Global Warming Could Slam Food Supply

Suppose the dinner on your table last night had cost 20 times what it did? Or 50 times as much? Scientists say global warming very likely has something like that in store in the coming decades….

The Green Office

Take a look of this site:

http://www.thegreenoffice.com/

“The Green Office is an online retailer of recycled, environmentally friendly, and sustainable business products, school supplies, and paper.”

I am looking for information of good practices for a greener office. My experience in North America has shown me the multiple ways that every person, every day generate so much pollution. I feel ashame of my self.

I want to start a group to share ideas of better ways to be green at the office. After all we live there as much as in our houses.

I think this site is a good start. I want to encourage sites like the thegreenoffice.com.

Al Gore Isn't Vegetarian

I’m in a bit of shock right now after stumbling over this video on youtube. Yes, Glen Beck is a *##* head, but this video is worth watching. I have always assumed that Gore was a vegetarian or vegan. Silly me. How can he preach to the world about global warming when he is not making the most important and effective step himself? With his movie, “An Inconvenient Truth”, and the speeches he has made world wide, how can this be? Oh yeah, don’t forgot about Live Earth. Live Earth was/is Gore’s brain child. Watch this video, and leave your thoughts if you wish.

WHAT RETHOS.COM HAS BEEN UP TO

Hey… just thought that I would share some exciting news with the rethos fam….

Rethos.com was invited to join the 60th annual DPI/NGO conference, at the UN (United Nations) in New york, welcoming over 2000 non profits. (google the event to learn more about it :) )

This year’s focus was on global warming….an awesome opportunity and a wonderful way to increase our knowledge on an issue that is now being discussed more so than in the past.

A great organization that I have researched and come to love is Green Peace… if you join them you can make a small contribution and it goes towards creating an environmental positive change.. they have proven their results and think its an awsome way to do something, especially for those that say they dont have time.

Also to keep in mind the little things :

1.) never litter 2.) pick up trash and throw it out 3.) organize a cleaning day to go through your neighborhood or other neighborhoods to clean up litter 4.) never leave the light on when you are not in the room 5.) dont leave the water running the entire time you are brushing your teeth 6.) limit yourself to a certain amount of minutes in the shower from time to time

(google other ways online)

*together, we can do SOMETHING!

Bolivia Meltdown

I just watched this show on CNN International “World’s Untold Stories”

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=qDawDsA5pUI

Bolivia is a poor country with very little population, about 9.1 millions. The emissions of green house gases are not even close to industrialized countries. Despite of this, the Andes are melting down and the poorest are paying the price.

The Glaciologist Edson Ramirez, was the guide for this documentary he lead them to the Chacaltaya Glacier, which stands within sight of the city. Edson says the high altitude glaciers around La Paz are melting at an unprecedented rate.

He predicts they will all disappear within 20 years.

It’s a crisis in the making for La Paz and the twin city of El Alto. The glaciers act as giant water reservoirs – providing up to 60 percent of the drinking water. Hydroelectric plants rely on water-run off to generate nearly 80 percent of the cities’ power.

http://www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/untoldstories/blog/2007/09/bolivia-meltdown.html

Event though Bolivia is not the direct cause of this dramatic effect. People from the cities of La Paz and El Alto are not acting wisely. Water is being waist for some while others don’t have any.

It is also interesting that Bolivia is known for the “War of Water” which was a great social conflict in the city of Cochabamba and other big battle in September of 2000 in La Paz stopped the privatization processes. Why water?, simple…. no water, no life.

http://www1m.mesh.ne.jp/~apec-ngo/english/water/2002_speech_Pablo_Solon.htm

Global Dimming

I just watched the Nova show on Global Dimming. This is very interesting. I had not heard of this concept before. For those that also have not heard of this, basically to sum it up as I understood it, is the man-made increase of particulates in the air contributing to artificial cloud formation (including contrails from planes and jets – see photo). Clouds reflect some solar energy back from the sun, thus resulting in lowered temperatures on Earth. Some scientists think that this has resulted in a masking of the true effects of global warming in past years.

Breathing Earth dot net

Breathing Earth dot net is a site I recently stumbled upon and it’s worth checking out. It is just a simulation, but it is an accurate one. The numbers begin when you start you visit and climb rapidly. Births, deaths, and co2 emitted. It’s pretty interesting and a bit shocking how fast the numbers can climb.

