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Serena Renner

@serenarenner.com
2.8K followers 537 following 61 posts

Journalist and editor with an eye on climate, nature, culture, and Indigenous sovereignty. Associate Editor @earthislandjournal.bsky.social. Opinions are my own.

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Reposted by Serena Renner
Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 6h
Bangladesh’s floodplains comprise around 80 percent of the country, making Bangladesh severely at risk of coastal flooding and storm surges, which are getting worse as the planet warms. Seasonal flooding is so bad that students often can’t get to school. The solution? Boat schools.
earthisland.org
Rising with the Waters
In Bangladesh’s flood-prone districts, floating classrooms help keep kids in school.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“It’s often when my daughter is demonstrating maximal wonder at nature that I feel confused about my role and responsibility as an Anthropocene parent,” writes Katie O’Reilly. “How does one foster awareness of what’s happening without burdening kids with despair they’re not equipped to process?”
earthisland.org
Preschool in the Anthropocene
How early education experts are tackling the delicate task of fostering environmental awareness without burdening young children with despair.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
In his September “Lookout” column, @jasondovemark.bsky.social shares his Wallace Stegner-inspired letter to the US government in defense of the federal Roadless Rule. “To allow more roads and more logging in our national forests would annul that right to pursue happiness in our public lands.”
earthisland.org
A Forest Lover’s Public Comment in Defense of the Roadless Rule
Expressing your ideas and opinions about why the rule should stand as is will make a difference.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
On September 17, Earth Island Journal is hosting a salon in Berkeley featuring Annie Leonard and @jasondovemark.bsky.social. The longtime environmental activists, authors, and thinkers will discuss how storytelling can serve as an antidote to environmental amnesia and inspire action. RSVP today!
eventbrite.com
History, Memory, and the Power of Storytelling
An Earth Island Journal salon featuring environmental activists, thinkers, and writers Annie Leonard and Jason Dove Mark.
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 09/09/2026
This issue was a labor of love and concern for the planet. We hope it can play some small part in helping us reimagine education for a climate-changed future. Check out the issue online, or subscribe to the magazine. (Journalism is also key to education). donate.earthisland.org/page/20964/d...
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Reposted by Serena Renner
Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Our Autumn 2026 special issue on education and the environment is on its way to mailboxes! In it, we cover the impacts of heat and climate disasters on learning but also creative programs that push us to rethink education on a warming planet. Subscribe today! donate.earthisland.org/page/20964/d...
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Indigenous activist and scholar Melissa K. Nelson is a fierce advocate for Indigenous rights and for advancing traditional knowledge. In this powerful interview, she talks about engaging the whole body in learning, the value of merging Western and Indigenous sciences, and her vision of education.
earthisland.org
Unlearning and Relearning
Learning is tied to mind, body, heart, and spirit, says Indigenous activist and educator Melissa K. Nelson.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
ATTENTION ASPIRING AND EARLY-CAREER JOURNALISTS: Earth Island Journal is seeking a fall-winter fellow to help produce our award-winning print magazine and online edition. Our environmental journalism fellowship is paid, and the deadline to apply is August 31! www.earthisland.org/assets/Edito...
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Just four years after wildfire swept through Sequoia National Park, thousands of wild sequoia saplings were punching through the ash. This was good news — except that it clashed with the narrative of a quasi-governmental coalition intent on replanting the forest. By @canopyoftitans.bsky.social.
earthisland.org
Natural Regeneration Vs. Replanting: The Clash Over California’s Giant Sequoias
The state’s iconic conifers are regenerating robustly post wildfire, yet a quasi-governmental coalition is pushing to repopulate forests with nursery-raised saplings.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The Tagliamento is one of Europe’s last free-flowing rivers, supporting diverse plants and wildlife along with groundwater. This type of ecosystem has vanished almost everywhere, and a new dam proposal now threatens the Tagliamento, too. By @softurati.bsky.social and @michelelapini.bsky.social.
earthisland.org
The Last Wild River of the Alps
While rivers across Europe are being restored, Italy’s free-flowing Tagliamento could soon be dammed.
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 13/08/2026
Uplifting story by Gary Paul Nabhan about biodiversity, Indigenous sovereignty, collaborative stewardship, and solidarity around the US-Mexico border that no metal wall or political maneuvering can stop.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Independent investigations have confirmed that Israeli attacks on Dhayra and other civilian areas around southern Lebanon have included munitions containing a toxic, highly combustible chemical whose use in war is restricted under international law due to its devastating, and often fatal, effects.
earthisland.org
From Gaza to Lebanon: A Scorched-Earth Strategy
The Israeli army is unlawfully using deadly white phosphorous and other chemical weapons to destroy farmlands and forests in southern Lebanon, reports reveal.
