#ecologicalliteracy

Space Colonization is Ecologically Ignorant

What the post-capitalist goals of the rich reveal about America

The richest person in America, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, is now valued at $196 billion. In 2019, The Atlantic published an article about him in which Franklin Foer remarks, “Jeff Bezos has won capitalism.” The concision of the statement is striking. It sounds like the beginning of a Greek myth. Daedalus overcame the obstacle of flight.

 Don’t worry this isn’t another article about Jeff Bezos. It’s not really about capitalism either. I begin with Bezos ‘winning’ capitalism because it raises a number of salient questions about what I will call “post-capitalist goals.” Once the dangling carrot of wealth has been achieved for an individual or group, what goals become priorities? How do these post-capitalist goals reflect our worldview?

 For Bezos, what comes after winning capitalism is his pet project, Blue Origin, a space exploration company with a $1 billion annual budget. The company motto is: “Earth, in all its beauty, is just our starting place.”

 That another prominent billionaire, Elon Musk, has funneled his wealth into a space technology venture called SpaceX should prompt the reader’s eyebrows to raise. A pattern is emerging from what these rich powerful men choose to do with their money. The pattern reveals a telling post-capitalist goal: the ambition to go beyond Earth—to explore and colonize space. This ambition seems founded entirely on the presumption that Earth’s habitat (and economy) can be recreated elsewhere; only funding, engineering, and technology will be required to achieve success.

 This essay will examine the ecological ignorance of space exploration. First, let us pause for a moment to appreciate the profound irony that Bezos’ company is named after the Amazon rainforest, the lungs of Earth.

 Ecological literacy is defined as the ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible. Of course, the obverse is ecological illiteracy, an ignorance or misunderstanding of natural systems. The concept is of crucial importance because it directs decision-making in our society at every level. To discuss ecological illiteracy, however, is to risk coming across as another ‘holier-than-thou’ environmentalist. So, I had been searching for an accessible way to write about it for a long time. When I came across the astounding hubris of billionaire-funded space exploration enterprises, I knew I’d found my entry point. Nothing epitomizes ecological illiteracy and its accompanying waste of human resources like space exploration.

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Alluvial fan:  land formation that occurs when sedimentary materials such as rocks, gravel, and silt, are deposited onto land as a result of decreasing or stopped water flow from a river or stream source.

Altitude (elevation): the height above sea level

Anabranch: a flowing part of the river that is separated, usually by an island, and rejoins back down stream.

Archipelago: a group of many islands.

Arête:  a group sharp ridges of rocks on mountain tops usually caused by melting glaciers.

Aseismic Ridge: Chain of seamounts under the ocean created by a hotspot under the Earth’s crust

Arroyo: a creek that is sometimes dry during the year from not having a constant water source such as rain.

Badlands: barren, battered and eroded land from water and shaped with the help of wearing and wind-driven sand and rain.

Barchan: is a sand dune that crescent-shape that faces the wind.  The convex shape is formed by the constant blow of wind in one direction.

Barrier Island: an island or group of island, usually in the ocean, that protects the nearby mainland coast from erosion.

Basin: An area of land largely enclosed by higher land.

Bay: part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land; usually smaller than a gulf

Bayou: A slow moving body of water in a low lying area, usually near the coast, with swamp or marshland in some portions of the shoreline.

Beach: A sloping shoreline consisting of sand, gravel, soil or other sediment.

Beach Cusps:  Beach formation in the form of an arc with a cusp or point at each end

Beach Ridge: Elevated formation of sand or other beach material running parallel to a shoreline

Bight: A curve like a bay landform that that has less curve than a bay.

Bluff: a cliff looking over a body of water or plain.

Bornhardt: a rock formation with steep or vertical sides and a round or dome-shaped top usually with little or no vegetation.

Branch (tributary) a river or stream that flows into a larger river or stream

Blowhole: a hole connected to a cave that is attached to a water system that builds up pressure through waves, current or wind.  When the pressure is great enough, water is release, usually in a spouting manner.

Blowout: A depression or a major loss in vegetation in the ground where the wind has blown away sand or topsoil.

Braided River: A river that has three or move channels that come back together or drain into the same body of water.

Butte: A rock formation with vertical or nearly vertical sides that is flat on top and taller than it is wide

Canal: a man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water and is designed to shorten travel time or irrigate

Canyon: narrow valley with steep sides; usually created by erosion

Cape: a curved or hooked piece of land extending into a body of water

Cave: a hallow space in the ground or mountain with an opening to enter.

Cenote: a collapsed are, usually limestone, with exposed water.

Channel: a narrow deep waterway connecting two larger bodies of water; the deepest part of the waterway.

