Verdict’s in (again)
Supreme Court = cow pie
illegitimate
your turn
hit me with a haiku
please
Month: June 2023
Wordless Wednesday: bicycle edition
We have the power
For a whole lot of reasons (*gestures widely*), my climate anxiety is elevated today, so I picked up my copy of Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility and opened it in search of some grounding wisdom. I found that in Gloria Walton’s essay “Shared Solutions Are Our Greatest Hope and Strength.”
Capitalistic values have promoted individualistic mindsets and made us believe our resources are finite and competitive. But that doesn’t have to be our reality. We have the power to tap into abundance and collaboration. It’s our collective responsibility to envision and create the world we want together. We need bold, sustainable solutions that benefit many, not just the few. We can also hold community and grassroots values that nurture a regenerative, healthy, and equitable planet–the values that connect us to our family, our communities, and ultimately to each other.
Yes, yes, and yes!
Wild Rose. June 16, 2023
And now I’m off to continue drafting my middle grade novel centered on a bold and sustainable solution that will benefit many, not just the few.
Climate Movement Monday: MVP update + contact Biden
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I typically highlight a frontline community enduring the worst of the climate crisis and then offer an action you can take on their behalf. Today, I’ll be asking you to contact President Biden on behalf of ALL of us. But first, I want to update you on the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). I most recently wrote about the MVP here (and that post includes links to the five previous posts about MVP), when Biden included it in the debt ceiling “negotiations.” Unfortunately, as noted in my June 5 update: [. . .], despite the overwhelming pushback on making Appalachia a sacrifice zone, Biden and the Democrats refused to vote for Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove all text related to Mountain Valley Pipeline from the Fiscal Responsibility Act. According to that legislation, ALL permits must be passed without judicial review within 21 days.
Senator Joe Manchin insisted MVP be included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act because “The Mountain Valley Pipeline is a crucial piece of energy infrastructure that will help balance global supply and demand while strengthening our energy and national security.” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm repeated that same national security fear-mongering in her letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), also writing, “. . . I request that if there is any further Commission-related action on this project, it proceeds expeditiously.”
Guess what? An independent analysis of the Mountain Valley Pipeline reported last week that MVP will only be able to operate at 35% capacity.
The contentious Mountain Valley pipeline will likely operate at an average of only 35 percent capacity once built, resulting in a “limited impact” on Appalachian gas production, according to an energy analytics firm.
East Daley Analytics, a company that monitors operational risk across the oil and gas industry, predicted the pipeline would carry far below its capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day, citing the limits of the Transco gas pipeline system.
Including MVP in the Fiscal Responsibility Act had zero to do with debt ceiling issues and zero to do with national and energy security. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is and always was about further enriching fossil fuel companies at the expense of people and planet.
San Diego 350. Image by Ryan Ezpinoza
Okay, now for taking action on behalf of ALL of us who are enduring extreme weather events around the country whether that be wildfire smoke from Canada, life-threatening heat waves, flooding, hail, tornados, etc. It is clear this is a Climate Emergency and we need to push Biden to declare a climate emergency under the National Emergencies Act and use his executive powers**.
- EMAIL using this form
PHONE: Comments: 202-456-1111 (note: I rarely get through on this line and am mostly disconnected 😡)
SIGN this petition (I know, I know– “Online petitions won’t solve climate change.”
**That would give us the ability to reinstate the crude oil export ban, end new fossil fuel projects and drilling, redirect disaster relief funds toward distributed renewable energy construction in frontline communities, and marshal companies to fast-track renewable transportation and clean power generation. All while creating millions of high-quality union jobs.
Biden also has the power to deny approvals for any new fossil fuel projects, and mandate a phase out of fossil fuel production on federal lands and waters — two actions which scientists have stated are essential to staying under the global warming limit necessary to avoid the very worst of the climate catastrophes.
Thank you for reading this far! I wish you healthy air, water, and temperatures, wherever you are. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Thankful Thursday: documented poppy
I photographed the neighbors’ glorious poppy on June 8 which is good because even if it had bloomed this long, it would be no-more.
Last night we had heavy hail that shredded leaves and plants around the neighborhood and today we had another round of very heavy rain** and more hail. While I do appreciate the moisture (my perspective is “as long as we’re soggy, we won’t start on fire”), there’s such a thing as moderation. We’re clearly experiencing extreme weather all around the globe, but I won’t go into the depressing realities of the climate crisis.
