*Afterthought #108: Read, Listen, View, Act

The more study I did to write my forthcoming book—Writer in a Life Vest: Essays from the Salish Sea—I recognized how much I still have to learn. Fortunately, reading, listening, and viewing options abound, and all of them compel me to act. I’ve included many of these resources at the end of the book. Here are a handful of them.

Read

Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy by Joanna Macy, and Chris Johnstone. New World Library, 2012.

Endangered Orcas: The Story of the Southern Residents byMonika Wieland Shields. Orca Watcher, 2019.

Explore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids by Joseph K. Gaydos and Audrey DeLella Benedict. Little Bigfoot, 2018.

For Love of Orcas: An Anthology by Andrew Shattuck McBride and Jill McCabe Johnson, ed. Wandering Aengus Press, 2019.

Fylling’s Illustrated Guide to Pacific Coast Tide Pools by Marni Fylling. Heyday, 2015.

Great Tide Rising: Towards Clarity and Moral Courage in a Time of Planetary Change by Kathleen Dean Moore. Counterpoint, 2016.

No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg. Penguin Random House, 2019.

Rainshadow World: A Naturalist’s Year in the San Juan Islands by Susan Vernon, illustrations by Nancy McDonnell Spaulding. Archipelago Press, 2010.

Spirits of the Coast: Orcas in Science, Art, and History by Martha Black, Lorne Hammond, and Gavin Hanke with Nikki Sanchez, ed. Royal British Columbia Museum, 2020.

The Salish Sea – Jewel of the Pacific Northwest by Audrey DeLella Benedict and Joseph K. Gaydos. Sasquatch Books, 2015.

Listen and View

Podcasts

Visit https://grist.org/fix/2020-was-the-year-climate-podcasts-went-mainstream-here-are-our-favorites/for a list of favorite 2020 climate podcasts from “Grist,” a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Here are a couple:

“Dismantled.” Podcast for intersectional environmentalists plus voices focused on climate justice. https://www.intersectionalenvironmentalist.com/dismantled-podcast

“Mothers of Invention.” Podcast on feminist climate change solutions from (mostly) women around the world.  Hosted by Mary Robinson, first female President of Ireland; Maeve Higgins, Irish coming based in New York City; and Thimali Kodikara, series producer. https://www.mothersofinvention.online/episod

Videos

“Exploring the Salish Sea 2017.” Stephen Martin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFUKNsCIb_w

“People of the Salish Sea (Coast Salish).” From the film, “Clearwater.” Produced by Tracy Rector. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tQMZttQV0w

“Salish Sea Wild.” Adventure videos of the Salish Sea’s ecosystem with wildlife veterinarian Joe Gaydos and Team SeaDoc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDI1QmvN3j8

“This Living Salish Sea.” Sarama. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqxEiL43CUk

Films

“An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.” Follow-up to “An Inconvenient Truth” that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. 2017. https://www.algore.com/library/an-inconvenient-sequel-truth-to-power

“Youth v. Gov.” This film is the story of twenty-one plaintiffs, now ages 13 to 24, who have been suing the U.S. government since 2015 for its willful actions in creating the climate crisis the youth will inherit. Liz Smith, the paused writer-in-residence on the Interisland ferry, was co-producer and archival researcher for the film. https://youthvgovthefilm.com/#home

Act 

Knowledge often leads to action, and there are numerous organizations you can join with to do just that.

All We Can Save Project: building power and joy to support women leading on climate and to nurture a just and livable future.

American Cetacean Society: founded in 1967; the oldest whale, dolphin, and porpoise conservation group in the world.

Center for Whale Research: since 1976, CWR has studied Southern Resident killer whales in the Salish Sea. CWR performs health assessments to ensure the viability of the whale population, informs elected officials of their ecosystem needs, and shares the whales’ story with the world. 

Friends of the San Juans: citizen group formed in 1979 to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. Efforts include education; advocacy; citizen engagement;habitat restoration; and protection of water, forest, farmland and endangered species. 

Orca Network: non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats. 

Rights of the Salish Sea/Community Rights San Juan Islands: a nonprofit working to recognize in law the rights of the Salish Sea to exist, thrive, and regenerate vital lifecycles. 

Save Our Wild Salmon: a diverse, nationwide coalition working to restore wild salmon and steelhead to the rivers, streams, and marine waters of the Pacific Northwest for the benefit of the region’s ecology, economy, and culture.

SeaDoc Society: founded in 2000, the SeaDoc Society conducts and sponsors scientific research in the inland waters of the Pacific Northwest and translates science into action. 

The Whale Museum: promotes stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research.

Wild Orca: working since 2014 to engage the public and policymakers to recover Southern Resident killer whales. 

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Can you recommend other books, films, or organizations? If so, please include them in this post’s comments, or email information to me: iris@irisgraville.com. 

*Afterthoughts are my blog version of a practice followed in some Quaker meetings. After meeting for worship ends, people continue in silence for a few more minutes during which they’re invited to share thoughts or reflect on the morning’s worship. I’ve adopted the form here for last-day-of-the-month brief reflections on headlines, quotes, books, previous posts, maybe even bumper stickers and refrigerator magnets.