Loretto Earth Network News Divest/Reinvest/Commit End of Summer 2014
Vol. 22, No. 3
Evolutionary Life Transformation By Maureen McCormack SL
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2014 Sisters Of Earth Conference Presentation University of St. Mary, Leavenworth, Kansas. Part 1 of 3 Part Series
wo years ago at our Sisters of Earth Conference, we had these wonderful spirals all over the room, swirling, each one in many colors of pink, yellow, green, orange, teal. I took one of the spirals home and put it on the wall right next to my desk. I now immerse myself in the evolving image of the universe emerging from the spiral as I participate in Craig Hamilton’s 9-month on-line course on evolutionary life transformation. I want to share some highlights of Craig’s course, which he also calls “A 9-month Spiritual Odyssey into the Heart of Integral Enlightenment.” Craig is a pioneer in the emerging field of evolutionary life transformation. Why wouldn’t we all want to be transformed? Our understanding of evolution is changing the nature of enlightenment, of transformation and of spiritual life. We begin to see life and ourselves as a vast, cosmic process of unfolding toward what the universe was created to be. What liberates us from self-concern and fills us with the joy and ecstasy of spirit is a giving over of ourselves to wholehearted, unrestrained becoming. Can we see life through such big eyes that we only care about this great unfolding process and how we contribute to it? Spiritual realization itself is evolving and giving birth to a new kind of enlightenment. What happens in this awakening is that we realize we’re a fluid process
of change, and whatever limitations we might encounter are temporary because we can grow beyond them. So much of what looked almost impossible just dissolves in this recognition that I’m a process, an unfolding evolutionary process. We tend to have a fixed idea of other people. In the evolutionary self, that also falls away. So, the way we relate to others, the way we relate to ourselves, the way we relate to the challenges of life, even largescale challenges in organizations or the world, none of it seems insurmountable anymore. It might look as though it’s struggling or not doing so well, and we’re going to see lots of problems and issues and things that need to evolve, but we start to see all of it through this lens of being an unfolding process. So none of it seems like a permanent limitation. We sense the possibility for humanity to come together in an extraordinarily enlightened way that would transcend all the limitations and problems, because we sense the possibility to evolve. We see that human nature has evolved and adapted and that it’s going to continue to evolve, and that we can help evolve it consciously. There’s this awareness of how the world could become something utterly different from what it is. There is also an extraordinary recognition of the sacred significance of the process of evolution, a sense of the sacredness of what we’re discovering the whole evolving universe to be about, and what we’re
discovering ourselves to be about. We experience an overwhelming care for the evolution of the whole. We’re discovering the heartbeat of the divine in ourselves, pulsing through the cosmos and what it is trying to bring into being. When a whole group awakens to this process, it becomes incredibly profound. Everybody is now following the same deepening thread. The evolutionary impulse at the heart of the cosmos is alive in each of us. It can become the driving force of our whole life. We stretch toward a new way of being. We need to get to know the evolutionary self very well, to know what it’s calling us to do/be, its agenda. It is trying to make heaven manifest on Earth. Allow yourself to step into the perspective of looking at life through God’s eyes. Experience this divine, sacred yearning for holiness to become manifest in the hearts and minds of everyone. What an imaginably different world would result from that! Looking at life through God’s eyes, what do I want more than anything else? What matters most and why? Continued on page 2
Editor’s Note
I have so many thoughts rolling around in my head at Mary Ann Coyle this moment! Our world today seems in dreadful disarray, people appearing lost in their devices, valuing social media more than actual word-to-word communication. It can certainly be my age and maybe an innate Luddite leaning that makes me want to see how my ideas are received and if they are perhaps useful to promote.
