates independently. But we do work closely with conservation organizations, and occasionally government agencies, to help us determine the issues and places where our work with satellite and aerial imagery would be useful and timely. Our experienced board of directors also provides guidance to help us set the priorities for our very limited resources. There are so many areas where our work can play a valuable role (energy development, mining, logging, urban sprawl, climate change, offshore pollution monitoring, to name a few) that it's a big job simply to stay on top of the issues, what's happening, and where it's happening. And occasionally something big happens in the world that we just feel compelled to move on.

A great example of that is the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While most of the attention was rightly focused on the human tragedy and the huge oil spills that happened on shore (9 million gallons from damaged refineries, pipelines, and storage tanks; Exxon Valdez was 11 million gallons), we saw images that seemed to show large oil slicks out in the Gulf of Mexico's offshore oil fields. We pulled a couple of all-nighters cranking out maps that pinpointed the apparent sources of some of this oil, posting them in a public image gallery and encouraging government agencies to use the images to guide their response and repair efforts. Instead, they held a press conference insisting that there were "no significant spills" offshore, and questioning our credibility. Six months later, they published data showing that a major spill had indeed occurred, with over 100 platforms totally destroyed, many others damaged, and over 450 pipelines on the seafloor damaged.

Many of the images we use are available for free from a variety of sources, but you need GIS or image-processing skills and software to handle the digital data and turn it into useful maps and graphics. Our intent is to make our work available to the public. You are free to browse much of what we've done in our public image galleries. If there's anything you'd like to download and use in a presentation or publication, just send us an email requesting permission. We generally grant it for noncommercial, educational purposes, and sometimes make exceptions for commercial use too.

Do you think you could be doing what you are right now if you hadn't worked for oil and mining companies first? Do you feel that you gain or lose legitimacy coming from the background that you do?    -- Sarah Bronstein, Seattle, Wash.

Who knows how things would have turned out? During those years I honed many of the skills I'm using now, earned a lot more money than I make now, and was exposed to many images showing environmental destruction. The skills and money saved helped me take the leap to launch SkyTruth, and the images provided plenty of motivation.

Regarding legitimacy, it goes both ways. On one hand I have some good insider knowledge of the energy industry, an understanding of what is technically feasible to minimize damage to the environment, coupled with an appreciation of the challenges all companies face sustaining a business. I like to think that gives me some perspectives and useful insights that provide credibility. On the other hand, I'm a neophyte when it comes to conservation. Many of the people I meet have dedicated their entire lives working to protect the environment. They have fought a lot of battles, winning a few, and they keep at it. That can make me feel like a bit of a dilettante by comparison.

Don't count on people being shocked by any landscape destruction for too long: they'll grow accustomed to or suppress just about anything. I live about a mile away from a 300-foot-deep lignite surface mine that is about to destroy our village. There is an observation platform at the other side of the mine where visitors may be seen gazing in awe into the depths.    -- Jeffrey Michel, Heuersdorf, Germany

We do have a tendency to get hardened to things over time. Maybe that's just an aspect of human nature that allowed us to survive in an often-tough world. There are so many things that are wrong, it can be paralyzing. But if we could all just pick one thing to do outside of ourselves, and be satisfied knowing that we can't possibly fix everything, humanity would make great progress.

You also touch on an excellent point: we live in the here and now. When many of us see the big pit, we think "wow, what a cool hole in the ground" because we never had the opportunity to see what was there before the pit, and know what was lost. Some of our most effective images have been time comparisons: satellite images taken years ago, compared with how things look now, or even a projection into the future of what things might look like if we don't insist on changes. It's one way we can try to reestablish the baseline in people's minds of what should be considered "normal" in their environment.

Under what conditions would you approve of oil and gas extraction on public lands? What specific lease terms would you require?    -- Ted Borawski, Harrisburg, Pa.

Since we all like to, and must, use energy, that is a great question. Let me just say that, generally, our public lands (and offshore waters) should be held to the highest possible standards, not the lowest. BLM routinely publishes guidelines that they call "best management practices" addressing many of the drilling techniques and equipment, day-to-day operational practices, and remediation actions that can minimize the environmental impact of extraction. But they require none of this; it's all just advisory and left up to the discretion of the companies. Since many of these BMPs are more expensive to implement than the older, dirtier practices, they are typically ignored. (I'll bet Wall Street investors and stock analysts would argue that it's fiscally irresponsible for a publicly held company to adopt more expensive practices that aren't legally required.) So the responsibility lies with our land-management agencies. I think those best practices should be required, and should be the de facto standard for operating on public land. If an energy company can't use those best practices and still make a profit with current energy prices, then they have no business operating on our public lands.

Also, I think there are some places on our public lands where we just shouldn't drill. The people of New Mexico -- Republicans, Democrats, ranchers, outfitters, conservationists, hunters, Boy Scouts, and homemakers -- recently decided that was the case for the Valle Vidal, and are now working to protect the Otero Mesa. Montanans did the same for the spectacular Rocky Mountain Front. Folks in Wyoming think the same about the Red Desert and the Wyoming Range. All of these places put together represent a small percentage of the area of public lands that is already wide open for oil and gas drilling. And combined, the total oil and gas resources under those lands wouldn't last this country more than a few months at our current rates of consumption -- drill all we can, and we will still be dependent on foreign imports and at the mercy of some very unstable governments. I've never seen an oil or gas field on public lands that has been restored to the way it was before drilling. Should we squander these special places to feed our addiction to oil and gas for a few more months, and further delay taking any real action to change our ways?

As a geologist I know that fossil-fuel resources are finite, and throughout the oil industry it is widely acknowledged that the days of "easy" oil are over. We could continue to drill everywhere until the very bitter end, leaving a legacy of utter dependence on fossil fuels, a crippled manufacturing sector, continuous military interventions around the world, permanently scarred lands and depleted wildlife, and a runaway and unpredictable climate. Or we could get serious right now about using our energy more intelligently and more efficiently and developing viable sources to supplement our use of fossil fuels.

I live in a beautiful mountainous area in northwestern Maine. The visible signs on the horizon of logging have been growing at an accelerating pace. With Google Earth I can see many more surprising effects that I had no way of knowing about. How about a way to review the visual impact of forestry practices and understand their real impact, keeping track of who does what?    -- Lloyd Griscom, Phillips, Maine

That is a wonderful idea, and Google Earth would be a great tool to use for exactly that purpose. All we need is another staff member or a dedicated volunteer! In the meantime, check out the work that the Native Forest Council just released, an aerial showcase of logging in our national forests.

How many people work for SkyTruth?    -- Grist editors

Counting our staff, part-time volunteers, and very active directors, there are 10 of us right now.

As a professor at a large university, I often meet students that say they want to do creative environmental communication work when they graduate. Beyond "following their dreams," what specific skills do you think are the most valuable to learn or to gain for someone who wants to make a living working creatively as an environmental communication practitioner today?    -- Professor Pezzullo, Bloomington, Ind.

Being fairly new to this line of work, I'm not really a communications specialist. But in my opinion, the basic, most important skills are writing and research. Given the revolution in "new media" and tools like Google Earth -- and who knows what we'll be buzzing about next year -- the ability to use the latest internet and telecommunications technologies is definitely a must. Finally, I'm a bit old-fashioned in that I think everyone should get a solid background in science so they can build defensible science-backed arguments for conservation. Science alone doesn't win the day in the policymaking arena, but you won't be taken seriously without it.

Can you tell me more about volunteering opportunities with SkyTruth?    -- Name not provided

Sure thing. We've got a growing list of projects we wish we could get to! Most of our needs are technology-based: image processing, digital graphics production, Google Earth and other "virtual globe" database building and programming, Geographic Information Systems work, and web-based mapping, to name a few. But we also could use help getting out a regular e-newsletter, maintaining and updating our website (it gets stale shockingly fast), and of course fundraising (we'd love to find corporate sponsors and reach out more to individual donors). If you've got those kinds of skills and are interested in helping us out, please contact us and we'll do our best to put you to work. Just be patient -- we are very busy here!

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Exxon spent millions fostering climate-change confusion, report says

Echoing recent claims made by Britain's top science group and others, the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a report slamming ExxonMobil for paying big bucks to mislead the public about climate change. OK, they're small bucks by mega-profitable Exxon's standards; still, the "modest but effective" $16 million the company spent from 1998 to 2005 "manufactured uncertainty about the human causes of global warming just as tobacco companies denied their product caused lung cancer," said UCS policy director Alden Meyer. His comparison is intentionally apt: Exxon, it seems, borrowed tactics and even people from Big Tobacco's 40-year fight to fend off critics. It also, says UCS, used access to the Bush administration to shape official climate communications. Exxon rushed to defend itself, saying many of the conclusions were inaccurate and calling the report "yet another attempt to smear our name and confuse the discussion of [this] serious issue." Is that what the kids call irony?

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Obama going to Copenhagen

‘Copenhagen Diagnosis’ offers a grim update to the IPCC’s climate science

Julian Dautremont-Smith.

What work do you do?

I'm the associate director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. AASHE has a staff of two, so I have a hand in almost everything the organization does.

How does it relate to the environment?

AASHE is a membership-based association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada that are working toward sustainability. Our mission is to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education -- from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach. We serve as a central clearinghouse for information about campus sustainability, and we also provide professional development and networking opportunities for campus sustainability practitioners.

What are you working on at the moment?

One exciting initiative I'm involved with is the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The goal is for more than 200 college and university presidents to jointly commit their institutions to becoming climate neutral. It's modeled after the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement led by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and complements the student-led Campus Climate Challenge. President Bernie Machen of the University of Florida has already publicly committed to be one of the first signatories, and another 10 presidents have expressed support. We're still finalizing aspects of the ACUPCC based on feedback from presidents, so very little information is publicly available about the initiative. Watch for a major launch in early 2007.

Another major initiative I'm working on is the development of a rating system for campus sustainability. Modeled after the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, this initiative aims to define "campus sustainability" and establish a common standard for measuring it. The rating system will recognize sustainability leaders and stimulate friendly competition among campuses. We intend for the rating system to incorporate both environmental stewardship and social responsibility in campus operations as well as in governance, curriculum, research, campus culture, and community engagement.

I also spend a lot of my time creating new resources for our online resource center, answering questions from members and the media, and writing our weekly newsletter.

How do you get to work?

I work from home, and my desk is about a foot away from my bed. It's a short commute.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

As an undergraduate, I spearheaded an initiative that resulted in Lewis & Clark College becoming the first campus in the U.S. to meet the greenhouse-gas emissions reductions called for in the Kyoto Protocol. After graduating in 2003, I spent a year in Barbados on a Fulbright Scholarship studying sustainable development for small island states. I was hired by AASHE soon after returning to the U.S.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Elizabeth, N.J., and now live in Portland, Ore.

What's been the best moment in your professional life to date?

The success of AASHE's inaugural conference last month at Arizona State University was enormously gratifying. With over 650 participants, it was the largest campus sustainability gathering to date in the United States or Canada. It was a terrific culmination to our first year in operation -- a year that has seen our membership quintuple.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

I'm tremendously frustrated with the way the Bush administration downplays the scientific consensus on climate change.

Who is your environmental hero?

Student activists who make time in their busy schedules to work for a better world are my heroes. Students have been major drivers of change both on and off campus.

What's your environmental vice?

I fly. While AASHE offsets its emissions, it would be better to avoid creating them in the first place.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

I enjoy reading the news, watching movies, hiking, and playing sports.

Read any good books lately?

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, by Stephen Kinzer, is a fascinating and engaging read that describes the U.S.-assisted overthrow of Iranian leader Mohammed Mossadegh in 1953 and shows how this historical event has affected recent U.S.-Iran relations.

What's your favorite meal?

Pad Kee Mao, a spicy Thai noodle dish with basil.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I generally walk or use public transportation to get around. (I don't own a car.)

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Coral reefs -- for their ecological importance and incredible beauty. Unfortunately, reefs are severely threatened by global warming and other human impacts. And it would blow my whole carbon budget if I were to fly to visit almost any of them.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Two of the most pressing challenges facing the world today are ending poverty and stopping global warming. To help achieve both of these goals, I'd place a small tax on all foreign-exchange transactions (known as a Tobin tax) and use the revenue to fund the spread of sustainable energy in the developing world. Such a tax would limit the destructive impact of speculative capital flows while raising $100 billion to $400 billion to invest in clean energy.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

When I was 18, I was really into Rage Against the Machine and punk music. Sun Kil Moon, Antibalas, Streetlight Manifesto, Sigur Ros, Ozomatli, Rainer Maria, My Morning Jacket, and The Mountain Goats are in frequent rotation these days.

What's your favorite TV show?

I like watching clips from The Colbert Report and The Daily Show online.

Favorite movie?

An Inconvenient Truth has raised the profile of global warming and convinced people of the need to take action.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

Well, we don't look alike, but if it were up to me, I'd have Matt Damon take the part.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

I'd encourage readers to calculate -- and then offset -- their annual greenhouse-gas emissions. It's surprisingly cheap.

Julian Dautremont-Smith, AASHE.

The Class Is Greener

Are there any universities anywhere in the world that have already set a goal of becoming climate neutral? If so, who are they, and what is their plan?    -- Liz Robinson, Philadelphia, Pa.

Yes! College of the Atlantic, Oberlin College [PDF], Carleton College, Lane Community College, and the University of Florida have all committed to climate neutrality. In addition, Presidio School of Management already offsets its emissions as an associate member of the Chicago Climate Exchange. AASHE has put together a list that includes these and other campus climate commitments.

To my knowledge, none of these institutions have adopted an official plan for achieving climate neutrality yet, but I know some of them are working on it. However, there have been a few studies of how campuses might achieve climate neutrality. These are from Oberlin College [PDF], Middlebury College, and University of California-Santa Barbara.

One of my biggest concerns is that colleges need to do more than just build green; we need to think green as an institution and as individuals to make a long-lasting impact. In your experience, what has helped change an entire campus culture to embrace sustainability?    -- Julia Alexander, Cincinnati, Ohio

Creating institutional structures to guide a campus's sustainability initiatives (such as a sustainability committee) and getting the support of the campus leadership are critical in creating coordinated and long-lasting change on campus. Another important step is hiring a sustainability officer for the campus. Many institutions have found that employing one or more staff people dedicated to sustainability is necessary to implement the goals of a sustainability committee. AASHE has developed a resource page that will be helpful for campuses considering creating a sustainability position.

Are there any other organizations working on environmental issues within higher education?    -- Becca Strauss, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

Many great organizations are working in the campus sustainability field. Each organization has its own niche -- some are regional, others are focused on students, and still others focus on specific aspects of sustainability. AASHE strives to unite all of these efforts under a common umbrella. To help people understand the landscape of campus sustainability, we have posted a listing and description of the different organizations working in this field on our website.

If you want everyone to offset their greenhouse gases, do you recommend a calculator and offset program to use?    -- Megan Kuhl, Minneapolis, Minn.