Since this present visit began, 560 people have been born, 220 have died, and over one million tonnes of co2 have been emitted into the atmosphere. TOO MANY HUMANS!!!

Step It Up 2007

Check out this website for Step It Up 2007. A great campaign on the global warming issue with lots of ways to get involved and increase your knowledge. http://stepitup2007.org/

HIMEOBS: Harbinger of the Police State?

I was intrigued by all the recent posts about “HIMEOBS” and started asking the Googles what it’s all about. I didn’t find anything useful except a few urban legends, but when I came home from work, there was a crater where my house used to be. Pinned to the charred wreckage that used to be the post for my mailbox, I found the the attached note.

Can somebody help me? I think I’m in over my head!

Are they AFTER ME?

Welcome to Rethos and thanks to the great folks that conspired to make it happen!

Welcome to Rethos and thanks to the great folks that conspired to make it happen!

I’d like to introduce myself and propose that we help one another in every way we can.

My name is Philip McMaster, and I was introduced to Rethos by one of the founders, Pablo Saltzman.

After many years, travels and meetings, I have classified people of the world in two “camps”... – You’re either part of the SOLUTION or you are the problem. Pablo and the people invoved in Rethos are definitely part of the SOLUTION.

It’s impossible for any of us to be perfect, (with regard to acting responsibly toward SOCIETY, the ENVIRONMENT and our participation in the ECONOMY) but our ATTITUDE and THINKING ENERGY makes all the difference.

Back in February, I had the priviledge of introducing a new development emerging from the Dragonpreneur ethical entrepreneurship program – DragonTHINK – to the Enviromental Protection Association (EPA) of Hong Kong, and later to the International Conference on Climate Change.

(there are Audio clips on the website)

DragonTHINK is fun, social, and will spread around the world like wildfire... it's a game, it's a TEST, it's simple and it encourages us to SHARE and THINK.

At the time of this email, only halfway through the first month of Rethos, I have over 60 listed allies, and probably more in total…

Now I’m asking you… (as I have asked the hundreds of people who appear on the slideshow of www.DragonTHINK.com) .. to perform the DragonTHINK test on three (3) other people…

The test is simple -

here it is: Find a friend, or even someone you just met.

Make a “V” symbol with your fingers and ask: “What’s this?” (usually the response is: “Peace”, “Victory” or “two fingers”)

Next hold up three fingers spread apart like the photos at www.DragonTHINK.com and ask: “what’s this?” (usually the response is, “I don’t know”)

(BTW – Any answer is correct, and there are NO wrong answers to the TEST… only an opportunity for you to pass along a SUSTAINABILITY THINKING TOOL to a friend)

When someone answers: “I don’t know”, they are now open and hungry for the answer.. and you have the opportunity to be the teacher/professor – you count off your three fingers, and say: “Society, Environment, Economy”.

If you want to explain what is expected by thinking responsibly about Society, the Environment and the Economy – you are welcome to do so – but all that is necessary is that they learn what the three finger symbol represents, and that they pass those instructions along to three (3) other people.

So finally, you say: ”...now that you know what DragonTHINK represents, pass it along to 3 other people, and ask them to teach three others, etc.

The DragonTHINK sustainability TEST takes less than a minute to complete, can be done anywhere in the world, in any language, with anyone who has three fingers and a brain.

Imagine how the world will change when more and more of us share the encouragement to BALANCE our personal decisions, and constantly remind ourselves to consider SOCIETY, ENVIRONMENT and the ECONOMY showing the three finger symbol.

As an ally, I offer you DragonTHINK as one of the tools to experiment with in our fight against Social, Environmental and Economic problems around the planet.

Let’s help each other to show the diversity of solutions to the world’s problems. Wealth, Wisdom and Wellness,

Cheers,

Professor P! (Philip McMaster)

What about tires?

Tires pose a huge problem now and in the future. One of the nastiest most indestructible materials out there is the rubber used to make tires. Designed to withstand the worst weather conditions and wear and tear on the road tires are the antecedent to sustainable products.

