Ecotage!
Encyclopedia
Ecotage! was a 1972 paperback book edited by Sam Love and published by Pocket Books
.
The book was a collection of ideas that had been solicited by the group Environmental Action over the previous year in preparation for the publication of the book, for using sabotage, attention-grabbing stunts, and other ideas to draw attention to environmental issues. "Ecotage" is a contraction of ecological (or economic) and sabotage
. The cover of Ecotage! features a photograph of a hippie
throwing a pie in the face of a business executive.
The book was inspired by the actions of an individual who operated in the Chicago, Illinois area. Calling himself "The Fox
", he engaged in such activities as plugging smokestacks and entering the offices of corporate executives to dump sewage on their desks. In turn, some of the actions suggested in Ecotage! actually began to be carried out, particularly billboarding
, when small groups in the early 1970s such as the one calling themselves the "Eco-Raiders" in Tucson, Arizona
, began cutting down billboards.
Ecotage! and the activities of those such as "The Fox" and the "Eco-Raiders," may have inspired Edward Abbey
's 1975 novel The Monkey Wrench Gang
and Dave Foreman's 1985 book Ecodefense
: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching.
The term ecotage
has since passed into general use as a synonym for various direct action
tactics (see: monkeywrenching.)
Pocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
.
The book was a collection of ideas that had been solicited by the group Environmental Action over the previous year in preparation for the publication of the book, for using sabotage, attention-grabbing stunts, and other ideas to draw attention to environmental issues. "Ecotage" is a contraction of ecological (or economic) and sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
. The cover of Ecotage! features a photograph of a hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
throwing a pie in the face of a business executive.
The book was inspired by the actions of an individual who operated in the Chicago, Illinois area. Calling himself "The Fox
James F. Phillips
James F. Phillips was an environmental activist who was known in the Chicago area during the 1970s for his direct action activities under the pseudonym The Fox....
", he engaged in such activities as plugging smokestacks and entering the offices of corporate executives to dump sewage on their desks. In turn, some of the actions suggested in Ecotage! actually began to be carried out, particularly billboarding
Billboarding
Billboarding is one form of ecotage in the form of monkeywrenching. It is the act of cutting down, burning, and/or defacing highway billboards. The American novelist Edward Abbey seems to have greatly advanced the art of billboarding starting around the year 1950 in and around the New Mexico city...
, when small groups in the early 1970s such as the one calling themselves the "Eco-Raiders" in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, began cutting down billboards.
Ecotage! and the activities of those such as "The Fox" and the "Eco-Raiders," may have inspired Edward Abbey
Edward Abbey
Edward Paul Abbey was an American author and essayist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues, criticism of public land policies, and anarchist political views. His best-known works include the novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, which has been cited as an inspiration by radical environmental...
's 1975 novel The Monkey Wrench Gang
The Monkey Wrench Gang
The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel written by American author Edward Abbey , published in 1975.Easily Abbey's most famous fiction work, the novel concerns the use of sabotage to protest environmentally damaging activities in the American Southwest, and was so influential that the term "monkeywrench"...
and Dave Foreman's 1985 book Ecodefense
Ecodefense
Ecodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching is a book edited by Dave Foreman, with a foreword by Edward Abbey.- Background :Ned Ludd Books published the first two editions, with Abbzug Press publishing a third edition...
: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching.
The term ecotage
Ecotage
Ecotage is a portmanteau of the "eco-" prefix and "sabotage". Ecotage is often used as a descriptive term for the direct actions of environmental groups such as Earth First! and similar groups throughout the Western world. The term is only applied for actions of sabotage committed within the...
has since passed into general use as a synonym for various direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
tactics (see: monkeywrenching.)