Yesterday, Californians narrowly missed an opportunity to significantly reduce their waste when the Senate failed to pass AB 1998, a bill already passed by the State Assembly that would have required shoppers to bring their own tote bags to stores.
Santa Monica-based nonprofit Heal the Bay made a brilliant parody video advocating for the bill. Hopefully this inspired people in California (and beyond) to stop using plastic bags even before it becomes the law.
Beware the Yorkie's talons!!!
A New Spin on Wind
May 10, 2010
I am a proponent of wind energy... just not the ads for wind energy. They tend to mimic a comfortable cliché of green grass blowing and majestic white turbines spinning. Then, cue the metaphor for our future: a young girl running through a field, pausing to blow the seeds from a dandelion. Awwww, isn't that sweet?
Now, from German wind energy company EPURON, an ingenious ad that manages to be unsual, uplifting, and fun:
More on Andy's Yukon Adventure
February 4, 2010
A while back I wrote about Andy Bassich, a homesteader on the Yukon River with whom I spent a few weeks back in 2002. A dramatic rescue involving a helicopter and Andy's 24 sled dogs made headlines after the Yukon flooded last spring.
I've been a bit busier than usual since my last post -- a month in Idaho, a new house, a new office, and my wedding! Anyway, just getting caught up on the headlines out there and I noticed one that provides a nice follow-up to my previous post about cars and wildlife:
In his weekly column, local author Chris Bohjalian recalls the story of a cocker spaniel that endured 31 days in the cold wilderness -- while tied to a tree. Again, a happy ending, whew! No real message here (don't leash your dog?)... just some warmth for the holiday season.
The Cost of Addiction
July 16, 2009
Across the USA, many of us now take for granted our ability to cover long distances in short periods of time. I routinely schedule weekend trips to places over 100 miles away from my home and I'll do the 20-mile round trip to my parents' house for a cup of coffee.
Environmentalists have given plenty of attention to our cultural addiction to cars. The focus has been on fossil fuel consumption and the associated pollution that contributes to smog, acid rain, and (of course) climate change.
The most popular solutions seem to be those that allow us to keep driving with reduced emissions (hybrid cars, biodiesel or veggie oil engines, etc.). By driving a Honda instead of a Hummer, my conscience has been spared the burden of feeling like I'm a menace to the earth.
Last week, however, I had an eye-opening experience that was also tragic (as most eye-opening experiences unfortunately are). For the first time in hundreds of thousands of miles behind the wheel on rural roads, I hit a fellow mammal. A doe. Her fawn ran off to an uncertain fate. As for her, five gun shots from a police officer ended her suffering. Teaching her fawn where to find apples one moment, needlessly mangled by a giant hunk of metal the next.
After talking myself out of my initial guilt -- I was driving well below the speed limit, I hit the brakes, I honked my horn, I did everything I could do -- I began to curse the culture that has made me complicit in the inadvertent slaughter of wildlife that are just minding their own business, trying to follow the same corridors that their forebears followed before highways were built and changed everything. How many people out there think hunting is wrong but drive a car and simply shrug, "Aw, that's too bad" at the sight of roadkill? I was one of those people for years. Chances are if you haven't hit something yet, you will. According to High Country News, one million vertebrates are run over each day in the United States. That's eleven per second.
When planes crash, the media can't get enough of it. We are asked to imagine what it would feel like to plummet from the sky into the ocean. We understandably become a bit skittish about flying. Someone occasionally reminds us that commercial airline travel is a hell of a lot more regulated -- and a hell of a lot safer -- than getting behind the wheel of a car on your local highway. Yet we never seem to get skittish about driving. We drive tired, we drive preoccupied, we drive intoxicated, we drive on cell phones and sending text messages. If you need a reminder of how dangerous driving can be even when you're doing nothing wrong, look no farther than the story of Ken Green, a professional golfer who just lost the three loves of his life -- his dog, his girlfriend, and his brother -- as well as his leg, all from a freak blown tire (read the story on my friend Brett's blog).
I'm not sure where I'll go from here. The last time I had an epiphany like this was in 2001, when I realized I had hypocritically argued against hunting while eating meat someone else killed for me out of sight, out of mind. I decided to stop eating meat unless I killed it myself. I miss fried chicken, but giving up cars might be even more difficult. Minutes after watching the doe get dragged off the road, I got right back behind the wheel and continued to drive. I had to be in Burlington, 50 miles to the North, in an hour, and because of the accident I was running late.
