James Rebanks’ first massively bestselling book, The Shepherd’s Life, and the images of that life he posts online, at first make you think he hails from another time. It describes a life both almost unimaginable to most city dwellers like myself and more than half the Earth and traditional, going back centuries or even millennia. He illustrates his relationships with his father and grandfather, the land, the sheep, and history.[…] Keep reading →

From this NPR profile: James Rebanks is a farmer who shepherds sheep into pastures and words into books. He has a gift for capturing both the allure of his beautiful surroundings and his difficult work, and for articulating the complex, worrisome issues facing farmers today. Pastoral Song, like his first bestselling memoir, The Shepherd’s Life, enchants with lush descriptions of England’s Lake District and Cumbrian hills, where Rebanks’ family has[…] Keep reading →

The more I learn about renewables, the more I find they rely on fossil fuels more than I thought. They don’t seem that renewable and relying on false promises looks like it’s leading us to delay acting, as we have for a centure. I wrote about all the scams we fall for. Desiring as we are to find ways to keep society intact, we want technologies like hydrogen energy storage[…] Keep reading →

Sunday I went to the Bronx to lead another workshop in making my famous no-packaging vegan stews. I can’t stand food deserts and believe sharing how to cook delicious healthy food cheap and fast will help create demand for farmers markets. My last Bronx workshop was my last public performance before the pandemic. I ended up discovering what I now consider one of New York City’s most beautiful spots: Drew[…] Keep reading →

Don’t outdoor restaurants sound nice? During the pandemic, New York City allowed restaurants that couldn’t host people indoors to serve them outdoors. Many restaurant owners credit the rule for keeping them in business. We neighbors happily supported businesses in need. The landlords saw the huge profit in keeping this public space for their private property, started raising rents—profiting from a deadly pandemic—and tried to get politicians to give them that[…] Keep reading →

Don’t outdoor restaurants sound nice? During the pandemic, New York City allowed restaurants that couldn’t host people indoors to serve them outdoors. Many restaurant owners credit the rule for keeping them in business. We neighbors happily supported businesses in need. The landlords saw the huge profit in keeping this public space for their private property, started raising rents—profiting from a deadly pandemic—and tried to get politicians to give them that[…] Keep reading →

Here are the notes I read from, responding to this op-ed piece and this review for a book I’ve talked to the author about but haven’t read. Geoengineering Prologue or Epilogue for Humanity? Introduction, context Geoengineering is becoming a more common topic as people feel more desperate. The common theme is that when things get serious, we have to put everything on the table, even things that may not work.[…] Keep reading →