Even if all the cars magically shed their co2 spewing engines and ran on water every car out there still needs to roll on the old fashion rubber wheel. The rubber tire is a nuisance from the moment it is removed from the hub. Taking a look at the tires’ sustainability crime record it is not a pretty site. Besides the amount of government funds spent on controlling the illegal dumping of tires, tires dumps provide nesting grounds for mosquitoes which then creates a higher risk of spreading infectious disease. Large tire dumps under the noon day sun turn into massive tire ovens and often set a blaze. Tries can not be included in land fills because they float to the top of the pile. This occurs because of their inability to biodegrade underground and oddly enough they collect methane gas and become buoyant.

This is not to say that tire reuse is not making any progress. Private industry spends millions of dollars every year on applications for used tires. Earth ships, ground cover, playground mats, and side walks are just a few ways in which tires are being reused right now.

Products made from reused tires have the potential to become a huge industry or at least match the size of its host industry. There is still massive potential out there for tire reuse innovation. Earth ships are great but how can these circular clumps of rubber be upgraded and innovated into an essential how-did-we-live-without-it product? Why don’t we integrate them into asphalt, reorder their fibers into performance fabric, building bricks, flower pots, fine art? I hate to say it but this is one instance in which reinventing the wheel is priority number one.

Go Green this Fall

A Dozen Tips for a Greener Autumn

A lot of the basics, but a good reminder for spreading awareness! Read posting

Going Green in the Cairo Desert - The New American University Campus

In roughly one year, the American University in Cairo will relocate from the bustling and smog-filled city center to a brand new 300-million dollar campus in the East Cairo Desert. The new campus will occupy a sprawling 260 acres compared to the current 7.3 acre downtown location.

The university cites environmental optimization, sensitivity and sustainability as part of it’s major goals. Two sets of studies were conducted to minimize the site’s environmental impact. The first set was based on macro-climactic concerns, building location and landscape. The second on micro-climactic issues primarily building design and climate control of indoor and outdoor spaces through renewable and natural means.

The building layout is meant to compliment the desert environment and regional traditions of desert life- using architecture rather than energy to provide comfort. Passive architectural designs provide better illumination with natural light, fully shaded courtyards and naturally ventilated buildings and hallways. Also, over 8,000 trees from 150 species are in the process of being planted. They will be planted in the campus center, providing shade and cleaner air, as well as around the campus perimeter to block desert winds and dust.

But how green is it?

All of these measures will undoubtedly minimize energy requirements and make the new campus on the cutting edge of eco-conscious construction in the Middle East and may begin a new push for sustainable designs in the region.

However, there are some obvious major downsides to this move. The campus is located 40 minutes outside of the city-center and is meant to be a flagship in a new district of Cairo (imaginatively called “New Cairo”). Such urban sprawl encourages increased development outside of the current city boundaries and promotes the building of more infrastructure for easier access into the district. Students and faculty living in Cairo proper will also need to drive to the new site. Even if all the buildings are built green it will end up doing more harm than good. Since the old campus will continue to be used, in the end, there is a net negative environmental effect.

Unfortunately, with the city center already incredibly crowded and choking with the smog of over 3 million cars it’s hard to convince anyone to stay.

:: Info from AUC ::

World leaders at climate summit

World leaders at climate summit Leaders of 80 countries are expected to attend a special UN meeting in New York to discuss the effects of global warming and the ways to combat it.

The meeting comes just days after scientists reported that more Arctic ice melted this year than ever before.

The UN climate chief says a breakthrough is essential.

US President George W Bush will not be present, hosting instead a meeting of 16 “major emitter” countries in Washington on Thursday and Friday.

However, the attendance of 150 countries and 80 heads of state makes Monday’s meeting the most high-level UN gathering on climate change.

Political impetus

UN climate chief, Yvo de Boer, said: “I expect the meeting on Monday to express a sense of urgency in terms of negotiating progress that needs to be made.” Arnold Schwarzenegger, California governor

California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action

The BBC’s environment reporter, Matt McGrath, says this meeting will not solve the problems of climate change but UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes it will give impetus to negotiations on global warming that are due to take place in Bali, Indonesia, in December.

Mr Ban said: “Bali must advance a negotiating agenda to combat climate change on all fronts, including adaptation, mitigation, clean technologies, deforestation and resource mobilisation.”

The secretary general will deliver the keynote address at Monday’s summit, entitled “The Future in Our Hands: Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change.”

Our correspondent says the large turnout of heads of government, plus California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former US Vice President Al Gore, is likely to encourage the UN that politicians are ready to commit to long-term, legally binding reductions on emissions of greenhouse gases.

