The Debate of Ecoterrorism

Today I'm going to talk about a topic many people have never heard of: ecoterrorism. Ecoterrorism is the practice of using violent acts against humans or property for the protection of the environment or wildlife. Examples of this include destroying power plants, destroying cars (hummers....), The Sea Shepherd ships attacking whalers and shark fisherman, and more. 

While many would argue that some of todays environmental and ecological challenges require drastic measures, I don't think violence is the kind of drastic we need. Yes, these actions call a lot of attention to the issues, but not a good kind of attention. We don't need to give people more reasons to think that environmentalists are crazy and irrational people. We want people to think that we are an inclusive and open group of people with a common passion / goal. 

I took a course in nonviolence last year and learned a lot about what are effect techniques for change. Historically, violence breeds more violence and nonviolence breeds peace. As environmentalists, we want a sustainable planet for all its inhabitants - including humans! This means a peaceful and and livable planet. And the only way to get there is through nonviolence.

What are examples of nonviolent action? Rallies, protests, strikes, lobbying, political action, just look to great leaders like Gandhi, MLK, Cesar Chavez, etc. We need nonviolence to get this movement started, and we don't need ecoterrorists giving us a bad rap. 

Maret's Students for Environmental Action (SEA)

Tuesday was my first day of senior year, and I've got a lot of projects I'm really excited about for the environmental club that I am co-leader of. 

First of all, we are organizing an action for Bill Mckibben's (one of my personal heroes) 350.org campaign. On October 24th, groups all over the world will participate in some kind of creative action to spread the word that we need to take bold steps to bring the atmosp

here's carbon dioxide level back down to 350 parts per million (ppm). The date is a few months before the international meeting in Copenhagen, where countries will come together to discuss strategies to combat climate change, and make commitments. It is our goal to get the U.S. in a place where it can be a leader at the meeting, instead of becoming a roadblock as it was for the Kyoto Protocol. On October 24th, we are going to show that we want the U.S. to step forward, pass legislation HERE IN AMERICA, and to speak out in December. Check out 350.org for more information, and to find an action/event near you (if there isn't one, you can start one!)

The Maret SEA club will be hopefully joining up with other schools in the area to fundraise and purchase 350 CFL light bulbs, and on Octob

er 24th we will go out into Washington, DC to spread the word and distribute the light bulbs. I am super excited for this to happen- if you would like to help out, please let me know!

Another project we started last year is our garden. Last year we planted a garden as a project with the lower school, to teach about nature, wildlife, and gardening. Because I think that wildlife conservation is one of the most important environmental issues out there, I think it's important to teach these ethics at a young age, and it's a fun project for us high schoolers as well. I am hoping to get it certified as a "Schoolyard Habitat" by the National Wildlife Federation... possibly making it a butterfly sanctuary and definitely planting native plants. Go to nwf.org to find out about the National Wildlife Federation's programs.

Other than that, I hope to find some great speakers to come to school, we will participate in some trash cleanups, we will continue to find ways to reduce our waste, and will keep thinking of ideas as the year goes on! Oh, and of course we will be heading back to Powershift (whenever that is) and will compete in the Green Cup Challenge. Whoo, that's a lot of stuff to do... but I'm excited! 

Anyone with ideas, comments, suggestions, or you want to help, please let me know! And keep spreading that lime revolution!

Wilderness and Conservation

Hey guys!

So I just got back from an amazing five weeks in a beautiful part of Oregon- Mount Hood. I was part of the Northwest Youth Corps, camping in the backcountry on the mountain and doing hours and hours of trail maintenence work every day. The program helped to remind me why I have become an environmentalist, and why we need to save our planet. Living in the wilderness for five weeks, seeing amazing sunsets and more stars than I have ever seen in DC, getting to see a rainbow of wildflowers across pristine meadows every single day, and tasting fresh, pure air are experiences that fewer and fewer people get these days. We talked a lot about conservation ethics, the wilderness, and leave no trace. Sometimes I think I get too caught up in the politics of the environmental movement and this experience brought it home for me.

I had an interesting conversation with my dad on the way home about the differences in the conservation movement and the environmental movement. It seems that there are a lot of conservative people who care about wilderness preservation but are wary of the super-liberal green environmental movement. To me, the two movements are totally intertwined, but there does seem to be a gap for many people. If we could bridge that gap, demonstrating that without the wilderness there is no need for the green movement, and without the green movement there will be no wilderness (climate change will not just "skip over" protected areas), we could get a whole lot more people on board to save the planet.We have to remember Teddy Roosevelt's message and legacy... the beauty of America's wilderness is what makes our country special. So get a group of people together, and head out camping somewhere beautiful, and remind yourself why we're doing this.