We are currently in what might be called an era or period of pipelines. New ones are developing frequently and already built ones are undergoing expansion or twinning. There is no continent that is not traversed by pipelines, which spread like arteries/varicose veins across their terrain. And these pipeline networks are all slated to be expanded. Most pipelines on the planet are currently situated in North America and Central Asia and not coincidently these are the subject of much conflict and contestation. Highly contested pipelines in the North American context have not even been constructed yet, from the Northern Gateway development and Kinder Morgan twinning in British Columbia to the Keystone XL from Alberta to Houston to the Line 9 development across eastern Canada. Politics are waged on the basis of concern (about what a pipeline might result in) as much as, or more than, a basis of currently existing reality.

Much of the green movements, even some deeper green ones, pursue a politics of publicity, a politics of PR, which is largely the terrain of capital. The pursuit in such politics is positive public opinion. This differs greatly from a politics of sabotage (though sabotage must be properly contextualized and explained publicly). A politics of sabotage creates an intolerable situation that requires a positive resolution.

The flows of energy economies are subject to interruptions. This is done by business for the manipulation of prices, for example. But these flows can be interrupted for other uses by workers and/or their communities. For syndicalists, sabotage has typically referred to withdrawal of efficiency by workers. This brief commentary provides initial thoughts for a discussion of a politics of sabotage against pipelines and oil flows. Sabotage, from a green syndicalist perspective, poses direct challenges to capital flows and an impetus for rethinking green politics in the age of extreme energy.

I wanna go vegan but like. An ethic-based vegan that still eats meat/dairy if its ethically sourced (or at least doesn’t contribute to the big meat/dairy industries)

Like I wouldn’t eat meat and diary from my local aldi anymore because theyre built from industries that are causing some of the most environmental destruction right now, but when the women I know bring eggs to my house I’d have no problem eating those because I know they got it from owning a chicken/having a friend that owns chickens

But at the same time, that doesn’t happen very often. And also, I know damn well my entire family would be making fun of me for it and would purposely eat some of my favorite nonvegan foods in front of me to make me feel bad.

I don’t actually care much about animal rights tbh. I think animal abuse is wrong but I’m way more concerned about the environment (because guess what? Nature adapts, there will still be animals on this earth after humans burn themselves into extinction) so if i ever go vegan or start making more vegan choices, that’ll be my motivation.

Going Vegan 101: A Beginner’s Guide

What does being vegan actually mean?

Let’s start with the basics. What is vegan anyway? And what’s a vegan diet?

First, let’s call it a style of eating. “Fad diets come and go, but if you’re going to plan and make a change like this, it should be your new style of eating for a healthy life.”

At its most basic, a vegan eating style is more than just meatless (or devoid of animal products entirely), but also a commitment to eating whole foods and using “food as fuel.”

If followed correctly, wisely substituting whole and plant-based foods to adequately replace nutrients lost from the absence of meat and dairy, just one among several far healthier choices than the problematic Standard American Diet (SAD) or Western diet, which is exceedingly high in fat, sodium, and sugar, and low in fruits and vegetables.

“Some eat vegan food to protect the rights of animals, which is why some people may not consume honey and similar products that come from living things.” And while a vegan diet is often associated with a healthier lifestyle, that’s only true when it’s based on whole, plant-based foods.”

Types of vegans

If you do completely give up eating animals and animal products, you’ll definitely not be in the majority.

For our purposes, we’ll look at dietary vegans — setting aside ethical, religious or environmental vegans — as a dietary vegan’s motivation is primarily health-related. With that in mind, here are a few more vegan variants:

• Basic vegans, who don’t eat any animals or products from animals.
• Raw vegans don’t eat any animal products — or even any cooked food.
• Ostrovegans also don’t eat any animal products — except oysters or similar bivalves.

What to eat and not eat

Let’s dig a bit deeper into the question of what you’ll eat — and not eat — as a vegan.

Simply put, a vegan eating style means you don’t consume anything that comes from animals, including:

• Meat, poultry and fish/shellfish
• Eggs
• Dairy, including cream sauces, dressings or condiments
• Meat-based broths, gravies or sauces

But going vegan doesn’t have to be defined by what it excludes. It could instead be described by some of the great vegan food options out there.

