Food for Thought
“'Environment' is not an abstract concern, or simply a matter of aesthetics, or of personal taste--although it can and should involve these as well. Man is shaped to a great extent by his surroundings. Our physical nature, our mental health, our culture and institutions, our opportunities for challenge and fulfillment, our very survival -- all of these are directly related to and affected by the environment in which we live. They depend upon the continued healthy functioning of the natural systems of the Earth.”
Richard Nixon
Category Archives: Sustainability
Ultimate Limits on the reef
Thanks to Ava at the Reef Tank web site for republishing the Natural Patriot’s post on “Approaching the Ultimate Limits“. You can find it here. For those of you interested in marine biology generally, and tropical aquaria in particular, there … Continue reading
Posted in Blogospheria, Sustainability
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Our one minute and 54 seconds seconds of fame
OK, fame would be overstating it, even on a local level. But we did get air. At any rate, Check out last night’s green energy link on WVEC-TV 13. Now it’s looking forward to actually doing the work . . … Continue reading
Algae to the rescue: the egg hatches
[Over the last year, through a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, euphoria and despair, exciting breaks, wild goose chases, dead ends, dark nights of the soul, and so on, we have been working to develop a project to employ … Continue reading
Approaching the ultimate limits?
As an academic ecologist researching or teaching about ecosystems, a common dilemma is the issue of how to define the boundaries of a system. Where, for example, does the Chesapeake Bay end and the Atlantic begin? What is the edge … Continue reading
Can religion save the world?
I mean the natural world here. Yes, the suggestion might at first seem counterintuitive (perhaps even obscene) given the fierce opposition to any restraint on rapacious commerce and “development” that became, rightly or wrongly, intertwined with fundamentalist religion in the … Continue reading
Pollen-nation
No, I’m not talking about hay fever. This just in: National Pollinator Week is coming up (21-27 June), and I just ran across this great website that offers free downloadable guides to improving habitat for these essential animals in your … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Biophilia, Education, Sustainability
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Can Nature heal?
It’s a tough job these days being an environmentalist proponent of sustainability. Bad news and warnings of impending doom at every turn. One might be forgiven for craving a bit of sunshine every once in a while. One of the … Continue reading
A few things I learned from a zucchini
A few days ago, the little garden patch produced its first fruit (photo at right). It doesn’t like like much, I’ll admit, but every baby is beautiful to its parents. Well, to be truthful, some of the things advertised in … Continue reading
Nature is hiring
[Editor's note: Following is Paul Hawken's recent commencement speech to the graduating class of the University of Portland. It is so inspiring, so filled with poetry and wisdom, and so dead on the mark that I feel compelled to reproduce … Continue reading
Posted in Biodiversity, Biophilia, Education, Natural Patriots, Science, Sustainability
Tagged heroes, restoration, soul
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Can we transcend consumerism?
I’ve somehow got on a lot of email lists that I attribute to the Natural Patriot. Greenpeace sends me press releases with a lot of implied exclamation points, as do various purveyors of allegedly green consumer goods. I get excited … Continue reading
