greenpeace--2020-04-15--Faces of Earth Day: We Need YOU!

Faces of Earth Day: We Need YOU!

Faces of Earth Day : We Need YOU !
This year , Earth Day will be anything but normal , but that won ’ t stop us .
We need your help for a special project we 're working on !
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping us secluded to our homes , we ’ re definitely having to adapt our activism to our new isolated circumstances .
Normally , you ’ d find us out there on the streets with the rest of the movement , marching and striking for climate action , but this year we will all have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want you all to join us in a virtual Earth Day strike from your own homes !
We have a special project in the works , and we need your input !
Here ’ s how you can participate : 1 .
Make a sign , this can be on a piece of printer paper , some cardboard , or a poster , whatever you have available to you .
Need inspiration ?
Here are some great Greenpeace-y sample messages : • Keep it in the ground • We are unstoppable , another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wall to minimize background distraction — we want to be able to read your sign clearly !
3 .
Take a horizontal picture of yourself holding the sign !
4 .
Submit your picture by filling out this form .
The deadline for submissions is midnight PST on Sunday , April 19 , 2020 .
5 .
Check back on social media on April 22nd to see the final product .
Follow us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter to make sure you don ’ t miss it .
Thanks for participating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your signs and celebrate together !
P.S .
Don ’ t forget to sign up to watch the 72-hour Earth Day livestream !
You won ’ t want to miss it !

Faces of Earth Day: We Need YOU!
This year, Earth Day will be anything but normal, but that won’t stop us. We need your help for a special project we're working on!
With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping us secluded to our homes, we’re definitely having to adapt our activism to our new isolated circumstances. Normally, you’d find us out there on the streets with the rest of the movement, marching and striking for climate action, but this year we will all have to make do at home.
We want you all to join us in a virtual Earth Day strike from your own homes! We have a special project in the works, and we need your input!
Here’s how you can participate:
1. Make a sign, this can be on a piece of printer paper, some cardboard, or a poster, whatever you have available to you.
Need inspiration? Here are some great Greenpeace-y sample messages:
Climate can’t wait
People over polluters
End the age of oil
Save the whales
Protect the oceans
Keep it in the ground
Climate action now
Clean power, green jobs
Strike. Divest. Vote
People power will prevail
Water is life
Just transition
We are unstoppable, another world is possible
2. Find a good spot for your photo.
Preferably with a blank wall to minimize background distraction — we want to be able to read your sign clearly!
3. Take a horizontal picture of yourself holding the sign!
4. Submit your picture by filling out this form.
The deadline for submissions is midnight PST on Sunday, April 19, 2020.
5. Check back on social media on April 22nd to see the final product.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to make sure you don’t miss it.
Thanks for participating — we’re excited to see your signs and celebrate together!
P.S. Don’t forget to sign up to watch the 72-hour Earth Day livestream! You won’t want to miss it!


greenpeace--2020-04-08--An ecology reading list for self-isolating environmentalists

There are over a million ecology books in print , and sorting through them might be a challenge .
I ’ ve included some of the essential classics in the field .
In my estimation , every ecologist and/or environmentalist would benefit by being aware of the information in these books .
The social isolation response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes .
Perhaps not since the economic depression of the 1930s and World War II has the human family found itself so singularly engaged with shared global issues .
In any case , for fellow shut-in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have compiled an ecology reading list .
There are over a million ecology books in print , and sorting through them might be a challenge .
I ’ ve included some of the essential classics in the field .
In my estimation , every ecologist and/or environmentalist would benefit by being aware of the information in these books .
The first book is no book Spend some time in the wildness .
The best way to learn about nature is to feel , observe , smell , taste , hear and contemplate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of wild systems and other wild beings .
We live inside a biosphere .
Not just “ on ” Earth , but in Earth ’ s living biophysical systems , embedded parts of a living web .
Any effort to understand the relationship between human enterprise and nature will benefit from a deep , direct experience and appreciation for our naturalness and our interdependence with other beings , communities , and systems of nature .
A reciprocity with nature can not start with intellectualizations , but with the experience of being a naturally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fed by a solar energy stream , made manifest with material transformation , nutrients , and biological processes .
This deep experience means paying attention , observing , and feeling our ecosystem as it pays attention to us , observes , and feels us .
Even in a city , you can find opportunities to be a student of wild nature .
Take walks .
Sit by the water .
Observe .
Watch other creatures .
Experience how entities grow and how communities form .
Sense the experience of being a part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched the modern environmental movement .
Carson documented the environmental and human health impact of pesticides , reframed the idea of scientific progress , and changed the course of history .
After Silent Spring , chemical companies no longer enjoyed a free pass to introduce toxins into the environment .
“ There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature , ” Carson wrote .
“ The more clearly we focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us , the less taste we shall have for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human numbers , consumption , and economy can not grow forever .
The researchers tracked industrialization , population , food , energy , material resources , and pollution through 1970 , projected out to 2100 , and predicted that the early stages of global collapse would appear about now , early in the 21st century .
Our current crises and many studies since confirm : They nailed it .
Daly , a World Bank senior economist , examines the economic restructuring necessary to live on a finite planet .
He corrects the errors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human economy is a subsystem embedded in a finite , fragile ecosystem , maintained by extracting limited resources and exporting waste .
A steady state economy accounts for the limits of both resources and waste .
Here is Daly ’ s summary essay in Solutions Journal : “ From a Failed Growth Economy to a Steady-State Economy.
” 4 .
The Violence of the Green Revolution – Vandana Shiva The physicist , ecologist , and food sovereignty advocate , exposes the mistakes of industrial agriculture and champions localized , community-scale food security .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and depleted soils , led to social injustice and violence , and caused ecological scarcity .
Shiva exposes the links between ecological destruction and poverty .
My all-time favorite ecology book , playfully but rigorously exploring complexity , co-evolution , a living systems language , and knowledge itself .
“ The major problems in the world , ” writes Bateson , “ are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think.
” In Bateson ’ s world , all mental divisions of nature are arbitrary .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves .
Bateson links our mental process with evolutionary process and urges ecologists to see those patterns that connect the apparent parts of the whole .
6 .
The Invention of Nature : Alexander von Humboldt ’ s New World – Andrea Wulf A scientific adventure story that follows Prussian naturalist Humboldt ( 1769-1859 ) as he falls in love with the natural world , travels across oceans , and through the Western Hemisphere .
Humbolt breaks away from conventional European science to discover a vision of nature as a magical , interconnected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influenced scientists and ecologists for two centuries , and Wulf ’ s inspired prose feels like a magical sea voyage itself .
Humanity ’ s overshoot of Earth ’ s capacity is fundamental to all other ecological crises : global heating , biodiversity collapse , toxins , soil loss , pandemics , starvation , and even violent conflict .
Catton examines this root cause and shows that we can not solve our ecological challenges without addressing overshoot .
Compiled between 600 and 300 BC , perhaps the world ’ s first ecological treatise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a life lived by an environmental ethic .
Taoism trusts and follows natural processes .
Effective action starts with a sense of sacredness in the natural world .
Legend tells us that the author , a revered sage , fled society for a life of contemplation in the wilderness .
A mountain Pass Keeper begged him to record his philosophy , which he did in little more than a thousand characters .
This book helps me avoid feeling depressed about the state of the world .
My favorite English translations are the Gia-Fu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ursula Le Guin ’ s Tao Te Ching : A Book About the Way .
An anthology of seminal essays inspired by Norwegian philosopher and activist Arne Naess , who founded the Deep Ecology tradition .
Naess sought to create an ecological paradigm shift in society – his work influenced the Greenpeace founders .
This collection includes essays by Naess , Chellis Glendinning , Gary Snyder , Dolores LaChapelle , Paul Shepard , and others , who examine the ecological tradition from Spinoza and Thoreau to Santayana and ecofeminism .
This book is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A core text for incoming students at the Harvard Innovation Lab , and a refreshing discussion of social change based on ecological aesthetics and patterns .
Bateson , daughter of Gregory ( see above ) , discards linear , mechanistic ways of thinking .
She seeks a language that reflects living systems and brings “ both rigor and imagination into the inquiry.
” She suggests an approach to “ mutual learning , ” modeled after the manner in which ecosystems learn and evolve .
This is a book about falling in love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s invitation and returning to Earth.
” Our sensory perception of the world is not a one-way observation , but is rather an active participation with nature .
In Abram ’ s world , magic is the very real reciprocity we can experience with the wild forces , where stones and ravens speak and shift our habits of perception .
Abram ’ s careful prose casts a spell of its own , reminding us why we are attracted to wild places in the first place .
Important essays by a working farmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for example , he examines how good solutions preserve the “ integrity of pattern , ” improve balance and symmetry , and address the whole system .
Well designed solutions solve multiple problems , localize needs , accept limits , use resources at hand , and distinguish ecological order from mechanical order .
These are seminal essays that set out the fundamental criteria for genuine ecological living .
Here are a few more I recommend : Almost 200 years ago , Thoreau advocated rejecting consumer society for simple living , self-sufficiency , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss of connection to nature traumatizes individuals and allows society to destroy its habitat .
Not just learning about the natural world , but learning from the natural world .
Biopiracy : The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge – Vandana Shiva ; South End Press , 2016 Genetic engineering and the dangerous commercialization of science and nature .
Our Ecological Footprint – William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel ; New Society , 1996 The Entropy Law and the Economic Process – Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen ; Harvard University Press , 1971 Gaia : A New Look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lovelock ; Oxford U. , 1979 How life creates optimum conditions for more complex life .
A Prosperous Way Down – Howard and Elisabeth Odum ; University of Colorado , 2001 How to wisely scale down economies to preserve Earth ’ s ecology .
The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game , Paul Shepard , Scribners,1973 .
Spiritual Ecology : The Cry of the Earth , Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee , Vandana Shiva , et al.
, The Golden Sufi Center .
Wilding : The Return of Nature to a British Farm , Isabella Tree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This Changes Everything , Naomi Klein , Simon and Shuster , 2015 .
Merchants of Doubt : How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming , Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway , Bloomsbury , 2011 The Sixth Extinction : An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert , Picador , 2015 .
The Reenchantment of the World , Morris Berman , Cornell U. , 1981 .
Mark Anielski , The Economics of Happiness ( New Society , 2007 ) ; A Whale for the Killing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 1972 .
Ecology and Poetics , a long history : Basho , Li Po , William Blake , Mary Oliver , Walt Whitman , Denise Levertov , Gary Snyder , Susan Griffin , Nanao Sakaki , Diane di Prima , Wendell Berry , and two great ecological poetry anthologies : Paddle to the Sea , Holling C. Holling , Houghton Mifflin , 1941 ( ages 6-12 ) .
We Are The Weather Makers The History , Tim Flannery & Sally Walker , Candlewick Press , 2009 ( age 12 + ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can support your local bookstore through coronavirus and beyond .

