Meditation is a waste of good shopping time - Occupy your Mind

*Note: This post was written largely on November 27, 2011, but for legal reasons, was not posted until now. It took until March 2012 for the case to be heard in front of a judge, as I would not accept a plea bargain for crimes I did not commit. A jury of my peers found me NOT GUILTY, so now I'm free to talk about it... Enjoy. (Next I have to write another post about lessons learned from the case. Stay tuned.)

“Meditator arrested for ‘disturbing the frenzy’ at the mall on Black Friday.”

The pictures and comments had already started circulating through social networks before I was even released from the 7 foot cubed holding cell at North Attleboro PD. In that cell, I had 7 hours to myself to reflect on the significance of the action I had just participated in, and how that significance was highlighted by the very fact that I now sat in a locked cube for doing it.

It was the day commonly referred to as “Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving (or as it's known by others: "Buy Nothing Day," the day after “National Day of Mourning”)

It was on this ritualized shopping holiday that a small group of people, including myself, decided that rather than shop, we would hold a group meditation in a small circle in the center of the local shopping mall. The idea was to connect and bring calm to the storm, to make a simple statement:

Mindfulness is a legitimate threat to an economy that relies on mindless consumerism and on our disconnection from the Community of Life.

Behind the central staircase of the Emerald Square Mall, we took our place between “lanes” on the consumer footway, open to the two levels above. In a circle, we sat in silence and without interruption for several minutes. We drew the attention of only a few of our fellow humans, temporarily distracted from their obligatory role as consumers (a necessary condition, it turns out, for entering this privatized zone). We eventually entered a deep round of “Om's” (wonderful acoustics in the mall, by the way). After 30 minutes of what ended up being a very deep meditation experience, we arose with little distraction from the radio-wielding men in white. We circled hands for another round of "Oms" and finally, a quick mic check to close:

Meditation is a waste of good shopping time.

Conscious people make poor consumers.

Stay separate. Stay Scared. Keep shopping.

We broke circle and made our separate ways toward the third floor parking garage. Unfortunately, I was met by two men in police uniforms at the base of the escalator. After trying to explain my need to get to the third floor, to my car, they instead offered to escort me out of the first floor exit and into a police car. It's difficult to decline that offer when you're in handcuffs.

The charges included: disorderly conduct, trespassing, resisting arrest (of course), and perhaps most ironically, “disturbing the peace.”

(Oddly enough, the radio inside the car was playing popstep at a subdued volume.)

For those wondering “How does this connect to the Occupy Movement?” (the action, not the music);

When I ponder the question, I realize that it will take me quite a while to explain how many ways meditation and mindfulness relate to the root causes and root solutions of the Occupy Movement (remember: everything is connected). So, I will start with the one that is most apparent and significant to me: Mindfulness is a legitimate threat to an economy that relies on mindless consumerism and on our disconnection from the Community of Life.

I’ve decided that I’m going to break this post into several installments, this being the first. Future posts (and perhaps guest posts?) may examine at greater length how this action and use of meditation relates to such topics as: the role of predatory capitalism in the privatization of public spaces, the loss of free speech areas, cultural homogenization, systematic violence, marketing, public relations, brainwashing, food justice, animal rights, deep ecology, colonization, decolonization, and so on…. (We can see where it goes.) This format will allow for some extended exchange and discourse through the wonders of social media, so please comment and share your own thoughts, reflections or objections on my original post at changethedream.blogspot.com.

What does mindfulness have to do with the economy?

“Consume, consume, consume until we have no planet left to consume. What you need to do is buy things that you don’t need, that’s the best way to support the economy…. Meditation is a waste of good shopping time. Miserable people shop more, so please stay miserable for as long as you can.” -The Love Police

"Until we have no planet left to consume..."

The dominant world economy today relies upon constant growth and expansion. "It's a system in crisis," as Annie Leonard explains it so succinctly in the first installment of the “Story of Stuff” animated film series. “It’s a linear system and we live on a finite planet, and you can not run a linear system on a finite planet, indefinitely.”

Humans evolved on this planet, but somewhere along the way lost connection with the rest of the Community of Life on this planet. Fear-based marketing and programming campaigns carried out by ever-increasingly invasive corporate entities have fed upon, and reinforced, this cosmic divide. It’s this disconnection which has allowed us to create a mindless economy with which, as Leonard puts it, “we’re trashing the planet, we’re trashing each other, and we’re not even having fun.”

Through mindful practice, one is able to regain some perspective on the interconnection of all things and interdependence of all Life. If people are able to rediscover and maintain this connection, we will not be able to perpetuate or recreate a system that relies upon isolation, destruction and disconnection. Together, we have the creativity and compassion to co-create a mindful economy that works for everyone, including the Earth. That is why it felt appropriate and meaningful to make this type of direct action at the shopping mall on this ritualistically mindless holiday.

