Seeing Green Zine by juliettedraws

S E E I N G

R E E N : ecotage in an age of i n a c t :noi yb etteiluJ ssalG

A reader,

thank you for picking up this zine. SEEING GREEN is here to help you learn more about direct action environmentalism, also known as ‘ecotage’. While the US government and the media usually refer to such protests as “ecoterrorism”, the information assembled here will help to dispel those misconceptions through real-world examples of groups carrying out this brave work. The guiding principle behind ecotage is that our duty to protect the Earth outweighs any legal obligations we might have.

Any further delays in concerted global action will see humanity miss the rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future for all. None of the largest economies have anything close to complete decarbonization on their political agendas; if governments were truly interested in solving climate change, they could have done so by now. As depressing as some of the information presented here may sound, this zine isn’t meant to be pessimistic.

The US, UK, and Europe are seeing a resurgence of direct action movements, from Just Stop Oil, Greenpeace, to Extinction Rebellion, but increasingly repressive laws are being put in place to dissuade people from taking action. The fossil fuel industry and governments know what people power is capable of. If you’ve ever felt like you wish you could do more, or you don’t know where to start, then this zine is for you. I hope that you share it as widely as you can.

irect Action =

Solving problems yourself. Any form of direct action that sidesteps regulations and threatens the capitalist mode of production is discouraged, to say the least. There are countless scenarios in which you might want to engage in ecotage.

The EF! Direct Action Manual is a good place to start for those looking to get involved (1).

oa- Choose a project and create a plan. Some things to consider: how big will your group be, will you involve the media, could there be legal repercussions? - Start simply and increase the complexity and creativity as you go on.

o a

- Establish and prioritize your goals from the start (short-, medium-, and long-term).

- Are you trying to halt the construction of a building over a community garden? Put pressure on a particular corporation or inflict material damages?

a- Make sure that power is distributed evenly throughout your group.

- Rotate roles regularly to ensure that all decisions are made in a participatory and consensual manner.

egal upport nfrastructure

- Everyone participating should be aware of and prepared for the associated risks and any accompanying criminal charges.

- Don’t take things further than you feel ready to go. Get started slowly and build an involvement with direct action that can last a lifetime.

- Prepare a legal support structure for the unexpected (legal aid and lawyers, money for bail, support network).

- Try to get information in advance as to what charges arrestees are likely to face, and research the municipal or state codes regarding relevant actions like wearing masks, marching without a permit, graffiti and vandalism.

a- Establish what coverage, if any, you want and get it. This could mean sending out a press release (Who, What, When, Where, How, Why) or a communiqué, inviting reporters, holding a press conference, or documenting your actions yourself.

- The way that we present our ideas to the world can be a provocation or an action itself.

econ aissan

- Study your action site carefully! Do at least a check of the area the day before, and make a practice run if your action calls for strenuous tasks.

- While scouting, be careful not to call attention to yourself or leave an obvious record of your passing.

if not now, then when do we take action?

Florida’s state parks are under attack!

In August 2024, Governor Ron deSantis announced that Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection would open at least 9 state parks for the construction of ‘recreational activities’ including golf courses, pickleball courts, and hotels. The Everglades are NO PLACE for this.

You can call the Governor’s office to express your disdain at (850) 717-9337, or send a pre-formatted email via the Florida Wildlife Federation.

No more pipelines: resist the West Virginia Critical Infrastructure Protection Act!

The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a 300-mile fossil fuel project mired by environmental controversies, became operational in July of 2024. The Biden administration resurrected MVP to secure Joe Manchin’s vote on a debt-ceiling bill. In 2024, West Virginia also updated §61-10-34. of the CIP Act to be able to impose larger fines and longer prison sentences on protestors, a clear sign of how the fossil fuel industry is steadily taking over our legislative systems.

Stop Project Maple in Connecticut

Project Maple is an attempt by Enbridge to expand New England’s natural gas system, adding new secondary pipelines and compressor stations. Funding for this pipeline would come directly out of people’s utility bills, and if the project is built but then falls into disuse, remaining gas customers will still have to shoulder costs. @ stopprojectmaple.com has chapters in multiple states.

Protecting wolves in Wyoming

The proposed ‘Animal abuse-predatory animals Act’ put forth by the Treatment of Predators Working Group would essentially allow people to run over wolves and other predators with snowmobiles, so long as they kill them immediately afterwards. Unfortunately, such horrific incidents have occurred as recently as in the winter of 2023, when Cody Roberts tortured an injured wolf in a bar in Sublette County, and only received a $250 fine.