An ecology reading list for self-isolating environmentalists
There are over a million ecology books in print, and sorting through them might be a challenge. I’ve included some of the essential classics in the field. In my estimation, every ecologist and/or environmentalist would benefit by being aware of the information in these books.
The social isolation response to the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in our lifetimes. Perhaps not since the economic depression of the 1930s and World War II has the human family found itself so singularly engaged with shared global issues.
In any case, for fellow shut-in environmentalists facing weeks of relative isolation, I have compiled an ecology reading list. There are over a million ecology books in print, and sorting through them might be a challenge. I’ve included some of the essential classics in the field. In my estimation, every ecologist and/or environmentalist would benefit by being aware of the information in these books.
The first book is no book
Spend some time in the wildness. The best way to learn about nature is to feel, observe, smell, taste, hear and contemplate the habitats, processes, and patterns of wild systems and other wild beings.
We live inside a biosphere. Not just “on” Earth, but in Earth’s living biophysical systems, embedded parts of a living web. Any effort to understand the relationship between human enterprise and nature will benefit from a deep, direct experience and appreciation for our naturalness and our interdependence with other beings, communities, and systems of nature.
A reciprocity with nature cannot start with intellectualizations, but with the experience of being a naturally evolved life form in a co-evolving ecosystem, fed by a solar energy stream, made manifest with material transformation, nutrients, and biological processes. This deep experience means paying attention, observing, and feeling our ecosystem as it pays attention to us, observes, and feels us.
Even in a city, you can find opportunities to be a student of wild nature. Take walks. Sit by the water. Observe. Watch other creatures. Experience how entities grow and how communities form. Sense the experience of being a part of a living system.
An essential dozen ecology books
1. Silent Spring – Rachel Carson
This book launched the modern environmental movement. Carson documented the environmental and human health impact of pesticides, reframed the idea of scientific progress, and changed the course of history. After Silent Spring, chemical companies no longer enjoyed a free pass to introduce toxins into the environment. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature,” Carson wrote. “The more clearly we focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
2. Limits to Growth – Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, J. Randers, W. Behrens
This book clearly showed that human numbers, consumption, and economy cannot grow forever. The researchers tracked industrialization, population, food, energy, material resources, and pollution through 1970, projected out to 2100, and predicted that the early stages of global collapse would appear about now, early in the 21st century. Our current crises and many studies since confirm: They nailed it.
3. Steady State Economics – Herman Daly
Daly, a World Bank senior economist, examines the economic restructuring necessary to live on a finite planet. He corrects the errors of classic economics by showing that a human economy is a subsystem embedded in a finite, fragile ecosystem, maintained by extracting limited resources and exporting waste. A steady state economy accounts for the limits of both resources and waste. Here is Daly’s summary essay in Solutions Journal: “From a Failed Growth Economy to a Steady-State Economy.”
4. The Violence of the Green Revolution – Vandana Shiva
The physicist, ecologist, and food sovereignty advocate, exposes the mistakes of industrial agriculture and champions localized, community-scale food security. Chemical and fossil-fuel based agriculture has poisoned and depleted soils, led to social injustice and violence, and caused ecological scarcity. Shiva exposes the links between ecological destruction and poverty.
5. Mind and Nature – Gregory Bateson
My all-time favorite ecology book, playfully but rigorously exploring complexity, co-evolution, a living systems language, and knowledge itself. “The major problems in the world,” writes Bateson, “are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think.”
In Bateson’s world, all mental divisions of nature are arbitrary. We only witness relationships, not things in themselves. Bateson links our mental process with evolutionary process and urges ecologists to see those patterns that connect the apparent parts of the whole.
6. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World – Andrea Wulf
A scientific adventure story that follows Prussian naturalist Humboldt (1769-1859) as he falls in love with the natural world, travels across oceans, and through the Western Hemisphere. Humbolt breaks away from conventional European science to discover a vision of nature as a magical, interconnected system. Humbolt’s work has influenced scientists and ecologists for two centuries, and Wulf’s inspired prose feels like a magical sea voyage itself.
7. Overshoot – William Catton
Humanity’s overshoot of Earth’s capacity is fundamental to all other ecological crises: global heating, biodiversity collapse, toxins, soil loss, pandemics, starvation, and even violent conflict. Catton examines this root cause and shows that we cannot solve our ecological challenges without addressing overshoot.
8. Tao Te Ching (道德经) – Lao Tzu
Compiled between 600 and 300 BC, perhaps the world’s first ecological treatise, advocating direct communion with nature and a life lived by an environmental ethic. Taoism trusts and follows natural processes. Effective action starts with a sense of sacredness in the natural world. Legend tells us that the author, a revered sage, fled society for a life of contemplation in the wilderness. A mountain Pass Keeper begged him to record his philosophy, which he did in little more than a thousand characters.
This book helps me avoid feeling depressed about the state of the world. My favorite English translations are the Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English updated translation and Ursula Le Guin’s Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way.
9. Deep Ecology for the 21st Century – ed. George Sessions
An anthology of seminal essays inspired by Norwegian philosopher and activist Arne Naess, who founded the Deep Ecology tradition. Naess sought to create an ecological paradigm shift in society – his work influenced the Greenpeace founders. This collection includes essays by Naess, Chellis Glendinning, Gary Snyder, Dolores LaChapelle, Paul Shepard, and others, who examine the ecological tradition from Spinoza and Thoreau to Santayana and ecofeminism.
This book is the best available summary of Deep Ecology.
10. Small Arcs of Larger Circles – Nora Bateson
A core text for incoming students at the Harvard Innovation Lab, and a refreshing discussion of social change based on ecological aesthetics and patterns. Bateson, daughter of Gregory (see above), discards linear, mechanistic ways of thinking. She seeks a language that reflects living systems and brings “both rigor and imagination into the inquiry.” She suggests an approach to “mutual learning,” modeled after the manner in which ecosystems learn and evolve.
11. Spell of the Sensuous – David Abram
This is a book about falling in love with wildness, about accepting “gravity’s invitation and returning to Earth.” Our sensory perception of the world is not a one-way observation, but is rather an active participation with nature. In Abram’s world, magic is the very real reciprocity we can experience with the wild forces, where stones and ravens speak and shift our habits of perception.
Abram’s careful prose casts a spell of its own, reminding us why we are attracted to wild places in the first place.
12. The Gift of Good Land – Wendell Berry
Important essays by a working farmer. In “Solving for Pattern,” for example, he examines how good solutions preserve the “integrity of pattern,” improve balance and symmetry, and address the whole system. Well designed solutions solve multiple problems, localize needs, accept limits, use resources at hand, and distinguish ecological order from mechanical order. These are seminal essays that set out the fundamental criteria for genuine ecological living.
Digging Deeper
Here are a few more I recommend:
Walden and other Writings – Henry David Thoreau; Random House, 1854
Almost 200 years ago, Thoreau advocated rejecting consumer society for simple living, self-sufficiency, and a life of introspection
Nature and Madness – Paul Shepard; University of Georgia Press, 1998
How the loss of connection to nature traumatizes individuals and allows society to destroy its habitat.
Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature – Janine Benyus; William Morrow, 1997
Not just learning about the natural world, but learning from the natural world.
The Collapse of Complex Societies – Joseph Tainter; Cambridge U. Press, 1990
Why technology won’t solve ecological dysfunction.
Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge – Vandana Shiva; South End Press, 2016
Genetic engineering and the dangerous commercialization of science and nature.
Our Ecological Footprint – William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel; New Society, 1996
Regional consumption analysis used worldwide for green economic planning.
The Entropy Law and the Economic Process – Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen; Harvard University Press, 1971
A seminal, pioneering work of ecological economics.
Gaia: A New Look at Life on the Earth – James Lovelock; Oxford U., 1979
How life creates optimum conditions for more complex life.
The Population Bomb – Paul Ehrlich; Buccaneer Books, 1968
The early warning that population growth posed a critical ecology challenge.
Environment, Power, and Society – Howard T. Odum; Wiley Interscience, 1971
Energy transformations in ecology and economics.
A Prosperous Way Down – Howard and Elisabeth Odum; University of Colorado, 2001
How to wisely scale down economies to preserve Earth’s ecology.
Energy Transitions – Vaclav Smil; Prospects, Praeger, 2010
Historical and future analysis.
And more…
Sand County Almanac , Aldo Leopold, Oxford U. Press, 1949.
Desert Solitaire, Edward Abby: Touchstone, 1968.
The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, Paul Shepard, Scribners,1973.
Roderick Nash: The Rights of Nature, 1989.
Spiritual Ecology: The Cry of the Earth, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Vandana Shiva, et al., The Golden Sufi Center.
Exploring The Dangerous Trades, Alice Hamilton , Little, Brown, 1943.
Managing without Growth, Peter Victor, Edward Elgar, 2008
Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm, Isabella Tree, Picador / Pan Macmillan, 2018.
Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe, Ballantine Books, 1971.
This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein, Simon and Shuster, 2015.
Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, Bloomsbury, 2011
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Picador, 2015.
The Reenchantment of the World, Morris Berman, Cornell U., 1981.
Whatever Happened to Ecology, Stephanie Mills, Sierra Club, 1989;
The End of Nature, Bill McKibben, Viking, 1990.
The Rebirth of Nature, Rupert Sheldrake, Bantum, 1991.
Widening Circles, Joanna Macy (New Society, 2000);
Mark Anielski, The Economics of Happiness (New Society, 2007);
Two anthologies of early ecological ideas:
The Subversive Science, ed. Paul Shepard (Houghton Mifflin, 1969);
Thinking Green, ed. Michael Allaby, (Barrie & Jenkins, 1989).
Ecology in Literature:
Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, 2018.
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard, Harper & Row, 1974.
The Monkey Wrench Gang, Edward Abbey, J.B. Lippincott, 1975.
Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia, Banyen Tree, 1975.
A Whale for the Killing, Farley Mowat, McClelland and Stewart, 1972.
Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward, Bloomsbury, 2012.
Ecology and Poetics, a long history: Basho, Li Po, William Blake, Mary Oliver, Walt Whitman, Denise Levertov, Gary Snyder, Susan Griffin, Nanao Sakaki, Diane di Prima, Wendell Berry, and two great ecological poetry anthologies:
News of the Universe, ed. Robert Bly (Sierra Club, 1980)
Poems for the Wild Earth, ed. Gary Lawless (Blackberry Press, 1994)
Younger readers:
The Lorax, Dr. Seuss, Penguin Random House, 1971 (ages 6-12).
Paddle to the Sea, Holling C. Holling, Houghton Mifflin, 1941 (ages 6-12).
Prodigal Summer, Barbara Kingsolver, Harper-Collins, 2000 (age 12 +).
We Are The Weather Makers The History, Tim Flannery & Sally Walker, Candlewick Press, 2009 (age 12 +).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Here is a list of 10 ways you can support your local bookstore through coronavirus and beyond.


