Comments on: Now is Our Time

By: Big Daddy

Big Daddy — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:23:56 +0000

I like to think of the Amazon Rainforest as it was portrayed in Medicine Man with Sean Connery. I consider it by far the Earth’s most valuable resource. It certainly houses most of the world’s species of plants, animals, insects and assuredly contains answers to all of humankinds illnesses. Rainforests also house a large percentage of the Earth’s carbon eating trees which along with the Ocean’s kelp beds account for the vast majority of the planet’s carbon sequestration system. Of course the kelp beds are dying as we destroy the oceans with toxic pollution and as we destroy thousands of acres of rainforest each week we’re swiftly suffocating ourselves in our own filth. The inevitable result will be worldwide megadeath once oxygen levels reach critical levels. This will not be a gradual process. This will happen suddenly, worldwide, on a massive scale when oxygen levels fall below a threshold minimum. We’re extremely close to that level now.

By: michael splittgerber

michael splittgerber — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:52:06 +0000

I am afraid the recent Supreme Court decision to allow for navy sonar exercises in spite of the harm it could have on whales and other aquatic creatures, will be used as a precedent to the world to destroy mountain gorilla habitat in the Congo and Rwanda regions for security reasons…. and it could go badly very quickly.

By: Prue Moloney

Prue Moloney — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:29:43 +0000

If Obama fails to be Green enough, consider forming a “Green” Party. In Australia the “Green Party” is gathering strength and becoming an influence on policy.

Since Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth woke up people to the seriousness of global warming, many people in Australia are choosing to vote Green. They are taking votes away from the two major parties to the extent that they are now being taken seriously and have become respectable.

By: Prue Moloney

Prue Moloney — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:57:53 +0000

If Obama fails to be Green enough, consider forming a Green party. The “Green Party” in Australia is gathering strength and becoming an influence on policy. Thanks to Al Gore, many people in Australia woke up to global warming and voted out a conservative government. “The Greens” are now being taken seriously by both major parties as they are taking votes from both parties and almost have the balance of power in parliament. The Greens have become respectable.

By: Deilyn Berdichevskaya

Deilyn Berdichevskaya — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:42:31 +0000

A message that I would like President Barak Obama to hear is that by electing him, people have put a lot of hope in him, which makes him very accountable for all future actions.

I really want to believe that he will be that man on Earth that will not disappoint the world like so many other American Presidents did and that will lead the country into great change and in particularly one area that has not seen much change since Medieval Times, our treatment of the environment, of nature in general. We are destroying our planet and as the President of one of the most important nations in the world, Mr.Obama should be able to turn the wheel towards a greener planet, where other species are treated with respect and dignity, where there won’t be anymore an endangered species list, where air is pure and lakes are not polluted!

By: Ruth Meyer

Ruth Meyer — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:11:43 +0000

All of the above comments are inspiring, as were the election results. I believe that we cannot expect President Obama to fulfill his many campaign promises unless we, the electorate, continue to work as hard in the days ahead as we did during these past months. Washington, and politics as usual are entrenched. The grassroots movement must remain as energized now as it was before November 4. It is the only way that this nation and this world can survive.

By: Arnold Frogel

Arnold Frogel — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:20:21 +0000

I would like to spread the word on this simple, almost effortless step that we can each take to advance the change that we all want. Get Co-op America’s “Real Money” newsletter on responsible credit cards. Many people are using credit cards issued by financial institutions that are supporting earth-destructive projects in various parts of the world, but there are some smaller, lesser known institutions that do not lend or invest in those projects and are even involved with earth sustainable projects.

By: Rich Conte

Rich Conte — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:25:16 +0000

Thanks Michael for this forum. I believe we should take the offensive in our own country right now. I believe large scale investment in state of the art mass transit on a country-wide scale will accomplish many goals in this one massive project. I) we would be able to “rewild” critical wildlife corridors by reducing traffic and redesigning roadways to accommodate wildllife migration. 2) We would drastically reduce our energy consumption, we would no longer need to take two to three thousand pounds of car with us every time we need to get somewhere. 3) Our quality of life would increase tremendously ,we could spend our time enriching ourselves en route rather than having our precious time taken up sitting behind a steering wheel. We would no longer be held hostage by big oil.
I will not buy the argument that this cannot be done. If we can spend ten thousand millions (10 billion) every thirty days in Iraq, We can surely redirect that money to finance real solutions that we Americans actually want!
Finally, let our actions and investments prove to the world that we have taken our country back and we are working hard to be responsible global citizens.

By: marlon

marlon — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:39:54 +0000

Oh lord, how thankfull I am that Obama has gotten the white houes, It has been a long 400 years coming, may this be the time that we as a people , not just as a country but as the human race, come together to work for a better future for the next seven generations. Ho Mitakuye Oyasin

By: Theresa McKinley

Theresa McKinley — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:35:44 +0000

Hope is not enough. We all need to go vegetarian/vegan and this will result in a drastic change for all who inhabit this planet.

By: nikevictory

nikevictory — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:17:34 +0000

I heard a wave of sighs of relief sweep across the country on Tuesday night. I thought of desert turtles and owls and wolves and whales, as well as the people who surrounded me, and all the man hours all present had hopefully contributed by calling, canvassing, writing letters and talking. I felt the community of life singing all around, on Tuesday night.

