Ecotopia

April 12, 2011 

On several editions of Ecotopia, we’ve talked with people who argue persuasively that Green Jobs are going to increase dramatically in the future.   Tonight, we’ll be talking with Melissa Everett, a career counselor and green activist from New York, who has mapped out possibilities and strategies for “Making a Living While Making a Difference.”

Listen to the Program

Before we talk with Melissa Everett, we thought we’d share an amusing story from the Wall Street Journal.  Reporter Annie Gasparro says that:

McDonald’s Corp. is hoping to bulk up its burger-tossing forces and recast the image of the “McJob” with a nationwide hiring event April 19. On this self-proclaimed National Hiring Day, McDonald’s and its franchisees plan to recruit as many as 50,000 U.S. employees to add to its roughly 600,000-member ranks.[…]

The fast-food giant is promoting the hiring event in print magazines such as People and Us Weekly, as well as social-media channels. The campaign highlights employees of varying ranks, from cashiers to corporate, in an effort to improve the image of working there. For years, people have used the term “McJob” as derogatory slang for low-paying, dead-end work in the kitchen or behind the counter. McDonald’s thinks by putting the spotlight on employees who have risen through the ranks in successful, long-lasting careers, it will be able to give the McJob a new meaning.

Jim Norberg, a senior vice president in McDonald’s restaurant support office, began his career making french fries when he was 16. This month, he is celebrating his 30th anniversary with the company.

“We want to show people what a McJob really means to those of us who have them,” Mr. Norberg said in an interview. “About 40% of our company staff started out working in the restaurants, so the opportunities are out there in a big way.” […]

McDonald’s says the job offers will be a combination of full- and part-time positions in its 14,000 restaurants. […]

[And here’s the fine print:]

Bringing on more part-time and seasonal workers would allow McDonald’s to decrease full-time staff, which would reduce costs at a time when health insurance and other full-time benefits are becoming more expensive for companies.

“Labor costs are a real problem for restaurants this year,” said Ron Paul, president of Technomic, a Chicago-based industry research and consulting firm. “The changes in health-care benefits are going to force companies to rely more on part-time workers than before.”

You want fries or health insurance with that McJob? 

Melissa Everett has some alternatives to McJobs.

Our Conversation with Melissa Everett

Melissa Everett is author of a book titled Making a Living While Making a Difference.  She is a community activist and a career counselor. As the book title suggests, she believes strongly that it’s possible to contribute in positive and sustainable ways to our world and still make enough dough to keep the wolf from the door.  She also practices what she preaches as Executive Director of a group called Sustainable Hudson Valley, and we will ask her about that in the second part of the interview.

Part I: Making a Living While Making a Difference

• The subtitle of your book is “Conscious Careers for an Era of Interdependence.” Please tell us what that means and why you think it is important.
• You write of “sustainable livelihoods–meaningful work that fulfills . . . the needs of all members of a community.”  What are the characteristics of a “sustainable livelihood”?  Could you give us an example or two?
• In recent programs, we’ve had a lively discussion of “green capitalism.”  Some of our guests have argued that by its very nature, capitalism consumes resources exxtravagantly and really can never be green.  However, your writing is filled with suggestions for working within the system (including the possibility of being a carbon trader!).  Please tell us how your ideas mesh with the problems of unsustainability that we see in the current capitalist system.
• Please give us a few examples of sustainable, difference-making careers that our listeners might not be aware of.
• Your book includes a ten-step program for people to find these kinds of careers.  We note that the majority of the steps involve personal self assessment rather than just playing the job market–aiming for self employment.  Why does the individual and his/her values/psyche figure so prominently in your program?
• You recommend that people do what they think to be important whether or not they get paid.  Is that realistic?  (What’s the difference between volunteerism and entrepreneurism?) (What if you find yourself in a career that does not meet sustainability criteria?)
• How does your advice vary by age level, say:
  • a high school graduate thinking about military service? [We work with a counter-recruitment group that helps high schoolers think about alternative careers, so we are especially interested in your advice here.]
  • a new college degree holder with a stack of debts?
  • a person plotting a mid-life career change?
  • a senior citizen figuring out how to spend the golden years?
• How has the financial crash of the last several years affected the market for jobs that make a difference?  Has it affected your optimism about making a living while making a difference?

