Carrotmobbing? Huh?

Well looking back through the previous posts of this blog so far I can’t help but be a little depressed. There obviously needs to be some kind of welcoming disclaimer about locking up sharp objects before reading Environ-MENTAL. Kind of hard to stir people into action when you are giving them anxiety attacks. So today’s post is something we in America can all wrap our heads around: SHOPPING! This brilliant man named Brent Schulkin came to an inordinately sage realization one day — going against the consumer American grain is a tough act as an environmentalist. Ya I know, “this sucks” doesn’t sound like that great an epiphany, but bare with me. What he came to formulate is that perhaps harnessing the consumer power of our culture is a better way of approaching the issue than condemning it. He arranged an event dubbed a “carrotmob” centered around this very concept; a sort of “procott” instead of a “boycott.” K&D Market, a liquor store in San Francisco, had agreed to use 22% of the money taken in from 1:00 to 5:00 on March 29, 2008 to invest in more sustainable energy sources for the company. The idea Schulkin had was that hopefully people would show up and make a big statement with their money — and they did. The first event raised $9,277, equating to nearly $2,ooo in eco-friendly investment.

Let's mob for Mother Nature!

Sometimes it seems difficult to imagine how we can make a difference as individuals in a society and world that are far from eco-friendly. This is the perfect example of doing little things, of what I cited from Pollan a few posts back, initiating  “viral social change.” If it starts with small businesses and does this well, imagine if large corporations utilized it for publicity. There have been dozens of “carrotmob” campaigns worldwide, and the next one in the U.S. is on Earth Day, April, 22, in my home state of Colorado. A local Boulder business called Half-fast Subs will be putting one hundred percent of revenue into sustainable energy upgrades! Now that’s commitment. Carrotmobbing is a brilliant idea and I highly encourage you to check out the website and learn more about the organization, the idea, and past and future campaigns. The blog is also worth spending some leisure time on. In fact, it supplied me with this awesome video,  analyzing through an environmental lens the means by which good ideas are formulated. Innovation seldom comes from epiphany my friends. The video below it is a self-explanation of Carrotmob which will have you laughing and nodding your head in unison.

Formulating innovative ideas

The founding of one such idea

It’s Really Fracking Things up

In 1974, the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed by congress to ensure the safety of water from contaminants, especially those man-made. Sounds like some worthwhile legislation to me, albeit “worthwhile legislation” has become somewhat of an oxymoron as of late. Leave it to the Bush/Cheney administration to screw up a good thing. In 2005, the Bush/Cheney Energy Act incorporated a loophole, now commonly referred to as the “Haliburton Loophole, which no longer forced natural gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing, and kept the EPA from meddling in the affairs of big oil.  What is hydraulic fracking(fracturing)? It is a means of natural gas extraction which is utilized deep in natural gas wells. Once such a well is drilled, millions of gallons of water, sand, and chemicals are injected at a high pressure into the well. This process fractures the shale and opens fissures, which in turn allows for natural gas to flow more freely. Major problems occur as water aquifers occur at depths of only 1,000 feet while the average well may plunge 8,000 feet down. As the cement casings of such wells are usually made lackluster due to corporate irresponsibility, these wells leak natural gas into the water supply. A far more radical means of natural gas collection, called “horizontal hydrofracking,” is essentially a process of shooting a mixture of 956 chemicals and millions of gallons of water horizontally into shale, dispersing oil which was once irretrievable. This water is contaminated and must be disposed of as toxic material. One to eight million gallons of water is generally used to frack a well, and anwywhere from 80-300 tons of chemicals! Scientists have found traces of chemicals in fracking areas, yet due to the Haliburton loophole, there is no disclosure, thus no accountability.

Can you light your water on fire?

The FRAC Act, which was reintroduced in congress in 2011 after an initial failure, is a bill which would repeal the Haliburton loophole and force natural gas companies into full disclosure. A few states, including Colorado, have passed legislation on a state level that is akin to such a bill. In fact, it was two Colorado democrats who reintroduced the bill on a federal level.  Reach out to your congressperson and let them know that their constituents want to know whats in their water, and we refuse to allow big business to put the health of millions at risk in the name of more corporate capital. We have a right to be in control of our health. We should be in a state of WTF! We need to ask them, “Why the Frack?”

I would highly recommend visiting the official website to the documentary Gasland by Josh Fox. The documentary itself is an incredible resource for learning about the dangers of fracking to our drinking water, and the shady politics that allow companies to shoot chemicals into our water, and essentially down our throats, without disclosing it. On top of this,  it offers an abundance of information on the website that is free, credible, and easily accessible. The blog is a really great place to stay up to date on fracking issues and how to take action. So take some fracking action!

If you are interested please watch the following trailer for the documentary.