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McKibben: Local Activism is Key to Fighting Climate Change
BRATTLEBORO -- Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben told a group of roughly 100 people Thursday night that activism needs to be acted out on a local level.
The Brattleboro activist community that gathered at the School for International Training seemed to get the message.
One of the first questions asked was what McKibben felt about nuclear power. With Vermont Yankee nearby, activism in Windham County means protests against nuclear power.
However, the focus is not something all environmental activists share, as McKibben told the audience that nuclear power, while too expensive to help with our dependence on coal and oil, was not a guaranteed danger like coal plants.
Other than that, though, while he said the desire to be active against global warming needs to be personal and local, he seemed to say much that reflected the feelings of this community.
McKibben, who was behind the successful Step It Up campaign encouraging lawmakers to pass legislation to lower carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, presented the next step in the plan, which he calls 350. This number represents a goal for how many parts per million of carbon dioxide should be in our atmosphere.
Before the industrial revolution, he said, the number was at 275. Now it is at 385, meaning global warming activists have some work to do to bring it back down to where it should be.
"We have to build a much, much more powerful movement," he said, adding that the best way to do this was through grassroots organizations across the globe, united under one campaign and sharing ideas and devotion to the cause.
The first Step It Up brought 1,000 people to Burlington. "In Vermont, that's a scary horde of people," he said, but he wanted to go bigger.
The next step created 1,400 demonstrations in all 50 states. "It had some real effect," he said, but now he wants to see it played out on an international scale. "They don't call it 'global warming' for nothing," he said.
The idea of using the number as a symbol for the campaign, he said, could add to that globally united front.
"We're going to try to take that number and tattoo it into people's heads. We chose a number because it's translatable," he said. "What we need is people in their own communities to take that number and spread it, with music, with art, and take pictures and get it back into that centralized arena."
This combination of the local and the global would draw strengths from each, he said. "The goal is to let people do something simple with the work you're doing already. Nobody really knows how to do it, but collectively, maybe we could figure out how to do it."
McKibben knew he was preaching to the choir about the issue, since the lecture was hosted by SIT's Environmental Working Group, but he did not mince words about what the stakes were.
"We are in a big, freaking hole and there's absolutely no guarantee that we're going to get out of it," he said, inspiring nods all around, some jotting notes.
As the United States, he said, we should be leading the war against global warming, but instead we are a big part of the problem.
"I think much of the last couple of centuries was about rich people trying to figure out bad things to do to people in the poor world," McKibben said, apologizing for revealing his political feelings. "But none of that compares to what we are now doing to the rest of the world."
Problems such as drought, flooding and mosquito-borne disease, while present here, have a much more devastating effect on developing countries. The irony, he said, is that most of these countries have very little electricity or other resources and that adds to the problem.
"If they're walking around waist deep in water, somewhere around mid-calf is our contribution," McKibben said.
Nicole Orne can be reached at norne@reformer.com
© 2008 The Brattleboro Reformer
35 Comments so far
Show AllLocal Activism? How about Personal Activism? Most people who haven't yet tried, can cut their personal or family's energy consumption in half without any deterioration in lifestyle, simply by reducing waste. Yes we can do things as a nation, or as a community, but the quick easy way to make a difference is to start with you. You must become the change you wish to see in the world.
As long as cities use zoning laws to encourage urban sprawl, we will continue to dump carbon dioxide into the air. As long as communities build roads instead of sidewalks, trolley lines and bike trails, we will continue to burn oil.
It is a local problem. If the environment is shaped to encourage driving instead of walking, the average person will drive. Only the most committed will refuse.
We are too far gone to depend on earnest entreaties to clueless people. I don't believe in oppressive government telling people what to do, but face it, the government has great power to shape people's decisions.
Don't outlaw cars. Just make car driving less affordable and bike riding easier.
When I lived in San Francisco, I had a car, but never drove it. It was way easier to walk a block and grab a trolley. Driving involved traffic, no place to park, and losing the parking spot outside my apartment, perhaps for weeks. No one told me not to drive. I didn't because life was easier walking and taking the trolley.
Global Warming needs Local Cooling.
