Do you remember having to pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for all every freaking morning back in elementary school?
I do, though I didn’t really get what I was saying at the time.
I mean, what the heck was a republic?
And why was it invisible?
I understand it all now okay but I’m happily trading it in for this updated and far more relevant version.
I pledge allegiance to the Earth (standing tall, hand on heart).
Those little black and whitish specks that look like ants on the left? Cows. That enormous acid green pool of slime to the right? No idea. But I know this: there is something terrible going on with our food production in this country. It’s poisoning us and it’s poisoning the environment. I can’t imagine any of those poor cows are too psyched about it either.
But wait, there are many more horrifyingly fascinating aerial views of America’s heartland shot by photographer Mishka Henner at his website. Take a look here. I dare you. When you’re done please join me at the paragraph below.
Done? Ok. I’m sure we can all agree that no kid (or cow) should ever have to spend the day on any of those farms. And I consider myself a kind of casual, quasi-expert on this farm thing after having lived on a beautiful New Zealand farm where happy cows grazed in wide open pastures with no slime in sight.
So me, myself and everybody else, let’s choose to rethink our purchases. Let’s choose to rethink our family’s diet. Let’s choose to buy grass fed beef, locally farmed if at all possible. It’s usually less convenient and definitely more expensive so let’s just buy less of it. Or none at all. If ever we could collectively be inspired to become organic farmers, vegetarians or vegans it should be right now… as we sit here staring at all those little American cow-ants imprisoned on the shores of Lake Slime.
Over the years I have had some very good neighbors and, like most of us, some not so good ones. Where I live now I have only trees for neighbors. Simultaneously quiet and entertaining they are, I think, the best variety. I took this photo of them while standing at my bedroom window this morning. Stoic and unadorned, it’s hard to imagine that in just a few short months they’ll be covered in tiny chartruese explosions.
While scientists and environmentalists are well intentioned with their daily projections of our not so distant future dystopian world order and subsequent extinction it can put a real damper on the day. The struggles of our grandparents can seem downright quaint in today’s post climate change world… the age old mantra “life goes on” a phrase twenty somethings of today might wear ironically on their t-shirts.
Can you blame them? The daily challenge of survival is no longer limited to ourselves as individuals, our individual communities or even entire populations but now encompasses every last one of us, including all future generations and/or the lack thereof. It’s enough to make you throw your recycling bin in the trash can.
The answer? I have no idea. But I am inclined to think that a very good start would be for all of us to run to the bookstore or the internet and grab a copy of The World We Made, an imaginary memoir written in the year 2050 by history teacher Alex McKay. The author, Jonathon Porritt, who just returned from the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi is a founding member of The Forum for The Future, an environmentalist and no lightweight in the scientific and technology community. This green futurist believes that we already have the technology to create a sustainable, progressive world in which environmental, economic and social advances are shared, maintained and enjoyed by all. The catch? We must also believe that this is doable. It’s fundamental. If we don’t collectively believe that it is doable it simply won’t get done.
I’m in. I’m gonna get the book. And I’m gonna believe. How about you?
Buy the book here. Read an interview with the author here.
“The World We Made presents a credible vision of the world in 2050 – a world that is connected, collaborative and genuinely sustainable. This is the biggest thing I’m working on at the moment. We simply have to change the ‘mood music’ in terms of the way people feel about sustainability, and that means that everything we do in Forum for the Future is about positive solutions to today’s converging sustainability challenges.” Jonathon Porritt, Author of The World We Made
“In a world where doom and gloom surrounds us everywhere, Jonathon Porritt shows us that another future is possible. . . Jonathon is arguably more responsible for helping to create that positive future than anyone I know.” Jeffrey Hollender, Co-founder of Seventh Generation and Co-chair of Greenpeace US
Treading lightly on this planet should be the of goal of every one of us. Look no further than Reduce Footprints for all kinds of info and inspiration. And thank you Reduce Footprints for your generous and thoughtful review of Long Live Earth!
Here is an excerpt:
“Let me give you my impressions of this book. The illustrations are beautiful. Each one is a photo of a quilt square handmade by Ms. Morrison. They are enchanting and whimsical. The text is done in rhyme; the cadence is very appealing and, I believe, will become like a song which stays in the heads (and hearts) of readers. Some of the words may need a bit of explanation for younger children but most kids will have no problem understanding the meaning. The book is appropriate for all age levels, for reading alone or together, and would make a terrific gift. Adults will enjoy it, as well!
Here’s another fact which, as “greenies”, you’re sure to appreciate: the book is printed on recycled paper by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified suppliers using certified environmentally-friendly ink. Yay!
I highly recommend this book … for your kids, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbors, schools, etc. You can purchase a copy by clicking HERE.”
“I read this for Eath Day every year to the K kids–great book about taking care of the planet. Good for budding Evolutionists, too, as it references the earth being way older than 6000 years–and prehistoric man! The illustrations are actually quilt squares–beautiful.”
Thank you Amazon reviewers for continuing to send in your kind thoughts!
Yeah, yeah. I know the Koch brothers are bad guys. I know they’re oil guys. I know they’re bajillionaires.
But, like a lot of us, do I really understand all the what, where, why and hows? Admittedly, I do not. And that’s exactly how the Koch brothers want it. Ignorance, after all, is bliss. Unfortunately bliss, in this case, is theirs alone.
So I did a little research on them. In a nutshell, here is what I learned: every single person on this planet needs to understand exactly what this two headed monster is doing to every single one of us every single day – and we need to understand now.
It’s common knowledge that in this fast paced, digital world we are more likely to read or engage in something that is bite size and easy to digest. We prefer bullet points to paragraphs, the synopsis to the full story. We want to be briefed. And that brief had better be brief.
That being said, what better way to grab the world’s attention and help get the word out on these guys than with a quick, clever blurb paired with a single, yet powerful, image?
Which leaves me in the conundrum of how to convey that terrifying machine that is the Koch brothers in fun size. A conundrum in which I must remain as it is simply not possible to cut to the chase on these guys… their reach is that vast, their targets that permeated, their influence that prolific.
So in order to have a rudimentary understanding of who is ruining everything for everybody and how they are doing it you are going to have to watch this extremely insightful and equal parts frightening FULL LENGTH (that means 55 minutes!) documentary. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
So belly up and hit the play button because if ignorance is bliss, knowledge is power. And we’re gonna need a whole lot of that if we’re gonna have a fighting chance against these two.
Even Mark Zuckerman needs friends. A few years back, Greenpeace and a whole lot of Mark’s friends asked the Facebook founder, via this rather adorable video, to stop his plans to power his Oregon data center with coal.
20 months later he did just that. And today Facebook continues to do the right thing…
Its’ new data center will run on 100 percent wind energy. Be a friend…read the whole article here. If you liked this video, check out a whole bunch of others you’ll also like over here.
By L.M. Keefer TOP 100 REVIEWERER, VINE VOICE on December 10, 2013
Format: Paperback
If you are looking for a charming, colorful and creative book to teach children about taking care of our earth, this book delights. The illustrations embody the philosophy: they are quilt squares, making use of unused fabric. Each illustration is imaginatively conceived and stitched. Children will have fun talking about what they see in the squares. The illustrations are quite winsome…(read entire review here).
The artistry it took to make the quilt squares would make the book worth buying. However, I am (reluctantly) giving the two I ordered away to young grandchildren for Christmas. The message is important, and it is presented beautifully and gently.
I bought this for my almost 4 year old son and for his classroom. This was a complex topic that was made very understandable and fun to read. The patchwork squares as illustrations were adorable, clever and so creative. I will be buying this book as gifts in the future.
Meighan Morrison 