The RACER Trust By Carl P. Garvey
Last week, I read three articles from three different sources that made me stop and think. The New York Times (8/14/14) carried a graphic depicting the tools of war across the U.S. The caption tells us that state and local police departments, like Ferguson, MO, San Bernadino County, CA, got this free equipment from a Department of Defense program created in the early 1990’s. My second jolt came as I read Patricia J. Williams’ piece in The Nation (9/1-8/14). In Summer of Hate she recounts the July death of Eric Garner, an African-American New Yorker, beaten brutally by the police for selling single cigarettes without a license. Garner’s death was the result of a chokehold, banned by police forces almost universally. I also thought of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, the riots in Islamabad, fears in Nigeria (Lagos) of major outbreaks of Ebola in a populous area where major airlines cross. Finally I opened The New Yorker (8/25/14) and saw the article Seeds of Doubt by Michael Specter. Specter has followed Vandana Shiva’s travels, at age sixty-one, across Europe, to South Asia, Africa, Canada, and the United States. A prolific writer, her titles include Monocultures of the Mind, The Violence of the Green Revolution, and Water Wars. Seeds of Doubt is long but well worth reading. Specter concludes by saying that while Shiva has gotten the conversation going, multiple strategies are needed to save the world from ruin and people from starving. Our lead article by Maureen McCormack is excerpted from a talk she gave at a recent Sisters of Earth meeting. (Parts 2 and 3 will appear in future issues). Carl Garvey’s name first appeared in LENNews in 2009. Since then he has been named General Counsel of RACER Trust. (Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Remediation) Before joining RACER Trust in 2011, he spent over 20 years as an attorney for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) serving as Superfund enforcement counsel both at EPA headquarters in D.C. and EPA Region 2 in New York. The views he expresses in his article are his own and not those of the RACER Trust. Our other writers are: Maureen Fiedler (November elections), Karen Cassidy (Peter Sawtell reflection), and Libby Comeaux (Fracking and Democracy School). In two other articles, I am pleased to introduce Lauren Watel, St. Mary’s Academy, Englewood, CO science teacher who participated in the PolarTREC expedition to the Arctic and Gwen Broz of the Sacred Fire Foundation who recounts their efforts to ensure the continuing existence of ancient Native American wisdom traditions. Enjoy the issue and, as always, your input is valuable as we think into the future.
Evolutionary Life Transformation
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In interacting with others, listen for the depth beneath the words. Imagine what the world could be like if we would take every moment of our waking life and turn it into a spiritual practice. What is radical spiritual transformation, higher development, evolution beyond ego, and how does it occur? People will ask how can I tell if I’m evolving? Well, I’m feeling a lot more blissful. I’m more peaceful. I’m more clear-headed. I’m really going through a profound shift. Does that mean I’m evolving? Craig would respond: Let’s see how it actually shows up in your behavior.
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ichigan citizens were united in their belief that General Motors Corporation would never go out of business. GM was just too big to fail. As a mainstay of American industry, it had sustained hundreds of thousands of workers, countless support industries, and hundreds of communities over the years. Through its manufacturing processes, however, GM had also caused the environmental contamination of many of its industrial plants and properties, and faced massive liabilities in addressing such contamination. But GM did in fact file for bankruptcy reorganization in June 2009, one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history. Through the bankruptcy process, a new corporation named General Motors Company was formed to purchase the most desirable — and largely uncontaminated — real property assets and continue on a reduced basis the operations of General Motors Corporation — the “old GM.” But what became of the contaminated plants and properties that old GM left behind? Those assets temporarily were held and managed by Motors Liquidation Company as the bankruptcy process unfolded.
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Using Environmental Response Trusts for More Effective Environmental Remediation The bankruptcy was settled in March 2011 and Motors Liquidation Company was dissolved, in essence replaced by the environmental response trust known as “RACER.” An environmental response trust is a special form of trust that takes over the ownership and remediation of contaminated properties from a bankrupt company. The Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response (RACER) Trust was formed with the unique mission of remediating and positioning for redevelopment numerous former GM industrial properties in 14 states, mostly in the Midwest and Northeast. RACER Trust came into existence via a settlement agreement signed by the U.S., 14 states and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe of Northern New York, and approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. At its inception, the Trust took title to more than 44 million square feet of industrial space in 66 buildings across 7,000 acres. To help RACER Trust perform its mission, the U.S. government provided it with over $641 million of Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) funding, the bulk of which was allocated for RACER’s performance of environmental cleanups at most of its properties.
