Blog Archive

Saturday, February 03, 2007

The Nature Deficit Disorder Enviro Show




This time we had a look at a crucial aspect of our rather sorry relationship with Mother Earth: the strange world of estrangement with that which sustains us, especially with regard to the kids. James McNaughton, the director of AIAO, "Adventure In - Adventure Out" joined us to talk about outdoor adventure programs, and we got a call-in from Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder". AND, for your listening enjoyment (we hope), an Enviro Show EXCLUSIVE! In keeping with tonight’s theme, a reading from D.O.'s very own failed novel, "The Dream of the One-horned Rhino". Who says he wasted a year of his life!! Also tonight: we had a special pre-Valentine Revenge of the Critters segment, but WARNING! WARNING! It was R-rated, hopefully folks gathered up those little ones and herded them yonder way. We got back to the family-friendly stuff soon enough. OK? Here we go, time for....Revenge of the Critters! OK, so it’s not really about revenge. It’s about….loooove! You know, as in Valentines Day? Ready? From the ever-exciting West Midland Safari Park in the UK, Rhino gets it on with a Renault!



There’s the Darth Cheney theme again! Glen, what’s the countdown? In the wake of the sorry State of the Union address (as expected, the climate crisis gets only a nod and using ethanol to replace gasoline just doesn’t cut it), checkout VFR’s own Jay Deacon, host of "Spirit", for an excellent podcast segment on that UN climate change report that we spoke about last time, as well as the Bush regime’s "smoke and mirrors" plan to save the world...really!. How about this: IPCC report too optimistic? ALSO, the White House took a drubbing over their war on science in congress last week, even by their own fellow Repugnicians! Speaking of Big Oil (what? you think the Bush regime & Big Oil are two separate subjects??), checkout RFK, Jr.’s latest shot across Exxon/Mobil’s bow. AND, here are 11 things YOU can do about the Climate Crisis from our friends at Grist.



On to the subject at hand: Wonder why the planet is in such a mess? Is it capitalism? Western culture? Human stupidity? Well, all of those are true, but how about estrangement? If we start out in awe of nature as children (rather than being plugged into electronic simulations or diversions) isn’t there a better chance we’ll respect the Earth? Before we talked with Richard Louv and Jim McNaughton, we had D.O. read a brief excerpt about this from his....umm...great americian novel?



There was no time for the Bus Stop Billboard during the show, sooooooo:

Wednesday, February 7th, 7:30 pm. The RACHEL CARSON CENTENNIAL.
Monique Harden on "Fixing the Broken System of Environmental Protection: Human Rights Remedies for Environmental Racism. Harden has been advocating for the human rights of displaced Gulf Coast residents, which include the right to return to healthy and safe neighborhoods. The event will take place at Mount Holyoke College, Gamble Auditorium, Art Building.

February 22, 4:30pm, Cassani Lounge, Shattuck Hall: Mark Lytle, author of “The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the EnvironmentalMovement”.

Wednesdays February 7, 14, & 21; SUSTAINABILITY & OUR COMMUNITY FREE FILM SERIES & DISCUSSION. 7:30pm, The Old Creamery, 445 Berkshire Trail (Route 9), Cummington
February 7: “An Inconvenient Truth” - Al Gore presents a compelling
look at global warming and the impending global environmental crises.
February 14: “End of Suburbia” – Engaging look at peak oil and the
effect on our society of the dwindling supply of cheap energy supplied by fossil fuels.
February 21: “The Power of Community” - Cuba creatively survived the
effects of peak oil brought on by trade embargos in the ’90s. This film
looks at their sustaining political, lifestyle, and social changes. A
fascinating look into our potential future. Info: Alice or Amy, The Old Creamery, 634-5560.

Thurs, Feb 22 5:00- 6:30 pm Tri State CAN meeting upstairs, Greenfields Market, Main St, Greenfield, MA Learn what CAN is up to and how you might get involved.
We have ongoing efforts to shutdown Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor
(just over the border in Vernon, VT). call 413-339-5871 for more info



OK, end of story. Next time it's our post-Presidents' Day Gala. We'll post all kinds of things about presidents, or at least one PARTICULAR "president"....we promise! Actually the next show is The "Smart Growth" Enviro Show; complete with differing views!

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