a view from the edge

Fix the environment

In order to lead the world in fixing the environment, we have to realize that industry, Wall Street, and rich science-deniers have the upper hand currently. And if you are wondering what upper hand they have, it’s all about handouts to politicians to keep their interests in control, make profit now and never, ever, take a long-term, pro-humanity view.

Roger Smith, then head of GM, made a statement back in the ‘80s that he felt the CAFÉ (fuel economy regulations) should be suspended for the good of the economy. I talked with him at the U.N. and pointed out that his view was shortsighted. I asked him, “Who do you think you are going to sell cars to in 50 years when the environment is destroyed?” His response was simple, “That’s not our problem right now.” Ted Turner was not amused at the same luncheon.

However, I have a guaranteed solution to the problem with big business preventing environment protection regulations. Simply put, every do-gooder organization, from the Sierra Club to the Environmental Defense Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Defense Council, American Rivers and the Trust for Public Land, and then throw in every renewable energy company from General Electric Co., Iberdrola SA, Constellation Energy Corp., NextEra Energy, Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Jinko Solar Holding Co. Ltd., Canadian Solar Inc., and all the way to Brookfield Renewable Corp. and tell them all to fire every employee, stop every campaign, borrow as much money as they can from banks and spend it all on bribing — oops, sorry — paying politicians to endorse the most radical pro-environmental laws possible.

Wonder if it will work?  Well, currently the anti-environmental industrialists and petroleum companies spend 14 times more on funding politicians with cash than the entire operating budgets of the pro-environmental folks. Simply put, we have to outspend them and wrest financial control of the politicians they currently have absolute power over. If we outspend them, controlling politicians, even for one or two terms, laws could be put in place that would, quickly right this sinking environmental ship we’re all in.

 

Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now lives in New Mexico.

a view from the edge

Latest News

'Gather' at Troutbeck

'Gather' at Troutbeck

Romane Recalde speaking about her new business at Gather.

Natalia Zukerman

Hosted by Jason Klein and Sascha Lewis, an ongoing series called “Gather” at Troutbeck in Amenia brings together a curious crowd of local entrepreneurs, artists, and others with a story to tell for an intimate midday chat. On Thursday, Jan. 16, floral designer Romane Recalde, owner of the newly opened Le Jardin in Amenia, took center stage to share her journey from modeling in Miami to cultivating flowers in the Hudson Valley. Gather is a place to share stories, swap advice, and celebrate some of the unique businesses that make our area vibrant — all with a delicious lunch on the side. The gatherings are unconventional in the best way, with no agenda beyond good conversation and community building.

Recalde’s story isn’t just about creating a flower shop; it’s about a complete reinvention of self. “I hated Miami so much,” said the French-born Recalde, recalling her time in Florida before moving to New York. She worked as a model in New York, and eventually met her husband, James. Their pandemic escape to Turks and Caicos turned into a six-month stay, which in turn led them to Millbrook and finally to their home in Amenia, where Recalde’s connection to nature blossomed.

Keep ReadingShow less
community

Mad Rose opens ‘Assembled’ exhibition

Mad Rose opens ‘Assembled’ exhibition

Mad Rose Gallery’s “Assembled” exhibition opened Saturday, Jan. 18, with a public reception.

The eclectic exhibition — on view until March 2 at the gallery on the intersection of Routes 22 and 44 in Millerton — gathers together work from a group of diverse artists with decades of experience between them. The exhibition itself is true to the name, featuring photographs, sculptures, drawings and mixed media works in all shapes and sizes.

Keep ReadingShow less
exhibit

The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters' is written with such verve and poetic imagination that it’s hard to fathom how it could be the author’s first novel. Ms. Lerner, 64, has worked for three decades as a literary agent, editor, and non-fiction writer, but at some point during the Covid pandemic — without any forethought — she sat down and typed out the first line of the novel exactly as it now appears in the book, and then completed it without telling anyone what she was up to.

The novel takes place over twenty years — from the 1970s into the ’90s — and is a kind of guide for that era. It reads like a memoir accompanied by some bouncy dialogue, but is actually a work of what’s called autofiction in which Lerner mixes her own experiences — including her own struggle with mental illness — with things she simply makes up. The fictional narrator is Amy Shred, the younger of two sisters in an upper-middle-class, secular Jewish family living in the suburbs of New Haven, Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less
books

Lazy, hazy days of...winter?

Lazy, hazy days of...winter?

This small stream is fishable, despite the wintry conditions. It probably won't be a pleasant or productive experience, but it can be done.

Patrick L. Sullivan

When syndicated columnists run out of ideas they do one of two things.

First they collect the last couple year’s worth of columns and call it a book. These are published to great acclaim from other syndicated columnists and show up in due course in gigantic, ziggurat-shaped mounds at Costco for $4.98 a pop.

Keep ReadingShow less