More Justice for Chemicals Than for Presidents
By Donella Meadows
–February 19, 1997–
In this country not only do we hold people innocent until proven guilty, we do the same for chemicals. Their behavior may be suspect, they may be found regularly at the scenes of crimes, they may fail their lab tests, but still we let them go free — indeed we multiply, spread, and circulate them — [...]
Beyond Bipartisanship
By Donella Meadows
–February 13, 1997–
“Bipartisanship” is the in-word in Washington. What it appears to mean is compromise. Everyone stays stuck in ideology, sniping at the other side a bit more quietly, while deals are made. Cut Medicare more than the Democrats want but less than the Republicans want. Throw just enough people off welfare to appease the right without too [...]
How a Public Health Story Becomes an Industry Legend
By Donella Meadows
–February 7, 1997–
If the name Alar means anything to you, it probably means something related to apples and Meryl Streep and hysterical environmentalists.
Those mental associations have been nurtured in us by industry-funded public relations groups, who repeat over and over the claim that the “Alar scare” was deliberate hype, which alarmed the public unnecessarily and caused irreparable harm [...]
Dumb Things We Could Stop Doing
By Donella Meadows
–February 6, 1997–
I have a friend who keeps a list titled: “Dumb Things We Could Stop Doing.” I add to that list just about every time I hear the news.
Take the CIA, for instance. It might have made some sense once to have a CIA, but now it seems worse than purposeless. CIA higher-ups seem to be constantly [...]
Feeling Our Feelings Might Not Be a Trivial Exercise
By Donella Meadows
–January 30, 1997–
Anyone who travels the world is bound to experience not only wonders but also crowds, poverty, pollution, ugliness and cruelty. Anyone who looks at the statistics can see population, factories and toxic wastes zooming up, while forests, soils, groundwaters and species plummet. I don’t think it’s possible to experience our planet, directly or indirectly, without a [...]