Every choice we make as citizens and consumers is part of a complicated web of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The larger policies of Governance and Corporations dis-empower our personal policies as a voters and producers.
We must remember that even though business is the main vehicle for producing Greenhouse Gas. We are the willing producers who support the global and local business in continuing to create this warming trend.
Just some of my thoughts.
greenerthanthou,
Please always call it "suburban sprawl", not "urban sprawl", as someone who lived in a similar older neighborhood in Pittsburgh, you should have pointed out that what makes walkable, transit-feasable, communities possible is the high densities of "traditional" urban townhouse-type neighborhoods.
Such neighborhoods are often even quieter more stress free than their suburban counterparts.
People will never be coaxed out of cars at suburban densities, so we need to abolish suburbia as job #1.
I have an electric car, a homebuilt hybrid pickup, and soon will start construction on a very energy efficient home. It will have a 5k solar electric system R50 walls and roof and solar hot water.
If everyone did this it would help.
Good stuff, McNeil! For those interested in a smaller project, might I suggest caulking. I've found that in an old small house, each tube of cleverly applied caulking reduces heating/air conditioning costs by almost one full percent. And of course, you come up against diminishing returns after the first dozen tubes, and eventually run out of drafts altogether, but what a difference you've made by then. Not only makes the home more efficient, but warmer and cozier too - something a new efficient furnace will not give you. Of course on the moderate west coast, this wouldn't be quite as helpful.
It's not just cars (fossil fuels) creating the problems either. Factory farming (especially cattle) is an even bigger problem than cars when it comes to contributing to global warming, Cattle belching and farting by the hundreds of thousands in densely populated cattle farms, not to mention the ground/water pollution -- and people poisoning created by these farms controlled by the agribusiness corporations. It's a huge, huge problem with global warming as well. So there are many layers to this problem that need to be solved.
Thank you, PJD. You are right.
PJD, I'm with you on the suburbia thing, but is "abolishing" something feasable when the thing exists? How does an area with nothing but 1000 houses transform into a small functional community? Suburbia can't be removed, it must be transformed, I'd figger...
"Any escape might help disprove the unattractive truth, the suburbs lack the charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth" - Rush
McNeil,
Don't be too quick to pat yourself on your middle class back…
The question of individualized 'ethical consumption' as change agent is the wrong question—as it leads us down the path of 'consumer activism'…and favors those very few who actually have money to spend on green capitalism's false promises…
Competition in a global capitalist marketplace is driven by one thing alone–profit maximization and this means an inherent and consistent exploitation of people and the environment…
We must debunk the myth that free markets ensure that production conforms to freely-made consmer choices rather than reinforce it by celebrating our 'ethical consumption'…
If it came from global capitalism it came from exploitation so don't go tooting your horn about how we all should just shop more wisely…
Our consumer choices are manipulated on so many systematic levels that they can hardly be considered free (marketing, advertising, schooling, hegemony of a culture of capitalism…)…
The one dollar=one vote premise of consumer activism is problematic.
Why? Wealthy people are favored with market-based alternatives like your hot hybrid car because they are freer to choose to spend more than poor people can. Thus poor people have less power to shape a just economic system than wealthy people. So, this is a problematic approach to social change…we must address the central issue–POWER…
Certainly some consumer activism that is organized and collective like a consumer boycott or creating an entire 'fair trade' city can address power better than individual responses.
Or check out the coalition of imokalee workers way of doing consumer based activism for a good example of attacking corporate power to win real things for real people that actually builds movements of activists rather than movements of consumers…
http://www.ciw-online.org/
I'm sorry but your 'ha, ha, ha look what i bought with my money attitude is really elitist and short-sited'…over 80%of the world's resources flow to less than 20% of the world's people–green or ethical consumerism will do nothing to change this long historical pattern…
We must understand ourselves as people and political agents who have power when we work together in groups not as individual and isoloated consumers who can change the world if we buy cool shit…
The political change we need right now cannot be bought by the dollars that wealthy and priveleged spend on niche luxury 'ethical or green markets'…
For some analysis that helps expand one's thinking beyond heralding your consumption check out…
http://www.globalissues.org/
As far as "abolishing" suburbia, in many areas we have already "abolished" many formerly vibrant urban neighborhoods. Over a period of 40 years, many of these places passed through neglect and dilapidation, to crime, to the point where they now mostly just empty streets and overgrown vacant lots. In this picture of a portion of Pittsburgh's Hill District, bordering downtown, at least 60% of the lots are overgrown and even going back to woods.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.449078,-79.969386&spn=0.005797,0.013132&t=k&z=17
Some green types may think this is a good thing, but it isnt; for every house lost here at least one house or mcmansion was built out in suburbs -with much larger car useage required an a much larger carbon footprint.
