A self-described “poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!” John Muir was such a well-rounded guy, nearly everyone has something in common with him.

The real question is, just how similar to the Father of our National Parks are you? Go through the checklist below to find out how you match up. We guarantee you’ve got at least a couple things in common with our beloved Sierra Club founder.

The Muir Checklist

You…

__are self-taught.

__are an inventor.

__are consumed with an interest in botany.

__have published your own book.

__have hiked the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

__prefer hands-on learning.

__have been to Yosemite National Park.

__are Scottish.

__write articles on nature or other environmental topics.

__have three siblings.

__enjoy mountain climbing.

__have floated down the Sacramento River.

__consider yourself an adventurer.

__are a lecturer or have spoken in a guest lecture series.

__are married.

__are a rancher or fruit farmer.

__are the recipient of a honorary degree.

__have traveled to Alaska.

__consider yourself a poet.

__have a beard.

__have walked across America.

__have something that has been named after you.

__have traveled to other countries.

__love the Sierra Club.

__prefer hiking with a minimal amount of supplies.

Finished? Now it’s time to tally up your score and find out just how Muir you are! If you checked:

Between 1 and 10 items:

You may not have such a wide variety of qualities under your belt, but you’ve still got some key things in common with the Sierra Club founder! Sure you may not have walked across America quite yet, but what’s stopping you?  Now’s the time to take a page out of Muir’s book and sign up for an adventure. At the very least, you’ll make some great memories, see some interesting places, and make new friends along the way.

Between 11 and 19 items:

You are well on your way to being just as eclectic as Mr. Muir! Take a look at some of the things that you didn’t get checked off the list. Do any of them sound appealing to you? Well then perhaps it’s time to use some of his experiences to inspire some of your own. Anyone has the potential to be a Citizen of the Universe, just let your love for nature guide you and keep going after what makes you awesome and unique.

Between 20 and 25 items:

You could be John Muir’s twin! That’s right my friend, you have so much in common with the Wilderness Prophet you could be two peas in a pod. Whether it’s hiking, writing, educating, or generally just reveling in the wonders of the natural world, you are an adventurer at heart. Now get out there and share your passion with friends, family, and anyone else who will listen.

A self-described “poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!” John Muir was such a well-rounded guy, nearly everyone has something in common with him. The real question is, just how similar to the Father of our National Parks are you? Go through the checklist below to find out how you match up. We guarantee you’ve got at least a couple things in common with our beloved Sierra Club founder.

This article appears courtesy of Sierra Magazine.

Image: Yinghai

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A review of The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth.

Our most pressing climate change challenge isn’t what you might think, and according to a new book, there is not one but a growing number of planetary emergencies. Respected scientists James Hansen and Johan Rockström warn that climate change is only one of nine “planetary boundaries,” or crucial processes that allow the earth’s environment to let us live in safety.

Many societies have arrived at a point in which we have crossed over three of the planetary boundaries upon which all life depends, say scientists. These boundaries are soil (nitrogen) cycle depletion, species’ extinction and climate carbonization.

And the culprit for this lethal attack on our ecology? Modern capitalism’s incessant drive to expand. It’s the 800-pound gorilla, also called “the market,” the authors aim to wrestle with in this provocative book. A critique of this grow-or-die system of production, distribution and consumption that began in Western Europe nearly two centuries ago is the special focus of John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York’s book The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth.

The trio of writers first revisit Karl Marx’s notion of a “metabolic rift,” a crack that he believed separated man from nature. Marx studied ecology deeply, and came to understand the import of a breach in how people live and work to create the world around them in a capitalist society. This rift upends for reasons of private profit the most basic relations of human beings: those between themselves and the land.

The authors then move to unpack four basic areas of inquiry. (The curious reader will enjoy the challenging sections, but I suspect progress is also going to require a few extra bumper stickers.) One is the unsustainable development of capitalism. In simple terms, this is the system’s built-in drive to generate radical imbalances of personal wealth. Enabling this process are the assumptions and conclusions of mainstream economists. They love math, so all the better to monetize Mother Nature and give her a price in the marketplace. These economists’ dominant approaches take on a kind of “Alice in Wonderland” mentality, for those of us who haven’t forgotten our childhoods. The authors argue this “Wonderland” is a danger to us and the planet.