"What is an economy, anyways?"

To take a step back, let’s look quickly at what an economy is supposed to do. One definition, provided by the makers of the film Zeitgeist Moving Forward, is:

Economy: efficiently and conservatively orient the materials for production and the distribution of life supporting goods.

You don’t have to be an economist to realize that what we have is hardly efficient or conservative, or even approximating its purpose. Instead, what we have is a system of wealth extraction that converts the natural beauty of the planet into imaginary wealth and power for a minority of members in the community of Life.

"The Economy is a Reflection of the Connections Between Us"

(From a great little flier that I picked up at the Occupy Boston Summit)

“Yes, the 1% got us out into the streets but let’s name the true culprit: the rampant egotism in human nature. Acknowledging this problem will be the first step toward controlling it. Redistribution of wealth without a moral awakening of the entire world will yield no positive results. In fact, the bitter experiences of the communist revolutions in the previous century are warning enough that this is not the way to go. Instead, the means toward stability and prosperity in our future is the human connection and a unified, heartfelt effort toward a common goal… Every desire, act and thought that is dedicated towards the all-encompassing system of humanity will bring balance, peace, and prosperity to one and all. “ - #AsOne

Through meditation, prayer, and other practices or experiences, as we remember our connections to other living things, we remember our universal love for all living things. All cliché’s aside, universal love and compassion has the power to change everything. We have the ability to make these realizations as individuals, and also as a society.

"Love is the felt experience of connection to another being. An economist says 'more for you is less for me.' But the lover knows that more for you is more for me too. If you love somebody their happiness is your happiness. Their pain is your pain. Your sense of self expands to include other beings. This shift of consciousness is universal in everybody, 99% and 1%." ~ Charles Eisenstein

Update: Check out the short film that was released March 1, "Sacred Economics," (and the book by the same name, by Charles Eisenstein.) This guy is really onto something.

I've come to realize that full appreciation of the connection between meditation and the economy requires the recognition that we are in the midst of a global transformation of consciousness (what some may call “The Great Turning”). In my belief, as well as that of others, the Occupy Movement is a manifestation of, and a vehicle for, this transformation.

#OccupyYourMind

Meditation is a time-tested and demonstrated tool for personal, and by extension, societal transformation (see the DC Crime Study). The act itself is a statement of noncompliance with the cultural programming designed to keep us consuming and complying blindly, in isolation and at a huge cost to all Life on this planet. As a movement, and as human beings, we must transform our consciousness and remember our interdependence.

Various forms of meditation provide many paths to doing just that.

Take a few minutes out from your hectic schedule

to acknowledge your connection to Mother Earth

and to all of your relations.

Breath.

Connect.

Then let’s have ourselves a Revolution (of Love.)

[Please feel free to leave comments/feedback/etc, as this should be a discussion, a process. I’m just connecting some dots here, and would appreciate your help on part 2!]

Decolonize Thanksgiving

Occupy the Media

Here are just a few of my favorite recent videos related to the Occupy Movement.




John Ford - Occupy Boston Librarian (Kinetic Typography)

"We stopped into Occupy Boston filming for the documentary "Bailout: The Dukes of Moral Hazard" to talk with John Ford, the local librarian, about the Occupy Wallstreet Movement. Here's a short clip of what he had to say about the movement."

John Ford: Occupy Boston Librarian from Endless Eye on Vimeo.

Colbert Super PAC - Occupy Wall Street Co-Optportunity

If Dick Armey's FreedomWorks can co-opt the Tea Party, then the Colbert Super PAC can co-opt Occupy Wall Street.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Colbert Super PAC - Occupy Wall Street Co-Optportunity
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street

Hilarius and such a great look into the OWS movement. And I love Ketchup!

Stephen heads to Wall Street to gain the trust of Occupy Wall Street protesters and take over the movement. (07:20)

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Stephen presents the dramatic conclusion of his Occupy Wall Street co-occupation.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

Josh Kahn Russell mic check at OWS 11/6: Tar Sands Action

An animated Joshua Kahn Russell spoke about the plan to encircle the White House on Sunday, Nov. 6 to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. Here's Russell's speech at OWS:

Tim DeChristopher Letter read at Occupy Wall St. 11/5: Tar Sands Action

Incarcerated climate activist Tim DeChristopher made a written appearance at Climate Action day at #OWS. DeChristopher encourages occupiers to protest the proposed tar sands pipeline in DC on November 6th. You can read his entire letter here - http://www.peacefuluprising.org/tims-call-to-join-nov-6-tar-sands-action-2011...






Occupy Boston - The Beauty of Unity - 10.15.11


"Trying to capture the beauty of unity. There are too many police brutality videos out there that defeats the purpose of this movement. This is how I see the revolution. "
[music: The Album Leaf]

Consensus is a beautiful thing

This is the nature of the popular uprising that is the Occupy movement: it's a process, not a protest- people actually communicating and co-creating without hierarchal organization. This is how we peacefully disassemble the pyramid out from under those who would rather stay on top.

