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By Carolyn Raffensperger “But a renaissance, a rebirth occurs not just because there is a rising of images and archetypal symbols. A renaissance happens because the soul is breached, the psyche unlocked, and a flood of new questions are released as to who we are and what we contain.” Jean Houston “Only [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger On the morning of August 11th, 2010 residents in Ames Iowa were awakened by a robo-call from the city. “Prepare for unprecedented flooding. Move to high ground. “ Squaw Creek and the Skunk River rose to heights never before seen, even in the disastrous floods of 1993. Soon all [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger “So we break the spell by loving ourselves and each other enough to tell the truth. Our own experience, as inhabitants of an endangered planet, gives us the authority and the authenticity to tell the truth about what we see and feel and know is happening to our world.” Joanna [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger A quiet, ordinary canary, an older female named Vida had sent many of her brood into the mines. She had had enough. “What”, she thought,” can I do to stop sending our children into the mines to warn the miners of death? The mines themselves are death. This is [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger In 1998 Jane Lubchenco, now head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency called for a new social contract for scientists. She said: “As the magnitude of human impacts on the ecological systems of the planet becomes apparent, there is increased realization of the intimate connections between these systems and human health, the [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger The BP disaster demands justice. People are looking for asses to kick, ways to make BP–or the government—pay for their failures. Some have argued that we are all to blame because we use fossil fuels. Others argue that the oil industry is solely liable because they were negligent, under-prepared and [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger I’ve just discovered a secret about food and sustainable diets. I tasted a hint of this secret when I went to visit my mother on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the shores of Lake Superior, that mysterious, cold, dark sea, with its edge of northern woods and rock. Friends brought thimbleberry jam [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Many smart people grappling with environmental problems propose single solutions and argue that the trade-off of not using their favored (usually high-tech) solution is disaster. Case in point: Stewart Brand, a renowned environmentalist, has argued hard for nuclear power to staunch the flow of greenhouse gas emissions and prevent climate destabilization. Brand [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Note: This is an essay I wrote for a feature on Faith and Thought that ran in our local paper during 2007. It was originally entitled “Returning Soldier Has Much to Teach Us” and was published in Mid-Iowa News, February 2007. I was reminded of it by a recent conversation with [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Note: Just last week I heard yet another reason why a government agency couldn’t regulate toxic chemicals in children’s toys. That incident inspired me to compile all the excuses I’ve heard over the years about why the public has to put up with the polluting, damming, bulldozing, and mining destruction of the Earth. [...] |
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