I use Clean Air Cool Planet's free Campus Carbon Calculator to calculate my emissions. It's not really intended to calculate an individual's emissions, but I like using it because I know the methodology is legit. (I studied it closely as a reviewer for the most recent version.) For folks who aren't greenhouse-gas-inventory nerds like me, any of the online calculators like CarbonCounter or the Carbonfund.org calculator will do.

There are a number of great offset suppliers -- which one you choose depends partly on individual preference. I look for offsets that: 1) meet the additionality test (i.e., would not have happened without funding from the offsets provider); 2) are third-party verified; and 3) have additional social or environmental benefits beyond the reduction of GHG emissions. In general, I prefer offsets that come from renewable-energy or energy-efficiency projects over offsets from reforestation efforts because energy offsets better address the root cause of global warming (fossil-fuel consumption).

What is the first step a university should take in becoming climate neutral?    -- Jessie Davie, Eliot, Maine

Sign the American College and University President's Climate Commitment; it will help guide your campus through the process. By signing the pledge, campuses commit to creating an institutional structure (like a task force or committee) to coordinate and report on the institution's climate initiatives. The task force will evaluate the institution's greenhouse-gas emissions and develop an action plan for achieving climate neutrality. Also, students should check out the Campus Climate Challenge for resources and information.

What do you see as the role of fuel-cell technologies in the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment? Do you see potential partnership opportunities with similar programs at the local, state, regional, federal, and international levels?    -- Shang Hsiung, Takoma Park, Md.

Fuel cells definitely have a role to play in helping campuses achieve climate neutrality, especially when they are powered with biogas or hydrogen produced from clean energy sources. As for partnerships, we are certainly interested! Please contact me directly to discuss partnership opportunities.

I am concerned that a lot of the "greening" on these campuses is not low-tech, low-skill enough that it can be a model for less educated and poorer folks in other parts of the world. College students have learned that they can politick and get something done with their tuition, but they haven't learned how to build and maintain an energy-harnessing machine themselves. Why don't colleges set good examples and help the kids do it themselves?    -- Badger Johnson, Cincinnati, Ohio

I don't think it is an either/or situation. The great thing about campus sustainability is that people in every discipline can contribute. While some of the more visible student initiatives have focused on changing institutional policies, there are also plenty of opportunities for students who are more attracted to hands-on activities. More than 100 campuses have farms where students can get direct experience with sustainable-agriculture techniques. Students from all over are installing green roofs, making biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, building solar houses, installing small-scale wind power systems, building with straw bale and rammed earth, developing grey-water systems, and much more. The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology at Humboldt State University provides many more examples of the type of projects students can do.

Can you comment on your observations regarding the process of incorporating sustainability into higher-education curricula?    -- Laura Henry, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fortunately, efforts to integrate sustainability across the curriculum are growing, and some schools are establishing academic programs in sustainability. Arizona State University recently created an entire School of Sustainability, while other institutions have begun hiring professors of sustainability studies or sustainability science. In addition, more and more campuses and businesses are hiring sustainability officers.

What could be done to effectively share good ideas between schools that already have sustainable programs?    -- David Lyons, New Haven, Conn.

Helping campuses learn from each other is one of AASHE's major goals. Each week, our free newsletter, the AASHE Bulletin, delivers the latest sustainability news, resources, opportunities, and events from campuses in the U.S. and Canada. We also maintain an online resource center and are working to produce how-to guides on a variety of campus sustainability issues.

Our conference provides a major venue for campuses to share information and learn from each other. This year, we had over 650 participants and more than 200 presentations. AASHE's awards program highlights best practices and provides recognition to campus sustainability leaders. We also offer a workshop series on sustainability across the curriculum and are planning to expand our professional development offerings to include other aspects of campus sustainability.

Do you know of schools that have developed ways of convincing their landscape and building managers to become more green and emit less CO2? Finding cost reductions is the only language I have found that works, but many times, the methods I promote have greater upfront costs.    -- Wayne Teel, Harrisonburg, Va.

Part of the solution is to change the incentives. Right now, the budgeting process on many campuses doesn't encourage sustainability, since departments that adopt sustainability measures often don't receive the benefits. One way to address this challenge is to create a revolving loan fund for campus sustainability initiatives, like the Harvard Green Campus Loan Fund. The Harvard fund provides zero-interest loans for sustainability measures that have a payback period of five years or less. Departments that receive a loan repay the fund with the savings achieved as a result of the project. In this way, the fund enables the university to make sustainability investments without incurring any capital costs. Harvard's fund has been able to achieve a higher return on investment than the Harvard endowment.

The challenge is finding an initial source of money to start the fund. I'd love to see all of the public higher-education institutions in Virginia come together to lobby the legislature in support of the creation of a statewide sustainability revolving-loan fund. A great model for this might be the Texas LoanSTAR program.

It's also worth noting that APPA, the professional association for higher-education facilities managers, has been very supportive of sustainability and was one of the founding members of the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium. APPA's monthly magazine, Facilities Manager, frequently covers sustainability issues, and recently published special issues on sustainability and on environmental stewardship. A recent article, "The Hidden Economics of Campus Sustainability," seems particularly relevant to your situation.

Finally, you might think about giving a copy of The Business Case for Renewable Energy: A Guide for Colleges and Universities to your facilities manager as a holiday gift.

Are West Coast colleges generally farther up the learning curve?    -- Laurance Allen, Plymouth, Mass.

One of the surprising (and exciting!) things about campus sustainability is how geographically diverse the movement is. Sustainability efforts are thriving on campuses all across the U.S., and there isn't one region that is ahead of the others.

Aside from being a very long noun, what is "sustainability"? What does sustainability achieve?    -- Bruce Amaro, Danvers, Mass.

Most definitions of sustainability originate from a 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, which defined sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Since then, a huge number of alternate definitions have emerged. Recognizing this diversity of definitions, AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations.

How can we get religious communities to recognize that tikkun olam (the Hebrew expression for healing and repairing the world) should be high on their agendas?    -- Richard Schwartz, Staten Island, N.Y.

On the campus level, I'm excited to report that this seems to be happening already. Religious institutions of all faiths and denominations have sustainability initiatives under way. For instance, the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities recently published an article describing green initiatives at some of its member institutions. Likewise, the presidents of 39 evangelical colleges were among the signatories of Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action, a statement expressing a biblically driven commitment to curb global warming.

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What work do you do?

I'm the founder and executive director of Global Inheritance.

What does your organization do?

We reinvent activism for today's young generation. Our initiatives focus on the power of creativity to communicate and push for progressive social change while rejecting conflict. Global Inheritance targets various subcultures, developing campaigns that cater specifically to each individual demographic.

Bin there, recycled that.

Under the Global Inheritance banner are several different programs with goals ranging from promoting recycling to stopping nuclear-weapons proliferation. TRASHed is a two-pronged program -- part art-based and part event-based. The Art of Recycling is a large-scale art initiative bringing together major artists to turn ordinary recycling bins into inspiring works of art. And the TRASHed Recycling Store, set up at various concerts and other events, accepts recyclable bottles as currency toward cool merchandise. Tour Rider is another event-related program; it focuses on traffic congestion and air pollution, giving concertgoers who carpool access to a range of perks including gift bags and VIP privileges.

What are you working on at the moment?

We just finished our first concert as part of a series of events called Public Displays of Affection, which rewards people who use the subway or bus system in Los Angeles. Next on our plate is AFI Fest, a film festival held by the American Film Institute. What I'm really excited about currently is Coachella 2007. We are planning several really cool programs at this year's festival that will raise the environmental bar for all major music festivals around the world.

How do you get to work?

I roll out of bed and over to the desk.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I grew up with parents who had strong morals. I also lived in a progressive town (Portland, Ore.) and went to school at the University of Oregon (although I wasn't the stereotypical UO activist). I helped organize benefit concerts and worked with a lot of out-of-touch nonprofits. Then I worked on the Truth campaign. And finally, the rise of the internet and meeting Matt Brady, who is currently the Global Inheritance creative director, led me to where I am today.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

Born in Detroit and ended up in Los Angeles.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

Having to deal with lame people who care only for themselves.

What's been the best?

Trading trash for treasure at the Recycling Store.

I've worked in several cutthroat industries that employ creative and hardworking people. I love people who are very passionate about life and don't compromise or change for others. I believe you have one shot at life, so make the most of it.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Where do I begin?

Who is your environmental hero?

There's too many to count. I think God and all the religious figures should be environmental heroes. I want to start a campaign with God saying you will be damned if you litter or drive a Hummer in NYC. Think about the positive environmental impact Buddha, Allah, Jesus, and Muhammad could have on society!

What's your environmental vice?

I fall asleep watching movies and leave the TV on.

Read any good books lately?

Papillon by Henri Charriere.

What's your favorite place to eat?

I love a Brazilian restaurant called Bossa Nova. It's open 'til 4 a.m., and has amazing food and decent prices.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I drive a hybrid but fly around in a Learjet.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

South America.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Instead of running the morning news with celebrity/murder updates, all the major networks would broadcast a 15-minute news piece talking about the environment and ways to integrate new ideas into your everyday life.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

When I was 18, probably N.W.A. Currently, there are several I could pick. Right now, I'm listening to Air, the Virgin Suicides soundtrack.

What's your favorite TV show? Movie?

I don't watch much TV, but I get Netflix and rented Live Aid recently. I'm not sure what we were thinking in the '80s. People were so over the top. I can't believe people dressed and acted that way. I think the entire world was high.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

P. Diddy ... and there would be a horrible accident (think Brandon Lee/The Crow) on set, with P. Diddy unfortunately passing away after four days of unsuccessful surgery.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Avoid being backseat drivers; take the wheel and show by example what's possible.

Eric the Read

What's the typical response you get from young people when they learn about your organization at music festivals or other events?    -- Name not provided

People are stoked. The only time we get any negativity is when we reach capacity or run out of merchandise. Although festivals are a lot of work, I truly love talking with people who are excited and see potential for major change on several fronts.

What's planned for next year's Coachella festival, and how can volunteers get involved?    -- Mike Wonsidler, San Diego, Calif.

Unfortunately, we are keeping everything under wraps until February. There are some big ideas we are pushing that we don't want to talk about until certain third parties agree. To volunteer at Coachella or get involved with the programs, .

What would be your dream event to have a presence at?    -- Grist editors

There are no dream events ... just dream locations. We're targeting India, Russia, and China in 2007-2008. (Fingers crossed.)

Do you feel like the people you reach have a good understanding of issues like climate change, or do they just want cool stuff? And if it's just the stuff, how do you help them learn about the issues? What kind of follow-up do you do to make sure your message is getting through?    -- Name not provided

If we visit a wealthy suburb of San Francisco, then yes, kids know about climate change. If we are hosting an event around community housing in Baltimore, the number of people educated on climate change drops considerably. Our overall goal is planting seeds in kids' heads about the key issues. Any 14-year-old kid who picks up 400 water bottles for a new autographed skateboard thinks about picking up those bottles every time he skates.

Can we bottle that youthful enthusiasm?

You're always going to get a mixed bag. Some kids are zombies who only want free stuff and other kids want more information to start recycling campaigns in their schools. During certain events, we allow kids to take an environmental quiz to test their knowledge and win more points. When you're dealing with young teenagers, it gets tricky because they feel like Superman/Superwoman, like they are indestructible. Once you start hitting 19-year-olds and above, that all changes. I'd say 80 percent of them understand climate change or want more information.

We rely on other major nonprofits and government organizations to continue the educational process since Global Inheritance is a small organization with limited staff and resources. Our programs are always a work in progress. Every day, we look to improve the programs and provide a better experience. In the coming months, when we launch our eSAT campaign, ideally, all of this will change. Unfortunately, a lot depends on funding ... so please forward to your friends of power and influence.

In the absence of good youth programs like the ones you've initiated, what's the best way to get eco-related information and creative ideas into kids' hands?    -- Nancy Burnett, Holden, Mass.

Hosting booths at major music festivals like the Warped Tour is a great fit. (Just make sure your staff fits the same demo as the audience. If you're targeting 15-year-olds, your staff should be in college or at least under 26.) You can view upcoming festivals and concerts in your city by visiting Pollstar.

We are currently working with a magazine called Dispatch that's distributed in major classrooms around the country. Over 50 percent of the magazine targets environmental issues. Think about contacting schools and running ads or columns in their newspapers. Reach out to Global Inheritance. We run programs outside of California and plan to open up satellite offices in the future, once we build the infrastructure.

Do you feel like your campaigns (such as the PDA project rewarding those taking public transit) are drawing newbies to the cause or merely rewarding those who already planned to take the subway?    -- Name not provided

The L.A. subway system on the night of PDA was like a rerun of Real World -- every type of person was present, from hipsters to blue-collar workers. I had people telling me every five minutes that this was their first experience on the L.A. Metro, and they loved it. In regards to rewarding people who already take the subway, I think that's a positive. We are giving people confirmation that they are doing the right thing. Who doesn't want to be a trendsetter?

What are some challenges or unique aspects to trying to get young people excited about activism and the environment? What inspired you to go after that demographic? How do we keep them interested as they grow up and their interests change?    -- Grist editors

I've dealt with youth culture for so long that I know what gets kids excited about. Not to sound lame, but it's my art. You treat people with respect, you take risks so your ideas are never outdated, and you give the audience what they want ... it's that simple. If people have good experiences, they stay interested. Program evolution is key. Surround yourself with creative, like-minded people from a wide variety of backgrounds -- people who will continue to push the envelope so you're offering the coolest campaigns in town.

Our biggest challenge is funding. Most festivals don't have budgets (or don't want to create budgets) for social programs. But I'm a creative person first and foremost. In January 2007, we are bringing in a business director who will help keep separation between church and state, which will be huge. This will allow Global Inheritance to go global and provide more opportunities to work with smaller markets, nonprofit organizations, and schools.

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The Yes Men reveal their next big stunt

A video interview with the Yes Men

Whether it's the Oscars, the Emmys, or the Webbys, everyone's wished for the chance to be the one in the seat of honor -- the one saying "I'd like to thank the Academy" or even the one who's "honored just to be nominated." So as the annual Brower Youth Awards came around this year, we dug deep with some capital-J Journalism to score you a virtual invite to the festivities.

What: Each year, the Earth Island Institute honors a group of youth activists for their leadership in conservation, preservation, and restoration. The Brower Youth Awards celebrate the work of the late environmental champion David Brower, who often served as a mentor for emerging young leaders. Punctuated by an awards ceremony in San Francisco tonight, this week saw the honorees spending their days in the Bay Area, taking a backcountry camping trip, working in a community garden, and riding along on a biodiesel-bus whistle-stop tour.

"I love the idea that they have us doing community service the week that we're being recognized for the service that we've done in our communities at home," said (Karoline) Evin McMullen, one of the six winners.

(Karoline) Evin McMullen.

Photos: Earth Island Institute

Who: Ranging in age from 16 to 22, this year's honorees have been involved with projects that vary from educating teens about toxins in everyday products to protecting their communities from encroaching development.