Peace, Love and Revolution. We are all in this together.

The Hopi Ten

Chumash elder Choqosh Auh-ho-oh was some years ago summoned by a prestigious group of Hopi elders. They told her they have a message for her to share.

They said, "

You've been telling people the 11th hour is approaching. Tell them it is here, and there are things to be considered."

They gave her a 10-point Hopi Checklist to consider:

1. Where do you live (not just geographically)?

2. What is it that you do?

3. How are your relationships?

4. Are you in right relation with the Earth?

5. Where is your water?

6. Know your garden (and nature around you).

7. Speak your truth; it is time now.

8. Be good to each other.

9. Don't look outside yourself for the leader.

10.This could be a good time.

Decolonize Your Mind

It is with a grateful heart and hope for this movement, that I report that the Occupy Boston General Assembly has ratified a memorandum of solidarity with indigenous peoples. It was an honor to be part of the drafting committee for this resolution, and I am extremely grateful to all who supported this decision to found the future deliberations and decisions of this movement on this necessary bedrock of respect and healing intentions. Below is the complete text of the resolution, followed by an elaboration of personal thoughts I have had related to these issues. Please note that beyond the language of the resolution contained directly below, all statements and opinions contained herein shall not be construed as official statements or opinions of “Occupy Boston.”

The following resolution was passed by the Occupy Boston General Assembly on October 8th, 2011:

RESOLUTION: Memorandum of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples

WHEREAS, those participating in “Occupy Boston” acknowledge that the United States of America is a colonial country, and that we are guests upon stolen indigenous land that has already been occupied for centuries, Boston being the ancestral land of the Massachusett people; and

WHEREAS, members of the First Nations have continued to resist the violent oppression and exploitation of the colonizers since they first arrived on this continent, and as a result have a great amount of experience that could strengthen this movement; and

WHEREAS, after centuries of disregard for the welfare of future generations, and the consistent disrespect and exploitation of the Earth, we find ourselves on a polluted and disturbed planet, lacking the wisdom to live sustainably at peace with the community of Life; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That we seek the involvement of the First Nations in the rebuilding of a new society on their ancestral land; and

As a signal to the national “Occupy” movement and to members of First Nations who have felt excluded by the colonialist language used to name this movement, it shall be declared that “Occupy Boston” aspires to “Decolonize Boston” with the guidance and participation of First Nations Peoples; and

Extending an open hand of humility and friendship, we hereby invite members of the First Nations to join us in this popular uprising now taking place across this continent. We wish to further the process of healing and reconciliation and implore Indigenous Peoples to share their wisdom and guidance, as they see fit, so as to help us restore true freedom and democracy and initiate a new era of peace and cooperation that will work for everyone, including the Earth and the original inhabitants of this land; and

We hereby declare that Columbus Day should be referred to as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

It has taken centuries of playing out a story of domination and exploitation for many to realize what the people most consistently oppressed during this time have known all along: that this game will not last. As the pyramid economy tumbles down and oil-addicted machinations scour the land in their final and devastating death-throws, (ie. Tar Sands, Fracking, MTR), we find ourselves with the opportunity and motivation to start building a new society which honors and heals the Earth and all of its inhabitants.

It seems as though everything is falling apart around us. It's become readily apparent that it's time to build something radically different. However, many of us living in America today have little experience to draw upon, lacking precedence for a society based on anything but selfish greed and destruction of the natural world. If we are to transform the broken pieces of our nation into a body that functions and heals on all levels, who better to turn to for guidance and leadership in creating this new society than those who have resisted the now ailing and awkward machine since it first arrived on this continent, and who maintain our most recent connection to a mode of consciousness and way of life that actually works?

Thousands are currently occupying public spaces in Boston and cities across the country in solidarity with those occupying Wall Street: the seat and symbol of western financial power. The 99% are uniting against the 1% who have concentrated wealth and influence over our lives. Those on top of this pyramid have played out their roles in a story of exploitation and domination that has lasted many generations. Now this story is coming to a close, and we have an opportunity to write a new story: one that works for everyone, including Mother Earth, the original inhabitants of this continent, and other historically oppressed and underrepresented people.

Further, let us recognize the fact that America is already being occupied, and that we are guests upon stolen indigenous land. As noted by native activists and bloggers, by calling this an “occupation” without recognizing the historical context and legacy we are part of, we are inadvertently disrespecting and excluding a long-marginalized segment of the 99%. If we are going to build a new society, and break the cycle of colonialism and oppression, it is only right that we seek the consent and participation of indigenous populations in any foundational change we may pursue on their ancestral lands.

