No one right way to live

We had a pretty good discussion in EEA yesterday, provoked by Scott's report on Daniel Quinn's call from beyond civilization. "There's no one right way to live," but pluralistic "tribalism" doesn't require relativism: there are still wrong ways to live. But who gets to say precisely what those are?

For instance, Morgan challenges: can't an environmentally-sensitive Mom raise a large brood without earning or deserving the scorn of environmentalists who still worry about a population bomb and counsel a nuclear family of limited offspring, even maybe just one? (And, as the president said in the wee hours yesterday: “one dog’s probably enough” too.)

Yes and no, I think. Yes, if that Mom does a superlative job of instilling humane eco-sensitivity in all her offspring. No, if we consider the risk of endorsing large families simpliciter, without qualification. Just do the math: if everyone multiplied herself in kind, generation after generation, we'd soon literally overrun the planet. Even if they were all good biotic citizens, this simply wouldn't be a sustainable model of habitation. The human tribe would implode.

But only one? Two works pretty well, for us, most of the time. Kids and dogs. The one cat's one too many, though, when he tries (as he is right now) to lay on my keyboard.

So what would Rawls say? Presumably he'd trust his veiled deliberators to strike the right chord between liberty and difference on this, and to allow that we might possibly be able to afford the occasional busload-sized family. One of those extra riders just might turn out to be an outsized contributor to our collective good fortune. Odds are against it, though, so the sensible advisory "rule" (probably shouldn't be a law) for most of us will be to ditch the bus (mini-van, SUV) and squeeze the kid(s) into the Corolla...

A good argument, Up@dawn

A Change in the Weather

"In March, 2009, the White House invited leaders of environmental organizations to a meeting. The invitees thought they were going to hear about the president’s strategy on climate change, in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December. And they did — aides to the administration’s environmental adviser Carol Browner, its green jobs adviser Van Jones and Nancy Sutley, the head of the Council on Environmental Quality, gave out a one-page memo. The key point: don’t talk about climate change. Don’t even use the phrase. The president was trying to pass an economic recovery bill that included $90 billion in green projects — the groups should talk about clean energy jobs instead.

Betsy Taylor, a political strategist on climate change, recalled that the only person who stood up was the author and environmental activist Bill McKibben. “This is going to come back and haunt us,” he said..."

A Change in the Weather on Wall Street - NYTimes.com

Global Warming's Dystopian Future

Having just come out of one of the hottest summers on record, wrought with droughts and wildfires, it's a wonder that "climate change" doesn't seem to exist in either of our 2012 presidential candidates' vocabularies. Author and activist Bill McKibben notes that we can't stop global warming, as the earth's temperature has already risen, but "we can keep it from getting worse."

—Steven Hsieh

Underwater power

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcTNkoyvLFs

Sign & commit

Joshua told us all about the Presidents' Climate Commitment yesterday. 661 college & university presidents have already signed and committed

to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate. Its mission is to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability by empowering the higher education sector to educate students, create solutions, and provide leadership-by-example for the rest of society.

So our class now has set itself the definite working goal of persuading MTSU's President McPhee to lead us in joining  them. Shouldn't be too hard a sell, should it? We'll see...

Dear President McPhee,

Yesterday one of my students presented a report on the Presidents' Climate Commitment, at whose behest 661 college & university presidents have already signed on "to eliminate net greenhouse emissions from specific campus operations" and pursue other goals promoting and modeling environmental sustainability.

We wondered if you were familiar with the PCC, and what you think the prospects might be of adding your name and MTSU's to the list of presidents and institutions on the cutting edge of this important initiative.

We'd like to invite you to meet with our class at your convenience to discuss how we might move forward on this, and related efforts to "green" our campus. 

==

And by the way: I recently received a query from someone looking for the "Students for Environmental Action" at MTSU (also listed with CampusActivism.org). My office phone is listed as a contact for this organization, which apparently was co-founded by my predecessor (and the former occupant of my office) over a decade ago. Its faculty advisor is one "Brendan Martin," who I cannot find in our directory.

Time to revive and resuscitate this defunct shell, folks?
==
Bicycle rentals, repair shop catch student, faculty attention:http://mtsunews.com/blue-raider-bike-program/ …

VanderbiltPhilosophy ‏@VandyPhilosophy

Friday Nov 9 at 7:30pm: Robert Kane (Austin), "Ethics and the Quest for Wisdom" (TN Philosophical Association Keynote)

Elizabeth Kolbert, "Greening the Ghetto," New Yorker Jan.12, 2009: Van Jones, on top of the world

TIME.com ‏@TIME

With #Sandy, the world's greenest author is seeing his fears come true | http://ti.me/SzOaZX 

==
Finally, this just in:

"In a surprise announcement, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said Thursday that Hurricane Sandy had reshaped his thinking about the presidential campaign and that as a result he was endorsing President Obama."