Part II: Some Questions about Sustainable Hudson Valley

Melissa Everett describes herself as a “social entrepreneur.”  She puts her ideas into practice as Executive Director of Sustainable Hudson Valley, a nonprofit located on the Hudson halfway between New York City and Albany.

• Please tell us about the formation of Sustainable Hudson Valley in 2004.  Why was it created?  What is your mission?
• What kinds of projects does your organization undertake?. Could you give us a few examples of projects that you’ve done over the years?
• What’s the 10% Challenge campaign and how is it going?
• In the first part of the interview, we talked about (and maybe challenged) your optimism.  Can SHV really make a difference?  How many organizations like it would be required to make the Hudson Valley truly sustainable? the rest of the world? 
• What is the range of people working in SHV as volunteers or paid professionals?  Have people become self-employed on the job?
• Since you don’t produce a capitalist profit, how do you sustain the organization itself?
• What advice can you give people (like listeners to this program) about the most effective ways to make their communities more sustainable?  And what kinds of career choices and changes can you suggest to our listeners so they can be part of this revolution?
• What’s your next career?

We highly recommend Melissa’s book, Making a Living While Making a Difference.  It’s published by New Society.  Also be sure to check out the Sustainable Hudson Valley website http://www.sustainhv.org, which includes a great range of environmental information as well as Melissa’s blog, which you’ll find at http://www.makinglivingdifference.com.

Playlist

1. Get a Job        2:27        The Silhouettes        Original Solid Gold Hits, Volume 2                       

2. Working Man’s Blues        3:46        The Devil Makes Three        Do Wrong Right       

3. Sixteen Tons        2:37        Tennessee Ernie Ford        Hotdogs, Hits and Happy Days              

4, Clear Blue Skies (LP Version)        3:07        Crosby, Still, Nash & Young          American Dream       

5. Weave Me the Sunshine        4:28        Peter, Paul And Mary        The Very Best of   Peter, Paul and Mary       

6. Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)        5:11        Neil Young        Ragged Glory        Rock               

7. Working Class Hero        3:09        Shawn Douglas        Shawn Douglas        Blues

 

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Date: 3/29/2011

Tonight we’ll be talking with Christine LePado; she’s a staff writer for the Chico News and Review, who’s written on everything—food, music, art, fashion, gardening, and the environment and health. We’ll talk with her about the environmental topics she’s covered and her contributions to the Green Guide.

 And, we’ll also be talking with Garin Wally. He’s an Alternative Transportation and Planning intern at Chico State, and he’s spearheading a project called zimride, a social network for ridesharing.

Listen to the Program

Our Conversation with Christine LePado

Our first guest is Christine LePado. You’ve read her articles in the Chico News and Review. She also does the Greenways section of CNR. Welcome, Christine.

1. Can you start by telling us a little about your job at Chico News and Review? You’ve done the Green reporting and the Greenways section; do you cover other topics as well? What’s a week of work like for you?
2. How many stories a week are you responsible for? How do you decide what you’ll cover?
3. What have been some of the most interesting stories you’ve covered?
4. It seems like you often cover a lot of the “good news” in the environmental world? What have been some of the more hopeful and optimistic stories you’ve covered? Do you have a favorite story?
5. Have you covered some bad news? What have been some memorable of the gloomy stories?
6. Are there trends in sustainability that you’ve become aware of as you’ve covered the environment? What have you noticed?
7. You also do the Greenways column in the CNR. First, if we have any listeners who don’t read the CNR, can you tell us what that column consists of? How do you put that column together? Where do you get your info? What have been some interesting things you’ve discovered doing that work?
8. What do you see as your central aim in writing on environemtnal and sustainability projects?
9. How has doing the environmental news affected your outlook? What are your visions of our future?

Our Chat with Garen Wally

We have here in the studio with us Gaein Wally. He’s a student at Chico State and an intern in alternative transportation and planning. And he’s involved with Zimride, a social network for ridesharing.