We must decolonize our minds and decolonize the “Occupy” movement, meaning we must realize the historical context of this movement, and examine the underlying assumptions on which we base our understandings of the world and possible solutions we will chose to manifest, lest we recreate a new society based on same old systems of deeply ingrained oppression and systematic violence. As explained in the #decolonizewallstreet flier copied below, “colonization continues to this day, with indigenous communities across the globe still under attack. To dismantle corporate greed and imagine a different world we must make connections between the histories of colonialism, genocide, capitalism, human trafficking, globalization, racism, imperialism, ecocide, patriarchy and so much more.” This is what is meant by “Decolonizing” our minds and our movement. We must recognize and cast off the colonialist mindset.

As Columbus Day approaches, we should celebrate not the exploits of the famous rapist and slave-trader, but rather, celebrate in solidarity with the descendents of the original Americans, who continue to resist cultural oppression and the ongoing exploits of our most destructive industries. Let us reflect on 519 years of indigenous resistance with gratitude and hope!

Over the past several decades, as wealth has become concentrated in a world with dwindling finite resources, the majority have now become the target of the top 1%. Members of the First Nations have continued to resist the violent oppression and exploitation of the Empire since it first arrived on this continent, and therefore, along with the descendents of slaves and other long-oppressed peoples, have a great amount of guidance to provide to the rest of the 99%.

It is a well documented, albeit widely repressed aspect of American history, that the wisdom of the Iroquois Confederacy provided the foundational inspiration and guidance for American Freedom and Democracy as it was initially envisioned by the Founders of the United States. As noted by historian and healer David Yarrow, “the founding fathers found their best working model for their new government through their direct contact with the Iroquois League”, from their foundational symbols (the Tree of Peace/Liberty, and the Eagle clutching a bundle of arrows) to their “sophisticated political system founded on reason” as delivered in the Great Law of Peace. Unfortunately, these wisdoms were applied in a fractured and incomplete manner, without honor for the Sacred or for the original Americans who provided this wisdom. The ideas of “Freedom” and “Democracy” were then perverted by generations of immature and selfish empire-builders.

After centuries of disregard for the 7th Generation, and the consistent disrespect and exploitation of Mother Earth, we find ourselves on a polluted and disturbed planet, lacking the wisdom to live sustainably at peace with the community of Life in honor of the Sacred.

We, therefore, must once again turn to members of the First Nations for their consent and support in this transformational time. We must, first and foremost, do what we can to further the process of healing and reconciliation of our painful past, and invite our Older Brothers and Sisters to share their wisdom, guidance, and Original Instructions, as they see fit, so as to help restore true freedom and democracy and initiate a new era of peace and cooperation that will work for everyone, including Mother Earth and the original inhabitants of Turtle Island.

The Legacy of Columbus

Below is an excerpt from Thom Hartmann's book "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight." This book transformed my view of the problems facing our world, and as Daniel Quinn (author of "Ishmael") put it, it's "A wake-up call, loud and clear, that must literally be heard round the world."

On this Columbus Day, I share the following passage, for your consideration:

"Christopher Columbus not only opened the door to a New World, but also set an example for us all" - George H.W. Bush (b. 1924), 1989 speech

If you fly over the island of Hispaniola off Haiti, the island on which Columbus landed, it looks like somebody took a blowtorch and burned away anything green. Even the ocean around the capital of Port-au-Prince is choked for miles with the brown of human sewage and eroded topsoil. From the air, it looks like a lava flow spilling over into the sea.

The history of this small island is, in many ways, a microcosm for whats happening in the whole world.

When Columbus first landed on Hispaniola in 1492, almost the entire island was covered by lush forest. The Taino "Indians" who lived there had an idyllic life prior to Columbus, from the reports left to us by literate members of Columbus's crew, such as Miguel Cuneo.

When Columbus and his crew arrived on their second visit to Hispaniola, however, they took captive about sixteen hundred local villagers who had come out to greet them. Cuneo wrote; "When our ships... were to leave for Spain, we gathered... one thousand six hundred male and female persons of those Indians, and of these we embarked in our ships on February 17, 1495.... For those who remained, we let it be known [to the Spaniards who manned the island's fort] in the vicinity that anyone who wanted to take some of them could do so, to the amount desired, which was done."

Cuneo further notes that he himself took a beautiful teenage Carib girl as his personal slave, a gift from Columbus himself, but that when he attempted to have sex with her, she "resisted with all her strength." So, in his own words, he "thrashed her mercilessly and raped her."

It was a common reward for Columbus's men for him to present them with local women to rape. As he began exporting Taino as slaves to other parts of the world, the sex-slave trade became an important part of the business, as Columbus wrote to a friend in 1500: "A hundred castellanoes [a Spanish coin] are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten [years old] are now in demand."

