Aug 11: Sustainability Salon on Forest Protection

Mature and old-growth forests are the backbone of our planet's life-support system.          

In this country, the federal government owns just under a third of the nation's forestlands.  On Earth Day in 2022, the Biden Administration issued an executive order to the US Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) directing them to protect old-growth and mature forests in our national forests.  The USFS claims that commercial logging is a management tool that helps protect mature and old-growth forests, while admitting that their own inventory data lacks the information to include the entire eastern half of the United States in their plans.  The public has until September 20 to comment on their plans, and demand that these agencies provide meaningful protection as ordered by the President.  Matt Peters of Heartwood will attempt to give an understanding of the situation, dispelling the myth of "oak-dominance" in eastern forests and examining the use of fire as a management tool by the USFS.  His presentation will help prepare Salon attendees to be able to participate meaningfully in this historic opportunity to protect our nation's last remaining old-growth.  We are now in the public comment period for the Forest Service's Draft Environmental Impact Statement related to these changes -- let's make our voices heard!

To get a handle on what can happen under current USFS management practices, I encourage salongoers to watch this film (57 minutes, free on YouTube) before we gather on August 11th.  

So what is happening with Pennsylvania's forests, including those in our region?  Charles Bier is a conservation biologist, naturalist, and educator who recently retired from a 43-year career with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (most recently as Senior Director of Conservation Science), where he had a hand in the preservation of more than 150,000 acres.  He has also been deeply involved in the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History -- as well as serving on a variety of state advisory groups related to ecosystem management, biological surveys, and invasive species.  Charles will reflect on a lifetime of understanding and protecting forests, and share views about what is happening with Pennsylvania forests, including some new management practices in state parks.  

Turning our gaze south, to Nicaragua...  We all know that tropical forests are vital to the Earth's climate system.  These forests are also vital to the indigenous and Afro-descendant people who live there -- yet these lands are constantly losing ground to deforestation.  Most is to pave the way for agriculture, and much of it is illicit.  In Colombia, the crop is often coca;  in Nicaragua, it's cattle.  Even in supposed biological reserves, illegal loggers come in to level the jungle -- and then either raise cattle for export, or sell land they don't own to even bigger illegal cattle ranchers -- threatening the homes, livelihoods, and lives of Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.  In the Indio Maíz Reserve, the Rama and Kriol communities have fought back, with a cohort of rangers patrolling the forest and challenging invading farmers.  With the help of undercover journalists and local attorneys, they've investigated the connections with big companies and the government -- and in many cases had to leave the country for their own safety.  We'll be joined virtually by Armando John, one of the indigenous Rama rangers (in the photo at left);  researcher and conservationist Christopher Jordan, Latin America director for Re:wild, who has spent years there and helped with the patrols;  and Nicaraguan filmmaker Camilo de Castro Belli, who documented the situation through hazards from corruption and confrontation to a hurricane in the award-winning film PATROL.  A recent screening in Pittsburgh was followed by a visit to the top U.S. importer of Nicaraguan beef, which is headquartered just outside of Pittsburgh.
UPDATE:  Due to scheduling issues and many locations, our Nicaraguan comrades will not be able to join us this time.  However, we are talking about an event down the line, combining a screening of PATROL and a panel discussion with with a coordinated action around the importer just mentioned.  I'll talk about it a bit this time, and perhaps share a short film or two while we're together, but we'll look ahead to an even more impactful event in the future. 
Whether or not you are able to attend this Sustainability Salon on Forest Protection, I encourage you to (a) watch the trailer (the subtitles, which are important for this multilingual film, will be easier for you to read on your computer than in my back yard), and (b) sign the petition to help stop these illegal and destructive practices.  

Sunday's weather looks good, so the 151st Sustainability Salon will be hybrid:  in-person (mainly outdoors), and also online for folks unable to attend in person.  

The next Sustainability Salon will be on Sunday, Sept 15th.  

There are also a whole lot of other important events happening in our region;  please check out the list below for a few of 'em.

The weather looks to be lovely, so folks can arrive starting at 3 p.m.  Directions and other info will be forthcoming, in a separate email to all who RSVP.  Zoom salons (and the Zoom side for hybrid events), start around 4 p.m., when presentations begin, and usually wind down sometime around 7 or 8 (informal discussion may continue after that, over a yummy potluck supper) -- join us for whatever time works for you!  If you're not already on my salon email list, please email me (maren dot cooke at gmail dot com) with "salon" in the Subject line to be added -- and let me know how you heard about salons!  If you RSVP via Eventbrite (still working on changing my platform), you'll receive the Zoom registration link right away. Along about Saturday night/Sunday morning, I'll send it out again, with other information, to all who have RSVP'd.  If you're new to Zoom, you may find my Zoom Reference Guide helpful. 

