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the mental equivalent of wilderness: wild words (& why we should speak them)

By Kurt Heidinger on Apr 05, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, deep biotic immersion, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, evolution, imagination, sustainability, technological determinism, time

Language is wonderful because, by inventing and using it, we create worlds. Its drawback is that these worlds do not exist, in the same way water and rocks and you and I exist. There is an actual difference, an epistemological abyss, between our “world” and the “earth.” (Many examples could be listed, but: Thoreau’s Walking [...]

Clinton's "Third Way"—NAFTA & repeal of Glass-Steagall—created the economy of the 1%

Bill Clinton’s latest bad idea: Goldman Sachs trading “carbon credits” on Wall St.

By Kurt Heidinger on Mar 29, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecocide, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, energy sources, evolution, sustainability, technological determinism, time, Uncategorized

When he was president, Bill Clinton lobbied for, and signed into law, NAFTA and the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. Both acts were advertised as being liberal and progressive—NAFTA because by removing tariffs and promoting “free trade” it would raise everybody’s standard of living; and, getting rid of Glass-Steagall would increase everyone’s freedom and prosperity [...]

hey who you lookin' at? this is my house, too!

bad concepts our culture uses to think about how we live in ecologies

By Kurt Heidinger on Mar 27, 2012 in Director's Notes, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, evolution, religion, sustainability, time

As readers of this blog are aware, I’ve been trying to get us to stop using the words “environment” and “nature” because they do not allow us to think clearly about the consequences of human manipulations of ecologies. (I admit that there is something funny about an environmental philosopher arguing against the use of the [...]

Comments submitted to the EPA concerning the permitting of the Pioneer Valley Energy Center

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 23, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, economy, energy sources, sustainability, technological determinism

Dear Agent Dahl, I am submitting these comments to you concerning the EPA’s permitting of the Pioneer Valley Energy Center. Because the air of the Pioneer Valley is very close to being over the allowable amount of ozone, I am displeased that the EPA is deferring to MA DEP’s permitting of the Energy Center. EPA [...]

How the EPA regulates particulate matter (PM), & how PMed is Springfield

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 11, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, energy sources, How the Valley Works, sustainability, technological determinism, time

Today we’re investigating the Annual Air Quality Reports found on the MA DEP website for 2010, 2009 & 2008, looking at the data for fine particulate matter—the stuff that, combining w/other pollutants, makes smog. (Data charts are below.) We’ll look at PM 2.5: particulate matter of 2.5 microns or less. This stuff is bad for [...]

If Springfield’s air is already polluted, how can the EPA permit more new air pollution?

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 10, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, energy sources, How the Valley Works, imagination, technological determinism, time

I can’t answer this question; but it is what I’m wondering. Look @ this chart, that graphs the amount of smog (also known as “PM 2.5″) Springfield enjoyed last year: Visualize a horizontal line @ 15 “um/g 3 LC”; b/c that’s where the blue line should be. Here’s the EPA’s legal definition of how much [...]

Pedernal -- From the Ranch #1, Georgia O'Keeffe

what “native” means

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 09, 2012 in beauty, citizenship, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, endosymbiosis, energy sources, evolution, imagination, religion, sustainability, technological determinism, time

What is it about “our” culture, the one we’re online and reading these words in, that makes it so hard for us to be “native”: “WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is banning new hard rock mining on more than a million acres near the Grand Canyon, an area known to be rich in high-grade [...]

Using EPA & MA DEP data & reports to understand our air quality

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 09, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, energy sources, How the Valley Works, sustainability, technological determinism, time

This is post 3 of an investigation into the air quality of the Pioneer Valley of W. Massachusetts, in the context of the permitting process for the proposed Pioneer Valley Energy Center in Westfield. Though I am focusing tightly on this area, the sites I’ve used contain info about other areas, & w/a lil effort [...]

Consider: a new oil & natural gas burning electricity-generating plant in Westfield

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 08, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, energy sources, How the Valley Works, sustainability, technological determinism, time

In the previous post, we learned that our air quality is “F.” Consider, then, that a new oil & natural gas burning electricity-generating plant is proposed for development in Westfield. And that the permitting-process is almost over! Have you heard about it? It’s called, by its proponents, the Pioneer Valley Energy Center. Having heard absolutely [...]

Do you know what your air quality is? (Hint: “F”)

By Kurt Heidinger on Jan 07, 2012 in citizenship, consumerism, Director's Notes, ecology, economy, How the Valley Works, imagination, sustainability, technological determinism

The most basic fact, and grounding premise, of biocitizen is that there is no such thing as “environment” because we cannot separate our bodies from air and water. What the EPA calls the “environment” is actually our body, the “long body.” This is a scientific fact, not some new age theory. Right now, your body [...]

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