Instead, today I give thanks that I took the time to document this gorgeous flower so that it could be enjoyed forever. May it bring you a smile!
** 1.5 – 2.5″ of rain in 1-2 hours in our neighborhood
Wordless Wednesday: lupine edition
Oops, I did it again
Last night we returned from three days in southwest Colorado where we visited son Wildebeest, his girlfriend, and their new cat (shout-out to adorable Franklin!) Halfway through the six-hour drive home, we stopped for gas in Del Norte. I pulled Moby the campervan next to a pump before noticing a sign that said if we used that pump, pre-payment was required inside. Zippy asked me to move to another pump.
I pulled forward and began circling another pump island so that the gas tank would be on the correct side. A truck was parked at the neighboring pump which meant that because I hadn’t made a wide turn, I had to back up a bit. I did so using the side mirror, watching as the rear of the van remained clear of the pump island guardrail. Plenty of space! Then I put Moby in DRIVE and moved forward.
CRUUUNCH
Immediate expletives from Zippy
Nonsensical panicked embarrassment from me that also included expletives
While I remained frozen in the driver’s seat, awash in a sea of excruciating déjà vu, Zippy got out to assess. He quickly reported that I’d somehow hit this guardrail so that Moby’s left rear tire was pushed against it, leaving no room to move forward.
No, I wasn’t taking photos in the middle of the chaos. This was taken afterward.
As Zippy examined the situation, a man using the opposite pump came over to see what was going on. I wanted to disappear. Instead, I sat there behind the steering wheel, talking to myself and bowing my head in shame. The man with the truck I’d backed up to avoid hitting, noticed my angst and assured me everything was okay, that it was only a vehicle. Then he joined the other two men’s discussion about the best strategy for getting Moby unstuck. Truck Man had me put Moby in park while the three of them tried rocking the van to get it free. But they weren’t strong enough and no one else joined the effort, so Truck Man instructed me to crank the steering wheel ALL the way and then sloooooowly back up.
LIBERATION!
As I shouted my thanks and gratitude to them, Truck Man grinned and said, “Now you have a good story about that first blemish.” He got in his truck and drove away while the other man talked with his friend who’d just come outside, pointing to Moby and mimicking the rocking motion. Apparently, he’d also gained a good story. My face burned with the knowledge that my carelessness was at the core of his retelling.
See, this wasn’t my first experience getting stuck like that. Many years ago when I was in high school, my boyfriend worked at a gas station/garage and one afternoon I went there to borrow his beloved Camaro. After going inside to get the keys from him, I got in the car that was parked between two white gas tanker trucks, and backed out.
CRUUUNCH
The car was wedged up against one of the tanker trucks. My boyfriend LOVED that car and I had to walk back inside to let him know what I’d done. Not only that, I had to tell him in front of his co-workers who hooted and hollered before following us outside to witness my humiliation. There was no best approach in that situation–going forward would scrape the car and going backward would scrape the car–so my boyfriend chose to back it out.
SCRAAAPE
Thanks to me, there was blue paint on the white tanker truck and white paint on the blue Camaro. Over the years, the sting of that humiliation lessened as it turned into a memory of me being young and foolish. And because nothing like that had ever happened again, it morphed into a funny story from my early driving years. Until yesterday.
Except, while yesterday’s embarrassment came on fast, this time it faded relatively quickly. Zippy was nothing but kind. Truck Man was not only kind, but also funny. And the other guy? Well, he now has a story to tell about his role in freeing a cargo van. To be clear, my high school boyfriend had also been pretty chill about his Camaro and it would be easy to blame my flaming red embarrassment on his co-workers. But I’m pretty sure what I’m feeling right now is the result of being decades beyond where I was when backing up that dark blue Camaro. Also?
There’s no blue paint/evidence on Moby. Just some faint red smears.
Heck, they could be ketchup.
Thanks for the memories, Del Norte!
