(June 15, 2009)
[If you want your letters to be published, you must include your first and last names and your city and state of residence. Also, please, enter in the subject line of your e-mail "letter to the editor," and specify the article or the subject on which you are commenting.] The World Land Trust Takes Exception to Michael Barker's Greenwashing Eden: The Uses And Abuses Of Biodiversity To the Editor: Sometimes one comes across writing which is truly bizarre and it's hard to know how, or indeed, whether, to respond when the claims are so outrageously one-sided and lacking in substance or truth. One such piece of writing is The Uses And Abuses Of Biodiversity (http://www.swans.com/library/art15/barker21.html). Michael Barker, the author of the article, clearly has a talent for research, and clearly has a point that he wants to put across but I wonder about the reasons for producing something so twisted and biased? The thrust of his writing appears to be based on elitism -- relating to conservation organisations, including the World Land Trust. When putting together examples, Barker makes connections that never existed, (while missing many that really do exist) and conspiracy theories based on facts taken out of context, with little or no relationship with reality. All the information cited on World Land Trust is taken from our website and the facts and context are there clearly for all to see. "Elitism" and "Greenwash" are words that are often used by non-supporters of conservation organisations to make a particular point, and sometimes questioned by those with enquiring minds who want to know how the World Land Trust (and other conservation organisations) work: who supports them and how they make a decision about who, and who not, to work with. Agreed, it is ironic that the same people who are contributing to environmental destruction through their relatively excessive lifestyles, also have the ability to contribute to conservation by donating their money. Without question it is the increasing consumption of resources due to an increasing number of people with capitalist, Western lifestyles, that is having such an adverse effect on the planet. But who can blame people for wanting the best for themselves and their families? It is simply human nature. There are many organisations beavering away to help save the planet -- be it through campaigning, education or, in the case of the WLT, working with local people to purchase and protect what is left of their wilderness and wildlife. No one organisation can do everything needed, and indeed people have different opinions and ideas about how and what should be confronted as a priority. At the WLT we have a bedrock of support from individuals with hugely differing lifestyles and we are happy to accept their financial support to further our urgent aims of land protection. We also work with companies and, yes, we could say that all companies are, to some extent, damaging the environment, but our belief is that only by working with these companies, helping them address their environmental responsibilities and encouraging them to "think greener" are things ever going to change. However, we do occasionally turn down offers of corporate support where we feel that the company in question is simply looking for "greenwash" without any true commitment, or where we feel the product simply cannot be justified. It would be easy to rant to the world at large, via the internet, that everyone needs to change their lifestyle and abandon capitalism but this is simply not going to happen and is a complete "turn off" for the very people one is hoping to engage: I believe that change is only achievable through small steps by those on the "inside" as well as the "outside" of establishment. Better to do something than nothing; nothing is achieved by unilateral criticism. It would be very interesting to know what Barker suggests as the way forward, and how it would actually work in the real world. John Burton CEO, World Land Trust Halesworth, Suffolk, United Kingdom - June 3, 2009 [ed. While I am not the author of the article -- only its publisher and co-editor -- I would respectfully submit to Mr. Burton that if he is correct about human nature and people "wanting the best for themselves and their families" (without defining the meaning of "best" -- is it more, always more "stuff"?) and that lifestyle and capitalism simply won't be abandoned, then the future of the human species is rather bleak. Mr. Burton ends his comments by asking: "It would be very interesting to know what Barker suggests as the way forward, and how it would actually work in the real world." I can't answer for the author, but I would be interested to know what Mr. Burton thinks of the performance of the WLT in the past 20 years. Albert Einstein once said that, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." The kind of thinking Mr. Burton uses, as well as so many other environmental organizations (Greenpeace, etc.), has only led to worsened conditions, both socially and environmentally.] [ed. note: I sent the above e-mail (slightly edited) to John Burton's Web information manager, Ms. Helena Akerlund. Here is Burton's follow-up.] ********** Peter Byrne Responds to Letter-Writer Janice Golden Regarding Gore Vidal To the Editor: I was pleased to learn from Ms. Golden's letter of May 20 that she "love[s] Gore Vidal." I didn't go that far in my review ("How Eugene Luther Gore Vidal Jr. Became Gorino"), but did say he was "an impressive novelist." In fact, I found him so good I wondered why he felt the need to promote himself as an actor and politician. Vidal does say a lot about American history, but his fiction on the subject is best read along with the work of a reliable historian. If Ms. Golden reads his entertaining essays, she will note that Vidal is a great hand at biting criticism of the sort that she doesn't like applied to him. Peter Byrne Lecce, Italy - June 6, 2009 ********** We appreciate and welcome your comments. Please, enter in the subject line of your e-mail "letter to the editor," and specify the article or the subject you are commenting on at the beginning of your e-mail. Also, ***PLEASE,*** sign your e-mail with your name ***AND*** add your city, state, country, address, and phone number. If we publish your opinion we will only include your name, city, state, and country. Send your comments to the Editor. (Letters may be shortened and edited.) |