[...] the climate is changing not only because of particular polluting practices but because of the underlying logic of capitalism, which values short-term profit and perpetual growth above all else. Our governments would have us believe the same logic can be harnessed to solve the climate crisis – by creating a tradable commodity called “carbon” and by transforming forests and farmland into “sinks” that will supposedly offset runaway emissions.

Interesting article by Naomi Klein about the upcoming climate summit in Copehagen It’ll be interesting to follow this event, given the context of this class and the various interventionist-style projects.

Next up is a clip from one of my favorite comedians, George Carlin, about the environment, saving endangered species & the planet, from his 1992 HBO special. I debated whether to share this or not, but I figured a little comedy and light-heartedness might do us all some good. Last class we discussed the “existential mutations” and “communicational intervention” from The Three Ecologies, talking about how, in order to bring about change on a broad, system-wide scale, we first need to change ourselves, we need to become self-conscious about our own way of thinking and doing. It reminded me of this line by Carlin from the clip,

Save the planet? We don’t even know how to take care of ourselves yet! We haven’t learned to care for one another… we’re gonna save the fucking planet?

Plenty of other equally delectable soundbites:

Whether the intention was to poke harmless fun or a searing exposé, I think it’s brilliant. It’s pretty fun, and you find more things to laugh at as you go along. Plus, the fact that it’s still online in the same place where it’s always been, is a feat in itself.

Understated bluish-green floors made of recycled glass, elegant two-story-high windows that allow for natural lighting, and honeycolored maple ceilings made from wood logged in an “environmentally responsible” way are just a few of the design elements that give Tarkington its bragging rights.

http://www.edutopia.org/going-green

Working with the Chartwell School in Seaside, California — itself the first LEED Platinum campus in the country — Toby Long Design designed, fabricated, and installed two relocatable first-generation, prefab, green portable classrooms on the Chartwell campus.

Just above the Tropic of Cancer in the Great Bahama Bank lies this secluded, uninhabited gem of an island. Measuring one mile from sea to sea with over twelve acres of untouched land, Bird Island is one of the scarce remaining shares of paradise.