“River of Renewal” is an award winning documentary that will air on PBS stations beginning October 25. Produced by Stephen Most, Jack Kohler and Steve Michelson, “River of Renewal” won Best Documentary Award at the American Indian Film Festival.
Conflict over water & wildlife in the Klamath Basin turned farmers and ranchers against American Indians and salmon fishermen in Oregon and California. But after lawsuits and winner-take-all politics brought disaster to the farms, the fish, and the fisheries, these stakeholders came together to forge a consensus for the common good. Will the future witness the extinction of salmon in what was once North America’s third greatest salmon-producing river? Or the restoration of the Klamath as a home for life?
“River of Renewal” is scheduled to air on KQED in San Francisco 11/15 at 6 pm (check PBS Air Dates for other stations and locations). Writer and producer Stephen Most is also a member of the Green21 team, and he’ll be blogging at this spot next week (Nov 10). Check back then, or subscribe to green21.org on your RSS feed reader!
A little while ago I was in a grocery store with a friend, standing at the checkout line around lunchtime. We had put together the ingredients for a simple lunch that could be assembled at a picnic table using just a pocket knife: tomatoes, cucumbers, salad greens, a packet of dressing. We were feeling very virtuous, but then at the checkout line, there was the enticement of the small chocolates rack: the ultimate impulse purchase.
She said, “Keep moving.” I said, “Hang on a second.” Which side won out? Virtue, frugality, and a healthy diet on the one hand, or the irresistible pull of cocoa and sugar?
I’ll tell you in a minute, but first, a little known fact: did you know that chocolate used to be money?
There was a presentation on sustainable economics at the Green Festival. The speaker was Daniel Pinchbeck and he was talking about Ithaca Hours, a local currency in Ithaca NY which encourages people to spend their earnings within their community. Afterwards someone asked what happens when this currency pools — when one business is stuck holding alot of the Ithaca dollars but needs to pay suppliers that don’t participate in the program. After looking at different mechanisms for dealing with this scenario, Pinchbeck took a longer view of the issue.
Our current economic system encourages investments that will yield the highest short-term return regardless of the long-term consequences. But what if we could measure and reward investments according their ability to sustain community? Currency only has value as long as it’s in play. Pinchbeck mentioned the work of Bernard Lietaer, architect of the Euro, and alternative systems that Lietaer had proposed including currency that would depreciate over time — a kind of negative interest.
The Ancient Aztecs, Pinchbeck noted, traded in cocoa beans. The actual unit of currency decayed over time and lost value. The point was to spend wisely and invest, not hoard the wealth.
After my friend and I finished our vegetable lunch, just so you know, there was a chocolate bar to look forward to. But I let go of any impulse I might have had to hold onto the chocolate bar, to use it as a hedge against an uncertain future. Instead, I broke off a small piece for my friend. Before we knew it, the whole thing was gone.
I was researching cheddar cheeses (I’m a cheesemonger, and I’m especially drawn to blues and cheddars), and I heard about this “great” raw cow’s milk cheddar made locally – good so far, but I’m a critic, and if people say it’s great, but I think it’s just good, it leads me to think it’s a let down (the whole expectation thing).
So, I finally got my hands on Fiscalini’s 18 month bandaged cheddar, and my eyes rolled back in my head when it hit my tongue – I had to take a good 90 seconds to let the waves of taste pass through my senses before I was able to begin to recuperate. Of course, I had to have another taste (or three) to evaluate the flavor – it’s amazing, but I won’t get into those details here.
The main reason I’m writing is to highlight how one can just be doing their thing and come across a truly great product, and then learn that not only is this product of fantastic quality, but it’s also a leading example of the pursuit of idealism – not idealism of “right” vs. “wrong” – but rather idealism of “this is what I think is right, so I will do it, setting an example without preaching, castigating or judging.”
It turns out that Fiscalini is an ultra-green farmstead cheese company . . . besides making exceptional cheese, they’re a pioneer in green practices (having been highlighted on CBS for their methane capture), and they’re the first American dairy certified for positive animal welfare. It seems this cheese maker puts its money where its mouth is.
The reason I’m writing is to highlight how you can just be doing your thing and come across a truly great product, and then learn that not only is this product of fantastic quality, but it’s also an example of a kind of idealism – not the idealism of “right vs. wrong,” but rather an idealism of “this is what I think is right, so I will do it,” leading by example without preaching, castigating or judging.
Sometimes, amid all the greenwashing out there, it’s hard to know who’s truly green vs. those who just put a green sticker on their box. There are lots of great green cheese makers out there – like Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, which is delicious and organic, Willow Hill Farm, making superb sheep’s milk cheese, and Crave Brothers, who’ve been featured on NBC – yet none of them have any green marketing on their labels. They are just good examples of how an individual or organization can make great stuff and pursue the best practices to the best of their ability, remain truly committed to their wares and the impact of their process, and allow the results to speak for themselves.