McMullen, a 16-year-old from Chesterland, Ohio, cofounded Save Our Stream, a program partnering student and community groups with government agencies to clean up polluted streams and restore the habitat of threatened trout populations. She uses hands-on projects to teach kids at local public schools about science and get them outside, working together to preserve the environment.

Jessica Assaf, also 16, of San Rafael, Calif., is involved with the Safe Cosmetics Campaign, educating teens about the dangers of the potentially cancer-causing chemicals found in many brands of makeup. Assaf hopes her work will inspire both teens and adults nationwide to pursue legislation protecting public health.

Founder and student director of CYnergy Fellowship in El Paso, Texas, Ruben Vogt, 21, helps train high-schoolers to get involved in their communities, giving students a "toolbox of skills" like public speaking, strategic planning, and improved communication skills. The group aims to "eliminate Band-Aid solutions to problems," he says, focusing instead on long-term solutions and creating a culture of change.

Elissa Smith.

Elissa Smith, 21, of Ottawa, Ontario, has worked to increase youth participation in environmental decision-making as an executive committee member of the Sierra Youth Coalition. Smith emphasizes that the future of the environmental movement will rely on "transcending traditional barriers and bringing together environmentalists, social-justice campaigners, and communities bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change."

Alberta Nells.

A native of the sacred lands in the San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona, 16-year-old Alberta Nells is active with Youth of the Peaks, a group of indigenous and non-indigenous youth working to protect the community's cultural ways and local environment. For Nells, it's more than an extracurricular interest: "I'm doing this for the people, the land, the spirit."

May Boeve, 21, of Middlebury, Vt., helped coordinate the Road to Detroit tour, a 15,000-mile educational journey across the country last summer on a biodiesel-powered bus. The final destination? A visit to automakers to persuade them to invest in better fuel efficiency and zero-emissions technology.

When: The awards ceremony is tonight, but the work these youth are committed to doesn't have an end in sight.

Jessica Assaf.

"I see myself continuing to teach people that if they do not like something about the world -- whether it be the fact that there are possible carcinogens in personal-care products or something completely different -- that it is their responsibility to work toward change," Assaf says.

BYA winners receive a $3,000 cash award to continue their work, and they also gain access to new resources, mentors, and ongoing opportunities to fine-tune their leadership skills as they become part of the Earth Island Institute's New Leaders Initiative.

Brower Power

"I want people to know that regardless of age, we must start now to sustain the world for future generations," Assaf says. "We have all the resources and all the technology; all we need is people to initiate the use of environmentally safe products and practices."

Where: This year's honorees come from communities all over North America, but their work casts a much wider net.

Two of the six have focused their projects on their personal, local environments. Nells' work aims to "build stronger communities for the coming generation," while McMullen is focused on the protection of a species native to her hometown, the Ohio brook trout. But, McMullen says, "the message that it tries to get out -- education and preservation are the two keys to really conserving the environment -- have a national and worldwide applicability."

Ruben Vogt.

Vogt says his passion stems from the people of his hometown, but his experiences this week meeting fellow honorees have given him a better perspective on what's happening on both national and international levels. "It brings us together, and we get to collectively share our ideas and see where we're lacking and where, as a group, we can pick up the pace and get more things done," he says.

And though Boeve's work literally took her across the country, she's finally off the road. For now, she says, she'll be focusing on "national-level actions aimed at influencing Congress to adopt comprehensive legislation on climate change."

May Boeve.

How: Though their efforts range from education programs to scientific research, what unites these six youth is their willingness to take a leadership role. They've rallied communities and planned protests and lobbied for legislation. But most important, they've convinced their peers to join them in the fight.

"The energy choices we make today will determine the world my generation will inherit, which is why -- across the globe -- students and young people are leading efforts to build genuine, sustainable solutions to climate change," Smith says.

And it's a "vibrant, grassroots movement," Boeve adds. "We're mobilizing our campuses, we're writing songs and creating art, and we're lobbying our political leaders."

Why: Quite simply, these six youth are passionate about what they do. And they know the involvement of their generation is the key to envisioning a clean and healthy future for everyone.

"We cannot just let frustrating environmental issues pass us by," Assaf says. "We are the future, and we have all the tools for improvement. Everyone has the power to make change."

Related Links:

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What work do you do?

I'm executive director of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide.

What does your organization do?

ELAW helps grassroots lawyers around the world protect human rights and the environment. We're working with partners in 70 countries and helping them challenge environmental abuses, enforce environmental laws, give communities a voice about the environment, and chart a greener future.

What are you working on at the moment?

We're helping partners in China enforce environmental laws, helping partners in Liberia challenge a polluting Firestone factory, helping partners in the Caribbean protect the Mesoamerican Reef, and helping partners in the Philippines combat air pollution. We're also taking on climate damage. It's a big planet, and we are keeping busy.

How do you get to work?

I walk my two daughters to school, then ride my bike.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

Getting a hoof up on environmental law in Ixiamas, Bolivia.

Growing up in Oregon, I loved free-flowing rivers and thought damming them was wrong. When my mother asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I answered: "A dam buster!"

Timber money ruled Oregon, and I learned early that we need to fight to protect the environment. I worked for U.S. Congress member Jim Weaver, a staunch environmental advocate. I learned that most people want to protect the environment, but those who want to exploit the environment have more money, more lobbyists, and more lawyers.

In an effort to level the playing field, I headed for Harvard Law School. I was president of the Environmental Law Society, graduated cum laude, then headed back West. I learned about a new organization that would work with lawyers in their home countries around the world to help them protect human rights and the environment. I became the first staff attorney at ELAW in 1991.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born and raised in Eugene, Ore., traveled east for school, worked in D.C. and Seattle, then settled back in Eugene. It's a great place to raise a family.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

The people I work with around the world can pay a high price for challenging environmental abuses. Right now, a partner in Ethiopia is facing false charges that could bring the death penalty. When I hear about jailed partners, that makes a really bad day.

What's been the best?

We recently helped children in Argentina get clean drinking water, helped protect ancient trees in Chile, helped fight off oil companies eyeing Costa Rica, helped a Malaysian community get relief from a polluting latex factory, and helped Liberia save its forests for future generations. These victories keep me going.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Hands down: President Bush rejecting the Kyoto Protocol.

Who is your environmental hero?

M.C. Mehta of India, a good friend and Goldman Prize winner. M.C. is a tremendous lawyer who has won sweeping victories for the environment and human rights.

What's your environmental vice?

I own too many fly rods. But most of them were gifts!

How do you spend your free time?

Running rivers, camping, growing vegetables, fly-fishing, and helping my wife Hillary chase our two daughters.

Read any good books lately?

I just read The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq, by John Crawford. It offers depressing insight into the disaster that is our war in Iraq.

What's your favorite meal?

Organic vegetables from my garden with a fried egg from our family chicken, Mary.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I enjoy reading Grist!

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Rivers of the western slope of the Cascades.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

A carbon tax, with the money used to find sustainable energy solutions.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

Jerry Jeff Walker when I was 18. Greg Brown now.

What's your favorite TV show? Movie?

I don't watch much TV, except for the Tour de France. My favorite movie is The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

John Malkovich.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Visit our website to learn more about how you can help ELAW empower grassroots advocates in their home countries to build healthy communities and protect the planet.

Bern Johnson, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide.

Johnson in Law

What can be done to prevent the polluting of poor countries by richer ones, such as the recent toxic scandal in Ivory Coast?    -- Juliette Hauville, Bologna, Italy

The key is to empower people to protect themselves and their environment. ELAW gives partners in less-industrialized countries the legal and scientific tools they need to challenge polluters. When would-be polluters know that skilled, committed lawyers -- armed with the best legal and scientific tools -- are ready to hold them accountable in every country around the world, they will be less likely to export environmental abuses.

If your firm was given a million dollars to support your activism, what work would you support where you could have the biggest long-term impact? Is it within your organization's capacity to actively promote a national carbon tax?    -- Scott Pope, Eugene, Ore.

With a million dollars, I would focus on three major initiatives:

I would help lawyers around the world protect the global climate through law. The damage we are doing to our climate threatens to be one of the worst injustices of all time -- the people least responsible for damaging our climate will be the ones most harmed by the consequences. We should be engaging legal systems to prevent and remedy this injustice.

I would support ELAW's Rapid Response Network. Lawyers all over the world call on us for help in challenging environmental abuses. Often, these lawyers are racing to protect communities or ecosystems. We need to respond instantly to give these lawyers the legal and scientific tools they need to win.

I would give communities a voice in decisions about the environment. Communities all over the world want to build a sustainable future. We want to work with our partners to ensure that disadvantaged communities have the right to participate in decisions about the environment and that their voices are heard.

Our work is focused outside the U.S., so we would not be working to promote a national carbon tax in the U.S. We are, however, looking at policy tools that our partners around the world can use to help protect the global climate.

Who foots the bill for the resource your organization provides?    -- Marie Fisher, Telford, Pa.

ELAW helps partners around the world at no charge. We support our work with gifts from individuals, foundation grants, and occasional government grants. Because we use electronic communication tools to empower local partners with the legal and scientific resources they need, we achieve big bang for the buck. I appreciate your question and would be thrilled to have your support!

Do you have any words of advice for aspiring environmental lawyers like me? Anything you wish you had done differently in law school or shortly thereafter?    -- Michael Kopp, Denver, Colo.

I'm glad to hear you are an aspiring environmental lawyer. My first advice is simple: Find ways to work to protect the environment through law. We need more lawyers working to protect the environment.

While you are in school, find ways to work with practicing environmental lawyers. Whether you earn credit toward your degree, volunteer, or even get paid, you will learn a lot. Remember that many people who call themselves "environmental lawyers" are not actually working to protect the environment. In fact, some of them are helping corporations find ways to avoid complying with environmental laws.

Live simply and save money. My first job out of law school was working in a private firm that paid me pretty well. I was able to pay off my student loans and save some money, so in a few years I could afford to take a big pay cut to go to work for a nonprofit and work full time to protect the environment. Saving money can open the door to working for the planet.

When I was looking into law schools, I was told that you don't study environmental law. Instead, you get the law coursework and hope to find an environmental firm to get the specific experience upon graduating. Is this the reality, and what was your undergrad major?    -- Jared Webb, Rocky Mount, Va.

I studied political economy at Williams College, which enabled me to learn about how political systems make decisions about natural resources. I cannot imagine a law school that does not offer courses in environmental law. In your first year of law school, you generally take the prescribed mainstream courses, but you should be able to take plenty of environmental law courses during your second and third years of law school.

I suspect that you will learn the most about protecting the environment through law by working with lawyers who are doing that work. When you are looking at law schools, find out if they offer clinical opportunities to work with environmental defenders -- internships, externships, etc. -- and then pursue whatever is available while you're in school. You should be able to earn credit for working to protect the environment.

How has technology impacted your ability to do your work internationally?    -- Dean Ericksen, Seattle, Wash.

Communications technology makes it possible for ELAW to give a grassroots lawyer in the farthest corners of the globe the latest scientific research about environmental problems and solutions. We can connect grassroots lawyers with the best environmental law minds in 60 countries around the globe. We can hold multinational corporations accountable for environmental abuses on the other side of the globe. We can share news of environmental victories and work to replicate them around the world. We can empower grassroots organizations to collaborate with partners all over the world in ways that were impossible a few years ago, and unthinkable 30 years ago.

I am a big believer in the power of communications technology to advance progressive causes. Most progressive causes -- including protecting the environment -- are hindered by a lack of organization and a lack of resources. If they are used wisely, electronic communication tools can help overcome these hurdles.

When people come at you with the argument that global warming doesn't exist, what do you use to counter them? Also, what can we do to make the government respond to global warming?    -- Taylor Sorensen, Seattle, Wash.

It is difficult to convince people who refuse to recognize science. I agree with British Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, who told Reuters: "The people in denial now are the equivalent of the Flat Earth Society." We need to educate and motivate reasonable, informed people, and ignore those who refuse to recognize science.

As far as moving the government, for now, I would focus on state and local governments. Write to your governor and mayor and ask what steps they have taken to protect the global climate; then urge them to do more.

What will most Americans be using for transportation 25 years from now? On a three-day fishing trip would you rather act as fishing guide for Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly?    -- Tommy Bascom, Eugene, Ore.

In 25 years, we had better be using some form of transportation that is lighter on the earth than what we use now.

I'm no fishing guide, and I would only want to go on a fishing trip with someone who truly appreciated the fish and the healthy river they need.

How can U.S. law students obtain legal internships from the partners listed on ELAW?    -- Elena Gil, San Francisco, Calif.

U.S. law students have worked with many of the organizations in the ELAW network. If you are interested, write to us, let us know where you might be interested in working, and we'll see what we can do. Keep in mind that our partners generally cannot pay legal interns.

I am an environmental attorney who wants to work on bigger issues. Can you give me a job?    -- Dan Gildor, Austin, Texas

Thanks for asking. Right now, we are not looking to hire any attorneys. If we can find some more money, I would like to hire more lawyers and scientists to do more good for the planet.

During my regular dog-walk loop, I sometimes encounter strong-smelling fumes coming from a freestanding car workshop in a neighborhood yard. Aren't there any regulations on chemicals we release into the environment? Who are the environmental police that should be notified?    -- Naomi Klass, Falls Church, Va.

The U.S. EPA issued a regulation [PDF] not too long ago that limits organic hazardous air pollutants from shops that engage in surface coating of automobiles and light-duty trucks.

You could call the air toxics office to learn who should be notified about a potential violation of this regulation in your area.

You are lucky that your family is supportive of your environmental values. Any advice for those of us who live with people who cannot be convinced that they should at least religiously recycle, reduce, and reuse?    -- Elena Gil, San Francisco, Calif.

Yes, I am lucky to live with a family that shares my commitment to protecting the environment. If you are not so fortunate, I would recommend identifying simple steps that people close to you can take to reduce their impact on the planet. If you identify those steps and show that they will benefit the planet without reducing anyone's quality of life, you should be able to start moving people in the right direction.

What suggestions would you give to phase out concentrated animal-feeding operations that pose a huge threat to our ground and surface water?    -- Ginny Botz-Taylor, Tempe, Ariz.

In 2003, the U.S. EPA finalized effluent limitations for CAFOs.

Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit environmental organization, sued the EPA because the rule was too lax. You may want to contact Waterkeeper Alliance to get involved with their efforts.

I've heard you're coping with the loss of two particularly amazing high-school volunteers. How are you dealing with this? More importantly, how are the office appliances dealing with this epic tragedy?    -- Kate Fickas and Rebekkah Meyer, Eugene, Ore.

I love working with volunteers. They bring energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas. We had two wacky high-school student volunteers who named all of our office equipment. We think of those crazy kids every time we turn on Archibald, the postage meter. Volunteers help us protect the planet, and we help them gain skills and experience.

You see so much suffering around the world, and yet you maintain such a positive attitude. How do you do it?    -- Ashley Henry, Portland, Ore.