The closer-in suburbs can be fixed with a fill-in development scheme of some sort. But, we should be prepared to allow a lot of suburban areas to revert to farming and wildlife uses.
Local activism is great, but the next administration needs an agenda to reduce greenhouse emissions in line with the Kyoto protocol, and achieve energy independence.
1. Big energy can no longer dominate federal policy. The "energy czar" and assistants must be politically independent.
2. Tax credits, even subsidies for conservation.
3. Same for hybrid cars. Luxury/carbon taxes for SUVs and other oversize vehicles.
4. Tax credits / subsidies for solar and wind projects. Also waste heat and methane capture. Also research agricultural methods that reduce CO2 and methane emissions.
5. Establish a commission to review and approve biofuel projects. All new projects must reduce green house gas emissions, have net positive energy output, have minimal environmental impact, and not inflate food prices.
5. A moritorium effective immediately on any increased fossil fuel use. Then an annual reduction target that will rely on rationing if needed.
6. Construct 100 state-of-the art nuclear 2500MWe electricity generation facilities over 20 years. As they are completed, start replacing coal, oil, natural gas for line power generation, then home heating, and finally produce hydrogen for automobiles. 6a. Perfect the technology for "burning" actinide waste and put in place.
In 25 years our GHG emissions might roll back to 1950, maybe earlier.
greenerthanthou:
I live in San Francisco, and I don't own a car, it would cost me an additional $300 to park the Karbon Killer. NancyH is correct, it's multi-layered, the solution will have to go beyond individual efforts. Those of us committed to low-consumption green lifestyles are a very small percentage of the population. Our impact is minimal.
Their is another segment of the population, the Prius seventh generation toilet paper IKEA pbs donating crowd, who want to have it both ways. And then the rest, obese high consumption ignorant Wal Mart American Idols, who either don't understand the problem or don't care. Without knowing the exact breakdown in population numbers, my guess would be however, that they make up the vast majority.
Our current corporate political and economic system is designed for the last two groups. This is a consumption based economy - and they are consumers.
How do you get those two groups two change their lifestyles? How do you get corporations to give up profits?
This morning I took a walk through suburbia, where a man was watering his brand new turf lawn, my wife said look at that man watering. Yeah, I see him, he's killing fish.
Killing fish? Of course, because the demand for water has led, to the near extinction of the Pacific Salmon runs in California. Should I have yelled at him to "Put down that hose!" Should we tax water until it becomes too expensive to water lawns? Should we outlaw grass?
Just some thoughts.
Ramsay
For a start to help fight global warming become a vegetarian. The slaughter houses produce 1000's of tons of pollution in the air, water and soil. The animals wastes always end up in water systems and cows produce more methane then cars!
I got this from anothe site;
"Nothng wil benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian". Alber Einstein
Not to mention ending the suffering of the animals that go to slaughter. It would be very inhuman to send human beings to slaughter, why it not for the animals? If anyone out there gives me a response to this statement. I'll scream... and I am feeling sorry for the first animal in line and all to follow.
Please stop eating meat. There's no other way to say it.
Relocalization is a strategy to build societies based on the local production of food, energy and goods, and the local development of currency, governance and culture. The main goals of Relocalization are to increase community energy security, to strengthen local economies, and to dramatically improve environmental conditions and social equity.
