Going Rogue

Food and Water Watch - Longmont, CO Bans Fracking in City Limits

Boulder, CO is famously one of the most liberal places in America, and is also my home.  About half-an-hour from downtown Boulder is another small, largely liberal town, Longmont, CO.  Longmont doesn't typically feature in national debates about much of anything, even the attention drawn to the town due to CO's position as a swing state this election cycle was a bit of a surprise.  This November changed things.

This November, Longmont passed Ballot Initiative 300, which made the process known as "fracking" illegal within city limits.  The measure to put the ban in the city charter no less, passed with 60 percent of the vote.  Longmont is not the first town to establish such measures, but its story is certainly remarkable.  Over the past few years, the natural gas industry has been paying more attention to similar, citizen-initiated measures, which would piecemeal eliminate the development of new fracking sites.  In Longmont , the natural gas industry invested heavily to defeat the measure - I've heard figures that range from between $300,000-$500,000 - in quantities that dwarf fundraising from grassroots advocacy groups.  

Criticism of Ballot Initiative 300 has focused on its inability to stand up to the inevitable wave of litigation from the natural gas industry, state, and federal government.  The Daily Times Call quoted Governor John D. Hickenlooper in September 2012 saying, "'There's nothing worse than being a governor in a legal battle with one of your own municipalities,' he said. 'But I don't see any alternative.'"  


It is unlikely that the initiative will be able to stand up in court; but despite its lack of long-term effectiveness, the initiative has other values.  First, the ban is a new, unprecedented example of locally based action overcoming large industrial investment.  Second, the ban has started new discussions, and rekindled existing debates over the expansion and development of fracking sites in and around residential areas.  Finally, the success of the initiative means that both industry and various levels of government will have to start taking local concerns more seriously.  

I believe Longmont's Ballot Initiative 300 is an appropriate response to an environmental issue because it uses existing leverage points to draw attention to environmental concerns, empower local communities, and demonstrate the power of grassroots organizing.  Longmont, in passing such a measure, has to some extent gone rogue - instead of waiting for state and federal regulation of fracking, the city has struck out to determine its own future.  Regardless of the long term success or failure of the initiative, Longmont's given me hope that even small, seemingly unimportant communities can make a big difference for environmental issues on the national stage.

United States-Indonesian Comprehensive Partnership

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=67613

The article outlines some positive results that have emerged from the United States-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership. It is a long-term commitment between the two nations to address issues related to security, economy, development, the environment, and education among other many other issues. The Environment and Climate Change working group within the partnership has tasked with the job of identifying opportunities of economic growth for Indonesia while mitigating climate change. Some of the actions that they have either implemented or in the process of implementing includes a debt-for-nature swap in which the U.S. forgives a certain amount of Indonesian debt in exchange for Indonesian commitments to protect forests and reduce gas emissions from deforestation. Another program that is detailed in depth in the article is the establishment of 450,00 hectares of marine protected areas. As detailed in the article, one of the key areas of cooperation detailed in the partnership was environmental cooperation. The sustainable marine reserve park is a prime example of an effective and replicable response to an environmental challenge. The most important development that came out of the initiative was the transfer of responsibility for maintaining and monitoring the reserve from government officials to local fisherman whose livelihood were directly affected by the success of the reserve.

Environmental issues are often stalled in the international arena; the Kyoto protocol, and most recently the Copenhagen Summit in 2011—the latest international attempt in addressing leading environmental issues—did not produce significant deliverables in the global campaign against climate change. The environmental provisions in the United States-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, on the other hand, stand as effective forms of action.

The provisions’ success (measured by the concrete programs in place and level of current implementation) was possible for a number of reasons. First is the political willingness of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Yudhoyono in the 2012 Rio Summit became developing country leader that unilaterally pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2025. Indonesia’s success will reduce global emissions by 7%, well ahead of the Millennium Development Goal’s requirements. Moreover, by accepting Indonesia’s role as the world’s third largest carbon emitter, Yudhoyono has effectively reversed the traditional developing country stance of blaming the west regarding environmental issues.

Second, the reason plans extended into the implementation phase was the way international environmental groups, United States agencies and donors such as Norway made this possible was by framing environmental concerns as a security concern; Along Indonesia’s coastal areas, residents derive 70% of their protein from fish. Thus, for the Indonesian government, protecting maritime resources became intertwined with the economic livelihood and security of their citizens. Moreover, protecting natural resources fell within ASEAN goals of regional integration.

