Hope and Healing—Reflections and Pictures 2020
Are there words that can describe 2020? Plenty of negative ones come to mind, like “Why can’t you wear a mask?” But I am staying positive and sharing images of hope and healing—and planting more trees. The presidential election is over. Vaccines to treat the virus are on the way. […]
Guide for Successful Environmental Activism and Justice
One of the best gifts of 2020 was Dominion Energy’s abandonment of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. It was a victory for the little guy over corporate bullying and profiteering. I’ve written an educational guide based on how the six-year fight unfolded—Four Factors That Led to the Defeat of the Atlantic [...]
Growing Climate Solutions
At last, farmers and foresters might have a seat at the carbon market table. Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and the House of the United States Congress to help farmers and foresters receive credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing soil organic matter—carbon. Note: The […]
Earth Day 53: Invest in Our Planet (JMU 2023)
Note: This blog was written by a real person–me. The first Earth Day was in 1970; atmospheric carbon dioxide was 325 ppm. Earth Day 53 is April 22; atmospheric carbon dioxide now exceeds 418 ppm. This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet.” First, the Good News The best news […]
Farmland Conservation is Critical for the Shenandoah Valley (JMU 2023)
Note: This was written by a real person: me. Farming is the heart and soul of the Shenandoah Valley and the number one industry in most counties. But perhaps not for long. As I drive around, I can hardly look anywhere without seeing houses, cookie-cutter subdivisions, or big box stores […]
Pipeline Fighters Defeat Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Note: The text from most of this post was published as an op-ed piece in the News-Leader on 7/17/20. A Six-Year Fight Against Dominion Celebrate the victory—the defeat of Dominion Energy’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), a 600-mile, high-pressure, fracked-gas pipeline planned to rip through West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina. […]
Farming and Nature Proceed Despite the Pandemic—Swoope Almanac May 2020
Most of the world remains sequestered at home from the COVID-19 pandemic. Demonstrators with assault weapons dressed in military gear protest stay-at-home orders. You might get harassed for wearing a face mask in public. Our political divide widens. Farming Proceeds Despite the Pandemic On the farm, there are no politics [...]
SCOTUS to Maui: You Need a Permit—The New Maui Wowie
*Editor’s note: The text of this post was published in the Virginia Mercury on 5/1/20. When do prepositions protect our groundwater? When the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) says so. In County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund et al., Justice Stephen Breyer used the words from […]