RACER Trust led removal of polychlorinated biphenyl (“PCB”) and solvents — contaminated soil at an old GM facility in Ypsilanti Township, MI. RACER recently sold this property to a local jet engine maintenance and repair facility, which intends to expand its operations here. Photos by author.
RACER Trust is staffed by a team of seasoned professionals — including environmental engineers and geologists, brownfield redevelopment experts, and environmental attorneys, all of whom are dedicated to RACER’s mission and take to heart their fiduciary responsibility to the Trust. Its administrative budget, including salaries of RACER staff, is reviewed and approved by the U.S. government annually. As a trust, RACER is a fixed-budget entity, not driven by a profit motive. RACER Trust’s beneficiaries are the U.S. government and the communities in which we work. Because of this, and given that the 14 states had a major role in the Trust’s formation, RACER has developed close, collaborative relationships with administrative and elected officials at all levels of government, in stark contrast to the typically more adversarial relationships between regulators and corporations responsible for contamination. The professionalism of the RACER staff and the Trust’s non-profit status also have assisted in this regard. This “pre-approved” funding has taken out much of the negotiation with regulators over how our properties will be cleaned up and how our environmental dollars will be spent. Working within the overall amount allocated for each property, the States and the EPA approve specific budgets presented by RACER for each year of cleanup work. The performance of our cleanup work has generally far outpaced what the States and EPA can do under traditional “command and control” engagements with polluters. It is clear that RACER has accomplished far more environmental investigation and cleanup than the “old GM” would have in a comparable period. Unfortunately, the “environmental response trust” approach to date has resulted only from the bankruptcies
RACER Trust led removal of PCBcontaminated soil at the old GM facility along the St. Lawrence River in Massena, NY. Generally, PCB levels in soil below 50 parts-permillion (“ppm”) are considered to pose a low enough risk to remain in place. At this former GM facility, now a major Superfund site, PCB concentrations in soil exceeded that standard by hundreds of times over. of major companies with substantial legacy of contamination issues. Perhaps there are ways our model can be applied short of a bankruptcy, to clean up the thousands of contaminated sites in the U.S. that may be in need of remediation. Could a company in financial distress collaborate with regulators to form an environmental response trust (“ERT”) like RACER without the stigma, cost and delay of a bankruptcy? Could the distressed company’s environmental cost and liability burdens be shifted to an ERT, in exchange for adequately funding the ERT? The broader societal benefit is clear — speedier remediation of contaminants that are potentially harmful to human health and the environment, leading to greater opportunities for the re-use of the formerly contaminated properties. Given the real and reputational costs of contamination, it is reasonable to expect both companies and regulators would be willing to explore opportunities to transfer these obligations to a non-profit such as an ERT — an entity dedicated to performing cleanups efficiently and more in collaboration with regulators. Continued on page 4
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The RACER Trust Fewer and fewer contaminated sites are being created, thanks to robust cradle-to-grave Federal regulations that govern hazardous materials. But thousands of contaminated properties in this country remain to be investigated and remediated. Acrimonious relationships between companies and regulators and reductions in government funding for cleanups have contributed to lengthy cleanups. Innovations in the environmental remediation universe are needed to change the status quo. ERTs, especially those that can be formed outside of bankruptcies, are an important innovation toward this end. I always tell my children, “Leave the place better than you found it” – what I consider to be the essence of our God-given duty as citizens of Earth. That’s why I particularly love my work with the RACER Trust. It offers a genuine opportunity to leave old contaminated industrial properties, and their surrounding communities, better than we found them. In our own special way, we have been given a chance to be our own “greatest generation” — by cleaning up environmental problems that in many cases have festered for decades. It is my great hope that the success of the RACER Trust can be replicated many times in the coming years for the good of our environment.
Loretto Earth Network News
A publication of the Loretto Community
Editor: Mary Ann Coyle SL 3126 S Osceola Street Denver, CO 80236-2332
Email: macoyle303@comcast.net
www.lorettocommunity.org
Layout: Nancy Wittwer SL
Environmental Issues in the 2014 Election By Maureen Fiedler SL
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eh? Heh! Speak up! Can’t hear you! Think climate change is a serious problem? Where do you stand on fracking? Favor a carbon tax? Should the EPA be able to regulate carbon emissions?
