Garbage -- Change the World

It's been awhile since I've passed on Reduce Footprints' weekly Change the World Challenge. This week's challenge fits nicely with a statistic I just collected last night from my co-op magazine:

Over five million tons of EXTRA garbage is generated between Thanksgiving and Christmas. EXTRA garbage! UGH

Reduce Footprints says this:

"This week's challenge is about raising our awareness. It comes from one of our newest readers, River221, a 13-year old whose Geography teacher asked the class to try this out. Here's how it goes:

This week, collect your garbage rather than toss it out. Continue to compost and recycle, but rather than take your bag of "real" garbage to the dumpster or put it out for collection ... keep it. At the end of the week, take a look at how much you've collected and consider ways to reduce it. This should truly open our eyes to the amount of waste in our lives."

I can tell you that our office only puts out one bag of trash a month. Our household does about a bag every two weeks. I'm sure we'd cut that in half if we composted, but I just can't seem to work it into my life right now with everything else going on.

So gather your garbage and see what you can do to improve -- at your home and workplace!

Blog with a Purpose

Today is Blog Action Day, the day when bloggers all over the world blog about a common topic. The timely topic for 2009 (how's that for alliteration?!) is Climate Change. You can read more about Blog Action Day here.

So what can you as an individual do about Climate Change? The single greatest thing you can do is write your elected officials on all levels and vote for those politicians who support environmentally sound practices. There are a million little things each of us can and SHOULD do every single day to support green living, but when a global sized problem exists, global sized solutions are required and the only way to do that is on a large political scale. Read Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman for a detailed explanation on what can be done if only we had politicians in office willing to tackle climage change in a meaningful way.

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

If you've been reading my blog at all, you know I'm a huge fan of New York Times columnist and best selling author several times over, Thomas L. Friedman. I recently caught up on reading his column. Here's another case where I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself!


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27friedman.html

Clutter

Last night I read something in Vegetarian Times that has captured my thoughts. An actress being interviewed said that she and her husband decluttered by each choosing one item from their house every day for 30 days to get rid of. Also, if they wanted to bring a new item in, they had to dispose of one additional item. How marvelous! Imagine if everyone in your household got rid of one item every day for 30 days. Preferably, the items would be donated, sold or recycled rather than trashed. For a family of 5, that's 150 items! Think of how much stress those items would represent. Think of how much work (cleaning, storing). Think of how much SPACE you'd gain.

Chop Chop

I read a statistic yesterday that I've read many times in the past, but it never ceases to blow me away:
In China alone, 25 million trees are made into chopsticks every year.

Below is the Ideal Bite article to read. Definitely check out the links. I was intrigued by the Kwytza Recycled Chopstick Art page -- great products for yourself or others!

http://www.idealbite.com/tiplibrary/archives/chopstick-shop

I'm Back . . . I Think

I know I've been absent from the blogosphere for awhile. I could try to tell you what my life's been like lately, but I wonder if anyone would believe it! Anyway, I think I'm back and, in fact, will have a book review and giveaway tomorrow.

I've been missing the Change the World Challenges, but just wanted to comment on this week's challenge from Reduce Footprints. This week's challenge is to forego all manner of styrofoam containers. This reminds me of an episode of the TV sitcom, Murphy Brown. Murphy does a story on the environment that's so moving, everyone on the show vows not to do anything "ungreen" for a week. This was a progressive message in the late '80s and early '90s. Anyway, one night Murphy works late and is starving. She orders a sandwich delivered from the local bar, Phil's, and is dismayed when it's delivered in a styrofoam box. She struggles with the decision for several minutes, before refusing delivery of the sandwich.

That episode really stuck with me (obviously). So much so that a couple of months ago, I couldn't take the guilt that accompanied my doggie bag from a restaurant. Although I don't believe in wasting food, I also couldn't "stomach" the styrofoam take out container. The solution? I keep a bag of reusable Rubbermaid containers in my car (with my cloth grocery bags). Whenever I need a "to go" box from a restaurant, I get one out of my car and scrape my food into it.

