Making Up For Lost Time: BYOB Edition March 4, 2008

Most of you have probably already heard about this, but given my slew of plastic bag posts, I thought it was worth a mention.

As of… well… now, the Whole Foods in my ‘hood is no longer distributing plastic bags. This change should be national by the end of April. Good news for landfills and sea creatures everywhere!!

They are encouraging BYOB but still carrying paper. Here’s what they say about that: “We aren’t trying to settle the ‘paper vs. plastic’ debate. We say ‘reuse!’ instead. But when you don’t reuse, we provide 100% recycled (and recyclable) paper bags.”

I would love it if all grocery stores made this move. The other day I went to a Star Market, short on cloth bags (my own fault), and they tried to give me 10 plastic bags for $30 worth of groceries. Yuck! I hope they get on board.

Is the end of “paper or plastic?” happening in anyone else’s part of the world?

Making Up for Lost Time: Clairol Edition March 1, 2008

Hello wonderful people! Thanks for hanging in there with the empty space that has been this blog for the past few months. I’m feeling rather lame for not posting in a while. But I think perhaps the blog and I have needed some winter hibernation, to juice up for the next round of inspiration. Shelly’s excuse for not writing is much, much better than mine though. Random thoughts forthcoming over the next couple of days, and hopefully GfG will have a little more life in it come spring.

For starters: I am sitting here writing with a towel on my head because I’ve just colored my hair – one of those semipermanent, 16 washes, do-it-yourself-from-a-box deals. I do this every 4 months or so. (I’m sure I’m not to confess that, but this IS a blog after all). And THIS TIME the crisis of conscience hit. Not only does this little project involve a paper box, paper instructions, plastic gloves, and 3 plastic bottles, but at the end of it I dump a good-sized puddle of toxic chems down my sink and shower drains. What did the planet do to deserve this? Or the people miles away who probably end up with this stuff in their soil? Personal vanity – not a pretty sight.

I know this opens a whole can of worms about women, cosmetics and the beauty industry. In the spirit of small steps that this blog represents, I’ll be going to back that old college stand by, henna. Anyone else have any small changes they’ve made in the world of hair color or other beauty products?

Also there’s this: Why does the crisis of conscience hit when it does? What is the X factor? This was the nth time I opened that box of hair color, and THIS time the penny dropped. This time I SAW the chemicals, paper, plastic and FELT their origins and destinations. And now I don’t think I can go back. As a frequent observer of my own brain, moments like this fascinate me. Anyone else have a “penny dropping” story to share?

From a fan… December 7, 2007

Pine or PVC? November 28, 2007

I’ve always had an instinctive aversion to plastic Christmas trees. I grew up in a solidly pro pine family. I’ve never really grasped how any hassle saved by assembling a plastic tree could outweigh the joys of having a real tree in your house! The soft needles, the true Christmas scent (especially potent when blended with the smell of oil heat)…

When my family moved from the ‘burbs to New York City, I was initially concerned about our Christmas tree future, there being no immediately accessible tree farms to which we could tramp. But there they were – lining the sidewalk on every third block down Broadway – real Christmas trees bundled up and ready to be dragged off to elevators and up to good homes.

Whether technically alive or not, real trees FEEL alive. I pick out a tree the way I would pick out a pet from the pound. I walk around their pens for a long time, stroking their branches and trying to get an intuitive feel for which one is my tree. (I choose my halloween pumpkins the same way.) Eventually I get that tree “click” and that one comes home with me. A PVC tree? No soul to click with.

In recent years it has been brought to my attention that maybe chopping down a bunch of trees just so humans can have a couple weeks of Christmasy pleasure is not so good for the environment. This is hard to deny, but in my heart I have been denying it. But this morning – oh joy! – an article appeared making the case that real trees are greener than plastic trees. The highlights:

*Most plastic trees are made from PVC – toxic to produce, contains lead, difficult to recycle…
* Cut, farmed trees are a renewable resource. They can be returned to tree farms where they are recycled into mulch to nourish the next crop of trees.
* Live trees (with roots) are pretty ecofriendly, but also not very practical.
* Greenest option: a cut tree from a local farm (zero to no fuel spent on transportation) and returned to a farm for mulching when the season is over.