Foster and his fellow writers also take on ecological paradoxes that are not headline news. Take the work of British economist and logician William Stanley Jevons. Jevons focused on coal, the essential fuel to power British industrialization a century and a half ago and created the Jevons Paradox which says, “That the economical use of fuel is equivalent to a diminished consumption.” Just the opposite was and is the case now, Foster, Clark and York explain. To this end, they survey current efforts to economize on the use of fossil fuel, and explain how and why such efforts net unintended consequences. “The result is the production of mountains upon mountains of commodities, cheapening unit cost and leading to greater squandering of material resources.” Their Marxian approach is counter-intuitive to say the least.

A section, the book’s longest, on the dialectics (study of change) of nature returns us to Marx’s writings as an environmentalist. This is perhaps the most complex part of the book, but those who stick with it will gain nuanced insights concerning the interrelatedness of nature and society. (One thing is certain. The book’s more than 90 pages of notes offer vital information to address the planetary emergency.)

The authors offer no blueprints for a transition, rather, it’s about “us” as imperfect people finding common ground and beginning the difficult work of creating a more civilized and sustainable way of living and working.

Call it the intersection of informed study and capitalist anarchy. The latter won’t stop on its own. That’s up to us.

The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark, and Richard York, ISBN: 978-1-58367-218-1, $17.95 paperback, 544 pp., October 2010, Monthly Review Press

Seth Sandronsky lives and writes in Sacramento, California.

Image: Some Driftwood

The post The Crisis Has a Gorilla appeared first on EcoSalon.

Everyone was hopping on the Green TV bandwagon this week for Earth Day, some more successfully than others. But when April is over and the networks turn their lights back on, some green shows will still be on the air trying to save the planet. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Lazy Environmentalist Wins Some, Loses Some

We love the lazy environmentalist, because he really sums up our attitudes about being green. Sure we want to do our part to save the planet, but we’re busy. We can’t spend a lot. And we too, can get a little lazy. Enter Josh Dorfman who visits eco-skeptics to see what habits they can alter without too much effort or a noticeable lifestyle change.

Season two premiered this week and Josh worked with an interior designer and a family who loves to camp. Neither gave the environment a second thought. Until now.

Interior designer, David Brian Sanders, a complete anti-eco snob, said that green products did not meet his client’s standards. But Josh prevailed and Sanders incorporated a toxin-free mattress, a soy-based concrete floor stain, energy efficient appliances, a vintage stove, and low VOC paint. Victory for Josh.

No such luck in segment two. Dorfman showed a family how to camp with less environmental impact. We get that people want a few modern conveniences in the woods, but these guys brought a generator for their TV, DVD, iPod, computers, electric cooktop, and microwave. Doesn’t feel like communing with nature to us. Add in the drive and mother earth would be better off if they just stayed home.

Surprise, surprise. They weren’t open to switching to the solar generator, shower heater, oven, or the battery-less crank lights. Their only concession? The recycled sleeping bags. Seems they were pretty soft. So much for “Leave No Trace” camping.

Calling All Cash for Clunker Doubters

If you’re wondering if you should let that Cash for Clunkers program slip through your fingers, you might want to think again and buy that new refrigerator. Need proof that EcoStar products payoff in the long run? Then plug your TV back in and tune into “Wa$ted” on Planet Green.

This week’s episode followed host Annabelle Gurwitch as she worked with two sisters, who own and operate the deliciously decadent Sweet Melissa Patisserie in Brooklyn, New York. Sibling rivalry was taking its toll on the eco-minded business manager Erin. She was at odds with owner, CEO and sister Melissa, who was afraid that being environmentally aware would hurt the companies bottom line.

Needless to say that switching to eco-friendly packaging, replacing a Freon fridge with an eco-efficient model, and composting reduced the bakery’s ecological footprint from 183 acres to 175 acres saved the sisters $2,280 year.

So let this be your wake-up call. Your refrigerator is running and your bills are increasing. Take a clue from green TV and get into that appliance rebate line now.

Tune in next time to see what’s cropping up on green TV.

Image: MarkWSutton

The post I Want My Green TV: Our Fave ‘Save the Planet’ Shows appeared first on EcoSalon.