1. Let’s start by learning a bit more about what zimride is. How does it work?
2. How did it get started?
3. Who uses it?
4. How well is it working?
5. What sort of feedback are you getting?
6. What’s your role? How did you become involved?
7. How do you see Zimride working in the future? Do you see ways it might grow and involve more and more people?
8. How does this project fit with your own goals and hopes for your future after graduation?

Playlist

1. All The World Is Green 4:37 Tom Waits Blood Money

2. Glorious 5:19 MaMuse All The Way

3. Killer Cars 2:14 Radiohead Towering Above The Rest

4. Traffic Jam (Album Version) 2:13 James Taylor James Taylor Live

5. Weave Me the Sunshine 4:28 Peter, Paul And Mary The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary

6. Land of the Future 5:14 Josh Lasden & Synoptic Futuristic Music EP

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Date: 22 March 2011

 On tonight’s program we will discussing some of the implications of the Fukushima-Daiichi nuklear disaster in Japan. We’ll be talking with Harvey Wasserman of nukefree.org. He is a longstanding opponent of nuclear energy, and we’ll talk with him about events in Japan, about President Obama’s pro nuke policy, and about green alternatives to a nuclear-powered future.

News Update

Before we talk with our guest, Harvey Wasserman, we want to bring you a few recent stories to bring us up to date on the nuclear crisis in Japan.

From the Wall Street Journal comes this report:

TOKYO—Tokyo Electric Power Co. continued to report progress in restoring order at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors, but finishing the job is turning out to be a painstaking process plagued by damaged equipment and unexpected incidents. Smoke rose from two of the plant’s six reactors Monday, forcing workers to retreat temporarily. The cause of the smoke wasn’t immediately clear. Radioactivity returned to previous levels after a brief rise, officials said. “We aren’t out of the crisis situation yet, but we are seeing a light at the end,” said Prime Minister Naoto Kan. As of Tuesday, power has been restored to all six reactors, but efforts to use that power to cool down the reactors have not been initiated Hidehiko Nishiyama, a senior official at Japan’s nuclear-power regulatory agency said, “Because of the earthquake and tsunami and water, there are going to be cases where some devices don’t work when they receive electricity.” He said workers may need to bring in temporary equipment. The most troublesome of the six remains No. 3, where grayish smoke was seen Monday afternoon rising around the pools where spent nuclear fuel is stored. The smoke disappeared after a few hours.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703858404576214061148397204.html

 The UK Telegraph has been following the immediate effects of radiation on Japan’s agriculture and seafood industries. Yesterday [the Telegraph reports]

…Japan banned food exports from near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Despite statements from the World Health Organisation proclaiming food produced near the Daiichi plant safe, Japan has stopped food exports from around the stricken nuclear plant. Milk from Fukushima along with spinach from four surrounding prefectures are included in the precautionary ban. “There were media reports that excessive radioactive substance was detected in spinach and other leafy vegetables,” [said] Hirofumi Watabe, manager of the Tokyo Citizen Call Centre for Food Contamination by Nuclear Radiation. “So many people called in to ask about food safety”.

 In addition, today’s UK Telegraph adds that: “…fears about contamination [have] spread to the country’s seafood industry: After shipments of spinach and milk from the Fukushima area were halted because of heightened levels of radiation, new tests found elevated levels of radioactive iodine and cesium, in sea water. That prompted the Japanese government to order monitoring of seafood. Levels of radioactive iodine-131 in sea water samples near the plant were 126.7 times higher than the safety limit. However, Yukio Edano, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, said: “Radiation levels higher than safety levels were found in the sea-water, but these levels indicate radiation levels that would still be safe even if you drank sea-water for a year…. [Still,] At Tokyo’s Tsukiji central fish market, trader Eiichi Heima, the 66, said: “Some people are asking for fish that aren’t from up north, because of the nuclear plant.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8395727/Japan-bans-food-exports-from-near-Fukushima-Daiichi-nuclear-plant.html