greenpeace--2020-04-08--Wake Up America! We are in a fight for our lives

Wake Up America !
We are in a fight for our lives A vibrant and functioning democracy is our greatest tool to address environmental degradation and climate emergency .
We know that when we vote in large numbers , we increase our ability to fight back against corporate polluters and monied interests that have hijacked our democratic process .
What keeps me up at night is not just the fear of the coronavirus pandemic ; it is the state of our democracy , rule of law , and our national election this fall .
Last week , U.S. House Speaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the November election by including funding to boost voting by mail in the next relief bill put together by Democrats in the House of Representatives .
Ensuring our elections are safe , inclusive , and timely is now more important than ever .
Respected academics have sounded the alarm that we are one step away from authoritarianism or dictatorship ; but we don ’ t need these celebrated writers to understand the gravity of the moment we are in .
In three years of the Trump Administration , we have seen an unprecedented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the demonization of immigrants .
We have also seen a remarkable shrinkage of political space for dissent and wanton disregard for the rule of law .
I know about dictatorship first hand .
I grew up in Nigeria , a country until recently ruled by a succession of military dictators .
I know that the price of freedom , democracy , and the rule of law is steep , and the alternative is unfathomable .
You may think it would never happen here , but think again .
It took Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democracy to fascism and the tyranny of Hitler and the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust .
In Trump , we have an amoral leader who rode to power on white ethno-nationalist fervor , shows profound disdain for the rule of law , and wants to completely deconstruct the administrative state .
Sound familiar ?
The next few months will be critical to the survival of our democracy and the fate of our country .
This week , House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said : changing election laws has “ nothing to do with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opposite is true .
A people centered democracy is essential in fighting the dual crisis of this pandemic , and climate change .
Casting a ballot should be easy , not a choice between losing our income and time , and jeopardizing our health and safety .
With the 2020 primaries being pushed back by months , people might abandon the ballot , afraid of going to their precinct—holding the same pen , or touching the same screen—that serves thousands of others .
What happens now will affect our future to come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ precondition for a healthy environment .
Indeed , a vibrant and functioning democracy is our greatest tool to address environmental degradation and climate emergency .
We know that when we vote in large numbers , we increase our ability to fight back against corporate polluters and monied interests that have hijacked our democratic process .
These are unprecedented times , and the opportunities to push for a system that works for us all are enormous .
Historical trigger moments like the one we are living through calls for a movement response to push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to democracy , the rule of law , solidarity actions , and social and racial equity to rebuild our communities and a more just and equitable world for our children to the seventh generation .
Some Democrats fear voting by mail could exclude people of color and low-income voters who tend to move around and change addresses frequently .
This is why it is essential that we pursue comprehensive reform to make voting as accessible and easy as possible .
Same-day registration , automatic registration , and registration at public benefit agencies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase turnout and close the gap between those with access to the ballot box and those without .
Voting by mail is a critical reform , but should not be pursued in a vacuum .
As we approach one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime , the stakes for our democracy and the environment has never been higher .
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 , we have been pressuring Congress to fund necessary long term changes to the conduct of our elections in addition to taking care of our frontline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our communities during this coronavirus pandemic .
People should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote .
The allocation of $ 400 million under the current stimulus package is only good as a downpayment for what is really needed , more than $ 2 billion to fund state-level measures that expand voter registration , in-person early voting , no-excuse absentee voting , voting by mail , voter education and safe in-person voting during the upcoming November general elections .
This is a fight we will continue when Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s moments like this one that can decide our fate .
I , for one , am fighting for a democracy of the people for a better , healthier , more just planet .
The elections are coming , and we have to make sure we ’ re prepared to make our voice heard .
Safely .

