Lead the Money

"Follow the money." We've all heard that before, and it has a lot of value as an idea, but after we follow the money, we must also take the next step and lead the money.

Following the money helps identify the source of the problem. In the case of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), following the money points to corporate influence on government as the problem. Of course, corporate influence reaches well beyond this issue, but DAPL provides a clear example of how to take the next step of leading the money.

Simmering for months, the DAPL issue and the protests around it have drawn much attention recently. Intended to carry oil from North Dakota east, the pipelines's route passes Native American land and moves under the Missouri River, threatening water supplies. Tribes in the area led the protests against DAPL, the construction of which began before all permits had received approval. Within the last month, law enforcement protecting the pipeline escalated tactics to deal with protesters. As you can see below, police officers employ tear gas and water cannons in freezing temperatures on the protesters. According to a Grist report, police blew off a woman's arm with a concussion grenade.



The fingerprints of corporate influence appear all over DAPL. Despite the escalating use of force by police officers, the Obama administration has refused to step in and protect the protesters or halt the pipeline. Together with the recent decision by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to approve an expansion of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline through British Columbia, DAPL shows the influence corporations have (even on leaders who say they are committed to addressing environmental issues like global warming).

If we were to stop after following the money, we would not be able to address the problem. Luckily, however, DAPL has prompted renewed efforts to lead the money. This YES! Magazine article discusses how people are divesting from the banks that fund DAPL. Divestment hits back at corporate influence by retaking control of our money. Rather than bank with big, corporate banks, people move their money to and do business with credit unions and community banks.

For me, the DAPL divestment represents the continuation of a movement that began in response to the economic collapse in 2008. I joined a credit union in 2007 because it had the best rates on car loans. Following the economic collapse, which came about largely because of corporate banking malfeasance, I moved all my money into the credit union.

Individuals looking for alternative sources for credit cards can also play a part in this divestment. Many credit unions have their own credit cards. Another alternative comes from Beneficial State Bank, which is a B Corporation whose credit cards support nonprofit groups, including the Sierra Club. For more information on Beneficial State Bank's credit cards, click here.

With corporations exerting so much influence on our elected officials, leadership on social change issues must come from us, and leading with our money gives us a great power to create that change.

In the Flow

The Nature Conservancy's latest campaign wades deep into water.

Using an interactive Web site, the organization immerses us in the issues and interconnections that swirl around water. Dubbed "Liquid Courage," the campaign shows the cool possibilities of combining environmental advocacy with social media. Along the way, it reveals the bigger picture about water.

Rather than simply sharing information, the Web site engaged me. It asked me to scroll down to begin the experience. Then, as it provided details about water, the site offered me opportunities to share what I was learning through social media. Additionally, after asking for information about where I live, it made the experience personal and brought the environment home for me by showing where my water comes from. It all progressed more like a conversation than a visit to a Web site.

The Nature Conservancy also uses Liquid Courage to connect our daily activities to water. By showing how much water we use to make things like clothes, the site gives us a sense of the whole system and our constant interaction with the environment. To tap into Liquid Courage for yourself, click here.

It's exciting to see the potential technology adds to current environmental campaigns. Advocates and organizations now have the ability to bring people into issues and connect them with the environment in ways that traditional communication formats never allowed.

Navigating today's environment-related communication is tricky, but environmental groups are jumping right in.

Frack-tured Morality

Sometimes, we see the physical consequences of our environmental decisions; sometimes, we don't. However, the hardest thing to see might be the moral consequences.

When it comes to fracking, which is a method of extracting energy sources from the ground, we only see a portion of the physical consequences: flammable water, sick people, and dead ecosystems. We don't see the tons of toxins fracking puts into the ground. Also hidden are the moral ramifications, but as Stephen Colbert points out in the following videos, our desire for cheap fuel makes us complicit in some very unethical actions:





Fracking eliminates entire ecosystems. It causes us to lose our health, and now, it robs us of our political voices. Putting all of this together makes for some heavy considerations each time we use energy.

It's a Gas

We have reached a point where water on fire isn't surprising.

In 2010, Gasland, a documentary about the environmental and health impacts of fracking, showed us how new methods of natural-gas extraction are poisoning water supplies. Despite those revelations, fracking has increased since then.

Now, Gasland Part II, which premiers on HBO July 8 at 9 p.m., tries to explain why the concerns about fracking have made little impact on lawmakers. Watch below to check out a clip of the filmmaker being interviewed on The Daily Show last night:



The main focus of the film is the influence the natural-gas lobby has on elected officials and how that influence trumps the environment and the voice of people whose health is put at risk by fracking.

In the first Gasland film, seeing people's water catch on fire was shocking, but the current political situation makes it more likely that flammable water will become the norm.

Water, Water, Everywhere

It is true that we receive a lot of things, including our lives, from water. However, our relationship with it is even more complex and precious.

Our reliance on water is one of the most important ways our actions related to the environment come back to us. We are largely water, so whatever we put into our water eventually becomes part of us. For these reasons, I want to acknowledge that tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act.

After nearly a half of a century, even the most important legislation can be taken for granted, but water is so crucial to our lives, we can't afford to forget the value of the CWA. The act was passed just three years after the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught on fire because of the pollution it contained. Since that time, we have made improvements in our management of water pollution, but we have also created new threats, and many waterways continue to struggle.

Remembering our connection to water is a key step in maintaining high water-quality standards and pollution regulation.

A Name from the Past for the Future

Until I was nearly 14, my bedroom door had a Cousteau Society sticker on it. Only when I no longer lived in that room did the sticker leave my life.

I was never actually in The Cousteau Society, but because I was a budding environmentalist, the sticker was more than a random decoration for me. I recall watching Jacques Cousteau's television programs, particularly one about Antarctica. The shows' information about and calls to protect the environment resonated with me.

Partly because I remember what Jacques meant to my youth, I was excited to learn about the work of his granddaughter, Alexandra, whom I mentioned a few entries ago. Alexandra has taken her grandfather's connection with the water and put her own spin on it, shining light on the water issues the planet currently faces and those we are likely to face in the future.

Today, I had a conversation about the growing importance of water issues, and after some thinking, I realized that because of Alexandra's work, the Cousteau name, first etched into my brain through a green and white sticker, is also going to help represent one of the key concerns of the planet's future. I think Jacques would be proud.

For more information about water issues and Alexandra's work, go to her Blue Legacy Web site.

Whales ♥ NY

And the feeling is mutual.

Today's story provides some good news about improving conditions along the East Coast and the opportunities for people to benefit from a connection with the environment.

The story, which comes from the New York Daily News, reports on the growing number of whales returning to the waters off New York. As the story notes, it looks like this return coincides with improving water conditions offshore. Watch the video below.



I found a lot of things to like about this story. First, although the video doesn't list the different species of whales that are visiting the Big Apple, the species include blue and fin whales. These are two of my favorite animals, and the blue is the largest living animal while the fin is the second largest.

Above all, the story spotlights the importance of people's relationship with the environment. Human actions led to the drop in water quality in the first place, and changes in behavior helped improve it. However, I am most struck by Tom Paladino's reaction to the whales' return. Clearly, he is excited to be so close to the animals, and this offers a glimpse into the positive impact a firmly established connection with the environment can have. In addition, the fact that he has been able to operate a whale-watching business indicates that a lot of people in New York share his feelings and the need to connect more with nature.

If this is happening in our largest city, perhaps we can all find ways of improving and strengthening our relationship with the environment. In return, the environment might help us rediscover a lot of things we've forgotten to miss.