Stand Against Racism Day

This is the article I wrote for Sustainable Seattle for YWCA's Stand Against Racism Day.  It is a call to action to green people to widen their cause to include and feature social justice.

Environmentalism and Social Justice

by Nathan Jackson

The environmental movement is at a crossroads.  The message of protection and stewardship of the environment has penetrated most levels of society with recycling bins in every corner of the nation from the Emerald City to the great state of the Hoosiers.  The message of human caused climate change with a few exceptions is generally believed and most people accept at least the concept of climate change.  At this time in history environmentalists need to overcome the next and biggest change in their approach to protecting the planet, protecting the people.

Social justice, a sense of equal treatment throughout society, is the biggest challenge and opportunity for environmentalists and other caring people.  

Climate change, though scientifically proven, is still for most people an idea of future change and damage to the natural environment.  However, the effects of climate change are being felt right now by the people that society has forgotten or tried to ignore, minorities, the poor and the working poor.  

The disadvantages many people face is a product of what is called institutional racism.  Institutional racism is the past unfairness of laws and rules that have made many minorities have a harder time building and maintaining wealth and opportunity.  When people are stopped from buying homes, entering higher education or gaining access to good paying jobs because of federal, state or city wide laws they cannot in large numbers be a success.  Individuals through extraordinary effort, luck and circumstances may become a success, but if you look at minorities as a group you get a better view of the extra challenges they have to defeat.

So what does this have to do with environmental groups?  Environmentalists are missing an opportunity to focus the attention of climate change on the effects to humanity.  The same people who face the additional challenges to a successful life are the same people who living everyday with the toxic effects of harmful business practices, pollution, illegal dumping, and industrial waste.  Those who live with the effects are the ones with the most to lose and the most to immediately gain.  The chance to combat two major problems, inequality and climate change is a chance that environmental groups need to seize in order to make the lasting change necessary to protect the environment and humanity.

Environmentalists should be walking the neighborhoods that are polluted not only to observe but to reach out to the people who have little or no choice in living there.  They should be seeking out the neighborhood councils and breathing the air that many people have to breathe every day.  They would see that the movement to fight for the planet needs to start with stopping the more local pollution and damage that hurts people right now.

In Seattle, one can predict with surprising accuracy how long someone will live, what they will do for a living and how they will die based on their zip code.  In historic Central District across the board those living there have shorter life spans, and more breathing related problems due to air pollution and industrial waste.  The rate of asthma amongst children is much higher and adults who live in areas stricken with poverty are twice as likely to have breathing problems.  

When it comes to other environmental problems associated with human causes one can do no better than looking at the poisoning and pollution of the Duwamish River that has been going on for a hundred years.  Industrial waste and dumpage that includes PCB’s, arsenic, and dioxins have made the river one of the most polluted sites in the United States.  The fact that the Environmental Protection Agency made it a Superfund recipient proves that the damage has been intensive as only the most damaged areas received federal funding.  Fortunately some environmental groups have shown some forward thinking and have partnered with local populations and minority groups affected by the pollution to work towards solutions.

The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is an organization made up of environmentalists, local Native American tribes, business leaders, and local populations to finally bring about a sustainable change to the river that will allow it be clean for human use, safe for salmon and other animals and be an example of rethinking industrial choices to include environmental and human considerations.  The group is reaching out for public comment, meeting groups where they are and listening to ideas from the people most affected by the problem.

Environmental Justice is the term that focuses on the immediate damage that people face if they are in areas where laws and tradition place factories, garbage dumps, toxic waste disposal sites and electrical lines.  The idea behind Environmental Justice is that new laws and rules should “even out” environmental damage by making companies and organizations move their factories and dump sites in a regulated way.  The idea is that if everyone gets the “benefits” of these services then everyone should “pay the price.”  The problem with Environmental Justice is that it does not get to the root problem of inequality.  Without those hard fought regulations that sometimes take years of court battles to enforce, the factories and dump sites will move right back into the “poorer” neighborhoods where they will stay until another dynamic leader fights again.

The environmental movement has an opportunity to broaden their message and gain valuable allies in their fight to protect the environment from human caused problems and restore the natural habitat.  The groups need to reach out a group of people that they have historically ignored and fight by their side to lessen the damage that they are suffering from industrial choices made by the rich and enforced by institutions and instead give real actions to real problems from which they suffer.  Health concerns, fewer choices in jobs and careers, lack of quality education, crime and equality are all causes that social justice is concerned about and the environmental movement should broaden its concerns to include the more human side to climate change.  

