Category: Green

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Bioneers

A weekend at Bioneers.

On movement building: Roundtable breakfasts for the left, to resolve differences so that the movement emerges with a united front (this method has been very successful for the right), and build base and reach out to the middle, not the other way around.

On media and democracy: Corporations are trying to get Non-Governmental Organiations viewed as terrorist organizations. Yow.

On the founding of our country: The US was born against corporations (specifically, The East India Trading Company)

My favorite line from Tom Hayden: “Intelligence doesn’t mean something is true.”

Most disturbing moment: Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser is being sued because Monsanto found GMO seeds on his property. Schmeiser has never grown GMO seeds, but because GMO material had contaminated the property, the Canadian federal court ruled that the farm is Monsanto’s property. The case goes to the Canadian Supreme Court on January 20, 2004. Visit Percy’s website.

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Jim Ortlieb

While watching Six Feet Under last week, one of the actors in the credits was named Jim Ortlieb – I remember that my dad met this guy several years ago in Chicago, so it was really weird to see his name in the credits. The character he plays (a manager) gets shot by a recently-fired disgruntled employee. He has a scene in the morgue where he sits up on the table and talks to also-deceased killer, who had committed suicide at the scene.

2003 Chicago Cubs:
NL Central Divison Champions
Hooah!

I’m in the midst of a week of deconstructing and later reconstructing myself on paper, figuring out my higher purposes with regards to my personal, professional, and community life. A bit of the granola end of the Green MBA program at New College.

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The thesis presentation

Today was the big day. It’s all about thesis presentations in class. Marshall talked about transitional life programs for parolees – that must be inspiring work. Joe Lucas wowed us with a vibrant reading of an excerpt of his life – it was well acted and well, I had no idea about his past and his addictions. He’s come a long way. I wouldn’t have recognized him then, I suppose. Gerald talked about ‘The Pocket Anger Manager” and the cycles of depression and anger that perpetuate themselves. He has inside his head a vast storehouse of inspirational knowledge. I’m happy to know him, and now that he has a working email address, able to talk to him in the future.Man, I was nervous. I’m not usually nervous in front of a crowd, but then I’m only singing most of the time. I think because it’s a cohort of people I know really well, I know I wouldn’t be able to bullshit any of them. I kept thinking about anything that could go wrong – the Powerbook getting water all over it, the connection to the TV not working, fumbling around, boring people.

It went off without a hitch. At one point I must have been getting Someone’s attention, because thunder rumbled as I was playing a clip from the “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign. I think people were initially turned off by the politically incorrect nature of the ads, but I needed only to remind them that they weren’t the target demographic – that I was working outside the left’s bubble to accomplish this. I took 40 of the 45 minutes, with 5 minutes for questions – so much for not filling up the time available.

One more day of a weekend class, until this fall. One more paper to turn in. I’m going to miss my cohort.

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Green MBA at the farm

I rented a car and drove to Santa Rosa to meet with John Stayton, to talk about the Green MBA program at New College’s Santa Rosa campus. We met at his home, the Golden Nectar farm. He was a half-hour late, so his wife showed me around the farm and talked about the projects going on there. When I finally met with John, we spoke about our respective backgrounds and he talked about the program’s offerings. This seems like a great fit – not a degree in journalism from Berkeley, but a wonderful foundation for some long-term plans – and I think that with this acquired knowledge, compounded with my design and political leanings, there could be a lot of potential for me in just a short time.I got a sunburn! Wait’ll the kids in Seattle see this.

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C’etait Toi

I’m meeting with some people from the Green MBA program at New College on March 10th in Santa Rosa.After seeing a play called ‘Ballyhoo’ at Rebar, my friend Camille and I head to a restaurant named Toi (pronounced ‘toy’). The DJ in the lounge has just started, and most of the guys in the place look and dress like Matthew Perry’s character, Chandler Bing, from ‘Friends’. Two exceptionally-scantily-clad women dance together on the tiny dance floor, which leads me to believe they might have been hired to draw people in.

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What Would Jesus Drive?

A day to catch up with friends all over the place. I’ve booked two weekends in SF for February as there’s a protest march on February 16th I really want to be a part of. I’m thinking of volunteering for it. I’m also getting revved up about the possibilities that my thesis can offer, especially after watching a recent Bill Moyers special about hydrogen cars. It offered a spotlight on Arianna Huffington’s “When you drive an SUV, you fund terrorists” commercial campaign, and an evangelical association’s “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign. This ties in with my thesis, and makes excellent background material. They’re shaping a visual language for certain mainstream elements. I think the WWJD campaign is more effective, though, because it doesn’t attack people personally.

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Organic sustainable feast, rally

Class today. A bit uncomfortable for some reason. Listened mostly, not sure if there was anything I could offer today. Didn’t read Malcolm X biography. Read about W.E.B. DuBois in high school, I think. Starting from scratch in this class. That’s a good thing. I’m here to learn, after all.Rally! Organizers say 350,000 – news says tens of thousands, police say 200,000. Barbara Lee, Bonnie Raitt, Martin Sheen. Market St was apparently full from Embarcadero to Civic Center. Can’t wait for the next march. I’ll be in Seattle – hopefully they’ll have something put together.

I almost feel hogtied a bit because I have a foot in the mainstream capitalist world, and one in a behind-the-scenes activist sort of way. It’s difficult because I don’t feel I connect with the protest movement today, yet I’m a part of it, even if in a small way. But I’m not a socialist, an anarchist, a communist. I do believe in the system of government we have. It’s just it needs a bit of fixing, but I don’t believe a complete overhaul, but then my opinion is based on my experience.

I went to an organic dinner in a “painted lady” house. It was probably the first night I’ve ever felt really welcome in San Francisco. I met a lot of wonderful people, and all of the food was organic and locally grown – nothing traveled further than 150 miles to be at the table. We had a bit of booze, all of us, and played Cranium in the living room. My social self can flourish here under the proper circumstances. Maybe these weekend trips to SF are the best way to establish a foothold in the city eventually. Build a community from another city? Why not?

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MPA or MBA?

MPA or MBA? I spent today looking at a couple of options for graduate studies. Evergreen State College has a Master’s of Public Administration: it sounds sort of what I’m looking for and is 8 quarters (2 years) long. Not bad. I’m also looking at the Green MBA program offered through New College – a business program founded on ethics and sustainability practices sounds like a desperately needed foundation for any prospective business student.

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The recovery

Today I spent on the couch, when I wasn’t getting sick. We really take our food sources for granted – who knows how far the ingredients traveled? I read ‘Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things’ today, and as a result have a new appreciation to keep my purchases local when possible. The author uses a boating term at the end of the book: ‘Watch your wake’, talking about the rippling effect of our consuming habits and the need to tread lightly (minimal wake) with our lifestyle.