Thankful

In honor of the holiday, I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a list of everything I'm thankful for as an environmentalist, sustainability activist, and nature lover. It's pretty easy to get negative when working on the never-ending issues that plague our planet and our culture, so I'm going to step back and look at all the wonderful things to appreciate.

I am thankful for...

the victory over the Keystone XL Pipeline in November 2011 (even if it is temporary)

the fact that renewable energy is growing every single year, and that the green economy is one of the only sectors of the economy experiencing remarkable growth

incredible people, and organizations, who are working around the clock doing incredible things. [350.org, Bill McKibben, the CSSC, Van Jones, Solar Mosaic, Focus the Nation, Alice Waters, the Sierra Club, the Energy Action Coalition, just to name a few]

the rising of a new, energetic, and powerful movement - Occupy, and the interconnectedness and solidarity that Occupy has created among disparate movements

climate scientists who are both finding extensive data and fighting to have their scientific opinion honored and respected (like James Hansen!)

the redwood grove in the Berkeley hills, and for that matter, redwoods everywhere. they take in carbon, they give us oxygen, and they give me beauty, wonder, and spiritual peace

the fact that fracking for natural gas in Delaware has been postponed

youth activists all over the country who are fighting for our generation and our future

The Green Initiative Fund, which gives out hundreds of thousands of dollars to student projects working to make campuses more sustainable

national parks, state parks, national forests, national monuments, national marine sanctuaries - basically places to play!

UC Berkeley and the incredible opportunities that it offers me in academics and leadership

the ocean (and its coral reefs, and kelp forests, and tidal zones, and deep open waters)

inspiring and passionate professors spreading knowledge, wisdom, and insight, and even showing up at Occupy protests because they truly care

the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Wilderness Act, the Clean Water Act... we live in a country that actually does give a damn, despite what we often think... and we're cleaner than most!

technology and the internet, without which, we could never have the international or even national interconnectedness that we do today in our movements and struggles

organic and sustainable farms, and organic and sustainable farmers

California's new cap and trade legislation

people under the radar everywhere who bike instead of drive, who grow their own food, who live zero-waste lifestyles, who compost, who dumpster dive, who practice permaculture, who put on sweaters instead of turning up the heat

delicious tap water in Berkeley, making bottled water useless (and hopefully gone soon, thanks to Take Back the Tap!)

the natural beauty everywhere I look that motivates me, refreshes me, inspires me every day

Whew, that's 20! Making that list made me feel pretty good, I have to say. What are you thankful for this November?