“The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast — in lost lives, lost homes and lost business — brought the stakes of next Tuesday’s presidential election into sharp relief,” Mr. Bloomberg wrote in an editorial for Bloomberg View.

Our climate is changing,” he wrote. “And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it may be — given the devastation it is wreaking — should be enough to compel all elected leaders to take immediate action.”

Bloomberg Endorses Obama, Saying Hurricane Sandy Affected Decision - NYTimes.com

PCC LINKS

http://presidentsclimatecommitment.org/

Thomas Jefferson &the Art of Power

looking forward to today's conclusion of William's report, and then Joshua's, both concerned with the style and substance of organizational/presidential leadership as a possible model for the environmental movement. We talked about George Washington, but it's been argued that he wouldn't have survived the politics of our time.

Consider the case of George Washington. Though most people assume Washington must have been intensely charismatic, Simonton says when personality researchers analyze his character, he is evaluated as just average in terms of charisma, [not] particularly outgoing or charming or interested in being with people or energetic. In fact, Simonton says, during his first inaugural address, Washington was horribly awkward.

"He was very timid, visibly nervous, wasn't very dynamic. People were disappointed," Simonton says.

And Simonton says Washington isn't the exception — he's the rule among early presidents. Simonton ticks off a list: "Washington, John Adams, Jefferson — they're just all average..."

What?!

I'm sticking with JFK's evaluation of Jefferson, whom I've always been more impressed with (than w/GW) anyway.

At a 1962 dinner for 49 Nobel laureates, President John F. Kennedy quipped that the event was "the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever gathered at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

I'll bet TJ'd have agreed with Lennon: if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow.

Does environmentalism need a charismatic leader? Or is anarchical unrest blessed enough to bring the change we need?

"Thomas Jefferson hated confrontation, and yet his understanding of power and of human nature enabled him to move men and to marshal ideas, to learn from his mistakes, and to prevail. Passionate about many things—women, his family, books, science, architecture, gardens, friends, Monticello, and Paris—Jefferson loved America most, and he strove over and over again, despite fierce opposition, to realize his vision: the creation, survival, and success of popular government in America. Jon Meacham lets us see Jefferson’s world as Jefferson himself saw it, and to appreciate how Jefferson found the means to endure and win in the face of rife partisan division, economic uncertainty, and external threat. Drawing on archives in the United States, England, and France, as well as unpublished Jefferson presidential papers, Meacham presents Jefferson as the most successful political leader of the early republic, and perhaps in all of American history."

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power: Jon Meacham: 9781400067664: Amazon.com: Books

Exam 2

tomorrow's exam cover's Parts Two & Three in Speth's Bridge at the Edge of the World and the McKibben readings through Adrienne Brown's "The Green Generation." It's not too late to help write it. Post your T/F questions here.
==
4 pm update: ok, now it's too late.

Bilderberg

"I have just discovered that a shadowy cabal of global luminaries, including Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, Prince Charles, Peter Mandelson, Lord Carrington, David Cameron, Queen Beatrix of Holland and the chairman of Barclays Bank, have been plotting to overthrow national governments and form a fascist one-world empire. Going by the name of the Bilderberg Group, these puppet-masters made and broke the career of Margaret Thatcher, triggered the downfall of Slobodan Milosevic and, this year, are planning to bomb Iran..."

And, oh yeah, they're fixing next week's election. Too bad they can't fix Sandy, too.

The Bilderberg Group: fact and fantasy - Telegraph



Jon Ronson, THEM: Adventures With Extremists

Black Giants Turning Green

"Saudi Arabia is the world's top producer of oil, extracting approximately 11.6 million barrels every day. The oil takes care of approximately two-thirds of the kingdom's own energy needs and is the lynchpin of the country's lucrative exports.

So how is the oil-rich country planning for its energy needs in the future? By focusing on renewable energy.

Earlier this week, Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, a top spokesperson for Saudi Arabia, said that Saudi Arabia intends to generate 100 percent of its power from renewable sources, such as nuclear, solar, and low-carbon energies.