Until the story changes from “Save Mother Earth” to “Save your fellow man” the environmentalists will be fighting a wave against strong and wealthy opponents and many people who simply do not care.  By redefining environmentalism in human terms, people will see that they have real here and now reasons to get involved with the environmental movement.  People will connect their son and daughter suffering from asthma to our bad business practices.  People will see that their cousin’s diabetes and heart disease stems from a lack of walkable, breathable neighborhoods and a steady diet of cheap, yet unhealthy fast food.  People will see the benefit of clean rivers and streams when the water that comes out of their tap is not poisoned.  

Make the fight to save the planet practical and connected to lives here and now and we will have a nearly endless stream of supporters and activists who can make real, life affirming differences in their neighborhood and beyond.  We will have a group of dedicated, passionate people who can when their own backyard is stable and safe can broaden their boundaries and their views to include a wider spectrum of challenges.

The Flow Campaign 4/10/2011 Issue 5

   4/10/2011-4/16/2011    Issue 5

Community Vitality This week we are focusing on Community Vitality which is the idea that true happiness comes from the connections and relationships we build with the people around us in our homes, our neighborhoods and our work places. Most working adults spend the vast majority of their waking time at the workplace.  People who work forty hours a week spend more time with their coworkers than they do with their family and much more time than with their friends.  Therefore, it is essential for us to make our work environment community a more pleasant, meaningful place. So what are some actions we can take to make our work places more pleasant and more enjoyable?  Here are a few ideas that can transform the experience we have at our workplaces. Firstly, eating is fundamental to the human experience and many people working at full time jobs do not either eat properly or eat with others.  Eating with your coworkers is one of the first steps to take to establish and grow a more pleasant work environment.  When eating with coworkers I would first start by eating on the work campus when appropriate as this will tie the experience with the workplace. Secondly, get rid of your headphones or other personal devices that separate you from your surroundings.  Audio clues are so important to relationships, but body language is even more so.  The act of putting on isolating devices sends a strong signal to others that you do not care to interact and that you don’t value the ambient discussions and hubbub of office life.  Thirdly, come In to work early.  When you are relaxed and rested the day at work is a more pleasant experience as you do not need to be running around and catching up with duties or actions that need to be done.  When you have plenty of time every other action becomes easier and with less effort.  Also, when you come in early you can spend that time chatting with coworkers, getting the best coffee and of course impressing the boss. Lastly, listen more.  Coworkers are starving for attention and if you are a person whom they can talk to about small, and the most important, things they will pay you back in favors, friendship and respect.  Recommendations This week’s website recommendation is: Sustainable Industries This week’s book recommendation is: Not On Our Watch by Don Cheadle, John Prendergast Sign up for the weekly newsletter.		Brian Kahn:  Getting Back to Our Founding Values Community, Governance, Cultural www.townhallseattle.org Monday, April 11, 2011 | 7:30 – 9pm   Seattle for Japan Benefit Community, Material www.seattlegreendrinks.org April 12, 2011      5:30PM  - 9PM   Jane Fonda, Inspirational Luncheon Community, Culture, Health www.ywcaworks.org April 14, 2011 Noon-1:30PM

Half Way There

The economy is tough everywhere for most people anyway.  People are living their lives on a prayer and a shoestring budget a far cry from what they are used to.  We've seen a stubborn unemployment rate hovering around nine percent for nearly two years now and the numbers that seem to be shrinking are still not getting to the real picture of hardship that most families are going through.

Unemployment itself is of course misinforming.  The rate of unemployment is calculated with quite a few omissions.  Firstly, the rate only reflects those who are actively looking for work, as in filling out resumes, writing cover letters and attending job fairs.  Those people who have given up or have stopped actively pursuing work are not counted.  So that means that anyone who is homeless, anyone who is living off of a loved one, relative, or acquaintance or anyone who is infirm or unable to work is not counted.

Also, the unemployment rate does not discriminate between someone working full time or part time.  The people who have work that is under twenty hours count as fully employed.  Those who work more than one job due to economic pressure do not count for more than one, but they reflect the fact that many people may be working and not earning a living wage.

One callous congressman, who shall not be named, once boasted that the United States had ninety one percent of people working failing to realize the insensitivity of such an asinine statement.  The amount of living wages in the United States has been dropping faster than we can replace them.  We have seen good paying work being replaced by either technology or outsourcing and that is simply a matter of economics.  I am not one who believes we can or even should bring back manufacturing jobs if we cannot make products that are superior or more cost effective.  Our future does not lie in the past "glory days" of manufacturing, but in the future of ideas and innovation.


Perhaps the most unintentional effect of the economic downturn has been the idea that no class, no socio-economic class is safe from the potential of economic harm.  Many people in the "Middle Class" have had to come to grips on the lack of choices and options many of their fellow Americans have had to face for their entire lives.  The problem in the United States is that many people have to experience the hardship themselves before they can have compassion for the less fortunate.  However, the haves are beginning to cling to what they have even more so. 

