Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash
Our society has yet to be civilized.
Is it profitable to save the Earth from climate collapse? If not, should we destroy the ecosphere for profit? Should we choose to doom our children?
This sounds crazy, and it is, but the common wisdom is that “the economy” is more important than a livable Earth. Hey, people like the stuff they have, they “demand” it, they want more, and economic growth is essential!
A habitable planet is a luxury we cannot afford.
Sounds really, really stupid when you say it plainly, without any weasel words designed to obscure what we are actually talking about.
Naked Truth
It’s time to speak the truth, daily, without compromise or embarrassment. It’s a small step but the first one to embolden a worldwide movement that will enable the sane people of Earth to prevent climate collapse.
Inaction—which is what we have now—is denial. It’s ridiculous, absurd, useless and deadly. There is no difference between a greenwashing entrepreneur and a person who says the climate crisis is a hoax.
Ordinary sane people everywhere recognize the crisis and demand genuine action right now. That means slashing the use of fossil fuels quickly and sharply. Not signing a treaty to do that, not publishing a plan to do that.
We need to ACTUALLY DO IT.
Start Now. Wear the Green Dot.
The Saners intend to be the new face of the climate movement. We understand that most people think of climate activists as crazy people who throw soup at paintings and block highways.
We are nothing like that. Those are well-intentioned people who are executing a bad strategy. Our approach is different.
We will use nonviolent noncooperation—as Gandhi and Martin Luther King’s followers did—to change the world for the better. We will not only prevent climate collapse; we will create a kind and humane civilization. The civilization we never had.
The symbol of The Saners is a green dot that represents a healthy Earth. Buy a package of green dots at a stationery store. Wear one on your clothing every day. When people ask, tell them about the symbol and about The Saners and that WE INTEND TO PREVENT CLIMATE COLLAPSE. Tell them the obvious truth: that leaders everywhere under every system have failed catastrophically and we must not cooperate with the destruction of our children’s planet. Tell them that WE CAN DO THIS, that ordinary people have brought down dictators and ended empires without firing a shot.
We are following a well-worn path paved by successful movements throughout history.
Ask: Are you with us? And give them the URL, WeAreSaners.org. Take the green dot off your clothes and give it to them.
“If you care, put this on.”
I’m embarrassed every time I fail to do this. Let’s get going.
Better still, if you can crochet, avoid buying stuff that harms the environment (those green dots usually come in a “disposable” plastic sleeve, made from oil), Crochet* out of green, preferably organically grown (as fertiliser production and distribution uses oil), compostable cotton or pure wool, with a re-usable, recyclable safety pin to fix to your clothes.
(*) Create a chain of 6 stitches, casting the first around the base of the safety pin, the third close to the head, and joining the last Into the end of the chain. Add a single stitch, then add 12 double stitches around the loop (add more if it’s not circular – it will depend on the thickness of the wool used, I was using double). Close the circle with a single stitch. Add an extra row if you want a larger pin, Work the loose ends into the centre to finish.
My prototype took me less than 10 minutes, including reworking a couple of times whilst figuring out the pattern, with some wool left over from making some fingerless mittens and a hat for winter (to save on heating, naturally).
That’s a fun idea! I approve.