Posts by Fred Tutman
Who’s Watching the Watchers?
Posted by Fred Tutman.
Last week I had the edgy and unwelcome task of informing an elderly resident in Gambrills that our testing of her well water revealed huge amounts of Thallium, Barium and Aluminum. This was most likely caused by a nearby former coal waste disposal site. This gentle soul whom I suspect has lived in the same home and consumed the water there for her entire life, has lately been living with cases of bottled water sitting on her porch provided courtesy of some energy company.
But she still does not have justice.
Read MoreThe Bay of My Future
Posted by Fred Tutman
Being something of a science fiction fan, and admittedly a recovering “Trekkie” I am always intrigued by depictions in film and in literature of Utopian societies where humans have turned their attention away from sparring with one another and plundering the planet for cash and instead devote their lives to efforts to spreading peace, goodwill and humanitarian aid throughout the galaxy.
Read MoreUnited We Stand?
Posted by Fred Tutman.
In our Bay preservation movement there some among us are deeply committed to compatible ideals and to the environment but lack the momentum or body politic to communicate their views clearly or beyond the narrow subset of environmentalism they represent. We are often divided within—as much by interest group as by our vision of what winning actually looks like. Such of our subsets are just not mainstream enough by orientation to communicate comfortably with those outside their own choir, but we include them by reference in order to swell our ranks. Truthfully, these are folks who have a smaller (but important) vision not always shared by all.
Read MoreEnvironmental Coalitions That Get Results
As environmentalists who care about our planet and our society we operate in an increasingly slippery environment in terms of gaining traction for our vision for clean water and strong communities. In tough economic times we are often seen not as champions of the public interest, but as adversaries of the economic system. I think we need a makeover of our tactics if we hope to make a real difference.
Read MoreWant to Know Why We Can’t Clean Up the Bay? Follow The Money
Restoration and advocacy are two different approaches to dealing with the persistent problems of dirty water. But these two polarities actually have very different implications as far as funding potential, tactics and effectiveness. Actually, there is a whole generation of Bay advocates who think education and advocacy are the same thing. Nothing could be further from reality.
Read MoreThe Power of Constructive Anger
I have a confession to make. For years I labored to keep my public writing and oratory dispassionate and objective when speaking about the environment. At first I think this approach managed to put a few people to sleep. But my subconscious fear was that my audience would miss the substance of what I was saying and pick up solely on my anger and I would lose credibility. People might think I was unprofessional or lacked objectivity. Besides, my disdain of becoming the stereotyped “angry black man” restrained me from saying precisely what was on my mind. Much later I learned that my passion about this subject matter is exactly why people kept inviting me to give talks, because my passionate rage sometimes leaked out. And what was on my mind? A genuine sense of outrage over the endless antics of elected officials, the public, and the environmental community in a society that consistently and repeatedly puts the environment last behind the prevailing self interest of wealth, convenience and influence.
Read More