In Kentucky, for example, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has run ads for Senator Mitch McConnell (R), saying he is “fighting back, fighting hard” against EPA rules limiting carbon emissions. His opponent, Allison Ludergan Grimes (D), enjoying the support of the United Mine Workers, barely mentions coal, except to say how important it is in the economy of Kentucky.
If you are interested in where candidates in the 2014 mid-term elections stand on environmental issues, you have to listen long and hard! Considering the destruction In Alaska, Americans for Prosperity, that climate change can wreak on our a strongly conservative group, planet, not many are talking about it announced that it will start airing directly. a statewide TV ad criticizing Sen. What’s really going Mark Begich (D) for on? Well, in this supporting a carbon non-presidential tax. year, Senate races In Louisiana, Senator are pivotal because Mary Landrieu (D) Republicans want to champions offshore gain control of the oil and gas drilling, an Senate. And many important economic sector in her of the most hotly contested races state. are in states where fossil fuels are economically important. So many, if In West Virginia, where coal is not most, candidates in either party “king,” two women are vying for the are reluctant to take stands that open Senate seat. And Republican threaten traditional energy interests: Shelley Moore Capito has made coal, oil and gas companies. Conservative candidates in fossil fuel a major issue out of President Obama’s opposition to new coalstates have no problem criticizing the Environmental Protection Agency fired power plants. (EPA) on the stump and strongly Of course, there are candidates for criticize such measures as a carbon the House or Senate who champion tax or regulation of greenhouse key environmental policies, but few gases. But progressive candidates are in contested states, and many fear they will lose the election if they back the EPA, or suggest that coal is do not talk about such issues as a problem, or even mention a carbon often as the crisis warrants. tax or “cap and trade” legislation. If September 21st may be a key day in they utter the phrase, climate change, bringing environmental issues into they do it in a whisper. the election. Tens of thousands are expected to gather outside Unfortunately, some of the most hotly the UN in New York City to call for contested elections in 2014 are in serious global action on climate states awash in fossil fuels, states like change. Perhaps the “fallout” from Alaska, Louisiana, Kentucky and West this “ People’s Climate March” will Virginia. All of them have Senate reach the ears of some of our own races considered pivotal in the quest candidates! for control of the Senate.
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Divest, Reinvest & Shareholder Activism Reflections by Karen Cassidy CoL
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n May 2014 the Loretto Community welcomed the Rev. Peter Sawtell from the United Church of Christ to talk to us about climate change. He began his presentation with a simple question: “Why is divestment from fossil fuels being considered?” The real threat of climate change, he said, has many drivers. Some of these are fossil fuels, agriculture and deforestation. One of the easiest to address is fossil fuel even though, in terms of investment, these are also fairly high risk. Ethical considerations for divestment are not all equally valid or helpful. This intrigued me. I began to wonder what considerations were used when we consider any investment. The first ethical rule for divestment mentioned was to “keep your hands clean and not get tangled with “dirty money.” That said to me to avoid anything that looked like it could be related to violence or health, like weapons or tobacco. Do fossil fuels fit in this category? Another ethical consideration for divestment is to remove any conflicts of interest and to clarify values. Sawtell quoted Jesus, “Where your treasure is, there your heart is also.” I look at what the investment income can accomplish rather than the specific company holding the investment. Are there companies where the return on investment could be the same and not harm Mother Earth? If so, then that is where the treasure will be, without hesitation. The question that he asked is compelling: “What level of return from fossil fuels would be enough to make faith groups set aside moral principles?” Sawtell also mentioned that putting financial pressure on fossil fuel companies and driving down the value of these investments was another ethical consideration for divestment.
