solst ice

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slaves for chocolate • a brief history of american conservationism • wolves among humans • biomes • diy hallow’s eve • buying power

To our dear readers.In creating a fair, just and healthy world, one cannot look only at environmentalism. That is the theme behind our second issue of Solstice Magazine. With you we explore wolves and our relationships with them, document what it took to make places like Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, and expose how something so sweet-chocolate-isn’t that sweet at all. But as always, this isn’t the limit to Solstice. We have DIY projects to open your eyes to nature and get wild with recycled Halloween costumes. Photographs of Yellowstone, and, of course, unique graphics. Bees, biomes and buying power follow. Our goal at Solstice: not just to open eyes but to inspire action as well.

For feedback, send us an email at info.solsticemag@gmail.com

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” -Mahatma Gandhi

414

1516

Gallery

Fair Trade

DIY

News

Wolves in America

p. 6

Slaves for Chocolatep. 10 A (very brief)

history of Americaʼs Original Conservation Movement

p. 17

Photography by Liz Newman

Solstice

Gal

lery

Wolves

By Stella Pfahler

A while ago, wolves

were understood and

acknowledged by the native

people living in North

America. They walked with

the wolves and thought of

them as brothers. That all

changed when the Europeans

came. These people invaded

the land, and showed no

respect to the wolves and

native people whatsoever.

These new settlers were

violent and destructive

towards wildlife. They

taught their children to

hate wolves, planting seeds

of doubt in their minds. The

seeds sprouted into lies

about the creatures they

should have cared for and

respected.

Lies and myths

generated fear in the

settlers. Some of these

stories date back to  

Medieval Europe, during the

werewolf trials. In this

period of time, any disabled

people, foreigners who

looked different, or any

outcast from the particular

village could be accused of  

“serving the Devil” and

performing witchcraft.

Beliefs like these were

driven by the Catholic

Church. The bishop, Pope, or

any noble that lived nearby

had the power to condemn

someone to a slow and

painful death: to be burned

at the stake.

Even before these

trials, there were

grudges against

wolves. In the tenth

century, nobles put a

price on wolf heads to

encourage the new

bounty hunters and

They would wire their

jaws together

civilians to kill

as many wolves

as they could.

This practice

carries on

today, where it

still continues in

some areas. Bounty hunting's

highest point was at the

turn of the twentieth

century. Between 1883 and

1918, eighty thousand wolves

were killed in Montana

alone. Wolves would be shot,

poisoned, trapped, and

tortured. People would wire

wolves' jaws together so

that they starved. Even

worse, the wolves would be

tied to a stake and torn

apart by the bounty hunter's

dogs. Wolf pups were

sometimes dragged from their

dens, away from their

mothers, to be beaten and

shot. Although these

gestures did not wipe out

wolves completely, it

devastated their numbers.

Before Europeans settled in

America, there were about

two million wolves. Five

hundred years later, there

were between 500 and 1,600.

Most people did

these things because they

were angry and scared. When

wolves killed livestock,

people got angry because the

animals were their money,

and how they made way in the

world. When a wolf killed an

animal from the flock or

herd, people would see what

wolves can do. That's when

they would get scared. These

people needed (and need!) to

understand that wolves

aren't trying to do harm,

they are just trying to

survive. People often say

that wolves are savage

animals. They say that

wolves kill for fun and have

no mercy. These things are

not true. Wolves have a

complex pack system, the

opposite of what people

think. They kill their prey

for food, not for pleasure.

The only recorded attacks

were of wolves that were

performing self-defense,

had rabies, or were being

provoked by humans. Even

so, people are somehow

immune to these truths.

Humans seem to want these

complex animals

to be

bloodthirsty

killers. This is

true for other

predators, too.

Foxes, coyotes,

and bears are

also mistreated,

although wolves

got the worst of

it. Hopefully,

people will start

to understand

what wolves

really are-an

essential part of

North America’s ecosystem.

Mission: WolfNot everyone is prejudiced against wolves. In fact, a lot of people are trying to help them. You can to. A great organization to look into is Mission: Wolf (missionwolf.com). Although they focus on wolves, M:W attempts to address a range of environmental issues through education. In fact, they also have horses. Mission: Wolf is located in Colorado, where their resident wolves have plenty of space.

How to DonateGo online to missionwolf.com where you can find a list of supplies they need or make donation.To send a donation directly, address it toMission WolfPO box 1211Westcliffe, CO81252

Leo, a resident at Mission: Wolf

SLAVES

FOR

CHOCOLATE

SLAVES

Ah, chocolate, food of the gods. When

it was first introduced to Europe, only

the noble could afford it. Today, you

can buy it cheap at any corner store.

And this Halloween, a lot of people

will. But how is it that cheap?