"Oil is more precious for us underground than as a fuel source," said the prince, whose country holds approximately 20 percent of the world's oil reserves, according to the International Energy Agency. "If we can get to the point where we can replace fossil fuels and use oil to produce other products that are useful, that would be very good for the world." "

--

Saudi Arabia Focusing on Renewable Energy?

The 80%

"As a relatively young species, we have an adolescent propensity to make a mess: we pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink, and appear stalled in an age of carbon dumping and nuclear experimentation that is putting countless species at risk including our own. But we are making undeniable progress nonetheless. No European in 1800 could have imagined that in 2000 Europe would have no legal slavery, women would be able to vote, and gay people would be able to marry. No one could have guessed a continent that had been tearing itself apart for centuries would be free of armed conflict, even amid terrible economic times. Given this record, even Lynn Margulis might pause (maybe).

Preventing Homo sapiens from destroying itself à la Gause would require a still greater transformation—behavioral plasticity of the highest order—because we would be pushing against biological nature itself. The Japanese have an expression, hara hachi bu, which means, roughly speaking, “belly 80 percent full...”"

State of the Species | Orion Magazine

Equality

our meandering conversation yesterday in EEA touched on the questions of equality, fairness, and justice. It occurs to me that feminists like Simone de Beauvoir have something important to say about that too.

"...inequality is cultivated and imposed. We can decide not to do that. Why don't we, then?
Why? I suspect it's because we're wedded to some bad metaphors, or maybe just a bad interpretation of some neutral ones. We were talking about this yesterday in Environmental Ethics, where most of us are tree-huggers and bridge-builders of a sort."

Delight Springs

Greening the games

looking forward to hearing more on this topic from Julianne this afternoon.

"Last week, the second annual Green Sports Alliance Summit wrapped up in Seattle during the last days of what was a gloriously unusual sunny spell for the city. The Green Sports Alliance (GSA) is a nonprofit organization that helps the professional sports industry enhance its environmental performance and harness potential for large-scale behavior change. 

The GSA has come a long way since it was founded in March 2011 by 11 teams and venues in the Pacific Northwest and by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The GSA’s membership has since grown to more than 100 teams and venues in the U.S., Canada and China. During the summit, the GSA unveiled its resources page, helping sports organizations plan and implement sustainable business practices via tools such as the Green Sports Alliance Operations Road Map and the NRDC’s Game Changer: How the Sports Industry is Saving the Environment.  The first Green Sports Alliance Environmental Leadership Award was presented to Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. “Bud” Selig, represented by the first-ever FSC certified baseball bat and a stunning Dale Chihuli emerald bowl..."

Green Initiatives in Sporting Arenas... Greening the games

And here are some questions from today's readings in McKibben:

• Is it inevitable that climate legislation authored by the coal industry will be "weak-ass"? (239)
• What will it take, short of a subscription to Rolling Stone, to convince the public that oil and oil should remain in the ground?
• What % of global warming damage will be suffered by developing countries? What's our % contribution to carbon emissions in the U.S.? (240-1)
• What would a Marshall Plan for the Earth look like? How would it differ from the recent bank bailouts? Who will be "Marshall," if not a sitting U.S. President? (243-4)
• Do you like the Yasuni plan? (244-5)
• How do we avert "climate rage" directed at the U.S.? (247)
• Do any of our current politicians (besides the Goracle) understand that "energy independence is nice but..."? (253)
• What's the "crucial" component of a policy that imposes "a stiff price on carbon"? (254)
• Have Jimmy Carter's solar panels been reinstalled?
• Who sponsored "the largest ever coordinated global rally of any kind"? (256)
• Do you agree that there are parallels between the Civil Rights movement and the climate crisis?
• What's different about this generation, according to Brown? (260)
• Are most 20-somethings still more focused on career than on "world issues"?
• What do you think of Lauren's commitment to greening the entertainment industry" and of her "small scale" acts? 

Climate silence at the debate

the "horses and bayonets" line was memorable. Again, though, we heard nothing about climate change or global warming at last night's final debate. Andrew Revkin tries to find a silver lining in that straightjacket of silence.

"Given how little progress has been made through the years when global warming did come up, perhaps the silence this year signals a change?

After all, the reality is that Obama has moved pretty aggressively, if quietly, to roll out restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions through regulations, tighter standards for energy use and vehicle fuel economy and pursue policies fostering a shift from coal to gas.

Is a little climate silence golden?"

Always look on the bright side...

