Sue, as your life partner, I thought I would put in my 2 cents.
I saw you agonize over whether to do a political post here, where you have never been overtly political before. You were worried that people would abandon your feed because you did, and I understand that completely, your writing is a big part of your life, and the people you reach are the reason.
To everyone here, I wish you could see the effort Sue puts into this, and just how much it means to her to have your support.
Don’t forget about the impact ‘private lands’ have on conservation too. In fact, the most restorable Longleaf are owned by private lands families, in NC, and by preserving them. The best conservation impacts are in saving family farms and their heirs property legacies. Generational preservation at this point is THE conservation answer. Working with legacies is key to saving our diverse ecosystems and environmental legacy. Stop the developers-greed and unnecessary sprawl.
Angela, this is an important point--and an issue of which way too many people are unaware, to the detriment of the nation's health. In buzzword-speak, it's the issue of Big Farma/Agribusiness vs private/small family farms. It's too much to get into here, but in addition to what you point out, these small farms produce healthier food, maintain healthier soil, and can use water more efficiently. In the near future, I would like to see small farmers incorporate 1) agrivoltaics, which reduces water for irrigation, while producing clean energy for the grid (and provides additional income for small farmers); and 2) aquaculture and vertical farming technology, which uses 70%-90% less water than soil-based agriculture, while increasing yields per growing season two to three times that of soil-based agriculture (this also could be a way for drought-affected small farms to stay in business). I'll also put in a plug for my favorite publication on this subject: https://civileats.com/category/farming/
Great new word for me: agrivoltaics. There’s a YouTube channel called The Country Life that films in Azerbaijan and they are pros at agrivoltaics.
Thanks!
I see how community-based solutions and community organizers are rare and greatly needed. Amping up small scale practices rather than large broadcasting returns humans to connecting with one another and knowing who and what to vote on. We no longer understand what’s important anymore. Our cultureless culture emphasizes extreme solutions to problems that are first world and not really problems at all.
Please note the right column (pan right to see the entire column). There are references to copius reading material. I haven't updated for 2 years, but it's still informative.
You brought up an excellent point! I live in the West where public lands dominate and I don't have much knowledge about conservation on private lands and farms other than the basics. If I were to rewrite that section, I would broaden my belief to developing a land ethic - Aldo Leopold thinking. Thank you for comment. You have inspired me to do some additional research on this important issue.
With the rising enthusiasm and groundswell of Republican, Independent, and Democratic support for Harris-Walz, it's easy to have a false sense of security by imagining that Trump is certain to lose. Although Harris-Walz brought joy back into this race, our work as activists and campaign volunteers is still much harder than it should be. Why?
As Harris herself warns, "we [Democrats] are the underdog". That means we have to work even harder to elect Democrats, up and down ballot. We can still lose the election, because right-wing Republicans have fine-tuned cheating, corrupt practices, broadcasting lies to uninformed gullible voters, and gaming the system--gaming the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and preventing people from voting (in a variety of ways).
And the lies! A constant stream from seditionists (Trump, right-wing congress members, state and federal, and some Republican governors), always amplified by the right-wing propaganda outlets, funded by billionaire puppeteers.
Further, Fox News, Newsmax, etc. virtually own rural American minds, which comprises about 20% of the U.S. population, and includes the battleground states https://bit.ly/3X4JpPi. Gaming the Electoral College is a big one, because the battleground states have the most weight. In the battleground states, we have to win Big--sweeping, historically huge--landslide votes for Democrats, up and down ballot.
If our work collectively, nationwide, is effective, hopefully, we'll be rid of Trump and his MAGA minions in 4 short months, when Harris is sworn-in and a strong majority of congressional Democrats affirm their oathes of office. Unfortunately, the damage these seditionists have wrought on our country and psyches, American and internationally, will take many years to repair.
Stop Project 2025. Save our freedoms. Vote for Harris-Walz and Democrats, state and federal, up and down ballot.
An excellent piece, Sue. I commend you for your activism over the years. I worked canvassing for Hillary for the first time in my life. (I'm a lifelong Democrat). And was truly devastated when she lost.
And I've always voted. Our democracy is definitely on the line this year, but with Harris and Walz, I think we have a winning ticket.
I supported Biden, too, but we all have to come to terms with how we function as we get older.
Sue, as your life partner, I thought I would put in my 2 cents.
I saw you agonize over whether to do a political post here, where you have never been overtly political before. You were worried that people would abandon your feed because you did, and I understand that completely, your writing is a big part of your life, and the people you reach are the reason.
