Let’s offer thanks to the Earth for lending us the wisdom and passion of Ernest Callenbach.
A 4th of July that Truly Celebrates Independence
It’s almost the 4th of July and if we’re going to commemorate Independence Day here in America, why not celebrate it in a way that actually makes us more independent–of fossil fuel companies, coal companies, factory farms, and all the other toxic industries destroying our country and planet?
Ten Highlights and Ten Thousand Thanks from Twenty Ten
With 2010 coming to a close, I want to pause to thank all those who helped make State of the World 2010 and its 14 translations a big success, and to reflect on 10 amazing moments from the year.
The Number Left Out: Bringing Population into the Climate Conversation
Numbers swirl around climate change.
The relative silence isn’t hard to understand. Population is almost always awkward to talk about. It’s fraught with sensitivity about who has how many children and whether that is anyone else’s business. It’s freighted with sexuality, contraception, abortion, immigration, gender bias, and other buttons too hot to press into conversation. Yet two aspects of population’s connection to climate change cry out for greater attention—and conversation.
What Would You Sacrifice for a Secure Future?
Sacrifice has become a dirty word in environmental politics. But we sacrifice all the time. Two-thirds of Americans have sacrificed their waistlines and lifespans for cheap food and high profits for food companies, often without actively making this choice. Is there a way to reclaim the word to get people to start “sacrificing” to sustain a healthy relationship with Earth—or to at least stop sacrificing to the modern god of growth?
Some Ways We Can Mourn the BP Disaster
Yes, we must hold the corporations that made the mess in the Gulf accountable, but we also have to take some of the blame ourselves. Our consumer lifestyles are at the root of our ever-growing need for oil, so consider taking one of these five steps in dramatically reducing your impact, and culpability for future oil spills.
Using Cultural Taboos to Reveal Our Consumer Culture
Take one part cultural analysis, one part dissection of consumerism, and one part feeding people taboo foods, and what do you have? The State of the World 2010 Symposium.
Don’t Squeeze the Old Growth Forest
A battle is being waged over how we wipe our behinds. Who will win?