Many of those options are simply tried-and-true foods — from broccoli and apples to whole-wheat pancakes — while others might be a bit new for your kitchen and your tastes (looking at you, tempeh and seitan!).

One way to approach veganism for beginners is to simply scan a good vegan food list for limitless vegan food options. And if it’s more helpful, Zumpano says you can break it down into food group choices that are available to you as a vegan.

A robust list could include:

• Plant proteins — legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, split peas), soybeans/edamame, tempeh (fermented soybeans), textured vegetable protein, tofu, seitan (wheat protein), nutritional yeast, nuts and seeds
• Vegetables (non-starchy) — fresh, frozen or even canned (without added salt or low in sodium) vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery, cucumbers, mushrooms, spinach, artichokes, bamboo shoots, eggplant, leeks, okra, peapods, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots,green beans, beets, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and cabbage
• Fruits —apples, bananas, oranges, peaches, berries, grapes,melon and pineapple: frozen unsweetened fruit; canned fruit packed in water or unsweetened fruit juice; dried fruit without added sugar such as raisins, plums, apricots, figs, apples and peaches
• Starches — whole-grain bread, cereal, pancakes, pita, tortilla or waffles; grains like amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, farro, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, and wild rice; pastas made from whole wheat, lentil, edamame, black bean, soybean, oat and wheat bran, wheat germ; starchy vegetables such as corn, hominy, peas, potato, sweet potato, winter squash and yams; brown rice cakes and popcorn
• Milk and dairy alternatives — unsweetened almond, soy, hemp, coconut, cashew, flax, pea and oat milks or yogurts; low-sodium dairy-free cheese and cheese spreads
• Oils and fats — vegetable-based oil varieties (choose extra virgin olive oil and limit coconut and palm oils) and tahini (sesame paste); avocado, nuts, seeds, and olives

How to start being vegan

Slowly and methodically.

“I recommend that people cut out one thing at a time.” For example, cut out red meat for the first month, then poultry the next, then dairy, then eggs, and so on. Or you could do it by week instead of a month.

Here’s one path to veganism, eliminating something every week or two, or even monthly if that works for you:

• Week 1: Eliminate red meat.
• Week 2: Drop chicken and keep eating fish.
• Week 3: Start to incorporate meatless meals into your diet and see how you do with them.
• Week 4: Experiment with new recipes.
• Week 5: Drop dairy and replace it with dairy alternatives.
• Week 6: Stop eating fish.

“I like to do it in a step-by-step process because it’s an easier transition. You always have something to fall back on instead of getting rid of too much, too soon.” A vegan diet is tough on convenience. But once you have your essential pantry items and a good routine, it’s less of a challenge. Everyone is different. Some people may prefer doing it cold turkey. Or you could start by including a couple of meatless meals into your week to replace red meat. The key is building a foundation of good meatless recipes and meals to make the transition easier.

Make sure you’re getting enough of key nutrients

But it’s equally important to replace as you remove, particularly important to ensure you’re getting enough protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and B vitamins.

Protein

“You’ll need a plant-based source of protein to add in as you remove things,” she notes. “Anytime you have to have a restriction — by choice or for health reasons — that restriction doesn’t have to feel bad and it won’t if you come up with an alternative that you can enjoy.”

Iron

It’s also important to know that our body doesn’t absorb plant sources of iron as well as iron from animals. Zumpano recommends pairing plant sources of iron with vitamin C foods, like citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers, to increase absorption.

Omega-3 fatty acids

You’ll also want to be sure to add foods like flaxseed, walnuts, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and edamame (green soybeans) to boost your healthy fats (omega-3 fatty acids), which are important for heart health and eye and brain development.

Calcium

To increase calcium, which supports bone health, look for vegan-friendly milk alternatives that are fortified with calcium and other nutrients. Options might include soy, almond, oat, hemp or pea-protein-based milks. Be sure to check nutrition facts and ingredients for calcium, vitamin D and protein, as these can vary greatly based on type and brand.