A Look at Climate Silence and the Romney-Obama Debates - NYTimes.com

Michael Pollan on the food movement

we'll hear about veganism from Willie today in EEA. Is it part of a lasting movement or a passing fad? Michael Pollan in last week's NYTimes Magazine food issue:

"One of the more interesting things we will learn on Nov. 6 is whether or not there is a “food movement” in America worthy of the name — that is, an organized force in our politics capable of demanding change in the food system. People like me throw the term around loosely, partly because we sense the gathering of such a force, and partly (to be honest) to help wish it into being by sheer dint of repetition. Clearly there is growing sentiment in favor of reforming American agriculture and interest in questions about where our food comes from and how it was produced. And certainly we can see an alternative food economy rising around us: local and organic agriculture is growing far faster than the food market as a whole. But a market and a sentiment are not quite the same thing as a political movement — something capable of frightening politicians and propelling its concerns onto the national agenda..." Continues: Why California’s Proposition 37 Should Matter to Anyone Who Cares About Food - NYTimes.com

Also, a propos Van Jones' plea for fewer enemies and more friends in the environmental movement:

Green Blog: Q&A: Back to the Future With Environmental Bipartisanship http://nyti.ms/SgVE24 

Post your questions for next week's exam and for our discussions, all. Here are some to get you started:

• What's Jones say about patriotism? 
• Does Billy Parish offer inspiration for our incipient movement to green MTSU, with his Energy Action Coalition's "culture of fun" etc.?  
• Do you agree with Tidwell's objections to symbolic greenery?
• [Your suggestions...] 

Hopeless Boyle

I'm a fan of T.C. Boyle's fiction, but not his casual dismissal of "hope for our species." Like Nietzsche or Henry Adams, he overrates the meaningful purposiveness of previous generations and understates the achievements of our time.

"In previous generations, there was purpose; you had to die, but there was God, and literature and culture would go on. Now, of course, there is no God, and our species is imminently doomed, so there is no purpose. We get up, raise families, have bank accounts, fix our teeth and everything else. But really, there is utterly no purpose except to be alive.

Imminently doomed? What sort of time frame are we talking?
In “A Friend of the Earth,” I projected 2025 for the effects of global warming to really disturb us, but I should have cut that by 10 years. It’s so depressing. You read any environmentalist — there’s not a breath of hope for our species."

But then again... being alive and staying alive should elicit as much purposive behavior as we're capable of. For one thing, it inspires good writing.

T. C. Boyle, Doomsday Preacher - NYTimes.com

Your carbon footprint

Hello! I found this "carbon calculator" the other day and thought I would share. It shows what your carbon footprint is.

http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm

For the record

I (JPO) like Al Gore.

At least one of  us does not, however. She (ML) yesterday posted a link and a statement that I hope won't be misattributed to me (JPO).

That's because all posts to this blog, from all its contributing authors, are auto-tweeted under my avatar. So, let's all include our initials whenever making self-referential statements, such as ML's sarcastic "I am a dirty Capitalist."

After all,  I don't want the radical Greens or the Friends of Al to put a bounty on my head! (That's a joke, everyone.)

Also for the record: ML is not dirty. Not especially.

Happy Fall Break!

-JPO

And The Lord giveth....

This article explains exactly how Al Gore has benefited financially via the environmental movement and his insider relationships in the financial and political world.  Seeing as I am a dirty Capitalist the fact that the man has made money is of no consequence to me.  However, flying around on his jets telling the little people not to drive their cars, etc.. seems a little hypocritical to me.  The fact is we have to be critical of those on the opposite side of our political ideologies but we must be even more diligent  watching those who we admire.  The old saying still rings true that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and unfortunately that corruption can even touch those we look up to the most.

"...Just before leaving public office in 2001, Gore reported assets of less than $2 million; today, his wealth is estimated at $100 million...."

"...Fourteen green-tech firms in which Gore invested received or directly benefited from more than $2.5 billion in loans, grants and tax breaks, part of President Obama’s historic push to seed a U.S. renewable-energy industry with public money...."

Al Gore has thrived as green tech investor. Via The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/al-gore-has-thrived-as-green-tech-investor/2012/10/10/1dfaa5b0-0b11-11e2-bd1a-b868e65d57eb_story.html?wpisrc=emailtoafriend

Fair Evaluation

This article from Huffington Post seems relevant to our discussion yesterday.   It also quotes Bill McKibben and addresses the climate issues within Obama's Administration.  Enjoy!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/barack-obama-climate-change_n_1951965.html