"JOE and Audubon are also seeking to join with progressive strategic partners to explore the feasibility of creating a world-class environmental educational venue," said Rummell. "This nature center would offer a unique opportunity for environmental organizations, corporations and citizens to build a consensus about how we can live, work and play in a greener world."
Get me a barf bag.
I just found a clip on You Tube of Audubon’s Lobbyist, Eric Draper, speaking at the groundbreaking of the St. Joe airport.
Eric dismisses me, he treats me like a pillar: You know it is there because you have to walk around it. He has seen me dozens of times once in a room with half a dozen people for hours, but I am still just a pillar. I don't even get a nod. Too bad I don't have St. Joe tatooed to my forehead, I would get manly handshakes.
Want some idea of what goes on: Go to You Tube FPL’s River of Gas (at second counter 02:20, see what they say about Eric Draper). It is no wonder Draper tried to undermine these activists against FP&L, I heard they have someone from Florida Power and Light on the Audubon Board.
Speaking of Audubon’s Eric Draper, Washington Post’s Michael Grunwald, reported (in an article written June 26, 2002 about the Everglades):
"Critics such as Browder -- a former Audubon official -- accuse Audubon of shilling for a deeply flawed plan, providing cover to anti-environmental politicians to maintain a seat at a stacked negotiating table. Audubon officials say they are aware of the plan's shortcomings, but can address them more by working with project leaders than by accusing them of bad faith. Of all the groups in the coalition, Audubon has the most people, money and access to policymakers; Eric Draper, its lobbyist in Tallahassee, believes other groups resent its influence."
"People are going to criticize me for hanging out with Republicans and wearing a suit, but I have to be as good as the sugar industry's lobbyist," Draper said. "When you're the lead organization and you get stuff done, people get angry with you."
Barf bag again.
Later in the article Grunwald reported:
“This spring, the tensions within Florida's environmental movement exploded after Audubon helped engineer a bill ensuring state bonds for Everglades restoration. The problem was that GOP legislators had tacked on language limiting the ability of citizen groups to block development permits. Audubon cut a deal to water down the permit language -- which will not affect Audubon -- but supported the overall bill. More than 100 local groups urged Gov. Jeb Bush to veto the compromise. He didn't, and many environmentalists blame Audubon.”
Yes, you might say this was 2002 but Draper is still there doing his thing in the present with St. Joe: "shilling" and "greenwashing"... the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Readers: Here is a definition of greenwashing because it is going to become more prevalent now that everyone is going green. It is a pejorative term that environmentalists and other critics use to describe the activity of giving a positive public image to putatively environmentally unsound practices. The term first arose in the early 1990s. Environmental groups that accept perks (nature centers for instance) for lending their name to companies doing un-environmental activities are greenwashing the offending company.
4 comments:
This is par for the course for Audubon, who is more concerned about "sitting at the table" than actually doing something for the environment.
It deserves a book, not just a blog post though it is good to read it.
There is a very good book and many academic articles on this very subject by a UM professor George Gonzalez. It looks at how the Audubon Society in FL has always sold out its membership and principles. It is well documeted the story about how the Everglades project was always about water for development and big sugar. The problem is that while academic works and this blog expose the bogus power=plays of Audubon and it corporate backers the Audubon Society in FL is telling a different story and its corporate marketing PR machine is everywhere and far more powerful.
You got this right. I just wrote a commentary with the same thrust--we'll see if it's published in Tallahassee Democrat.
Another connection between Audubon and Everglades & St. Joe: Audubon gave St. Joe an award for environmental stewardship for St. Joe's selling its tapped-out sugarcane farm to the government for part of the (another greenwash sham) "restoration" more accurately known as water supply project. Oh yeah, St. Joe got a sweet $50 million for its land.
Hard to tell green from brown these days. Keep up the genius blogging.
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