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/8398604/Japan-nuclear-crisis-engineers-reconnect-all-six-reactors-to-electrical-grid.htm

 And we want to thank listener Diana Suzuki for alerting us to this blog about Tokyo Electric by journalist Greg Palast prepared for Truthout/Buzzflash

“ I need to speak to you, not as a reporter, but in my former capacity as lead investigator in several government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations. I don’t know the law in Japan, so I can’t tell you if Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) can plead insanity to the homicides about to happen. But what will Obama plead? The Administration, just months ago, asked Congress to provide a $4 billion loan guarantee for two new nuclear reactors to be built and operated on the Gulf Coast of Texas — by Tokyo Electric Power and local partners. As if the Gulf hasn’t suffered enough…. Now be afraid. Obama’s $4 billion bail-out-in-the-making is called the South Texas Project. It’s been sold as a red-white-and-blue way to make power domestically with a reactor from Westinghouse, a great American brand. However, the reactor will be made substantially in Japan by the company that bought the US brand name, Westinghouse — Toshiba.

There’s a good deal more to Greg ‘s blog; you can read the  full article at:,

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703858404576214061148397204.html

Our Conversation with Harvey Wasserman

 Our guest is Harvey Wasserman, editor of the nukefree.org website. He is not only interested in the dangers inherent in nuclear power, but has also written and spoken widely about alternatives to nuclear power. His newest book is titled, Solartopia 2030. 

• We would like to begin our discussion with the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi. Please give us your assessment of what has happened and is happening now. What do you anticipate is likely to happen next at the site? around the world due to radiation releases?
• For decades, you’ve steadfastly said, “No nukes.” Is the Fukushima Daiichi confirmation of your worst fears?
•  Last week on this program, Ecosocialist Joel Kovel said, “You can’t call this kind of event an ‘accident.’ It’s the result of a complex set of errors leading to a predictable result.” Do you agree?
•  We don’t want to be self-centered here, for the disaster in Japan requires our closest attention, but you have warned of the dangers created by California’s two nuclear plants: San Onofre and Diablo Canyon. Please tell us about the problems you forsee. (Please tell us about the contingency plans and fiscal accountability for the operators of these plants. What will they do in the event of a disaster?)
• What are other major danger spots in the U.S. and around the world?
• In the presidential campaign, one of the few points of agreement between John McCain and Barack Obama was that nuclear power has to be a part of a “balanced” energy package for the country. And you have reported that “The Obama Administration is now asking Congress for $36 billion in new loan guarantees to build more commercial reactors.” Why are nuclear plants such a “popular” alternative? Why might the US reverse its practice of not building new plants?
• We were pleasantly surprised last week to read a Reuters report that green energy stocks have risen in value since Fukushima Daiichi. Then we were shocked that the author advised against buying such stocks, for this is just an aftershock and the “green” bubble will burst. How do you think the Japan disaster will affect future of green energy?
• Please tell us about your vision of “Solartopia 2030.” What kind of mix of energy sources do you forsee?
• What will it take for the U.S., in particular, and the world, in general, to become deeply committed to green alternatives? Will this come about from, say, legislation, incentives, market forces, or people just doing the right thing?
• We’ve been following the Copenhagen Conference and its followups. Do you have confidence in the U.N. and its members to provide leadership in green energy? Will the wealthy/industrialized nations take into account the whole world rather than their capitalist corner of it?
• What are your highest hopes and worst fears for Solartopia 2030? What are the consequences if we don’t go seriously green?
• In addition to opposing nukes, what can our listeners do to actively promote safe, green alternatives? 

 Be sure to check out Harvey Wasserman’s website which is “A global library of information and links about nuclear power, nuclear weapons, nuclear waste contamination, and citizen action for sustainable energy and human survival.” Dedicated to “Exploring paths beyond the global culture of violence.”