He admitted that divestment would have little direct financial impact on the fossil fuel companies. Quoting Bill McKibben, “The logic could not be more brutally simple. If it’s wrong to wreck the climate, then it’s wrong to profit from that wreckage.” That made sense to me. But is divesting just a symbolic gesture? It is still troubling to think that our investment income is damaging Earth. What if we shifted our investments toward renewable energy and sustainability? This seemed to be a reasonable solution. There is no longevity or track record for them. They may not be as profitable or sustainable as the other companies. It led me to ask if there are other companies that might be profitable but not in the energy business right now and might these meet our financial goals. Perhaps reinvesting in other companies, other than energy companies, could meet the ethical considerations as well as our financial goals. Sawtell’s final ethical consideration was that divestment could force a public discussion and remove the legitimacy of the fossil fuel industry. Divestment aims to stigmatize the fossil fuel industry, and to spark a
Reverend Peter Sawtell dialogue about its role in polluting politics, in harming communities, in driving the climate crisis and in building a strong organized climate movement. The United Church of Christ originally called for divestment from fossil fuels within 5 years. However two of the denominational agencies handling pension funds and investments objected. A compromise resolution was reached. The compromise allowed for making shareholder engagement on climate change an immediate, top priority for the next five years, seeking out fossil-fuel free investment vehicles, identifying “best in class” fossil fuel companies and by 2018, not investing in fossil fuels except those called “best in class.” Sawtell noted that criteria were not yet defined on what “best in class” for fossil fuels means and it is possible that if established no companies would qualify. For more information on Peter Sawtell’s group, Eco-Justice, go to the website, www.eco-justice.org Sawtell’s talk was videotaped and put on YouTube. You can go to it directly at http://youtu.be/3gSyn522OZY.
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we’ve forgotten so much. And in forgetting, we’ve lost sight of the fluid, living relationships we once had with the land, plants, animals, and elements.
The Wisdom of the Past is the Seed of the Future. By Gwen Broz
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met Libby Comeaux at the Doctrine of Discovery meeting in May and was impressed by the depth of her dedication, sincerity, and accomplishments. I ventured to talk and exchange business cards with her because one of my goals is to hang out with people who are making a difference so I can learn from them. I am very glad I overcame my initial inhibitions when Libby asked me to write about our organization. My husband and I attended the Doctrine of Discovery conference to represent The Sacred Fire Foundation and the Sacred Fire Community. I want to tell you that these two organizations and their leaders have made an immeasurable difference in my life. My life was transformed from one in which I had all the external accomplishments I wished for, but which felt like a life not really worth living, to a life that is now full and rich with possibilities and community. So I am honored to introduce you to the Sacred Fire Foundation. Sacred Fire Foundation (SFF) is a charitable organization, supporting initiatives that preserve and promote Ancient Wisdom traditions—and their perspectives—to insure their continuance for our children and future generations. The world’s Ancient Wisdom traditions are being threatened, and a key focus of our work is in supporting relationships with them and between them. Through events and media, the Foundation seeks to bring a greater awareness and understanding to our modern culture of the irreplaceable benefit that Ancient Wisdom provides the people of the world. As a culture,
As if stored in a time capsule, this wisdom and these living relationships are held by the ancestral traditions of this earth. But much work needs to be done to make it available to others and to help people realize its value and relevance to our lives. We seek to do this through our grant program and through awareness initiatives including:
Sacred Fire Foundation, along with it’s two sister organizations, the Sacred Fire Community and the Blue Deer Center, are expressions of the movement of Sacred Fire in the world. The element Fire is the essence of our hearts, the source of spiritual connection and compassion. Acknowledged throughout humanity’s history, Fire holds our deepest knowing and wisdom, and awakens our personal relationship with the Divine. In these times of uncertainty and rapid change, it is common to feel increasingly disconnected from ourselves, each other and the world around us.
ANCIENT WISDOM RISING, a series of gatherings with elders and wisdom keepers that offers hope, healing, and renewed relationship with our sacred world. Our GRANT MAKING program that ensures the continuity of indigenous and traditional cultures and lifeways. Lifeways in ancient traditions were rituals that provided a doorway so that each stage of life was an opportunity for growth, exploration and discovery and each unfolded based on what was accomplished or neglected in the preceding ones. Annual WISDOM FELLOWSHIP AWARD that is given to tradition holders who are keeping the sacred fires of their people burning. This year’s Wisdom Fellowship Award will be presented to Tarcila Rivera Zea, a social activist for the Quechua people, during the World Summit on Indigenous Philanthropy in Brooklyn, New York in September. For a number of years we published SACRED FIRE magazine – a collection of stories, interviews, poetry and essays that focused upon the ancient ways and their relevance to our lives during this time. While currently on hiatus, we plan to offer an on-line platform for promoting this exploration and dialogue in the future, and hope to return to print down the road.