Climate: the pattern of weather conditions (temperature, precipitation) over a long period of time

Cliff: A high, steep slope of rock or soil

Coast: land along the sea or ocean

Confluence: Two or more bodies of water meet and their waters mix.

Continent: one of the seven largest bodies of land on earth

Continental shelf: plateau of land surface into the ocean but underwater extending from a continent.

Cove: a small bay with a restricted entrance.

Crater Lake:  is a crater or caldera filled with water caused by a volcano eruption or meteor impact.

Crevasse: is a large crack in a glacier that can be seen from the surface.

Cuspate Foreland: a triangular extension from the coast

Cuesta:  a gentle ground slope with a cliff.

Current: the flow of a stream of water

Dam: a wall built across a stream or river to hold back water

Dell: a valley with trees.

Delta: land built up by deposits of sand and silt at the mouth of some rivers

Dirt Cone: Done shape deposit of dirt caused by a glacier.

Desert: dry, barren region usually sandy and without trees, little rainfall or practical use of land unless irrigated

Divide: the highest ridge of land separating river basins

Dome: Oval or round land formation that is elevated from the surrounding areas.

Downstream: the direction of a river’s flow; toward the mouth of the river

Drainage Basin: All the water in the river exiting at a point usually into another water system like the ocean, lake or another river.

Dry Lake: a lake that is dry all year or most of the year with the dry layer being mud or salt.

Dune:  a pile of sand created by wind or waves (underwater dunes)

Erg: a group of sand dunes usually found in a desert.

Estuary: where a river runs into the ocean or other types of salt water.

Escarpment: The edge of a cliff with a steep slope

Fault: a fracture in the rocks along which there has been movement

fjord: a narrow inlet of the sea between high banks or cliffs created by glaciers

Flats or flat:  a floodplain or former floodplain that has a flat ground surface.

Floodplain:  a flat are of land around a river that floods when the river gets high.

Forest: a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; extensive wooded area

Fork: The place where a stream or tributary joins a river

Geo: a narrow inlet in a cliff usually caused by waves or glaciers.

Geyser: An opening in the ground that ejects hot water and steam due to volcanic activity.

Glacier: a large body of slow moving ice which alters the land around it through displacement

Glacier Caves:  A cave at the bottom of a glacier.

Glen:  a long and deep valley usually with steep sides.  See also dale and valley.

Gully: a channel cut in the hillside or mountainside

Gulf: part of a sea or ocean that reaches into land; usually larger than a bay.

Gorge:  a deep valley with steep rocks on each side. Also referred to as a valley or canyon.

Graben:  a ground depression between two faults.

Guyot: is a flat top seamount that is or once had volcanic activity.

Hanging Valley: A valley that is above another valley usually separated by a cliff.

Harbor: a sheltered area of water where ships may anchor safely

Headland: a large area of land extending into a large area of water

Hemisphere: half of the earth usually referred to as eastern or western; northern or southern

Highland: an area of hills, plateaus, and mountains

Hill: a raised part of the earth’s surface with sloping sides; old mountain which because of erosion has become rounder and shorter

Hogback: an exposed rock range caused by erosion

Hoodoo: A irregular shaped rock formation that is tall and pillar-like

Iceberg: a large mass of floating ice that has broken off from a glacier, most of this is underwater

Inlet: a small part of a body of water that reaches into a coast

Island: an are of land completely surrounded by water

Islet: A island, usually all rock with little vegetation, that is uninhabitable.

isthmus: narrow strip of land with water on both sides connecting two larger pieces of land.

Karst: A soluble rock landscape shaped through erosion.

lake: a large body of water surrounded by land

Latitude: imaginary lines on a globe or map used to measure distance from the equator; parallel lines running east and west

Lava Dome: a rise in the ground or volcano caused by lava going through vents in the earth.

Lava Field: area of land covered by lava flow.

Lava Lake: molten lava in a crater or vent.  (Like a lake filled with lava)

Lava Spine: vertical flowing lava that grows, usually in a sharp tower like shape.

Lava Tube:  a sold cave tube caused by lava

Longitude: imaginary lines on a globe or map used to measure distance from the Prime Meridian; lines running from pole to pole.

Lowland: an area of low and usually level land

Marsh: a wetland with grasses and little or no trees

Meander: a major bend in a river or stream

Mesa: a land formation having a relatively flat top and steep rock walls

Moraine: deposits of rock and sediment left from a former or receding glacier

Mountain: high, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top, higher than a hill

Mountain Pass: the highest point in a mountain range that is passable by foot.