Other calcium-rich choices include dark, leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens.

B vitamins

Finally, a vegan diet can leave you short of critical B vitamins, especially B12, which helps make red blood cells, prevents anemia and protects nerve cells.

And as you can’t get vitamin B12 from plant sources, you might try fortified breakfast cereals, fortified soy foods (including tofu and soy milk) and multivitamins.

Soy alone has little B12, but its fermented cousin tempeh has a considerable amount. Some research shows that nori (also known as dried purple laver or roasted seaweed) is the best source of B12. You might know it as the wrap around your sushi, but it has plenty of other uses and a taste you can get used to.

And get to know the versatile value of nutritional yeast. This flaky supplement is a great source of vitamin B12 and has a pleasantly cheesy flavor that you’ll enjoy sprinkling on any savory dish. It can even be used as a cheese substitute in recipes.

Just by planning a bit and being intentional about what you add to your menu can address the B12 issue, and give you a few new tastes for your palette.

Going vegan is a journey that may seem daunting at first, but like any habit, it gets easier the longer you go. Everything will eventually begin to look different — from the layout of your local grocery store (your eyes will pop at row upon row of processed foods once you really begin to look).

This ecosystem that is sacred and ceremonial to the local Indigenous people is in danger of being destroyed. Raise your voice to protect it!

Tell the U.S. Forest Service: Take back permit for drilling at sacred place Pe’sla in the Black Hills National Forest

Lawn mowing is a plague. Lawns are a plague. Fuck lawns.

Pakistan plans plastic reform: its informal recyclers hold the key

Pakistan's CoRE Alliance which includes NGOs, recyclers, and leading packaging firms are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), to reduce waste.

Pakistan creates about 2 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year, and only 15-18 per cent is recycled. It flows into the Indus River causing clogged drains and micro plastics in the water. Now only small time recyclers and street cleaners are taking care of the waste.

A transpacific poet who writes like a surgeon, precise, unadorned, unflinching. Read our interview with Christine Chen now. #Poetry #WomenPoets #ContemporaryPoetry #PoetryLovers #FemalePoets #IWD2026 #GlobalPoetry #LiteraryVoices #WordsMatter #PoetsCommunity #InternationalPoetry #WomenInLiterature

Christine Chen: When Language Becomes a Scalpel Against Injustice

Drawdown, The Book

are you really an environmentalist if you don’t have a rock in your shoe and a little dirt in your mouth

I would go even further, we need make animal agruculture as inconvient and as non-profitable as possible. Introduce an animal cruelty tax is needed on all animal products. The environent is in jeperdy and too little is being done about it.

EU Climate Advisers: Eat Less Meat, Redirect Subsidies & Tax Farm Emissions

“It’s just a drop in the bucket compared to what big corporations are doing!”

Yeah. but if 10 people say that, you’ve got a sip of water. If 100 people say that, you’ve got a gulp of water. 1,000 people day that, you’ve got a glass of water.

Sure, pollution is mostly caused by big corporations. But the small stuff matters, too.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. Get a cardboard box and fill it with your plastic waste that can be recycled. Reusable bags are $0.25 in some stores; use those instead of single-use plastic. Turn off lights when you leave a room. If you have the space, try composting.

Do something small. You don’t have to strive to be pollution free (unless you want to, of course).

Rereading stuff about Greenpeace. I largely learned about the org through Patrick Moore (an ex-member who left after the first Rainbow Warrior was bombed by the French govt), films (Armageddon) mocking their protest methods (using zodiacs to disrupt oil drilling operations, bearing witness) and jokes about “save the whales”.

Seeing the other perspective, the one still largely invested in the org’s mission, is illuminating based on what I can remember from my geography class (my teacher really didn’t like Greenpeace).

It’s wild how none of the tactics that any government uses against conscious objectors or politically active willing to put their bodies on the line have really changed.

They ignore you at the start, but once you start mobilizing people against profits and warmongering, appealing to morality (and self-interest), the government (regardless of country) demonstrates that they were willing to kill those people to protect nuclear testing, animal slaughter, and oil profits.

