"We cannont solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them."

Albert Einstein

Defending wolves and worldviews

March 3, 2010

Musings, Science, Society

(No comments)


I like wolves. As a child, I loved the book “Julie of the Wolves” and as an adult I enjoyed the anime “Wolf’s Rain.”

Wolves are some of the least understood of the predators that humans have pitted themselves against over the ages, others being sharks, bears, and large cats. One of the main reasons is that they compete with humans for resources. These predators won’t usually outright attack humans unless threatened, but humans will and have killed them in scores because of food and resources. This makes it extra difficult to make the case for their conservation in the face of endangerment and extinction.

I received this poster and bumper sticker in the mail yesterday from Defenders of Wildlife, along with a letter and fliers asking me to donate to the organization with the added incentive of receiving a wolf photo book and/or aluminum water bottle.

I have supported them with a donation in the past, but I am doubtful whether I will give again.

I have a few reasons for this. The main one being that this type of physical mail is so gimmicky and quite annoying, that I do not want to encourage them to send me more by responding to it. I’m hoping that by ignoring their waste of paper (even if it is recycled paper), they will eventually stop it. It would be nice if there were a way to opt out of physical mailings and in place of that receive emails, but as far as I can tell from their website, there is no such thing.

But still, I hope that the people who are reached by their campaigns truly consider conservation more seriously than the pamphlets suggest. The materials could be more informative, but I understand that the species-focus has been one of the most successful strategies.

This is where a more scientifically literate society would be very different. Conservation groups would not have to take the single species or simple issue angle in order to garner public support.

In areas of the world where most people live in and with the environment and accompanying wildlife, human culture has deeper understanding of the relationships of the ecosystems. We may not be able to return to that type of interaction with nature in this country, but perhaps with better incorporation of science into society we can achieve something similar.

This is what I hope to contribute to with my work!

Pepsi Refresh Projects that I would vote for

February 2, 2010

Cool thing of the Week, Society

2 comments

Yesterday was the first day that voting has been open for Pepsi’s Refresh projects. They are giving out grants each month to proposals that get the most votes.

Here are some that I think are worth voting for:

If I were to submit a project idea, I think I would do something in the Education or Food & Shelter category. I intended to try to put together an idea to submit for this, but ended up not having the time to do it.

I have a few ideas about student activism. Any suggestions?

Food advocacy restaurants and farms?

May 25, 2009

Musings, Society

(No comments)

It bothers me that some restaurants that are supposedly trying to educate the public about food choices and farming STILL charge exorbitant prices for their dishes. One example is the Blue Hill restaurants and farms (which are super prestigious and has received special chef awards and recognition).

What is the point of having that goal for the farm and restaurant if you are only going to reach people whose pocketbooks are fat enough to eat there?
Who is your target? And if you can’t grow and serve food cheaply and on a large enough scale, what are you really accomplishing?

This system is just perpetuating the idea that fresh, healthy food is something that only the elite have a chance of realizing.

up in arms

May 5, 2009

Musings, Society

3 comments

A friend recently asked me my opinion on petitions for legislative action. You know, those pesky emails and junk mail that say “Action needed now!” or “[Insert terrible event here] will happen if you don’t do this!” Or just the plea for help to solve something by simply signing a petition for some legislation.

Let me ask you the question:
petitionlogo

Do you think these types of petitions are effective? Or are they a big waste of time and energy?

Use the comment box below to post your opinion!

Generally, I don’t think they work. It is hard for them to work, especially when these efforts would be going up against lobbyists who have tons of money. A lot of the time the money wins out.

It isn’t always ineffective though. I think these things are helpful to let politicians know what issues the public is concerned with. But it doesn’t necessarily pressure them to take action as much as lobbying does.

I worked for a month or so with NYPIRG, and what they did was they collected money from people as “memberships” for the organization and whatever campaign they were working on. (They recently were working on the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, which I posted about yesterday. They finally “won” this campaign after many years of advocacy.)

Also there is the issue of validity, as in, are these signatures actual people or are they made up? It is hard to prove that, besides leaving an email address or mailing address, which could be made up anyway. (Remember the voter registration controversies?) So I think people may question the truthfulness of the counts.

I think these types of things have some value in generating awareness and exposure, but they are not the most effective in terms of producing results. It might be better to directly contact your Representatives or Congresspeople and let them know what you think are important issues. A personal letter is definitely more sincere than a signature, but we all know how lazy people can be!
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