As the energy of transformation, Fire is a primordial healing presence in our lives. In the natural world, Fire burns away deadwood and decay, allowing forests to be reborn into lushness. Likewise, our hearts long to burn away fear and worn out patterns, allowing us a fresh start in rebuilding life-sustaining connections. It is my experience that being part of Sacred Fire Community fires, attending Ancient Wisdom Rising, and meeting and listening to wisdom holders that this energy of Fire is manifested in my life and the lives of others. I see our work in the Sacred Fire Foundation increasing appreciation for the traditions still held by a few precious peoples. I also see our work supporting relationships within these traditions and supporting the value of the traditions in a world that wants to erode these values. Please visit our website at http://sacredfirefoundation.org.
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Microbial Changes in Arctic Freshwater Report of the Experiences of Lauren Watel During her PolarTREC to the Arctic By Mary Ann Coyle SL
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auren Watel, a teacher at St. Mary’s Academy in suburban Denver, was one of 12 teachers in the Nation chosen to be paired with researchers in either the Arctic or the Antarctic as a part of the National Science Foundation funded program PolarTREC. Her particular research is working with Dr. Byron Crump to investigate the microbial communities of the main bodies of water in the Toolik Lake watershed in the Arctic. The goal of the team was to record a variety of measurements about how the water coming in to the lake changes through the landscape. Lauren wrote as follows about her research: “The particular research I am working on is to examine what microbial species are found in the Arctic, and see if their evolution and changes as a community are linked to climate change or other environmental factors. I will help the researcher make the science approachable and applicable so that students, and the general public, can grasp and understand why we are looking at these organisms, and why we should care about their roles in ecosystems.”
the same procedures. Once her collected samples were back in the lab area, they were inserted in a small centrifuge, and the DNA was then removed with a pipette, enzymes added to break up the DNA and allow the analysis of changes in the freshwater samples to begin.
When sampling the watershed the team heads out to sample every lake and river upstream of Toolik Lake. Their goal is to see how the water chemistry, biological and physical properties change with depth in the lakes, from lake to lake and from stream to lake. After filtering about a liter of water to trap the microbes, a DNA Extraction Buffer (DEB) is added to kill the bacteria so there is no change from the time the samples are removed from their natural habitat to when they are analyzed later.
Even though a major source for our carbon is from fossil fuels, another source we often forget about is that stored in permafrost. It is, of course, buried in the ground far away from where we live.
I found Lauren’s account of the extraction of DNA most interesting. Probably my interest stems from a number of years of teaching chemistry and doing some of
There is a great quote from John Muir that says, in essence, when one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world. Lauren references Muir’s statement and says that the Arctic is far from a closed system. The changes going on in the polar regions have real implications for us at home as well as around the world.
Permafrost is like a giant slab of frozen ground that lies beneath the arctic tundra. This soil contains the remains of plants and animals from hundreds to thousands of years ago. As this soil thaws, the frozen ground thaws and the materials start to break down. Microbes hasten the breakdown by eating the organic material and releasing carbon dioxide. Based on this role it is critical to understand how microbes function in the arctic carbon cycle.