Governor Schwarzenegger said ahead of the meeting: “California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action.”

Mr Bush, who does not support binding emission targets, will not take part in the formal discussions but will be joining Mr Ban and other key leaders for dinner.

10 Things you can do every day

Conservation International has quite a few great articles and resources, especially when you click on ‘ACT”. They have a “10 Things you can do every day”, and “Eco-footprint- Size up your impact”. I think are particular useful in the fact that are simple and can get people thinking. They have some really simple ways to help reduce our impact on the environment. Check ‘em out, pass ‘em on.

www.conservation.org

First Audio from the Institute for Sustainablility Education and Action

First in a series of audio interviews between Margery Moore of the Institute for Sustainablility Education and Action in Salt Spring Island, (Near Victoria, B.C. Canada) and Philip McMaster, McMaster Institute of Sustainable Commerce.

This unedited interview was recorded at the offices of the Institute for Sustainability Education and Action on September 20th 2007.

We are looking for someone who is expert in audio editing, to make these raw interviews into something tighter and shorter.

This is the first of 6 segments, of 5-10 minutes in length.

http://www.dragonpreneur.com/audio/RawSSI/saltspringA.mp3

If there are requests in the comment area for the additional segements, they will be posted in series as requested.

Walden Warming

MAY 10, 1853, was a warm day outside Concord, Massachusetts—an early spring day when a New Englander outdoors would “begin to think of thin coats,” noted Henry David Thoreau. Walking from Concord towards Saw Mill Brook, Thoreau jotted down what he saw. “The deciduous woods were in their hoary youth,” he wrote, “every expanding bud swaddled with downy webs.” Nodding trillium had flower buds, and hornbeam was about to bloom. Pear trees had blossomed, and the butternut buds were the most pronounced of all the woods’ hickories. He heard the spring’s first veery. “It is remarkable,” wrote Thoreau, “that I saw this morning for the first time the bobolink, gold robin [most likely a northern oriole], and kingbird.”

Remarkable, too, that he kept such meticulous records. In fact, on almost every spring morning between 1851 and 1858, long after his private tenure at Walden Pond, Thoreau explored the ponds and shady woods around Concord, observing nature. For day after day, year after year, he searched for the first blooms of more than 300 plant species and watched for the first arrivals of migrating birds.

Today, nearly 160 years later, Thoreau’s detailed observations form the basis of a long-term study of how climate change is altering the timing of seasonal biological events—or phenology—and how such shifts may in turn impact the wildlife and wild places of an entire region. Researchers from Boston University have assembled a vast array of biological data—arboretum specimens, old photographs and the observations of local citizens, in addition to Thoreau’s journals—to produce a baseline of springtime events for the Concord area. Comparing these data to the results of their own exhaustive, five-year effort to walk, literally, in Thoreau’s footsteps, the scientists can now tell a story that New England’s favorite naturalist-philosopher might never have imagined: As Massachusetts warms, flowers are blooming, trees are leafing out, and birds are arriving as many as three weeks earlier than they did in the mid-nineteenth century. “If Thoreau were alive today, he would be very concerned about this,” says Richard Primack, a biology professor at Boston University and lead researcher on the project.

NOTING NATURE Thoreau, famous for his prodigious note-keeping, recorded his seasonal observations in tables sketched on large sheets of surveyor’s paper. “I take infinite pains to know all of the phenomena of the spring,” he explained in one journal entry. Thoreau intended to publish a book about the unfolding of spring in the woods around Concord, but his death in 1862 derailed the project, and his notes were scattered among library collections across the country.

Four years ago, however, Primack learned that an independent New Hampshire scholar named Brad Dean had spent 10 years tracking down these original sheets, making copies and reassembling the data. By then, Primack, author of A Primer on Conservation Biology, was looking for studies demonstrating physical evidence of global warming. He and graduate student Abraham Miller-Rushing couldn’t believe their good fortune. Still, it took Primack’s team nearly nine months to decipher Thoreau’s famously poor handwriting and archaic species names and plug the information into a usable spreadsheet.

