A Ray of Hope

Green Diamond Resource Company (also known as "Greedy Diamond" or simply "the GD", formerly known as Simpson) is the raging pre-apocalyptic death machine with its sights set on destroying what remains of the McKay Tract. They are, in short, "the opposition".

It seems that, like the rest of our voracious economy, they've fallen upon hard times, cutting jobs just most corporations these days. My heart bleeds for the good old boys who won't be able to afford new F-350s this year.

Jeff broke this a month ago. I've often speculated that the reasons the GD hasn't attacked us or started falling trees in the McKay are more economic than anything. Housing starts are way down, as the above article shows. Now Richard Marks, a millworker by occupation, is speculating that California Redwood Company, GD's shell company in Humboldt, might be closing this year. GD execs supposedly came down from Seattle to drop that bombshell, but of course their spokeswoman denies everything.

Many in Humboldt, Marks included, will see this as bad news. Living among huge redwoods marked for destruction, I can't help but see it as anything but a positive development.

Greenwashing; or why trees hate stimulus

This is Stimulus. You can read and dissect the whole thing. Check out page 56 for forest info. Suffice to say that much like Democratic campaigns all last year, especially Obama's, the domestic allocations of funds reek of greenwashing.

Defined:

Greenwashing is the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue by a company, an industry, a government, a politician or even a non-government organization to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.

Nice. In this case the culprit is the US government itself (surprise, surprise) and it stands guilty of (re-)conspiring to cut down the national forests in the name of protecting them, and paying billions to corporations in the name of ecological renewal. Also, encouraging greenwashing at the local level.

Greenwashing in Oregon.

Greenwashing here in Humboldt.

Owls die (of course). Trees die (of course). Nobody gives a fuck, because at this point it's all about maintaining the image that the government cares about humans. The welfare of all other life forms (except maybe bald eagles) was forgotten a long time ago if it was ever considered at all.

The big question is not: "How much life will humans destroy in the name of 'environmental protection' before it's 'too late?;'"

The big question is: "How much will be left after 'too late' is over?"

What species will remain after greenwashing and the war machine that created it are burned out? I have talked to trees at length about this, and they all intend to remain for a very long time. Spotted owls are hopeful, but they need a lot of help, and more than a little luck, to hang on at this point.

Canopy Couscous online

Our youtube show, Canopy Cooking, has a new episode out. Due to difficulties in our account, we started a new one called CanopyCookingHeroes. Couscous is the only episode currently out, but more will be posted soon.




I did object to the ketchup and mustard because I think those condiments are weird and have a very limited place in my diet. Hygienists hate 'em.

From Orlando: Corporate Tree Defense

Who could have predicted this: the tactic of defending trees with human bodies is spreading to the corporate world. From Orlando, of all places, comes the story of what looks like at least a dozen resort employees actually getting paid to place themselves in the path of 'construction'. Check out the video!!! We're talking a few oaks, 25 years old, on resort property, planned to be to cut to make even more space for power lines. The oaks were defended by random employees yesterday, but the gates will supposedly be locked and guarded by rent-a-cops (company security) tomorrow.

But this is different that your usual forest defense story. Westgate resorts and it's parent company CFI bill themselves as the "largest privately-held timeshare company in the world employing over 10,000 around the United States". Progress Energy is a monster in its own right, "with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues". This is essentially a random skirmish between two behemoths of industry with, it appears, little to no effect on either one's profitability.

The narrative presented by the local media is one of a friendly dispute between law-abiding corporate citizens, with limited media sympathy given to both spokesmen and to the workers (who had boxed lunches delivered to them under the shade of the oaks) on both sides. Compare and contrast to local media's coverage of Everglades Earth First!, which portrayed a bunch of dirty hippies hogtied and hauled away by sheriffs, and essentially endorsed the whole process.

I'm all for saving trees in any way possible. It might be cool though, if those of us who defend old-growth redwoods could receive some financial compensation, or at the very least some catered boxed lunches.

Media coverage:
MSNBC
WDBO
News 13
Orlando Sentinel

Tigers fighting back

Tigers have no nonviolence code. They are obligate carnivores. That means that any other large animal that pisses them off is a potential meal. Tigers and their ancestors have been the guardians of Asian forests for millions of years, and for the past few thousand have been fighting human incursions and destruction of most of their habitat. Several species have already perished.

Indonesian old-growth rainforest is falling every day, probably every minute. Tigers are among the few actually fighting to save it. It's good to see their struggle finally get some news coverage, and for a couple of the capitalist thugs who deforest Indonesia to finally get what's coming to 'em.

One thing I'll be doing on this blog is pointing out instances of nonhumans (especially those in the forests) fighting back and protecting their homes against human invaders. If you have any other examples contact me and maybe I'll compile a database of animal direct resistance.

Look for more episodes of Canopy Cooking to be released if Buck ever wants to come down and get online.