This Earth Day, I Am Tired
This Earth Day, as we reach nearly a month without rain here in the Pacific Northwest, I am tired. I am tired of the fire warning being red in April. I am tired of Big Oil still … Read more
Editorials
Editorials, essays, opinion pieces and subjective personal reports.
The Forgotten Origins of Earth Day
Imagine if Earth Day, and the environmental movement overall, had not been so easily co-opted into “green” consumerism and once-a-year craft and trash pickup projects. A reckoning with the history of Earth Day provides grim but necessary lessons for the climate movement.
How Pipelines Hide in the Shadow of Genocide
Something became crystal clear to me: Fossil fuel pipelines are not a climate change issue taking place on Indigenous soil. They’re an Indigenous issue with global consequences.
Don’t Give Up. Ever.
As Texas is crushed by surreal winter storms mere months after the entire West coast was consumed by wildfires, it can be easy to feel despair over the fate of our planet, to feel like … Read more
Don’t Trust the Response to January 6th
As the new Biden administration explores a legislative response to the January 6th insurrection that trashed the US Capitol, remember Loren Reed. The fact that the insurrection even took place is a colossal failure of … Read more
Climate Education and Nightmare Fuel
A year ago, if you had told me I would now be an online teacher, I would have laughed in your face. You see, eons ago, in normal life, I am an outdoor educator. I … Read more
This Is What Winning Looks Like
Yes, we CAN win. This week the “thin green line” held, scoring two big victories over proposed projects for corporate profiteering. The first win: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission upheld the Oregon Department of Environmental … Read more
Editor’s Note on January 6th’s Events
Firstly, you may have noticed that we’re now sending out the XRPDX newsletter on Thursday mornings instead of Monday mornings. There are some other cool changes coming soon, but this one arrived early! That said, … Read more
Our Favorite Pieces from 2020
With commentary from Your Faithful Editor, Austen Lethbridge-Scarl June 1st: George Floyd and the Unheard June 29th: The Fourth Demand July 6th: Reflections on the Climate Emergency Declaration August 17th: What will tear gas do … Read more
Five Years Later: The Paris Climate Accord
As the plague-haunted year of 2020 comes to a close, the Paris Climate Accord concludes its first five years…of ever-higher greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts. Greta Thunberg shared a video message about this sad … Read more