I am lucky to have a strong, supportive family. I am inspired by partners around the world who work against overwhelming odds to protect the planet. Children -- especially my two daughters -- make me laugh, and laughing always helps. Going outside and enjoying nature always lifts me up. Wild rivers, big mountains, and huge trees work great, but even a small weed struggling to grow through a crack in the concrete can lift me.

I keep an Edward Abbey quote by my desk: "One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am -- a reluctant enthusiast ... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; you will outlive the bastards."

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Huston Eubank.

What work do you do?

I'm executive director of the World Green Building Council.

What does your organization do?

The World Green Building Council is a union of green building councils from around the world who are working to encourage development of green-building rating systems and accelerate the transformation of the global property industry toward sustainability. Our current members are GBCs in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and Taiwan. We are currently reviewing the United Arab Emirates' membership application, and expect the United Kingdom, Brazil, and New Zealand to join us in the next few months. We are working with many other countries, notably including China, that want to form their own councils.

Building "green" leaves a lighter footprint on the environment, and will save everyone money and resources in the long run while we work toward achieving true sustainability. It takes care and knowledge to build "green," and a different way of looking at things, but there are many green architects and engineers and developers and manufacturers around the world who are looking for the opportunity to create sustainable buildings, communities, and cities.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

It was long and winding indeed. After about 20 years of practicing architecture mixed with other things, I took a job with Gensler in Los Angeles in 1991. There I worked on the Sony Pictures (formerly MGM) lot with environmental consultant John Picard; that was pretty much my catharsis. In 1996, I took a job in Portland, Ore., running a pretty comprehensive commercial green-building program for Portland General Electric. Unfortunately, Enron bought PGE (yes, I have an Enron business card), and that was the end of my program. After a fabulous year working in San Francisco with David Gottfried, founder of both the U.S. and World GBCs, at the start of 1999 I joined Bill Browning and Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colo. For the first time in my life, I finally felt like a round peg in a round hole. But 18 months ago, I decided that the opportunity to focus on developing the WGBC was more important. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it full-time at RMI, so I quit to devote myself to this effort. I think I made a good decision.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I'm a gypsy. I was born in South Carolina for some strange reason, but moved to California three weeks later. And I haven't stopped moving since. Currently, I'm officially living in New Hampshire and "visiting" my new wife in Montreal for extended periods, while going through the Canadian immigration process. Fortunately, my job is completely virtual, so I can go anywhere.

What's your environmental vice?

I eat meat, and I love to travel.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

I love offshore sailing but have never done enough of it. I would love to sail around the world some day. Meanwhile, I take long walks in the woods and travel to beautiful places that fill me with wonder. I'm also a lap swimmer, and I like to take in foreign films.

Read any good books lately?

Seems like hundreds: in the past year, I've read (and recommend) A Short History Of Progress, Collapse, Field Notes from a Catastrophe, 1421, The Tipping Point, The Story of B, Sailing Alone Around the World, Massive Change, Nexus: Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Theory of Networks, and The Art of the Start, and I'm re-reading Spaceship Earth.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I'm a Pollyanna, which I think is probably the opposite of an environmental stereotype.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

The most realistic would be a very stiff carbon tax, based on the true environmental costs of our carbon blowout party.

Who are your favorite musical artists?

Mississippi John Hurt and Johann Sebastian Bach.

What's your favorite movie?

A few recent favorites include Where the Green Ants Dream, Microcosmos (an interesting perspective), Travelers and Magicians (a film from Bhutan about serendipity and life), and Genghis Blues. There are so many good films, and, unfortunately, they seldom come from Hollywood. Of course, An Inconvenient Truth is a brilliant exception.

What's the most amazing thing you've seen lately?

The image of Earth taken by the Cassini space probe outbound to Jupiter, from many million miles from Earth. I came across it several months ago on a NASA website, and then saw it again in Al Gore's movie. When you see Earth from that perspective -- just a microscopic blue dot in the void -- it makes all our political and military and religious issues here on the surface of the planet seem highly irrelevant!

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

I'm currently reading Thomas Berry's The Great Work, so I think we all need to get back in touch with nature somehow -- deeply. Like go sit in a meadow and contemplate it for a month. But then, I'm speaking to the choir, aren't I? How about just go enjoy the sunset, and think very hard about our (relatively) unique position in space. And then talk to everybody about it.

Huston Eubank, World Green Building Council.

Eubank on It

What is the No. 1 recommendation you would give to somebody building new construction to make the biggest "green" impact on the environment? Also, what can current homeowners do to help?    -- Alicia Bequette, Nashville, Tenn.

There are many very important issues like transportation requirements, water, toxins, and preservation of biodiversity. But if I have to pick one, I'd say pay close attention to the sun, and use every technique you can to harvest its energy and other benefits. Simply orienting typical subdivision homes to address the sun properly can reduce their energy consumption by 30 percent. Using the sun to fullest advantage allows the creation of homes in which a comfortable interior climate can be maintained without active heating (even in very cold climates) and cooling systems (except in very hot, humid climates). This technology is already well demonstrated and being commercialized in other countries. Taking this concept a step further, there are even pilot projects for houses that produce more energy than they consume over a year. For an excellent list of simple things owners of both new and existing homes can do, see the Rocky Mountain Institute's Home Energy Briefs (and many other resources [PDF]).

What is the relationship between the World Green Building Council and the U.S. Green Building Council? Is the WorldGBC just a tool for the USGBC to push the adoption of LEED internationally?    -- Name not provided

The USGBC is a founding member of the WorldGBC and is currently our most important supporter financially. But we operate independently of it, and are proud that the USGBC supports this position. We do coordinate our efforts pretty closely with the USGBC and respond to every international inquiry they share with us. At our founding meeting, we unanimously adopted the position that we would encourage our members to create green-building rating systems that were appropriate to differing cultural, climate, and economic situations in their countries. We believe there is a lot to be learned in that process, and that local consensus development fosters ownership, buy-in, and voluntary participation. Currently, our seven members use four different rating systems. At the same time, however, there is rapidly growing demand for a unified global system, and we have begun to take some steps in that direction, while still respecting our members' individual needs and priorities.

What sort of government regulations, incentives, and policies work best to promote green building among industrial and residential developers?    -- Lynn Phillips, Hancock, N.Y.

There are lots of good, inventive ways that federal, state, and local governments can encourage green building. The USGBC's LEED website has a list of many ways these jurisdictions are using the LEED system. But as Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute likes to say, "Government should steer, not row." The best incentives for green building are market incentives -- the real ones that come from projects being more profitable for the builders, better investments for their owners, and better environments for their occupants. This works for industrial and residential developments as well as it does for commercial office buildings.

What is the most effective way to have old, unacceptable regulations catch up to what the new "green" developers are trying their darnedest to accomplish? Can your organization address this issue and help regulators green up their act?    -- Carol Newcomb-Jones, Fort Myers, Fla.

My answer to a lot of these questions is, "A rising tide lifts all boats." The green building movement is making more and more excellent precedents available, all of which can be cited -- by designers, by the public, and by regulators -- as examples of good reasons for doing things differently. I think of green building as a new kind of quality control! The way to get the message to your local regulatory people is by involving them in the design process in a new way. Include them in an integrated design charrette for the project and let them become part of the solution -- even let them think the cool ideas are their own! These are all things that WorldGBC members advocate. At the end of the day, the project team has to be willing to spend the time to appeal antiquated rules. But if the regulators have been involved in the process all along, the task is much less painful.

I am an environmental engineer who sometimes works with a sustainably influenced architect. We discussed becoming certified to advise people on green building, but there were several certifications out there. Which green-building certification provides a good, balanced approach, taking into account such practical matters as local materials and cost versus benefit? I see builders getting "Energy Star" certifications on buildings that could be improved in so many ways.    -- Mary Alford, Gainesville, Fla.

Yes, there are lots of certifications, and that's why I'm partial to a national program such as the USGBC's LEED Accredited Professionals (and, hopefully, a related global program some day). Unfortunately, that program does not certify that a person knows a lot about green design, but it does indicate a serious level of interest and commitment that I think is very important. Energy Star is an important program that is making a big difference in building performance. But, on average, LEED is driving a higher level of performance in buildings, and it is much more holistic.

What single change in practice -- in terms of resource management or construction specifications -- might be the easiest to sell to the mainstream North American populace and the most effective in reversing current energy-usage patterns?    -- Donald Eubank, Tokyo, Japan

I see this question comes from a ringer, but it's a tough question and I really like it, so I'll tackle it. Both easy to sell to the mainstream and effective? Well, my son, information is a very powerful thing. I'm extremely fond of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive program that the E.U. has recently put into action. It's an elegant program that simply requires an energy-performance report card be created for all buildings, and energy-performance certificates be made available when buildings are constructed, sold, or rented out. Simply having to make this information available, and having the info available when making decisions about what to buy or lease, is already having a profound impact on individuals' behavior. The program has been ramping up for several years and just went into full effect this past January. Annual energy cost savings from the program are expected to be about $8.9 billion annually. That ought to get people's attention.

My son is currently an architecture student, and, looking through his proposed classes for the next several years, I am wondering why there aren't specific courses on working green. How can the industry practice what they aren't being taught?    -- Lynn Stephenson, Rockford, Ill.

Frustrating, isn't it? Some schools really "get it" and are into sustainability in very big and exciting ways. And some architecture schools are still teaching theory and aesthetics over everything else, like there's no tomorrow. Maybe there won't be if they don't wake up soon. (One big reason I left hands-on architectural practice was because I hated working on projects where aesthetics were king, functionality and efficiency be damned. I love exciting architecture, but if it doesn't work, and work well, it can't really be beautiful.) Seems to me your son has two choices. One is to move to a school that gets it. The other is to grab the reins and force some changes. Often the initiative for schools to change comes from the students themselves; I like to say, "If the people lead, the leaders will follow." Fortunately, the generation upon whom we are bestowing the mess we (and previous generations) have created does seem to be forcing change.

I am just embarking on a master's program in landscape architecture and feel there is great potential within the profession to push the envelope on designing ecologically regenerative as well as culturally appropriate and uplifting landscapes, yet there seems to be a surprisingly great disconnect between the disciplines of architecture and landscape architecture. This rift appears to be hindering both disciplines from reaching their optimal potential for sustainable/regenerative design. It also seems that, more often than not, the architects are the ones who are first called upon to make sense of a new development and decide what will be built where, while the landscape architects, who have greater training in environmental considerations, are asked to come in at the end and make the plan work. What do you think it will take to resolve this?    -- Lee Krusa, Pomona, Calif.

Integrated design. That's what it's called, and that's what it takes. It's a central pillar of green design, and hopefully the green building movement is convincing the design professions to make integrated design standard practice. The process starts with all members of the design team -- plus the whole community of "stakeholders" in the project -- working in a charrette to get their best ideas into an integrated design. The design effort then proceeds in a carefully integrated process, as opposed to the traditional process in which every consultant makes his or her contribution at the "appropriate" time, in a linear fashion. The charrette process can take several weeks, but it also can significantly reduce the overall time required for design. The Rocky Mountain Institute defines charrettes as "intensive workshops that enable design teams to use whole-systems thinking to explore the interconnections among such elements as restorative site development, innovative energy-saving design and engineering, creative functional design concepts, worker productivity enhancements, and strategies to improve environmental sensitivity in design and construction." I understand the Japanese say design is 80 percent planning and 20 percent doing; that seems about right to me.

I am a student at a small university, and we have made plans for campus growth in the next five or 10 years. How would you suggest I go about researching a green architect who can manage a project that must combine the interests of young students, engaging faculty, and money-managing administration?    -- Julia Alexander, Cincinnati, Ohio

This can be a great opportunity. The first thing you have to do is educate yourselves about what you want. Read David Orr's excellent book The Nature of Design, and then give it to your campus planners and talk to them about doing an integrated plan (ideally in a charrette) that spells out your school's environmental and other goals (i.e., the goals of the entire school community) for the new construction. Those goals define what you want and can be used to inform the selection of the design team. Green building is not about high-tech solutions; often, the best answers are the most simple. It's important that you look at the green credentials of the entire design team -- not only the architect. Green design needs to be an integral part of their design ethic and process, not some add-on option. And the team needs to be talking about integrated design and showing solid examples of how they do it. Look for real experience building high-performance green buildings, not simply LEED-certified professionals. In part, this can be indicated by LEED-certified buildings in their portfolio, but look closely at the buildings they show you to see how they really work.

I'm starting a course in civil engineering next year and was wondering what advice you would have about getting involved in green construction.    -- Russell Jackson, Perth, Australia

G'day way out there in Perth! Get involved in the Green Building Council of Australia. I don't know if they have a group in Perth yet; maybe you could start one. You will meet cool people and learn valuable stuff -- and maybe even find great mentors and your future employment.

How can the WorldGBC help to create green building councils in other countries around the world, and how does the WorldGBC get its funding to help in setting up these councils? Is there government or corporate sponsorship, and, if so, how does this work?    -- Name not provided

As you can imagine, starting a new council is an enormous task that requires some very special and dedicated people. The first request we receive from them is for stories about how other councils "did it," and for copies of all the documents required to "do it." We are creating a tool kit to meet this need. Before we can go much further, we have an obligation to perform due diligence. Once we're confident that we're backing a winner (or, hopefully, a group of winners), we want to help them in every possible way we can to leapfrog over the usual hurdles and reach operational status as quickly as possible. One of the most effective ways to help is to provide seed funding for their startup. The other way is by making experienced people available to help at appropriate times. That's where things get really tricky, because we are still primarily a volunteer organization. However, we offer some pretty attractive opportunities to companies looking for a global profile, and we are beginning to get their backing for our efforts, along with backing from individuals who believe strongly in our approach. In addition to funding, we are seeking creative ways to partner with leading global organizations.

Have you had any chance to follow the "green" progress of Gensler? I work here now, in the accounting department, and am part of our Green the Office committee. I just wondered how the current state of the architecture world, and its effect on building, grabs you.    -- Amy Brzeczek-Ramirez, Tujunga, Calif.

When I left Gensler (in 1996), the attitude about green building was, "We'll do it when the client asks for it." I understand the attitude today is, "Every building we do is green." That may be a bit of a stretch, but I highly commend the attitude -- it's a very important step.

In my humble opinion, green is a very exciting development in architectural design, and some of the most exciting architectural projects today are green buildings. For me it's like the modern-day equivalent of the gothic rationale for design -- buildings that express and celebrate the things that make them work, and derive exciting forms from them. Check out the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco by Renzo Piano and Arup. Or the green high-rise office buildings by Ken Yeang in Asia (see Reinventing the Skyscraper: A Vertical Theory of Urban Design). There have been major exhibits on green architecture, such as Ten Shades of Green and Big and Green, to name two U.S. examples.

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In January 2006, the University of Michigan suspended the purchase of Coca-Cola products on its campus. Corporate decision-makers should pay heed: this event is notable on several dimensions.

Coke learns that CSR is the real thing.

