Making Peace With Nature After Environmental Disasters [Peace Talks Radio] 29:00

When the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded in April of 2010 and set off the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, virtually everyone viewing the disruption, to wildlife and the lives of people in that region, was devastated.  We felt like it probably set off an inner conflict in many about human’s relationship with nature.  For today’s program, we sought out some voices of people who have already placed that relationship at the center of their lives to see how their experiences and thinking might help us all grapple with this conflict.  A lot of the headlines during the three months when the oil gushed into the gulf framed the event as an attack or war on nature.  How can we think and act to make peace with nature.

Today we speak with Daniel Schwartz, a social ecology professor; Kathy Sanchez, a Native American environmental policy activist; and John Francis whose response to an oil spill in 1971 was to quit riding in motorized vehicles for 22 years, walk all across the country and, during 17 of those years, not to speak a word.  In all that time he completed bachelor’s masters and phd degrees in land management.  Carol Boss hosts with Paul Ingles.

There is also a 59:00 / 54:00 version of this program at PRX: http://www.prx.org/pieces/53562

When the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig exploded in April of 2010 and set off the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, virtually everyone viewing the disruption, to wildlife and the lives of people in that region, was devastated.  We felt like it probably set off an inner conflict in many about human’s relationship with nature.  For today’s program, we sought out some voices of people who have already placed that relationship at the center of their lives to see how their experiences and thinking might help us all grapple with this conflict.  A lot of the headlines during the three months when the oil gushed into the gulf framed the event as an attack or war on nature.  How can we think and act to make peace with nature.

Today we speak with Daniel Schwartz, a social ecology professor; Kathy Sanchez, a Native American environmental policy activist; and John Francis whose response to an oil spill in 1971 was to quit riding in motorized vehicles for 22 years, walk all across the country and, during 17 of those years, not to speak a word.  In all that time he completed bachelor’s masters and phd degrees in land management.  Carol Boss hosts with Paul Ingles.

There is also a 59:00 / 54:00 version of this program at PRX: http://www.prx.org/pieces/53562