Two birds with one stone

Imagine a venn diagram in which the circle on the left represents policies to increase economic growth and the circle on the right represents ecological conservation strategies. For many people these two categories are mutually exclusive – either you grow the economy or protect the environment, but you cannot accomplish both tasks simultaneously. This belief has framed the environmental protection debate in the United States and resulted in the overwhelming consensus that government should be more involved in preserving business and jobs than in preserving the environment. However, in order to maintain long-term economic growth it is necessary to focus not on the left-hand circle alone, but in the policies that lie at the center of the venn diagram, where economic growth sustains a health environment. More specifically, it will be necessary to differentiate economic growth policies from those at the center of the diagram aim to develop the economy without growing it, that is to say the policies that enhance quality of life without producing more stuff. Indeed, the true goal of economic growth is not to have an eternally-increasing gross domestic product (GDP) but an increasing quality of life. To accomplish this object the United States needs to seriously question the ideologies that have brought us to 2011, a year in which the economy and the environment are on very unstable grounds. 

 Some thoughts...

• Too many resources are spent on defense and the military industrial complex and not enough on nation-building at home.
• We've lost community connections. In my opinion, rewarding human connectivity, that feeling of mutuality and shared space, is integral to true happiness.
• The general population has lost interest in politics, or perhaps has been overcome with a feeling of hopelessness. Either way, we need to become educated first, and then active in policy-making. 

In commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.

1. "Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
2. "Almost always, the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better."
3. "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
4. "We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love."
5. "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."
6. "A riot, at bottom, is the language of the unheard."
7. "Don't let anyone make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force, to be a sort of police man of the whole world. I can hear God saying to America, 'You are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name.'"
8. "I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation, 'The great initiative in this war is ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours.'" 
9. "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."
10. "What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."

At first thought, one would not suspect environmental conservation as a threat to indigenous communities but, indeed it often is. "Fortress conservation" has been a failure around the world so why do we insist that is it the best path towards the preservation of biodiversity?

Conservation Refugees by  Mark Dowie - International conservation NGOs often prioritize rights of the environment over rights of indigenous communities to their native land and traditional land management practices, often to the detriment of both man and nature.  Present interesting case studies from around the world.

"Slow Death by Carbon Credits" - The reason biodiverse environments still exist today is because of the careful stewardship practiced by indigenous communities in preserving these ecosystems. Now, international organizations with the agenda of 'environmental conservation' are replacing traditional methods with newer 'more modern' methods, displacing indigenous communities and ultimately increasing poverty and environmental degradation.

As a citizen of the United States, a place were we allowed biodiversity to deteriorate rapidly in the matter of decades, I have to wonder why U.S. practitioners feel they can better preserve ecosystems in developing countries than the indigenous communities that have been doing so successfully for 1,000s of years. When will we get over our arrogance and recognize the success of indigenous communities? Why do we believe that we gain more wisdom about these precious ecosystems in a few years of schooling than indigenous peoples gather in a lifetime? We cannot move forward until we admit that we have a lot to learn from indigenous peoples with regards to human-environment interaction.

To find out more about indigenous rights and how you can help - Survival International

Inconvenient Truths

Thanks Julian Assange and Bradley Manning for Wikileaks...for solidifying what many already suspected - that our government lies - or at least fails to disclose the truth - about the most important issues facing the nation and that multinational corporations are even more dishonest and greedy than government.  After reading some articles about Wikileaks I wonder how the public will react - with shame, horror and embarrassment or with the usual lackadaisical indifference.

And all of this revelation of how deceitful the U.S. government is brings to mind a lesson from economic development. I remember discussing a theory in class about the 'problematization' of poverty which states that poverty is relative and thus, people do not consider themselves poor unless they can make frequent comparisons between their situation and that of someone else. So in many areas of the world there are people that we consider poor but that do not necessarily consider themselves poor because everyone they interact with is relatively equal to them. 

So, I argue this same theory applies to government. You do not know how bad your government is unless you can compare it to another government. And, unfortunately, in a society were most people are informed of the outside world through mass media, mass media only shows the worse cases. We are told that our government is the best, the strongest, most democratic, most transparent and so forth (of course, do the research, it isn't, but who does research these days? Your mom? Your dad? Not mine). We believe what we are told, why shouldn't we - things don't seem so bad... but wait, now we have Wikileaks giving undeniable evidence that our government is NOT what we thought...is government problematized now? 

If we all clearly knew, without a doubt - I mean given a solid, undeniable example - of a better government that was more just, fair, equal, honest and accountable, and we had to compare our government to this government everyday and live knowing exactly what we could have but don't, what would we do? How would we react then? With shame, horror and embarrassment or with the usual lackadaisical indifference?