The first time I used my containers, I was a little self conscious. When the waiter saw what I was doing, he informed me he and his wife have been doing the same thing when they go out for the last year! I felt like such a Johnny-come-lately. So now I'm not even remotely self-conscious about it. It just provides me with another opportunity to be an "ambassador for environmentalism". It gives me a chance to talk to the waitstaff, my dining companions or other patrons of the restaurant about green living in a non-judgmental way. Non-judgmental? Oh yeah, did I mention the Rubbermaid containers I use are bright pink with Hello Kitty on them ($1 for 2 at Target)? This not only attracts attention and starts conversations, but allows me to use humor and make fun of myself while getting the message out! ;-)

Having a Big Mouth CAN be a Plus!

Recently I was directed to an article about how to spread the "green message" -- see the link at the bottom of this page. I have been doing this for years and want you to know it works. Recently, I was in a store and delivered my standard line: "Thanks, but I don't need a bag. It's just more for me to recycle." The clerk went OFF -- talking loud and long to me, other customers and her co-workers about how we definitely have too much waste in the world, we need to save resource, the environment, etc., etc. By the time she (and I) were through, we had gathered a crowd of nodding people. Another time when I delivered that line, I had a customer come back to the counter and say, "Yeah, come to think of it, you can take my bag back, too."

I didn't even realize how much I talk about the environment in passing until one day the owner of the Pack & Mail store I frequent often for my job said, "Well, I KNOW how much you recycle and, quite frankly, you made me feel so guilty that I am much more conscientious about it now because of you." I apologized for the guilt trip, but he assured me my conversation was perfectly fine -- he just felt convicted by my words and vowed to do better as a result. By the way, take any packing peanuts and other packing materials you receive to your local Pack & Mail, UPS store, etc. They will gladly reuse your packing materials -- it saves them money, saves their customers money, and saves the environment.

If you deliver your message with a smile or a bit of humor, I promise it will get across. However, the best lessons are taught by actions, not words. I've blogged before about the fact that when I am on my way to a store, I almost always grab an errant cart and pick up garbage on the way to the store (there are always garbage cans at store entrances). One day, a man who had seen me do this followed me through the store until he got enough courage to approach me. He said I had inspired him to do an unnoticed good deed as well and he'd look for an opportunity to do just that. I had no idea I was being watched and, while I don't pick up litter for the accolades, it does my heart good to know perhaps I'm having a positive influence on people. Maybe they won't pick up litter, but perhaps they'll think twice before they toss something on the ground.

Here's the article which inspired this post:
http://www.blogcatalog.com/search.frame.php?term=how+to+green+the+world+by+running+your+mouth&id=d5e2b6424ca35afe1e3eca2b8a35f635

Change The World Challenge

Here's this week's challenge from Reduce Footprints:

This week, turn your trash bin into the smallest container in the house by starting a compost bin and/or a recycle bin.

Or, if you're already a composter and recycler, write a post about it. Include information on what works for you and what doesn't, tips on how to be successful at it, and perhaps why it's preferable over sending stuff to a landfill.

I recycle every little bitty thing. In fact, the other day my husband accidentally tossed a 1 1/2 x 2 inch post it note in the garbage and then jumped a foot when he heard the blood curdling shriek that involutarily escaped from my throat. He didn't even have to ask. His arm automatically swung an arc and plucked the paper out of the garbage can and into the recycling bin! However, although I've research composting extensively -- and harvesting worm castings myself -- I canNOT add one more thing to my to do list. However, may I recommend Rising Mist Organics, http://www.wackyworldsof.com/ for the best worm composting system on the market?! You may remember Rising Mist Organics from my post on buying vegan fertilizer -- worm castings!

Don't forget, Im giving away two copies of Chuck Holton's book, Meltdown. To enter the drawing, e-mail your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn next Tuesday, August 25th. Good luck.

Change the World

Here's the Change the World Challenge of the week. As a vegan, this one is near and dear to my heart. I've posted many articles about veganism and numerous recipes. BUT, I will address this further tomorrow.

If you eat animal products, then for one full day eat only meatless meals ... go vegetarian. Dairy products & eggs are permissible ... but no other animal products.

Or, if you are vegetarian full time ... then, for one full day, eat only vegan meals. No animal products whatsoever.