The Relocalization strategy developed in response to the environmental, social, political and economic impacts of global over-reliance on cheap energy. Our dependence on cheap non-renewable fossil fuel energy has produced climate change, the erosion of community, wars for oil-rich land and the instability of the global economic system.
The Relocalization Network supports local groups in developing community activities and programs that can be implemented locally and as working models for other communities seeking to increase their resilience.
http://relocalize.net/
Lots of good points - especially the political economy ones. I agree with rminniss that it's time to become vegetarians. It's pretty hard to make the final hurdle in transformation of our collective consciousness if we don't take this important step.
Again...
'becoming a vegetarian' or 'evolution to a vegetarian' misses the point...
sure vegetarianism as a MOVEMENT when organized and thoughtful can have an impact on land use, land distribution, and resource allocation can be profound...
however, simply being a vegetarian is not without problems...and is not a strategy for broader systemic change.
for example, many vegetarians have popularized soy products. many soy products are made overseas and domestically through monocrop gmo global corporate agribusiness. much of the transfer of land for these crops takes land out of use for local needs in places with hunger and starvation...
we must look at the overlapping relationships and oppressions of the many problems we seek to change...
so--again--we mustn't be so satisfied with the lifestyles we lead in places of privelege whether that be mcneill who buys the hybrid car or SSW who touts vegetarianism...
what we buy and put in our bodies is important--don't get me wrong. but simply saying be this or buy that misses the central point--POWER...
We need to reorganize the power configuration of the entire political, social and economic systems that currently exist...that is not going to happen simply through changing what you consume...it is bigger than a change in individual lifestyle and cannot be remedied through market-based solutions...
the question is how do we reorganize food systems (from the farm to the table) so that it is no longer possible to have an economy based on the 3,000 mile cesar salad. the changes we need to make so that this choice simply doesn't exist anymore means organizing ourselves into movements that re-engineer systems through placing demands on the current systems and building new systems at the same time all in order to bring them back in line with ecological realities...like global warming...
so--how exactly does the global food systems continue to reinvent itself and extend its profits in the face of crisis?
well, we must examine the ideas and institutions underpinning the current framework of a totally destructive food system.
...and the list of ideas include:
-neoliberalism, gmos, industrial agriculture, green revolution...
...and the institutions we need to analyze include:
wto, nafta, world bank, imf, us treasufy, us department of agriculture, corporations such as monsanto...
it is just too damn simplistic to say 'be a vegetarian'...we need to be much more than this and more than anything we need to organize together to change the systems that we are all deeply enmeshed in and many are suffering from much more profoundly than others...and it rubs me the wrong way to hear first worlders who are generally quite priveleged to be preaching vegetarianism as the solution to ecological collapse...
the relocalizatoin friend above is on the right track...and lays out new systems and new frameworks according to new logics rather than saying 'be like me--do like me--be a vegetarian or buy a hybrid...' which just totally misses the point...
http://viacampesina.org/main_en/index.phphttp://viacampesina.org/main_en/index.php
Here's what I wish a group of 5 volunteer coordinators on the internet would do. We need a website that assembles useful information and tools for global warming activists, that turns them on:
1. We need to know what arguments are the most effective at moving people. What works? Why? People need to vote on this and to run little surveys too.
1a. In leaflet form that can be printed out.
1b. Feedback is the key. We need to see what flops, and why, and what rises to the top.
1c. Just my opinion, but I recommend establishing a "long term integrity" variable to screen names. People with long term integrity, who write several things that get lots of good votes and nothing that gets wildly panned, should have at least 5 times the voting influence as known goofballs and unknown newbies.
2. Then we need very shorthand arguments.
2a. We need to fit what we want to say on huge posters that can be printed out in 6 to 10 pages on a printer, edges cut off, and taped to cardboard backing, posters that even people way up high in Hummers can see,
2b. posters with effective, eye-grabbing artwork. Political cartoons reach people's hearts. Just as important, we need a lot of different messages because people quickly become bored with a cookie cutter message.
3. Then we need bigger sized props, a bunch of them, and we need to circulate these props regionally because people become bored. I kind of liked TrueMajority's "PantsOnFire" float, but I'd be satisfied with objects that cost 1/10 as much, that traveled well, that were assembled by volunteers at various festivals and sites, and still got messages out.