Goat portraiture*
A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed, and what he does with this knowledge is as much a part of the photograph as what he’s wearing or how he looks. ~Richard Avedon
* photo by sipa on pixabay
Wordless Wednesday: near and far
Penitente Canyon. May 24, 2023
Twofer Tuesday: bunny edition
We are a rabbit-rich neighborhood this year. It’s typical for us to see at least one rabbit per yard as we walk our two-mile loop. Fortunately, Emma has gotten blasé about their presence and doesn’t go bonkers when she sees them. Often, she doesn’t notice them but Zippy and I have fun saying, “There’s one there and another over there and two babies hiding by the bush.”
But we don’t have to take a walk or even leave the house in order to see them. There are always (and I mean always) bunnies in our front yard.
Dining on the front lawn. May 19, 2023
The elders are wise and stay in the front where Emma can’t get to them. But last week we spotted one of the youngsters in the fenced backyard which I photographed through the window.
Zippy went out to open the gate so it could go back in front, but it went farther into the back. We kept Emma inside and checked to make sure the little bunny was gone before letting her out again.
Silly bunny. Why go into a space where a dog frequently roams? And why leave the grassy front for the mulch-covered back? And while we’re at it, do you rabbits really believe flattening your ears against your head makes you invisible?
Doesn’t matter. Bunnies are always welcome here.
Climate Movement Monday: multi-pronged approach
Welcome back to Movement Mondays! I hope wherever you are, the air is clean and healthy, because that’s what everyone and everything on this planet needs and deserves. Today I’m going to highlight two organizations with different approaches to ending the fossil fuel era that has clearly accelerated the climate crisis. As I write this, the fires in Canada have burned 11.6 million acres and wildfires are expected to continue throughout the summer. Clearly, it is way past time to transition off fossil fuels.
There is no one “right” way to force this transition and I’m of the belief that we need to keep throwing everything we have at the issue, hitting the powerbrokers and decision-makers from multiple angles. This post is a result of back-to-back emails received today from two groups with very different approaches to ensuring a livable planet.
Twitter image celebrating the allyship between Third Act and Climate Defiance during D.C. actions last week.
Third Act is an organization of people 60 years-old and older because “as a generation we have unprecedented skills and resources that we can bring to bear. Washington and Wall Street have to listen when we speak, because we vote and because we have a large—maybe an overlarge—share of the country’s assets. And many of us have kids and grandkids and great grandkids: we have, in other words, very real reasons to worry and to work.”
Third Act’s email was a reminder about the launch of their latest campaign focused on Public Utility Commission (PUC) Advocacy. Alongside more than a dozen other partners, we’re building the largest-ever coordinated nationwide initiative to influence Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) in order to strengthen clean energy policies and build a better future — with clear, smokeless skies — to pass on to our grandchildren. Here’s an early peek/explanation of PUCs. On Wednesday (June 14th), they’re hosting a one hour teach-in (6-7 pm ET // 3-4 pm PT). RSVP here. I hope to see you there!
The second email came from Climate Defiance. (“We are young. We are livid. We are no longer willing to be disposable.”) This organization takes a direct approach to dealing with the powerbrokers and decision-makers. One of their main points is that “Online petitions won’t solve climate change.” (And yes, as someone who frequently asks people to sign petitions in these Movement Monday posts, I feel called-out. But I recognize that petitions are only one tool AND signing one is just a first step that I hope leads to other engagement and involvement on the issue.) Climate Defiance is about (peacefully and calmly) getting in the faces of the powerful and this is their theory of change:
- We need consistent, mass-turnout, nonviolent disruption to stop business as usual and compel politicians to act.
- When we engage in direct action—whether through a strike, a blockade, or a mass occupation—we break through.
- People see us. People tune in. People engage. Our movement grows.
- Direct action puts the state in a double-bind: allow the action (and the disruption) to continue OR crack down, further driving up public support for the cause.
Climate Defiance has taken a number of successful actions in the past months, the most recent including presenting a Harvard law professor with a Big Oil’s Bestie award. Jody Freeman is a a self-proclaimed “environmentalist” who receives $350,000 per year for sitting on the board of ConocoPhillips, the company behind the massive carbon-bomb Willow Project in Alaska. Activists demanded Freeman stop Willow or step aside! Video shows those who came to hear Freeman’s keynote address seeming quite uncomfortable by Climate Defiance’s action. Success!
Not everyone is ready or willing to act at this level of involvement**, and that’s okay. There are other ways to support Climate Defiance’s efforts. If you like what you’ve read here, I hope you check them out and then consider a donation and/or amplifying their efforts on social media.