Lastly, Indonesia’s growing economy makes renewable energy, green and blue markets desirable sectors for investment. Thus, it was within the Indonesia’s best interest to boost their economy by focusing on environmentally friendly sectors. 

Environmental Individualization: Promise or Farce?

It seems to be clear that the greatest environmental innovations and achievements are not happening at the state or the international level. Most countries, with the exception of a few northern European states, have failed to address climate change, and international meetings, treaties, and organizations have unequivocally failed in solving the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Many of the blogs and websites given focus on individual achievements, despite the fact that it remains to be seen how effective Michael Maniates' individualization of responsibility is in addressing major environmental issues. Many, including Maniates, would argue that such individual action is merely a smoke-and-mirrors distraction from working towards broad country or international level solutions.

Yet, it is also impossible to entirely write off innovative (and individual) solutions to environmental issues. These solutions emphasize the power of human ingenuity and creativity at addressing real and palpable issues. One such solution are the barter markets of Mexico City.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/trading-recyclables-for-rosemary/?smid=pl-share

The barter markets of Mexico City essentially trade recycling for fresh, high quality, and locally grown produce, herbs, dairy products, eggs, and other items. Recycled items are exchanged for tickets that can then be used at local barter markets. The results have been hopeful: 2,000 exchanges each day, which equates to 20 tons of recyclables. The markets have become extremely popular, with certain premium items like eggs running out early in the day. They have also led many citizens to begin to sort their trash  and recyclables.

This program has certainly been effective at reducing waste and encouraging recycling. It also provides the added bonus of giving participants the reward of healthy and local food. I cannot argue that the impact of the program is extensive. It is merely another small drop in the bucket. However, it has helped change the culture and mindset regarding waste in the surrounding neighborhoods. Mexico City has major issues with waste, and this program helps bring these issues to the forefront of the citizens of the city.

Furthermore, this program is easily replicable and because it is so simple, it gives me a glimmer of hope. Imagine such farmers markets in the poorest and most urban areas of the United States. Providing fresh food to people who rarely have access to such food in exchange for more sustainable waste practices. Similar programs are already in place in Brazil, and could be duplicated in much of the global south.

On an entirely side note. 4 teenage girls in Nigeria have developed a generator powered by human urine...pretty cool. http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/teenage-girls-invent-pee-powered-generator.html

Sports, Development, and the Environment

While browsing the projects on the recommended "World Changing" website, I was intrigued by the "Stadium/Sports facility" tab.  As a lifelong athlete, I am a huge proponent of sports of a means of social and community development.  Involving youth in sports is enormously beneficial to their personal growth and can also prevent them from getting involved in detrimental activities such as drug use, crime, etc.  From a community perspective, sports can provide a unifying effect whether through a team to root for or a place to gather.  I had, however, never considered that the construction of a stadium or other athletic facility could be an environmental project until I stumbled across this project: http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/esperance

The link above provides the description for a soccer stadium/community center in Kimisagara, Rwanda.  This project is part of FIFA's larger Football for Hope campaign which broadly aims to provide health, educational, and economic opportunities for disadvantaged youth especially but to the community as whole through the context of sport.  The Kimisagara pitch is located on the the campus of a primary school, and in addition to offering a space to play soccer/football in both an organized and unorganized fashion, the space offers classes on healthcare and other issues, a library, a healthcare center, and a space for microcredit and other informal economic activities.  As such, the program has a clear social and economic development focus.
Admittedly, Football for Hope does not have a strict environmental focus, but the movement emphasizes sustainable development and constructs facilities in a manner to minimize environmental impact.  The Kimisagara stadium, for instance, was constructed largely with local materials, minimizing transportation costs (both monetary and environmental); has a rainwater collection system to provide water for the facility; has planted trees throughout the facility; and is constructed in a manner to make it so air conditioning is unnecessary. Another Football for Hope facility being constructed in Nairobi, Kenya uses power generated by wind turbines and includes a community garden.   These projects represent the type of sustainable development that allows underdeveloped countries the opportunity to develop without having the same detrimental impact that traditional development/industrialization has had.
Football for Hope, fittingly, gives me hope because it addresses a number of developmental issues including economic initiatives as well as education.  Further, it centers around sports, which I love, and is a fantastic example of corporate social responsibility.  As an aside, this type of project is the reason why I objected to the absolute anti-corporate stance of the "Story of Stuff" video that we watched in class a while back.  Large corporations such as FIFA have enormous potential and the financial resources to engage in sustainable development.  A major issue with many development projects is that they are not sustainable due to financial constraints.  Football for Hope, because it is bankrolled by FIFA, is more likely to avoid this problem.