Thereʼs a long story behind that little

bar of chocolate, and it starts in

plantations. Many of them are in the

Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa

which, 10 years ago, was divided by

civil war. 40% of cacao, the main

ingredient in chocolate, is grown

there. Workers tend cacao trees, then

harvest, dry and sell the beans to

middle men, who sell them to bigger

middle man, who sell them to your

favorite chocolate companies, who,

with the help of factories turn them

into your favorite chocolate bars.

Theyʼre distributed to stores where

you buy them and unwrap and take a

bite of luscious goodness. Which

would be great, only thatʼs not the full

story, and the the real one isnʼt quite

as sweet.

Thereʼs a lot of pressure for that bar to

be cheap, and like it or not, that

pressure comes from us. The

consumers. So instead of charging us

the real price for a bar of chocolate,

everybody in the line of production

has to figure out how to cut costs.

Most of this falls to the plantations,

who often arenʼt exactly scrupulous

about it. First, they use slash and burn

to clear land so they can plant more

cacao trees, destroying forests and

animal habitats in itʼs wake. Slash and

Burn is what it sounds like, sadly;

once beautiful forests slashed and

burned until they are no more. When

Cacao trees are in their natural

environment, a rainforest, they happily

coexist and receive badly need shade

from taller trees, as well as nutrients.

When they are in heavily crowded

plantations, on the other hand, they

require pesticides to stay ʻhealthy.ʼ

However, thatʼs not cheap enough to

please the middle men, more middle

men, chocolate companies and you,

so they turn to something else: slave

labor. Imagine working on a Cacao

plantation: carrying back breaking

loads, working with machettis,

practically every single day. Now

imagine doing it without pay. If you

didnʼt do it well enough, ʻmisbehavedʼ

or were caught escaping, you would

be subject to severe whippings. Awful

at any age, but the worst part is, these

are children and teens as young as

seven, lured away from their homes in

countries like Ghana and Burkina

Faso with lucrative offers, then

smuggled across borders and

trafficked into the Ivory Coast. How

are the children lured? Well, countries

like Burkina Faso donʼt produce much;

they mostly import products from other

countries. Because of this, a good

deal of the country is very poor, and to

children, a stranger giving a job offer

with good pay is a great deal, not one

to be suspicious of.

Once at the

plantations,

the children

are worked

practically

(and in some

cases literally) to death until theyʼve

outlived their usefulness. While still

young adults, they will suffer affects

from the pesticides theyʼve worked

with, sans protection, and experience

extreme back pain from the heavy

loads theyʼve carried, not to mention

scars from brutal beatings.

And the truth is, most of these teens

have never tried chocolate. The have

been robbed of their childhoods and

families, and their families have been

robbed of their children. The have

been thrust into a country where they

do not know the language, forced to

Most of these teens havenever even

tried chocolate.

work from dawn to dusk so we can

have our chocolate bars. Sadly, all

chocolate companies, large and small,

know this is happening, but giants like

Hersheyʼs and Nestles stand by

because they know they can get away

with it.

Many plantations to not employ these

techniques, but once all of the beans

are mixed together, there is no way of

telling. Luckily, there is a certification

system called fair trade which certifies

brands that use only beans from

responsible cacao plantations. These

brands give back to the communities

they buy from, and have much more

of a connection to the farmers.

However, fair trade chocolate is much

more expensive, because everyone

involved is being paid a living wage.

Many people and human rights

organizations are pressuring major

brands like Hersheyʼs to go fair trade,

hoping it will create a domino affect

among other chocolate companies. So

far they have had some victories, but

there is still a long way to go before

chocolate can truly be sweet again.

By Marie Hogan

Fair Trade may be more expensive, but it’s higher quality too(and usually organic). However, beware of “fair trade washing,” and look for signs, not claims. There are three main certifications:TransFair USA(or just Fair Trade Certified), Fair Trade Federation, and IMO(fair for life). Fair Trade Federation is generally for Clothing and other items, not food, though it does certify some chocolate brands. Of the two specifically for agriculture, Trans Fair USA is generally considered to have stricter, more thorough regulations and requirements that ensure farmer’s needs are never left by the way side.

Buying Power

Plastic Bag skirts are perfect for Halloween, not because they’re great costumes, but because this is the time of year when you are free to be creative about dress. Not only is this a creative project that makes a statement(which hopefully, in turn, will create an action), but it also acts as a running tally of exactly how many plastic bags you collect over time. 

What you’ll need:A whole bunch of plastic bags(you’ll need more than you think)An old tieIron and Ironing boardOutdoor areaStick-on Velcro

Once you have enough plastic bags, begin ironing them together, outside(I hate to say it, but ironing plastic in an enclosed breathing area can cause brain damage). You’ll need to layer several together in order to make “fabric”, so have fun thinking about what designs you want to showcase on the skirt. Once you have ironed all of your plastic bags into panels, let them cool down and get out the sewing machine. This is the perfect time to design your skirt-look through the panels to find useable ones, then pick out those you like. Think of it as a patchwork, because it is. Once you know what you want your skirt to look like, go to the sewing machine and begin sewing the panels together according to plan. Se a cut-up old tie along the top. This will serve as your belt. Connect the two sides and sew 3/4 of the way up, then add the velcro. 

