Pale Versus Deep Greens: A Personal Response

I haven't owned a car in 16 years. I travel mostly by bicycle and public transportation. I worked as a tree planter, reforesting our national lands, for eight years. I have been arrested and jailed numerous times for attempting to defend the ancient redwoods and tropical rainforests. I had a small part in saving the Headwaters Forest Preserve and the Puna rainforest on the Island of Hawaii. I am a member of the Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy. Most importantly I have lived close to wild nature for most of my adult life. I have apprenticed in and have led wilderness rites of passage; attempting to transform our cultural belief around 'The Big Lie', that humans and nature are separate. I have apprenticed in the Toltec shamanic tradition of Mexico. According to the Toltecs the function of the human mind is dreaming. We are dreaming when awake, as well as asleep and because we are not aware that we are dreaming we have created what don Miguel Ruiz calls, "The Dream of the Planet." The outside dream we see all around us that is based in fear. When we become aware we are dreaming we can create a new dream, a dream based on Love.

Global Warming Solutions

According to Al Gore in his book and movie, An Inconvenient Truth, our atmosphere is fragile enough for us to alter it and we must change our impact before it is too late. The good news is that it is not too late to save our planetaccording to the Cambridge Energy Resource Associates, "The United States represents 4% of the world's population but consumes 25% of the world's energy." Although it may seem like this problem is overwhelming and beyond our control, there are numerous small things that we can do:

• When possible choose energy efficient appliances.
• Conserve hot water.
• Reduce standby energy use by turning off your TV and computer when you aren't using them.
• Take public transit or walk instead of driving.
• Recycle everything. Don't use products that are not biodegradable.
• Buy things that will last.
• Buy locally grown produce.
• Consider a politician's stance on major environmental issues such as the Kyoto protocol and oil drilling.
• Be a catalyst for change.
• Encourage others to do the same.

As Gore states in his book: Upton Sinclair, the famous 20th century author and journalist who wrote The Jungle, said, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon him not understanding it." This same point can easily relate to the government's reaction to global warming. Do not be fooled; the danger is real and we can't afford to ignore it.

Frustrated Environmentalist

The problem is that most consumers (and that's most of us) find environmentalism boring. Sure, Al Gore can briefly scare the hell out of us with doom-and-gloom scenarios. But after a while people just tune out. Eco-talk about low flush toilets and insulation factors and LED bulbs just ain't sexy, but driving a big, fast car IS!

Granted, you can sell "green" to a small minority of upscale consumers who can afford to pay double to "save the planet." But what about all the rest of us?

The fundamentals of overconsumption, overpopulation, resource scarcity, and pollution remain to be solved. We're using three planets worth of resources, but we have only one planet available to plunder. If Katrina didn't do it, what will it take to awaken the sleeping public?

Once the dissemination of information reaches a critical threshold, changes can happen rapidly, in "quantum leaps." With dwindling oil reserves and the threat of global warming, the transition from a petroleum based to a sustainable, solarhydrogen economy is inevitable. The big question is how smooth the transition will be. Stay tuned...!

Roseville Bouquet

I'd like to get a subscription to OPEN EXCHANGE. Thank you for years of wonderful classes. I've moved to Roseville but I still get down to the Bay Area to take classes. I love you for your energy and the light that you bring to many of us!

Doris Jones
Roseville

Thank you, Doris! Subscriptions by mail are still free throughout Northern California! But you can also log on to www.openexchange.org for 24/7 access to our online magazine with complete listings, calendar, and editorial features.