Photo: iStockphoto

First, this decision was not due to any problems with product or pricing. Instead, the university cut the contract because of concerns over environmental issues in India and labor issues in Colombia. Second, and more amazingly, the decision was prompted by one man and the small nonprofit he runs out of his home in Southern California. Amit Srivastava and his India Resource Center have mobilized students on the Ann Arbor campus and elsewhere to petition their administrations to ban Coke from their campuses, and they are succeeding. Third and finally, this unusual form of pressure is leading the company to do something it would never have previously agreed to: open its overseas facilities to independent, transparent, third-party environmental and labor audits.

While the contract has been temporarily reinstated, the future of Coke's relationship with the university rests on the results of those audits. All eyes are on the outcome of this process, as it sets a precedent for other vendors with the university -- and other universities across the country.

The story of Coke and the University of Michigan holds clues to the emerging face of corporate sustainability, one facet of the business environment in the 21st century. And it is not a scenario unique to Coca-Cola. Many other companies, particularly large-branded, multinational ones, are finding themselves in the crosshairs. While many debate the meaning behind the concept of corporate sustainability, this is where the true definition of the issue will be played out -- in the marketplace.

What does sustainability mean? While we see the term everywhere, everyone -- whether corporations, governments, foundations, individuals, or NGOs -- uses it differently. For some, the definition lies in the Brundtland Commission call "to satisfy the needs of present generations without sacrificing the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs." For others, the definition lies in the triple bottom line: the three E's of environment, equity, and economics, or the 3 P's of people, planet, and profits. But these definitions remain cloudy, and have problems in practice.

For instance, what kind of metrics will be used for each of the three legs? The Global Reporting Initiative is one attempt to standardize metrics, but other organizations are developing their own. And how will the three legs be prioritized? For many, the triple bottom line becomes economics with a capital E and environment and equity with small e's. Finally, how will these three E's combine to inform a go/no-go decision on strategic investments? Companies live and die on singular metrics like net present value and internal rate of return, but no similar metric for sustainability carries equal weight.

In short, a precise definition of sustainability remains elusive, the term being seen by some as merely an aspiration with limited practical value. Some even suggest it be thrown out, as it seems to mean everything to everyone and therefore nothing at all.

But for Coca-Cola, sustainability is real -- and it lies beyond the theoretical discussion just described. It goes to the core of business in the 21st century. Sustainability boils down, in its essence, to business strategy with a long view.

This is not an easy concept to grasp, and one that many quickly dismiss without full understanding. For example, The Economist published a cover story in January 2005 that derided corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a misguided concept driven by people with little knowledge or a downright fear of capitalism. But the article made serious errors in defining the focus of study. Presenting a two-by-two matrix considering social and economic benefits, the article was quick to separate the upper-left quadrant -- good for society and good for profits -- as "good management." The other three boxes (good for society, bad for profits; bad for society, good for profits; bad for both society and profits) were labeled as CSR -- and therefore, by definition, ill-informed and ill-advised.

This was a gross misrepresentation that missed some important points of corporate strategy. Good management that creates both social and economic benefits is not easy -- but the lines between quadrants are also blurry and shifting. Ten years ago, restricting greenhouse gases was not widely considered good for society. Today it is. Last year, the actions of a tiny nonprofit mobilizing college students over foreign environmental and labor issues was not considered relevant to the bottom line of Coca-Cola. Today, the decision of the University of Michigan (and more recent decisions by some Indian states to close Coke plants and ban both Coke and Pepsi products) has moved the issue squarely into the good-management quadrant. As Coke is learning, the skills and strategies for operating within this quadrant are new, undefined, and difficult.

The fact is, sustainable development is rooted in business strategy. Even Milton Friedman, the oft-cited defender of self-interested capitalism, wrote much more than the overused argument that "the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits." He also wrote, "There is one and only one social responsibility of business: to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game." Sustainability is merely another way of saying that the rules of the game are changing.

It is time to look beyond sustainability, CSR, and the tired debate over shareholder versus stakeholder value in favor of a more broad-based and emerging understanding of what constitutes good management. To neglect the natural environment or the welfare of your local citizenry is bad management. To neglect your customers, local community, employees, government, or NGOs in today's world is bad management. In the 21st century, these groups can impose tremendous pressure to affect your company's reputation, markets, and operations.

Consider the list of companies dealing with this new reality. Construction and mining-equipment giant Caterpillar is being drawn into the Israel/Palestinian conflict as activists hold the company accountable for the Israeli military's use of Caterpillar bulldozers to demolish Palestinian homes. An Israeli general even announced that one of his army's best weapons was the Caterpillar D9. More than a PR nightmare, this became a lightning rod for activists trying to force the company to stop selling bulldozers to Israel.

Shell experienced perhaps the most prominent activist pressure of this sort with the Nigerian government's 1995 crackdown and execution of nine Ogoni Indian activists in defense of the company's oil fields. To avoid a similar catastrophe, ExxonMobil and other oil companies forged an unusual agreement with the government of Chad to contribute revenues from a major pipeline operation into an account managed by the World Bank, to be put toward schools, clinics, roads, and other basic human needs. While the deal was renegotiated in July after the government reneged, the precedent creates powerful pressure for others to follow.

The list goes on. The mining company Anglo American is establishing clinics around its African operations to treat employees and community members infected with HIV. In a recent issue of The Lancet, the CEO of Heineken argued that companies are not doing enough to stem the tide of HIV/AIDS.

Even in the U.S., calls for sustainability can be heard. In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina, companies found themselves under scrutiny for how they treated their workers and the community. CVS, the country's largest pharmacy chain, ignored the economic incentives to close its devastated shops and leave. Instead, according to The Boston Globe, it "set up mobile pharmacies; gave away thousands of medications to people without prescriptions or even identification; flew in employees from Florida, Michigan, and Illinois; kept stores open 24 hours a day to meet demand; and set up a hotline to locate and help evacuated employees."

So as some work out the definition of sustainable development, these companies are dealing with its reality. They are striving for sustainability, even if they don't call it that.

The reality is that the business environment is changing. New types of pressures and demands are leading to new types of business practices. And this change will only increase. We live in a shrinking world where global sourcing brings corporate interests into ever-increasing contact with peoples and issues around the world. This contact makes vivid the disparities between rich and poor, between developed and developing countries.

Information technology makes it impossible for business activities to remain hidden by geography or contractual arrangements. It also makes it possible for activists to gain the power necessary to mobilize a response to those activities. Raging issues of child labor, forced labor, hazardous work conditions, environmental contamination, public health, access to clean water, and corrupt and oppressive regimes are being forced onto the business radar screen. As companies respond to the pressure to address these issues, they are being forced to define sustainability in practical terms. Issues like transparency, social equity, and environmental protection are joining economic growth in corporate discussions.

But the real question for these corporate strategists is not whether this is happening -- it is -- but rather, what will be demanded of companies next year, in 10 years, in 50 years, and how to get ahead of it. Real sustainability requires a long view. It requires conscious attention to where the business environment is going, and what is taking it there. Sustainability is not a value projection, it is not CSR, and it is not an aspiration. It is real market pressure. And responding to that pressure means success and good management in the 21st century.

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Sixteen bird species saved from extinction

Sixteen bird species that nearly went extinct in the mid-1990s were saved by international cooperation and concerted conservation efforts, according to a study published in the journal Oryx by researchers from BirdLife International. Scientists say the rebounds in populations of the Norfolk Island green parrot, the Mauritius parakeet, and 14 other species show there's hope of slowing the trend toward human-caused bird extinctions. "It is encouraging that bird conservation actions worldwide are making a noticeable dent in the bleak scenario of global biodiversity loss," wrote Cambridge zoologist Ana S. L. Rodrigues, who summarized the research in Science. However, if humans continue to tear down tropical forests and engage in other not-so-bird-conducive activities, the feathered-friend extinction rate could rise tenfold in the next decade. Said Stuart Butchart, author of the BirdLife study, "These successes show that preventing extinctions is possible, given political will and concerted action." Hmm, speaking of rare ...

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David Benton.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I'm executive director of the Marine Conservation Alliance, based in Juneau, Alaska.

What does your organization do?

MCA is a nonprofit organization established by the Alaska seafood industry that promotes sustainable fishing. America has an increasing appetite for healthy seafood, but we must be sure that fishing preserves species and their habitat for future generations. Alaska produces over half the nation's catch, and the Alaska/North Pacific region has the best record in the country on conservation: There are no overfished stocks of fish, marine habitat is protected, and ecosystem concerns are taken into account.

We're proud to represent, promote, and live by what is now referred to as the "Alaska Model" of fishery management -- good science, careful monitoring, and strict enforcement. Alaska has made it a practice to set catch limits well below what scientists tell them is sustainable. We are constantly looking for ways to improve conservation, while maintaining strong fishing economies in our remote part of the world.

What are you working on at the moment?

In the next few weeks, Congress will vote on a rewrite of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 30-year-old law that governs our nation's fisheries. The stakes are high, especially for working fishing communities. Do we, as a nation, have the will to take what is good about our seafaring heritage and make it work in the 21st century? Can we balance both conservation and fishing? Or are we going to regulate working fishing towns out of existence to become just more tourist traps around the coast? We believe we have shown that you can have environmentally sustainable marine fisheries and maintain the culture and economy of fishing if you tackle issues from a local perspective with creative solutions. We are promoting our success story in the North Pacific -- science-driven decision making -- to be Congress' guide.

Photo: iStockphoto

The MCA also works closely with a variety of fishing organizations and communities to ensure the health and well-being of other wildlife that are closely tied to the sea. We're working to protect, for example, the short-tailed albatross and the North Pacific right whale.

We're also working on marine debris cleanup around Alaska's coasts. With roughly 33,000 miles of coastline, this is no small task -- it's become one of the largest beach cleanup efforts in the nation.

How do you get to work?

That depends. Sometimes, I drive my rusted-out 1989 Toyota pickup over the bridge to the office. Sometimes, I take a skiff, if I am coming in to town from the lighthouse we are restoring -- that can be a wet ride in Southeast Alaska.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I came to Alaska in the mid-1970s and started working for Friends of the Earth on marine issues. I moved on to work with a number of fishing groups, local governments, and Alaska Native organizations including one called Nunam Kitlutsisti (roughly translated, it means "Protectors of the Land" in Yupik, an Eskimo dialect). There I met a fellow named Harold Sparck, who lived in Bethel, Alaska, and who inspired me to reach higher and not take no for an answer. Harold got me good and hooked on marine conservation. I got to know a lot of folks in the villages, and they taught me a way of looking at stewardship that has stuck with me to this day -- blending conservation with respect for the way of life in Alaska's remote communities.

Eventually, I went to work for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game where, by some strange twist, I became the state's international fisheries negotiator. I held that job for roughly 14 years, working on behalf of the state on virtually every fisheries treaty now in force in the North Pacific. That job took me all over the world, from Moscow to Tokyo to New Zealand and the U.N. I also served on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for nine years.

What this experience taught me is that the world would be a poorer place if we lost the way of life that fishing and the ocean have provided us and our coastal communities. Whether it is in a remote Eskimo or Aleut village in Alaska, the working waterfront of towns like Kodiak or Sitka, or the fishing ports in New England, there is a richness to our history and culture that cannot be replaced.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in California and spent most of my childhood in the desert. I live in Juneau now; it's wet.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

Getting a fax from the governor saying the Canadians had "borrowed" one of the Alaska state ferry boats in protest of our position on salmon treaty talks. It turned out that some Canadian fishers had blockaded the harbor and were holding the ferry hostage. I was the lead negotiator for Alaska on the salmon treaty talks, so I spent several hours trying to sort things out. Needless to say, the governor wasn't too pleased with the situation.

What's been the best?

When the United Nations adopted the worldwide ban on high-seas driftnets. They were one of the most destructive fishing practices ever employed, and I had been working along with a lot of other folks to get them banned.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

I will probably get shot for this, but it's the tendency of some environmental activists to stretch the truth or distort the facts to try to make a worthwhile case. They lose all credibility, and it sets back meaningful environmental progress every time.

Who is your environmental hero?

David Brower.

What's your environmental vice?

Beer.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)? Read any good books lately?

I am working with a nonprofit to restore a lighthouse. It's a great way to relieve stress.

Kite Runner was the last good book I read, along with a lot of mindless sci-fi.

What's your favorite meal?

Huevos and strong Mexican coffee on the zocalo in Oaxaca.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

Burned-out do-gooder.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

I love the ocean in all its many personalities.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Biodegradable plastics that turn to nontoxic substances in six months or less. Our marine-debris beach cleanup program has already removed hundreds of thousands of pounds of plastics that end up in Alaska from all over the world.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Take a moment every day to look around you and appreciate the world, and do one small act of kindness.

David Benton, Marine Conservation Alliance.

Alaska Man Standing

What have you found to be the best incentives to alleviate large numbers of bycatch in ocean fishing? Do large fishing boats wind up with a higher percentage of bycatch than smaller-scale fishing operations?    -- Angela Mallard, Telluride, Colo.

Bycatch control and reduction is an important conservation goal. In Alaska we have employed several different strategies to control and reduce bycatch. Some of these include bycatch caps where a fishery shuts down when a specified amount of bycatch occurs in a fishery. In other instances, we have required retention of all catch of certain species, forcing harvesters to look for ways to catch only the fish they want. Individual bycatch quotas can provide an individual harvester with incentives to minimize unwanted catch in order to maximize the catch of desirable species.

Interestingly, bycatch is not vessel-size specific. In some fisheries, larger vessels actually have lower bycatch rates than smaller vessels. In other fisheries, it is the other way around. It is important to develop bycatch controls tailored to the specific conditions of the fisheries. The bottom line, though, is to measure the amount of bycatch, put in place limits on the rate or amount, and then enforce the rules.

What sort of debris do you find most while doing your coastal cleanups? What's the most unusual thing you've found?    -- Name not provided

We find everything under the sun. The biggest volume seems to be old fishing gear. We are taking a lot of samples to determine where it's coming from. Our preliminary look indicates that a substantial amount comes from Russian waters and is very old. Watch for more information on this when we get our marine-debris website up and running.

The oddest thing to me was a shopping cart from Brazil. Go figure.

Alaska has done a fabulous job designating protected areas on land. Partly as a result, most of Alaska's land-based animals exist in fairly healthy populations. In contrast, Alaska has few designated protected areas in the marine environment, and the majority of Alaska's endangered species are marine animals. Marine protected areas have proved effective in many areas of the world, and they often benefit commercial fishing. If Alaska is to be perceived as a model for marine conservation, isn't it time that we get busy establishing a network of marine protected areas that equals our land-based conservation system?    -- Brad Meiklejohn, Eagle River, Alaska

Alaska has done a reasonably good job on land, but you miss the mark about what constitutes sound conservation practices in the marine environment. What works on land doesn't always translate into success if applied in the ocean. The marine environment is much more dynamic, especially in the Arctic and subarctic, where our marine environment is subject to forces often on a global scale. Drawing lines on a map often won't address the problem.