My ever thoughtful girlfriend shared this poem with us today. I've come to associate the word "tamarack" with 10-hour work days, so it was nice to be reminded of the inspiration for our name.
From "Still Here, Still Now," a collection by Robert Pack:
Tamaracks
Now comes the turning of the tamaracks,
The only evergreen to lose its needle-leaves,
From yellow-gold to gold to golden bronze
And their reflections which the lake retrieves.
And I am wondering if pleasure from the past,
Which soon of course these sights will be,
Brings sadness in the knowledge that they're gone
Or restoration in their memory.
Do I see what is there as there? Or is
My sense of modulating light so strong
That gold already now seems bronze,
And even naming bronze as bronze seems wrong.
Yet there they are, I see them in their glow;
I see them doubled in the lake
As if my eyes, unlike my shifting mind,
Are of this world, and won't make the mistake
Of losing touch with happiness
By asking trees to give what they can't give—
Gold meaning or gold permanence—
But only live as ghostly colors live.
Harrowing Escape on the Yukon River
May 11, 2009
Back in August 2002 I spent three weeks living on the banks of the Yukon River with a homesteader named Andy Bassich. We hunted and fished, laid the foundation for his cabin, and cared for his 24 sled dogs. Last week, Andy was in the news when the icy river rose dramatically and nearly swept him, his girlfriend, and the dogs away.
Andy Bassich and Pete Land moving logs on the Yukon River, 2002
Burlington = Futuristic?
April 28, 2009
It's probably unrealistic to expect most people to get excited about a new direction that involves cutting back, using less, etc. As a culture we're trained to associate progress with growth -- an increase in speed, size, or quantity.
I think we need to make our desired future sound like progress, not like a step back (even though I for one wouldn't mind going back to a subsistence lifestyle). We need to make it bright, fresh, and fun. I don't mean robots and monorails. We might already be seeing it before our eyes.
Lately I have been mesmerized by some paintings of Burlington by an artist named Sean Boyce. They are hanging in the Boloco burrito shop here in town. I stop by and look at them whenever I'm on Church Street. They're typical scenes of Burlington, except the colors are bright bright bright, almost neon. They suggest to me an ideal future state. I'm tempted to start using Sean's style as a model for environmental marketing materials, which tend to get stuck in mild earth tones.
At the risk of sounding smug, I'm also tempted to use Burlington itself as a model. Burlington isn't perfect, but it's been called the greenest (Country Home) and most livable (U.S. Conference of Mayors) city in the U.S. I have to believe that many Americans, given the choice, would love their community to be more like Burlington (at least in some ways). If we can advertise Burlington as a "community of the future," perhaps people might be inspired to turn to walkable downtowns, adequate social services, open space, and support for local businesses/farmers as ways of achieving progress.
Vermont has accepted its quaint label for too long. We need to start thinking of ourselves as futuristic.
Everything is amazing and nobody is happy
March 10, 2009
Posting clips from Late Night with Conan O'Brien is something I usually limit to Facebook, but this belongs here.
Comedian Louis CK appeared on the show last fall and delivered a marvelous rant against our culture's capacity to take for granted the new technology with which we are increasingly spoiled. I have honestly watched this clip at least 20 times. It is as poignant as it is hilarious.
Travel writer: Lake Champlain a "must miss" destination
February 13, 2009
A trio of Vermont environmental organizations, including the Vermont Natural Resources Council (www.vnrc.org) held a press conference in Montpelier yesterday to call attention to pollution in Lake Champlain. They pointed to a new bestseller by Peter Greenberg, travel editor of NBC's "Today" show, called "Don't Go There: The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World." In it, he calls Vermont's (lower-case g) great lake a "must miss water location," citing toxic algae blooms and beach closings.
Last year, the U.S. EPA criticized Governor Douglas's administration for not doing enough to control phosphorus pollution and threatened to put Lake Champlain back on a list of impaired waters.
Yep, you read that correctly.
Our outgoing president isn't exactly known as a conservation advocate, but today the White House announced that he will protect 195,280 square miles of wilderness -- at sea. Covering nine sites over three areas in the Pacific Ocean, it will be the largest marine protected area in the world.
Sportfishermen are enraged and we're already hearing "Yeah, but..." from environmentalists who have spent the past eight years feeling oppressed by his policies.
My gut reaction is: AWESOME! As long as subsistence fishing isn't affected (I guess I don't have much empathy for the trophy anglers). And while there is no denying that Bush's past policies have exacerbated climate change and species extinction... better late than never!
