Most of us are too busy to think. Yet we are constantly exposed to frames that reshape our thinking. For environmentalists, most of the frames we are exposed to are created by fossil fuel and right wing political think tanks. The result is that public opinion moves toward their [...]
Clarity is your most powerful tool in crafting your message. It confers sincerity, and sincerity, along with competence, builds credibility and trust. Our political discourse today is full of smoke. As a result, no one trusts politicians. The same occurs in the environmental movement. We talk too much, we [...]
You have been infected by fossil fuel companies. You are now spreading their infection. Please stop and wash your hands. To understand why the environmental movement is losing, one has to understand how we are being manipulated by the fossil fuel industry. I’ve written about this subject in Messages [...]
I have a confession. As a strong citizen proponent of renewable energy, I admit that I have been naïve. On my journey of understanding what can be done to promote the use of clean energy, I’ve learned two things. The first is that the messaging is simple and clear. [...]
A Republican, a Democrat, a utility executive, and a construction manager walked into a bar. They had been invited by a lobbyist. There’s no punchline. This is what actually happened. I was at a renewable energy seminar in the Twin Cities. There were four people on the panel plus [...]
There is an attack against renewable energy and the environment in this country. It is being conducted by large utilities, coal, and oil companies. The impact will affect our energy policies, manufacturing, economy, and environment for decades. It is abetted by Republican state and federal legislators that are being [...]
Night in Chaco Canyon Coyote willow in the wash Saltbush on the flats Grace notes of a vireo Red sunset on the rocks Ancients in their kivas Certain desperate stars Ragged upon the world The black cold desert night While the Lyrids play An effervescent game Who will ever [...]
Remember when you were a kid. It was August, and the summer was a thousand years long. You’d take your bicycle out past Society Road to the swimming hole on a hot day. That’s where you met Libby. Just friends then, but it felt like something else. The next [...]
The Lone Ranger used them. They’re supposed to kill werewolves. They seem like a cool idea, one that could possess magical powers. But when it comes to environmental and climate messaging, they are not much good. In a previous post I covered the balance of fear and hope required [...]
Dusk lights the long corridor ahead of me through jack pine and colored maple. I am on my way to a small lake to watch the sun set. In electric mode, the only sound is the soft crunch of the car’s tires on gravel. The air is still with [...]