Wake Up America! We are in a fight for our lives
A vibrant and functioning democracy is our greatest tool to address environmental degradation and climate emergency. We know that when we vote in large numbers, we increase our ability to fight back against corporate polluters and monied interests that have hijacked our democratic process.
What keeps me up at night is not just the fear of the coronavirus pandemic; it is the state of our democracy, rule of law, and our national election this fall. Last week, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wants to virus-proof the November election by including funding to boost voting by mail in the next relief bill put together by Democrats in the House of Representatives. Ensuring our elections are safe, inclusive, and timely is now more important than ever.
Respected academics have sounded the alarm that we are one step away from authoritarianism or dictatorship; but we don’t need these celebrated writers to understand the gravity of the moment we are in. In three years of the Trump Administration, we have seen an unprecedented march towards white nationalist fervor, xenophobia, and the demonization of immigrants. We have also seen a remarkable shrinkage of political space for dissent and wanton disregard for the rule of law.
I know about dictatorship first hand.
I grew up in Nigeria, a country until recently ruled by a succession of military dictators. I know that the price of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law is steep, and the alternative is unfathomable. You may think it would never happen here, but think again. It took Germany a few months to go from a democracy to fascism and the tyranny of Hitler and the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust.
In Trump, we have an amoral leader who rode to power on white ethno-nationalist fervor, shows profound disdain for the rule of law, and wants to completely deconstruct the administrative state. Sound familiar?
The next few months will be critical to the survival of our democracy and the fate of our country.
This week, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said: changing election laws has “nothing to do with our war against the disease.” But the opposite is true. A people centered democracy is essential in fighting the dual crisis of this pandemic, and climate change. Casting a ballot should be easy, not a choice between losing our income and time, and jeopardizing our health and safety. With the 2020 primaries being pushed back by months, people might abandon the ballot, afraid of going to their precinct—holding the same pen, or touching the same screen—that serves thousands of others. What happens now will affect our future to come. A healthy democracy is a necessary precondition for a healthy environment. Indeed, a vibrant and functioning democracy is our greatest tool to address environmental degradation and climate emergency. We know that when we vote in large numbers, we increase our ability to fight back against corporate polluters and monied interests that have hijacked our democratic process.
These are unprecedented times, and the opportunities to push for a system that works for us all are enormous. Historical trigger moments like the one we are living through calls for a movement response to push a progressive agenda centered around our collective commitment to democracy, the rule of law, solidarity actions, and social and racial equity to rebuild our communities and a more just and equitable world for our children to the seventh generation.
In three years of the Trump Administration, we have seen an unprecedented march towards white nationalist fervor, xenophobia, and the demonization of immigrants.
Some Democrats fear voting by mail could exclude people of color and low-income voters who tend to move around and change addresses frequently. This is why it is essential that we pursue comprehensive reform to make voting as accessible and easy as possible. Same-day registration, automatic registration, and registration at public benefit agencies are all policies that have been shown to increase turnout and close the gap between those with access to the ballot box and those without. Voting by mail is a critical reform, but should not be pursued in a vacuum.
As we approach one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, the stakes for our democracy and the environment has never been higher. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have been pressuring Congress to fund necessary long term changes to the conduct of our elections in addition to taking care of our frontline healthcare workers and the most vulnerable in our communities during this coronavirus pandemic. People should not have to choose between their health and their right to vote. The allocation of $400 million under the current stimulus package is only good as a downpayment for what is really needed, more than $2 billion to fund state-level measures that expand voter registration, in-person early voting, no-excuse absentee voting, voting by mail, voter education and safe in-person voting during the upcoming November general elections. This is a fight we will continue when Congress reconvenes later this month.
Wake up America!
It’s moments like this one that can decide our fate. I, for one, am fighting for a democracy of the people for a better, healthier, more just planet. The elections are coming, and we have to make sure we’re prepared to make our voice heard. Safely.


greenpeace--2020-04-03--Indigenous rights and forest protection: more important than ever!

Indigenous rights and forest protection : more important than ever !
Itahu Ka ’ apor , a forest guardian in the Brazilian Amazon , said this to me a couple of years ago .
Here ’ s why we must heed his words .
In 2018 , I traveled through the Amazon rainforest and saw the courage of Indigenous peoples there : the true guardians of the last frontiers of this forest .
My journey took me from Brazil to Ecuador .
The first Indigenous territory I visited , Alto Turiaçu in Brazil , is protected by the Ka ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a forest guardians program .
Their entire community is protecting the region ’ s rich biodiversity by facing destructive logging and big agricultural companies that are eating away at the forest .
Several community members have been trained and are working courageously every day to monitor the area .
The results of their work are so impressive .
A few days later , when I met anthropologist Manoel Ribeiro Ruth Moraes , from the Federal University of Pará in Belem , he showed me a map worth a thousand words .
Here it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ map is the Alto Turiaçu territory , the only area of forest still intact .
It is bravely preserved by the forest guardians of the Ka ’ apor people .
Manoel Ribeiro has been studying the area for a long time and explained that the greatest defenders of the Amazon are the Indigenous peoples .
But he added that for these peoples to continue this work of preservation , it is essential to recognize their territorial rights .
According to Manoel , as well as empirical data , the survival of the forest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moment , several countries , particularly Brazil , have gone backwards in terms of land rights .
“ It is more important than ever for people to be aware and hold governments accountable , whether in Brazil or elsewhere , to value the rights of these peoples , ” Manoel explained .
Three months later , I met the A ’ i Kofan , another group of Indigenous peoples more than 7,000 km away , on the other side of the Amazon .
The A ’ i Kofan have also set up a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ecuadorian Amazon .
In their case , they organize themselves to resist the mining industries that enter their territories and chew up riverbeds with heavy machinery in order to extract minerals .
The region ’ s watersheds are contaminated by these activities and by the many chemicals used , which then flow into the great Amazon basin .
Mercury contamination is very high among local residents .
Several of them , including the A ’ i Kofan , have formed an important alliance to protect the Ecuadorian Amazon : the Alianza Ceibo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives , it is all the more important to highlight the courage of the guardians of the forest , and just how much they are sacrificing to protect the land .
In Brazil , there have been 49 murders in less than 20 years in the Guajajara Indigenous community alone , the highest rate in the region .
You may have heard of Paulino Guajajara , who gave his life for the forest .
Zezico Rodrigues , also of the Guajajara Indigenous People , was found dead just a few days ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indigenous School Education Center , Rodrigues had a dominant role in defending the traditional territory of the Guajajara People .
We must show the Brazilian government and others across the globe that murders of environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples do not go unnoticed — not during the COVID-19 crisis , not ever .
As we fight to save the forests , we too must fight for those who best protect it .
Forests in Canada are also under enormous industrial pressure and biodiversity is in decline .
We can all think of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ struggle to protect their territory .
And in Quebec ’ s Val d ’ Or , an iconic woodland caribou herd has now dwindled to an estimated 7 remaining individuals in their degraded Boreal forest .
Despite the Lac Simon First Nation ’ s many warnings over the years , real solutions to protect the herd and its habitat have not been put in place .
The work of conservationists on the front line Whether they are opposing clear-cut logging , devastating extractive development projects , or the loss of biodiversity , millions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peoples are on the front lines .
To face the multiple crises surrounding us , we must follow the example of environmental defenders .
The forests of biodiversity that surround us will allow us to build a healthy and sustainable future together , for generations to come .

