Let's say you occasionally despair for the future of the planet. In
that case, the place you need to be this week is the website for 350.org.
Every few minutes, something new arrives at our headquarters, where
young people hunched over laptops do their best to keep up with the
pace. News that activists in Afghanistan—Afghanistan—have organized a
rally for our big day of action on October 24. They'll assemble on a
hillside 20 kilometers from Kabul to write a huge message in the sand:
"Let Us Live: 350."
Halloween is around the corner, and children will soon be dressing up and chanting “trick or treat,” their demand for candy backed up by the threat of a prank. Climate-change activists, from pranksters to presidents, are doing the same. This past Monday, the activist-artist group The Yes Men staged another of its hoaxes, with one member posing as an official from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, leading what appeared to be a legitimate press conference and stating the chamber’s complete reversal on its historically adamant opposition to climate-change legislation.
Autumn has arrived in the Northeast. The leaves are turning colors, the days are getting shorter, and the weather has a hint of the chill to come. It's a time of change in many ways. Our nation is grappling with the daunting challenges of health care and global warming. Another change is coming as well. It's called the good food revolution. By bringing locally grown, organic, nutritiously rich food to a table near you, the good food revolution can help us tackle these larger societal issues, and benefit us all.
Even two years ago, I was in complete despair about our chances of
fighting climate change. But something's changed. It's not the science,
which has gotten steadily worse. It's the first signs that the planet's
immune system--conscious citizens ready to make a difference--is
finally kicking in. Bloggers, in this metaphor, are key
antibodies--they recognize threats, and rally people to take the steps
needed.
Without even one cable news outlet promoting the event and even without Glenn Beck--even without corporate lobbyists sending in activists by the thousands, and corporate advertisers publicizing it--the National Equality March on the D.C. mall on October 11 drew one hell of a crowd.
EDMONTON - Last week 30 activists scaled a security fence at France's largest oil refinery, near La Havre. Inside, they clambered up towers and unfurled banners. Their message, roughly translated, was this: Get out of the oilsands; Get out of Alberta.
The refinery's owner, Total S.A., has been considering a multibillion-dollar expansion of their oilsands holdings. The CEO of the company's Canadian division said this week a decision would come within months.
This weekend, thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans will march in the nation's capital. They won't be marching for marriage rights alone. They'll be marching for complete federal equality - an end to second-class citizenship.
If you've driven past the Benton County Courthouse between 5 and 6 p.m. over the past few years, you've likely seen them.
"Them" being the group of Corvallis residents holding signs and flags asking for military restraint and peace.
They've been out there since the first day of the United States invasion of Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001.
Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the daily peace vigil, which depending on the day and time can have anywhere from a handful of people participating to hundreds.
A fuming Premier Ed Stelmach has vowed to punish Greenpeace activists to the full extent of the law after protesters invaded their third Alberta oilsands site in as many weeks on Saturday.
The group, an international team of activists, scaled three smoke stacks and one crane at the Shell Scotford upgrader near Fort Saskatchewan, just northeast of Edmonton -- part of a continuing bid
by the group to grab headlines ahead of global climate talks in Copenhagen in December.
This week marks 8 years of war in Afghanistan. There appears to be, for
the first time, a glimmer of a genuine debate about how this country
should move forward. Those who are clamoring for a new and speedy
infusion of troops are ratcheting up the pressure in an attempt to cut
off this badly needed debate. If they are not countered powerfully
enough, their arm-twisting could mean we end up doubling down on a
failing strategy. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