Other events and whatnot:

•  Followup information for this salon on Forest Protection:  Petitions are easy, but I heartily encourage everyone to write your own comment letters to the National Forest Service.  If you are involved with an organization, consider conveying these organizational sign-ons to its leaders.  I include them here because they are very substantive, and can provide details for your own comment letter.  
Informative blog post by salon speaker Matt Peters
You can review the DEIS and other USFS documents here and here.

And here's where you can submit comments online (preferred).
Or, via USPS:
Director, Ecosystem Management Coordination
Re: Project 65356 Amendment to protect Old-Growth and Mature Forests201 14th Street SW, Mailstop 1108
Washington, DC 20250-1124

•  Also, I just learned that liquid and solid waste from gas and oil extraction (much of which is radioactive) is currently being stored in a building (part of a former steel mill, which was never cleaned up properly in the first place) near the municipal drinking water source for thousands of people in Martins Ferry, Ohio.  The facility had a permit for 600 tons at a time, but held as much as 10,000 tons.  It is in the floodplain of the Ohio River, and waters rose up to the front doors this spring.  This petition, by Concerned Ohio River Residents, asks officials to halt waste processing there and keep it out of the Source Water Protection Area, clean up the site, and conduct environmental testing and monitoring.  This practice is insane;  we have to stop legitimizing dangerous extractive industries.  


•  July 30:  Banniversary!  Protect Our Parks anniversary picnic, celebrating the the passage two years ago of a fracking ban for Allegheny County parks (and announcing an effort to ban fracking county-wide!)  5-8 p.m. at the Buffalo Inn.  More information and registration here. 

•  Aug 1:  Also germane to forests:  PATROL is a film about the indigenous-led fight against illegal cattle ranching in Central America -- which is a leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss.  The film will be followed by a panel discussion.  (7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Harris Theatre downtown;  $18-100.  More information and tickets here.)  

Aug 4:  Pittsburgh Green New Deal general membership meeting.  Current collaborative projects include the Protect our Parks campaign to plug abandoned gas wells, and the CAP Justice Coaltion efforts to ensure that Allegheny County wins a strong Climate Action Plan. Come get active with Pittsburgh Green New Deal!  (4-5:30 p.m. via Zoom;  open to all.  Register here to receive the link.) 

•  Aug 10:  the East Side Environmental Justice Resource Fair will grow community capacity and provide community members with resources to educate and equip those most impacted with solutions to environmental injustice, often due to race and/or socioeconomic status.  11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Homewood Brushton YMCA (7140 Bennett St.).  Food, fun, and childcare provided!

•  Aug 10:  VegFest-- this free annual event will have over 175 vendors, food trucks, and tabling organizations, plus live music and informative speakers.  11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Allegheny Commons Park East. 

•  Aug 15:  Just Zero's senior scientist Laura Orlando and PEER's director of science policy Kyla Bennet on PFAS ("forever chemicals) in our waste.  2 p.m. online;  register here.

•  Aug 18:  Discussion of Project 2025 with Pittsburgh City Councillor Erika Strassburger.  First Unitarian Church, 4pm (doors open 3:30).  RSVP link to come. 

•  Aug 25:  Plastic-Free Picnic with PASUP -- join Pittsburghers Against Single-use Plastic for a potluck picnic!  More information and registration here.  

•  Sep 10:  Ecosocialist global forum -- Roadmap to Ecosocialism:  Strategy, Tactics, & Demands to Defend our Environment.  Online at 2 p.m. in our time zone; more information and registration here.  

•  Sep 15:  next Sustainability Salon  

•  Sep 23:  Pennsylvania Climate Convergence in Harrisburg.  (here's last year's event)  

•  Sep 27:  The Pittsburgh Media Partnership celebrates the Pittsburgh Story with Newsapalooza.  Maren and salons are among those being recognized as civic catalysts -- here's a piece by The Allegheny Front. 

•  ReImagine Food Systems, which we've talked about at past salons, is raising funds for this year's operations (food gardens and hands-on education offered at no cost to residents in environmental justice communities, by volunteers).  If you have something to spare, you can contribute via GoFundMe.  And we're always looking for more volunteers, too!  Email reimaginefoodsystems@gmail.com.

•  Concerned Health Professionals of NY recently released the 9th Edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas & Oil Infrastructure.  Check it out!  

•  PA is considering legislation to (a) greatly increase the renewables portion of our electricity generation, and (b) enable community solar!!  The Pennsylvania Solar Center has made it easy to speak out to support this action! 