Indigenous rights and forest protection: more important than ever!
“Trees are alive and they support the lives of thousands of beings. Animals and humans depend on it. My people realize that this forest is crucial for humanity. But humanity must help us protect it. ”
Itahu Ka’apor, a forest guardian in the Brazilian Amazon, said this to me a couple of years ago. Here’s why we must heed his words.
In 2018, I traveled through the Amazon rainforest and saw the courage of Indigenous peoples there: the true guardians of the last frontiers of this forest. My journey took me from Brazil to Ecuador. The first Indigenous territory I visited, Alto Turiaçu in Brazil, is protected by the Ka’apor people. They have set up a forest guardians program. Their entire community is protecting the region’s rich biodiversity by facing destructive logging and big agricultural companies that are eating away at the forest. Several community members have been trained and are working courageously every day to monitor the area.
The results of their work are so impressive. A few days later, when I met anthropologist Manoel Ribeiro Ruth Moraes, from the Federal University of Pará in Belem, he showed me a map worth a thousand words. Here it is:
In the center of the map is the Alto Turiaçu territory, the only area of forest still intact. It is bravely preserved by the forest guardians of the Ka’apor people.
Manoel Ribeiro has been studying the area for a long time and explained that the greatest defenders of the Amazon are the Indigenous peoples. But he added that for these peoples to continue this work of preservation, it is essential to recognize their territorial rights. According to Manoel, as well as empirical data, the survival of the forest depends on it. But at the moment, several countries, particularly Brazil, have gone backwards in terms of land rights. “It is more important than ever for people to be aware and hold governments accountable, whether in Brazil or elsewhere, to value the rights of these peoples,” Manoel explained.
The A’i Kofan of Ecuador
Three months later, I met the A’i Kofan, another group of Indigenous peoples more than 7,000 km away, on the other side of the Amazon. The A’i Kofan have also set up a forest guardian program in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In their case, they organize themselves to resist the mining industries that enter their territories and chew up riverbeds with heavy machinery in order to extract minerals.
The region’s watersheds are contaminated by these activities and by the many chemicals used, which then flow into the great Amazon basin. Mercury contamination is very high among local residents. Several of them, including the A’i Kofan, have formed an important alliance to protect the Ecuadorian Amazon: the Alianza Ceibo.
Dangers facing forest guardians
As many environmental defenders lose their lives, it is all the more important to highlight the courage of the guardians of the forest, and just how much they are sacrificing to protect the land. In Brazil, there have been 49 murders in less than 20 years in the Guajajara Indigenous community alone, the highest rate in the region. You may have heard of Paulino Guajajara, who gave his life for the forest. Zezico Rodrigues, also of the Guajajara Indigenous People, was found dead just a few days ago. A teacher and director in the Azuru Indigenous School Education Center, Rodrigues had a dominant role in defending the traditional territory of the Guajajara People.
We must show the Brazilian government and others across the globe that murders of environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples do not go unnoticed — not during the COVID-19 crisis, not ever. As we fight to save the forests, we too must fight for those who best protect it.
Forests in Canada Under Threat
Forests in Canada are also under enormous industrial pressure and biodiversity is in decline. We can all think of the Wet’suwet’en peoples’ struggle to protect their territory. And in Quebec’s Val d’Or, an iconic woodland caribou herd has now dwindled to an estimated 7 remaining individuals in their degraded Boreal forest. Despite the Lac Simon First Nation’s many warnings over the years, real solutions to protect the herd and its habitat have not been put in place.
The work of conservationists on the front line
Whether they are opposing clear-cut logging, devastating extractive development projects, or the loss of biodiversity, millions of peoples are protecting forests and Indigenous peoples are on the front lines.
To face the multiple crises surrounding us, we must follow the example of environmental defenders. The forests of biodiversity that surround us will allow us to build a healthy and sustainable future together, for generations to come.


greenpeace--2020-04-01--Greenpeace stands in solidarity with the Guajajara people as yet another Indigenous leader is murder

Greenpeace stands in solidarity with the Guajajara people as yet another Indigenous leader is murdered Yesterday , we received news that yet another Indigenous leader was murdered while fighting against invasions and illegal logging in his people ’ s territory .
Yesterday , we received news that yet another Indigenous leader was murdered while fighting against invasions and illegal logging in his people ’ s territory .
Zezico Rodrigues , of the Guajajara Indigenous People , was found dead on Tuesday , March 31st , on Arariboia Indigenous Land ( TI ) in the Brazilian State of Maranhão .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ School Education Center , Rodrigues had a dominant role in defending the traditional territory of the Guajajara People .
As a leader , he took a stand against cutting down the forest and had been continually documenting the growing presence of invaders and illegal logging in the Arariboia Indigenous Land .
On March 29th , Rodrigues was appointed regional coordinator of the Commission for Chiefs and Leaders of the Arariboia Indigenous Land ( Cocalitia ) .
He was also a defender of the rights of the Awá-Guajá people , a group living in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ death marks the 49th homicide against the Guajajara Indigenous People , a population that exists in a handful of legally recognized Indigenous Lands in the Northeastern Amazon , since 2000 .
In the last two months of 2019 alone , four Guajajara Indigenous People were murdered .
Among them was Paulo Paulino Guajajara , a member of Guardians of the Forest , a group formed to monitor and defend traditional Indigenous territories against the presence of invaders .
Following the murders in 2019 , the Minister of Justice and Public Security Sergio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Security Force to patrol the Cana Brava Guajajara Indigenous Land , in the state of Maranhão , for 90 days .
However , measures have not been implemented to ensure the continuous protection of Indigenous Peoples , and violence continues in the region .
In January 2020 , President Jair Bolsonaro said that he hoped to “ integrate Indigenous Peoples and afro-descendent Quilombolas ” because he thinks that these populations — whose territories are frequently under threat — have “ too much land.
” Bolsonaro ’ s speech to forcefully integrate Indigenous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followers , who feel empowered to invade territories , create division , threaten , and attack Indigenous leaders .
As a result , Indigenous Peoples have reported an increase in violence towards their own communities .
This trend has cropped up not only in the Amazon , but across the country — for example , the recent murder of Demilson Ovelar Mender Avá-Guarani in the state of Paraná .
The astounding number of homicides against the Guajajara people , many of which go unpunished or without completed investigations , is part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — especially by loggers , miners , and land grabbers — is constant .
What the Guajajara people are experiencing is tragic and shows how vulnerable many Indigenous communities are throughout Brazil — even those who live on land that , under the Brazilian constitution , should have the protection of the state .
The daily harassment of isolated Indigenous Peoples by invaders becomes even more concerning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Historically , Indigenous Peoples in Brazil have been in a precarious position in terms of access to health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet rapid transmission of COVID-19 makes it even more vital that the federal government guarantees their safety , their lives , and their territories .
The agenda of Bolsonaro ’ s government has been to dismantle policies that protect Indigenous rights .
This has become increasingly evident with the complete halt in legal recognition of Indigenous lands , and even the cancelation of others , such as the Guasu Guavira Indigenous Land in western Paraná state .
In addition , the government has reduced the patrolling of Indigenous Peoples ’ lands and government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric that encourages the invasion of legally recognized and consolidated lands , as we have seen in the cases of the Arariboia and Karipuna lands , in the state of Rondônia , and Raposa Serra do Sol , in the state of Roraima .
We must show the Brazilian government and others across the globe that murders of environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples do not go unnoticed — not during the COVID-19 crisis , not ever .
As we fight to save the forests , we too must fight for those who best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adapted from a statement in Portuguese by Greenpeace Brazil and partners Centro de Trabalho Indigenista ( CTI ) , Conselho Indigenista Missionário ( Cimi ) , and Instituto Socioambiental ( ISA ) and contextualized for a broader audience .

Greenpeace stands in solidarity with the Guajajara people as yet another Indigenous leader is murdered
Yesterday, we received news that yet another Indigenous leader was murdered while fighting against invasions and illegal logging in his people’s territory.
Yesterday, we received news that yet another Indigenous leader was murdered while fighting against invasions and illegal logging in his people’s territory.
Zezico Rodrigues, of the Guajajara Indigenous People, was found dead on Tuesday, March 31st, on Arariboia Indigenous Land (TI) in the Brazilian State of Maranhão. A teacher and director in the Azuru Indigenous School Education Center, Rodrigues had a dominant role in defending the traditional territory of the Guajajara People. As a leader, he took a stand against cutting down the forest and had been continually documenting the growing presence of invaders and illegal logging in the Arariboia Indigenous Land. On March 29th, Rodrigues was appointed regional coordinator of the Commission for Chiefs and Leaders of the Arariboia Indigenous Land (Cocalitia). He was also a defender of the rights of the Awá-Guajá people, a group living in voluntary isolation on Arariboia land.
Rodrigues’ death marks the 49th homicide against the Guajajara Indigenous People, a population that exists in a handful of legally recognized Indigenous Lands in the Northeastern Amazon, since 2000. In the last two months of 2019 alone, four Guajajara Indigenous People were murdered. Among them was Paulo Paulino Guajajara, a member of Guardians of the Forest, a group formed to monitor and defend traditional Indigenous territories against the presence of invaders.
Following the murders in 2019, the Minister of Justice and Public Security Sergio Moro authorized the use of the National Public Security Force to patrol the Cana Brava Guajajara Indigenous Land, in the state of Maranhão, for 90 days. However, measures have not been implemented to ensure the continuous protection of Indigenous Peoples, and violence continues in the region.
In January 2020, President Jair Bolsonaro said that he hoped to “integrate Indigenous Peoples and afro-descendent Quilombolas” because he thinks that these populations — whose territories are frequently under threat — have “too much land.” Bolsonaro’s speech to forcefully integrate Indigenous Peoples was a dangerous invitation to his followers, who feel empowered to invade territories, create division, threaten, and attack Indigenous leaders. As a result, Indigenous Peoples have reported an increase in violence towards their own communities. This trend has cropped up not only in the Amazon, but across the country — for example, the recent murder of Demilson Ovelar Mender Avá-Guarani in the state of Paraná.
The astounding number of homicides against the Guajajara people, many of which go unpunished or without completed investigations, is part of the Brazilian reality where encroachment on Indigenous lands — especially by loggers, miners, and land grabbers — is constant. What the Guajajara people are experiencing is tragic and shows how vulnerable many Indigenous communities are throughout Brazil — even those who live on land that, under the Brazilian constitution, should have the protection of the state.
The daily harassment of isolated Indigenous Peoples by invaders becomes even more concerning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically, Indigenous Peoples in Brazil have been in a precarious position in terms of access to health services and exposure to new diseases; yet rapid transmission of COVID-19 makes it even more vital that the federal government guarantees their safety, their lives, and their territories.
The agenda of Bolsonaro’s government has been to dismantle policies that protect Indigenous rights. This has become increasingly evident with the complete halt in legal recognition of Indigenous lands, and even the cancelation of others, such as the Guasu Guavira Indigenous Land in western Paraná state. In addition, the government has reduced the patrolling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands and government officials, including the President, employ rhetoric that encourages the invasion of legally recognized and consolidated lands, as we have seen in the cases of the Arariboia and Karipuna lands, in the state of Rondônia, and Raposa Serra do Sol, in the state of Roraima.
We must show the Brazilian government and others across the globe that murders of environmental defenders and Indigenous Peoples do not go unnoticed — not during the COVID-19 crisis, not ever. As we fight to save the forests, we too must fight for those who best protect it.
Zezico presente! Long live Zezico!
This post has been adapted from a statement in Portuguese by Greenpeace Brazil and partners Centro de Trabalho Indigenista (CTI), Conselho Indigenista Missionário (Cimi), and Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) and contextualized for a broader audience.


