I realize this is a promotion for David Korten's new book, but I think it is interesting, and I wonder what people think of it. Personally some aspects of it make me uncomfortable, like the parts about 'middle-class,' and ownership society - although I think it's mostly right on - especially the part about ending financial speculation. I imagine what if David Korten were to be President. I am interested in what other people on OlyBlog think about this. Autoplay video on the flip:

Did you know that if everyone on the planet consumed at the same rate as does the average American, then the resources of five or six planet Earths would be required in order to supply enough materials?
Carrying Capacity

with Annie Leonard

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff Project has another video about "Cap and Trade". more information at www.storyofstuff.com

[updated with segment from Democracy Now! and an additional comment.]

Regarding the discussion about Capitol Lake, it seems to me that the lake is unnatural and environmentally destructive. It seems to make sense that the correct way forward - the way that it ecologically correct (and therefore in the long-run also economically correct and socially just) - is to restore function to the natural estuarine ecosystem.

[Additional comment:
I think it's understandable, considering how industrialization has divorced us, as a society, from the natural world, how it would be difficult to imagine living - to imagine life - in an environment that comes complete within healthy ecosystems, to imagine life in a stable and productive ecosystem, an ecosystem that is teeming with life. It's a real contradiction with our present reality of ecological disease; at one time this area teemed with wildlife. For my part, I believe that to restore ecological health, vibrancy and vitality is an ideal to strive for.

Democracy Now! video below]

The following is a three part video series containing a speech by Mari Margil about law, environmental protection and regulation, and corporate power. After the videos there is an excerpt from and a link to a related article by Mari Margil from Yes! Magazine.

Video Description: The associate director of the Community Environmental Defense Fund (CELDF) describes the inspiring, groundbreaking work she and CELDF are doing to recognize Rights of Nature in law in both the U.S. and Ecuador, which recently became the worlds first nation to enshrine such rights in its constitution.

Part One:

Mari Margil Part 1 (of 3)

See Parts Two and Three

I would really like to see people from the various social and environmental justice movements working along more of a unified front.

The root causes of environmental degradation and ecological unsustainability; imperialism and wars of aggression; exploitative labor practices; societal oppression; and poverty and any other social injustice are the same.

I would like to see a broad based, inclusive and supportive movement - a movement that is accessible to everyone regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, creed, and/or any other distinguishing feature - in order to effectively and successfully challenge the status quo: a status quo which is currently doing so much harm to all people.

Please imagine a movement to challenge the current establishment's enablement of a degrading and dehumanizing status quo of economic instability, ecological unsustainability, and social injustice...

Further thoughts and avenues for consideration on this topic include, but are not limited to, potential solutions and responses such as 1) permaculture: a resilient, sustainable and independent local/regional economic infrastructure, 2) socio-economic egalitarianism, 3) making health care a central and foundational economic feature ...and etc....

[larger image: first they ignore you, then then laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win]

The NYT Magazine recently featured an article about ecopsychology. This is a topic I am very interested in, because a large source of my distress comes from witnessing the degradation of the natural environment here on Earth. It's so sad to see what humanity is doing to the planet and the living systems of this wonderful world.

Here's a link to the article and an excerpt. This article doesn't say it all, but it's nice to see ecopsychology get some recognition in the mainstream. It's also a decent starting point for learning about the field:

Is There an Ecological Unconscious?

by
Daniel B. Smith

Weyerhauser employs a lot of people. I think that's good. And it's a solid argument for the present existence of the company. But despite the present day economic value of Weyerhauser's business, do we have a full accounting for all of the costs of Weyerhauser's business activities? Do we know about the full extent of environmental degradation, loss of habitat and threatened species that result from industrial logging practices? Do we know and understand the financial practices of the company, and the disparity in wealth and income between the various strata of people who are employed at, and/or who own, the company?

I want to remind everyone again about the great coverage from Copenhagen provided by Democracy Now! - Please consider checking out the last two week's of shows.

Here's a segment from an interview with Vandana Shiva, by Amy Goodman, from a few days ago.

Democracy Now! December 14, 2009 with Vandana Shiva

VANDANA SHIVA: I think it’s time for the US to stop seeing itself as a donor and recognizing itself as a polluter, a polluter who must pay, a polluter who must pay compensation and pay their ecological debt. This is not about charity. This is about justice.

Our environment changes slowly, so that these major changes over time have a tendency to be imperceptible. But when we pick a point in the past to contrast with the present, we can see the very deep nature of changes that have occurred.

Here's a short account, from Harry Branch, about a recent conversation. It contains a glimpse of this area's former biological, so much of which has been lost over the years. Posted with permission:

Last night I attended a book signing. Two things popped up.

First was a historic photograph of the Port Peninsula that clearly shows the Cascade Pole operation as extending across the width of the peninsula to the west shore immediately adjacent to the 4000 pptr dioxin hot spot. So, it's not really a matter of connecting the dots, they're connected. When is the state going to require the port to sample the soil around Northpointe?

I also met a fellow at the signing who grew up on the shores of Budd Inlet in the 1940s. He said he caught 130 "pogies" (which from his description sound like shiner perch) in one hour on one hook off the dock at the mouth of Schneider Creek, his brother shot 30 merganzers from a rowboat in one hour, his uncle dug 30 geoducks in one hour with a stove pipe, his father loaded a rowboat with herring using a glorified pitchfork in 15 minutes and he just started talking about smelt. A person could use this information to statistically extrapolate and quantify the historic abundance of species that are now locally extinct. There would be a wide standard deviation but it's better than nothing which is what we're getting from current efforts targeting current conditions. I don't think this has been done because I don't think it's something that anyone of any importance wants to know.