Call me naive, but I've never really cared for political parties. It seems counterproductive to have two platforms, each claiming a set of values diametrically opposed to the other. It leaves little room for nuance and leads to ugly campaigning.
It's largely because of this cynicism that I'm so excited about Barack Obama. It helps that I agree with him on most of the issues, but mostly I'm just happy to see a leader who rises above the partisan bickering and inspires rather than divides. He is the first presidential candidate who has compelled me to volunteer for a campaign.
So, I'm in rural Washington County, Virginia this week with Bill and our good friends Daniel and Jen. We're staying with Daniel's parents, who are actively involved in the local Obama field office. We're knocking on doors and encouraging people to vote. Any impact we'll have is spit in the ocean, but it's just fun to meet people in this unfamiliar terrain and hear their thoughts about this important election.
Here is the button I'm wearing while I'm out there canvassing...
Idaho Summer
August 21, 2008
I'm spending 2+ months out West, primarily in Idaho working with the Wild Gift program.
I drove out here so that my dog Willy could be with me. My friend Myesha joined us, too. Here's a little music video I made of our trip using the 30-second video clip function on my old digital still camera...
Big Dose of Inspiration from ELP
August 18, 2008
This year I am a fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP), which brings together "a diverse network of visionary, action-oriented emerging leaders."
I just completed the second of three ELP retreats I will attend this year and I am blown away by the caliber of people that are in my New England-based group. Fun, thoughtful, supportive, and courageous are a few words that come to mind.
If you're interested in learning more or would like to apply, visit the ELP website.
A Wild Man Gets His Due
May 29, 2008
My friend, mentor, and personal hero Bob Jonas is featured in the Summer 2008 issue of Sun Valley Guide.The article, written by Scott Douglas (another rock star), is specifically about the Wild Gift program that Bob founded in his "retirement" from wilderness guiding.
Wind making headlines again in Vermont
May 21, 2008
To many of the folks with whom I work, it's no secret that I'm an advocate of developing wind as an energy resource in Vermont. It's an extremely sensitive issue up here; as a result there has been a lot of controversy and very little action. Those who are interested should check out Ken Picard's thoughtful cover story on wind in this week's issue of Seven Days, Burlington's indie newspaper.
Applicants wanted for 2008 Wild Gift
March 3, 2008
News from Tamarack's Idaho office... I launched a new website and leader network for Wild Gift. Check out the site and forward to folks who might be interested in applying for this amazing opportunity! Below is a call for proposals. Feel free to email me if you have questions.
*Organization Seeks Better World Entreprenuers*
Are you a young woman or man, age 21-30, who wants to serve your fellow
human beings and wild nature? Who is ready to make that dream a reality
today? Then Wild Gift wants to honor your commitment to make a difference.
Wild Gift is a five-year-old nonprofit organization based out of Sun Valley,
Idaho, that supports leader action. Its unique 17-month program launches
projects promoting wildlands stewardship and sustainability at the community
and individual lifestyle level. Wild Gift selects and works with five
leaders each year. Grants, ranging from $10,000 to $15,000, are given to
each leader depending upon project scope. Projects may be local or
international. The Wild Gift program, open to US citizens only, is provided
at no cost to the recipient.
The program consists of four components: 1) mentoring to help shape
project proposals and empower leaders; 2) a 20-day deep wilderness trek; 3)
continuing support to ensure the project's first year success; and 4) a
7-day enrichment trek after the launch year to share project results and
strategize for continuing success. A new component is participation in the
development of Wild Gift's Leader Network.
Please visit Wild Gift on the web at www.wildgift.org for more information
and to download an application. Applications are due on April 1, 2008.
Jaime will rock you upside down!
January 9, 2008
Tamarack's audio wizard, Jaime Garamella, is set to release his debut album, Upside Downer, on Valentine's Day. Listen to all the tracks and pre-order the CD on his website, it's only $7 and it will last longer than chocolates or roses. Oh, and it rocks harder, too.
I whipped up a little music video of the title track... set on Burlington's waterfront. Enjoy while bearing in mind that I spent only three hours editing the video while Jaime spent about three months editing the music. Those guitar licks are sooo tasty.
Time to open Tamarack's Idaho office
November 6, 2007
Exciting news from the world's slowest blogger! My good friend Jenna Ringelheim and I are taking the reins of Wild Gift so the organization's founder (and my personal guru), Bob Jonas, can finally take a long-awaited trip to Nepal with his wife.
