I just learned about the oil spill in San Francisco Bay. My heart is breaking because I lived on the bay for 16 years in a wee houseboat in Sausalito at a low-income housing marina called Galilee Harbor. I was actually cruising in the South Pacific when the Exxon Valdez went aground in Prince William Sound – and the fall out from that disaster is still unfolding. Back then there was much talk about insisting all tankers be double hulled, and as I read the discription of Wednesday’s oil spill in sounds to me like double-hulling would have prevented this …read more

Today is Blog Action Day. The goal is to have bloggers ‘round the world write about ways we can all work together to slow global warming.
Last July, I wrote about 7 Ways Writers Can Help Stop Global Warming. That post generated a ton of comments, many expressing dismay and a sense that we’re more or less helpless in the face of it all. But many also expressed thanks and hope.
I know both feelings. Sometimes I simply feel fear. I imagine a world without salmon and elephants and without enough water and I grieve for things like blue starfish and coral …read more

I started Thom Hartman’s The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight last night. Subtitled The Fate of the World And What We Can Do About It Before It’s To Late, I had to start with the final third of the book because I’m just to aware of the problems and wanted to read about solutions. I trust Thom because he’s so well grounded in history and draws from such a wide variety of resources.
His thesis is that it will take a fundamental change in attitudes if we are to solve our planetary problems. One of the ideas he puts forth what …read more

I don’t know a single writer who isn’t truly concerned about global warming. If you’re like me you both grieve for the planet and fear for your children and grandchildren… or their contemporaries. It’s hard to know exactly how to make a difference, but here are some things you can do:

Turn off your computer
If you’re not going to be using it for the next hour or so, turn it off. This has an additional advantage of reducing the opportunity of hacking, particularly when you’re on the ‘net. (More suggestions at Lifehacker.)
Turn off everything you can
All those glowing lights? While they …read more