Happy 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

[razz]

Did you check out the website for this important anniversary for our grandchildren's future? The world is able to hear the soundscape of nature because the usual activities have been halted or slowed down. Have you noticed this change in sound in your life?

https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-live/

[happystuff]

Actually, yes! My walks are usually solitary and with little traffic. When I cross the little bridge, I can actually hear the water in the stream. Birds are up and singing really early these days as well. LOL.

[razz]

Just read that Michael Moore has a new documentary that is available on Youtube free for 3 months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE

Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement’s answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late.

Removed from the debate is the only thing that MIGHT save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not THE issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business. Have we environmentalists fallen for illusions, “green” illusions, that are anything but green, because we’re scared that this is the end—and we’ve pinned all our hopes on biomass, wind turbines, and electric cars?

No amount of batteries are going to save us, warns director Jeff Gibbs (lifelong environmentalist and co-producer of “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine"). This urgent, must-see movie, a full-frontal assault on our sacred cows, is guaranteed to generate anger, debate, and, hopefully, a willingness to see our survival in a new way—before it’s too late.

Featuring: Al Gore, Bill McKibben, Richard Branson, Robert F Kennedy Jr., Michael Bloomberg, Van Jones, Vinod Khosla, Koch Brothers, Vandana Shiva, General Motors, 350.org, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nature Conservancy, Elon Musk, Tesla.

Music by: Radiohead, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blank & Jones, If These Trees Could Talk, Valentina Lisitsa, Culprit 1, Patrick O’hearn, The Torquays, Nigel Stanford, and many more.

[Rogar]

Thanks for the reference, Razz. I will definitely watch. This was my Earthday reading..."What Covid Is Exposing about the Climate Movement".

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/04/21/earth-day-individual-climate-impact-198835

[razz]

I agree with the Politico article but having heard the same old for so many years, it does get discouraging when personal choices I make are overwhelmed by corporate choices including the tar sands and drilling areas everywhere that should be protected, burning the Amazon and over-harvesting seafood and not respecting the importance of natural resources.
So many things are now happening simultaneously - virus, climate, excess fossil fuels, lockdowns of populations - one could hope that some good will come out of the collective consciousness of societies.
I haven't stopped composting, line or air drying my laundry, recyling, drive a Prius thoughtfully, preserve my own food supply as much as possible (very positive at present) and watch my diet choices but I wonder how many have got discouraged as I admit to feeling at times.

[Gardnr]

I haven't stopped composting, line or air drying my laundry, recyling, drive a Prius thoughtfully, preserve my own food supply as much as possible (very positive at present) and watch my diet choices but I wonder how many have got discouraged as I admit to feeling at times.

I'm staying the course regardless of what others do and I refuse to get discouraged. I will never understand why others don't find these habits important, but I won't stop for them either.

[catherine]

I agree with the Politico article but having heard the same old for so many years, it does get discouraging when personal choices I make are overwhelmed by corporate choices including the tar sands and drilling areas everywhere that should be protected, burning the Amazon and over-harvesting seafood and not respecting the importance of natural resources.
So many things are now happening simultaneously - virus, climate, excess fossil fuels, lockdowns of populations - one could hope that some good will come out of the collective consciousness of societies.
I haven't stopped composting, line or air drying my laundry, recyling, drive a Prius thoughtfully, preserve my own food supply as much as possible (very positive at present) and watch my diet choices but I wonder how many have got discouraged as I admit to feeling at times.

I do..

I think policy and individual responsibility have to be in balance. There are no easy answers. But it certainly doesn't help to look for ways to shame people on both sides. Our culture is based on consumption. Our GDP is based on consumption. Capitalism, industries and advertising and marketing have pulled us away from being producers rather than consumers. If we want things to change we have to all be counterculturists (oxymoron as it is for the majority to be counterculturists). We can pursue political action AND change personal behavior. AND stop trying to parse out "hypocrisies" and "virtue-signaling" in order to shame and deride and just acknowledge we're all just trying to do our best.

Here's another great article that was on the Films For Action website: Why I stopped Protesting and Started A Garden (https://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/why-i-stopped-protesting-and-started-a-garden/?fbclid=IwAR2sD_EOSMPWcsMi_DJnplBg5e9BBvxcU9li8jIo b1DXP2zUkrMlv7g21Gs). It's about that "one-straw revolution" approach, and it's also about how enviornmental change will never be effective unless we can all view the world as sacred and beautiful and stop viewing it as a resource for consumption for consumption's sake.