Mountain Range: a long chain of mountains; a row of connected mountains

Mouth (of a river): place where a river empties into a larger body of water; the end of a river

Mud Volcano: geothermal heated mud that bubbles like lava in a volcano.

Natural Arch:  rock that forms together with a natural rock bridge usually caused by erosion.

Nunatak: Rocks coming from a glacier

Oasis: a fertile place in the desert where there is water and some vegetation

ocean: largest body of salt water; these cover 3/4 of the earth’s surface.

Ocean Range or Mid-Ocean Range: two separating underwater tectonic plates separating with magma expelling creating mountain ranges.

Oceanic Basin: All the land in each specific ocean.

Oceanic Plateau: an elevated area of the seafloor that is higher than the surrounding area.

Oxbow Lake: a former meander of a river that has separated into a curved lake.

Peninsula:  piece of land that extends into a body of water and is surrounded on three sides by water.

Pit Crater: a hole or crater with steep sides caused by volcanic activity.

Plain: a broad, flat or gently rolling area; usually low in elevation.

Plateau:  flat highland area with one steep face; elevated plain.

Plunge Pool: a deep area of water under the waterfall.

Pond:  a small body of water surrounded by land.

Port: man-made place along the coastline where ships can load and unload cargo; not a natural harbor.

Pothole: A hole in an exposed layer of rock that created by a river’s flowing water.

Prairie: a large plains region with tall grass.

Proglacial Lake: a freshwater lake that forms behind a glacier.

Pyramidal Peak:  Is where two or more arêtes meet and form a pyramid shape on top of a mountain.

Raised Beach: an area of land above the shore that is higher than high tide.

Rapids: a part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents move swiftly over rocks.

Ravine: a smaller form of a valley with steep sides.

Reef: a ridge of rock or sand at or near the surface of the water.

Reservoir: a lake where water is collected and stored for future use.

Ria:  a valley that flows into a coastline’s water and gets submerged.

Riffle: a shallow area of a river, lake or stream that has ripples caused usually by a rocky surface.

Rift Valley:  two separating tectonic plates forming a valley by the land falling.

River: a large stream of water flowing through the land into a lake, ocean, or other body of water.

River Delta: a branching river extending into another body of water.

River Island:  an island in a river.

Sea: a large body of water, usually salt water, partly or completely surrounded by land.

Sound: a wide channel connecting two bodies of water or an inlet between the mainland and islands.

Source (of a river): the place where a river or stream begins.

Strait: a narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water.

Sandbar:  an area of sand or sentiment that has been collecting and rises above or just below the water.

Sinkhole: Collapsed limestone or other softrock that forms a hole on the earth’s surface.

Swamp: an area of land that is always soaked with water; low, wet land that supports grass and trees.

Terrace:  a flat area of land like a step on landforms like a mountain, valley or beach.

Tide: the regular rising and falling of the water of the oceans and waters connected to the ocean.

Upstream: the direction toward a river’s source; opposite to the rivers’ flow.

Valley: low land between hills or mountains.

Volcano: a cone shaped mountain formed out of rock or ash thrown up from inside the earth, frequently with an opening or depression at the top.

Before we set off on this trek we had an ambitious plan to document as many agricultural projects as possible along our plotted route, a trip spanning from Detroit, Michigan going down the east coast and essentially circumnavigating the states and finally ending in Washington. Seem like a lot? Yeah, we thought so too. We scaled back. Stripping our route of any absolute commitments to farms. 

But life doesn't always take kindly to what you think is best and nudges you back onto diverted paths. It was in Savannah, Georgia that we realized our original plan might be worth attempting. A gathering at a community event serendipitously lead us to meeting Phil & Shannon. Artists turned farmers and more importantly farmers who were excited about the idea of having us come out and visit their farm.

With an invite in hand we spent a day thinking about what our original  documentation project was like and began to discuss what it could perhaps become. Newly inspired by the chance encounter and fresh ideas, we set off to the address scribbled on a piece of paper.

Just beyond the sprawl and development  we were surprised by the proximity of the farm to the city as we rolled up on a warm Georgia winters day. 

A few hundred yards away we could see two figures intently working. A medium height steel cage outline traced what was soon to be a hoop-house. A pair of trucks with rusty steel tools in their beds and soil caked on their tires. A faulty looking fence lay just beyond the workspace in the distance, and the sweet smell of soil was swirling around in the afternoon breeze. With one quick look at each other, we knew we had arrived at The Old Dairy Farm.

 "I want to make things that are better for the earth and better for people."

So what lead Phil & Shannon to trade in their blank canvases for a living, growing and cultivated one?