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 06/08/2026
ICYMI - The newest data showing the number of billion-dollar disasters in the U.S. for the first half of 2026 was released last week. This includes 12 events costing nearly $32 billion in damages (5th highest for Jan-Jun event count). ➡️ Explore the data at www.climatecentral.org/climate-serv...
Map showing U.S. 2026 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters, which is from https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-services/billion-dollar-disasters at Climate Central.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
What if the quickest, cheapest path to decarbonization isn’t electrification but reducing the need for electricity in the first place, asks climate and technology journalist @sambutler.us. That starts with ours buildings and neighborhoods. Originally published in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social.
earthisland.org
To Decarbonize Quickly, Think Beyond Electrification
Alternative technologies and interventions can cut emissions faster, cheaper, and without mineral bottlenecks.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The western US is on fire, and the Trump administration is pushing an aggressive “forest-thinning” agenda that could make fire seasons much worse. In the second story of a three-part investigation, Paul Koberstein (@canopyoftitans.bsky.social) shares what's wrong with the Fix Our Forests Act.
earthisland.org
Fix Our Forests Act: A Faulty Solution to Wildfire
The Trump administration seems to believe we need to cut down forests to save them from burning.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
France is facing another record wildfire season. Just a year ago, a record fire blazed through the historic Corbières wine region in the southeast. Journalist Christopher Clark visited Corbières last October to investigate the existential threat to the region as well as solutions from the past.
earthisland.org
After the Fire
Rethinking the future of France’s historic Corbières wine region.
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 28/07/2026
Thanks Paul Koberstein (@canopyoftitans.bsky.social) for the important background and science surrounding pyrocumulonimbus ("fire clouds") like the one we just saw in France, and the forest-thinning operations (read: slash piles) that could make matters worse. Edited by @jasondovemark.bsky.social.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
For our Summer 2026 issue, Zain Azhar — a dentist and journalist based in Okara, Pakistan — wrote about a surprising impact of extreme heat on the human body: It breaks down human teeth. Azhar's reporting was just featured on @livingonearthradio.bsky.social by @prx.org. Have a listen!
loe.org
Living on Earth: Extreme Heat and Tooth Decay
The extreme heat that’s becoming far more common in a warming world is now being linked to dental problems. As the body prioritizes sweat for cooling over saliva production, the resulting dry mouth ca...
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
“The new normal: It seems the most apt way of describing a planet ... permanently out of whack." But there’s a real danger in this thinking: acceptance, “the gateway to indifference and inaction.” Today, @jasondovemark.bsky.social takes on "shifting baseline syndrome," the premise of his new book.
earthisland.org
Are We At Least as Smart as a Frog in Hot Water?
As the aberrant becomes the ordinary, we can’t let our instinct for adapting lead to climate change acceptance.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
“They’re blatantly breaking the law,” says Michael Garrity, director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, referring to Trump’s Forest Service. “But they can get away with it if no one sues.” Meet the two “combat biologists” who keep suing — and who keep winning — to delay logging on public lands.
earthisland.org
The Combat Biologists
As the Trump administration opens millions of acres of public land to logging, two aging conservationists are fighting back — and winning.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
An uprising is underway in Albania, triggered by plans for a massive luxury resort project backed by Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner in an ecologically delicate protected area of the country’s southern coast called Vjosa-Narta. It's the first serious threat to Prime Minister Edi Rama’s power.
earthisland.org
How a Trump Family-Tied Luxury Resort Sparked Albania’s “Flamingo Revolution”
What started as a fight to protect an ecologically sensitive coastal area has turned into the largest civil protest in the country’s recent history.
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Bentley ****TALK CLIMATE**** @bigclimate.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
🧵 Dear Republican lawmakers, Canada has the largest intact boreal forest on the planet. An increasingly hotter world due to #ClimateChange makes longer dry seasons, far larger wildfires & yes, more smoke. No amount of "raking" fixes it. The scientists warned of exactly this for a very long time /1
Map of Canada's boreal forest courtesy of Natural Resources Canada
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 17/07/2026
Good timing for a thoughtful Canadian wildfire story. Thank you @toughcitywriter.bsky.social for this investigation into the 2024 Jasper fire and what lessons it holds for Banff as well as other communities in Canada and beyond. Spoiler alert: Prescribed and cultural fire can help.