For example, many of the marine species you refer to are highly migratory, and the conservation problem arises from areas outside Alaska. A case in point is the short-tailed albatross, a highly endangered seabird. Driven to near extinction by hunting on their ancestral nesting islands off Japan, these birds now have only one nesting site, on the side of an active volcano. Marine protected areas will not do them any good. New nesting sites on more hospitable islands will. Our group is actively working to help in the efforts led by Japanese scientists to establish additional nesting populations. This is just one example. Endangered whales (decimated by whaling during the past century), some seabirds (pesticides, loss of nesting habitat), and sea otters (predation, changing ecosystem characteristics) all require conservation action but MPAs would not address the root issue.

Having said that, place-based conservation areas are appropriate in some instances. In the North Pacific, several of the terrestrial conservation units have marine waters within their boundary, thus affording some general protections to marine species. More to the point, though, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has set aside nearly 400,000 square nautical miles to protect marine habitat and important species. This is a huge area.

Can more be done? Of course it can, if additional actions are needed. Management agencies like the council are continuously looking at the need for additional conservation measures including new or adjusted MPAs. But in our view, action to establish such measures needs to be driven by science, address specific conservation issues, have clear goals with measurable benefits, and have a sound monitoring and enforcement plan.

Most importantly, we have very healthy populations of fish in Alaska, and that is due to conservative management guided by science. Remember, there are no overfished stocks of fish in Alaska, where over half the nation's seafood is harvested.

What's your favorite seafood meal? Are there any types of seafood you avoid because you're concerned about overfishing?    -- Name not provided

Salmon, halibut, crab -- you name it and we eat it! The best thing about Alaska seafood is that it is wild, it comes from the clear waters of the North Pacific, and it's sustainable. No overfished stocks up here.

I do avoid species like orange roughy and blue fin tuna because I am concerned about overfishing. Same with farmed fish, especially salmon. There are just too many potential problems.

I'm mindful that it's best to eat local wild or organically farmed fish if possible. I'm aware that our local Californian fisheries are really stretched. So I'm wondering, do you think I should buy Alaskan fish down here in Los Angeles, or not? And if not, what do you suggest?    -- Ysanne Spevack, Los Angeles, Calif.

By all means you should buy Alaska fish if you can get it. And, believe it or not, flash-frozen or frozen-at-sea products are really good. Sometimes "fresh" really isn't. Check with your grocer or the restaurant before you buy. Good bets are halibut, salmon (my favorite is troll-caught king salmon from Southeast Alaska), king or snow crab (which should now become more available to the consumer because the fishery went from a derby fishery to a quota fishery), and smoked fish products. If you feel adventuresome and it's available, try smoked blackcod.

A friend of mine, a naturalist in Alaska, recently told me that he thinks that overfishing of the Bering Sea fishery is the greatest environmental disaster happening that nobody seems to be paying any attention to. How do you respond to that?    -- Name not provided

I wish I could show you a graphic I have about the levels of fish harvesting in the U.S. waters of the Bering Sea, but the file is too big to send here. But to put in perspective, overfishing limit for the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands in 2005 was around 3.5 million metric tons, and the catch was around 1.9 million metric tons. The overall biomass was roughly twice the overfishing limit.

What that means is that there are several buffers built into the harvest levels to ensure that overfishing does not occur. The NPFMC has a long track record of setting harvest levels at or below the levels recommended by the scientists. And it works. No overfished stocks, large areas of habitat protected, ecosystem considerations taken into account. We use hard caps, careful monitoring, and strict enforcement to make sure that what the scientists recommend, and the target levels set by the managers, are not exceeded.

I would recommend you go to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council website and look up the overall harvest levels there, as well as other information about how good management works.

We've heard a lot about the effects of climate change on Alaska's glaciers and tundra, but what (if any) effects have you noticed thus far to the marine environment?    -- Name not provided

I personally think this is the big question. There is no doubt that ocean conditions are changing. Whether or not those are short-term phenomena or a long-term change remains to be seen. But harvesters are reporting that species are moving north, ranges of species are changing, and weather patterns seem different, as well as changes in ice cover in places like the Bering Sea.

One thing our organization is doing is developing a cooperative research program to bring state and federal scientists together with harvesters and other industry experts to look at a number of pressing fishery conservation issues. One thing we are looking at is the possibility of using fishing vessels as platforms of opportunity to carry oceanographic monitoring equipment. It could be an efficient and effective way to gather temperature, salinity, and other data from a wide area of the ocean for relatively little cost. I'm excited about this new program, and hope we can make a solid contribution to better understanding the marine environment.

Since the technology exists to dramatically extend the life of hydraulic fluid or lubricating oil, why don't we require implementation of the "best available technology" to prevent the generation of this waste at sea? I know some of the cruise ships were dribbling oil out the back and got caught and fined. The waste oil is a problem and does not have to be if we could start adopting cost-effective new technologies to prevent pollution.    -- Chuck Mitchell, Center Harbor, N.H.

I agree with you. And a lot of fishing operations now recycle their oils. It's illegal to dispose of this stuff in the ocean and violators must be punished.

Do you see Alaska moving from being a red state to a blue one?    -- Angela Mallard, Telluride, Colo.

Haven't a clue. I have always pondered what would have happened to Alaska if the Czar had not sold it. Look what happened with some of the other Russian provinces when the Soviet Union fell apart -- they get to print their own money. Of course, some folks think we do that with the oil dollars anyway.

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Gregg Small.

What's your job title?

Executive director of the Washington Toxics Coalition.

What does your organization do?

WTC works to protect human health and the environment from the impacts of toxic pollution.

What are you working on at the moment?

Photo: iStockphoto

A top priority right now is our Pollution in People Project. For many years, the environmental movement has been focused on preventing pollution of our air, water, and soil. Sadly, those are not the only problem areas anymore. The fact is that every single one of us is now contaminated with pollutants in our bodies that we didn't ask for. In May, WTC released a report that examined the levels of more than two dozen highly toxic chemicals in the bodies of 10 Washingtonians. The results were alarming, showing that even people living healthy lifestyles have high levels of mercury, flame retardants, pesticides, and other chemicals in their bodies. We are working to educate the public about this issue, and are pushing for policy reforms to phase out the use of some of the most toxic substances on the planet and replace them with safer substitutes.

How do you get to work?

Four-mile car ride.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

In college, I was required to take a full-year lab science. Not being much of a hard-science guy, I learned that the easiest course was environmental science. So I took it, and I became enthralled with the issues. My first job out of college was with Green Corps, an incredible training program for recent college graduates who want to be environmental organizers. My life was changed, and I have been organizing ever since -- first in Vermont, then in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Seattle. While my title for the past 10 years has been executive director, I still consider myself an organizer.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

I was born in Pittsburgh and have lived in Seattle for the past five years.

What's been the best moment in your professional life to date?

Completing my yearlong training with Green Corps in 1993. That year gave me the skills and confidence to do what I do every day now.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Mountaintop-removal mining. It is truly amazing to me that we allow mountaintops to be blown apart for mining, and then allow our rivers, lakes, and streams to be polluted with the debris. This is legal in our own country. It boggles my mind.

Who is your environmental hero?

Martin Luther King Jr. While not an environmental activist, MLK is my driving inspiration to help build the movement that we need to protect our health and the environment. His dedication and leadership inspire me every single day.

What's your environmental vice?

Like many people, it is my car. I only drive about 50 miles per week, but it is more than I should.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

Hanging out with my wife Pam and our almost-two-year-old daughter Lillian.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

A fundamental reform of the laws that are designed to protect our health and the environment from toxic chemicals. Our federal and state laws simply don't work, and we need an entirely new system in place. We should start by phasing out the use of the most hazardous chemicals, requiring manufacturers to provide data about the health and environmental impacts of the chemicals that they produce, and investing in cleaner ways to produce the products that we want.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

When I was 18, the Beatles. Now it's the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Wilco.

What's your favorite movie?

The Godfather.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

There are so many opportunities to make a difference in protecting the planet. The most important thing is to pick one and really do it. If you have spare time, volunteer with a group that you like. If you have money, donate as generously as you can. If you have limited time, call a legislator once per month on an issue that you care about. The most important thing is to get involved. Reading a book about the problems isn't going to get it done. Dedicating your skills and resources will. Don't just read, act!

Gregg Small, Washington Toxics Coalition.

Small Talk

What can be done to start the process of weaning our dependence on chemicals, therefore leading to reduced levels in our environment and us?    -- Kristina Logsdon, Seattle, Wash.

Our top priority in Washington is passing a bill to phase out the use of toxic flame retardants called PBDEs that are rapidly building up in breast milk, our bodies, and the environment. For the past two years, the Washington legislature has failed to pass the bill despite bipartisan support, the endorsement of the leading public-health associations in the state, and the availability of safer substitutes. We will be back again during the 2007 legislative session and are very optimistic that Washington state will be the first state in the nation to phase out all forms of PBDEs. Polluting industries have spent a lot of money to defeat the bill, and we need everybody to join together to fight back.

I'm interested in getting tested by something like the Pollution in People Project. Can I sign up to do it through your group? Can I do it on my own?    -- Penny Gedeon, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

We provide information on our site about the testing process and how you can set something up with a physician.

What are the most toxic substances? How do we prevent their use when many ingredients are put in language not understood by the layperson?    -- Jerry Broadbent, Bucoda, Wash.

In my opinion, the most toxic substances we should be concerned about are a class of chemicals called persistent bioaccumulative toxics, or PBTs. These are chemicals like mercury, dioxin, and PBDEs. What each of these chemicals has in common is that they stick around for a long time in the environment (examples include PCBs and DDT, two long-banned chemicals that still cause health and environmental problems today because they take so long to break down); they accumulate in the food chain (mercury in fish is a prime example); and they are toxic to our health and the environment. Washington Toxics Coalition and many organizations across the globe are working to phase out this entire class of chemicals and replace them with safer substitutes.

What have you found to be the top three sources of pollution in people?    -- Vicki Lefler, Jupiter, Fla.

We don't know exactly what the top three sources of pollution in people are at this point. These types of studies are still relatively new and scientists are still sorting out exactly how we are exposed to various chemicals showing up in our bodies. However, we do know quite a bit about some of the sources.

Food is a major source of pollution in our bodies. People who eat fish high in mercury usually have higher levels of mercury in their bodies. People who eat organic tend to have lower levels of pesticides than those who don't -- assuming that their lifestyle doesn't expose them to pesticides at high levels elsewhere. So, watching what we eat is an important step in reducing our levels of pollution.

Many of the products we use in everyday life can also be major sources of pollution in our bodies. Unfortunately, current laws are totally inadequate and allow toxic chemicals to be used in products from baby toys to mattresses and computers. Right now, we're most concerned about cosmetics, toxic flame retardants (PBDEs), PVC, computers, building materials, and the Teflon chemicals.

To what extent have you gotten buy-in from doctors, medical professionals, and other health-care practitioners on your toxics agenda?    -- Patrick McLean, Ann Arbor, Mich.

There is growing support from the medical community for the work that we do. The Washington State Nurses Association is one of the leading advocates for phasing out PBDEs and other toxic chemicals. Nearly every major public-health association in Washington supported phasing out PBDEs. Nationally, the American Nurses Association has become very involved in these issues. Globally, the health-care industry has worked hard to green their industry, led by the incredible work of Health Care Without Harm. The public-health community increasingly recognizes the dangers caused by toxic chemicals on our health and is starting to speak out in support of policy change.

How many Washington schools use herbicides/pesticides on school grounds? How can we convince the legislature to remove these toxic chemicals from use on school grounds?    -- Roberta Butler, Issaquah, Wash.

As far as we know, the vast majority of Washington schools still use toxic pesticides. That's the bad news. The good news is that a growing number of school districts in Washington and across the U.S. are passing good policies and moving away from pesticides. In Washington, the Vancouver and Bainbridge Island school districts have been leaders. Nationally, Beyond Pesticides has done some outstanding work on pesticides in schools and has lots of good information on their website.

We have a problem here in San Antonio with asbestos contamination in the soil from an old W.R. Grace Co. plant. But because people have been working and living nearby for years, and because the asbestos in question is microscopic, we've been having a hard time getting people to see that there's a problem needing to be fixed. How do you get people motivated to change something they can't even see?    -- Margarita Maldonado, San Antonio, Texas

Thank you for your good work on this issue. You have put your finger on one of the biggest challenges facing us in our work -- getting people to recognize a problem that they can't see. I think there are a number of things to do, and perhaps you have tried some of these already.

First, do everything possible to demonstrate that a real problem exists. Have testing done by a credible third party -- perhaps the state or a university. Defining the problem with some hard science is always extremely helpful.

Second, try to use that information to build a base of support for change. Often, it only takes a small handful of dedicated people to get the ball rolling. One person usually isn't enough, but a small handful of people can make an incredible difference in a community, if they are united.

Third, try to create a positive vision for change. While it is important to motivate people with the problem (in this case, contaminated soil that may be poisoning people and the environment), it is also important to motivate people with positives. If the soil is cleaned up adequately, could you build something else there that would be a positive addition to the community?

Other often-effective ideas include working to get the issue covered in the media, connecting with activists working on similar issues elsewhere, and building a coalition with local groups. Keep fighting!

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Group tries logging forests to save them

In order to save logged-over areas from development while improving wildlife habitat and creating jobs, the Virginia-based nonprofit Conservation Fund plans to ... log them more. It's a counterintuitive approach that's raising some hackles in the environmental community. The group has been acquiring thousands of acres of less-profitable forestland from logging companies in Northern California, with plans to log them responsibly. In 2004, the group bought 24,000 acres for $18 million, some 35 percent of which they have designated a forest reserve; the remainder will continue being commercially logged. It's now purchasing some 16,000 additional acres, and hopes to buy 165,000 more. To cover loan and management costs of the 16,000 acres, the group will need to do over $1.8 million a year worth of logging there. "We can get foresters to say this would promote sustainable forestry," said Louis Blumberg of The Nature Conservancy, "but it is hard to get society to accept this notion."

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Jim Moriarty.

What work do you do?

I work at an environmental, action-sports-oriented nonprofit called Surfrider Foundation.

What does your organization do?

We exist for the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves, and beaches. Two examples: we fight for clean water and beach access.

How do you get to work?

Mini Cooper S or telecommute. I'm a firm believer in the virtual organization, having lived it for the past couple decades.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

I was a sponsored skateboarder and early-era snowboarder in my formative years. Then I was a tech entrepreneur working alongside insanely passionate and smart people who went to great lengths to change the world. The vision of this organization, the flatness of the world, and the action-sports orientation all intersect the vectors of my life.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Solana Beach, Calif.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

Understanding that even with the smartest minds and almost endless money, we were unable to craft the right business model at Pandesic. IQ and dollars aren't enough -- success comes to those who are relentlessly focused and add value or meaning daily.

What's the best?

Cold-calling Jake Winebaum when I was moving from Silicon Valley to San Diego and having it yield my first offer to become a CEO.

Who is your environmental hero?

My dad and Yvon Chouinard. Their vision goes well beyond the commonly expected.

What's your environmental vice?

