Dear Santa Monica College Community,
Public intellectual Bill McKibben recently published the much discussed essay “Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math” in Rolling Stone Magazine. The sense of urgency inspired by his article has prompted our open letter to the College community. McKibben challenges colleges to become part of the solution. We hope you will find his challenge as compelling as we do.
In 2008, we at Santa Monica College committed ourselves to the intellectual and political work of Global Citizenship. In doing so, we recognized the global interdependence that holds both promise and peril for the future of the global community. Today, we believe nothing speaks to this vision more than the impending threat of Climate Change. McKibben accounts for this problem in clear,...
Environment
Dear Hummingbirds,
Hey, would you take it easy already? What’s the freakin’ rush, hummingbirds? I don’t get it—why must you flap your wings so damn fast? You need to chill out.
Here I am, sitting in my garden, quietly reading a book and sipping on a fruit cocktail, and all of a sudden you’re buzzing into my field of vision, scaring the living bejesus out of me, because at first I think you’re some kind of humongous, genetically altered uberinsect that’s bringing doom straight to my front door. I’m falling off my lawn chair, grappling for a fly swatter, yet knowing that a fly swatter won’t save me, and then I realize you’re a hummingbird.
First of all—_grow up_ a little! You’re too small to be a bird. Maybe if you didn’t expend all your energy flapping around like a lunatic, you...
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Dear Global Warming,
I know I’m not supposed to like you. I’ve heard about your grandiose plans to melt the polar icecaps and flood coastal cities, your aspirations to destabilize global weather patterns and throw fragile ecosystems into upheaval, and your desire to have all of us, by the year 2070, living inside geodesic domes, whence we will gaze wistfully out at moribund deserts and dream of greener times. I know everyone says you’re bad, but damn it, I don’t care, because after six straight days of minus-25-degree weather I’m ready to throw myself into your arms.
Being a man-made ecological phenomenon, you might have some difficulty in commiserating with my plight. You’ve never had to walk to get groceries with the skin of your face threatening to crack like old plaster because...
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Dear Owen
Welcome to your new job as secretary of state for the environment. I predict an interesting spell in office – for you certainly come with unusual credentials. You have virtually no record of making environmental pronouncements of any consequence or for showing concerns about ecological or climatic issues. You say you loathe wind turbines, a source of renewable energy on which Britain was supposed to be becoming reliant, while it is also said that you are a proponent of fracking, the extraction of shale gas, a process that would cause major increases in UK carbon emissions.
For good measure you arrive at your new post with the strong endorsement of Britain's chief climate change denier, Nigel Lawson, the former chancellor who now believes his legacy of laissez-faire...
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Dear fellow fighters in the Climate Justice Movement:
I am a long-time advocate of both climate justice and fundamental system change. I am writing to you with whom I share these central political commitments because I believe you are making a serious strategic mistake by categorically rejecting international carbon trading.
Recently your organization, together with over sixty other environmental justice organizations, sent a letter to the President of the AFL-CIO “imploring labor to join us in the fight against climate change,” explaining what labor must do differently if it expects to advance its cause. You obviously understand why we must sometimes reach out with advice to allies in struggle who we believe are making serious mistakes. That is the spirit in which I write you this...
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Dear Hon. Minister Wilkinson,
I am writing to you about the proposed mega quarry in Melancthon Township. To be absolutely clear: given it’s size, scale and scope, this mega quarry requires a full Environmental Assessment (EA).
In order to qualify for such an assessment, I understand that the mega quarry must be designated as a “major commercial or business enterprise or activity” under the Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). This designation would be appropriate. The proposed mega quarry would be the largest in Ontario’s history. It would manipulate about 600,000,000 litres of water every day (roughly 100,000 times more than an average “major residential development”), which equates to approximately 25% of all water consumed/used in the Province each day. Honourable Minister, this...
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I'd like to inform The Public and the UK Government about the cover up of Veolia's a serious wrongdoing that including:
a) a criminal offence
b) the breach of a legal obligation
c) a danger to the health and safety of any individual
In order to avoid and to prevent further cover up of the wrongdoing in Veolia E.S, by some of the Public Bodies, I've decided to publicize this matter. The wrongdoing in Veolia, in short, is regarding: a) the cover up of a criminal activity and treat unfairly employees regarding the same act b) breach of Health and Safety...
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To Jim Inhofe, US Senator, the great state of Oklahoma,
Hi Jim, and congratulations on your party's recent ascendance to power. I'm also rooting for your appointment to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee! I'm hoping you can finally help me realize my dream of bringing about the Earth's next extinction event. We haven't had a mass extinction since the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event and we are over due. I want to see us dump more pollutants into the environment and really get us irreparably over the event horizon, the point of no return, from ever having an atmosphere that would sustain human life. We are a selfish and terrible species. A virus blight on the surface of this planet. Plus, more people get to meet Jesus! I'm really hoping you can help make my dream,...
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Open Letter to the Copenhagen Zoo Authorities.
Respected Concerned Person,
According to the following article published in Daily mail , uk, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555079/Danish-zoo-kills-young-giraffe-deemed-surplus-feeds-lions.html, you have killed a giraffe and fed him to the lions.
Much to my amazement and shock, how you did this despite protests from Animal rights groups, I can only request you not to repeat such acts of inhuman character, and donate these to other zoos.
The article also states that you have previously killed tigers.
We in India regard tiger as our national Animal, and have huge amounts of money, effort and time going into campaigns for saving Tigers. Unfortunately for us Tiger skin is in great Demand and poaching in Jungles is a huge...
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Dear Croydon Council
I wonder whether you have ever been on the rounds with your refuse collectors and re-cyclers? It’s all speed and no quality. It’s like some kind of waste race. Usain Bolt has nothing on the speed with which your refuse people zoom up the roads, into and out of each path, bang, crash, chuck, whack, and hey presto there’s a wake of rubbish to mark their passing.
Do you tell them that they must be back at the depot by midday or they will lose their jobs? Or they won’t get a Christmas bonus or something? They pelt along the roads, half-emptying bins, often missing recycling boxes if they are out of their eye-line as they lope along trying to beat Roger Bannister’s four minute mile!
Is it efficient? Well I’m not advocating that these guys (and are there any bin-women...
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