Playlist: 1. Nuclear Infected (Album Version) 2:16 Alice Cooper Flush The Fashion 2. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) 3:16 Marvin Gaye What’s Going On R&B
3. Industrial Disease 5:50 Dire Straits Love Over Gold Rock
4. The Invention of Nuclear Power 2:46 Peter Adams The Spiral Eyes Rock
4. Wind Power 3:03 David Suzuki Space Child
5. Weave Me the Sunshine 4:28 Peter, Paul And Mary The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary
6. Death Of Mother Nature Suite (Album Version) 7:54 Kansas Kansas Rock
7. Solar Power Princess 2:45 Nooshi the Balloon Dude Ready, Set, Go Green Children’s Music
8. Turn! Turn! Turn! 3:53 The Byrds The Byrds: 20 Essential Tracks from the Box Set Rock

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Date: 15 March 2011 

On tonight’s program we’ll be talking about the concept of “ecosocialism,” which our guest Joel Kovel, argues is essential to saving the earth. Capitalism, he says, just won’t do it, because the profit motive drives the capitalist system to exploitation of the earth and its inhabitants.

Listen to the Program

Our Coversation with Joel Kovel:

Our guest tonight is Joel Kovel, who is editor of the journal Capitalism Nature Socialism; the title sums up or focus tonight. In 2001, he and Michael Löwy published The Ecosocialist Manifesto, and in 2002 he published a book (revised in 2007) called The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World?. \

• You’ve had a long career in medicine, psychiatry, education, and social and political activism. Please give us a little of your biography–how did you get to be an ecosocialist?
• Your book subtitle puts the choice bluntly, “the end of capitalism or the end of the world.” In that book you also quote Rosa Luxemburg, who says we have a choice between “barbarism or socialism.” Please tell us about what you see as the role of capitalism in undermining the environment. Why is capitalism at war with nature? Can it bring an end to the world?
• You argue that capitalism is not bound by absolute laws, but by traditions and conventions. Is capitalism incapable of green reform? (e.g. carbon cap-and-trade, wind power, solar power)?
•  In fact, you are pretty hard on a number of current environmental movements. You write of faux good news, a “puerile mish-mash, of local cleanup efforts, greenwashings of one kind or another, the hucksterings, of green capitalists, various techno-fixes, and the noises made by government agencies.” Are well-meant individual green efforts pointless?
• You are also critical of Kyoto, (and, we are assuming, Copenhagen). Can’t/won’t world governments save the world from capitalism?
•  Here’s a question you ask yourself in the Manifesto: “But why socialism, why revive this word seemingly consigned to the rubbish-heap of history by the failings of its twentieth century interpretations?”
• What are the major tenets of ecosocialism? (Perhaps you can describe some of them.)
• How might/must the ecosocialist revolution come about? Who will lead it? What form will it take? Will it be violent? Might the actions Republicans in Wisconsin lead to a people’s rebellion? Might the health care crisis bring us to ecosocialism? What does Katrina teach us about the possibility for ecosocialism?
•  Please describe your vision of an ecosocialist planet after the revolution. [Our program title is taken from Ernest Callenbach’s 1973 novel, Ecotopia. If you’re familiar with Callenbach’s vision, could you offer a few comments on Ecotopia as an ecosocialist kind of state?]
• It’s difficult from your writing to see the precise role of the individual in bringing about ecological change. Please give our listeners (and us) some ideas about individual engagement. What can/should/might we be doing? Can you recommend additional sources or organizations for action?

You can also learn more about Joel Kovel and his work at his website (which also includes a copy of the Ecosocialist Manifesto) and at a detailed article on Wikipedia . 

Joel Kovel <http://www.joelkovel.com/>

Wikipedia <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Kovel >

Nature Capitalism Socialism <http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1045-5752&linktype=145>

Playlist for Ecotopia #128: Ecosocialism 1. Fast Paced World 3:52 The Duhks Fast Paced World
2. Revolution 1 4:16 The Beatles The Beatles (White Album)
3. It’s Money That I Love 3:43 Randy Newman It’s Lonely At The Top
4. The Penguin 2:50 Don Byron Bug Music
5. Weave Me the Sunshine 4:28 Peter, Paul And Mary The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary
6. Doctor My Eyes (LP Version) 3:20 Jackson Browne Jackson Browne
7. A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall 6:57 Bob Dylan The Freewheellin’ Bob Dylan

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Date:  3/8/2011

Ecotopia is a weekly program exploring ecosystems—environmental, social, and technological.

