One path towards real environmental justice (EJ) is the growing movement to recognize that nature — encompassing plants, animals, and the air, land, and water — is not property, not something to own and exploit, but entities that have their own rights to exist and thrive. All too often EJ deals only with environmental racism and not the rights of all current and future beings … [Read more...] about Recognizing the Rights of Nature
rights of nature
Rights of Nature
Many of you are familiar with the idea of the Rights of Nature / Rights of Mother Earth, but it's a long way from understanding the concept to seeing how it plays out on the ground, where someone (or a group) has to speak for the natural entity and then people have to figure out how to resolve the situation. Inside Climate News recently ran an excellent article on this … [Read more...] about Rights of Nature
The Future Of Environmental Justice
Originally published in State of the Lehigh Valley 2021, Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) Peter K. Crownfield, Internship Coordinator, Alliance for Sustainable Communities – Lehigh Valley; and Devon Jewell, Junior at Moravian Academy The most basic level of environmental justice is making sure that poor or minority communities, often called ‘EJ … [Read more...] about The Future Of Environmental Justice
You’ll love the new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet!
The new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet is loaded with creative writing and art, and a majority of the content comes from students — both high school and college — and young adults here in the Lehigh Valley. You can read it online or download the full PDF edition, which is formatted in two-page spreads so it's similar to reading the printed booklet. Print … [Read more...] about You’ll love the new issue of the Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet!
Earthly Murals
Audrey Crocco The wind-swept field, summoning the waltz of the wild violet. Deliriously swaying to the whir of the world like the lick of a flame. But the wave of lush purple warmly regards its atmosphere, selflessly. Of intimate mornings and autumnal sky, riverbanks and neighboring marigolds. The mellow incense of the herbaceous plants garnish the air. Pollen that wafts to … [Read more...] about Earthly Murals
Terminally Ill
Hannah Flaven Bear witness now to an evil act Ever careful to separate lies from fact See this mom of many children Shaking and heaving Knowing that soon this form She may be leaving Body pushed past the limit Glassy eyes begging of you Enough is enough But why not see it through A kick to the ribs A knife to the gut Even those who feel bad Can’t help but make a cut They … [Read more...] about Terminally Ill
A Rejection of the Rights of Nature
Nathaniel Stratton When discussing the latest controversies regarding climate change, you have to talk about Line 3. Line 3 was a pipeline built in the early 1960s from the oil fields in southern Canada down through Minnesota, transporting hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil to the states each year. Over the years, the pipeline corroded significantly, cutting its … [Read more...] about A Rejection of the Rights of Nature
Peter: “Evo Morales – Entering the Pacha, a new beginning”
The looming end of the Mayan long-count calendar has prompted fervid doomsday predictions on the internet, mass arrests in China, and a small tourism boom in southern Mexico. But Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, says the date is the beginning of a new era of peace and love. "…the Mayan calendar's 21 December 2012 is the end of the non-time and the beginning of time. It is … [Read more...] about Peter: “Evo Morales – Entering the Pacha, a new beginning”
Strategies for Change
Three recent newsletters discuss their organization's perspectives on how to bring about change. One talks about nonviolent direct action, another about securing rights via home rule charters and constitutions, and the third about achieving change goals via the development of organizational strength and resilience. But you don't have to worry about which strategy is right -- … [Read more...] about Strategies for Change
MountainTop Removal mining (MTR)
Mountaintop Removal mining is a technique used to remove coal that is found in relatively thin layers. The technique is basically to blast the top of the mountain and push the rubble off into the valleys to expose the coal seam, which is then trucked away. Then another round of blasting takes them down to the next layer, and so on. The practice uses far fewer miners than … [Read more...] about MountainTop Removal mining (MTR)