At the same time, the scientists’ sleuthing uncovered a trove of other regional records to augment Thoreau’s notes. At Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, one of the oldest public botanical gardens in the United States, they were able to compare the flowering times of 229 plants in 2003 with records of flowering times of the same individual plants going back as far as 1885. In Concord, they found a collection of images from a photographer, Herbert Wendell Gleason, who between 1900 and 1921 took and dated photographs of many of the plants and places mentioned in Thoreau’s journals. From these, the scientists gleaned flowering data on 17 species of wild plants, including pink lady’s slipper, which flowered six weeks earlier in 2005 than in 1917.

Some of the richest sources of data turned out to be citizen-scientists in the mold of Thoreau himself. From 1888 to 1902, a Concord shopkeeper named Alfred Hosmer, inspired by Thoreau’s writings, recorded the first flowering dates of more than 700 plant species in the area. A passionate nature aficionado named Pennie Logemann provided flowering records between 1963 and 1993. And for more than half a century, Middleborough, Massachusetts, resident Kathleen Anderson has kept meticulous track of the timing of bird arrivals, plant flowerings and spring choruses of frogs and toads on her 100-acre farm. “I keep a stack of those desk calendars with one full page for each day of the week,” she explains, “and I was pretty intense about it. I noted weather conditions, temperature, rainfall, and whatever I happened to notice. Were the Canada mayflowers blooming? Were the juncos around? It was for my own enjoyment. It never occurred to me that these records would be of any use or interest to anyone whatsoever”—until she was contacted by Primack and Miller-Rushing, who crunched her observations into their expanding database.

The researchers, meanwhile, were making their own detailed observations. For the past five years, Primack and Miller-Rushing have traveled to Concord three times a week in spring and summer, walking the woods to ask the same questions that Thoreau asked: When do the flowers bloom? When do the birds return? So far, they have amassed another 100,000 data entries about the phenology of springtime plants and birds.

WHAT THE FLOWERS SAY Pooling their data, the researchers have discovered that many plants in the Concord region are flowering more than a week earlier today than when Thoreau made his observations. Highbush blueberry—one of Thoreau’s favorite wild edibles—is blooming some two weeks earlier than it did 150 years ago. Yellow wood sorrel can be found in bloom about a month earlier. During this same period, Primack says, long-term weather data show that the average temperature of a Concord spring has increased by approximately 4.5 degrees F.

Much of the temperature rise in the intensely developed Northeast is due to what’s known as the urban heat island effect—parking lots, streets and buildings absorb heat while vegetation loss lessens the release of cooling water from trees and other plants. But at least some of it can be attributed to global warming, says Primack. And on Anderson’s farm, many of the wild creatures that appear regularly each spring seem to be responding. Wood ducks are arriving about a month earlier than they did 30 years ago, for example, while ruby-throated hummingbirds show up more than 18 days sooner.

Scientists say such changes have the potential to wreak ecological havoc if interdependent species do not shift in concert. Many birds, for example, have evolved to time their spring migrations to take advantage of a flush of food sources. In New England, warbler species such as the black-throated blue warbler and American redstart feed heavily on leaf-eating caterpillars, which peak in abundance after leaf out and before leaves mature and grow tough.

In northern Europe, biologists already have found troubling evidence that one migratory bird, the pied flycatcher, has suffered from getting out of sync with its springtime food source. In the past, flycatchers arrived from their West African wintering grounds just as winter moth caterpillars were hatching. But warmer springs have pushed the caterpillar’s emergence date two weeks earlier—unbeknownst to flycatchers that are still 2,800 miles away. In regions where the timing of caterpillar abundance has shifted the most, researchers have documented a 90 percent decline in flycatcher numbers. In the United States, a similar “potential for mistimed relationships is very real,” says Primack, “but it is understudied.”

A COLD HARD LOOK To increase much needed data on global warming’s impact on U.S. species, some scientists propose identifying and training a network of modern-day Thoreaus. According to Primack, Miller-Rushing and other researchers, there is the potential for a rich interaction between scientists and members of the general public interested in gathering observations on natural phenomena such as plant flowering and the arrival of migratory birds. Countries such as England, Belgium and Canada have long embraced monitoring programs that rely, in part, on observations of nonscientists. Recently, a consortium of U.S. government agencies and academic institutions, with funding from the National Science Foundation, launched just such an effort, the National Phenological Network, to help researchers collect and disseminate information about seasonal changes.