Tonight we’ll be talking with Dr. Mark Stemen. He’s a professor on the faculty of the Geography and Planning Department at CSU. He’s also a well-known community activist with, among others, the Chico Sustainability Task Force and the Butte Environmental Council.

 We’ll also be talking with four students from Chico State who are involved with some of the many sustainability projects on campus. We’ll talk with three students who are involved in a campaign to block construction of a new parking structure and another student who is a residence hall advisor for Sustainability House.

Listen to the Program

Our Discussion with Mark Stamen

Mark is coordinator of the Environmental Studies Program at Chico State, advisor to eight student groups, faculty mentor to the  “Sustainability House” in the residence halls, and a tireless teacher, mentor and colleague for sustainability.

1. First of all, tell us about Chico State’s Environmental Studies Program.
2. You’re known as a huge supporter of sustainability issues and topics on and off campus. What are some of the most important projects you are and have been involved in?
3. Tell us about some of the groups you work with on campus.
4. How did you become interested in sustainability issues? How has that shaped your career over the years?
5. What are you currently teaching?
6. What else would you like our listeners to know about sustainability on campus or in Chico?

 Vanessa Pasa, Eddie Markie, and Jessica Ulvang:  Tell us about CSU’s “Parking Structure Catastrophe.” 

1. Let’s start with the parking structure. Tell us a little about the structure and where things are in the building process.
2. What are your objections to the structure?
3. Who all is involved in the campaign against the structure?
4. How do you assess your chances of winning your campaign? (I understand the moved up the building of the project. How does that affect your chances?)

Kelly Cronon: You’re involved with the Sustainability House at the residence halls at Chico State. Tell us something about the Sustainability House.

2. How did it come into being? How old is it?

3. How do people come to live there?

4. What are some things that make it sustainable?

5.  What’s your role?

News About the Procession of Species

The Endangered Species Faire will again be held the first Saturday in May, May 7. This year, there will be a new event at the Faire that we’re really excited about—The Procession of the Species. Everyone is invited to participate in this celebratory parade in which they create their favorite species—oyster mushroom, dolphin, daisy, monarch butterfly, lion, tiger, or bear. We’ll then Process in creative costume to Cedar Grove in Bidwell Park. We’re inviting schools, organizations, businesses, and individuals and their friends to craft puppets and costumes out of recycled materials.

We’ve got a couple of possibilities to help you with ideas and construction. First of all, there will be four puppet-making workshops conducted by Master Puppeteer Cheetah Tchudi. These workshops will be held on four consecutive Fridays—March 18 and 25 and April 1 and 8. The workshops are free and will be held from 4:30 to 7:30 at the GRUB house, 1525 Dayton Road. If you get off work at 5:00, come at 5:30. You don’t have to RSVP, but it would really help us with planning if you did. To let us know you’re coming or for more information, please email ecotopia@kzfr.org.

If you are a teacher or principal (or parent), Steve and I would love to come to your classrooms to help build puppets. Puppets can be as elaborate as large, collaborative wearable puppets like whales or snakes or as simple as a school of fish or a garden of flowers on sticks. Our major construction method is cardboard, paper mache, and paint.

Again, email ecotopia@kzfr.org.

To learn more about the Endangered Species Faire, you can go to the BEC website, www.endangeredspeciesfaire.org, or you can phone (530) 891-6424 or email marym @ becnet.org.

 Playlist

1. Global Warming Blues      3:42  Lenny Solomon   Armando’s Pie                    

2. Working On A Dream        3:30  Bruce Springsteen       Working On A Dream  

3. Break Up The Concrete     2:39  The Pretenders   Break Up The Concrete

4. Danger (Global Warming) – Radio Mix 3:35  Brick Casey Danger (Global Warming)        Rap & Hip-Hop                   

5. Weave Me the Sunshine   4:28  Peter, Paul And Mary    The Very Best of Peter

6. Effect & Cause        3:00  The White Stripes       Icky Thump Rock

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