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John Vaillant @johnvaillant.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Drill, baby, drill! = Burn, baby, burn! #wildfires
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Jason Dove Mark @jasondovemark.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
OMG, it's happening! Today is the official publication date of my new book, The Earth Said Remember Me: How to Revive Our Memories and Restore the Planet
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My comments on the new @nationalacademies.org report on climate change & extreme weather attribution. The TLDR statement: If anything, the academy understates the strength of the science linking increasingly extreme weather events to climate change: michaelmann.net/comments-on-...
michaelmann.net
Comments on National Academy of Sciences Report on Climate Change & Extreme Weather Event Attribution | Michael E. Mann
The National Academy of Sciences has put out a new report assessing the state of understanding of the science of extreme weather attribution, an area of […]
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 16/07/2026
Transport yourself to Lake Manchar in southern Pakistan through this striking visual @earthislandjournal.bsky.social story by photographer Guillaume Petermann. The Mohana people have lived in the region for some 4,000 years. Today, they're adapting to rising pollution and dwindling resources.
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 15/07/2026
830 wildfires burning across Canada right now. And you know what’s going to make it worse in the future? More oil pipelines. This is why our voice and our vote matters.
A NASA map of the wildfires burning across Canada right now.
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Leah Stokes @leahstokes.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Hard to describe the sorrow I feel watching the boreal forest burn, summer after summer. I was paddling on a lake yesterday when the smoke came in, and knew what was happening despite not having cell reception. Climate change is a heartbreaker.
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Gabriel Furshong @gabriel-furshong.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Nothing dissolves the ego more easily or more quickly than #darkness, a precious and increasingly rare source of #humility. Grateful to Big Sky Journal for reprinting this #essay, first published @earthislandjournal.bsky.social @earthisland.bsky.social & selected as top-5 pick by @longreads.com.
bigskyjournal.com
Outside: Dark Matter - Big Sky Journal
Montanans pride themselves on protecting natural wonders, but very few have considered protecting the dark. The dark, after all, scares us. Not the darkness of a room, perhaps, or even a house. But th...
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
“Hearts are forever bound to smaller, more intimate corners of Earth,” writes Michael Engelhard in this ode to the Grand Canyon Lodge, which burned down a year ago. On the eve of the fire’s anniversary, Engelhard reflects on a special place and what’s left when nature breaks the things we build.
earthisland.org
The Dragon’s Breath: Lament for a Grand Canyon Icon
Our hearts are forever bound to smaller, more intimate corners of Earth. Their demise can bring home the reality of climate chaos.
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Jason Dove Mark @jasondovemark.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
My latest column for @earthislandjournal.bsky.social: "As a deep ecologist who believes in the intrinsic rights of all species, I should probably value insects in and of themselves. But I should be honest — I love the bugs because they feed the birds." www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
earthisland.org
On Birds and Bugs
If we hope to save our feathered friends, we have to give a thought to insects too.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
From lawsuits against the US government to major corporations such as Coca-Cola, Earth Island Advocates — the legal program of Earth Island Institute (@earthisland.bsky.social) — is known for advancing cases in defense of the planet. Learn more in this summer project report by @serenarenner.com.
earthisland.org
Advocates for Earth
Reflecting on the successes and lessons of Earth Island’s legal program.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Meet Gerhard Schwab, aka “the Beaver God,” who advocates for beavers across Germany’s southeastern state of Bavaria. The furry ecosystem engineers bring broad benefits, but they’re multiplying and butting up against human populations. So what does Schwab do? Export them. By Yannic Rack.
earthisland.org
The Beaver God of Bavaria
One man has done more than anyone else to bring beavers back to Europe. Some might find his tactics unorthodox.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
In this episode of Terra Verde @kpfa.org, Earth Island Journal Editor-in-Chief @maureennandinimtra.bsky.social interviews @anniemleonard.bsky.social and @acarothers.bsky.social about why we must continue exercising our fundamental right to peaceful protest, even when it might feel unsafe to do so.
earthisland.org
“Being Active in Community Is the Greatest Antidote to Despair”
Annie Leonard and André Carothers on why we need to protect our right to dissent.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Canada’s first ever #WorldCup win. And holy cow, WHAT a win! 6-0 including an own goal, thanks to CONSTANT pressure. Well done men, the roar in #Vancouver is huge, and the whole country’s celebrating! But a brutal looking injury to Kone, hoping for the best. Keep winning for Kone… #GoCanadaGo
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
@robertmoor.com's new book In Trees isn’t about tree biology or ecology,” writes @jasondovemark.bsky.social in this book review. It’s “pursuing something harder to wrap one’s arms around: the idea of trees.” This sets Moor on a globe-spanning tour of adventures, misadventures and hard-won wisdom.
