Can’t be easy to be Obama right now. Not only does he have to do all that drape-shopping (the measuring, we hear, took place before the election), he’s got to assemble a Cabinet amid a deafening roar of unsolicited advice.
That includes advice from people here in Charlottesville. This week, a discussion on the E.A.T. Local listserv centered on whether Michael Pollan could possibly be named Secretary of Agriculture. There’s even a petition going around. Mark Teuting, local farmer and blogger, has got a post about it here.
Michael Pollan, as you almost certainly know, has become the book-writin’ hero of the local food movement and has a local connection in that Shenandoah Valley farmer extraordinaire, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, makes a star appearance in Pollan’s bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Both Pollan and Salatin are probably way too busy fielding media requests these days to write books, raise turkeys or clip their toenails—much less hold down big jobs in Washington—and the petition-writers openly acknowledge that the chances of a Secretary Pollan are mighty slim. But still, it’s a lovely dream. Having somebody in there who was more on the side of humans than the side of corporations would have numerous environmental benefits.
Probably not organic.
(Assuming Pollan doesn’t get the job, I assume he’ll keep his speaking engagement at the Richmond Forum next April—that’s a must-see!)
And then, perhaps chasing a more realistic dream, our three local governments (city, county, and the Kingdom of University) are going to hold some climate-change events next week in hopes of convincing our soon-to-be-president to kick some stimulus dollars to local officials for the purpose of getting greener. Other localities around the country are doing the same. It’s called Local Climate Action Week and it means you can see Better World Betty in person on Monday*, watch an HBO rerun** on Saturday, or see a PV panel demo*** on Tuesday! (Among other things.)
*Lunch panel at the CCDC, 11:30-1:30, also with Doug Lowe, David Slutzky, David Neumann, David Brown.
**Screening of documentary Too Hot Not to Handle, noon-1:30, CCDC.
***Find it near the Transit Center ’round lunchtime.
And now to you, dear readers. What’s your elevator pitch for the Big O? What planetary problem should he mostly urgently tackle?