Here's an intersting piece on wind power.

Jeff:

Regarding the Northeast revolution against the Bush stance on the un-Greening of the world, Mr. Cheney says that the reason we had to take out the Saddam regime was because somewhere in the future they might have developed nuclear capabilities. Then why aren't the administration worrying about the global ecology? At least "somewhere in the future" we may make the planet uninhabitable for animal life as we know it, sooner rather than later if we don't start husbanding our resources. Why aren't we pushing for wind, solar, wave and any other sources of renewable energy, "clean" transportation, etc., I ask, rhetorically?

Jeff, here is an interesting piece regarding our Glorious Leader! http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,59755,00.html

A Green Revolt Against Bush

I've been meaning to link this article from Monday's Salon since I read it -- certainly some of the most heartening news I've read recently (yes, even more so than the killing of Uday and Qusay). Even George Pataki "gets it" on global warming...

Here is an interesting site, and a good point is made.

http://www.cleanairtrust.org/

This is a pretty good comparison of the two governments under Bush and Blair. Nothing but hot air.

OTH

Now, what sort of "sustainability" is this? (http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/6340472.htm) It sounds rather from "The Deserted Village" of the eighteenth century, crushing the very life out of our offspring with the stones of the fences, refusing to allow them breathing room. But from a privileged buffoon like Mr Bush, what more to expect? And his minions, the former Trotskyiteswhose only driving force is to rule the world, off with their heads!

It is time to rise! If we are to sustain ourselves as a world then we must rid ourselves of the ravages of the three Bs, Bush, Blair, Berlusconi, and all of their kindred, evil souls. Campaign, talk the talk, walk the walk, get out the vote, save our world, especially for our successors.

OTH

Income inequality

Thanks, Doug, for sending along this piece from the Multinational Monitor. And, yes, I do believe this is an issue that ties in with the broader concept of sustainability, as economic development (particularly more democratic, egalitarian forms of economic development) is key. Clearly, trickle-down/supply-side theories are masks for further enriching the fabulously wealthy, represented in their full bloated obscenity by multinational corporations. And, clearly, these institutions aren't going to really address income inequality -- they may use it as a cover to exploit peoples in the Third/postcolonial world, or to further justify environmental degradation, but they're certainly not going to start paying living wages because it's the right thing to do. Sustainability has to (and I think it does) address poverty from the bottom up and empower people to take their economic well-being into their own hands. The model of community-based economics provides a much sounder theory (in my humble, uneducated view), and models such as the Grameen (sp?) bank in Bangledesh have shown this can work. In the political realm, we've got to cut off the spigot of corporate welfare -- by and large, it serves to further impoverish most of the world, destroy ecosystems, etc.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of the "green fees" model of taxation. It's based not only in the idea that those who pollute should have to pay, but also on the idea that most products that produce environmental degradation manage to pass on much of those costs, thus keeping their products artificially cheap. If a gallon of Roundup, say, were priced to include the cost of it's environmental and public health impacts, a more eco-friendly/safer alternative would actually be cheaper. This kind of taxation would do much more to spur small business development than the giveaway to the rich that the Republicans keep pushing and passing, as it actually opens up new economic opportunities. I'm grossly oversimplifying here in the interest of getting the idea up -- Natural Capitalism explores this idea in much more detail and much more intelligently, including some of the potential downsides.

Irish Green Fees (and we're not talking about golf!)

Looks like the Irish are also a step ahead on the concept of reducing waste. This is hardly radical, anti-business, pinko-inspired subversion -- why's it taking the US so long to catch on?

What a whacky idea!!

From the Union of Concerned Scientists, the fifth of their five-point strategy for "Common Sense on Climate Change." Isn't it a shame that this has to be pointed out...

American ingenuity

Eureka! Or, "By Jove, I think I've got it!"

Anyway, I read your review and it is quite good.

OTH

A Couple from Across the Pond

Thanks for these, Doug -- and it looks like your publishing access is working...

On the offshore wind farms -- I read a piece the other day about trouble bubbling up over a similar plan in Nantucket Sound -- apparently the limousine liberals in Martha's Vineyard, etc., don't want to alter the view at all, even if it would be minimal (their arguments regarding harming the fish populations didn't hold up). I was surprised at the names of some of the folks against this proposal -- Walter Cronkite, Bobby Kennedy, Jr., ... Cronkite even admitted that it was probably a good case of NIMBY (not in my back yard). I guess we've not only got to look at the method of power generation, but also the assumption that only poor folks should have view of the generators... I'll put the piece up if I find it.

"Wind Farms Go to Sea in Huge Boost for Green Power"

"New Road Plan 'Will Harm Environment"

If it takes two to tango, how many does it take to sustain-o? (No worse than your to be B.)

Troublesome post, eh? How about this: Billy J. was about as bad at sustaining the "great American experiment" of a republic in the light of "Red" Jefferson's Declaration and his republicanism, as is Gerogie W.? He let the "right" run roughshod, he agreed to the "Third Way", bombed Iraq off and on for 8 years, gave us NAFTA and WTO, plus the insidious Welfare Reforn of 1996", and that's just for starters!

I know that Johnnie C. will disagree butthat's okay. We warriors of the dummies.com mayhem have earned the right to disagree with each other.

OTH

Shameless self-promotion

Thanks to Krystle at Sustainableways.com for publishing my review of Paul Hawken's, Amory Lovins' and L. Hunter Lovins' Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. Check out her site, as it's quite different -- one might call it one woman's journey to sustainability.

My review

Books Reviews: The Ice Chronicles and Eco-Economy

Another forward from Doug...

So, why is it that the Canadians are so far ahead on all of this? If I plug "sustainability" into a search engine, most of the results are from Canada or Great Britain. What ever happened to the USA as the land of ingenuity?? Too much fast food and cheap gas...?

Link to article

Interview with Wes Jackson

Thanks, Doug, for passing along this Counterpunch piece: media critic Robert Jensen's interview with founder of the Land Institute's Wes Jackson. If you've read Natural Capitalism, The Ecology of Commerce, or any of the Ishmael series, much of this will sound familiar -- that's a good thing though.

Link to interview

PS: Doug, when are we going to see some of those "troublesome" posts??

To Be B, or Not to Be B

OK, that was bad... Finished Daniel Quinn's The Story of B the other night -- wow! I enjoyed Ismael thoroughly, but B combines comfort-shattering teaching on sustainability within a really well-told, suspenseful story -- I never saw any of the major plot twists coming. Planning on passing the book on -- too important a book just to gather dust on a bookshelf.

Took a look at My Ishmael at the bookstore, but decided to pass it up for now -- perhaps I'm being silly, but the premise doesn't seem quite as provocative as the first two.

Welcome to sustainablog, my personal space for ruminating, meandering or kvetching about the concept of sustainability. I'll be linking to news items, commenting on political and business developments, and sharing my own humble ideas -- you know, blog stuff!

To comment, participate or tell me I'm an idiot, feel free to email: jmcstras@animail.net