“We desperately need a wall-to-wall, coast-to-coast network of phenological observation points—literally thousands of points on par with what is being done with meteorological observations,” explains Julio Betancourt, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Desert Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, and one of the network’s founders. Volunteer observers are an important part of the process. The group’s Project BudBurst, begun as a pilot program in spring 2007, will launch nationally in January 2008. Volunteers from across the country are asked to choose from a long list of plants to watch for signs of a particular phenophase, such as budburst, first leaf or first flower, and to report observations online.

“So much of the discussion about global climate change has centered on numbers—fractions and degrees of fractions,” says biologist Mark D. Schwartz of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who is helping to coordinate the network’s startup. “But when you talk about how lilacs are blooming six days earlier than they were 30 years ago, people start relating to the issue. And tell them that they can involve themselves in the process of documenting these changes, and that makes it very real.

”That’s something Kathleen Anderson understands well. “This kind of work should inspire more people to be more observant,” she says. At the age of 84, she still keeps notebooks handy at home, in the car and in the kitchen. “And it really doesn’t matter where you live. If you look closely, you’ll find enough things to interest you in the little bit of land that is around you.”

After all, as Thoreau told his friend and sometime walking companion, Ellery Channing, in 1859, “There is nothing but the seasons.” By which he might have meant that the seasons will tell all, to those who wish to hear.

Writer T. Edward Nickens is based in North Carolina. To find out how to participate in the National Phenological Network, go to www.usanpn.org.

NWF Takes Action: Fighting Global Warming

Combating global warming is a top priority for NWF, which is, among other activities, supporting national legislation to reduce greenhouse gases, publishing reports on warming’s impact on wildlife and collaborating with its state affiliates on a variety of grassroots efforts. For more information, including how you can get involved, visit www.nwf.org/globalwarming.

A Challenge

Has anyone looked around them lately? What do you see? Has anyone asked themselves lately if they’re actually 100% or at least close to 100% happy in their daily real lives? Since I don’t know even half of you, or probably even a quarter of you personally, the cool thing about this group is that somehow, I do know all of you through someone else. Through this group and this project we are showing the world in a simple, logical way that we as human beings are all connected. Yes the internet (a non-human form of contact) is our means for exposing this phenomenon as probably true, however the essence of the experiment is to PROVE TO PEOPLE THAT WE ARE ALL CONNECTED. Therefore, as many of you have probably already realized the most basic deduction one can make from this realization, is that if we can all be connected via the internet then we are all essentially connected as a people, end of story, bottom line. We all also share some other common knowledge: We know that first and foremost we are all human beings, we know that we all have feelings, we know that we are all biological organisms, we know that we are all innately creative, compassionate and caring individuals.

Some of us also know that there is something about our physical environments right now that is destructing us as a people. The evidence is all around us: there is historical evidence that conclusively shows our societal patterns as merely replications and mutations of the exact same patterns which existed in EVERY SINGLE SOCIETY THAT HAS COLLAPSED BEFORE US; there is tangible evidence available to each and everyone of us that the majority of our global population lives in poverty while a very few of us live in luxury – even in the western world, the dichotomy between rich and poor has grown so drastically that people of the “middle class” are now experiencing oppression on a regular basis; we have evidence that our forms of entertainment are serving to purposefully and intentionally desensitize us to extreme violence, extreme injustice and blind us to the dangers of extreme power. Have you ever stopped to question these things?

What’s even scarier to me, is that we are a collective global people have come to think it is common place and “socially acceptable” that our friends and family members are suffering because of our inaction – and let’s be honest even if we personally feel we are not suffering from any type of affliction, disease, oppression or any of the other atrocities which are happening everyday in the world around us, as members of this group and as citizens of the information age, we know that even though these things are not being physically experienced by ourselves, they are in fact being physically experienced by SOMEONE YOU PROBABLY KNOW INTIMATELY, LOVE and CARE FOR. The thing is, once you have been smacked in the face with this realization I believe you too will see clearly how important it is to take action.

And, the cool thing about action is that it is most effective when it has a powerful force behind it. Historically, when it comes to any type of action for change, the most powerful movements were those which were rooted in collective, unified, organized, goal oriented action. Moreover, the most successful movements for change within past societies and generations are those which have been led by everyday citizens who came together under the unified goal of change and peacefully and purposefully used the tools, systems and means available to them to bring about the change they wanted. Unfortunately, almost every society before us, and even some that exist today, have used violence to achieve their ends. I do not believe this is necessary in a truly democratic society. Actually, its really not at all because its against the laws as they exist right now.