You're not supposed to be here...

Unfortunately, the only quote I could come up for a title with was from Game of Thrones, and it was from a very minor character, so the image associated with it would be lost. Regardless... with respect to this class I have recently geeked out about two things: Thorium and Aquaponics. I will always love thorium, I mean how can you not. It's great. Look at that electron cloud.

Th = <3

Aquaponics, my other new found love, represents a huge potential solution to a wide range of urban food roduction problems. This story specifically focuses on Eric Maundu, a trained industrial robotics technician, has taken to the growing trend among Do-it-Yourself tinkers and tried to grown food in barren, urban locations. Maundu has blended his electronic expertise with his interest in urban enrichment, by making color-powered, technology controlled farms to create food for the user.
http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/internet-food-arduino-based-urban-aquaponics-in-oakland/


I feel that this type of action represents a huge step forward in environmentally conscious action because unlike encouraging recycling or driving less, aquaponics puts much more tangible power and results into the hands of the users. People will be able to farm themselves, take their own produce and consume and sell with, without relying on the larger consumerist system. If all of the farms were to use Eric Maundu's technology, then the farms will only have an initial cost of supplies, water and solar cells, then the production is entirely out of the influence of large corporate, or public systems.

Because the supplies for an aquaponics farm do not require specialized equipment or skills to set up and run, I feel that this is an easily repeatable project. The only barrier would be the initial cost of setting up the project, but I see city grants taking care of some of these problems.

Projects like this give me a lot of hope, because I think that part of the reason there is so much apathy to environmental causes is that we have lost our connection to the land. In urban settings especially people hardly know what a tree is, let alone where food comes from. I believe that putting the land back into people's hands will rekindle their concern for the natural world.

Meditations

This question is so appropriate with only a few weeks before Thanksgiving.  I have been so lucky in my life, having had a number of exhilarating experiences, isolated, in wonder with nature.  Some of my favorite experiences have been out backpacking the Wind River Range in Wyoming, hiking around on the burren in Ireland, and climbing to the top of the highest waterfall in Australia to look down as the water literally turned into mist beneath us.  I've been so lucky.  When I search my memories for the most exhilarating/magical/thrilling experience, however, I keep coming back to a handful of experiences I had looking at trees back home in Colorado during the summer after Freshman year.  
After finishing my first year of college I was so relieved to be going home.  I took up a job with the Boulder County Youth Corps as a assistant forestry team leader for a group of 10 teenagers.  We were responsible for pulling the slash and dried logs left in previous years by chainsaw teams, working to prevent wildfires in the front range.  The task was grueling, but as the summer wore on, I became accustomed to it, and was able to appreciate my surroundings and the people I was working with.  I remember in particular one afternoon at the end of a long, hot work day.  It began to rain just before we had to head back home, and it crescendoed into a downpour.  All 12 of us ran down the mountain to our van through the trees, covered in mud.  When we made it out of the forest, laughing and trying not to trip on the uneven ground there was a rainbow to the East, and gilded clouds illuminated by the low sun.  

Looking back, that summer was one of the most important times as I have tried to discover myself, and what I value.  Working in the forest, interacting with nature every day with all its hardships and thrills, grounded me - bringing me back down from my DC/SIS rush.  So, yes - nature is worth preserving.  But it was not only the trees, the dirt, and the sun that made that summer (and every summer with the Youth Corps since then) so extraordinary; it was also the people I was with.  Nature is best enjoyed with people, despite what the Thoreaus of the world might have you believe.  The best part of nature is the fact that we are a dynamic part of it, something worth preserving because it unites us as all as something we depend on, and as a common denominator for humanity.  The conservationist ideal of a sterile wilderness is misleading, because we can never see nature for what it truly is.  Every time we engage with our natural surroundings we make new meanings of it by virtue of our presence.  When we make such meaning alone, we learn about ourselves; but when we make sure meaning together, we learn about ourselves as a species. 

Leaves as toilet paper and preserving the planet

My first memories and experiences with nature were strapped the my father's back at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I remember the rocky beach along Lake Michigan, the ponds filled with bull frogs, and the deer silently moving in the forest. I was and still am blessed to have been exposed to nature at such a young age (basically since I was born). It led me to the most peculiar Halloween costume in first grade: Aldo Leopold.

