Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jul 12

Wow it’s been 10 years since Beyond the War on Invasive Species was published and I got to hold a physical copy in my hands!
Since then I’ve enjoyed so many interesting conversations about ecology, land stewardship, and the meaning of restoration - here’s to many more years of these!

Book cover - Beyond the War on Invasive Specoes: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration by Tao Orion

2 15

Reposted by Tao Orion

Abel Kloster @abel-kloster.bsky.social · Jul 12

There is a community of the spirit
Join it and feel the delight
Of walking in the noisy street
And being the noise.
- Rumi

1 4

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 21

I know, it’s only when the level started going down that it emerged lol.

1

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 21

Yes it is!

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 21

Kind of random, but what is up with the creepy Dr. Strangelove-esque image in the Dr. Bronner’s bottle? 😂 I used to enjoy reading the bottle, but now…😬

Container of liquid soap with image of a man with sunglasses inside.

1 4

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 18

June begets berries and bugs. Tiny species of sweetness and light in a world turning dark.

Mulberries in different stages of ripeness.

Small ladybug in an acorn top nestled in red currant leaves.

8

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 14

There were so many people! It was so great to see.

1

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 14

#nokings Eugene, OR

1 26 150

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 9

Enjoying an nice Monday morning introducing my 8 year old music loving son to Rage Against the Machine. Prescient now as ever…

3

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jun 7

Blue blossom ceanothus covered with native bees. I take comfort in knowing that we’ve created food and habitat for non-human life when the human world is increasingly off the rails…

4 18

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · May 17

Today’s the big day for our son Sylvan who has been working on his Lego build ‘Outbreak at Z Corp’ for the last several months and is displaying it at the Bricks Cascade Lego Expo this weekend. Of course we would end up in the post-apocalyptic theme 😀 So proud of him! With @abel-kloster.bsky.social

2 3 12

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · May 16

My youngest is really enjoying staging photos that make him look like he’s balancing on various objects. These ones turned out pretty good!

Kid appearing to stand on a step ladder.

1 5

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · May 6

The world may be falling apart at the seams but our golden retriever is romping in the blooming camas so…😁

Dog running through blooming camas flowers.

1 11

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · May 1

@abel-kloster.bsky.social

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · May 1

Oregon folks - Abel is teaching a FREE Forest Gardening Workshop at the Center for Rural Livelihoods in Cottage Grove this Sunday May 4 from 10-4. More information here if you’re interested: www.resiliencepermaculture.com/courses-events

Courses + Events — Resilience Permaculture Design

www.resiliencepermaculture.com

1 3

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Apr 24

@mollytaft.com @altnps.bsky.social

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Apr 24

We heard last week that the Americorps crew that was planning to come to our org. in Oregon was axed by DOGE with one day’s notice. We invited the former crew members to come anyways, and now they’re planning to drive across the country to complete their service term independently - DOGE be damned!

Abel Kloster @abel-kloster.bsky.social · Apr 24

Undaunted by DOGE, these determined young people are fundraising to drive across the country and continue their service. Despite their entire program being shut down, they declare “we can't rely on previous systems to help our communities, we must take it upon ourselves and support one another.”

Donate to Help Blue 2 Complete Their Year of Service, organized by Anna Gibbons

You can help a hard-working team of young volunteers complete their year of se… Anna Gibbons needs your support for Help Blue 2 Complete Their Year of Service

www.gofundme.com

1 1 9

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Mar 20

Awesome!

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 18

The real parasite class is Musk and his ilk literally stealing publicly funded services to enhance their private gain. This process is not new but is amplifying at unprecedented speed now.

The Verge @theverge.com · Feb 17

A team from SpaceX is being brought in to overhaul FAA’s air traffic control system

Staff shortages are about to get even worse.

buff.ly

7

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 8

We do a lot of work with NRCS programs, and this is a huge issue with the wanton destruction of federal programs.

Abel Kloster @abel-kloster.bsky.social · Feb 8

Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act added more than 19 billion dollars to NRCS cost share programs to help farmers implement practices on their land. Now, that funding is cut and farms funded through IRA are left with the debt from their 2024 installations. In Iowa alone that amounts to $11,000,000.

USDA Freezes Conservation Funds, Other Programs, Leaving Some Farmers in Financial Limbo

Farmers are learning their conservation payments are frozen because those contracts were funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The White House has frozen IRA dollars across the federal gov...

www.dtnpf.com

1 3 7

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 7

This is what I’ve been saying for a while. So many of the things that keep our society somewhat functional on a base level are a result of federal programs.

Soraya Nadia McDonald @sorayanadiamcdonald.com · Feb 7

Americans don't understand how much a functional federal government allows their lives to run on autopilot because most have no living memory of anything else and they only learned the surface stories of those the state has long victimized, neglected, or both

Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH @geauxgabrielle.bsky.social · Feb 7

The most frustrating part of all of this for me is what I have witnessed from both Democrats and Republicans and even non-voters.

Which is the mindset of “well don’t worry. That’s not gonna happen to me/you.”

That mindset, to me, is pure unadulterated evil.

1 5

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 5

I found this a useful explanation of what is likely going on. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how Musk benefits from all of this - “DOGE” is certainly based on self-interest. How we combat this plan will require different legal and movement strategies than we’ve tried in the past.

3

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 4

So happy that the “newspaper of record” is delivering such hard hitting analysis this morning. I was wondering if my fashion choices were up to snuff right about now. But seriously, WTF NYT?

New York Times article Feb 5, 2025 about whether brown shoes and blue pants are appropriate.

1 4

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Feb 4

My lovely and talented cousin-in-law @springtidepress.bsky.social made these just in time.

Springtide Press @springtidepress.bsky.social · Feb 4

Print therapy with Octavia Butler.
#letterpress #parableofthesower

2 1 5

Tao Orion @tao-orion.bsky.social · Jan 29

I was 19 years old in a crowd of 500,000+. Over the years I’ve wondered where all those folks are now, what they’re doing today. 25 years later and the stakes are much higher now. We need this energy again and I’ve been pondering on leverage points, movement strategy.
(Seattle WTO protests, 1999).

Large group of people marching at the Seattle WTO protests, 1999.

People carrying a signs at the Seattle WTO protests, 1999.

2 19