And finally, if you are vegan, full time, write an article about why meatless meals are good for the planet and perhaps include your favorite recipe.

So what do you think? Are you up for this one? If you need a little help, there are a few vegan recipes posted on Reduce Footprints ... just use the search engine at the top left of the page and insert the words "vegan recipe". And, I'll be posting another one on Friday.

Remember ... part of the challenge is to spread the word and get as many people as possible involved. For more information on how to do that ... and a little motivation, stop by and see our friend, Thomas ... he's written a wonderful article entitled "How to green the world by running your mouth". He's got some great words of advice.

Thanks, everyone!

We're changing the world ... one challenge at a time!

Become a Mr. Fix It

Want to save money? Want to save the environment? Repair your broken items instead of buying new. Don't know how? Not that handy? Then read this article by Mary Hunt, the "Everyday Cheapskate" for resources to help you fix ANYTHING.

http://www.creators.com/advice/everyday-cheapskate/how-to-get-on-the-repair-it-yourself-bandwagon.html

Remember, I'm giving away one copy of Cindy Woodsmall's The Hope of Refuge next Tuesday, August 11th. To enter the random drawing, send your name and mailing address to me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com.

Change the World Challenge

Here's the latest challenge from my friend at Reduce Footprints:

We all know that it's better to reuse something we already have rather than buy something new. But what about those items that are sitting in closets, storage sheds and the "back room" ... those things that we don't use and probably haven't used in a long while? I'll bet that there is someone who could use it. So, this week, take a look around your home and put together a box of no-longer-used items and ... "reuse them" by giving them away. Donate them to local charities, shelters, retirement homes or the Humane Society. See if your neighbors might need them or perhaps a family in need would appreciate them. This challenge has a double impact ... we'll be making items available for reuse and we'll be helping others. It's a challenge with heart!

We're changing the world ... one challenge at a time!

Green Challenge

One of the blogs I read regularly is Reduce Footprints (check it out here). Recently, the author came up with a great idea -- Change the World Wednesdays. Every Wednesday she will issue a challenge for her readers to be more environmentally conscious for the week. Actually, each challenge has two parts -- the first step is an easier, more basic challenge. If you've already mastered step one, step two takes it to the next level. She has asked all her readers with blogs (me) to pass the challenge onto their readers (you) in an attempt to "go viral" with green living. Last week's challenge was to commit to taking showers no longer than 10 minutes. (Woefully I didn't have time to pass that challenge on to you, but feel free to do so!)

This week's challenge is:

For the entire week (yep, the whole week), refuse plastic bags at the store or anywhere else where they are offered. One whole week ... 7 days ... no plastic bags.

OR ... If you're already "plastic bag free" ... then, within the next 7 days write a detailed post (or email, letter, etc.) on why plastic bags are bad for the environment.

I've been plastic (and paper) bag free for a couple of years. My Whole Foods and WWF bags actually work better -- much better. How about you? Are you up to the challenge?

It Pays to Complain

Some weeks ago, I shared the problems I have with some of the "big box" stores' un-user-friendly policy toward reusable shopping bags. You can read about that here. Well, I sent numerous e-mails to corporate headquarters explaining my experiences and what I thought needed to be done about it.

I am happy to report that the store clerks are ALL VERY HAPPY to see me coming with my own bags and are HELPFUL and COURTEOUS in allowing me to bag my groceries. But this one takes the cake: yesterday I went through the self check out and the overseeing clerk proudly pointed out the "new button" on the registers, "I have my own bag." This button recalibrates the scales to recognize the weight of your bag so you don't have to weigh your items on the scale and then transfer them to your own bag.

Do I think I personally, single-handedly caused this change? No. Do I think I contributed to cause this change? No doubt about it!

It definitely pays to complain. My orange juice recently underwent a new name, new recipe, new ad campaign and new packaging. Why? Because enough people wrote to the company and asked that the natural no calorie sweetener (Stevia) replace the artificial no calorie sweetener (Splenda) they had been using. This change involved a lot of time and money on the orange juice company's part, but they did it because enough consumers told them they wanted it.