3a. We need internet coordinators to help us with swapping these tools.
4. Come up with other helpful info. For example, how do you organize a walk? Spell it out, provide details, remember the Moleskin.
Sorry, I'm flat out, and my work is very much involved with global warming.
So, netizen, how would you and a couple of your friends like to make progress this month? Tired of reading and not doing? Want to pick up this job?
http://www.carfree.com/cft/index.html
http://www.worldcarfree.net/
http://bicyclefixation.com/pe_amsterdam.html
A few links about people who are actively involved in combatting sprawl culture and how to join the movement.
Local Activism:
Natural building is one way of reducing one's carbon footprint. One method is the ancient material of Cob.
Conventional construction (the equivalent in our society to "fast food") uses unsustainable and often toxic materials hauled long distances for construction, and are built to use lots of energy to heat and cool. Conventional homes are also built to last 50 years, and the end result is a large pile of toxic materials to be hauled away to the landfill.
Cob is a concrete-like mixture of clay, sand, water and a natural binding agent like straw or pulverized cattails. Using the proper method, the end result is a strong material that one can use to build and sculpt a beautiful house that is locally sourced, non-toxic, heat efficient and
beautiful. There are houses made from cob in Europe, Africa and Asia that have stood for hundreds of years. You are nearly 100% guaranteed to be standing above some of the materials you can use right now. Clay is found below the soil almost everywhere. Often sand can be sourced right in your neighbourhood. Cattails or other binding agents like straw can be sourced nearby. Often clay and sand can be sourced for free. The best part, folks of any ability can participate in cob construction, including children and folks with disabilities.
Rather than being the domain of men only, under pressure to frame up walls as quickly as possible, one is slowly sculpting a home. Since the process is slow and meditative, I liken it to the "Slow Food Movement" style of home construction.
For more information on Natural Building see the Mudgirls Natural Building Website at:
http://www.mudgirls.ca/
The majority of our society are over consuming, greedy pigs.Even the financially challenged have found that they can feed their gluttonous behaviors at places like Wal-Mart. Every time I'm at the grocery store I want to scream at the people around me. You wonder why your kids are so fat? Have them put the video game away, and put back all that crap in your cart and go buy some fruit and veggies! I want to hand out flyers for our farmers market so these people can go during the warmer weather. Unfortunately, farmers markets aren't open 24/7, so people can't have instant gratification that has become such a part of our society (for those who can afford AND those who can't. Credit is a huge problem here.)
These people will listen to what we have to tell them about global warming and say "Oh my gosh, that's horrible!" And then drive their gas guzzler SUV home, turn on every light in the house, turn up their thermostat (or AC), because god forbid they're uncomfortable. The kids will hit the video games or TV, the parents will hit the computers. Everyone goes into their own little worlds, oblivious that they are the major contributing factors to the problem that so horrified them.
It's amazing how few people even know that changing the kind of light bulb we use saves us money and energy consumption. I've found that the best way to make an impact on people is don't tell them they're saving the environment, tell them they're saving money.
I wish I knew how to institute change in regards to the hectic, gluttonous lifestyle our country leads. If people don't care about their families or their health, how do you expect them to care about something as abstract (to them ) as the environment?
The point of this article is: WE/I have to take responsibility for our actions...with actions
WE/I CAN use our cars less(carpooling,bicycling, walking) WE/I can eat one less meat dish a week...WE/I can use less electricity...WE/I can turn down the heat (wear an extra sweater) WE/I can find tons of environmental groups on the net to join and/or promote...WE/I can make signs and stand in front of a Post Office or on a busy street or post them in our busineses or work spaces or schools...make a t-shirt that says how we feel (instead of wearing those logos) WE/I can get those creative juices flowing and do street theatre and art for the Environmental causes that stimulate us ( have fun!)
WE/I are waisting time chewing over how bad our government is...Our governments are corrupt, they serve only those with the money to bribe them....WE/I need to see that WE/I have bought into the system and WE/I are paying for it with our taxes and our addictions to consumerism, our children's lives and future....
