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periwinkleravenclaw t1_j3etlyh wrote

Besides voting and shopping consciously (and preferably locally), all we can do is be LOUD about the problem. Call your representatives. Vote with your dollars and take to social media loudly to tell companies why you’re not buying what they’re selling if they’re not operating with our collective future in mind. We have to make ourselves somewhat obnoxious if we want to be heard; big companies will ignore you until they can’t ignore you any more.

Also, plant plants. I live on almost an acre that had been cleared a century ago for farm land: now we’re reforesting about half of it with native, non-invasive trees. The rest contains my weird old house, a bunch of perennial flowers, some berry bushes and the biggest vegetable garden I can manage. It’s the best I can do with what I have, and that’s all anyone can really ask.

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rubicon11 t1_j3eywf9 wrote

Amplifying the PLANT PLANTS: There was just a post on Reddit this afternoon saying that native bird populations exploded on just 10% of former farmland that was converted to native grasses

https://www.birdguides.com/news/birds-bounce-back-when-10-of-farmland-is-given-to-nature/

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sparklewillow t1_j3ew2p9 wrote

We have 2 acres and I thought the best thing was to just leave it alone, but sounds like we could be doing more, good tip.

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acfox13 t1_j3ezuhn wrote

The Way It Grows does landscape design focused on native plants and sustainable agriculture; if you're looking for help with the design portion.

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Literallydead_1 t1_j3gibpz wrote

If you've never visited r/nolawns yall should! Not that all your land is lawn/yard, but you get the idea. Love this subreddit and wish a lot of our Maine neighbors would do this!

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HIncand3nza t1_j3f1ogl wrote

That is probably the best thing you can do. Just let natural plants take hold.

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DiscordAccordion t1_j3fepmx wrote

Do be sure to weed out invasive species. Upstate New Yorker at Uni in Maine and buckthorns have devastated my yard. Outcompetes all the other plants and sprouts back as soon as you cut it down. After 2 years of cutting and removing roots, it's finally gone. Don't let that happen to you; be vigilant for invasive plants.

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MontEcola t1_j3fc0jh wrote

It depends on the land. If it is a forest or wetland , leaving it alone might be best. If there is a stream, planting things to shade the water helps keep the water cold. Knowing what is growing there, what should be growing there, and what should not be there helps.

As for tics, encouraging animals that eat them helps. Opossum and skunks come to mind. Two animals that people do not want near their homes eat a ton of tics. Chickens and other birds eat tics too.

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umru316 t1_j3fd00r wrote

It's worth noting that you don't always need to plant trees. Native grasslands are also vital ecosystems to maintain and replace

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costabius t1_j3ffnio wrote

Just remember "native plants" are not going to be suitable to grow here in 30-50 years. We will have a much warmer and wetter climate, and the growing season will be longer.

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Sufficient_Risk1684 t1_j3fiskb wrote

Ehh. No. Most native plants have large ranges. Maine is at the northern end of some species, but not really at the southern end of many. Most of our species run commonly down to the Mid-Atlantic states anyway.

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[deleted] t1_j3fct8e wrote

>all we can do is be LOUD about the problem. Call your representatives.

People have been trying that longer than the 40 years I've been alive.... apparently the thinking is that within another 100 years it might suddenly start working I guess? Apparently the problem isn't corruption, it's just that politicians don't know what we want!! (LOL!!!)

Haha, it's crazy that most people suggesting to "keep up the status quo harder" have accepted they will be dead before anything "might start working". It's a very strange type of denial.

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ManlyBeardface t1_j3flid2 wrote

Sadly a lot if folks aren't even able to imagine another way. It makes sense though since capitalism isn't going to teach people how to replace capitalism.

Capitalism and the world it built is what created this problem and you are right; more of it won't change things. Our oligarchy was created to protect the system and those at the top of it and acting outside that system is the only thing that will bring meaningful change.

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[deleted] t1_j3fo27y wrote

>Sadly a lot if folks aren't even able to imagine another way.

Yup... it's a complete surrender to nihilism. A full acceptance that widespread corruption and a dysfunctional political system are "just how things are".

Americans have no hope for the future. They just cling to status quo and pray as things continue to slide downward....

Scared to rock a sinking ship because "what if we get wet", even though they know they are half way in the water already and it will only end in drowning if they refuse to do anything.

Pure delusion.... pure nihilism... and pure surrender to the most corrupt and evil people in the world.

I guess that's why superheroes are so popular, because at least then the citizens can get lost in the fantasy that the bad guys don't win.

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Technical-Role-4346 t1_j3ghihw wrote

If farming good or evil? Is chemistry good or evil? These thing have potential to do great harm or great good. I submit that capitalism also has the potential to do great good and great harm. Replacing capitalism with anarchy pure socialism or communism or a totalitarian system will not solve the problem. Some like to point to some Scandinavian countries as a model. However you find that under the facade capitalism is the engine that drives their success.

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ManlyBeardface t1_j3gveku wrote

All the Scandinavians did was export the worst exploitation to the global south.

The evidence is pretty clear. Capitalism is poisoning the world and killing the human species. The evidence also shows that Socialism does the opposite.

Has Capitalism created amazing technological advancement? Yes. And it did it on a mountain of suffering and corpses. A system build on perpetual growth isn't a neutral thing, its a death cult.

Given that the past cannot be changed. I see no reason not to take the tech advancements andnuse them under Socialism to create a vastly more sustainable and humane world.

