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Robert Redford – Ecowarrior
At age 16, Robert Redford worked in a California oil field to save money to travel and study art. This indelible experience showed him the contrast between oil company ads and oil field realities. Robert Redford died September 16, 2025 at age 89. You may have seen him in movies such as Barefoot in […]
Why California Condors Matter
I asked Marti Jenkins, who is employed by the Oregon Zoo why California Condors matter. She answered, “When we allow for an environment that is beneficial to condors, we protect an environment that is beneficial to us.” The California Condor dates back to the Pleistocene Era . It is magnificent with the largest wingspan […]
How Can Psychology Help Us Care for the Planet?
Have you been frustrated that most people really aren’t doing much when it comes to our climate crisis? Me too. Three years ago a friend loaned me a book with valuable insights into human behavior, Fast Thinking Slow Thinking by psychologist Daniel Kahneman. In 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Prize – in Economics. […]
Solar and Wind Take Center Stage
I just read an article that almost brought tears of joy to my eyes. It said, as of 2024, over ninety five percent of all new electricity installations – both in the world and the US – are renewable energy. This feels like vindication of my career of work in solar and energy conservation. […]
Tool Libraries: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
The East Portland Tool Library celebrated its second anniversary in June of 2025. Yay. The founders started working on this project in 2018. “It took one meeting to decide and the rest of the time to work out the details,” says Robert Bowles, one of the founders. Details like where the library will be, what […]
Wealthy Environmentalists
Rich people can be heroes too. In a time when the federal government’s support for the environment is contracting, let’s recognize some wealthy people who admirably step up to their responsibilities as crew members of Spaceship Earth. Jack Lazar Jack Lazar with his wife Helen founded Kimberly Knitware in 1946 (she was the […]
LITTLE THINGS: Thirty lifestyle hacks for Spaceship Earth
By Jon Biemer, William Lightning, and Willow Sage Dixon For my birthday my son William read me a long list of things he does to reduce his environmental impact. It began, “My Dad taught me about how the little things matter.” Here are some of William’s eco-hacks – along with guidance from my wife, […]
What If We’ve Got What it Takes?
What if Light Emitting Diodes (okay call them “LED’s”) Enlighten us so ubiquitously that Kids these days Never heard of compact fluorescent or incandescent lamps Let alone whale oil? DONE! What if Indigenous nations show the rest of us How to confront oil pipelines and open pit mines Raise buffalo for the good […]
Crew Member Works to Protect Wildlife on Coral Reef
I have been swimming off and on for over two decades at Richardson Beach Park about five miles from the town of Hilo, Hawaii. This beach is considered one of the best places to swim, snorkel and, (unfortunately for me, spear fish) on the west side of the island. The area is about two football […]
Searching for a Climate Friendly Bank
When my wife Willow and I moved to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, we searched for a bank or credit union that met our ecological values. T or C is the 6000 person county seat of a 12,000 person county: rural America. Our choices for a suitable local institution were limited. Still, the journey to […]