Okay, my source is Yahoo! News. Not the most thoughtful or reliable source. If anyone has heard differently or has further thoughts on the Christmas tree issue, please let me know. I doubt I will be dissuaded from getting my pine, but it’s good to have all the facts. Happy holidays everybody!

I Love the Smell of Oil Heat in the Morning November 9, 2007

I really do. It’s the smell of Christmas, of comfort, of family, of adventures in old college dorms, of cozy sweaters, of cups of tea… However in the current climate, (ahem) it has become the smell of war, of environmental decay, of empty bank accounts.

My body is having difficulty recognizing this change. On mornings when my radiator wakes me up with a gentle hiss and clang, and that warm, half-burnt smell wafts through my room, I wake up in a GOOD MOOD.

Nonetheless: “Use less oil heat” is a major goal for me this winter. My roommate is already covering our windows with plastic sheeting – a plastic purchase I have decided I am all good with – and I’m mulling over how low the thermostat can reasonably go during a New England winter.

Cuz here’s the thing: I am COLD most of the time. I wear a down vest around my house. I wear hats to bed. If it is below 66 degrees my brain turns off. During the winter I crave a steady stream of hot tea and hot showers. Under wildly different circumstance, I would have no problem cranking the thermostat to 75 degrees all winter.

Which brings me to my question – what do ya’ll think of electric space heaters? In terms of energy consumption, more/less efficient than radiator heat? More/less cost effective? Because in addition to reducing oil heat, I am paying attention to my electricity drainage.

If I got a space heater for my room, or to put at my feet while watching TV or cooking or whatever, would I just be swapping one problem for another, or making a smart environmental and financial choice? Suggestions appreciated!

Win-Win October 11, 2007

Remember when practically the only catalogue around was Sear’s, and it only came once a year?? Now I feel like I get about a dozen a day. However, thanks to brooklyngal’s fantastic suggestion, I’ve been deleting my name from catalogue mailing lists. It’s quick and easy and has a lot of positive trickle down effects:

1. I’m cutting my personal paper consumption.
2. I’m making my mailperson’s life a little easier!
3. I’m sending a message to retailers—BACK OFF, MAN!!
4. I’m cutting down on consumption of stuff in general because, let’s face it, the bombard ‘em with pretty pictures routine really does get me to buy more.
5. I’m also cutting down on carbon heavy shipping procedures by not using mail order services. (I think, though if you buy from factory direct catalogues I guess this is not really true…)
6. I’m cutting down on the accumulation of junk mail in my living room.

Anyway, thanks for the great suggestion!

It’s International Blogger’s Day for Burma October 4, 2007

Please click the image for more about the Free Burma blogger movement. Oh, and as if we needed one more reason to reduce our oil consumption:
Chevron Supports Myanmar’s Brutal Regime
Oil Lures West to Troubled Myanmar

Bird by Bird October 2, 2007

David Sedaris often writes about his sister who is consumed with the needs of animals, sometimes to hilarious extremes. For instance, in one of his essays, Sedaris describes a time when his cheapskate father, sick with some kind of infection or other, decides to take his dog’s antibiotics rather than pay the extra expense of going to the doctor himself. His sister’s response: how is the dog going to get better if dad keeps taking his antibiotics?

I think my concern for the environment may be comparable to David Sedaris’ sister’s love of animals and animal rights. At heart, there is a simplicity to both of our pet issues. We just love trees, the earth, air, dogs. But I think there may be something else at play, at least for me. I feel a need to do something positive for the world, but I don’t know how! I need to start simple.