Do me a favor: ask yourself what kind of future you want to live in: Does it involve personal wealth? does it involve being a mother or a father? does it involve being a family member of any type? does it involve you spending your free time as you wish, and having the financial means necessary to do so? Does it involve wanting to live in physically beautiful places? Now based on your image of your perfect future that you’ve now constructed in your imagination, ask yourself if you think that future is possible if our global village continues on its current path. If the future of your private dreams is not available to you then you should probably do something about that, hey?

Lets face it: by the collective us of western society not demanding: 1. the Ultimate transparency of our governments (within the restraints of logical reason of course); 2.complete disparity between our institutions and our governments; and, 3. Respect for the land that we live on the peoples that we share it with, we have served to disappoint and disrespect the people, principals and ideals the New World was founded on. Moreover, our passivity in the political process to date is only serving to detrimentally and exponentially propagate our problems as a society. We have only ourselves to blame. And when I use the expression that we’re not demanding these things from our governments I only mean to say: Because we are blatantly choosing to not hold those in power accountable for their actions (which in a democratic society, the idea is the people keep their governments in check, not the other way around), we as a people have then by definition given up our democratic rights through inaction. Which subsequently, logic says inaction = guilt. Guilt even for the international human sufferings we think we do not cause or have influence over. If we actually believe in freedom its time we friggin stand up for it, because face it people, just because we live in a place where we have “all the comforts of modern life” doesn’t mean we are living freely.

I realize I am raising very controversial issues by sharing these ideas, but that’s great. I’m not here to try to tell you what to do. I don’t have all the answers. I’m 22 years old and I’m scared of what will happen to my future if I don’t share what I know with everyone around me. The unfortunate situation of our world is that even our access to information is constantly being regulated, controlled and manipulated so that certain powers that be can keep an eye on us and therefore use that information to keep us wherever it is we need to be for them to continue to gain power. We as a people are being watched, patrolled and herded like cattle where-ever our governments tell us and it scares me – bottom line. I am not trying to spark some massive violent political uprising – what myself along with some very dear friends of mine – are trying to do is give you information that will shock you deeply enough so that you will be forced to question the world around you. If you start to question the world around you, you will be forced to act I’m sure about it. Also, if you’re wondering what sparked my passion to write this, among many other things you should definitely check out the movie zeitgeist (www.zeitgeistmovie.com). I have no attachments, affiliations or am otherwise involved in this project at all, although I @@@% well would like to be and am looking into it.

Furthermore, to be clear, the only action I’m talking about is passive, non-violent and simple. If we actually ARE living in democratic countries (which I currently question if we are), then we have the tools and means available to us to create change with little disruption to our lives as we know them. Remember, there’s safety in numbers and ultimate transparency will set you free: If a big enough group of us acts together in various but collective, cohesive and transparent movements we cannot be persecuted, charged or otherwise be held liable for our actions according to the fundamental meaning of living in a free, democratic society (side bar: the rule of engagement in this case being the actions in the name of change must be checked by and within the confines of the law as it currently exists at the time if they are to be meaningful and lasting. if you don’t like the laws you should probably change them. guess what you live in a democratic free society – you can). Therefore that means that taking political action and actualizing societal change in the 21st century, especially in a western democratic, internet-based society, should never have to be violent, complicated or beyond your personal means regardless of your age, sex, race, creed or any other orientation by which you choose to define yourself. Do me a favor…investigate that idea. If you realize I am speaking truth its that easy, please for don’t *@*@*#* let anyone tell you differently. one easy, passive, law-abiding thing I was thinking we could all do together is vote – what do you think about that? neat idea hey? we should probably also keep each other informed and figure out if who we vote for really represents what we want in our future. sounds simple I hope. Id hate to hear this is really more complicated because im not sure if i have time for such big complications right now. I’m a very busy young student, with a demanding part time job, a boyfriend, a wide social circle, a loving family and many other things I wish to attend to in my life. If this movement gets complicated it would really **@# with my whole program right now.

