This Earth Month, we’re looking back on the history of environmental radicalism. Brian Tokar is a teacher, activist, and writer who’s been involved in the movements he writes and teaches about since the 70s. We discuss how leftism and environmentalism came together, why ecology matters for the left, and what lessons we can learn from these traditions and put into practice today.

References:

• Brian Tokar – The Green Alternative
• Murray Bookchin – “Listen, Marxist!”
• Murray Bookchin – “Ecology and Revolutionary Thought”
• Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary

Further Reading:

• Robert Gottlieb – Forcing the Spring: The Transformation of the American Environmental Movement
• Chad Montrie – A People’s History of Environmentalism in the United States
• Peter Kropotkin – Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution
• A. Kauffman – Direct Action: Protest and the Reinvention of American Radicalism
• Douglas Bevington – The Rebirth of Environmentalism
• Robert Bullard, ed. – The Quest for Environmental Justice, Confronting Environmental Racism, Unequal Protection, Dumping in Dixie

Support the show

Solarpunk Now! is hosted & produced by Luka Dowell. The solarpunk theme is by Red Keener, with additional music by Gabriel Rivas. You can follow the show on Instagram or Mastodon, and support my work at Buy Me a Coffee. Keep dreaming big, and keep up the good work!