Evanston, IL POP-UP NEWSLETTER: Trauma & apology / Leave the leaves & water the trees
October 10, 2021
There are two items in this newsletter, one short, one long. The short item has some practical tips for preparing our Evanston land for the winter—and for next year’s growing season and beyond. The other, longer item contains some practical tips for rethinking our local, statewide, and national feminist strategy — a rethinking that is long overdue.
To:
Evanston voters, media, political groups, businesses, activists
Residents in my neighborhood (Nichols Neighbors)
Some non-Evanston voters with Evanston connections & interests
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1. It’s Fall —
Leave the leaves…
…around trees and shrubs, on garden beds, etc.
Pile high (6-8”), no bare soil.
And water the trees & shrubs.
Some things to think about as caretakers and co-habitants of the 7.8 square miles we call Evanston:
— Average first frost date in Chicago area: Oct. 16.
But this was just Tweeted by the National Weather Service (Chicago office):”October low temperatures have been running 10 to 15ºF above normal at Rockford and Chicago, IL! We see no signs of our first freeze, which typically occurs in October. (Abnormally warm overnight lows are a sneaky way to break monthly records!)”
— Best time of year for…
Soil building: Best time of year to start (leave the leaves)
Climate mitigation (carbon sequestration): Best time of year to start (leave the leaves)
Save your evergreens: Best time of year to start (leave the leaves + water before the ground freezes if still dry)
Save your other trees & shrubs: Best time of year to start…..blahblahblah
Save $$: Best time of year….
— NEW C-SPAN video clip (1 min.)
Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Adviser
Oct. 8, 2021 (emphasis added)
TEXT: BY PROTECTING OUR ECOSYSTEM. WE STRENGTHEN THE POWER OF OUR SOIL, GRASSES, AND TREES TO TRAP CARBON POLLUTION. AND HEALTHY NATURAL SYSTEMS BUILD UP OUR RESILIENCE AGAINST THE CLIMATE IMPACT WE KNOW WE ARE ALREADY FACING. TAPPING INTO THESE NATURAL CLIMATE SOLUTIONS WILL PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH, THEY WILL PROTECT US AGAINST CLIMATE IMPACTS, THEY WILL PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY, AND THEY WILL GROW OUR ECONOMY. THAT IS WORTH A CLAP.
— I just learned about the WATER YEAR, a meteorological term that follows the fresh water cycle (precipitation) from Oct. 1 – Sept. 30. Evidently the term has been around a long time, as explained in this recent newsletter (The Catch) by climatologist Nolan Doesken, an Illinois native working at Colorado State U., but writing his newsletters from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS).
Rain, Hail, Snow: Self-education is fun!
My dream about CoCoRaHS: a short Twitter thread (7).
LEAVE THE F***ING LEAVES!
(stands for “Falling”)
2. “Women are the center”
A U.S. feminist strategy for the ages…and for the 21st century
This is a new blog (long) in which I try to connect a lot of dots:
To survivors & other women, “I’m sorry, 20th century feminist strategy was wrong”
The purpose of the article is to:
— Document the stamina of Evanston survivors and supporters in demanding a City apology for mishandling survivors’ complaints and causing new ripples of trauma
— Identify a more effective feminist strategy for our interlocking and worsening crises, including domestic abuse and sexual misconduct, as well as economic disparities, racism, climate destruction, etc.
Contents
A. TRAUMA AND APOLOGY in Evanston, IL
B. BIG PICTURE: 20th Century U.S. Feminist Strategy
C. 21st CENTURY FEMINISM: “Women are the Center”
D. FORBIDDEN FRUIT: Hiding the evolutionary truth
E. EPILOGUE: “It could actually take everything with it”
F. RESOURCES: Climate, Monetary Policy, and Time