Earth First! is a verb, not a noun. In order to be an environmental movement, you've got to move! So get up and do something for the Earth! There are no "50 simple ways to save the planet." There are innumerable very difficult ways. Recycling and "setting a good example" don't cut it when you are the last generation with any chance of implementing a human-engineered cure. Direct Action means personal, focused effort on the front lines in the war against the Earth. Earth First! is defined by its actions, the purpose of which are to:

HALT THE DESTRUCTION
Force the companies to quit, the Forest Service to withdraw its timber sales, the bulldozers to grind to a halt. Our primary purpose is personally to intercede, to "stop the bleeding." Even the most "symbolic" action can stop the saws, and leave the log trucks lined up empty.

RAISE THE STAKES
Even when removed from the tree platforms and the blockades, we have upped the ante. Direct action sends a clear message to the despoilers: No more "business as usual."

GARNER MEDIA
You can't hope to change people's minds or put pressure on politicians without calling attention to the damage. Civil disobedience or a clever banner-hanging exposes the issue on the front pages of papers that normally hide a single paragraph about ecological catastrophe on the back pages next to the ads and obituaries. Arrests, in particular, sway sentiment by impressing on others the depth of our concern and willingness to sacrifice.

STRENGTHEN RESOLVE
A direct action is the most empowering event imaginable, a rite of passage that fills the participant with pride. There is the special satisfaction of a David defying Goliath, doing the right thing, acting out what Bill Devall calls the "will of the planet." We learn to work in concert with others with life-affirming values. Demonstrations "demonstrate" to the culprits, and to the world, that when all our letters are ignored, our arguments mitigated, and our legal appeals denied, we still refuse to accept the accelerating destruction. We put our bodies and our time where our mouths areïon the front lines! We demonstrate our fear, hurt, and rage against the despoilers.

Now with humanity itself endangered by suicidal "progress," we deny it power, refuse to acquiesce, refuse to be stilled! There is no such thing as "risk-free" environmentalism, but demonstrations are protected speech under constitutional law. In general, there is no need for any unplanned arrests. Civil disobedience, even when decided on spontaneously, is a deliberate, thought-out act of conscience. However, whenever you show up to any demonstration, you are risking arrest. Be prepared.

DEMONSTRATIONS

DYNAMIC AND UNCOMPROMISED
Have clear intent, clear tactics and specific targets. Identify the perpetrators and target them, not the system in general.

COLORFUL AND CREATIVE
Create unique and surprising actions that challenge and amuse.

INFORMATIVE
Get out the simple message of the goals of your campaign with fact sheets and handouts, songs, skits and chants.

FLEXIBLE
Be ready on a moment's notice to change plans as the situation changes, taking advantage of unforeseen opportunities, as in the sudden appearance of an offending executive or an unwatched piece of heavy equipment. Come up with a quick alternative when the Governor is not in, the building sealed off, the cops out in force or in a bad mood, or the meeting moved to some other location at the last minute. Be prepared!

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

OCCUPATIONS AND SIT-INS
Take over the boardrooms, offices and even the homes of unresponsive decision makers and bureaucrats. We have put up dome tents in Forest Supervisors offices, invaded the hot tub of a timber industry CEO and put cardboard on the air conditioning intakes of the District Ranger╣s office, forcing them to shut down their computers in the over-100-degree heat.

BLOCKADES
The proper place for an Earth First!er is often directly in the path of the machinery of wilderness destruction. It may be a symbolic gesture of defiance, it may slow them down and cost them time and money, and it may also, on occasion, stop them in their tracks. But it is a surefire guarantee that it will take the focus out of the boardrooms and hearing chambers and put it where it belongs, in the wilderness, at the scene of the crime. In this way you can bring the destruction right into people's living rooms.

Targets can include logging equipment, radioactive waste shipments, dam sites and mine sites. Methods include everything from sitting in the road or chaining yourself to gates or equipment, to setting your feet in wet cement and letting it harden, or burying yourself in the road up to your neck. While, generally speaking, the longer a blockade lasts, the more effective it is, even brief and mainly symbolic blockades have proven very effective in building support and expanding the opposition to the destruction of wilderness and the poisoning of the planet.

TREE-SITTING
Tree-sitting has been used successfully to shut down logging of ancient forests for months at a time, and has actually saved some areas from the loggers' chainsaws. Climbers have rigged cables to surrounding trees to prevent them from being cut and to traverse over to different parts of the canopy. For this you will need experienced help, which various Earth First! groups (especially those in the West Coast forests) can provide. Also, tree-climbing workshops are generally held at the Round River Rendezvous and other gatherings.

NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION

• At no time should anyone physically or verbally assault anyone, resist arrest or contribute to escalating violence by the police, workers, management or bystanders.
  
• Once committed, blockaders should not move even if it means their arrest; stand your ground. To break and run not only defeats the purpose of your action, it may endanger others by encouraging a game of "chicken" when those whom you are trying to stop become convinced that you will not stand your ground. Don't put yourself in a dangerous position unless you are willing to face danger without moving. Otherwise, choose a less risky method of expression.
  
• No drugs, alcohol, or weapons should be brought to any Earth First! action.
  
• Identify potential arrestees ahead of time, have a list of their names and home addresses, and pair each of them up with a support person who can be responsible for their keys and IDs, monitor and record their arrest using a camera or video if possible, and follow them through the legal process until they are released on bail or on their own recognizance.

Plan your actions well. Prepare the skits, songs, chants, costumes, signs and handouts in advance. Make a press release for all radio, TV and newspapers in your area. Keep it simple and to the point, or they will quote your least relevant lines and leave out the most important information. Stick to a few short paragraphs describing the destruction you plan to stop or the wolves you want to reintroduce, making clear the desired result of your actions. It is a good idea to put in a few good quotes attributed to one or more of your spokespersons in the last paragraph. Remember, the average "sound bite" or quote lasts less than nine seconds. Read them aloud to each other to make sure they sound clear. A good press release should be no more than one page long, double spaced, with wide margins. It is better for the media to call for more info then it is to issue a long, rambling diatribe.

Send press releases out about a week before your event. Follow up with phone calls to the various stations and papers the day of the action. Never assume they've read your release. Get the name of the reporter and ask them if they plan to come. You might hint at the more radical (photo opportunity!) aspects of your action, but don╣t tip them off to anything the cops shouldn't have details of ahead of time. Don't promise a more radical scenario than you can really come up with, or the press may quit coming. Look for the reporters that promised to show up, and make sure that they have someone in your group to talk to who is knowledgeable. Meet half an hour before the action to circle up and focus on the emotional and spiritual motivations for our urgent work. Circle up after to make sure no one is unaccounted for, discuss what did and didn╣t work, and plan a time to meet and do it again!