greenpeace--2020-03-30--Explore the ocean from home: videos to transport you

Explore the ocean from home : videos to transport you The ocean is a salve in times of anxiety and overwhelm .
Perhaps it ’ s the ocean ’ s vastness , the feeling of sand between our toes , or the rhythmic sound of waves crashing that soothes us .
Whatever it is , it can work wonders .
There ’ s no doubt that these are strange and challenging times .
We hope you and your loved ones are safe and well .
Most people don ’ t have access to the ocean , so we thought we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : a list of beautiful , transformative ocean videos that you can watch from your couch .
While it ’ s important to stay informed , it ’ s also vital to give your brain a break .
Take a moment to immerse yourself in the soothing visuals and sounds of the ocean , with plenty of beautiful wildlife thrown in for good measure .
Swim with seals in New Zealand Listen to an ice concert in the Arctic Voyage to the Antarctic with Javier Bardem ( 360 VR ) Join our expedition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to it , help us create a huge network of ocean sanctuaries to keep our oceans healthy .
Tell US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , to agree to a strong Global Ocean Treaty at the UN .

Explore the ocean from home: videos to transport you
The ocean is a salve in times of anxiety and overwhelm. Perhaps it’s the ocean’s vastness, the feeling of sand between our toes, or the rhythmic sound of waves crashing that soothes us. Whatever it is, it can work wonders.
There’s no doubt that these are strange and challenging times. We hope you and your loved ones are safe and well.
Most people don’t have access to the ocean, so we thought we’d compile the next best thing: a list of beautiful, transformative ocean videos that you can watch from your couch.
While it’s important to stay informed, it’s also vital to give your brain a break. Take a moment to immerse yourself in the soothing visuals and sounds of the ocean, with plenty of beautiful wildlife thrown in for good measure.
Swim with seals in New Zealand
Fly over the ocean
Listen to an ice concert in the Arctic
Swim in the colorful Salish Sea
Voyage to the Antarctic with Javier Bardem (360 VR)
Five soothing minutes of underwater footage: Australian’s southern coast
Freedive with seals in Australia
Join our expedition from Pole to Pole
If you feel up to it, help us create a huge network of ocean sanctuaries to keep our oceans healthy. Tell US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to agree to a strong Global Ocean Treaty at the UN.
Add your name


greenpeace--2020-03-26--How the plastic industry is exploiting anxiety about COVID-19

How the plastic industry is exploiting anxiety about COVID-19 The plastic industry is using COVID-19 to exploit people ’ s fears around sanitation and hygiene to interfere with legislation banning or regulating the use of single-use plastic bags .
It ’ s been an intense couple of weeks with numbers of COVID-19 cases increasing , but it has also been hopeful to see people join together to protect humanity through social distancing and mutual aid .
Unfortunately , the plastic industry is opportunistically using this public health crisis to exploit people ’ s fears around sanitation and hygiene to interfere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of single-use plastic—most notably plastic bags .
Showing their brazen opportunism , the Plastics Industry Association ( PLASTICS ) , which has long advocated against plastic bans nationwide , has sent a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services urging them to “ make a public statement on the health and safety benefits seen in single-use plastics , ” despite the recent research showing that COVID-19 can live on plastic surfaces longer than others .
The letter relies mostly on the same industry-funded research that has been touted by think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years , the plastics industry has funded and promoted research to try to discredit the growing movement to end single-use plastic pollution .
And when COVID-19 began to spread , they saw a chance to strike and activate their network of pro-plastic surrogates .
Now more than ever , we need independent guidance from medical professionals to inform our decisions around hygiene and shopping .
People ’ s safety should come before profits .
During this time of high anxiety and stress , the spread of misinformation by these petrochemical-funded groups , like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institute , is not just opportunistic , but irresponsible and dangerous .
Plastic does not inherently make something clean and safe , and we should not confuse corporate public relations with science-based medical research .
Two recent studies have concluded that plastics are among the surfaces that human coronaviruses may survive on for the longest , of several surfaces .
After these studies were publicized , several media outlets began portraying researcher ‘ warnings ’ about the potential for reusable grocery bags to transmit the new coronavirus and COVID-19 , despite the fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the surfaces examined .
These narratives falsely conflate older studies on bacteria on reusable bags with new studies or concerns about coronavirus to “ prove ” that plastic bags are the safest way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus .
Not only is this inaccurate , but it is a harmful deflection from the recent studies demonstrating that the virus will persist on plastic longer than almost any material examined , which is an important piece of information for people trying to safely navigate the grocery store during a time of crisis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ propaganda have a long , documented history of deploying similar PR tactics for fossil fuel industry clients .
The Manhattan Institute , which has been front and center advocating for continued use of throwaway plastic grocery bags in recent weeks , has for decades worked as a front group to dismiss climate science and battle against environmental policies .
We don ’ t yet have all of the answers on COVID-19 to ensure both customer and worker safety , but those decisions should not be made based on disinformation and talking points from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we encourage you to follow the advice of health experts and take the measures you need to keep you , your family and employees healthy and safe .
To read the Greenpeace USA research brief , please click here .

How the plastic industry is exploiting anxiety about COVID-19
The plastic industry is using COVID-19 to exploit people’s fears around sanitation and hygiene to interfere with legislation banning or regulating the use of single-use plastic bags.
It’s been an intense couple of weeks with numbers of COVID-19 cases increasing, but it has also been hopeful to see people join together to protect humanity through social distancing and mutual aid. Unfortunately, the plastic industry is opportunistically using this public health crisis to exploit people’s fears around sanitation and hygiene to interfere with legislation banning or regulating the use of single-use plastic—most notably plastic bags.
Showing their brazen opportunism, the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), which has long advocated against plastic bans nationwide, has sent a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services urging them to “make a public statement on the health and safety benefits seen in single-use plastics,” despite the recent research showing that COVID-19 can live on plastic surfaces longer than others. The letter relies mostly on the same industry-funded research that has been touted by think tanks and plastic surrogates nationwide.
For years, the plastics industry has funded and promoted research to try to discredit the growing movement to end single-use plastic pollution. And when COVID-19 began to spread, they saw a chance to strike and activate their network of pro-plastic surrogates. Now more than ever, we need independent guidance from medical professionals to inform our decisions around hygiene and shopping. People’s safety should come before profits.
During this time of high anxiety and stress, the spread of misinformation by these petrochemical-funded groups, like the Manhattan Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is not just opportunistic, but irresponsible and dangerous.
Plastic does not inherently make something clean and safe, and we should not confuse corporate public relations with science-based medical research. Two recent studies have concluded that plastics are among the surfaces that human coronaviruses may survive on for the longest, of several surfaces. After these studies were publicized, several media outlets began portraying researcher ‘warnings’ about the potential for reusable grocery bags to transmit the new coronavirus and COVID-19, despite the fact that reusable grocery bags were not among the surfaces examined.
These narratives falsely conflate older studies on bacteria on reusable bags with new studies or concerns about coronavirus to “prove” that plastic bags are the safest way to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. Not only is this inaccurate, but it is a harmful deflection from the recent studies demonstrating that the virus will persist on plastic longer than almost any material examined, which is an important piece of information for people trying to safely navigate the grocery store during a time of crisis.
Many of the think tanks circulating this propaganda have a long, documented history of deploying similar PR tactics for fossil fuel industry clients. The Manhattan Institute, which has been front and center advocating for continued use of throwaway plastic grocery bags in recent weeks, has for decades worked as a front group to dismiss climate science and battle against environmental policies.
We don’t yet have all of the answers on COVID-19 to ensure both customer and worker safety, but those decisions should not be made based on disinformation and talking points from the plastic industry.
During this pandemic, we encourage you to follow the advice of health experts and take the measures you need to keep you, your family and employees healthy and safe.
To read the Greenpeace USA research brief, please click here.