On the political side congressmen and women are taking aim at teachers, policemen, firemen and trying to label them as "elite."  The struggling middle and lower middle class is a bit too eager to believe the hype surrounding state workers and they are forgetting that those who work for the state are fellow citizens as well. 

The unemployment numbers are misleading in that they equate simple employment with success when the story is much more complicated than that.  The real story that is not being told is the loss of livable wages and a society that is still riding on a consumption train off the cliff.  Until we solve the underlying problems of over consumption and an economy based on throw away items and throw away people the numbers will continue to misinform us.  We need to take a real look at where our economy is headed and we need to re evaluate the idea of "winners" and "losers" when it comes to economic opportunity.

Microwaves hate Unions

The ultimate example of convenience and modern living, the microwave has had an undeniable impact on our kitchens and our society.  They bring the idea of popped corn to the forefront of our minds while we scroll through our Netflix queues alone on a Friday night.  Their radiation glow lightens the dark room after we've snuck into the kitchen for a midnight snack of processed cheese and fried tortillas.  They are the friends of single adults and five year old snack seekers dispensing passable food in mere seconds.  However, microwaves have a deep, dark secret.  Microwaves hate unions.

The microwave oven as we know it arrived in American businesses and homes starting in 1967.  The microwave was advertised as a convenience device that would cut the time that "moms" would spend slaving over a hot stove and spend more quality time with the family playing board games, watching television or waving to neighbors riding by on their bicycles.  Of course the saved time did come, but the actual result was an eroding of the time with family.  The microwave had undermined the tantalizing and seductive power of anticipation that boiling pots and chopping aromas elicit.

The instant gratification that microwaves brought to our most basic of needs started to permeate other areas of our lives as well.  We began to withdraw from social outings and instead curl up with our cable television and TV dinners.  We withdrew from churches, bowling leagues, charitable clubs as we simply wanted satisfaction without having to put in the actual time and dedication needed for those avenues of social connection to have any meaning.  We in essence started seeing the phenomenon commonly known as "being together alone."  We were setting ourselves on the path toward collective isolationism that is so rampant today.

Unions are a collection of workers who through collective bargaining, negotiation and hard work helped build our middle class that our society takes for granted.  The working conditions of today such as five day work weeks, health care, workers compensation, unemployment, on the job injury compensation, safe working conditions and the like would all not be as robust and in some cases in existence at all if not for the work of unions.

Unions of course have had their historic enemies that include public apathy and policy decisions.  The public response to unions over the past few years have been colored by a well organized media campaign to color unions as somehow separate from the rest of us.  The unions have become the scapegoat for big business problems and poor business practices.  Auto companies have used union demands for health benefits and safe work conditions as the reason behind the decline in American auto brands success. 

The most devastating policy change to unions is most likely the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.  This act in the wake of World War II labor disputes and strikes limited the ability of unions to take certain negotiation tactics such as strikes, and sympathetic strikes and enables states to make aggressive "right to work" laws which limited or eliminated the ability to form unions or outlawed union labor.  Many states have used those right to work type of laws to restrict membership since the fifties until today.

The biggest problem towards unions is of course the public view of unions.  Union membership has declined in the private sector at a swift pace since the early days of the seventies.  Public sector unions have been growing as a result of budgetary cuts that came about as a result of a failed fiscal policy on the federal and state levels.  Budgets are being slashed in order to make up for many of the unsafe overreaches of fiscal policy that have been creeping into the system for the past thirty years and the budgetary shortfalls that came as direct results from the inability and unwillingness to make a more fair tax system that actually follows the graduated tax codes enacted over one hundred years ago. 

When the top income earners can reduce their taxes from 35% to 15% through stock investments (capital gains taxes peak at 15%) and therefore save themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Many financial experts point to the fact that the tax rates during President Nixon's tenure if they were retained would have eliminated the budgetary shortfalls we are seeing in the past few years.

Of course all these facts do not make a difference if no one is paying attention.  The amount of time that we spend in front of an entertainment box is the highest it has ever been since we began recording the average amount of time we spend watching television.  On average we spend four hours a day watching TV and almost 70% of us watch TV while eating dinner.  TV is a one way medium and it does not allow the time spent in front of it for conversation, unless you are like my family who would talk in the middle of library/funeral.  The loss of the meal as a focal point of a family has more repercussions than one would guess.

Microwaves allow people to start and finish meals alone by themselves and without the unnecessary conversation or socialization that comes with tables, dining rooms and a sense of belonging.  We are pulled in so many directions by choice and circumstances that many of us are losing our foundations.  We are forgetting or abandoning an aspect of socialization that permeates every major point in our lives as humans.  Food and togetherness is the prescription for any social illness.  When we get married, buried, arrive, depart, welcome in a new life, anniversarate and celebrate we always include food.  Think of the last time you went to a party and there were no refreshments.