If you’ve read this far, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these two groups AND/OR suggestions for other groups I can highlight here in future posts. Thank you for being here and I wish you a wonderful week. Solidarity! ✊🏽
**although I predict as the crisis worsens and more are directly affected, that will rapidly change.
Thankful Thursday: clean air hike
While many, many other communities continue to struggle with unhealthy and hazardous air quality due to wildfire smoke, the air has been clear in the Denver metro area. Zippy, Emma, and I ventured out into the open space for the first time in weeks after lots of rain made the trails too muddy. Hooray for them being almost completely dry again!
Here are a few highlights, beginning with the Turkey Vulture soaring overhead when we got on the trail:
One of a few blooming Paintbrushes:
And finally, an enormous bumblebee drinking from a lupine (I wish I could include audio because this bee was BUZZING):
I’m grateful for the clean air, the glory of the natural world, and my ability to move about on the trails. I humbly receive these gifts.
Seize this hazardous moment: please take 1 quick climate action
The northeastern portion of the United States is currently experiencing what millions around the world endure on a daily basis as they struggle to breathe polluted air. The smoke from wildfires in Canada are engulfing the northeast and I feel horrible for the people living there (and everyone else around the globe breathing bad air).
I appreciated the contrast of the photos in the above tweet, but the text is incorrect: NYC is currently experiencing HAZARDOUS air quality (they’ve moved far beyond Unhealthy) as seen in this chart:
NYC is at 342 on the AQI.**
The one bit of good news in this dystopian nightmare is that the experience of hazardous air quality might finally, finally shake the power brokers into rethinking their climate stances. Third Act is encouraging us to send a quick email to the CitiBank CEO (Jane Fraser), her chief of staff (Margo Pilic), and the Chief Sustainability Officer (Val Smith) who are currently breathing that hazardous air.
MESSAGE: “Please stop funding the expansion of fossil fuels so that we may all breathe easier.” (Note: I also included my Colorado wildfire smoke experiences)
(I sent one email addressed to Jane Fraser and CCd the other two):
jane.fraser@citi.com
margo.pilic@citi.com
val.smith@citi.com
Thank you for reading and I hope wherever you are, you and your lungs are safe. Solidarity! ✊🏽
**updated AQI 392
Twofer Tuesday: neti pot edition
And here I am again, with another broken neti pot.
Another clean break.
Another sad day.
I’m left with two ceramic pieces along with eighteen months of good memories.
Thank you, loyal neti pot, for all the nasal irrigation.
You’re already missed.
Climate Movement Monday: MVP update + Cop City testimony
Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which I highlight a frontline community facing the worst of the effects of climate change and then typically offer an action you can take in solidarity with that community. Today, though, I’m just here with an update on the debt ceiling “negotiations” and Mountain Valley Pipeline plus a link to the live public comments in Atlanta as the city council hears from many, many people (again) about the proposed Cop City before voting on funding the project. This follows on the heels of SWAT teams raiding the house from which the Atlanta Solidarity Fund operates, arresting and charging the three people there with charity fraud and money laundering. Those are felony charges! Fortunately, they were released days later on $15,000 bond.)
Image by Tuna Ölger from Pixabay
Confession? I’m exhausted by the horrible decisions and actions taken by those in power. Last week was hard and today I’m watching and listening to the people of Atlanta speak out. It’s powerful testimony from many perspectives and balm for my soul, and I encourage you to check it out. Here’s a tally of those for and against Cop City.
UPDATE: So quickly, in case you didn’t hear, despite the overwhelming pushback on making Appalachia a sacrifice zone, Biden and the Democrats refused to vote for Senator Kaine’s amendment to remove all text related to Mountain Valley Pipeline from the Fiscal Responsibility Act. According to that legislation, ALL permits must be passed without judicial review within 21 days. (Unfortunately, that’s not the only horrific pieces of the so-called negotiations, but I don’t have the heart to list all of it here or even find an article that lays it all out. PLEASE leave a link if you have one!) The good news? People will continue to fight for environmental justice for the Appalachian region and for every other frontline community.)
Now I’m off to continue watching the people of Atlanta. Solidarity! ✊🏽
Tracy Abell 