Happy Earth Day, Edward Abbey!

The Class of Nonviolence, alas, does not address the environment directly – we typically stuff environmental issues into lesson eight, which is about animals. Another approach could be to look at the life and works of Edward Abbey, an author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues. He fits in well with lesson seven, on civil disobedience. Abbey’s Desert Solitaire has been called “The Walden of the Southwest"; we read Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” in this session. Abbey's most famous novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, centers on a small group of eco-warriors who travel the American West attempting stop uncontrolled human expansion by committing acts of sabotage against industrial development. To this day, eco-sabotage is called "monkeywrenching.” and the practice can be used to begin a discussion about whether destruction of property can be nonviolent and morally acceptable. According to IMDB, a film of this book is scheduled for release in 2010 – about time! The first of these two videos is a short intro to a 2007 documentary about Edward Abbey, A Voice in the Wilderness, available for purchase from Canyonlands Natural History Association; you can watch the entire film for free online at Green Treks.

Edward Abbey A Voice in the Wilderness

Edward Abbey Glen Canyon Dam