By: Jordie

Jordie — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:59:13 +0000

Message from a Canadian…Yesterday I walked on ski’s through cut-blocks, into old growth, back into cutblock, and into a non-moterized ski rec area. While I wandered along I wondered to myself of the state of our planet and from my vantage on top of a little mountain. I looked down into the valley which is consistently raped by American companies because of the never-ending greed for more houses, bigger houses, and more ease and convenience. I asked myself….Is Obama actually someone who will bring the protection of old growth? Will things change in N.America in regards to our mass-consumptive lifestyles? Will Canada and the US re-negotiate our softwood lumber deal? Will Canada’s old growth continue to be desecrated due to N.American’s greed while 2/3 of our world live in shanty towns?

Only time will tell whether or not Obama is the saviour many think he is.

Thank you.

By: sue kent

sue kent — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:13:48 +0000

The more I heard about Palin the more I feared for our land and animals. I cried when Obama won with a heart full of hope the EPA will regain it’s former power plus lots more. There are several people who have fought for the envirornment for many years and Robert Kennedy Jr. is one of them. I know have faith that the government will also protect domestic animals, both pets and farm animals- I have beeb a veggie for over thirty years.

By: Richard Michael Boyden

Richard Michael Boyden — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:06:38 +0000

OKAY!!!!!!!!!! Now we have someone in the White House who gives a hoot about the social, political, moral, ethical, philosophical, spiritual and ecological face that American portrays to the rest of the world. NOW IS THE TIME to undo all the damage the previous administration has done to our environmental protections and to show the world that America is not an ecological backwater. Now is the time to adopt the adage “simple living and high thinking” as our moral and spiritual password. We can certainly have an adequate standard of living without raping Mother Nature. Anyone who thinks otherwise must have insanity as a constant companion.

By: Francis

Francis — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:54:53 +0000

long ago i was a senseless kid being made aware towards environmental issues, still had no response regarding such, but enter the activist side of punk rock, and there you have the desire to make a change. here in our country, coal plants are starting to take root, and in our city, one is being set, but thankfully there has been resistance. people here may not be the agitating type, but hopefully with the advent of so many crises, they might learn how to take back their lives.

By: Jon UK

Jon UK — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 11:30:17 +0000

We’ll wait and see…

It is, after all, the system that has to change, more than the incumbent. It is historical, obviously, having an African-American in the White House, but how serious do we take him? Obviously I’m chuffed he’s won over McCain, but he made a lot of promises under the guise of “a new direction”, etc. As Howard Zinn pointed out (on Aljazeera the other night haha), Obama has put himself on such a pedestal that he might actually have to do some of the things he’s promised.

Who knows… it’s still the lesser of the two evils.

By: Brune

Brune — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:57:48 +0000

Hi folks, I’m back from Seattle. Had a great debate last night with a Shell executive and a former Bush EPA official, where perhaps the most bizarre and unexpected suggestion was to build a fleet of nuclear-powered cruise ships. I’m serious!

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful and enthusiastic comments. I agree with Kelly (post #23) who said that “Now is the time to push harder than ever before. ” I also agree with the general sentiment among many posts that we should be both hopeful and optimistic about the future under an Obama Administration AND vigilant and watchful for any backsliding that might occur.

Personally, I’m looking forward to not playing defense all the time. To be clear, we still have plenty of work to do to halt deforestation, strengthen human rights, and resist such false solutions as “clean coal,” exploiting oil in the tar sands, and so on. But we also have an historic opportunity — to begin rebuilding an ethical economy in which profits do not come before principles. We can create an ecological and social U-turn that restores forests, replaces dirty energy plants with renewable energy, and produces green-collar jobs that can sustain families.

As Obama said in his acceptance speech in Denver, “Change doesn’t come from Washington. Change comes to Washington.” So let’s get to work. And remember what Jay-Z said about this election, “Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama’s running so we all can fly.”

By: Zedar Thokme

Zedar Thokme — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:13:00 +0000

My support to conserving the rain forest and the ancient trees of our earth!

By: Jacqueline Miller

Jacqueline Miller — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:43:44 +0000

I cannot thank Rainforest enough for all you have done to protect our environment and the precious indigenous people who have almost been annihilated by greedy monsters. Now, you will have some help in saving the environment with this wonderful new president. Thank you thank you thank you. J. Miller

By: ST.BERNADETTTE

ST.BERNADETTTE — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:19:53 +0000

#77 Dave C
There is an answer … all of us … you and me … become self sustaineable … do u remember when we grew our own food? In our back yard … or a plot down the street. We walked … there is so much land available … search land out … empty lots … plant your own seeds … grow our own food … stop buying STUFF … as STUFF is purchased at BIG BOX STORES … which is manufactuered off shore … which makes OUR LIFE EASIER ??? We pay a price for making our life EASIER … BUT ALAS … we have found out LIFE is not better when it is EASIER … be creative … be responsible for ourselves … no one can FIX life … EACH ONE of US needs to … BE THE CHANGE …
REDUCE … buy only that which sustaines us
REUSE … EVERYTHING … if we cannot reuse it … do not buy it
as a LAST resort RECYCLE

WE have the technology … the brains and the brawn to become TOTALY self sustainable … which means being accountable and responsible for all that we do … think and say …IT IS UP TO EASCH OF US TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT …
no more pointing fingers … LOOK IN THE MIRROR … WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OURSELVES … KEEP THE MIRROR SHINY … and ALL OF LIFE IS BLISS