Richard’s Comments (group member since Apr 20, 2013)

Richard’s comments from the The Greener Reader group.

Aloha all, I've just begun receiving e-mail from the group for the first time in months, and at the same time I heard through my friends at Center for a New American Dream about the new book Angels by the River -- a semi-autobio by Gus Speth, one of the best writers and leaders in the enviro movement, founder of the NRDC and long-time professor at Yale's School of Forestry and the Environment. Gus provides the reader a window into his journey from staid establishment green politics ("Mr. Environmental Insider"), to becoming a more radical environmental leader in the anthropocene era of climate change. He now espouses changes in the nature of the global economy (i.e., liberalism) needed for sustainability to have a real chance against rampant growth of the economy and temperatures. Here's info for anyone interested: http://angelsbytheriver.com/

Happy 2015!

Thank you so much Marguerite. I saw the website (mahalo Nicole), and your book selections -- sorry I missed good ol' Slavoj, the Slovenian philosopher. He's always entertaining. ;) I'll try and keep up with you now. Regards, Richard.

Aloha readers,

I wish I could find out about your readings and gatherings a lot earlier. Any idea how? Is there a website with info? All I get now is an email announcement on the eve of the event. In any case, I tried to get Mrs Maathai to attend the End Corporate Dominance Conference at Portland State Univ when I was working there in 1998-99. Many American activists don't realize that despite the political chaos, Kenya is a hotbed of global activism against the neo-liberal economic consensus that puts the developing nations under the boot of first-world lenders and financial institutions. We did get another Kenyan, whose name I forget, to speak on behalf of Fifty Years is Enough, the DC-based non-profit which works for sustainable development across the Global South. That was the time when the World Bank Bonds boycott was underway. I will try to find Wangari's book, which I assume she wrote after her Nobel award. We will miss her and her contribution to global understanding and post-colonial democracy for the world's majority. BTW -- Marguerite, good luck in NYC!

Want to recommend The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight as an opening to any and all discussion of climate change, end of oil, and basically all energy-related issues. This book by Thom Hartmann is a must read for those concerned about how we (i.e., Western Society) got so screwed up.