greenpeace--2020-03-23--Alone, Together: how Greenpeacers are finding hope and connection amid a pandemic

Alone , Together : how Greenpeacers are finding hope and connection amid a pandemic Focus on the beauty around you .
It ’ s there if you look for it , even in the tiniest things .
Flowers bursting from the ground this spring , the chorus of birds singing in the trees , even the way the light streams in the window .
Know that humanity will get through this , hopefully emerging into a world that is better because we can refocus on what is really important .
These are unsettling times for all of us—even more so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working with fewer resources , have limited emergency funds , work as first responders , or are in high-risk groups .
As with the climate crisis , we are all facing a life-changing threat .
In these early days , we asked Greenpeacers to share what ’ s on their mind and how they are coping—good , bad , and in between .
We strive to be transparent with you in all we do , and this one way we can remind each other of the many ways we are connected—not just for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earth , but in the challenges and joys in this strange time .
My daughter is home from college .
She thrives on social contact so has organized with her friends group baking sessions ( they made chocolate chip cookies yesterday in 5 states simultaneously ) , group exercise classes , and group study classes .
I am also thinking about how we—we who are such believers in the power of collective action—can continue to advance work for a country that provides real security for everyone in this moment .
I have come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by my daughter : alone-together .
While in mandatory stay-at-home , they can bake cookies alone-together .
We can push for climate solutions , a robust social safety net , access to health care , and all the things we know the world needs alone-together .
My 88 year old mother is in Seattle .
All three of her kids are in the Bay Area .
Do we bring her here ?
Is it safe for her to fly ?
She suggests driving , but that is a long drive .
Does one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions are just a microcosm of what people around the world are grappling with .
I am grateful that we have roofs over our head—more than many people have .
Hard to concentrate on battling the climate crisis and more while worried about my mother , but the climate crisis threatens to upend society just like COVID-19 did .
What can we learn from our societal response to this ?
As a country , we are going to have to spend big to help get through this—how do we ensure those expenditures move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more prosperous world for all ?
— Calvin Tran , Development Operations Assistant I ’ m twenty-two years old and live with my family just a metro ’ s ride away from our DC headquarters .
Beyond the global pandemic happening before us , I ’ ve found exciting opportunities in working from home and adjusting to a socially distanced lifestyle .
During the work hours , I ’ ve found new ways to keep in touch with my friends and coworkers digitally .
I ’ m also spending more quality time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the more significant and valuable in these turbulent times .
In my spare time , I ’ m rediscovering my creative side !
I ’ ve picked back up my guitar and harmonica , and my journal is filling up with new poems and entries .
My evening jogs have gotten surprisingly more pleasant too as the weather is warming up and there are less cars buzzing by .
We don ’ t know when things may return back to normal , or if they truly ever will , but the sheer amount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve witnessed is enough to keep me going .
I work on a global team , which gives me an interesting perspective that has helped a lot .
Many of my colleagues in Asia , especially China and Hong Kong , started feeling the panic and anxiety from this crisis several weeks ago .
Over time it changed to grief and isolation .
And then their focus seemed to shift to creativity , hope , new ways of connecting with each other , and noticing the beauty that is all around us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That journey is one that gives me a lot of hope , knowing that we will pull through these dark times .
And it is described really well in this TEDx Talk by Chris Jordan .
My colleagues in Europe are feeling the panic and grief now , but there are moments of beauty and stories of connection emerging .
And here in the U.S. , of course , we ’ re starting to feel it too .
So my advice : focus on the beauty around you .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in the tiniest things .
Flowers bursting from the ground this spring , the chorus of birds singing in the trees , even the way the light streams in the window .
Slow down , breathe , cry when you need to , laugh , tell your friends and family you love them .
Hug your pets , cook something , read a great book .
And know that humanity will get through this , hopefully emerging into a world that is better because we can refocus on what is really important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ text loops with friends , family , and co-workers .
We share how we ’ re doing ; sometimes that includes sharing upsetting articles and our challenges and fears , and other times it ’ s funny memes or jokes or special memories .
So far , I ’ ve been Rickrolled ( yes , it can still happen in 2020 ) , learned that one of my friends had absolutely no idea who Idris Elba is ( what !
?
!
? )
, enjoyed beautiful song and the Macarena in Italy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call for social distancing .
I ’ ve shared free online workouts with friends and colleagues ( Planet Fitness does one daily , the one and only Yoga With Adriene , and PopSugar ’ s upbeat cardio and strength training sessions ) .
I ’ ve also watched this handwashing video sooooo many times and filmed a version with my spouse , though it ’ s not quite ready for a public debut just yet .
I ’ m also appreciating the love and kindness of adorable animal friends .
When I get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be overwhelmed .
I check-in with my spouse , friends on those text loops , and try to take some time to do whatever I need to , knowing that those feelings will pass and they will no doubt return and that is okay .
I ’ m trying to remember to breathe and breathe deeply and take breaks from the endless news cycle and distract myself .
I ’ m reminded that , more than ever , despite our differences , we are in this together and we are interconnected .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out for one another , and fight for a more peaceful and just future for all .
So , please , please , please wash your hands , practice social distancing , and take action in your networks to encourage people to stay healthy and safe and able to navigate this difficult time .
In closing , here ’ s something special .
I hope it brings you as much joy as it did for me .
I have a few friends who I normally exercise with .
We go to yoga classes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run .
In order to keep ourselves motivated and healthy , we ’ ve created a “ Flatten/Strengthen the Curve ( s ) ” challenge .
Every day , we are challenging each other to do 200 crunches , 100 squats , and 50 push-ups .
One thing that always helps me in stressful and uncertain times is the creative process .
I recently taught myself how to bead , as a way of connecting with my Indigenous culture .
Right now I can only make earrings , and each set takes me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the repetitive nature of stringing the beads together in beautiful patterns is sacred , soothing , therapeutic , and teaches me new depths of patience as I go .
I ’ ve also been able to dedicate more time to writing , something I usually struggle to find time for .
I ’ ve been turning to the outdoors whenever I feel my mood dipping downwards — whether that ’ s in the form of a hike with my dog , hammocking in my yard , or sitting on my porch and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being nourished by the sun is one of my favorite methods of recentering and recharging , and is really helping me through these turbulent times .
Uncertainty is not easy for any of us .
In the last week , I ’ ve felt everything from crippling fear to sheer joy .
As much as I crave our routines , I find myself appreciating these moments of unexpected delight : My five year old , living her best life , flying by on her new pedal bike , proclaiming , “ Mom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And PROUD !
” A family walk in the National Arboretum , admiring the stunning cherry blossoms and magnolias , moving our bodies , and feeling the sun on our skin .
My one year old , giggling and pushing a cart around the living room as she gets ready to walk .
Smiles exchanged with a neighbor , both of us enjoying the quiet in our typically busy neighborhood .
Spring in DC is always glorious , but this year , its arrival—its promise—feels more meaningful .
It feels like this will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know how bad it will get or when it will end .
It will be hard to watch statistics be instantiated as people we know and love .
We may get sick ourselves .
The unknown—from mundane issues of supplies to the constant worry if I did enough to protect myself and my family—is unnerving at best .
I look forward to embracing my friends again , to watching our kids play together , and to moving about the world with less fear .
Those moments feel far away right now , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my husband and I are taking a cue from our children , trying to be fully present in this moment .
And then the next .
And then the next .
At the same time , though it feels things are somehow on hold and spiraling at the same time , we can not let up .
We can not , collectively , take our eye off of this administration , nor the corporations who ravage our earth—not for a moment .
We will continue to push for immediate relief for those who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greenpeace is here for the long haul , and we hope you are , too .
Amid the chaos , take time to pause .
To feel the sun on your face , even through a window .
To appreciate the fresh air .
In a time of isolation , self-care and connection are more important than ever .
We are here , both with you and for you .