So when you see a company with a non-green policy or product, let them know. While you're at it, let your politicians know how important the environment is to you. This is the only way to effectuate systematic change on a global scale.

Gardening Eden

Although environmentalists want to conserve the environment, political conservatives generally don’t. That is the problem Michael Abbate tackles in his book, Gardening Eden, How Creation Care Will Change Your Faith, Your Life and Our World. Abbate speaks to the political conservative, to the Christian, to the conservative Christian, with the argument that God intends and desires us to be good stewards of all He has given us, including the earth. As such, believers should be motivated to care for the environment. He discusses why we should care about environmental issues from a spiritual and practical standpoint, refutes “Christian” arguments against environmentalism and gives 50 practical suggestions on life choices that will make a difference.

Because Gardening Eden is targeted toward the environmental “skeptic”, I feel some of the positions he takes are weak. I feel like he’s giving more credence than is due to the “unbelievers” that our environment is in grave trouble. I don’t think Abbate actually believes the anti-eco arguments, but he softens his approach by arguing why, even if those arguments have some merit, one should still take care of the environment. However, I guess I can swallow his pandering to the skeptics if he’s able to convince them they need to take care of Planet Earth in spite of their reservations. The ends justify the means if, in the end, more people who didn’t care about environmental issues do after reading this book.

One of my favorite comments to come out of the book was this:

As Reverend Richard Cizik told Bill Moyers in the 2006 documentary, “Is God Green?”: “I happen to think that to be biblically consistent means you have to, at times, be politically inconsistent.”

Climate change, species extinction, pollution, destruction of our natural resources, etc., are NOT political statements; they are scientific facts. I thank Michael Abbate (and Reverend Cizik) for saying so!

Another favorite comment from the book was Abbate’s quote of a bumper sticker:

God’s original plan was to hang out in a garden with some naked vegetarians.

I have no doubt Michael Abbate cares about the environment and desperately wants to see the Christian community ban together to advance to cause of eco-stewardship as a group and as individuals. The religious right cares about unborn babies and has made a lot of political hay out of that issue. But in my opinion, if they don't care for the environment, ALL babies -- and adults -- aren't going to survive very long without a world in which to live! Since political conservatives are his target audience, he can’t very well sound like me, an unabashedly rabid environmentalist! For what it’s worth, as a believer I agree wholeheartedly that God didn’t intend for us to destroy His creation and is heartsick when He sees what we have done:

Because of this the land mourns and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. Hosea 4:3

Overall, I would recommend Gardening Eden, especially for the political and religious conservative in your life. You can buy a copy from your favorite bookseller or here from Random House: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307444998&ref=externallink_wbm_gardeningeden_sec_0309_01

BOOK GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of Michael Abbate’s Gardening Eden to give away this week. To enter the random drawing, please e-mail me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be announced on Friday, April 24th. Good luck!

Below is the summary from the publisher:

Summary:

Before the snake, the apple, and the Ten Commandments, God created a garden, placed humans in it, and told them to take care of it.

“Spiritual environmentalism” did not start out as an oxymoron—it was an invitation. Yet today, many believe God’s original job description for humankind has been replaced by other worthier pursuits. So when did this simple instruction become so controversial? How does one sort through all the mixed messages? Is making the world a healthier place for the next generation really a responsibility—or even possible?

Gardening Eden is a new understanding of how the spiritual dimensions of life can find expression and renewal through caring for our incredible planet. Empowering, simple, and never polemical, Michael Abbaté outlines the Bible’s clear spiritual benefits of caring for creation, exploring new motivations and inspired ideas, and revealing the power of our basic connection to all people and living things through the growing interest in spiritual environmentalism.

Green living is no longer a fad—simple lifestyle solutions are now available to everyone. Gardening Eden shows readers how this shift transforms not only our world, but their very souls as they’re drawn into deeper harmony with the Creator. This book invites them to discover the powerful spiritual satisfaction of heeding the call to save our world.

BYOB -- Bring Your Own Bag!

We all know how important it is to bring reusable cloth bags to the grocery store. I would add a bunch of statistics here for anyone not convinced of the truthfulness of this statement, but, quite frankly, I got depressed when researching it. If you're skeptical, google it yourself.