It is doubtful that any of my classmates dressed as Power Rangers, ninjas, or princesses knew who I was, but I went to school that day in my hiking boots and safari vest, with a pair of binoculars around my neck and a copy of Sand County Almanac clutched in my hand. Needless to say, I was a bit unusual for my age.

Thinking about my most thrilling/magical/enchanting engagement in nature is almost impossible. Is it the first time I caught a frog with my hands? Seeing the sun rise at the Grand Canyon? Feeling the power of the rapids with whitewater kayaking on the Snake River? Sleeping under endless stars on the beaches of Olympic National Park? My life has been blessed with experiences in nature. My parents have instilled it upon me and have given me the opportunity to pursue new adventures. It is important that we acknowledge that many children don't get the chance to have such experiences. That is only part of the reason why we must continue to fight to preserve the natural environment.

My most enchanting experience in nature would have to be on my first Outward Bound Trip to Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The highlight was backpacking in the Bitterroot Mountains whose steep ridges, valley lakes, and endless sky made my heart race. What made this experience unique is that I was reading Undaunted Courage while on the backpacking trip. Reading about Lewis and Clark's experiences along the same trails made each mile a recreation of one of the most important forays into the natural unknown in American history.

That trip tested me physically, but more importantly moved me mentally. I still have the journal that I kept on those trails (though it certainly is no Sand County Almanac or Walden). Perhaps the best line is, "Leaves make really great toilet paper, so soft. I love this trip so much!" Sometimes I question what my 13 year old self was thinking.

The reason we must "save nature" is that every child deserves to feel the same sense of wonderment I felt while hiking through the Bitterroots. Every child, no matter of their wealth, race, gender, or religion, should be able to connect in some way to the beauty that the world has to offer. Genesis sets man as "stewards" of Earth. A steward is a caretaker, someone who cares for something for someone else. We are all stewards of Earth for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Nature is something that all human beings (present and future) have the right to enjoy, preserving it is not a choice, it is an obligation.

Jeju Island

I was born in the countryside of Vietnam but I have only ever known the city landscape. You don’t really get much interaction with nature in the city so I felt disconnected with the natural environment. That changed when I studied abroad in South Korea in the spring of my junior year.  The most enchanting and magical experience I have ever had with nature was on a weeklong trip with friends to an island off of the Korean peninsula called Jeju Island.  Jeju Island is famous in South Korea as a popular spot for honeymoons. It is often labeled as the Hawaii of South Korea. The island is particularly known for their sweet and unique breed of oranges, called Hallabang, and scuba diving grandmothers. It is a tiny island but it is packed with a variety of landscapes ranging from beaches to caves to mountains.

On my second day on the island, I traveled by ferry to a small island off Jeju Island called Udo. Udo is 2.28 square miles and resembles the shape of a cow lying down. You can go through the entire island on a motorbike in 1 hour (4 if you stopped to take pictures and enjoy the scenery like I did). My friends and I did just that. We rented ATVs and just took off on the island with little more than a cartoon map that I found on the ferry. On the island, there were 3 beaches with different types of sand – coral, white sand, and soft tan colored sand. Being on the coral sand was amazing (although killer on the feet). The water was completely crystal clear and just seemed to glisten in the bright but not overhearing sun. Being from around the DC metropolitan area, I have been too accustomed to the murky sand water in Ocean City, MD). I have never been in water that is so clear that you can see your own feet! The beach seemed to stretch on for miles with only the outline of Jeju Island visible in the background.

Standing on the pristine beach in the warmth of sunshine was when it hit me. That’s when I thought about how there are tons of little gems like this in the world. Although it seems like we have conquered every surface of the Earth, there is still so much left that we have yet to explore. Maybe it’s best if we leave it that way but standing on that much made me realize that nature should be preserved. That beach was not created overnight. It was formed through hundreds of years of the same repetitive action. In our society, as long as you have money, you can create whatever you want, even your own artificial beach. However, it will never have the same sentimental value like something that has literally hundreds of years of history and stories to tell. 

I have always through I was a cosmopolitan girl. The idea of living in a rural area makes me uncomfortable. Even living in the suburbs is dreadful enough. I love skyscrapers, lights, excitement, and activity. But being on that island made me want to stay and slow down my pace of life. I wanted to enjoy the simpler things in life because they may not be there in that perfect state forever given our increasingly detrimental influence on the environment.