While Columbus once referred to the Taino Indians as cannibals, there was then and today still is no evidence that this was so. It was apparently a story made up by Columbus-- which is to this day still taught in some U.S. schools -- to help justify his slaughter and enslavement of the people. He wrote to the Spanish monarchs in 1493: "It is possible, with the name of the Holy Trinity, to sell all the slaves which it is possible to sell.... Here there are so many of these slaves, and also brazilwood, that although they are living things they are as good as gold."

However, the Taino turned out not to be particularly good workers in the plantations that the Spaniards and later the French established on Hispaniola: they resented their lands and children being taken, and attempted to fight back against the invaders. Since the Taino were obviously standing in the way of Spain's progress, Columbus sought to impost discipline on them. For even a minor offense, an Indian's nose or ear was cut off, so he could go back to his village to impress the people with the brutality the Spanish were capable of. Columbus attacked them with dogs, skewered them on poles from anus to mouth, and shot them. Eventually, life for the Taino became so unbearable that, as Pedro de Cordoba wrote to King Ferdinand in a 1517 letter, "As a result of the sufferings and hard labor they endured, the Indians choose and have chosen suicide. Occasionally a hundred have committed mass suicide. The women, exhausted by labor, have shunned conception and childbirth.... Many, when pregnant, have taken something to abort and have aborted. Others after delivery have killed their children with their own hands, so as not to leave them in such oppressive slavery."

Eventually, Columbus, and later his brother Bartholomew Columbus, whom he left in charge of the island, simply resorted to wiping out the Taino altogether. Prior to Columbus's arrival, most scholars place the population of Haiti/Hispaniola at around 300,000 people. By 1496, it was down to 110,000, according to a census done by Bartholomew Columbus. By 1516, the indigenous population was 12,000, and according to Las Casas (who were there), by 1542 fewer than 200 natives were alive. By 1555, every single one was dead. (Today not a single Taino is alive: their culture, people, and genes have vanished from the planet.)

As the transplanted population of slaves brought from Africa grew in Haiti, people began cutting the forests to create farmland and to use the trees as firewood for cooking and boiling water. As a result, today trees cover less than 1 percent of Haiti. The denuded land, exposed to rainfall and runoff sped up by the slope of the country's hills, has been so thoroughly eroded that it has mixed with sewage and carried the stain a full four miles out to sea from Port-au-Prince. Millions of people are crowded into the cities, where they provide a ready pool of ultra-cheap labor for multinational corporations, as well as cheap domestic help and inexpensive child and adult prostitutes for the European and American managers of those corporate interests and occasional tourist.

The legacy of Columbus is that life in Haiti is more than poor, it is desperate. As much as 16 hours a day are spent by the average country-dweller in search of food or firewood, and an equal amount of time is spent by city-dwellers in search of money or edible garbage. Diseases ranging from cholera to AIDS run rampant through the overcrowded population.

While Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, it is not unique. The Dominican Republic, which shares the island, is moving in the same direction, as is much of the rest of Central and South America.

Ideas are shared experiences

I can't believe I didn't know about Reggie Watts until now... totally blew me away. Thank you, Reality Sandwich.

Ideas are shared experiences, and people have gifts to be able to channel them into a clear format. - Reggie Watts

From Reality Sandwich:

In this RS clip, Daniel Pinchbeck and comedian Reggie Watts discuss idea frequencies and planetary change at The Lovin' Cup restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The two provacateurs talk about comedy, philosophy, psychedelics, and where Reggie Watts will be when December 21st, 2012 rolls around.

If, like me, you are not too familiar with Reggie Watts' work, enjoy:

"Binary Existence"

"It's Only Life/Primary Tracks"

Up to my knees in toxic oil waste...

[This is a continuation of an earlier post ("With my own eyes") I made while I was down in Ecuador. I wrote this while I was there, but was waiting on some pictures before I posted]

You have to be aware of where you’re putting your weight. Test the ground before you put it down with each step. Use the fallen branches, roots and organic debris to help distribute your mass, sort of like snow shoes. One hasty step or misplaced, and you’ll be knee deep or even hip high in a mixture of crude oil, asphalt and water. And just like with quicksand - if you do go down, your best bet is to throw your weight forward or back so as to not find out how deep the pool is. And be sure to remember your Tyvek suit, volatile organics respirator, big rubber boots and gloves, and a whole lot of duct tape.

Do this while trying to spot and recognize dozens of plants and mushrooms, large and small, passing new samples to your team mates who are out on the surface of the oil pool with you, digital cameras and notebooks in (oily) hand. This was my life for three long days.

We were performing an ecological survey to begin answering these questions: In these toxic environments left behind in the Amazon rainforest by negligent oil companies decades ago, what is growing? Which plant and fungal species are tolerant of or even thrive in the oil waste? Which species are colonizing this most inhospitable blemish in the process of succession? And ultimately, how can we work with them to further this healing?

