Just about a month ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20, banning the sale of combustion engine cars in the state by 2035. At first glance, Newsom's policy may seem like a bold move towards combating the climate crisis--perhaps even one that elected officials should echo across the country. However, it is important to acknowledge that this executive order, like others before it, is working within the climate crisis-perpetuating economic system of capitalism, not breaking it.
Read MoreIn the perpetual game of red versus blue, the 2020 elections have been filled with stress and anxiety given the divided nature of the United States. The announcement of President-Elect Joe Biden has brought a temporary sigh of relief for the future of American democracy as well as the environment. For many of our generation, Biden's climate change agenda provides a sense of simultaneous fear and hope.
Read More“Let's say for the sake of argument that all of the water levels around the world rise by, let's say, five feet over the next 100 years. Say ten feet over the next 100 years. And it puts all of the low-lying areas on the coast underwater. Let's say all of that happens. You think people aren’t going to sell their houses and move?”
Read MoreAnyone following the 2020 US election knows that Arizona flipped blue for Democratic nominee Joe Biden. However, they may not have heard about the role Native Americans in the Navajo Nation played in turning the swing state blue for the second time in seventy years, where, despite facing the most severe rates of COVID-19 in the country, reportedly 60-90% of their eligible registered voters went for Biden. The Democratic party and liberals everywhere owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the Navajo Nation, and this debt should only be repaid by supporting the Land Back movement and the fight for Indigneous land sovereignty everywhere.
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![The Armchair Sunrise]()
As the constitutional convention came to a close in 1789, Benjamin Franklin looked at the armchair that Washington sat in, with a sun painted on its headboard. As he signed the new Constitution, he said, and James Madison later recorded, “ [I] looked at that behind the President without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting: But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting Sun.” Franklin understood that unity was made through progress, and this was a monumental breakthrough. Although the framer’s refusal to address the horrors of slavery, genocide of Native Americans, and rampanant sexism would lead to centuries of struggle and strife, it was the most progressive government document ever seen by the western world. Since it’s signing, history has proven Franklin right: this country’s best moments have been when we embraced bold progressivism, and our darkest days have followed our complacency and inaction.
Read MoreIf you’re active in the world of social media environmentalism, chances are you’ve come across Kristy Drutman. She’s a Jewish and Filipina American climate activist, and she runs the popular Instagram account “@browngirl_green,” where she posts about sustainable living and environmental awareness. Over the past three years, she’s amassed over 50,000 followers and has been a powerful voice for environmental justice and activism, speaking at conferences and universities across the country and hosting her own workshops. I spoke with her over the phone about how she got started, the lifestyle changes she’s made, and the power of social media as an educational tool.
Read MoreA much-beloved species, the Ring-Tailed Lemur has garnered widespread public attention and affection through its representation in movies and media. King Julien, of the movie Madagascar, is perhaps the best known Ring-Tailed Lemur, but just last month, another Ring-Tail named Maki also made headlines after being stolen from the San Francisco Zoo (he was later safely returned).
Read MoreI hesitate to write this column. I hesitate to write it, and even more to publish it, because it will reveal me as a person who is concerned about climate change. But isn’t that something to be proud of - not ashamed? Don’t we need more people engaged in this battle, not fewer?
Read MoreA 2016 United Nations Report on Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern is getting new attention in light of the global Coronavirus pandemic. A large section of the report details the increasing risk of zoonosis, or the process of animal based viruses mutating to infect humans, which is the process by which coronaviruses infect humans.
Read MoreAmongst millennials, progressive, and new age circles, a new buzzword has rooted itself: toxins.
Read MoreLet’s listen to leaders of environmental justice movements and hold cities accountable for processing their own waste. For the sake of public, health, land, and oceanic systems, we must move beyond the blue bins to reach a greener future.
Read MoreBetween April 17 and April 27, UC Berkeley hosted its third and final open house on the People’s Park Housing Project. The plan includes 950 to 1,200 student beds and 75 to 125 apartments for people currently experiencing homelessness or very low-income residents, open space, and a food market.
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