Confessions of an Eco-Warrior

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Summary: Can Deep Ecology Save the World?
Review: "Confessions of an Eco-Warrior" goes a long way towards describing the worldview of the radical environmentalist movement in the United States. Written by Earth First! cofounder Dave Foreman, the book is a sweeping indictment of industrial society and the damage this system is doing to our national parks, our water supply, and our wildlife. Foreman, who looks a lot like Grizzly Adams, is one American who is not going to take this destruction lying down. He is angry that damage to the environment continues without any let up, and he aims to reverse that damage by spreading the green gospel with this book.

Foreman begins with a detailed chronology of how he turned into a green radical. Foreman was a member of the Wilderness Society, one of the "Big Ten" environmental groups (others include the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society) working through political channels for wilderness protection. Foreman became disgruntled with these groups when he realized that legal means could not get the job done. A few other people shared Foreman's views, so they formed Earth First!, a group dedicated to using any means necessary to secure a bright future for the environment.

A central tenet of Earth First!'s manifesto is the philosophy of Deep Ecology. This philosophical outlook boils down to biocentrism, or a belief that the universe is not man-centered, but that mankind exists as part of a vast, interlocking chain of actions within the environment. Earth First! rejects dogmas such as communism, socialism, capitalism, or any other anthropocentric belief system, claiming that such systems are humanistic with little concern for the environment. Earth First! supports massive reductions in the human population, the rejection of rational systems of thought as the only credible way of thinking, and disdain for the unquestioning belief in progress and technology that most of us take for granted. As can be expected, many of Foreman's beliefs are not popular with significant majorities of the population. His attitudes about strict birth control methods across the globe, according to Foreman, continually bring outraged letters from leftists who cannot bear the thought of less people. But for Foreman, it is all a part of a better, greener planet. If humanity continues to grow as it has for the past century or so, the earth stands no chance of surviving into the future.

A significant part of the book deals with monkeywrenching, an action-oriented form of ecological terrorism designed to slow the growth of technology and progress in America's wilderness areas. Monkeywrenching became famous in environmental circles when Edward Abbey, a rabid environmentalist, wrote the novel "The Monkeywrenching Gang" in 1975. This form of terrorism often involves the destruction of construction sites or industrial equipment. Its most famous expression involves tree spiking, where metal nails and spikes driven into trees help save vast tracts of wilderness or destroy sawmill equipment when the spiked trees are cut for the market. Foreman is very careful about advocating such activities (probably due to his own arrest by the FBI for ecological terrorism), but goes on to give a full account of the pros and cons of taking part in monkeywrenching activities.

In Foreman's world, monkeywrenching becomes a necessity when the big corporations control the political process through bribes, campaign contributions, and intensive lobbying. With the political process closed to serious environmental reforms, the destruction of the environment continues at an unprecedented rate. In chapter after chapter, Foreman describes the destruction of our lands through careless grazing, overzealous logging, and government sponsored extermination campaigns against animals that prey on farming and cattle interests. As the litany of state sanctioned horrors unfold, Foreman's arguments for driving a few spikes in a tree look sensible.

Regrettably, making sense has little to do with many of Foreman's arguments. His ideas of a biocentric philosophy flies in the face of what seems to be a natural human inclination towards technological development. For the most part, people do not want to live in the world Foreman and his ilk hold up as a desirable goal. Foreman's claim that people were healthier and happier before industrialization stretches the truth to the breaking point. Industrialism certainly has its own problems, but the old days were far from perfect. Were people really "happier" in the old days when harsh conditions opened up communities to constant invasion, incurable diseases, and high mortality rates? If they were, why did "progress" and "technology" emerge as a viable system? Ultimately, I am uncomfortable with Foreman and his fellow radicals. Whenever radicals like this get into power, they always end up killing people.

"Confessions of an Eco-Warrior" does try and offer solutions to serious problems in our industrial based system. Unfortunately, the solutions are often worse than the problems. As a primer for learning about the radical environmental fringe, Foreman's book is probably one of the best. Concern for the environment is important and should be a priority for every living person on the planet, but Foreman and his fellow travelers take it way too far.

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Summary: Everyone Must Read This Book; It Can Change Your Life
Review: Dave Foreman, lifelong preservationist, and founder of the Environmental organization called "EarthFirst!" provides an insightful explanation into the state of our nation and our world today from the preservationist viewpoint. Foreman refers often to historical information, biological research, ecological studies, demographic trends, science, population growth, political and economic facts, statistics, and motivations to explain the "why," "who" and "how" of our environmental condition today. "Common man" cattle-ranchers, behemoth corporations, bureaucratic agencies, and working and middle class--us, I, we humans--are relevant in this very mature and logical book. This is not a political or economically ideological book. The goal is to preserve what's left of our planet, pure and simple. "EarthFirst!" is inclusive for people from all economic, sociological, political, and religious backgrounds. In other words, it's not just for the so-called Greeners or Naturalists.

The bibliography noted in this text can lead anyone to further learn about the multitude of thinking, politics, history, and scientifically-based fact, which is the foundation of the preservationist movement. Foreman's description of the many species of plant and animal life makes the reader want to jump right into the natural world. Most of it is gone, however. Extinct. And many more species of animal and plant life are dwindling everyday. In the past I've read and viewed descriptions of "EarthFirst!" from those not familiar with environmentalism or biocentrism. Its coverage of "EarthFirst!" was extremely misleading in my opinion. This book is not a ranting and raving diatribe in any way. It is completely the opposite. This is an honest look at what we humans have been doing for centuries, and the all-encompassing ramifications and lower quality of life that will result from it for all of us. This book unemotionally describes and explains how our nation and world has been transformed, and it is saddening and frustrating. But that does not mean that it is too late for the expansion of positive preservationist thinking, eco-education, and action. In fact, it is more important today than ever at this stage. I've never been involved in environmental movements or have been much of an Outdoor person. I go camping occasionally, have done some hiking, and have always respected and admired natural beauty. Yet, I was mostly oblivious to much of the details of the environmental issues that I read about in the newspapers, saw on television news, and watched on documentaries regarding the environmental topics of today. It is people like me that a book like this can reach, and change. I am one of the masses. And this book can, I believe have a profound impact on the masses, in the way we think and how we act. Every North American should read this book. In my opinion it should be required reading in our schools as a starting point on how we view our world. [e-mail]