Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why Take the Train

I’ve just returned to the Bay Area from my trip to Florida by train, and I can report that while the US passenger rail system is, in the words of one Russian visitor whose acquaintance I made on the trip, … Continue reading

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New Year, New Cycle

A year ago this New Year’s Day, I had no idea where I would be in another two months. After a year of dreaming about quitting my perfectly good office job and saying goodbye to my great boss just so … Continue reading

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The Problem with “Energize”

The Progress Energy Foundation, nuclear power renewable energy advocates, have sponsored a little flash game targeted to general audiences designed to raise awareness of renewable energy development. It’s called Energize. I just played it a couple of times to see … Continue reading

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…and Arrivals

I have a confession to make—I’ve been keeping something under my hat. Back in October—which seems like a hundred years ago, as well as thousands of miles away—Emerald Earth had a booth at the Hoes Down at Full Belly Farm. … Continue reading

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Departures

Leaving Emerald Earth meant leaving behind connections with people who had become good friends, co-workers and co-livers, communitarians I’d sung songs with before very nearly every lunch and dinner for almost seven months. It’s natural to have a hard time … Continue reading

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Sustainability must include resilience

Sustainability — Of systems, practices, processes, or cultures, that which can be continued indefinitely without destroying the foundation of its own existence. Antonym: suicide. Resilience — adj. Of systems, practices, processes, or cultures, the ability to adapt creatively to a … Continue reading

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This is a rescue mission

(I’m appropriating the title of this post from the masturbation fantasy that was The Invisibles, by Grant Morrison.) The good news about everything that is unsustainable is that, by definition, no matter what we do, it will eventually stop. On … Continue reading

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As if to underscore the point…

I’ve just seen this article in The Nation about the behavior of environmental lobbyist groups, including the Sierra Club and The Nature Conservancy. I’m currently reading Confessions of an Eco-Warrior by Dave Forman, who spent a long time in the … Continue reading

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The Problem with Green

The good news is that more people describe themselves as caring about the environment than ever in US history. The bad news is that this self-description is for most of us all but meaningless in practical terms. It comes with … Continue reading

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Response: A Language Older Than Words

I just finished reading A Language Older Than Words by Derrick Jensen, for the first time, although it was first published in 2000. I bought it this morning at a used bookstore and, I’m embarrassed to say, read it straight … Continue reading

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