Plastic Bag Skirts

DIY

As fall comes, it’s a beautiful time to study plant, animal and weather change, especially in you live in very seasonal place. The transition from summer to winter is a large one and often there are so many changes going on in our own lives, we often don’t have time to notice and specifically point out ones concerning nature. But if you do, well, then, a whole new world is open. Centuries ago, nature books were used to record herbs and medicines as one went along as a sort of textbook of their time. They were kept in the family and slowly accumulated more and more information. Today, as we know so much more about science and have discovered so many more species, along with many of their properties, nature books do not serve the same purpose as they did in originally did. However, the citizen science movement is growing, so this is the perfect time to re-imagine what nature books can be. For a modern and environmental twist, observe the pollution in your city and how it affects plant and animal life. Then, share your findings online so others curious about the area can find the information they need. Once you have a nature book and dip your toes into the ocean of citizen science, there’s a whole world of possibilities open to you.

The Environment in the newsPlans for drilling in the arctic have been halted for the rest of the year after it was learned that shell’s spill cleanup technology had been damaged. There was strong opposition from environmental activists on sides, with concerns about how spills would be cleaned up. In fact, over the summer, two Greenpeace activists stationed themselves by the operation to prevent plans from going ahead and were hit full force by water canons.

Nature Books

Maybe you fancy Yosemite turned into

a reservoir? All of these ideas sound

preposterous, but they might have

become tragic realities had no one

stood up for our landmarks in their

hour of need. And no one would have,

mind you, save for them. Our

conservationists have time and again

stood up for the nature we consider

just another benefit of our country

today.

The American respect and love of the

land has been present on this

continent since Native American tribes

worshipped many forces of nature as

gods and did all that was in their

Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming

Can you imagine America without

its forests? How about what the Grand Canyon would look like as

the nationʼs deepest theme park?

In Brief: A History of the Foundations of the American Conservationist Movement.

power to protect their land when

Europeans invaded, resulting in

numerous disputes and battles

between the Native Americans and

settlers that inadvertently both showed

many Native Americans they had to

fight like they had never fought before

for what they believed was rightfully

theirs, and caused the settlers to

wonder at these people who were

willing to give up their lives for what as

far as (the settlers) were concerned

was just a bit of land, land which

seemed to be the only thing they had

in abundance. But what land! Visitors

would later return home dazzled with

its beauty, telling their spouses and

children of this great frontier that

would present both new land and a

new hope for many Europeans looking

in vain for a better life. As word of that

coveted better life being achieved in

America spread like wildfire, the

settlers came in droves, wiping out

expanses of forest for their towns as

easily as the diseases they brought

with them wiped out entire Native

American tribes. America was more

than a new frontier. It was a new crop

of land for the newcomers to do as

they wished with. Over a hundred

years, three hideously bloody wars,

and a Declaration of Independence

later, The conservationist movement

had gained momentum, but by then it

had something far more inhibiting: an

opposition. By now, America had

begun to have a need for

deforestation, over-harvesting, and

mass-producing to meet the demand

for a rapidly growing populace, and so

turned to industrialization to solve the

countryʼs problems for it. However, at

this time no on knew the ecological

horrors which could result from

industrialization-nor did they know, in

their innocence, of the path to

ecological disaster they were even

then laying the cobblestones for.

Soon, however, Americans would

begin to find themselves with the

aftereffects of industry pushed to a

breakneck pace to accommodate

demand: poverty and filth running

rampant, people living in terrible

conditions, and entire ecosystems

being destroyed at an alarming rate.

Concern was growing that it was

unsafe. Some people, however, were

increasingly concerned not at their

own plight, plight though it was, but at

the plight of the natural resources (the

fact that “natural resources” is an

accepted word even to this day is

testimony to the extent we as

americans and english speakers

believed that nature was ours to use

as we saw fit) which were dwindling

away as america became ever

stronger. However, it wasnʼt until the

early to mid 19th century when the

articles of, among others, a young

John Muir gained nationwide attention

that people began to truly appreciate

the nature which, if somewhat

lessened than it may have been when

their parents or grandparents came

here, still surrounded many who lived

in this relatively new nation. And after

countless persuasive articles and

pleas for change, Andrew Jackson

and the 22nd Congress made the first

(if unofficial) national park out of Hot

Springs, Arkansas. A great victory

won, but an end to the fight it was not.

In the years that have come and

passed since that fateful day, many

new challenges have risen, and it will

be up to us and our descendants to

continue the long, steadfast march

toward a free earth. For our ancestors,

for our children.

By Siena Starbird

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