T.C. Boyle specializes in fringe characters, usually misguided and desperate men who go to extreme measures to quelch their boredom, fear, and/or pain. Drop City and After the Plague, both excellent, adhere to this theme and Boyle's ecological disaster tale, 2000's A Friend of the Earth, is no exception.

The story begins in 2025, Ty Tierwater, a former extreme environmental activist, is living in a world created by all the people that refused to listen to him. Most animals and plants have died out, people survive on catfish and sake and the weather fluctuates between intense extremes due to human triggered climate changes. Humanity is not over, just suffering through a hellish, dying planet, sitting in condos as the rest of the world rots or gets washed away in floods.

You want to sympathize with Tierwater. Clearly in the future scenario Boyle has imagined here, he was right all along and yet the author doesn't paint anything black and white; while Tierwater's intentions and beliefs are good, he's not a thoroughly good man, in many ways he's a downright fool and often an asshole.

Skipping through time to tell his story, we meet his second wife Andrea and his daughter Sierra, both big parts of the environmental movement, both hurt in big ways by Tierwater, who believes that to be a friend of the earth, you have to be an enemy of the people, a troubling and complex way to live as a human being.

Once again Boyle, hands down one of my favorite living writers, presents an unflinching look at the intricacies of hot button issues with no easy answers.

See more: Books 2000s Earth Day Sci-Fi

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Posted on April 20, 2009

What's Going On is an album of beautiful despair, told from the point of view of a Vietnam vet returned to a country on the wrong path. The album, which was a departure for Marvin Gaye (and his reluctant record company, which was known as a hit factory), dealt with many issues that had been bubbling just below the surface of a forgotten American dream. Poverty, joblessness, and environmental issues were a far cry from Heard it Trough the Grapevine, but Gaye was not feeling terribly hopeful and cheery in 1970. His duet partner Tammi Terrell had just died and other factors of fame had sent him into a deep depression.

The titular track is by far the album's most popular, but it's a great experience to listen to it in its entirety as each song bleeds into the next. Considered revolutionary and praised as a soul masterpiece, it's actually a somewhat subdued and simple album that derives its power from the strength of its subject, Gaye's captivating voice, and the layers of orchestration.

While I consider the album one of despair, and it seems that that's the way he was feeling when making it, there's a sense of, if not hope than at least a quiet ambition to try to make the world a better place. In many ways, as lots of the problems Gaye addressed become worse, it's still a powerfully relevant piece today.

See more: Albums 1970s Earth Day R&B Soul

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Posted on April 20, 2009

I remember the John Denver of my childhood as a nice, gentle man with Kermit the Frog perched on his shoulder, and that's probably exactly how he'd like to be remembered. He was a man who loved the earth, flying, space travel, Muppets and free speech. Always unwavering when it came to standing up for his beliefs, he shocked the Tipper Gores of the world when he sat before the Parents Music Resource Center, not on the side of the moms who wanted to shut up the likes of Two Live Crew, but right next to Frank Zappa and Dee Synder. It was awesome.

On the negative side, I always associated him with a… well, lets just call her an unlikable teacher I had in 2nd grade. She was a John Denver nut who made us watch Oh God because he starred in it; she was also married to a professional storyteller and would make us listen to him tell stories all the time, ugh.

But it's a shame to let old memories mar the legacy of such a good person.

See more: Style Icons: Male Earth Day Musicians

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Posted on April 20, 2009

I had it on good authority from two reliable friends that Souen was the place to try macrobiotic hippy food that is actually yummy, but it was just too steep a learning curve for someone who gets crushes on their local butcher and is dreaming of ways to make cow hearts and bone marrow. Everything had that earthy, kind of dirty after-taste and it cost a fortune; but people love it, so I don't want to knock it too much.

I found Foodswings, a vegan spot in Williamsburg with a “fast food” bent to be a much easier sell. I'd recommend getting a couple things to share, since the flavors can be monotonous, but overall we were surprised by how much we enjoyed it. The menu is huge and overwhelming, and my only advice is to steer clear of the mac and cheese (mac and cheese sans butter and cheese is just a sad thing no matter how hard you try), otherwise, it seems like you can't go too wrong here.

I had the fake beef Philly cheese-steak which had nice, almost teriyaki-ish flavor and Jim was pretty impressed with the fake chicken drumsticks that came with a dill ranch that I personally loved. Desserts are tasty too. We split a pistachio shake (forgetting while ordering that I was putting my life in my hands) that, despite salmonella paranoia, was absolutely delicious.

This is a spot I'd take a veggie friend coming for a visit, and who knows, with their uncharacteristically helpful service and chicken wings that even Sam Champion loves, I might be back on my own too.

See more: Restaurants Earth Day Vegetarian Williamsburg

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Posted on April 20, 2009

While you will not get your drink especially quickly, Think just might make the area's best tasting lattes and, more importantly, the company is both socially and environmentally conscious.

From New York Magazine:

Think brews only Fair Trade, organic, and shade-grown java; the hormone-free milk comes from small farms in the Hudson Valley; and twenty-five percent of profits are donated to local charities.

See more: Drinks Cafes Coffee Earth Day West Village

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Posted on April 20, 2009