My quiver of surfboards is too large -- it's around a dozen. I should be able to deal with having a few boards, but I just ... can't.

How do you spend your free time?

Family. Surf. Church. Any mix of those elements is optimal; double dipping is encouraged.

What's your favorite meal?

I'm blessed to have a wife who loves to cook, cooks extremely well, and has a preference for healthy foods.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I pick up trash any time I'm at a beach.

The perfect wave?

Photo: iStockphoto

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

A six- to eight-foot-high, clean, perfect wave. Being more specific, Georges in Cardiff by the Sea on a dawn patrol, low-to-mid rising tide.

If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?

Oceans would be clean.

Read any good books lately?

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis and Dora Lives by Craig Stecyk and Drew Kampion; together they frame the American reality.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18?

The Clash. The only band that mattered.

How about now?

Jack White and Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose.

What's your favorite TV show?

We don't get TV; we turned it off about a decade ago. One of the best decisions of my life.

Movie?

Favorite surf film: Sprout.

Favorite non-surf film: Brazil.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

My son Reid.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Seriously consider the waste of time that television is -- then turn it off for good.

Jim Moriarty, Surfrider Foundation.

What has been the greatest obstacle in keeping the beaches clean and accessible?    -- Jerry Broadbent, Bucoda, Wash.

The greatest obstacle for clean beaches is awareness of how beaches get dirty to begin with. Smokers need to understand that their cigarette butts end up down storm drains and on beaches. Golf-course managers and farmers need to understand the impact their pesticides have on the coastal ecosystem. Much of what we do at Surfrider is raising awareness regarding this very subject. This shouldn't be abstract. We should tell our friends who smoke not to litter; we should refrain from dumping paint or oil down the drains. We should make living at the coast synonymous with protecting the coast.

Do you think people who use the outdoors to recreate (surfers, climbers, birdwatchers, hunters, hikers, etc.) are stepping up to the plate when it comes to conservation? What about the companies that are making profits by selling merchandise based on these activities?    -- Megan McGinty, Marblemount, Wash.

Regarding people: mostly no. Surfrider exists to point out that we all need to step up to not only enjoy oceans, waves, and beaches, but to protect them as well. We want individuals to adopt the "zero impact" mentality that climbers have embraced. Regarding companies: overall, the answer is no. There are some standouts like Patagonia and Billabong, and more and more are looking into organic materials, but we're talking about moving entire industries, changing proven manufacturing processes, and cutting into profits. Many times, what is right isn't easy and getting there doesn't come quickly. This said, I am heartened to see some shifts in the right direction.

Surfing's a great sport, and I salute the work Surfrider's doing. That said, what about the environmental impacts of surfboard and wetsuit manufacture -- both of which are made from polluting materials and tend to be rather short-lived -- not to mention the considerable driving most surfers do to find the best waves?    -- Pat Joseph, Oakland, Calif.

Excellent point and one that some water enthusiasts struggle with. Clark Foam, manufacturer of 90 percent of surfboard blanks, closed its doors last December; finally the industry is awake to higher-strength, longer-lasting boards. There is a rebirth within the industry around materials; many are looking at lower-impact processes. For me, one never "arrives" at an environmentally optimal destination ... it's an ongoing process.

Your web page on global warming is one of the best I've seen, but I didn't see anything about global warming in the long list of Surfrider campaigns. Do you think you might have a specific global-warming campaign at some point?    -- George Girton, Santa Monica, Calif.

Thank you very much. Rick Wilson, one of our amazing staffers, wrote it and I agree -- it's strong. As you know, global warming is a topic that is literally as large as the planet. Rather than get caught up in much of the hand-wringing and finger-pointing, we are heads down with programs focused on the coasts (arguably where global warming will be felt the most). The scope of our programs is also scaling up; you'll see us expand our international presence (we're operating on five continents now and growing more chapters on those continents). One more distinction: we're not the "Washington, D.C./policy" kind of environmental organization. We're hands-on and local, with 64 chapters in the U.S. We're all about your local, coastal neighborhood.

How will global warming affect coastal areas?    -- Name not provided

Climate change of a few degrees will wreak havoc on the coasts. Examples include massive coral reef die-off and higher-intensity storms. This is already starting to happen. A rise in sea level will have massive and unprecedented effects on the coast. "Planned retreat" -- moving homes and structures away from the ocean -- is not a popular concept today ... but it will become necessary in the future.

Let's say there is a beach somewhere in California with pristine conditions, including abundant tidepool life and a healthy population of shorebirds -- but the primary reason it is well-off ecologically is how little it is affected by humans because it is so difficult for the public to access. Would you support improved public access to that beach?    -- Steve Pulliam, Santa Barbara, Calif.

We believe beach access is a right, just as freedom of speech is a right. Just as many of us don't agree with some ways freedom of speech is exercised (especially around children), all of us believe that right should exist. Your example is similar to this. There are various situations and places that would be better off without humans, but we're not going to draw that line. We believe you should be able to walk down to the ocean, wiggle your toes in the sand, and experience what a wonder the beach and oceans are.

I realize that the coast of Mississippi doesn't have any great surf breaks, but do you have any thoughts or ideas on how to go about cleaning up the coast? I know that in the big picture, the trash that is left is harming the ocean environment.    -- Clark Phillips, Gulfport, Miss.

Surfrider isn't about just protecting surf breaks; in fact about half of our members don't surf. We are about the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves, and beaches. We're beach people. We're people who simply love the coasts and are acting to protect them. We're working on multiple levels to keep trash off the coast and out of the ocean, and maintain natural and healthy beach zones. For me, the large lesson of Katrina is that of nature's muscle; fishers have good reasons for not having built houses on the East Coast beaches for centuries -- hurricanes hit them pretty much every year. For some reason, we now think that open land means we should build something -- even though thousands of locals protest it. Our hubris is stunning. There is no contest: nature is stronger than humans. We need to live along coastlines with that in mind.

I see your clever ads in several magazines. Who comes up with them?    -- Claudia Galea, San Pedro, Calif.

What we stand for resonates with people -- all kinds of people. We have the highest-caliber artists, musicians, lawyers, and many others who volunteer their time. Regarding advertising, we have been blessed with working with some of the most creative and amazing people on the planet -- and that's not an overstatement. Saatchi and Saatchi, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Young and Rubicam, Publicis, and 72 and Sunny are agencies that have represented Surfrider in the past 12 months.

What's the most disgusting or strangest thing you've found in the water or on the beach while surfing or cleaning up an area?    -- Grist editors

About a month ago, I was surfing off the coast of El Salvador at the beginning of rainy season, and massive tree trunks were floating around in the lineup. There was also a sickening amount of trash and (human) waste runoff. I've been feeling ill since that time and had a myriad of tests but nothing named. Four out of five of us on the trip had similar, long-term sicknesses. You don't have to go elsewhere, though; people at the San Diego beach cleanups find syringes all the time.

Why isn't Surfrider of the Outer Banks having the beach cleanup in September this year? We have always looked forward to seeing the whole community pull together for the cleanup and afternoon beach barbecue.    -- Noelle Everhart, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

Thanks for the kudos on the value of beach cleanups. It's another simple yet valuable project our chapters do. I suggest contacting your local chapter.

Do you find that your work in Silicon Valley has been helpful in your role at Surfrider Foundation? What lessons have you carried with you?    -- Name not provided

Absolutely. My 20 years in tech taught me that the world can be changed, and in fact, it is changed day in and day out. The founders of Google aren't that different than the founders of Surfrider Foundation; they are people who think massive, new, and unbridled thoughts. They don't listen to people who tell them something can't be done. Tech ingrained in me to step up, go big, and then execute like your life depends on it. I have no interest in working at a place where that doesn't apply.

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Don Shaffer.

What work do you do?

I'm executive director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and co-owner of Comet Skateboards.

What does your organization do?

BALLE is a growing alliance of more than 5,400 entrepreneurs and small-business owners from across the U.S. and Canada who are dedicated to building Local Living Economies, and to a different way of doing business that enhances community life and natural systems. These entrepreneurs are committed to the long-term health of a particular place -- whether it's a big city like Philadelphia, a medium-sized town like Grand Rapids, Mich., or a rural area like the Rogue River Valley in southern Oregon.

Skater Joe McLaren on Comet board.

Photo: COMET Skateboards.

At Comet Skateboards, we design and manufacture our products in the world's only solar-powered skateboard factory, located in downtown San Francisco. We use Forest Stewardship Council certified wood and water-based coatings, and source our supplies locally whenever possible.

What are you working on at the moment?

We're creating a local stock exchange for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area that will support small, community-based, triple-bottom-line companies. We're also implementing a new approach to economic development in California that we hope will be a model for other regions. Instead of the 20th century model of throwing tax breaks and subsidies to large corporations, we are working closely with city and county governments to identify opportunities for small, locally owned companies in growing markets such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, green building, and zero-waste manufacturing.

In partnership with Cornell University, Comet is developing eco-based epoxy resins for our skateboards. We're also building the largest urban skatepark in the Western U.S., all eco-designed, in downtown Oakland.

How do you get to work?

I skateboard three-quarters of a mile to BART (the transit system), go six stops while reading the paper, get off, and skateboard another half mile.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

My ancestors were Quaker farmers and small-business owners from the Philadelphia area. I studied American history at Cornell. And I bicycled cross-country, hiked 800 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, and had a very close encounter with a mountain lion in Olympic National Park. After college, I taught high school, helped grow a for-profit education company, and helped start/grow a multimedia software company.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

Princeton, N.J. Berkeley, Calif.

What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?

Several years ago, I worked closely with an entrepreneur who was starting a beer company. He raised almost $1 million from angel investors. Two weeks after the close, he stole the money and lost it all at a casino in South Lake Tahoe. The investors filed a lawsuit against everybody. Though I didn't do anything wrong, I was dragged into it. Lessons: take your time when evaluating a business partner and develop thick skin for hard times.

Who is your environmental hero?

Wendell Berry.

What's your environmental vice?

I don't compost at home.

How do you spend your free time?

I try to eat well, sleep well, and spend unstructured time with my wife and our close friends. I need to exercise more.

Read any good books lately?

America's Constitution by Akhil Reed Amar.

What's your favorite meal?

Pasta with homemade tomato sauce from the Bensadoun organic farm in Newfield, N.Y.

Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?

I'm as idealistic as I was when I was 18.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

The Valle Grande in north-central New Mexico, near Bandelier National Monument. Most amazing stars you will ever see. Camp there in August, make a small fire, get in your sleeping bag, and watch the show.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

Neil Young. Neil Young.

What's your favorite TV show?

CSI: Miami. (We don't have cable.)

Movie?

Witness.

Which actor would play you in the story of your life?

Nick Nolte. Robert Redford. No, actually it's probably closer to Matthew Modine.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Take the 5 percent challenge. Do an audit of your personal spending and investing -- then commit 5 percent more every month to locally owned farms and businesses in your region. This could mean a trip to a local bookstore instead of Barnes & Noble, or supporting a local artisan instead of a national brand of clothing, or investing $50 in a community loan fund instead of a conventional mutual fund, or buying lettuce at the farmers' market instead of the supermarket. Experiment, have fun, spend a few dollars to help create a healthy, diversified local economy in your area.

Don Shaffer, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.

Mover and Shaffer

I'm a business major graduating in August, and my dream has been to start a chain of green boutique hotels in exotic locations. What advice do you have for a young entrepreneur coming directly out of university wanting to start a green, sustainable business?    -- Emily Slaco, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

You go, girl! My advice is to ambitiously pursue the best mentor you can find for a minimum of two to three years. For example, Chip Conley in San Francisco runs some of the best boutique hotels in the country. Try to work for him or someone as good as him to learn the business. Be the best apprentice you can be. Also, get involved in the local BALLE network in Victoria. And lastly, read Conley's book Rebel Rules and Paul Hawken's book Growing a Business.

Comet Skateboards uses materials that aren't local, even if they are eco-friendly. In what ways does Comet follow the principles of Living Economies?    -- Name not provided

Very good question. We source our materials as locally as we possibly can. We manufacture all our boards in San Francisco instead of Asia -- thus shrinking the supply line considerably. We source our T-shirts from Los Angeles instead of Asia. We use many small producers and distributors that are local to the Bay Area. The vast majority of our wholesale customers are small, locally owned shops. As a business person, one of my favorite quotes is "no margin, no mission." This means that the business has to make a profit so we can continue our mission; therefore we can't do everything we would want to do.

As a former (and now occasional) skater with a conscience, I'm very glad to see you are choosing FSC-certified wood veneers for your skateboards. Do you plan to approach manufacturers about alternatives for the polyvinyl glues used to hold the plies together? Also, what about the urethane wheels -- have you done any research on the availability of any durable eco-resins?    -- Matt Brown, Charlotte, N.C.

Great questions! Yes, we want other 'board companies to use water-based glues with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds). I can't comment on the second question because it's top secret ...

Could you explain the negative environmental impacts of conventional skateboard manufacturing and what your company does to address them?    -- Chris Schults, Seattle, Wash.

The biggest negative environmental impacts are from the intensive use of petroleum products -- both in the raw materials and the transport. Think about everything that goes into a skateboard, and we are trying to develop an eco-based alternative.

How big is your factory? How much solar power do you use there?    -- Grist editors

Our manufacturing partner is a snowboard company based in San Francisco called Glissade Snowboards. The owners and the staff at Glissade are great people. The factory is approximately 12,000 square feet, and we use lots and lots of solar power.

How has the skateboard industry reacted to your sustainable boards?    -- Name not provided

The smart companies are trying to copy us as quickly as possible.

While not everyone will be persuaded by the same argument, what advice would you have to help win more minds to consumer-consciousness and ways to help the environment?    -- Johanna Kristolaitis, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

First, lead by example. You may underestimate how much influence you have on your family and friends by making a strong commitment to your beliefs. This has tremendous power.

Second, regarding the "local" argument, please read Michael Shuman's books: Going Local and his new one, The Small-Mart Revolution.

Are there any pro skateboard athletes who are into sustainability? Do any pros ride Comet skateboards?    -- Grist editors

Yes to both. Bob Burnquist and Danny Way are two of the top pro skateboarders on earth and also very much into environmental issues. Bob has an organic farm in southern California, for example. Also, we're part of an organization run by Frank Scura called the Action Sports Environmental Coalition. Check it out if you're interested.

Some of the best riders in the world use Comet Skateboards. Have a look at the recent video we did for Current TV.

What's your favorite skateboard trick?    -- Grist editors

Ollie.

Do you ever feel like people (government types especially) take you less seriously because you represent a skateboard company? It seems like skaters get a bad rap.    -- Name not provided

Interesting question. I agree that skaters get a bad rap, especially since so many are doing good things. No, I haven't felt that they take me less seriously. I (usually) have a lot of respect for what they're doing, so they (usually) try to understand me too. I've found that mutual respect is really the key element of any relationship based on trust -- and you can't get anything done if there isn't a healthy amount of trust.

Are you hoping your stock exchange will catch on in other areas of the state, and in other states? Could you explain how it will work?    -- Katharine Wroth, Seattle, Wash.

