Monkeys Reaching for the Moon: An Environmental Parable for Our Times

Are we reaching for the illusion of sustainability rather than sustainability itself?

A few months ago my karate sensei shared with his students the Zen story of The Monkeys Reaching for the Moon. If you haven’t heard it, there are many versions. Here’s mine:

Continue reading

Diné grassroots sow precedent in clean energy history

Tribal members obtain industry compensation offer for coaled-fired damage.

KYKOTSMOVI VILLAGE, Arizona – Some 30 years ago, when Navajo Nation member Nicole Horseherder returned to her Native land after college, her hopes of building a home like her grandmother’s near here were dampened because wells had dried up with massive coal strip mining and power plant development that drained the underground water tables while polluting Diné and Hopi communities.

Continue reading

Pandemic and Power on Native Lands

Self-Imposed Isolation of Indigenous Communities Due to COVID-19 Reinforces the Need for Clean Off-Grid Energy Sources

Strengthening the socio-ecological systems of Indigenous communities is an urgent priority for achieving global “sustainable development” and environmental goals. For Indigenous people to remain resilient stewards of ecosystems and culture in the face of anticipated threats like climate change and territorial exploitation, however, as well as unanticipated threats like the COVID-19 pandemic that induced present […]

Continue reading