I propose that we make it a game...see how many things I/WE can give up or at least take notice of that can help our environment...Have fun with it and know you are part of the solution!
I am getting off the computer now to make a poster...see ya out there!
Footprint
What's your impact
on our spaceship?
What's your footprint on our home?
Where's your footprint on our living Gaia?
Is it soft?
a footpath to a garden….?
Or a searing film of rubber
on the pavement of desire.
What's your footprint on our living Gaia?
Will a soft wind erase it?
Or is your mark
the heap of hulks of worn out pleasure
from sea to poisoned sea.
Think of all the things you've used
Think of what it takes to make
the things you've used, discarded, and forgotten.
Is it style you strive for?
Do you have a pact with plunder?
Are you just another corporate number…
that bought the 'good life'
What's the half life of your plunder?
What's your impact? Don't you wonder?
Just keep in mind, that the average European emits half the greenhouse gases as a North American, while enjoying a better standard of living. They're not air-conditioning addicts like people in comparable climates in the US, but sweating is healthy. And I've absolutely never understood what is quality-of-life enhancing about a big, poor handling SUV, or a 5000 sq foot house.
So, even without even changing a thing technology-wise, the US could cut it's greenhouse gases in half.
And as far as "hybrids", they are largely a gimmick. The average ordinary car in Europe gets the fuel economy of a Prius and half the cost. The reason? The cars a smaller and lighter, and use manual transmissions.
I got 41 mpg last fill-up using a 10 year old Honda with manual transmission, and by using a gentle foot on the pedal.
price of food now that ethanol is being subsidized:
Cereal prices hit poor countries
February 14, 2008, BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/7244382.stm
The rising price of cereals such as wheat and maize is a
"major global concern", the United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) says. Poor countries could see
their cereal import bill rise by more than a third. Africa as
a whole is expected to see an estimated 49% increase this
year.
International wheat prices have risen 83% in the past 12
months.
Demand from emerging countries such as China, and droughts
and flooding have pushed cereal prices to record highs.
CEREAL IMPORT BILLS
2007/8 forecast
Africa up 49%
Asia up 25%
Latin America up 31%
Oceania up 25%
Europe up 53%
Source: FAO
It is estimated poor countries will pay a record $33.1bn
(£17bn) for cereal imports in the year to July 2008. This is
despite a fall in the total amount they will import.
In an attempt to limit the impact of rising prices on their
populations, governments have lowered import tariffs, raised
food subsidies and imposed duties on food exports.
Food crisis
The rising price of wheat, maize and rice will push up the
cost of basic foods and this will affect the world's
vulnerable populations the most, the FAO said.
It warned 36 countries around the world were facing a food
crisis.
Prices of basic foods have increased, affecting the
vulnerable populations most United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organization
The highest number of countries facing a severe shortage of
food - 21 - is in Africa.
Lesotho, Somalia and Swaziland are said to be facing an
"exceptional shortfall" in food supply after years of adverse
weather.
The FAO this week launched an appeal for $87m of emergency
assistance to help flood-affected populations in Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Farmers in flooded areas are in urgent need of seeds to begin
replanting, with only two months to the end of the cropping
season, the FAO said.
Right now I'm visiting my parents who live in Ballwin, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It has been shocking to me to see the number of buildings without business inside, vacant and dark. I doubt that this trend is particular to Ballwin or that the unsustainable suburban set-up can continue much longer.
One book that might shed some light on the suburb situation is "Redesigning the American Dream: Gender, Family, and Family Life" by Delores Hayden. This book deepened a lot of quesitons I had about our current suburban housing set-up in the US.
In case you don't read it, here's what I remember about the history of our suburbs. In the post-WWII political environment, with its red paranoia and corporate influence of public decisions, community plans flourished in which each household was required to purchase their own stove, dishwasher, hand mixer, water hose, lawn mower, television, cars, and later, VCR, surround sound stereo, home entertainment system. If the households were encouraged to share some of these items, God forbid, it is concievable that one lawn mower would work for five or six households. Can you imagine! Sounds like a sleeper cell for the Rooskies!