Life is beautiful and persistent, even on top of this layer of aged asphalt and oil waste.

These are big questions to ask, and many grad students could surely be flown under them. Two of our team members (Julia and Megan) are currently in school, and will be using this initial field research as ground to pursue further, more extensive work. I was most interested in seeing what species of fungi were growing on or near the oil waste. Could these be possible allies in future efforts of mycoremediation?

We set up a series of randomly-placed two meter circles over the surface of three “piscinas” (pools). Some circles were right in the middle of the swimming pool-sized pits, some were along the edges. We would then tread carefully on the viscous surface of the pool to catalogue each plant and fungal species we could find in each circle. None of us are botanists or mushroom experts, so we ended up making up our own names for

specimens we found, like “elephant ear,” “spiral” and “orange cup.” They were all numbered, photographed and documented for later identification.Megan (pictured right) was the one with the notebook who cataloged the species, and by the end of it, she could identify plants by number within a fraction of a second (walks through the jungle were fun, afterwards, with her calmly acknowledging each familiar friend with the number or “name” we had used).

It was difficult work, and as described above, it was kind of sketchy. We really have no idea what is in that brew of drilling waste and crude. It was surely dangerous, but such is science!

Fortunately I didn’t get too much contamination on my skin, although some of the questionable water leaked through my poorly-duct taped boot on the second day. I did have one close call when my foot sunk in way more then expected (up to about my knee). When I pulled it out, it wasn’t just covered in dirty water or a little asphaltene like before, but in glistening, flowing crude oil! I had stepped into a pool of oil that was coming out of some sort of drainage pipe. This pool is 30 years old, and there is somehow still fresh-looking oil pouring into it.

Staring at the bubbling crude and picking it up with our gloves, it really hit us. WTF. This was the most beautiful tropical rainforest and the oil companies came in here and messed it all up for a quick buck. It’s still being contaminated, even as we stand here.

It’s interesting to me to reflect on our work ethic, as a team. Four of us were out there on the oil pools. These were long days in stuffy masks and Tyvek suits. We all worked our asses off and recorded a lot of information, and we didn’t have anyone in charge or supervising. We would take breaks here or there, sometimes just a few minutes to poke a termite mound with a stick. And then we’d continue with our work. It was a great example of a non-hierarchal, cooperative endeavor.

In the end we recorded more than 100 plant species and 50 fungal species (although there are likely some duplicates). We’re going to be working over the next few months to identify them all, with the help of university experts and online forums. There’s no telling what kind of valuable ecological information we may have harvested. We also identified a few recurring species of apparently petro-tolerant fungi. On future trips (and with more resources), we will seek to culture these species and use them in controlled experiments.

Much Love and Respect to the fearless Science Shack Crew!

It was an honor and a privilege to work with other members of the Amazon Mycorenewal Project to advance solutions for the oil-contaminated Amazon, and I look forward to continuing our efforts and expanding our mycelial network! If you’d like to support these efforts or join in on the next trip to Ecuador, please visit amazonmycorenewal.org.

Below are a some pictures of just a few of the interesting fungi we found in an around the toxic oil pit.

Seeds of Love and Outrage: Cultivating Resistance to the Tar Sands

*The title of this post "Seeds of Love and Outrage" is a reference to a recent letter written by Tim Dechristopher, who is serving two years in prison for his unapologetic defense of the Earth.

I spent several hours sitting in front of the White House this past weekend. It was a nice day, save for a little rain. It happened that on that same day, 242 other everyday normal individuals (mothers, fathers, teachers, students, clergy, and even a WWII veteran) chose to sit there with me, calm and peaceful, in front of the of the Presidential Mansion.

I then spent the next several hours sitting on a bus, in handcuffs.




I was arrested as a willing participant in Tar Sands Action, the largest act of civil disobedience in the U.S. since 1977, and the most sustained since the epic campaigns of the civil rights movement. During this two week sit-in, myself and 1251 other conscious individuals allowed ourselves to be arrested in order to raise awareness of the choice that our President has to make on the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline. The decision is his alone. He can choose to “stand up to Big Oil,” as he had promised he would do and deny a permit for the oil company TransCanada to build a massive oil sands pipeline across our border. Or he can fold under the demands of first class corporate citizens and commit us all to liquidating the most environmentally destructive source of oil on the planet, thereby taking our addiction to a new low.

When the Park Police finally started binding us with plastic ziptiesand carting us off a few at a time, reality started to hit us. We were about to be bound and detained as a consequence of standing up (sitting down) for what we believe in. For many, this was about to be their first arrest. We began to chant and sing, to each other, to the President, to the Police. For some of us, the singing soothed our anxieties, and raised the vibrations during the long wait while “our friends took us away” (as one song lyric reminded us). (For those wondering, the charge we were arrested under was "Failure to disobey a lawful order" which resulted in a $100 fine.)