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Technical-Role-4346 t1_j3h65k4 wrote

Do you object to the concept of personal property? Should people be allowed to own land, or a home? Or do you think that everyone should live in government owned and managed housing? Show me a place with a successful 100% socialist society that is not run by a totalitarian oligarchy.

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captd3adpool t1_j3i5bpu wrote

In the same vein I pose another question. Im not going to argue what you say wouldnt work because it doesnt. Fuck not being able to own land. Should people be allowed to have personal property or should it all be owned by corporations and capitalist institutions that charge you rent or a subscription fee so you can use their property? That is the end result of unfettered capitalism. Its already happening. Corporatism is effectively capitalist communism. You will own nothing and be happy.

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Technical-Role-4346 t1_j3jk6k6 wrote

Corporations have to much influence with elected officials in this country. Many members of congress arrive in Washington with modest net worth and leave office very wealthy. The problem is not limited to members of any particular party. I don't understand your " You will own nothing and be happy. " comment.

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captd3adpool t1_j3jkost wrote

Agreed it most certainly isnt limited to one party or another. That comment shouldve had quotations around it when I said it. Its essentially the mentality of the ruling class towards.. well the rest of us.

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ManlyBeardface t1_j473ly6 wrote

I've no issue with personal property, which consists of the things you make and use to life your life. Your house, you toothbrush, etc.

I oppose private property which is the ownership of factories, data centers, infrastructure, agricultural land, etc. I think that the capital that we use to make our society work should either be held in common between all people or shoudl be owned by the people who use it (the factory owned by the factory workers who make all the decisions regarding the factory using a democratic process that they themselves decide upon.)

I think that government is the result of a society where people are separated into classes (Capitalist/Worker, Noble/Commoner, Master/Slave) and it's fundamental purpose is to oppress one class in favor of another. Right now the govt. oppresses the 99% in favor of the 1%. I think that in order to get a a good and just society we will have to go through a transitional period called Socialism where the govt. will oppress the 1% in favor of the 99%. This is necessary because were talking about society reorganizing itself into a system where nobody has the sort of power that a billionaire capitalist has today. But to do that you have to be able to wield more power than the billionaire capitalist. So the solution to that is to gain control of govt. and use it's power to strip capitalists of theirs. Govt' housing and other govt. programs will be used initially to plug the gaping holes that Capitalism just ignores in society (hunger, homelessness, etc.)

Once people have a meaningful form of democracy and all their material needs are met we can start developing new ways of organizing society without the interference of people like Bill Gates and Elon Musk. Once we have a society where people are free to organize their lives the way the want then there will no longer be distinct classes in society and thus govt. will cease to serve any purpose. Society will still have to be organized and resources will need to be managed but it will not be necessary to have a state to do so. We will find a way forward together without the need for the coercive violence of states.

> Show me a place with a successful 100% socialist society that is not run by a totalitarian oligarchy.

Every attempt at socialism has been successful. That is why every socialist country has been attacked and punished in every way possible. Capitalists know that socialism works and therefore the govts. that serve them have to do all they can to interfere and ruin socialist countries so that people like you won't know how successful they have been.

Even your question is the result of those propaganda efforts. The very idea of a "100% socialist society" and "blended economies" are rhetorical tricks that are spread to prevent you from being able to conceive of how a socialist society would actually function.

I'll link some videos below for you to give you the chance to hear some ideas on the topic that are probably new to you:

Socialism for Absolute Beginners

Why Liberalism Won's Solve Anything

Is Capitalism Actually Efficient?

Why You Don't Actually Own Anything Under Capitalism

Why the US is Not a Democracy

Why It's So Hard to Imagine Life After Capitalism

Frankly the whole Second Though Channel is really excellent. He has tons of great stuff there.

This last video is meant to be educational but in a very entertaining and funny way so don't let the jokes and internet meme formatting distract you from the excellent points it makes: Debunking Every Anti-Communist Argument Ever

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P-Townie t1_j3gm89o wrote

Communism will solve the problem.

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mymaineaccount46 t1_j3hyp1o wrote

With their horrific record of mass murder I guess it would reduce carbon output.

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P-Townie t1_j3hzwfv wrote

You can do better than that. Capitalist countries such as the United States were founded on genocide and slavery. "Countries run by political parties calling themselves Communist committed mass murder therefore Communism as a system doesn't work" is a specious argument. Capitalism works neither in theory nor practice.

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mymaineaccount46 t1_j3i4fn7 wrote

That's why the USSR is still thriving and China is still full on communist. The system just works so well. Meanwhile all the capitalist countries have collapsed and no longer exist.

I get it, I had a communist phase as a younger man too. But it's something you need to grow out of. It's a failed system.

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P-Townie t1_j3i5xm7 wrote

Your argument is that Capitalism is better because Capitalism is winning. If a colonial ship decimates an undeveloped Island of indigenous people, does that mean colonialism is better? No, it just means one group had more power than the other.

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mymaineaccount46 t1_j3i6u9a wrote

The USSR after WWII was a super power. This isn't a case of a more advanced powerful society wiping out a small indigenous one. This is a case of a political, and economic system being a complete failure.

Communism doesn't work, all it does is bring suffering to the millions who have been unfortunate enough to be its victims.

Good luck, not gonna waste anymore good time after bad. I imagine you'll grow out of your edgy communist phase one day, most of us do.

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P-Townie t1_j3iez0m wrote

> I imagine you'll grow out of your edgy communist phase one day, most of us do.

Cute

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