They truly come out looking like extremely irrational actors, and more than once, even if it required adjustment, those actions cemented Greenpeace as the ones with both the moral and political high ground.

They’ve integrated themselves into organs like the UN, and despite multiple summits, and a literal child begging suits to give a damn about the environment, it hasn’t moved the needle toward radical action.

Greenpeace is largely (not solely) responsible for platforming issues that would’ve otherwise been ignored. And I understand why such a large lobbying disinformation campaign arose around environmentalism and why this is the default position of every politician. They’ve used every misstep from the org in the same way anti-vaxxers use one or two research papers about why “this vaccine is bad, actually”, to damage public support.

This Thursday, March 12 to Sunday, March 15 is the 44th annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) hosted by the student group Land Air Water at the University of Oregon School of Law. If you’re anywhere near Eugene, Oregon, I highly recommend checking it out. It’s free to the public with an optional suggested donation. Or a relatively low fee for lawyers who want CLE credit.

This is by far the funniest panel name and description I’ve ever seen.

Alt Text: Conference brochure panel entry.

Not in Our Name, You Don’t! Wildland Firefighters Critique Logging-for-Firefighting in Executive Orders and Legislation.

Panel 2, 9:00-10:30am, Room: LAW 282.

Conservationists are challenged by a swarm of reactionary forestry policies that falsely claim increased logging and road-building will improve fire suppression efficiency and prevent megafires. This panel will provide a wildland firefighter’s critique of these executive orders and congressional bills, and explain how the exact opposite is happening: fire management is being sabotaged by the current regime’s industrial forestry policy agenda.

Panelists: Timothy Ingalsbee, Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology

Carson States, Wildland Firefighter

Liz Crandall, Former USFS Wildland Firefighter

End Alt text.

Can’t wait to wake up too early to go see wildland firefighters be professionally pissed at the government in front of a room full of environmental and human rights lawyers, activists, indigenous people, policymakers, and members of the public eager to learn how they can be a fucking problem to the Trump Administration’s bullshit.

I love this conference because it casts a wide net of people working on environmental and humanitarian issues. And it’s really encouraging to hear about what people are actually doing out there behind the scenes that they can’t really talk about to a widespread public.

Too many environmental activists underestimate the resilience of humankind. My fear is that their cynicism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A nocebo that paralyzes us with despair while temperatures climb unabated. The climate movement, too, could use a new realism. There’s a failure to recognize that not only problems but solutions too can grow exponentially.

Humankind // Rutger Bregman

climate change is taking its toll on the most vulnerable please donate whatever you can ❣️❣️ https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-drought-hit-families-in-somalia-2xkkw

Donate to Feed drought hit families in Somalia, organized by Nasra A

Calling only takes a minute or if a constituent you can email! Thank you!

How will you impact the environment?

Veganism significantly reduces an individual’s environmental footprint, with research showing that plant-based diets can cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water pollution by up to 75% compared to high-meat diets. By eliminating animal agriculture, this lifestyle helps conserve water, reduce biodiversity loss, and decrease deforestation. 

Key Environmental Benefits:

• Reduced Greenhouse Gases: Vegan diets generate 46% less  and up to 75% fewer emissions overall. Livestock accounts for 65% of global nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Land Conservation: Switching to a vegan diet can reduce diet-related land use by 76% (about 3.1 billion hectares), including a 19% reduction in arable land.
• Water Usage & Pollution: Vegan diets use 33% to 53% less water than meat-heavy diets and cause 54% less water pollution.
• Biodiversity Protection: Eliminating animal products reduces the destruction of wildlife habitats, reducing such damage by 66%.

Other Considerations:

• Individual Impact: Shifting to a vegan diet can reduce an individual’s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons.
• Comparison: Even the least sustainable vegan diet is more environmentally friendly than the most sustainable meat-eater’s diet.
• Efficiency: The land used for animal feed could instead feed 350 million more people if used for plant-based foods

Fishing crews in the Atlantic keep accidentally dredging up chemical weapons