One of the mantras in the show “Heroes” is “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” The butterfly effect-ish, all things are inextricably connected implications of this line are part of its appeal. But more than that, saving the cheerleader seems like something that can be done. It’s broken down, it’s achievable, it’s just one girl. (by the way, I have not seen any of the second season yet)

Susan Orlean, in her fantastic book The Orchid Thief, comes to find in her analysis of John Laroche, that obsessions of any kind are linked to the need to distill the vastness of the universe into something manageable by the human mind. Orleans’ conclusion is that the obsessive is really someone so overwhelmed by the complexity of the world, the he decides to stick to just one thing.

When Jenni and I began this blog, one of my motivations was to simplify activism in a specific and personal way. I felt compelled to start slow because I’m constantly overwhelmed not only by the complexity of the world, but by all its imperfection, disharmony and hatred. But as we’ve continued, I’ve noticed that what was intended as a simplification process has in fact become a fanning out of related issues: capitalism’s inherent violence, consumerism out of control, generosity, peace.

When Jenni posted about the injustices going on in Burma, my first thought was, “I can’t deal with this! It’s too much!” But as Karen described (see post Sept. 4, Karen’s Earth Day) her eco-habit changes as a spiritual practice, I’m also trying to apply the same sense of deliberateness and peace to the Burma situation as I would to decreasing my carbon footprint—just taking it step by step. What can I do now? I can sign a petition, I can say a prayer, I can do one small thing at a time.

War is Not Healthy for Children or Other Living Things September 27, 2007

While I do struggle with America’s open-market, world-domination style of democracy and its impact on the environment, economy, world security, etc., this week I feel especially grateful for my life of freedom and privilege.

Many of you may be reading about the protests in Burma and the violent crackdown on the monks and general populace. Burma is technically a democracy. It has a democratically elected government. But that government has been in hiding/under house arrest for 18 years, while a military junta has ravaged the people and the land. Today (there is no other way to say it) people are being shot down in the streets as they march in demonstration against their oppressors.

I’m writing about this today because members of my family have a special connection to Burma and have worked in support of the NLD. This week we are holding the Burmese people in our hearts and praying for the success of the protests, for wise intervention by the international community, and for restraint on the part of the military.

If you feel moved to, please read more about Burma here, here, here and here. You can sign petitions to the UN here and here. You can read about the environmental devastation in Burma here.

Thanks for reading this off-topic post. Now back to regularly scheduled programming…

The elephant in the room September 14, 2007

When I was in second grade, we had to write a research paper on an animal of our choosing. We were to go to the children’s library and find all the books available about an animal and then answer various questions (e.g. what does your animal like to eat?) in the form of a series of sentences and paragraphs. I missed the boat on my top picks, koala and lion, and instead was given elephants. I had nothing against elephants, but I had nothing for elephants either. Not only that but there were only two books in the children’s library about elephants. I finished the research portion of my project within one reading period and felt listless and uninspired. I parlayed this information to my teacher who I’m sure was thinking, “Quit whining kid!” but instead said something that has stayed with me to this day, “Maybe you’ve just found everything there is on elephants.” Now even in my small seven years on the planet, I knew this had to be a mistake. And yet, I felt powerless to prove her otherwise. Where was I to find the treasure trove of elephant lore I now so greatly desired? Surely I had not cracked the ephemeral essence of elephant in these two books? I felt disappointed; like my laziness, lack of vision, and contentment with the status quo was making me miss out.

The tragic ending to this story is that I wound up writing a luke-warm paper on my two book fueled elephant information and have felt uneasy about the whole thing to this day, knowing I have done a disservice both to my own creative education and to the worldwide elephant population.

So here I am; in a sense in the same boat. I feel stuck in the world of environmental change. I’ve switched my light bulbs, starting using cloth bags, I’m unplugging my computer every night, have stopped using paper towels, have started using recycled toilet paper and now, I don’t know what to do. I have been completely sidetracked from the goal of making small, doable lifestyle changes and instead have been reading articles about high impact political activism and zero impact housing alternatives. The defeatist tone of my second grade teacher rings in my mind, “Maybe you’re doing everything you can do,” The part of me that knows this is false is itchy and uncomfortable by this thought. What I’m really worried about is the part of me that feels incompetent to make any more small changes and wants to give up will win out.

Can you help me?