To everyone here, I wish you could see the effort Sue puts into this, and just how much it means to her to have your support.
Thank you all!
Don’t forget about the impact ‘private lands’ have on conservation too. In fact, the most restorable Longleaf are owned by private lands families, in NC, and by preserving them. The best conservation impacts are in saving family farms and their heirs property legacies. Generational preservation at this point is THE conservation answer. Working with legacies is key to saving our diverse ecosystems and environmental legacy. Stop the developers-greed and unnecessary sprawl.
Angela, this is an important point--and an issue of which way too many people are unaware, to the detriment of the nation's health. In buzzword-speak, it's the issue of Big Farma/Agribusiness vs private/small family farms. It's too much to get into here, but in addition to what you point out, these small farms produce healthier food, maintain healthier soil, and can use water more efficiently. In the near future, I would like to see small farmers incorporate 1) agrivoltaics, which reduces water for irrigation, while producing clean energy for the grid (and provides additional income for small farmers); and 2) aquaculture and vertical farming technology, which uses 70%-90% less water than soil-based agriculture, while increasing yields per growing season two to three times that of soil-based agriculture (this also could be a way for drought-affected small farms to stay in business). I'll also put in a plug for my favorite publication on this subject: https://civileats.com/category/farming/
Great new word for me: agrivoltaics. There’s a YouTube channel called The Country Life that films in Azerbaijan and they are pros at agrivoltaics.
Thanks!
I see how community-based solutions and community organizers are rare and greatly needed. Amping up small scale practices rather than large broadcasting returns humans to connecting with one another and knowing who and what to vote on. We no longer understand what’s important anymore. Our cultureless culture emphasizes extreme solutions to problems that are first world and not really problems at all.
This website focuses on "what is Agrivoltaic?". https://www.agrivoltaic.solar/
Please note the right column (pan right to see the entire column). There are references to copius reading material. I haven't updated for 2 years, but it's still informative.
You brought up an excellent point! I live in the West where public lands dominate and I don't have much knowledge about conservation on private lands and farms other than the basics. If I were to rewrite that section, I would broaden my belief to developing a land ethic - Aldo Leopold thinking. Thank you for comment. You have inspired me to do some additional research on this important issue.
Well-written, pertinent, and comprehensive, Sue.
With the rising enthusiasm and groundswell of Republican, Independent, and Democratic support for Harris-Walz, it's easy to have a false sense of security by imagining that Trump is certain to lose. Although Harris-Walz brought joy back into this race, our work as activists and campaign volunteers is still much harder than it should be. Why?
As Harris herself warns, "we [Democrats] are the underdog". That means we have to work even harder to elect Democrats, up and down ballot. We can still lose the election, because right-wing Republicans have fine-tuned cheating, corrupt practices, broadcasting lies to uninformed gullible voters, and gaming the system--gaming the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and preventing people from voting (in a variety of ways).
And the lies! A constant stream from seditionists (Trump, right-wing congress members, state and federal, and some Republican governors), always amplified by the right-wing propaganda outlets, funded by billionaire puppeteers.
Further, Fox News, Newsmax, etc. virtually own rural American minds, which comprises about 20% of the U.S. population, and includes the battleground states https://bit.ly/3X4JpPi. Gaming the Electoral College is a big one, because the battleground states have the most weight. In the battleground states, we have to win Big--sweeping, historically huge--landslide votes for Democrats, up and down ballot.
If our work collectively, nationwide, is effective, hopefully, we'll be rid of Trump and his MAGA minions in 4 short months, when Harris is sworn-in and a strong majority of congressional Democrats affirm their oathes of office. Unfortunately, the damage these seditionists have wrought on our country and psyches, American and internationally, will take many years to repair.
Stop Project 2025. Save our freedoms. Vote for Harris-Walz and Democrats, state and federal, up and down ballot.
Thanks, Steve. We are definitely the underdog especially in light of the no-longer-appropriate electoral college.
An excellent piece, Sue. I commend you for your activism over the years. I worked canvassing for Hillary for the first time in my life. (I'm a lifelong Democrat). And was truly devastated when she lost.
And I've always voted. Our democracy is definitely on the line this year, but with Harris and Walz, I think we have a winning ticket.
I supported Biden, too, but we all have to come to terms with how we function as we get older.
Harris is the ticket.
Thank you, Lisa. We all must stay engaged.