Ultimately, I agree with anarchist John Zerzan (“Civilized, All too Civilized,” EW 6/23)
It is hard to reimagine what it looked like in the times of the Grandmothers. I know that sustainability is an idea whose time has come, but it is difficult to see through the fog of consumption and what that means. My best touchstone is: “How do we survive without harming our Earth?” How do we survive and produce our food, shelter and clothing without doing that? My best answer: Remember that we are animals, albeit the strange two legged type; we eat, run on that energy for a while, defecate, then repeat the process.
How do we survive sustainably? With a vast intellectual/ecological component. With encyclopedias of recovered, verbal knowledge of plants and fellow animals, their habits, their use and preparations as medicines and foods, while gently bending the stems of the natural landscape of Earth to our needs over many generations, without breaking them, and treating their well-being very much the same as our own.
Richard Gross
Deadwood
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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