Lauren says we also cannot forget that methane is another potent greenhouse gas that will be released as the permafrost melts. This gas is given off by anaerobic respiration and microbes can do this work in the absence of oxygen. The catch here is that methane is 30 times stronger at trapping heat than carbon dioxide! Scientists tell us that both carbon and methane, once released in the Arctic, will enter the United States within a single year and will further mix to impact the rest of the global atmosphere within four years. When this happens, ecosystems will change, areas will be warmer, precipitation patterns will be affected and before long animal and human lifestyles will be altered. Lauren’s PolarTREC expedition came to an end July 2, 2014. At this point she joined her husband Ethan at the Fairbanks airport and, after a bit of rest, she and Ethan did further exploring of the costal regions of Alaska. Lauren welcomes your thoughts and can send you classroom guides as available from her site. Lauren can be reached at Lwatel@smanet.org. She is eager to share her PolarTREC experiences with school groups and/or Loretto Community learners in St. Louis and in Kentucky. To read more about her experiences you can view her journal at: http://www.polartrec.com/ expeditions/microbial-changes-inarctic-freshwater. Be sure to watch for an upcoming BBC film series, due out in 2015, showing any number of animals enjoying themselves in the Toolik watershed as well as in and along the various nooks and crannies in the Alaskan waters.
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What Democracy School Can Do For Loretto By Libby Comeaux CoL
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hat Democracy School can do for us is provide a fresh lens through which to see our historical moment and the opportunity to make a system change for Earth, comparable to the historic changes made with women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery.
on a dying dream. Democracy School is to help us resuscitate the dream that began this country and that so many aspire to around the world – a dream of a sovereign people taking responsibility to bring their shared understanding of “happiness” into reality.
When Rosa Parks took her seat at the front of the bus, she did not act spontaneously or in isolation. Years of civic analysis, community building and training prepared the way for her courage to have institutional significance.
More specifically, what is the Democracy School critique? Very briefly, it includes the following:
And institutional significance is what we need today. Demonstrations are good for raising and expressing a common awareness of the plight of Earth. But until legal structures change, victories for Earth are fleeting and often reversible. We need a strategy that can change institutional structures to make sustainability legal! Democracy School can help us understand that the crisis of Earth is fundamentally a people problem – a social problem involving motivation, understanding and shared decision making. More to the point, the crisis of Earth is a democracy problem. The commerce focus of the Constitution has devolved to the point where commerce is killing the planet. Simultaneously, corporate America is occupying the Bill of Rights. The people have to wake up and act to save our democracy and the planet. Democracy School can help us transform a system whose corrupted DNA drives the increasing wealth inequity along with the devastation of Earth. Democracy School teaches a strategy that ultimately can change the Constitution to transform governance. But Democracy School is not for the faint of heart. Democracy School is for those ready to roll up their sleeves and do CPR
• Nature has no role in the U.S. Constitution except as property – as a slave that can generally be used in any way its “owner” chooses, including absolute destruction. • The Commerce and Contracts clauses rule the Constitution, making nature the slave of the entire economic engine and over-riding the rights of humans as well. • Corporations capture regulatory agencies for PR purposes (“consumer safety”) while squelching regulations that could actually protect people and planet. • The Bill of Rights, initially intended to protect humans from government, is now captured by corporations (so-called “corporate rights” and “personhood”). • Preemption doctrines give corporations free enforcement by the government of corporate priorities written into law by corporate-moneyelected officials. • These factors combine to cause rule of the many by the few and the devastation of Earth. What people want instead: • Subsidiarity: decisions made by the community affected by the decisions. • More equitable access to economic security. •A system of government that protects those essential Earth processes that create and maintain the conditions for Life.
To illustrate: State preemption doctrines mandate that local governments can only exercise the power that the state gives them. So generally when a local government bans an industrial activity that harms its residents, the state crushes it on behalf of the industry. That is because corporate rights to property trump the people’s right to decide matters that affect their local health, safety and happiness. So long as industry has a priority legal right to destroy nature, the people cannot save the planet or our future. It could be different if the national government were active and effective in saving the planet. But similar institutional constraints, as well as the current political gridlock, have stalled any such progress. So what’s the Democracy School strategy? • Grassroots organizing in your local community to understand, to vision and to accomplish an updated, Ecozoic-era version of “happiness.” • Always enhancing, never limiting, any existing sustainability rights of people and nature. • Building a movement, one community at a time, through local laws that build awareness and momentum to change state and U.S. constitutions so that sustainability will be legal! Watch for a Democracy School near you. If you, like the founders of our country, are ready to place your sacred honor on the line for our children’s future, join us!