by Catherine Haug
Did you know that the OCA (Organic Consumers Association) has a news & action website for each state? Or that Montana has it’s own Organic Association (MOA)? Check these out. I’ve added the links for both organizations to our home page, in the right hand column under “Local & Organic Links.” (more…)
Offshore Oil Platform
by Catherine Haug
(Photos from Wikipedia)
Now that we are all grieving at the sight of oil-soaked pelicans in the Gulf, we call for an end to our dependence on petroleum. But have you ever thought about what all we’d have to give up? It’s not just fuel for our cars and home heating systems, or that airplane ride to our favorite vacation spot. We’d basically have to give up all that we’ve come to take for granted.
That’s what an article in June 13, 2010 Daily Interlake by Seth Borenstein, an AP Science Writer, titled Boycott Big Oil? Prepare to give up your lifestyle (1) is all about. It includes a litany of all the common, everyday things that contain substances made from crude, or depend upon crude for their maintenance or production.
It’s about what this means for our society; how far we have strayed from The Essential. “Petrochemicals are the glue of our modern lives and even in glue, too.” (1)
Here’s a partial list, from the article: (more…)
by Catherine Haug
An important Montana-made documentary will be premiered on Montana PBS:
Gus Chambers and Paul Zalis co-produced this documentary. Gus, who also directs this film, is from Missoula; Paul, who also wrote the script, is from Somers; narrator J.K. Simmons is a Missoula native and veteran actor who performed with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in 1978. (more…)
by Catherine Haug
This was a different kind of event for ESP, in that we showed a film (not one we’d made ourselves): Oil + Water, a documentary of two young men and their road trip from Alaska to the southern tip of South America.
For more information about the film:
This summary includes a synopsis of the film, and the discussion that followed. For a printable copy of this summary, see Gathering Summary: Oil + Water (the Film), April 28, 2010. (more…)
Buffalo Cow Trail Adventure Map
by Catherine Haug
(Map image from The Globe and Mail (6))
The Buffalo Cow Trail near the British Columbia/Montana border is an ancient trail (at least 8000 years old) crossing the Rocky Mountains from the home territory of the Kootenai/Ktunaxa tribes near Eureka, to the eastern prairies that were home to the once-thriving buffalo herds. Of all the ancient trails traversing the continental divide, is was the most heavily used.(1) That is, until the great buffalo herds were decimated on the Great American Plains.
The path of the trail roughly follows what is now recognized as the border between Canada and the US, the 49th parallel. This path is also known as Boundary Pass, South Kootenay Pass, and the Grave Creek Trail.(2)
Tribal elders express interest in restoring this ancient trail when the North Fork of the Flathead is managed as a protected area, and included in the Crown of the Continent World Heritage Site.(3) (more…)
by Catherine Haug
It must be recognized that humans throughout our history have been curious and inventive, loving to solve problems. We are very creative animals.
Today’s biggest challenge to innovative thinking comes from the use of fossil fuels: their depletion (peak oil), coupled with a warming planet resulting from their use.
One proposed solution is “green building,” which means the utilization of technology and construction materials/techniques that:
Words such as “sustainable,” “environmentally-friendly,” etc. pepper the conversation, generating hope that we can save the planet by maximizing energy return/savings in the construction project.
Wikipedia provides the following definition:
“Green Building … is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction.