Cathye Williams | Author

Fire, Heat, Flooding, and Misinformation

Sept. 16, 2023

This summer, the towns of Copemish and Grayling experienced dangerous wildfires that threatened life and property and spread smoke and ash around the region. Meanwhile, over 1,000 wildfires threatened Canadians this summer and also exported pollution across the Great Lakes region, laying ... Read More >>

Hug a Tree, Definitely

April 29, 2023

During April, nature lovers across Michigan took part in many Earth and Arbor Day activities. There were film screenings, recycling drives, bird hikes, and beach clean-ups. For those who like to get their hands dirty, there were plenty of opportunities to plant trees—a cornerstone o... Read More >>

Turbines and Hot Air

March 18, 2023

Candidate Trump is on the campaign trail once more, displaying his knack for riffing on any topic that pops into his head. At this year’s CPAC (Conservative Political Action Coalition) convention speech, he went all out with his “greatest hits” of grievances, bullying, b... Read More >>

Finding Power in All the Right Places

Jan. 21, 2023

Before being named U.S. Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy was quoted by NBC News saying, “I’ve never seen a body where the 10 percent is going to control the 90 percent. It just doesn’t happen that way.”

I would argue that in American society, it happens... Read More >>

View from the Cusp

Dec. 24, 2022

While writing my last column of 2022, the urge to recap the year is not lost on me. It’s impossible to avoid—our culture marks this juncture where December greets January as a time of reflection and reckoning. Whether religious ritual, commercial enterprise, or nature’s ... Read More >>

When Saying Thank You Isn’t Enough

Nov. 12, 2022

November is crowded with special days. Between the one where we cast votes and the one where we give thanks lies the one where saying thank you just isn’t enough.

Considering that the U.S. military budget topped over $800 billion for this year alone, how is it that milit... Read More >>

The World Is Knocking at Our Door

Oct. 1, 2022

Going into the final stretch of 2022, I’d like to take stock of how we are doing environmentally. So, how are we doing?

Well, the U.S. has seen 52,669 wildfires destroy almost 7 million acres in 10 states since the beginning of 2022 (National Interagency Fire Center). Califo... Read More >>

A Victory and the Road Ahead

Aug. 13, 2022

Dear Sen. Manchin, I prefer to get my last-minute plot twists while streaming Netflix, thanks very much. Still, I’m completely on board with joining climate activists in celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The bill, passed by the Senate after Mr. Man... Read More >>

Hope Springs

May 14, 2022

After weeks of wet, gray, and chilly “pseudo-spring,” we are finally starting to see the real thing. May sunlight, warm breezes, and greenness spreading through the woods are reminders that nature has not given up on us. Birds have returned to join the overwintering creature c... Read More >>

We Can Fight Climate Change and Russian Aggression

March 26, 2022

While some refuse to face the truth, most people recognize that the continued use of fossil fuels is harming the planet and all life on it. Carbon emissions drive climate change, leading to ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, rising sea levels, more frequent/intense storms, wildfir... Read More >>

What Will it Take?

Jan. 22, 2022

 

If you’ve seen the recently released Netflix comedy “Don’t Look Up,” you might be asking the above question. For those who haven’t seen it, the film is a none-too-subtle satire about a scientist’s discovery of a comet that's on a direct c... Read More >>

Show Gratitude by Reducing Waste

Nov. 20, 2021

Thanksgiving has long been a time to celebrate abundance. Striving for abundance seemed prudent in a past where stockpiles provided security against times of scarcity.

Today, the abundance we enjoy is more a sign of imbalance than security. Much like climate change brings down... Read More >>

Big Problems Might Require Bigger Thinking

Sept. 25, 2021

In recent years, my concerns for the Earth have led me to a better understanding of politics, public policy, and the legislative process. And while I'm by no means an expert, I feel that I’ve learned much from experts — most importantly, how to discern good information and str... Read More >>

Here Here

July 31, 2021

 

It’s fitting that Jeff Bezos and his fellow billionaires are contemplating life on other planets because they’re clearly not living on this one. You’d have to be living under a rock (or in an ivory tower) to ignore that devastating impacts of climate chang... Read More >>

Let Them Lead

June 5, 2021

While 2020 likely won’t go down as anyone’s favorite year, there have been some bright spots. One for me is the rising environmental awareness and activism I see all around northern Michigan. Maybe our fragility in the face of the pandemic spurred our need to heal and restore.... Read More >>

The World Beneath our Feet

April 10, 2021

We tend to think big when it comes to fixing environmental problems — towering turbines, expansive solar arrays, or giant facilities to recycle waste. And we should strive for big ideas. We need them if we’re going to create cleaner ways to make and move things and to feed and... Read More >>

Escape the Echo Chamber

Feb. 6, 2021

Trying to cut down on some clutter, I found myself leafing through years worth of back issues of a local magazine, one always full of stories and images that highlight the best our region has to offer.  Instead of eliminating piles, however, I found myself staring out my frosty windo... Read More >>

The Year of Possibility

Dec. 12, 2020

 

If 2020 were a movie, the trailer alone would have most of us heading for the exits. The pandemic brought death, isolation, and financial hardship.

The murder of George Floyd et al, brought a reckoning: that our ideals of freedom and justice are only that — an... Read More >>

Hope and Vote

Oct. 24, 2020

With mail-in voting well underway for many, and a trip to the polls just days away for many more, the gravity of the outcome of this election is lost on no one.

Rhetoric abounds, some of which I’d like to see go. At the top of my list for expungement are the words &ldquo... Read More >>

Tunnel Vision

Aug. 22, 2020

What is it about Northern Michigan? If you didn’t know better, you’d look at the abundant sunshine and blue water and shady forests and think we’re having a glorious time. Maybe Mother Nature has decided her alarm bells don’t work here and has opted to send poignan... Read More >>