•  We know that only a tiny fraction of plastic has ever been recycled.  And yet, NPR has been airing sponsorship messages for the American Recycling Council, which is continuing to perpetrate the "recycling" hoax.  Does that make your blood boil?  The national group Beyond Plastics has a petition/sign-on letter to get them to stop -- please sign, for yourself or for an organization you represent!

•  It's been more than a year now!  You can support striking Post-Gazette workers here (and consider signing up for the alternative online publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress -- and maybe even cancel your P-G subscription until they start treating workers fairly!).  This strike has garnered national attention;  one recent picket even made it into Teen Vogue.

•  PRC continues to hold online workshops about composting, rainwater harvesting, and waste reduction.  They have several Hard-to-Recycle events each year; 2024's are listed here.  For household chemicals, here's the link.

•  The Rachel Carson EcoVillage is still looking for a few more members, so they can start construction!  Curious?  You can sign up for an introduction session or sign up as an “inquirer” to have more information sent to you.

•  Did you see the film The Story of Plastic, or the PBS doc Plastic Wars?  (and/or join us for Plastic Paradise at a winter film salon seven years ago?)  ...What if you could bring up imagery of the toxic impacts of plastic production, and commentary by the people and communities living with them, over the world?  You can do all that with the interactive Toxic Tours tool.  Check it out!  

•  Mask update:  Breathe99 masks (featured in a 2020 salon on Pandemics and Air (video), and one of TIME's 100 Best Inventions of 2020) are now being distributed by Our Children Our Earth, a local purveyor of alternatives to disposables (as well as classy wooden toys).  Contact Dianne via OCOE's Facebook page, or call (412) 772-1638 to coordinate a curbside pickup (or you can still order online).
For the uninitiated, a Sustainability Salon is an educational forum;  it's a mini-conference;  it's a venue for discussion and debate about important environmental issues (and often health, and justice, and politics);  it's a house party with an environmental theme.  Each month we have featured speakers on various aspects of a particular topic, interspersed with stimulating conversation, lively debate, and (when in person) delectable potluck food and drink and music-making through the evening.   Originally a potluck mini-conference, the event has been either on Zoom or outdoor/hybrid since March 2020.
Past topics have included a celebration of the 150th salon, a closer look at our quarter-acre, reducing single-use plastics, water campaigns, climate campaigns, consumerism, air quality campaigns,  movement-building and sustained campaigns, abandoned oil and gas wells, hope (finding it, creating it, using it), addressing environmental causes of cancer, a development proposal for Frick Park, single-use plastic legislation, home energy efficiency (and legislation to help fund improvements), the UN's COP process for climate negotiations, alternatives to single-use packaging, our region's air (part I and part II), activist art and America's Energy Gamble, advocacy opportunities, social justice games, fixing Pennsylvania state government, climate action, forest restoration, the history of American consumerism, regional air quality, preserving Pittsburgh's forests, climate modeling, approaches to pipelines, pipeline hazards, the legacy of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the judiciary and fair elections, consumption, pandemics and air,  election law and activism, air quality and environmental justice, social investment,  local economies, the economics of energy, mutual aid networks, ocean health, the rise of the radical right, the back end of consumption, approaches to activism on fracking & climate, air quality, technology, and citizen science, single-use plastics, election activism, election law, whether to preserve existing nuclear power plants, advanced nuclear technologies, passenger and freight trains, consumption, plastics, and pollution, air quality, solar power, youth activism, greening business, greenwashing, the petrochemical buildout in our region, climate/nature/people, fracking, health, & action, globalization, ecological ethics, community inclusion, air quality monitoring, informal gatherings that turn out to have lots of speakers, getting STEM into Congress, keeping Pittsburgh's water public, Shell's planned petrochemical plant, visualizing air quality, the City of Pittsburgh's sustainability initiatives, fossil energy infrastructure, getting money out of politics, community solar power and the Solarize Allegheny program, the Paris climate negotiations (before, during, and after), air quality (again, with news on the autism connection), reuse (of things and substances), neighborhood-scale food systems, other forms of green community revitalization, solar power, climate change, environmental art, environmental education (Part I & Part II), community mapping projects, environmental journalism, grassroots action, Marcellus shale development and community rights, green building, air quality, health care, more solar power, trees and park stewardship, alternative energy and climate policy, regional watershed issues, fantastic film screenings and discussions (often led by filmmakers) over the winter with films on Food Systems, Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Plastic Paradise, Rachel Carson and the Power Of One Voice, Triple Divide on fracking, You've Been Trumped and A Dangerous Game, A Fierce Green Fire, Sustainability Pioneers, films on consumption, Living Downstream, Bidder 70, YERT, Gas Rush Stories, and food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, food, and more food (a recurrent theme;  with California running out of water, we'd better gear up to produce a lot more of our own!).

 












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