We were doing this for them and for everyone who enjoys clean air and a livable climate. The tar sands which are meant to flow down this pipeline represent an incredible threat to ancient ecosystems, native peoples, America’s drinking water and the Earth’s climate.

ABOUT THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
(from a Cornell University report)

Under the forest in northern Alberta, Canada lie the world’s largest deposits of so-called “tar sands,” sand mixed with thick, tar-like oil. To produce one barrel of heavy crude oil from tar sands requires strip mining the forest, extracting four tons of earth, contaminating two to four barrels of fresh water, burning large amounts of natural gas, and creating vast holding ponds of toxic sludge. Production of this oil is increasing and a growing amount of it is already being shipped to the US.

The Keystone XL will be a 36-inch crude oil pipeline stretching nearly 2,000 miles from Alberta, Canada to terminals in Texas on the Gulf of Mexico. Tar sands oil heats to more than 150 degrees as it is pumped through at high pressure. It is designed to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil extracted from tar sands to refineries in the US.

Oil industry corporations, The American Petroleum Institute, many politicians, and a few unions are urging the State Department to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and the Obama Administration has indicated it will make a decision before the end of the year.

Here are the major reasons I oppose the Keystone XL Pipeline:

An area of Canada’s ancient Boreal Forest the size of Florida is being deforested, mined, boiled and squeezed (4 tons of earth for 1 barrel of oil) to produce an energy and carbon-intensive, low quality oil product, poisoning indigenous lands and bodies in the process.

The massive 1700 mile pipeline would cross over our border and over some of the most sensitive and beautiful agricultural lands, wetlands and aquifers, to carry 800,000 barrels per day of the worlds dirtiest oil to US refineries for international export.

The precursor to this pipeline had 12 spills in its first year, and whatever doesn't spill onto the ground will spill into the atmosphere when it is burned. 2011 was already the hottest year on record, and opening up this giant reservoir of carbon could push us over any climate tipping points which still remain. As climate scientist James Hansen puts it, opening up the tar sands to development would mean “game over” in the battle to stop human-driven climate change.

They say some people have to hit rock bottom before they can quit their addiction.

I went to Washington to tell Obama that he doesn’t have to let this addiction go that far. Right now, the president has complete legal power to say NO to this pipeline. Congress is not in the way. There are, however, very real structures in place that are heavily influencing his decision.

Here’s a great short video, produced by Josh Fox (“Gaslands”), about the impacts of the Tar Sands and the reason for this action at the White House.




As I was being handled by one of the police officers, he asked me
“Why are people supporting this pipeline?”

It's all about the Benjamins...

As oil prices rose, these known sources of oil, which were previously too expensive to extract, became attractive investments. The climate-denying, Tea-Party-funding , oil-slinging Koch Brothers are known as Obama’s bitterest political enemies and are “among the most powerful opponents of his clean economy agenda”. They stand to make a major profit from increased flow of tar sands, and as it has been well documented, they play a significant role in shaping our politics. Thanks to the “Citizens United” Supreme Court ruling, dollars now equal free speech, so these corporate interests can spend unlimited amounts of money influencing real-life people, citizens, and politicians.

Here I'd like to take a quick look at the major arguments being put forward in support of this pipeline.

"They took our Jobs!" (the Jobs Argument)

Between figures spouted by TransCanada and its echo chamber allies, we are to believe that the pipeline will create 13,000 to 553,000 jobs. According to the State Department, 5,000 to 6,000 jobs will be created over a 3-year construction period (see the recent Cornell University debunking). It would seem difficult to inflate 6,000 to half a million even if you incorporated all the health workers and border patrol guards we will need on a hotter and dirtier planet thanks to this pipeline. But if we are going to ponder theoretical jobs, we should visualize the clean energy jobs that could be created if our political system wasn’t currently catering to short-sighted fossil fuel interests. And as author/activist Naomi Klein pointed out at the "Stop the Tar Sands" rally the day I was arrested, “The same economic logic that puts greed above all and liberates corporations to do as they please, that same economic model that is threatening to crash the global climate system is exactly what crashed the global economic system, which is why we don’t have enough jobs.”

We can create jobs that honor people and the planet. We can have a clean renewable energy economy. What we need is a leadership that is not committed to keeping us addicted to fossil fuels.

The National Security Argument

We most certainly have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but the Keystone XL pipeline is not being set up to supply America with “friendly oil”. It’s being built in order to set up an international market for the dirty tar sands. Refiners in Port Arthur, Texas are already getting ready to make big moves tax-free, as Port Arthur is a Foreign Trade Zone. One blogger has cleverly noted that it might make more sense (in the interest of national security) to leave the black stuff in the ground for now, in case we get cut off from other supplies. Now there’s some addict wisdom.


"If we don’t do it, someone else will..."