On the other hand, there were some housing designers who created housing that fostered a combination of shared space and private space in the context of intentional communities. There were variations on this style, but most had some sort of arrangement for shared meals, childcare, laundry, with a focus on communal decision-making. These hybrid communal/private spaces, where they were attempted (or continue to exist) benefited each household by making its life more efficient and providing a sense of well-being that only community can provide.
Perhaps we can look to this tradition of mixed private/public spaces as one solution to the increasingly archaic suburban neighborhood. Can suburbs be transformed into self-sustaining communities in which each household holds some space in common with the others while retaining a reduced private sphere?
It seems clear to me that the families in the houses in the cul-de-sac where my parents reside could rapidly create a community aiming for self-sustainability (food not lawns, shared childcare and meals, shared laundry) where some property is shared in common and decisions are made together for the benefit of all. Is this far-fetched? Has it already happened somewhere?
I've always found PJD's posts interesting, pro-nuclear power, pro-city, statist mass transit, anti-local/grassroots democracy, etc.
What he/she/they doesn't understand about suburbia is that there is still a slice of Americana that likes to hang clothing out to dry in the summer, plant gardens, be further apart than rooftop jumping distance to your neighbor, etc. A suburban plot is the affordable micro-hobby farm for some people. Not everyone is cut out to be domesticated/subservient city sheeple, nor able to afford a bona fide farm in a rural area.
What about the suburb are we supposed to hate? The average size of the lots? The culture? Distance from mortgage-paying jobs?
You tell us, PJD. And tell us why nuclear power is great while we're at it also. Everyone should live in a compressed city, and Monsanto/GE/Westinghouse should be the only entities that own land outside, eh?
If public policy can mandate that new TV sets contain V-chips (view-chip) to restrict children from viewing certain programs then we could also add a simple D-chip, 'drive-chip', to new automobiles. It could collect driving history, like 'days not used'. Public policy could then mandate that we reward these car drivers with credits for days they did NOT use their car, at the pump and toward their auto insurance premiums. Such a D-chip debit cards could record a car's 'good behavior' and convert it to rewards for conscientious (non)drivers. The practice would be consistent with current public policy that requires electric utilities to buy back any excess electricity produced by its customers. How about it?
Local Activism's best tool = Direct Action
Want to join an international grassroots network promoting Direct Action to slow Global Climate Heating!
Check out:
www.risingtidenorthamerica.org
Rising Tide is an international network born out of the conviction that corporate-friendly and state-sponsored "solutions" to climate change will not save us. As a matter of survival, we must decrease our dependence on the industries and institutions that are destroying the planet and work toward community autonomy and sustainable living.
Another step that us greedy pigs should take, which is unpopular and uncomfortable: stop the goddamn breeding.
Yeah, and try full costs and full cycles, as the ideals for economic and ecological systems.
Full costs in retail price means no externalities, i.e. no hidden burdens on the public. So the people voluntarily reduce consumption, funds are available to clean up messes, and the people demand the most efficient production.
Closed cycles means products are sent back to producers at end of life for recycling, and all bio-waste including sewage is retured to farmland.
Common sense approaches reveal themselves when you kick the capitalist out of the town hall and back into his cage, where he belongs.
palmeres: property is shared in common and decisions are made together for the benefit of all. Is this far-fetched? Has it already happened somewhere?
Yes, it's popular in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. Probably in many cultures, just not documented. Americans are taught to ignore other cultures, because "we are the champions of the world!"
Ramsay: "Put down that hose!" Should we tax water until it becomes too expensive to water lawns? Should we outlaw grass?
Full costs (See above paragraph) provide the theoretical framework. Implementation logistics requires a bureaucracy but such public service is a noble occupation like teaching and many other public services.
But the political feat to achieve full costs is the tough one in radical capitalist America. We have to change the school curricula - we need a civics class in K-12 to teach the kids how to instill fear in the capitalists' shriveled little hearts.
Of course, in the meantime we empower ourselves individually. Be the change you want to see said Ghandi and don't sweat it if you can't change the world single-handed in a nanosecond like corporate construct O'Bama.