I’ve almost reached the end of my speal and well, If you are still not convinced, if you’re saying “give me a break, this girl thinks we’re not living in free societies – she’s another crazy hippie, fundamentalist yahoo,”, thats PERFECT! That means you will question what I’m saying…what do they call that? A catch 22 or something…either way you’ll probably do what i want, is all im saying. All I want is for you to question and get invovled ;). The point is: If you don’t believe me when I say that we are living in an absolutely crucial time in history and that the time for action is NOW, then I want you to do something for me. If you’re intrigued at all, please try this little exercise.

I want you to use this website: http://www.etymonline.com and look up TWO words: 1. DEMOCRACY (the socio-political state that operates most western countries, also known as the world super powers, all us good guys in the G8 or whatever) and 2. FASCISM. Then I want you to compare these definitions to your experiences in your daily life. Maybe make a sort of a list, write democracy and fascist state at the top (oooh wait, I’m feeling a lesson plan coming on – educators are you picking up the potential i’m throwing down right now?). Then list different life experiences you’ve had which fall under each category as you understand it after reading that word. Ok, done that? Great! Now look at your list. Ask yourself why, if we are living in a democratic country, do I have any life experiences listed at all under the fascist column? Ask yourself how you feel about that – if you so dearly value the idea of being a free thinking, free choosing, free roaming citizen, are you not at least a little bit interested in at least exploring this idea further?

So that’s it for now my friends…that’s all I’ve got to say for now. I hope I got you asking some questions. I hope you don’t understand everything I’ve said because then you will ask me questions. $**#, I’m still asking questions and I hope I will be until I’m old and grey and shrivled. I want you to ask your friends questions. I want you to ask your teachers, elders and parents questions. And you should DEFINITELY ask your bosses, superiors and government officials close to you questions. And 100% for god’s sake ask the friggin internet questions, but make sure you dont accept every answer it spits at you – critical thinking is crucial to this processes and i’m pretty sure every individual is capable of critical thinking. How do I know this for sure? We all do it everyday, yup, you do it every day. its how you make decisions – its the deduction or reduction of an amount of information until it fits into your personal world and then becomes what you know as your truth. when something becomes truth you act on it (consciously and unconsciously) and therefore you might say that critical thinking has the possibility to manifest things from your subconsicous to your conscious and into your life (quantum phsyiscs, can you hear me?! cognitive behavioral therapists unite!) Eventually when you are seeking truth you will find it if you look…or at least I think so.

And ps: If you like to question things, I just want you to think of the important role living in a democratic society plays in your ability to do that.

Evo Morales in the Democracy Now

In a Democracy Now! special, the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales. This marks one of his only extended televised interviews in the United States since he became Bolivia’s first indigenous president.

Highlights from the interview:

Morales calls for the U.S. to extradite former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to face trial for killing over 100 people. ” A government that says it fights against terrorism, for human rights, against corruption, it’s not conceivable that this person would still be here [in the United States],” Morales said.

Morales calls on oil companies to be partners not bosses. “The investor has the right to recuperate their investment and to a reasonable profit,” Morales said. “But we can’t allow for the sacking of the country and only the companies benefiting, not the people.”

Morales reveals for the first time how Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pressured Morales over his plan to nationalize Bolivia’s energy resources. “I was attacked. Lula was rough with me,” Morales said.

Going Solar

Check Out LiveEarth.org! We’ve relaunched our home page! Your Green Tips and Live Earth Inspirations (like Steve’s below) are still being featured daily in our “Inspired By” section, so keep ‘em coming. You can also leave your comments for each other on each post. Also just launched is a new section called “What’s Greener?” where we’ll be posting a question like “Paper Or Plastic?” at the beginning of each week. We’ll leave it to you to tell us your opinions, then at the end of the week, our Green Team will review all of your comments, combined with their expertise, and post the answer. Be sure to visit LiveEarth.org this coming Monday to check it out! We’re also posting new Climate Crisis Solutions, as well as current NGO events and more, so be sure and check back often!

Inspired By Live Earth: Going Solar Steve from Michigan sent in his climate crisis belief that the owner of every house and commercial building should take the responsibility of installing some type of alternative energy system to heat or cool or electrify the structure. Especially for the balance of 2007 while the federal government is offering a 30% tax credit with no cap for commercial and a $2000 cap on residential. Read more of Steve’s suggestions, and check out some resources from our Green Team right here.

Climate Crisis Solution #25: Green Your Cube! Turn off your PC! Host a teleconference! Bring a mug to work! Go paperless! Find out more in Climate Crisis Solution #25 at www.liveearth.org.

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