My wife and I provide small donations to lots of different environmental organizations. One of them, the Environmental Protection Information Center, or EPIC, is headquartered in Arcata, California. EPIC describes itself, and its mission, as follows:
Founded in 1977 and based on unceded ancestral Wiyot territory in Arcata, Humboldt County, California, the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) is a grassroots 501(c)(3) non-profit environmental organization that advocates for the science-based protection and restoration of Northwest California’s forests, rivers, and wildlife with an integrated approach combining public education, citizen advocacy, and strategic litigation.Our vision is a Northwest California with healthy, connected, and wild forests where sustainable, restorative management practices are the standard. The forests of the region will help buffer the impacts of climate change resulting in clean air and water, abundant and diverse native flora and fauna, and the protection of natural beauty and quality of life for generations to come.
EPIC's 2023 Annual Report is what has prompted today's blog posting. Check out what EPIC is doing. If you feel moved to contribute to its work, that would be great.
Let me, however, give you another idea, too.
As I was typing out the title (EPIC) for what I have just written, another "EPIC" jumped into my mind. "EPIC," as an acronym, has another meaning. Readers may, or may not, have heard about this "other" EPIC, with the abbreviation celebrating an historical movement that I'd like to think we might all remember:
As Wikipedia describes this "other" EPIC, it was "a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of The Jungle). The movement formed the basis for Sinclair's campaign for Governor of California in 1934. The plan called for a massive public works program, sweeping tax reform, and guaranteed pensions. It gained major popular support, with thousands joining End Poverty Leagues across the state. EPIC never came to fruition due to Sinclair's defeat in the 1934 election, but has been seen as an influence on New Deal programs enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt."
We absolutely need to protect the California environment. That is, without question, an "EPIC" task. But how about we couple that with another, even more "EPIC" effort, taking a cue from Upton Sinclair?
It is pretty clear to me that our future - and whether we even have a future, here in California, and across the nation, and around the world - is going to depend on whether we can accomplish both of the EPIC tasks just mentioned. Soon, we will have a new president and vice president. They are not going to do that for us.
So, how about we rework our priorities and give it a try ourselves?
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