[happystuff]

Just finished watching it. My reaction right now is WoW! Will be processing this for a while.

[catherine]

Just finished watching it. My reaction right now is WoW! Will be processing this for a while.

I'm assuming you mean Planet of the Humans... based on your reaction, I just watched it, and I agree--wow. stunning.

[Rogar]

I can't say that I totally agreed with the negativity cast on green energy in Planet of the Humans, but I did agree with the fact that we just can't have unlimited growth with limited resources. And how it comes down to population control and consumption. I enjoyed the film and learned a few things. It challenged some of my thinking.

[happystuff]

I'm assuming you mean Planet of the Humans... based on your reaction, I just watched it, and I agree--wow. stunning.

Yes. And as Rogar said - it definitely challenged some of my thinking.

[iris lilies]

I can't say that I totally agreed with the negativity cast on green energy in Planet of the Humans, but I did agree with the fact that we just can't have unlimited growth with limited resources. And how it comes down to population control and consumption. I enjoyed the film and learned a few things. It challenged some of my thinking.
Mother Nature is doing her damnedest to control the human population, and we are doing our damnedest to thwart that now in the midst of COVID19 reactions. I dont know, maybe I am kinda on her side.

[JaneV2.0]

Mother Nature is doing her damnedest to control the human population, and we are doing our damnedest to thwart that now in the midst of COVID19 reactions. I dont know, maybe I am kinda on her side.

I have mixed emotions; we seem to be such slow learners where the environment is concerned.

[Tammy]

Mother Nature has no vested interest. It’s just what happens sometimes with biological populations. I don’t think covid has much at all to do with climate change. I think they are two separate and wildly unknown threats to humanity.

[razz]

Mother Nature has no vested interest. It’s just what happens sometimes with biological populations. I don’t think covid has much at all to do with climate change. I think they are two separate and wildly unknown threats to humanity.

I respectfully disagree. As population increases, humans come in closer contact with wildlife AND as population increases and demands more of natural resources to satisfy their needs/wants which actions include destroying our forests, increasing carbon output and invading natural spaces, these impact climate change. They are both part of one large picture.

[Tammy]

That makes sense too. That they might be connected.

I think I was reacting to the idea that Mother Nature has a plan, or a will, or emotions, or is bringing this on humans in some way.

It’s just survival in a world where humans are not the center of things, like we think we are.

Am I even making sense?

[ApatheticNoMore]

If mother nature had a plan it would be killing mostly people of reproductive age, before they have (more) kids. The seniors not so much so.

[catherine]

Just read that Michael Moore has a new documentary that is available on Youtube free for 3 months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE

Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement’s answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late.

Removed from the debate is the only thing that MIGHT save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not THE issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business. Have we environmentalists fallen for illusions, “green” illusions, that are anything but green, because we’re scared that this is the end—and we’ve pinned all our hopes on biomass, wind turbines, and electric cars?

No amount of batteries are going to save us, warns director Jeff Gibbs (lifelong environmentalist and co-producer of “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine"). This urgent, must-see movie, a full-frontal assault on our sacred cows, is guaranteed to generate anger, debate, and, hopefully, a willingness to see our survival in a new way—before it’s too late.

Featuring: Al Gore, Bill McKibben, Richard Branson, Robert F Kennedy Jr., Michael Bloomberg, Van Jones, Vinod Khosla, Koch Brothers, Vandana Shiva, General Motors, 350.org, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nature Conservancy, Elon Musk, Tesla.

Music by: Radiohead, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blank & Jones, If These Trees Could Talk, Valentina Lisitsa, Culprit 1, Patrick O’hearn, The Torquays, Nigel Stanford, and many more.

So Films for Action just posted this 30-minute video featuring my permaculture teacher--they are calling it an "essential counter to the hopelessness of the narrative of Planet of the Humans" Andrew really is a visionary--I loved loved loved his permaculture design class, because it was so holistic and all-encompassing and design-focused. This video was presented for his local watershed area in upstate NY (he also teaches half the year in NYC, where I took his class). So some of it is specific to his region, but the concepts are applicable anywhere.