The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of ecotage focused groups that operate across North America and Europe / the UK.

- Just Stop Oil (JSO) - Earth Liberation Front - Tyre Extinguishers - POP (planet over profit) - Extinction Rebellion (XR) - Greenpeace - Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - Brandalism - Time’s Up - Sunrise MovementEarth First! - Animal Liberation Front

JSO uses nonviolent civil resistance, traffic obstruction, and vandalism to convince the British government to end fossil fuel licensing and production.

Sunrise Movement advocates for political action on climate change by working to center the Green New Deal, primarily with sitins.

International, leaderless, and decentralized, the ALF aims to uncover cruelty against animals through any possible non-violent means.

Acceptability urvey

The following survey has been developed from Zeitzoff & Gold (2), to better understand how supportive the American public is of various direct action techniques. How do the threats from climate change influence support for direct action? The QR code will take you to the full Google form, and some sample questions are provided below.

- How acceptable is sabotaging equipment of logging or oil companies? - How acceptable is leaking emails of companies that are big polluters? - How acceptable is blocking traffic?

hat is stopping us from participating in direct action?

Subject: Earth First!’s ‘statement of principles’ Location:

1. Wilderness has a right to exist for its own sake.

2. All life forms, from viruses to whales, have an inherent and equal right to existence.

3. Humankind is no greater than any other form of life and has no legitimate claim to dominate the Earth.

4. Humankind, through overpopulation, anthropocentrism, industrialization, excessive energy consumption, resource extraction, state capitalism, father-figure hierarchies, imperialism, pollution, and natural area destruction, threatens the basic life processes of the EARTH.

5. All human decisions should consider Earth first, humankind second.

6. The only true test of morality is whether an action, be it individual, social, or political, benefits the Earth.

7. Humankind will be happier, healthier, more secure, and more comfortable in a society that recognizes humankind’s true biological nature and which is in dynamic harmony with the total biosphere.

8. Political compromise has no place in the defense of the Earth. (3)

r/de-carbonized society

does anyone else feel this way?

don’t you just love that inaminate metal objects are given more consideration than actual humans?

This book is not a justification for monkeywrenching. It is a compilation of dozens of articles and letters sent to EF! by those wanting to share best practices for direct action. It is a non-violent, individualized, targeted, timely, dispersed, diverse, fun, deliberate, and ethical practice. If you want to know how to topple a billboard, destroy ranching equipment, or dismantle animal traps, this book is for you.

2. Redwood Uprising: The Story of Judi Bari and Earth First!, available online @ judibari.info.

This book chronicles the struggles of Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney before and after the unsolved car bombing that nearly killed them. In the late 1980s, Bari was instrumental in starting Local 1 of the IWW, which allied with EF! to fight against old growth logging and the established paradigm of corporate dominance.

3. Property Will Cost Us the Earth, by Andreas Malm, available online @ Verso Books.

This 2021 novel asks the question: ‘should we start blowing up pipelines, occupying coal mines, and destroying property to address climate change?’ The essays grapple with how best to build a protest movement that reflects the urgency required to stop the use of fossil fuels.

Climate change is not an environmentalist issue. It’s a survivability issue. We can either act now, or do nothing and suffer the consequences for the rest of our lives, knowing that we didn’t do everything possible to prevent the worst effects. If you feel similarly that our duty to protect the Earth overrides legal obligations, then I hope you go into the world and talk about ecotage, join action when you can, and be inspired by the desperation of the current moment.

The climate crisis is worsening by the day and fossil fuel executives and politicians thrive off of this chaos. We won’t be able to dismantle capitalism using tools from the capitalist system. If your house was lit on fire by someone outside, would you stand there and ask them to call the fire department as you slowly asphyxiate? Or would you break a window to get out?

This is not an exhaustive list of sources, but they are some of the most informative papers I read while designing this zine and writing the accompanying theoretical paper. A lot of people involved in ecotage are also committed to distributing information, so places like Archive.org have resources just waiting to be discovered.

1. The Dam Collective (2015). Earth First! Direct Action Manual. (3rd Edition). Earth First!

2. Zeitzoff, T., Gold, G. (2022). Green Rage Against the Machine: Climate Threat and Support for Eco Direct Actions. American University, 1-43.

3. Foreman, D. (1980). EARTH FIRST Statement of Principles and Membership Brochure. Introducing Earth First!: Environment & Society Portal.