To The Trees: Diversifying Tactics To Defend The Sacred / Eleanor Goldfield

Journalist and filmmaker Eleanor Goldfield joins me to discuss her documentary To the Trees, which documents humankind’s relationship to the sacred Redwoods and the tactics tree defenders use to protect old-growth forests from the clear-cutting practices of the lumber industry. In our discussion, Eleanor disputes the claims made by the industry of practicing sustainable harvesting practices in the Pacific Northwest, and how it is part and parcel of a larger global effort by extractive industries to greenwash ecologically destructive practices in the name of sustainability and the "green energy" transition.

“If this is how intense it feels to both interact with the places that we still have and the places that have been destroyed, then it really throws in focus that this goes beyond petitions, or goes beyond asking politicians nicely not to do this, and I think that we can think about certain tactics as useful when we don’t understand what’s at stake. And when we come into contact with was really at stake, then we have that understanding that, I need to shift my tactics and shift my understanding of what’s necessary to protect these places. This is what needs to be protected, and this is what it looks like when it’s destroyed—it is a starkness that is terrifying in its silence. You can imagine walking through a forest and hearing life, and then all of a sudden, there’s nothing, and that juxtaposition that happens very quickly around these clear-cuts is terrifying. It is to me one of those very profound moments that proves the need for stronger tactics when we talk about actually defending what we love and defending these places that we have left.”

Bio:

Eleanor Goldfield is a creative radical, journalist and filmmaker. Mutual aid and community organizing are cornerstones of Eleanor’s work and personal life, informing both her journalistic and artistic projects. Her written and photojournalism has appeared in independent publications across the U.S. and internationally. She is one of the 2020 recipients of the “Women and Media Award” presented by The Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press. Recently, she released her first solo EP, titled “No Solo,” after more than a decade fronting the political hard rock band Rooftop Revolutionaries. Her recent documentary film, To The Trees covers forest defense tactics in Northern California and our relationship to nature. Her first documentary Hard Road of Hope covers the radical history and present struggles in West Virginia and has been widely acclaimed. Currently, Eleanor is the co-host and associate producer of the Project Censored Show, and co-host of the podcast Common Censored along with Lee Camp.

Episode Notes:

Learn more about To The Trees and how to watch.

Read Eleanor’s article, Forest Defense Is About More Than the Trees. It’s About Our Collective Future, at Truthout.

Learn more about all of Eleanor’s work at her website.

Learn more about Project Censored and listen and subscribe to the Common Censored podcast.

The song featured is “Kodoma” by Nick Vander from the album Kodama (Nowaki’s Selection), used with permission by the artist. Listen and purchase at: https://nickvander.bandcamp.com