Yes, we are hoping the local stock exchange will catch on in other regions. That's our goal. We'll need to do a lot of work in San Francisco first. Regarding "how it will work": This will require a longer conversation. Fortunately we are working with some of the best securities attorneys in the U.S. to create the appropriate legal and regulatory framework. That's the first step. Please email me if you're interested in discussing further.

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Drew Weiner.

With what environmental organization are you affiliated?

I'm the director of Reef Protection International.

What does your organization do?

RPI contributes to coral-reef conservation by educating the public about the marine aquarium trade and helping consumers make responsible, "reef-safe" buying choices.

Coral reefs are in crisis due to warming seas, pollution, and overfishing. Although on a much smaller scale, the marine aquarium trade compounds the stress already placed on the world's coral reefs with cyanide use, over-collection, and high mortality in shipping.

What are you working on at the moment?

We are putting the finishing touches on our Reef Fish Guide, a pocket-sized buying guide for the home aquarium hobbyist. It provides clear advice on recommended saltwater fish for the home aquarium and specifies those that are best to admire on the reefs or at the public aquariums.

How do you get to work?

I work mostly from home and travel via public transit and my motorcycle for meetings around town. When I need to drive outside of San Francisco, I use Flexcar, a car-sharing service.

Photo: Reef Protection International.

What long and winding road led you to your current position?

Oh boy! The short version is that I spent 13 years in corporate sales/marketing, was one of the early dot.bomb victims here in Silicon Valley, took a year off to travel and write about international environmental projects, went back to get my master's in my mid-30s, and then began my second career by doing marine conservation work in the Galapagos.

Where were you born? Where do you live now?

Born in Santa Monica, Calif., I moved to San Francisco in 1995 and have called this city home ever since.

What's been the best moment in your professional life?

When I traveled around the world as a photojournalist for an online magazine called Eco-Odyssey (now offline). I met amazing people who, in the face of abject poverty and societal scrutiny, were still making a stand for nature. They inspired me to join them in this work and changed my life forever.

What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?

Well, we're in the middle of it right now. Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Calif.) wants to gut the Endangered Species Act. The ESA is arguably the most important contribution the United States has made to the conservation of endangered species worldwide.

Sangduen (Lek) Chailert.

Photo: Drew Weiner.

Who is your environmental hero?

Her name is Sangduen (Lek) Chailert and she runs Elephant Nature Park outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. She is the strongest voice for nature that I've ever met.

What's your environmental vice?

My motorcycle. As much as I'd like to sever myself from the petroleum teat, I still am connected, though ever so slightly. The other is that I still eat dairy products -- I just can't get enough of cheese.

How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?

I like to SCUBA dive, play softball, hike, catch live music around town, travel, and spend time with friends and family.

What's your favorite place or ecosystem?

Coral reefs, of course. Second to that are kelp forests ... a very close second.

Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?

In 1984, U2. Now, Ben Harper.

What's your favorite TV show?

The Daily Show.

Movie?

Pulp Fiction.

If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?

Every time you think of buying something, ask yourself, "Do I really and truly need this?" If the answer is no, then don't buy it. Simply put -- consume less!

Drew Weiner, Reef Protection International.

The Turn of the Drew

Does Reef Protection International have a position on keeping corals and invertebrates as aquarium pets?    -- Linus C., Washington, D.C.

RPI supports responsible fish/reef keeping. We believe that having a home aquarium provides people, especially children, with a great opportunity to learn about marine science and fish behavior. In addition, it is the easiest way to appreciate and begin to develop an interest in coral reefs and their conservation.

RPI encourages people to seek out captive-bred animals as a first choice. In addition to about 50 species of marine fish, an increasing number of corals and other invertebrates (shrimp, clams) are now successfully bred/propagated commercially and by home hobbyists. As a matter of fact, many of the breeding and husbandry breakthroughs have come from innovative and determined home hobbyists!

It is not the easiest hobby to undertake, but with proper education, anyone can set up and maintain a beautiful home aquarium with healthy and interesting animals. The bottom line is to do research before purchasing any live animals for the home aquarium. Coral and fish are no different -- they are both live animals with special needs. With the right experience -- and by addressing those special needs -- many people are able to successfully keep live corals and other invertebrates in the home aquarium.

Photo: Reef Protection International.

I've heard that some people catch aquarium fish by gassing them. Is this standard operating procedure? Does it harm the fish?    -- Rebecca English, Colorado Springs, Colo.

I don't know what you mean by "gas," but there are two main chemicals used to collect marine fish -- cyanide and quinaldine. Collection using cyanide is the real problem that persists within the marine aquarium trade. Fish caught with cyanide typically die, often before even reaching the wholesalers here in the U.S. Perhaps the most insidious impact of cyanide use is the impact it has on the surrounding reef -- it kills everything. Cyanide is still used by some collectors in Indonesia and the Philippines. Although illegal, enforcement in these countries is spotty at best.

The Marine Aquarium Council is working with fishing communities to teach them alternative collection practices. MAC has instituted a certification scheme in an effort to promote sustainable and eco-friendly collection practices. RPI is hopeful that this effort will succeed and will keep an eye on what MAC is doing to help improve the supply-side problems of the trade.

What are the biggest hurdles to increasing the number of species that can be captive-bred?    -- Sarah Glaser, San Diego, Calif.

Good question, Sarah. Every animal has a particular breeding strategy that it has evolved to ensure the continuation of the species. Fish are no exception. Some lay small clutches of eggs and incubate them in their mouths (i.e., Banggai cardinalfish), some develop their eggs internally and give birth to well-developed young (i.e., sharks, guppies), but most coral-reef fish (and also many invertebrates) release sperm and eggs into the water column where the fertilized eggs are left to drift with the current (a process called "spawning"). Once this spawn (called "fry") hatches, they go through a larval phase before growing large enough to settle on coral reefs. It is this larval stage that presents the biggest challenge to the scientists and conscientious home hobbyists trying to breed saltwater fish. My understanding is that most of them have mouths that are too small for the food that is currently commercially produced (mysis shrimp, rotifers, etc.). Stay tuned as there are smart people trying to figure this out.

One of the FAQs on your site asked about the Banggai cardinalfish. Your answer says it is overfished and increasingly rare in the wild, but that it is also being bred in captivity, and purchasing such fish that were not captured in the wild does not endanger the species or its ecosystem. Isn't it dangerous that customers can be so easily confused about the origins of the fishes they are considering buying, and that merchants can be so easily tempted to lie about those origins?    -- Mark Stephen Caponigro, New York, N.Y.

Banggai cardinalfish.

Photo: Reef Protection International.

This is a good but complicated question, Mark. As far as Banggai cardinalfishes are concerned, they are being bred in captivity -- commercially and by the home hobbyist. And you're right, by buying captive-bred fish, particularly captive-bred Banggais, the species and its ecosystem are not harmed. The problem with Banggais, in particular, is that the demand for them (wild and captive-bred) far exceeds the supply. Effort is being put into increasing the capacity of the commercial breeders to help relieve the pressure on the wild population. The best thing people can do for the survival of the Banggai cardinalfish would be to commit to only buying captive-bred specimens and remain patient as the supply increases. Right now, Oceans, Reefs, & Aquariums is working hard to bring more of them to the marketplace.

In terms of the second part of your question, I frequently hear that retailers are a big part of the problem. Unfortunately, there are some people who are more interested in making a buck than selling quality livestock and providing reliable, helpful information to hobbyists. It is best to do your homework (your local hobbyist club, reefs.org, reefcentral.com) to find out which shops are trustworthy.

In terms of labeling for the origins of fish, you bring up a good point. In addition to those merchants who lie, the aquarium fish trade is so fluid (no pun intended) that it has been difficult to develop a labeling scheme that is reliable and effective. Some organizations are looking into this, and RPI is hopeful that a program will eventually be implemented to help identify those species that are captive-raised and the country of origin for wild-collected specimens.

What is the condition of the reefs off Jamaica today? Last time I dived there, the reefs were in very bad shape and later on I read that they were all dead.    -- Joan Hunnicutt, Sacramento, Calif.

I haven't yet had the chance to dive in Jamaica, so I am not able to give you personal impressions of the reefs there. However, I have been diving in much of the Caribbean and can tell you that the reefs in the area are in grave danger. Pockets of healthy reef are scattered throughout the Caribbean, but overall the outlook for their survival is pretty bleak. Just last year, the Caribbean coral suffered a major bleaching event. There was some good news recently for Caribbean coral as the U.S. listed two species of coral as "threatened." This is the first step toward the implementation of a federally funded plan for conservation.

Something has to be done for the reefs of the Red Sea. We have environmental groups and it's helping, but the worst offenders are the foreigners messing with the reefs. Come back to Egypt and try to stop this!    -- Jayne Ragheb, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Hi Jayne. (I was on her dive boat in 2001.) Yes, the coral reefs of the Red Sea have suffered significant damage due to the booming tourism business in the region. Sadly, the area around Hurghada was developed with little regard for the local coral reefs, causing most of them to perish. Now, people must travel farther offshore to enjoy the beautiful coral reefs of the area. The area around Sharm el-Sheikh (in the Sinai Peninsula) is one of the premier dive sites in the world and gets an enormous amount of diver traffic. I have been on sites where 10 boats -- all loaded with divers -- were anchored. Most divers are careful about not touching the reef, but many are not and this carelessness coupled with the sheer volume of divers is causing a transformation of the reefs in the Red Sea. This only exacerbates the larger problems reefs face in the region as a result of runaway coastal development, overfishing, and pollution. RPI encourages divers to become stewards of coral reefs by refining their buoyancy skills, refraining from touching and/or holding onto the reef, and leaving only bubbles behind.

What is your opinion about how close we are to the tipping point of permanent death of the Great Barrier Reef and other reefs? Have we passed it already?    -- Rebecca English, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Unfortunately, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is one of the most critically endangered coral reefs in the world. A recent study predicts that rising ocean temperature -- due to global warming -- will kill 95 percent of its coral by 2050. Thankfully, the Australian government cares deeply about the GBR and recently enacted landmark legislation to prevent further loss.

Coral reefs around the world are dying due to global warming, coastal pollution, and overfishing. The RPI Reef Fish Guide empowers hobbyists to make responsible buying choices. Although not the complete solution to this crisis, it is an achievable start toward contributing to coral-reef conservation.

Do you have plans to produce a guide for freshwater tropical fish?    -- Bret Berry, Huntersville, N.C.

RPI does not plan on producing a guide for freshwater fish. Since over 90 percent of freshwater aquarium fish are now captive-bred, the need for a guide of this sort is not as urgent. However, it is still important to do research on the freshwater pet choices you make as some species have special nutrition needs and many grow very large.

Related Links:

Biochemist Oliver Peoples explains how his polymer-producing microbes could transform the plastics i

James Bond calls for more marine protected areas

A video interview with Bill Moyers

It's that time of year again on college campuses: final exams have given way to Frisbee on the quad, boxes are packed, and every telephone pole bears a bright yellow poster that says, "Summer Jobs with the Campaign to Save the Environment!"

There must be a better way.

Many a student has torn off that little yellow phone number, with its tantalizing promise of virtuous and exciting employment. Should students pursue the job, they'll find themselves quickly swept into a year-round operation -- an industry, almost -- of canvassers fanning out across well-to-do liberal neighborhoods and upscale pedestrian malls across America. This army, manned by divisions from Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, the Public Interest Research Group, and others*, is burning shoe leather looking, searching, hoping for that next elusive eco-minded citizen to enlist in the movement.

When student canvassers find such a person, they pull out glossy materials detailing one environmental problem or another (focus-grouped to find the issues most worrisome to the targeted, wealthy audience), express the urgency of the situation, and -- drumroll, please -- drop the big "ask": a check, monthly if possible.

But what if a listener got so riled up by the canvasser's description of climate change, deforestation, or urban sprawl that he or she wanted to get active -- lobby! demonstrate! organize! -- rather than give money? This person might be a great public speaker, a natural organizer, or a talented artist who could contribute more value to the movement with a week of volunteering than with annual membership dues. The hastily trained canvassers would probably suggest checking out a group's website and signing up for emails, but they're not really sure -- all they've been taught to do is ask for money.

For decades, environmentalism has been suffering the ill effects of atrophying from a social movement into a line-up of mailing-list-driven interest groups. It certainly isn't for lack of knocking on doors -- but it's what comes after the knock that counts. When civil-rights organizers went through the Deep South to register black voters in the early 1960s, they didn't ask for donations to send to national headquarters. They talked, listened, pulled together meetings, and formulated plans for community action. When the national environmental groups put a real person face to face with a fellow citizen -- giving the issue the kind of exposure some advertisers pay millions for -- they just ask for money. Because they're trying to meet shortsighted fundraising goals, they waste the opportunity to truly engage people.

In a society that needs active citizens, every person that national environmental groups ask for money is one more person who hasn't been asked to become active in a more meaningful way. Instead, they receive the contradictory messages that the environment is in great danger, that we must act, and that the best way to avert this catastrophe is to write a $15 check -- and maybe change some light bulbs.

The same line appears in fundraising appeals in the mail. It's not hard to see how people might become disillusioned with the movement. They might stop contributing. They might lose hope that we can in fact make progress. They might not be surprised when the media reports the "death of environmentalism."

It doesn't make any sense -- strategically or tactically for the movement, and psychologically for those being asked -- to respond to a threat like climate change by writing a check. Everyone knows at some level that our society's institutions need to respond to climate change, and it only makes intuitive sense to be asked to help make that happen. It's practically an insult to ask people to do anything less.

When you factor in the expense of running canvassing operations, mailing out fundraising appeals, and sending out email alerts, the cost to the movement of asking for an annual check rather than time and energy -- and commitment and passion and love and rage -- turns out to be even greater. To top it off, each summer these operations churn out thousands of young people who pour their hearts into canvassing and walk away with the feeling that the movement is nothing but a soulless fundraising machine.

In recent years, environmental groups have tried to follow the organizing and fundraising successes of MoveOn.org with email "action alert" lists. But they've missed the key lesson from that group's success. What MoveOn.org has figured out -- in contrast to D.C.-based interest groups -- is that even in 21st century America, when people are asked to do more, to take action and express outrage commensurate with the problems we all see in our world, even the busiest respond enthusiastically. This is what the national environmental movement needs to relearn.

Every environmental organization sending canvassers to knock on doors this summer and sending emails asking for support should be talking to people about how we can really protect the environment -- not by writing a check or changing a light bulb. They should be asking people to get active in their own communities, and showing them how. They should create opportunities for citizens to contribute their time and talents to efforts that will in fact make change. That would truly be a Campaign to Save the Environment.

* [Correction, 02 Jun 2006: This article originally listed Clean Water Action among groups involved with the Campaign to Save the Environment. In fact, Clean Water Action is not affiliated with that campaign.]

Related Links:

Environmental education in Guinea Bissau

Home Economics of the JP Green House, Part 1

The Wind Kids: How high school students helped bring a wind farm to Milford, Utah