"It’s a long journey. I studied Art for painting. Its a great skill, artistry comes in hand everyday. [But] being an artist and cranking out paintings just isn’t for me. I started getting involved in environmental issues, especially the catastrophe of plastic waste. All I was doing by making paintings was putting more plastic on that pile. I want to keep making things. But I want to make things that are better for the earth and better for people. I don’t think my paintings [were] really good for the earth, they were bad for the earth. All the toxins used and all the plastic waste. The life style I was leading was really destructive."

Phil and Shannon studied at Savannah College of Art and Design and had spent a majority of their young adult lives becoming artists. As their interest's and understanding of ecological crisis came into focus they decided to engage with an art form that aligned more with their new values.

"I started WOOFing (Working on Organic Farms) with my girlfriend, [Shannon]. We WOOFed all over Georgia and Pennsylvania... [I] worked on an organic farm in Sylvania, Georgia. I was an intern there for a year and half at a place called Walker Organic Farm. That [was] definitely the most important training I had, Relinda taught me so much, I'm very proud to have worked there... [After] about two years of experience, I met a farmer out in Macon, Georgia, Julia Asherman a young women who started a farm called Rag & Frass... She was an artist, I'm an artist. She explained to me how she started her farm and she helped me figure out how to write a business plan. You know it’s something they never teach you in art school, paid a shit-ton of money and we had very little practical guidance in starting a business.She gave me a lot of practical guidance...You know its so different from the art world... If another farmer sees you trying to be a farmer they will help you. You know like 9.5 times out of ten, they will help you. The only time they might not help you is if they are too busy. "

Phil and Shannon dedicated themselves to a new dream, a new type of art. They immersed themselves into a world they knew little about but found that the folks they were investing in were ready to share their knowledge and wisdom. Much like what Phil was doing (unknowingly or knowingly) with us on that warm winter Georgia day. It wasn't hard to see the impact of other farmers in Phil's journey to his newly ploughed and producing piece of land. He smiled from eye to eye as he spoke of the farms he worked on prior and farmers who had been willing to share their time and knowledge with him. The eagerness shared between farmers was not the same sentiment shared by all, though.

 "It was tough for my family to swallow. When I was like, 'yo, I know I went to art school and it cost a lot of money and a lot of time and I know I've been an artist for a long time but I'm gonna be a farmer'. There were a couple years where my family was like, 'you're fucking insane, you're not a real person' but now they are like, 'holy shit he has a farm'. Now I get a lot of props. A couple years of darkness though."

Phil's sentiment and struggle as he transitioned his entire life is no joke.  According to a report by the National Young Farmers Coalition 78 percent of young farmers (meaning 35 and under) are first generation farmers. Shannon and Phil join the ranks of many first generation farmers all over who struggle to find true support, not to mention struggle to find land and capital to engage with their dreams of farming. 

The process of how The Old Dairy acquired their land is a fairly common one. The land they are operating on was once an old dairy farm over a century ago, hence the name. The land was a piece they had passed many times while walking their dog. It was one day when Phil, all his training, and his will decided it was time to make the jump into running his own farm. He made a move to acquire the 2 acre piece of land Shannon and him now work.

"The people who own the land don’t just want to develop it, they are trying to rent the space to people who are going to fit their vision. I spent a couple months crafting a business plan and Kerry helped me get in touch with the [owners]. I twisted his arm to let him know this is what I really wanted to do."

Of course, like many young farmers, Phil and Shannon were not able to outright purchase the land, it came with stipulations.

"there is no potential for me to own this land. But I have a really inexpensive rental fee that I pay. I have a one year lease which is kind of stupid in retrospect. I should have asked for a couple year lease. I was so excited just going with the flow. Contact me in October and see if I get screwed over."

Perhaps that is the story of many young farmers. Young farmers in many ways are at the whim of land lords and financial instability.

However, Phil shared what all beginning farmers hope for which is a glimpse that maybe, just maybe, they can farm for a living. Phil and Shannon don't represent some hopeful romantics or hobby farmers, they are folks who have put in the honest hours to learn and understand sustainable agriculture. The time they have put in is clearly not for themselves only, but for the community of Savannah and the land base on which they have ploughed.

"I’m going to grow veggies that are some good veggies that aren’t sprayed with poisons and aren’t wrapped in plastic. Finally last weekend I was able to sell people paper bags full of delicious perfect arugula."

We left as Phil's father arrived from Massachusetts seeing his son's farm for the first time. The Old Dairy Farm is a story of young farmers attempting to shift their own paradigm and larger systems that have lead to our current ecological and social problems. We can only hope that Phil and Shannon find success in what seems to be a long, but intentional road ahead.

Check these rad folks out!

The Old Dairy Farm

Walker Organic Farm