If you have 30 minutes to feel a little better about what you learned in Planet of the Humans, watch this.

https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/how-to-understand-where-you-live-a-permaculture-guide-to-food-and-energy-independence/?fbclid=IwAR342fokVd5b_mcXDwKK9nSeD7ai2Yx7D4LalyR6 _NTMFw3mlR1XQiSklZ4

[razz]

So Films for Action just posted this 30-minute video featuring my permaculture teacher--they are calling it an "essential counter to the hopelessness of the narrative of Planet of the Humans" Andrew really is a visionary--I loved loved loved his permaculture design class, because it was so holistic and all-encompassing and design-focused. This video was presented for his local watershed area in upstate NY (he also teaches half the year in NYC, where I took his class). So some of it is specific to his region, but the concepts are applicable anywhere.

If you have 30 minutes to feel a little better about what you learned in Planet of the Humans, watch this.

https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/how-to-understand-where-you-live-a-permaculture-guide-to-food-and-energy-independence/?fbclid=IwAR342fokVd5b_mcXDwKK9nSeD7ai2Yx7D4LalyR6 _NTMFw3mlR1XQiSklZ4
I did enjoy seeing this and agree that it has possibilities to help. Still lots of manufacturing required but at least it provides an option to explore further.

[happystuff]

I just watched it and it does look very hopeful, but I'm thinking it is not something that is going to happen on a grand scale anytime soon. I also kept thinking "Monsanto"... the opposition seems formidable to these ideas.

[catherine]

razz and happystuff,

Thanks for taking the time to watch.. I know his ideas are different and a bit utopian (and yes, razz, do utilize technologies), but I always find it inspiring to at least put out-of-the-box ideas on the table. Bioregionalism in terms of food and energy supply is not an unreachable star. As far as Monsanto goes, yes, they will always be a formidable foe, but as long as enough people keep taking steps towards fixing the broken system, we'll get there.

[happystuff]

razz and happystuff,

Thanks for taking the time to watch.. I know his ideas are different and a bit utopian (and yes, razz, do utilize technologies), but I always find it inspiring to at least put out-of-the-box ideas on the table. Bioregionalism in terms of food and energy supply is not an unreachable star. As far as Monsanto goes, yes, they will always be a formidable foe, but as long as enough people keep taking steps towards fixing the broken system, we'll get there.

Yes, I agree. Kind of a "lead by example" type thing which - hopefully - catches on.

[razz]

Yes, I agree. Kind of a "lead by example" type thing which - hopefully - catches on.

I agree as well.

As I try to set up my little garden to grow some of my food, I am trying to sort out what can be grown in pots on the patio area. Small steps at a time.

It is funny to think that over my life, i have had a veggie garden of close to an acre In which we grew most of the family's winter supply that I processed by canning or freezing, and now I am down to a small 16'x3' bed plus a new little wedge along the fence that I installed last fall and pots on the patio.
This year I am going to try planting tomatoes in my flowerbeds between the perennials.

[catherine]

Just read that Michael Moore has a new documentary that is available on Youtube free for 3 months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE

Michael Moore presents Planet of the Humans, a documentary that dares to say what no one else will this Earth Day — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road — selling out the green movement to wealthy interests and corporate America. This film is the wake-up call to the reality we are afraid to face: that in the midst of a human-caused extinction event, the environmental movement’s answer is to push for techno-fixes and band-aids. It's too little, too late.

Removed from the debate is the only thing that MIGHT save us: getting a grip on our out-of-control human presence and consumption. Why is this not THE issue? Because that would be bad for profits, bad for business. Have we environmentalists fallen for illusions, “green” illusions, that are anything but green, because we’re scared that this is the end—and we’ve pinned all our hopes on biomass, wind turbines, and electric cars?

No amount of batteries are going to save us, warns director Jeff Gibbs (lifelong environmentalist and co-producer of “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Bowling for Columbine"). This urgent, must-see movie, a full-frontal assault on our sacred cows, is guaranteed to generate anger, debate, and, hopefully, a willingness to see our survival in a new way—before it’s too late.

Featuring: Al Gore, Bill McKibben, Richard Branson, Robert F Kennedy Jr., Michael Bloomberg, Van Jones, Vinod Khosla, Koch Brothers, Vandana Shiva, General Motors, 350.org, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sierra Club, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Nature Conservancy, Elon Musk, Tesla.

Music by: Radiohead, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Blank & Jones, If These Trees Could Talk, Valentina Lisitsa, Culprit 1, Patrick O’hearn, The Torquays, Nigel Stanford, and many more.

I admit it was a head-turning movie. Disappointing, confusing, maddening.

