Ep 23: Will Calloway and the 50th anniversary of Earth Day

Today, in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, I talk with Will Calloway, National Campaign Director for the Earth Day network and former Congressional staffer to Senators John Kerry and Jim Sasser. Although this is a non-economic episode, it represents the newly formed relationship between the MMT community and environmental activists and groups. This relationship is thanks to Australia resident George Topalides and his organization, MMT for Earth Day 2020. Will and I discuss the main events planned for April 22nd and how our current coronavirus health crisis has changed them to be online. The health crisis has forced us all to quarantine but the internet, as much as can be expected, allows us to form and maintain social bonds. This episode was recorded on the internet between New Jersey and Washington DC, and organized by someone in Australia. My own wife is a second grade teacher and remains full time employed and paid during this time, giving all of her students and their families, and us, regular structure and routine. It cannot be denied, however, that the internet is for the modestly privileged. How much suffering is going on as I record this and you listen to it? It also cannot be denied that those with the least are suffering the most, as they always do, because of the lack of preparation and support by, and profound greed of those with the most. The disadvantaged also continue to suffer because of the passiveness of those desperate to preserve their own precarious, if modest, privilege. Will and I also discuss the perpetual tension between individual choices harming the environment and the systemic neglect and corruption that forces individuals to make some of those bad decisions. He also describes how these individual and systemic actions contribute to and exacerbate our health and climate crises. For a related discussion on how unsustainable pressure by humans on the global environment contributes to our current crises, you should consider listening to the April 7, 2020 episode of MMT Podcast with Professor Steve Keen. A link can be found in the show notes. To find out more about the Earth Day Online activities go to earthday.org. #LearnMMT For an overview of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) with many reliable sources to learn more, here is a good place to start: On the web: My layperson intro with many expert sources listed at the bottom. On Twitter: My massive pinned tweet with expert sources and layperson tutorials. On Facebook: Follow this podcast :) The pinned post contains the above web-article. Also, the pinned post on Modern Monetary for Real Progressives contains a wealth of information. Please become a monthly patron of Activist #MMT We shouldn't have to beg, but we do have to beg. So it's not *that* we beg, but *who* we beg. I am choosing to beg you, my listeners, to financially support this show. $1 patrons are very much appreciated. Every little bit helps. Thank you. $5 patrons get exclusive access to episodes (generally) four days before they are released to the public, and exclusive "patron only remixes". $10 patrons get much earlier access to episodes – sometimes weeks in advance. To be clear, all episodes of Activist #MMT are free for all, forever. Patrons only get the opportunity to hear them before the public. Take a listen. If you like what you hear, thank you for considering becoming a patron of Activist #MMT (here: https://www.patreon.com/activistmmt). ✌️, ❤️, and #MMT 🦉