8 Smears and Misconceptions About Wikileaks Spread by the Media

State Department's Involvement in Honduras Coup

Shell's Grip on Nigerian State Revealed

U.S. Special Forces Working Inside Pakistan

U.S. Sought ot Retaliate Against Europe After Refusing to Allow Monsanto GM Crops

I can't live without you, even if I tried

Today's lesson provides a quick rundown of the Monsanto Corporation, the kingpin of agriculture likened to gangsters, an obvious monopoly, and just so this is not an entirely negative portrayal, a perfect example of how to take over the world.

The story starts with S 510 - FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (deemed "The Most Dangerous Bill in the History of America" & a "Fake Food Safety Bill"), a bill that determines that fate of the food industry by granting the FDA even more power to tighten regulation of food production at all levels. On the surface it doesn't sound so bad (duh, they higher professionals to write these things), given that the Produce Safety Project estimates foodborne illness costs $152 billion annual. Preventing disease and saving billions is a good thing. However, the regulations would not be targeted to only the large-scale industrial food giants (Monsanto, Purdue...) but would give the FDA supreme power to inspect even the smallest producers.

So, what are the consequences of this? Meeting FDA regulations requires huge investments into infrastructure - we're talking millions of dollars - that only the largest industrial-scale producers can afford. That means a potential end to local, small-scale and organic farming - something we desperately need in this country. 

Here is a simple equation: Industrial farming = single crop farming = higher vulnerability to invasive species = use of more pesticides and herbicides = end-user consumption of unhealthy toxins. Have you ever wondered why they instruct you to wash your produce before you eat it? Here's a hint - its not because of the dirt.

Who benefits from this bill? Obviously food giant monopolies like Monsanto, and yes, in a superficial kind of way consumer do too, assuming that eating pesticide-laden genetically modified food can be made slightly better if it doesn't make you sick right away. And the losers are all those small-business entrepreneurs (these guys never get a break) trying to improve the growing and distribution methods of American Agriculture, which is unfortunate considering a nationally recognized study finds that "farmers are being pressured to unravel decades of on-farm conservation practices in a scientifically misguided effort to improve food safety". 

So, what is the Monsanto's self-image? Well besides having a CEO that looks a lot like the Villain from Despicable Me, only thinner and with a tie instead of a scarf (or do only I see this resemblance?)...

Google Monsanto and you will learn that, "If there was one word to describe what Monsanto is, it would have to be farmers. It is our purpose to help them meet the needs of a growing population...". Uh huh and...they use advanced breeding practice, biotechnology and improved farm management practices to create seeds that produce more and conserve resource. And they have a Human Rights Policy. And a Vision for Sustainable Agriculture. Not such bad guys, right?

Anyway, enough of me. Here's the other side of the story so you can decide just how bad they are:

10 Reasons to Label Genetically Modified Food - from the Organic Consumers Association

A Month Without Monsanto - One woman sees just how hard it is to avoid Monsanto. 

Monsanto's Harvest of Fear - a story of one man threatened by Monsanto

From 2009 Company of the Year to Worst Stock of 2010 - Another Vanity Fair piece about how evil Monsanto is

Obama Administration is Investigation Monsanto's Licensing Practices

VIDEO: The Future of Food - A real eye-opener 

VIDEO: Food, Inc.

This, of course, is just a small sample.  Googling 'Monsanto' brings 5,200,000 results.

YES to Tea, NO to Coffee

In an effort to succeed in New Year Resolution #3 - "Drink More Water, Less Coffee", I brewed green tea instead of coffee this morning. Tea is amazing because you  can add all sorts of interesting ingredients. Just visit your local health food store and they should have a plant for every symptom - eucalyptus, chamomile, dandelion, fenugreek...This is a simple mixture of loose leaf green tea, a couple cinnamon sticks and palo azul (the thing that looks like tree bark in the picture). I bought the palo at a local Mexican store. Its supposed to help clean the kidney and I think it works because I have been visiting the restroom much more often lately. Oh, I add local honey instead of sugar - it tastes better and it is healthier.

Welcome

I read a lot of articles, stories, blogs and studies on countless topics. Its amazing how one topic always leads to another, and that topic to another slightly different and so on, until you can hardly remember where you started. Following this pattern, reading quickly becomes unorganized and it is a challenge to find a cohesive link between the various topics. Therefore, this blog will not only serve to share what I read, but to help me chronologically store that information, as well. 

Actually, I am going to post my Top 10 New Year Resolutions also. This way, I can look back next year and see where I failed and where I succeeded. 

1. RECYCLE ALL GLASS, PLASTIC & ALUMINUM
2. EXERCISE MORE - once a week...?
3. DRINK MORE WATER - and less coffee!
4. START A GRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAM
5. WRITE TO A POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE ONCE/WEEK
6. PAY OFF ALL DEBTS
7. PLAN AN EVENT TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABILITY
8. GROW SOME PLANTS
9. EAT LESS MEAT
10. TAKE AN ADVENTUROUS VACATION 

  11.I know I said 10, but now that I'm a Blogger... #11) MAINTAIN THIS BLOG

And my final thought for this welcome post: 
"Happiness is a life lived according to virtue" - Aristotle