But Bill McKibben is out defending himself--this movie has understandably dented his reputation and divided the environmental movement. So here is a rebuttal he wrote for Rolling Stone. (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/bill-mckibben-climate-movement-michael-moore-993073/?fbclid=IwAR18vVPLYRCxJiyyDtWE_QnYz2QJMk2CM51hYlo_ jl_65r4wyb408xk-iIU)As always, there are two sides of every store, and truth usually lies between two extremes. See what you think

[razz]

I admit it was a head-turning movie. Disappointing, confusing, maddening.

But Bill McKibben is out defending himself--this movie has understandably dented his reputation and divided the environmental movement. So here is a rebuttal he wrote for Rolling Stone. (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/bill-mckibben-climate-movement-michael-moore-993073/?fbclid=IwAR18vVPLYRCxJiyyDtWE_QnYz2QJMk2CM51hYlo_ jl_65r4wyb408xk-iIU)As always, there are two sides of every store, and truth usually lies between two extremes. See what you think

Thanks for posting this.

It is a fairly good rebuttal about his reputation and Michael Moore has a sensationalist reputation. And yes, we do eat our own whatever the movement. The movie did affirm that moneyed interests control the energy supply, they control the narrative and the message.
I sent the movie along with some other rebuttals to a good friend. She was devastated to see the movie. Her problem and the general problem, IMO, is that no one wants to talk about the need to reduce our energy consumption and our lifestyles to do that. The movie clearly states that we, the developed world need to change. Bill's rebuttal avoids doing this to any significant point. He keeps talking about how much cheaper and more efficient the solar panels are today. He blames it all on the fossil fuel industry.

Our diet, our design and use of our homes, our extensive polluting travel, our elaborate toys and so on need to make mindful change. The movie said that! It needs to be said loudly and clearly. No one is talking about going back to living in a cave. Simple living and common sense will do wonders.

Watering lawns and golf courses is crazy using up precious resources and requiring extensive chemicals and machinery is one very simple example. A neighbour waters his lawn every other day and mows every third day using a trimmer, leaf blower, mower and irrigation system that introduces fertilizer and weed control. I use hybrid micro-clovers and manually dig out the weeds, mow every other week and hand-trim.

[Yppej]

I respectfully disagree. As population increases, humans come in closer contact with wildlife AND as population increases and demands more of natural resources to satisfy their needs/wants which actions include destroying our forests, increasing carbon output and invading natural spaces, these impact climate change. They are both part of one large picture.

Agree. Also note covid is worst in densely populated areas, as well as in affluent societies that use more resources, including on airline travel that spreads the virus.

[Yppej]

I admit it was a head-turning movie. Disappointing, confusing, maddening.

But Bill McKibben is out defending himself--this movie has understandably dented his reputation and divided the environmental movement. So here is a rebuttal he wrote for Rolling Stone. (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/bill-mckibben-climate-movement-michael-moore-993073/?fbclid=IwAR18vVPLYRCxJiyyDtWE_QnYz2QJMk2CM51hYlo_ jl_65r4wyb408xk-iIU)As always, there are two sides of every store, and truth usually lies between two extremes. See what you think

He isn't acknowledging the fallacy of technology will save us.

[Rogar]

He isn't acknowledging the fallacy of technology will save us.

Does the movie propose what will save us, at least within reason, or is their premise as fallacious.

[razz]

Does the movie propose what will save us, at least within reason, or is their premise as fallacious.

I agree to some extent with this thought as well. However, I think the primary purpose and focus of the Planet movie was to show the shift and group think that says different sources of power will enable us to continue as we have been doing. Until this paramount issue is addressed, all the green leaders and fossil fuel leaders will just snarl at each other with no change in consequences. That is the power of the movie and it was needed to address this or our goose is cooked. When the world acknowledges the need for change, solutions will unfold.

[happystuff]

I read most of the rebuttal article... sorry but I got bored with all the "self-defense" stuff. I do agree with his idea that movements are to help change minds, hopefully, for the better good (my interpretation, not a direct quote).

I'm glad that the movie is out and has created a discussion that seems to be growing! Maybe the whole back-and-forth will help generate some positive progress with regards to climate control!!

[Yppej]

Does the movie propose what will save us, at least within reason, or is their premise as fallacious.

The movie doesn't promise any solution. It is not for the faint of heart.

[razz]

This BBC story helps explain some of the reasons and impacts of our current way of life.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200503-the-indigenous-communities-that-predicted-covid-19