earthisland.org
Thinking Like a Tree
In Review: In Trees: An Exploration
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John R. Platt @johnrplatt.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Climate vs. Teeth. @earthislandjournal.bsky.social www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
earthisland.org
When the Heat Steals Your Smile
A dentist documents how extreme heat is turning Pakistani farmworkers’ mouths into hostile environments for their own teeth.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
In this interview with EIJ Editor in Chief @maureennandinimtra.bsky.social, veteran activists @anniemleonard.bsky.social and @acarothers.bsky.social discuss the power of protest, and why we need to exercise and defend this democratic right — now more than ever. Read our Summer 2026 "Conversation."
earthisland.org
Resistance is a Relay Race
Annie Leonard and André Carothers on why we must continue to resist even when the odds are against us.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
During her first pregnancy, writer Helena "Ellie" Huizenga knew she should pay attention to Salt Lake City’s air, which is often brown with smog, smoke, and dust. But ozone, a colorless gas, had never crossed her mind. Now pregnant for the second time, she sees ozone as a clear threat. Here's why.
earthisland.org
A Pregnant Threat
It’s not until her second pregnancy that one mother sees ozone as a clear danger to her developing baby.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
From the “God Squad” making Endangered Species Act exemptions to new research on ocean currents, wildlife, and sea level rise, here are our Summer 2026 “Talking Points.” Plus: balcony solar comes to the US, Syngenta quits paraquat, and 5 countries that should brace for a possible “super El Niño.”
earthisland.org
Environmental News in Brief: Summer 2026
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Our Summer 2026 print magazine will hit newsstands and mailboxes soon! In it, you’ll find stories on some surprising ways that heat affects the body; a feature on the return of wildlife to Mount St. Helens, a wild ride with the “Beaver God of Bavaria,” and more! www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
June 2026 marks the 5-year anniversary of the deadly Pacific Northwest “heat home.” At the time, Associate Editor @serenarenner.com was living in BC, where more than 600 people died. It was a wake-up call to the health impacts of extreme heat — which our Summer 2026 print issue sheds light on.
earthisland.org
The Hidden Toll of Heat
Climate change is having some unexpected impacts on our health.
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 28/05/2026
Huge congratulations to the six First Nations and all the project partners who worked tirelessly to establish this 6,700-sq-km reserve, one of the largest in the Great Bear Sea MPA network off the BC coast. This is a hopeful story about Indigenous-led conservation and intergenerational work 🌊🐟💙🦀🌲
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Last week marked the 46th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Biologist & author Eric Wagner reflects on how the return of wildlife shows "how a community can assemble and reassemble itself in the aftermath of tremendous cataclysm." Enjoy this sneak peek of our Summer 2026 issue!
earthisland.org
Ruin and Return
The real lesson from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
On the eve of Colombia's presidential election, environmental activist Yuvelis Morales Blanco urges us all to defend "our Mother." The 24-year-old has become the face of the youth-led anti-fracking movement in Colombia and earned a @goldmanprize.bsky.social. Read this interview by @serenarenner.com
earthisland.org
“Whoever Legislates for Life in Colombia Must Prevail”
As Colombians head to the polls, environmental activist Yuvelis Morales Blanco stresses the need for a transition away from fossil fuels.
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Last month, the US House passed the new Farm Bill, and it includes a provision that would override animal welfare measures passed by states. In his Lookout column, @jasondovemark.bsky.social asks, “Is the whole conservative notion of states rights just a rhetorical cover for a retrograde agenda?”
earthisland.org
For Republicans, States Rights Are a One-Way Street
The GOP is attempting to override states’ efforts for animal welfare.
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Serena Renner @serenarenner.com · 08/05/2026
I'm saddened to hear this news from my friends at @biographic.bsky.social (including former colleagues from Hakai magazine). This is a talented team that produces high-quality journalism about science and the environment — an increasingly rare breed. Please step up to support them if you can 🙏
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Earth Island Journal @earthislandjournal.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Today is May Day, International Workers’ Day, when people march and strike to raise awareness about worker rights and the connection between those and other social and environmental issues. We're all about these connections, and even made a special issue in 2024! www.earthisland.org/journal/inde...
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