For those of you not familiar with Wild Gift, it's an awesome grant program for young conservation leaders that includes a year of funding and three weeks of deep wilderness immersion.
My new job means I'll be spending more time in Idaho, but I'll continue to devote that majority of my time to Tamarack projects. I was there in September for the annual class reunion and Board retreat -- kayaking down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River (photos) -- and I'll be heading back out there again in December and April. I'll be designing a new website this winter that will include profiles of all the recipients and their projects. Let me know if you're interested in applying for a Wild Gift grant or supporting this incredible organization!
Our newest lake monster might have boogers
September 6, 2007
Our office is on Lake Champlain, which provides a spectacular foreground for sunsets over the Adirondacks and a home for lake monsters.
'Champ' is our most famous lake monster, but we also have a number of invasive, exotic species that are rather monster-like, too. The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources recently held a two-day conference to address the spread of an algae called
rock snot that was discovered this summer in three of our state's rivers. If it reaches Lake Champlain, it will surely challenge the sea lamprey for the title of the lake's grossest resident.
Thanks to Kate Fink for spotting this story. She has been helping us with pre-production research for our planned 2008 documentary, Mysteries of Lake Champlain.
The 'Dacks on a liquid diet
August 10, 2007
I realize that, more often than not, I am using this blog as an excuse to share vacation photos. I guess I'm not much of a blogger... I'm more of an uncle who digs out the slide projector whenever you happen to visit.
Anyhoo... Laura, Willy, and I just returned from a few nights in the Adirondacks. We ditched the tent in favor of one of those "efficiency cabins" because Laura has to blend all of her food while her jaw is wired shut (bike accident).
I think we found one of the more beautiful spots on the grid -- Lake Kiwassa. Willy is now a champion canoe passenger and cliff jumper (he practiced by flying out of my second story window a couple of times). Here are the pics.
If you mess with our cows...
July 2, 2007
Happy 4th, everyone! It's been nice and cool here in Vermont lately, so climate change isn't nearly as trendy a topic as it was back when we had no snow in January. But the '802' rappers from Montpelier High School are doing their best to make sure we don't forget with their new music video.
I'll admit I wasn't too sure why these guys were such a hit on YouTube (and the NY Times, etc.) with their first video, but now they've won me over. "If you mess with our cows, we will break yo' knees!"
Finding wilderness in Florida
May 9, 2007
I took a break from our busy production schedule to spend a few days backcountry camping with my girlfriend, Laura, at Florida's Canaveral National Seashore. Here you can rent your own island for $10/night, paddle amongst dolphins and manatees, and play in the surf without another human in sight.
For a lay of the land, check out this panoramic photo. On the left is Cape Canaveral, where we were treated to an extremely rare sighting of a Florida panther! On the right you can see where we camped, on Orange Island -- the most distant visible land beyond Laura.
I highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for some warmth and wilderness.
The Jerry Maguire of Climate Change
February 13, 2007
Jeremy Grantham is an investor and the father of Oliver, our good friend from grad school. Mr. Grantham recently made headlines for sending his clients -- including Vice President Dick Cheney -- a memo titled, "While America Slept, 1982-2006: A Rant on Oil Dependency, Global Warming, and a Love of Feel-Good Data."
This courageous move reminded me of Jerry Maguire, except this time it's real and the cause is climate change! Read the full story from The Street.
Convenient Truths: a green video contest
January 22, 2007
If you saw 'An Inconvenient Truth' and were left hoping for a sequel that would provide some solutions to the climate change crisis, here's a cool video contest that you might enjoy checking out:
It's sponsored by Seventh Generation, our neighbors here on the Burlington waterfront.
T-Rack California Tour!
November 1, 2006
Here are some of my photos and a very rough video montage from our recent trip to California, where we were filming for projects for National Audubon and the Center for Whole Communities.
Not only did we see California condors in the wild, but one actually damaged our rental car by tossing a boulder at it.
We were not harmed by any of the other animals pictured.
A while back I wrote about Andy Bassich, a homesteader on the Yukon River with whom I spent a few weeks back in 2002. A dramatic rescue involving a helicopter and Andy's 24 sled dogs made headlines after the Yukon flooded last spring.
I've been a bit busier than usual since my last post -- a month in Idaho, a new house, a new office, and my wedding! Anyway, just getting caught up on the headlines out there and I noticed one that provides a nice follow-up to my previous post about cars and wildlife:
Tamaracks
