Last week, thousands of people gathered across the country to Stand Up For Science. In Washington, DC, my friend and co-author, Michael Mann stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and asked, “What would Benjamin Franklin do?” Mike’s at the University of Pennsylvania which Franklin founded. It’s a great question. Franklin was a scientist, a … More What would Ben Franklin do?
Over the last ten days, I’ve been in Aotearoa, New Zealand as part of a climate research, education, and capacity-building team from Penn State. It has been a joy to be here a second time and learn more about forests, fire, carbon, and biodiversity as well as Māori culture and practices, national and local government, … More Ten days focused on people, land, & climate in Aotearoa
This entry begins my journey back through what’s motivated me to explore “The Mindful Ecological Citizen.” In 2004, Tammy Kitzmiller and 10 other parents filed a lawsuit against the Dover School District for passing an “intelligent design” policy that called the Theory of Evolution into question. Covering the story for a small paper, I came … More Kitzmiller v. Dover: A Trial Reveals a Plan to Transform American Life
My community is ground zero in the fight for America’s future. We affectionately call our home “Happy Valley.” It surrounds Penn State University (where I work). A blue dot in the middle of red counties, we believe in the promise of a democratic republic rooted in freedom, individual dignity, environmental integrity, innovation, and equal opportunity. … More We fight for freedom. The Christo-fascists want to steal it.
The people of west Ferguson Township have faced water hardships for years. As this Spotlight PA story shows, the local water company, Rock Springs, has been running with low water pressure, frequent outages & boil water notices, crumbling pipes, and an inordinately high leak rate that violates the law. Despite regular complaints, attempts at discussions … More More boiled water notices or clean drinking water?
On January 6th, hold Lesson 2 from On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder at the front of your mind. “2. Defend Institutions: It is institutions that help us preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of “our institutions” unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. [In a democracy, that … More Defend Institutions: The Lesson of January 6th
Peter Walks for Democracy 