For quite a long time, I’ve been using cloth grocery bags. They were 99 cents each, are made from recycled materials and stay in the car for easy use. This is a wonderful process when you go to Whole Foods, Publix or our local co-op. They like when you bring your own bags; they praise and encourage you to do so; sometimes they even give small cash rebates for each bag you bring in. Unfortunately, there are a number of stores that may sell reusable cloth grocery bags (cha-ching for them), but discourage their actual use. A number of the clerks are less than pleasant – rolling their eyes, sighing and otherwise looking frustrated when you ask they forgo the cheap, but easy-because-they’re-familiar, plastic bags from Hell. Consequently, I bag my own at the stores with self checkout lines. Even this option is usually not user friendly. While I avoid crabby store clerks, I usually have to deal with a machine not designed for eco-friendly bags. I can't bag directly into my cloth bags because the scale senses "something" I haven't paid for when I put my bag there. So I have to scan the item, set it on the scale, and then transfer the item to my bag. Publix and Winn Dixie both have "use my own bag" options on their scanners so the scale accommodates the cloth bag, but other stores do not.

When I have to deal with the clerks because there are no self checkout lines, at the first sign of huffing and puffing and eye rolling, I offer to bag the groceries myself. Plus, clerks in stores are so fond of putting just three items in a bag and taking another because to actually pack a grocery bag well would require time, skill or, at the bare minimum, common sense. I don't have 20 cloth bags; I only have 8 which is more than enough for a month's worth of groceries if packed correctly. Further, even though the clerks complain about how hard it is to bag with cloth bags, when I do the work for them, they still are rude. So even though I am doing half their work by bagging my own groceries, and even though they admit it takes a little more time, they are unbelievably inconsiderate. They push the groceries off the belt as fast as possible. They don't care if the groceries go on the floor – and often they do. Obviously, they can't check out the next person until I'm done, so what good does it do to fling groceries as fast as possible, even when there's no room to stack them? Add to this the fact that I rarely shop after 7:30 a.m. so there’s usually not a line behind me anyway. I put my groceries on the belt in a logical order (all cold foods together, all canned goods, etc.) so it's not as though my lack of organization is a problem. Further, I usually have my mother with me so we can move “double time”.

I honestly don’t think many of the clerks are simply clueless -- I get the distinct impression they're deliberately trying to make it difficult to deter us. They have the attitude that says, “I don’t like this. I don’t want to do this. If you’re going to force me, I’m going to make it as miserable for you as possible.” Lest you think I’m paranoid, one time I encountered an associate at a big box store who supported my theory. She helped me with an error on the self-check out and commented how she hates the self checkout machines. I said, "Me, too, but I use them whenever I can because I have my own bags." She asked why and I told her I couldn't handle the attitude I get from the clerks. Her response was, "So what! We have a lot of people who bring their own bags. They have to learn to DEAL WITH IT. I know they don't want to, but they should and they will. Go through their lines and make them!" Further, when I’ve mentioned such problems to the staff at Whole Foods and our local co-op, I drew actual crowds of people agreeing their experience has been the same.

So, what’s a girl to do?! Well, I wrote a lengthy e-mail to corporate headquarters of the anti-eco-bag stores and told them of my problems. I stressed that education of their clerks is critical since (I pray) the reusable cloth bag revolution is here to stay and growing every day (please, please, please). I received telephone calls from the local managers of a number of the stores about whom I wrote. I’m going to give it some time, but so far, so good. I’ve only been shopping once since then (I grocery shop a month at a time) and my experience was wonderful! We’ll see if it was that particular clerk, a fluke, or if, indeed, the stores are educating their employees. Time will tell. I encourage you to write as well. Given the phone calls I received and the concern in the managers’ voices, they are listening. If enough of us complain, it’s bound to trickle down to the individual employees.

P.S. Please don’t write and yell at me about how hard store clerks work, how much abuse is heaped on them by unreasonable customers, etc. I know and I agree. Completely. But the point is, our environment is as stake and they need to do their jobs well, just as I do mine and you do yours.