http://www.pkwrite.com/blog A writer's commonplace book Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:10:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In a recent post by Joseph Romm on Grist, he talks about why he called his book on the climate crisis Hell and High Water. I love the book but think the more we crank up the doom-and-gloom, the easier it is for conservative spinmeisters to peg people concerned about this ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2008/02/22/alarmist-language-reconsidered/ Recently I decided to break with longstanding tradition and contact my elected representatives about something of particular interest: the Evergreen Cities bill currently before the legislature. I almost immediately received responses from Representatives Hunter and Eddy saying that they would be supporting the bill, which was very gratifying to hear. Although I agree ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2008/02/17/evergreen-cities-datapoint/ Saving Puget Sound is a refreshing change from the typical book about the environment: it’s hopeful, well-balanced, and realistic. Even better, it’s about where we live. Given what our region has to offer—a vibrant cultural scene, world-class technical innovation, a healthy economy, and some of the most stunning natural beauty in ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2008/01/30/saving-puget-sound-by-john-lombard/ Nature and Madness is the provocative title of a 1982 book by Paul Shepard, referred to by some as the "godfather of ecopsychology." The introduction begins like this: My question is: why do men persist in destroying their habitat? I have, at times, believed the answer was a lack of information, faulty technique, ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2007/11/29/nature-and-madness/ This fall I've been continuing with a little project I started last year: putting plants and parts of plants in the scanner and seeing what comes out. Leaves changing color are particularly satisfying; when I cut out the background they take on a 3D effect, to the point where someone ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2007/11/20/on-the-wall-above-my-computer-part-2/ Someone who's been doing environmental work in the non-profit sector recently suggested I look at George Lakoff's book Thinking Points--A Progressive's Handbook--Communicating Our American Values and Vision. What a gift that recommendation was. Lakoff is a professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Berkeley (see his not-too-bad Wikipedia write-up), and back ... http://www.pkwrite.com/blog/2007/11/20/ask-rockridge-how-can-we-make-green-an-identity-%e2%80%94-rockridge-nation/