Alone, Together: how Greenpeacers are finding hope and connection amid a pandemic
Focus on the beauty around you. It’s there if you look for it, even in the tiniest things. Flowers bursting from the ground this spring, the chorus of birds singing in the trees, even the way the light streams in the window. Know that humanity will get through this, hopefully emerging into a world that is better because we can refocus on what is really important.
These are unsettling times for all of us—even more so for those of us who may be working with fewer resources, have limited emergency funds, work as first responders, or are in high-risk groups. As with the climate crisis, we are all facing a life-changing threat.
In these early days, we asked Greenpeacers to share what’s on their mind and how they are coping—good, bad, and in between. We strive to be transparent with you in all we do, and this one way we can remind each other of the many ways we are connected—not just for a common cause of saving this beloved earth, but in the challenges and joys in this strange time.
Annie Leonard, Executive Director
My daughter is home from college. She thrives on social contact so has organized with her friends group baking sessions (they made chocolate chip cookies yesterday in 5 states simultaneously), group exercise classes, and group study classes.
I am also thinking about how we—we who are such believers in the power of collective action—can continue to advance work for a country that provides real security for everyone in this moment. I have come up with a new term, inspired by my daughter: alone-together.
While in mandatory stay-at-home, they can bake cookies alone-together. We can push for climate solutions, a robust social safety net, access to health care, and all the things we know the world needs alone-together.
My 88 year old mother is in Seattle. All three of her kids are in the Bay Area. Do we bring her here? Is it safe for her to fly? She suggests driving, but that is a long drive. Does one of us go get her? These questions are just a microcosm of what people around the world are grappling with.
I am grateful that we have roofs over our head—more than many people have. Hard to concentrate on battling the climate crisis and more while worried about my mother, but the climate crisis threatens to upend society just like COVID-19 did.
What can we learn from our societal response to this? As a country, we are going to have to spend big to help get through this—how do we ensure those expenditures move us towards a safer, more fair, more prosperous world for all?
—
Calvin Tran, Development Operations Assistant
I’m twenty-two years old and live with my family just a metro’s ride away from our DC headquarters. Beyond the global pandemic happening before us, I’ve found exciting opportunities in working from home and adjusting to a socially distanced lifestyle. During the work hours, I’ve found new ways to keep in touch with my friends and coworkers digitally. I’m also spending more quality time with my family, which is all the more significant and valuable in these turbulent times.
In my spare time, I’m rediscovering my creative side! I’ve picked back up my guitar and harmonica, and my journal is filling up with new poems and entries. My evening jogs have gotten surprisingly more pleasant too as the weather is warming up and there are less cars buzzing by. We don’t know when things may return back to normal, or if they truly ever will, but the sheer amount of solidarity and humanity that I’ve witnessed is enough to keep me going.
—
Jen Fela, Global Engagement Lead, Plastic Free Future
I work on a global team, which gives me an interesting perspective that has helped a lot. Many of my colleagues in Asia, especially China and Hong Kong, started feeling the panic and anxiety from this crisis several weeks ago. Over time it changed to grief and isolation. And then their focus seemed to shift to creativity, hope, new ways of connecting with each other, and noticing the beauty that is all around us, even in the simplest things—maybe especially there.
That journey is one that gives me a lot of hope, knowing that we will pull through these dark times. And it is described really well in this TEDx Talk by Chris Jordan. My colleagues in Europe are feeling the panic and grief now, but there are moments of beauty and stories of connection emerging. And here in the U.S., of course, we’re starting to feel it too. So my advice: focus on the beauty around you. It’s there if you look for it, even in the tiniest things. Flowers bursting from the ground this spring, the chorus of birds singing in the trees, even the way the light streams in the window. Slow down, breathe, cry when you need to, laugh, tell your friends and family you love them. Hug your pets, cook something, read a great book. And know that humanity will get through this, hopefully emerging into a world that is better because we can refocus on what is really important.
—
David Pinsky, Senior Plastics Campaigner
I’ve started or restarted text loops with friends, family, and co-workers. We share how we’re doing; sometimes that includes sharing upsetting articles and our challenges and fears, and other times it’s funny memes or jokes or special memories. So far, I’ve been Rickrolled (yes, it can still happen in 2020), learned that one of my friends had absolutely no idea who Idris Elba is (what!?!?), enjoyed beautiful song and the Macarena in Italy, and watched Mel Brooks and son call for social distancing. I’ve shared free online workouts with friends and colleagues (Planet Fitness does one daily, the one and only Yoga With Adriene, and PopSugar’s upbeat cardio and strength training sessions).
I’ve also watched this handwashing video sooooo many times and filmed a version with my spouse, though it’s not quite ready for a public debut just yet. I’m also appreciating the love and kindness of adorable animal friends.
When I get overwhelmed, I give myself permission to be overwhelmed. I check-in with my spouse, friends on those text loops, and try to take some time to do whatever I need to, knowing that those feelings will pass and they will no doubt return and that is okay. I’m trying to remember to breathe and breathe deeply and take breaks from the endless news cycle and distract myself. I’m reminded that, more than ever, despite our differences, we are in this together and we are interconnected. We can and must come together, look out for one another, and fight for a more peaceful and just future for all.
So, please, please, please wash your hands, practice social distancing, and take action in your networks to encourage people to stay healthy and safe and able to navigate this difficult time. In closing, here’s something special. I hope it brings you as much joy as it did for me.
—
Lisa Ramsden, Senior Action Campaigner
I have a few friends who I normally exercise with. We go to yoga classes, take long bike rides, and run. In order to keep ourselves motivated and healthy, we’ve created a “Flatten/Strengthen the Curve(s)” challenge. Every day, we are challenging each other to do 200 crunches, 100 squats, and 50 push-ups.
—
Kaitlin Grable, Social Media Associate
One thing that always helps me in stressful and uncertain times is the creative process. I recently taught myself how to bead, as a way of connecting with my Indigenous culture. Right now I can only make earrings, and each set takes me a few good hours of work — but the repetitive nature of stringing the beads together in beautiful patterns is sacred, soothing, therapeutic, and teaches me new depths of patience as I go. I’ve also been able to dedicate more time to writing, something I usually struggle to find time for.
I’ve been turning to the outdoors whenever I feel my mood dipping downwards — whether that’s in the form of a hike with my dog, hammocking in my yard, or sitting on my porch and meditating. Being with the land and being nourished by the sun is one of my favorite methods of recentering and recharging, and is really helping me through these turbulent times.
—
Katie Myer, Digital Content Strategist
Uncertainty is not easy for any of us. In the last week, I’ve felt everything from crippling fear to sheer joy. As much as I crave our routines, I find myself appreciating these moments of unexpected delight: My five year old, living her best life, flying by on her new pedal bike, proclaiming, “Mom, I’m so happy!! And PROUD!” A family walk in the National Arboretum, admiring the stunning cherry blossoms and magnolias, moving our bodies, and feeling the sun on our skin. My one year old, giggling and pushing a cart around the living room as she gets ready to walk. Smiles exchanged with a neighbor, both of us enjoying the quiet in our typically busy neighborhood. Spring in DC is always glorious, but this year, its arrival—its promise—feels more meaningful.
It feels like this will last forever because we don’t know how bad it will get or when it will end. It will be hard to watch statistics be instantiated as people we know and love. We may get sick ourselves. The unknown—from mundane issues of supplies to the constant worry if I did enough to protect myself and my family—is unnerving at best. I look forward to embracing my friends again, to watching our kids play together, and to moving about the world with less fear. Those moments feel far away right now, but they are coming. For now, my husband and I are taking a cue from our children, trying to be fully present in this moment. And then the next. And then the next.
At the same time, though it feels things are somehow on hold and spiraling at the same time, we cannot let up. We cannot, collectively, take our eye off of this administration, nor the corporations who ravage our earth—not for a moment. We will continue to push for immediate relief for those who need it most. As always, Greenpeace is here for the long haul, and we hope you are, too. Amid the chaos, take time to pause. To feel the sun on your face, even through a window. To appreciate the fresh air. In a time of isolation, self-care and connection are more important than ever. We are here, both with you and for you.