Without a doubt, if our addiction to oil continues and our reverence for greed goes unshaken, we will find a way to exploit this oil. Oil companies have already been trying to pipe it to the coast through Canada, but have been met with fierce indigenous resistance. If we can act in solidarity to keep the tar sands in the ground just a few more years, perhaps it will be long enough for us all to wake up and shake off these suicidal delusions, and avoid a catastrophic mistake.


Obama, Obama, Obama.... You said we’d look back at your election as “the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” (Wow, that’s some big talk.) Now you have people wondering "Is Obama Bad for the environment?" Right now you have the opportunity to turn down this pipeline and re-inspire the base of grass-roots support that won you the election the first time. Otherwise, this election cycle, the oil company contributions might not be able offset the absence of the now hopeless masses that will do something else on election day.



I was fortunate enough to have the privilege to be able to join this historical peaceful protest this past weekend to help bring attention to this monumental issue. But this is only the beginning, and there so many ways you can join the growing movement. Here are just a couple of suggestions.


I hope that you are able to join (or start) one of the thousands of global events on Sept. 24 for Moving Planet, “a day to put demands for climate action into motion - by marching, biking, skating- showing the world there is a way to move beyond fossil fuels.” There is something quite powerful about the globally synchronized positive intentional actions organized by 350.org.


Please visit the Tar Sands Action website and join the email list to stay up to date. You can also like the “Tar Sands Action” page on facebook and connect with others who support the goals of this action and hear about related solidarity actions.

If you want to do something right now, wherever you are, you can organize a solidarity action. There are plenty of creative ways to send a message.

Finally, please share this information. Talk about it. Ask your teachers, preachers and radio hosts about it. Post it, tweet it, like it, share it.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for being alive right now. We have a lot of work to do.

With my own eyes

I just spent the last four days exploring and documenting, in detail, three of the more than 600 unlined oil waste pits in northern Ecuador. These three locations have been healing for more than 30 years since they were perversely transformed from pristine Amazon rainforest ecosystems into swimming pool-sized depositories of crude oil and drilling waste. These places have since been steadily recolonized by a diversity of Life. With a dynamic team of emerging scientists and solutionaries, we set out to document the plants and fungi that thrive in what is still, for many a deadly and toxic environment. If we are going to help heal the damaged Earth, we must get to know and learn to work with our allies in this regenerative process.

This was not an accident.

Oil production is Ecuador's largest export industry. Oil drilling began here in 1964, when Texas-based Texaco (now owned by Chevron), started drilling in northeast Ecuador, an area of unparallelled and untamed natural beauty. When a new oil well is drilled, a large amount of water is used, and a large amount of waste (including heavy metals) is produced. It has to go somewhere - this is a given in the industry. Here, it is also industry practice to let the pump run at full speed for hours in order to determine production rate, before it is even hooked up for processing.

For hours at a time, the oil flows out of the ground into un-lined pits near the pump site (in the US, Chevron and other oil companies must follow state laws requiring liners on waste pits, and use more advanced technology). After decades of oil exploration, Ecuador is pock-marked by these point sources of pollution, and people continue to suffer from Texaco's legacy of environmental destruction.

As part of the intensive 10 day service learning course which began my 5 week internship with the Amazon Mycorenewal Project , we took a “Toxic Tour” of some of these breath-taking (literally) sites, guided by life-long community member, educator and activist, Donald Moncoya. He played near these pits as a child - no one told him it was dangerous. He remembers when the pit next to his family farm burned for days, making the sun shine dark red through thick and foul smoke. He lead us to a “remediated” pool site - a muddy yet relatively appealing (by my New England standards) tropical setting next to a small farm, where the oil executives take the press to serve them Coca-Cola and show them how responsible they are.

“Esto es lo que no muestran los periodistas,” (“This is what they don't show the reporters,”) he said as he plunged a core boring device into the ground. Seconds later, we were smelling a handful of black and shiny asphalt retrieved from a few centimeters below the surface. It had the overwhelming aroma of oil.

We visited another site, which was more readily apparent as the toxic environment it really is – a swamp of asphalt and oil waste, covered with a thin layer of vegetation. He showed us how, as a matter of regular practice, the companies build overflow pipes, which, in times of big rain (which tends to happen in the rainforest), direct the influx of rainwater, mixed with this witch's brew of carcinogens towards waterways that feed directly into rivers used by local indigenous people, eventually flowing into the Amazon River, itself.

Much to our surprise, Donald began walking along the surface through the middle of the toxic pool, sinking slightly with each smooth wide step. The area around him swelled, generating large waves of disturbance in the thick layers of asphalt covered with vegetation that floated on the pool of water and oil waste. Our entire class gasped in astonishment, how he walked across the surface without falling in.

I had no idea that only a week or so later, I would, myself be walking across the surface of similar pools, albeit in a less calm and collected manner.