moregreenmoms.com

Green Moms Carnival

I am honored and delighted to have been invited to participate as a writer for the Green Moms Carnival, a consortium of women with online, as well as offline, ventures that support greener living initiatives. Whether by offering advice, resources or information, this collection of influential bloggers provides a worthy selection of regular insights for anyone interested in treading more softly, and intelligently, in today’s world.

A new topic is chosen for each month and this January, the subject is global warming.  Admittedly, this is a broad subject and there are many ways to tackle the beast so I thought it might be helpful to offer a list of 7 To Do's for 2009 that could have a positive impact on our planet's overall health.  

The choices we make every day - from the waffles in our freezer, to what kind of freezer we own and how much food we store inside it - all contribute to our personal impact on global warming.  With that in mind, here are some of my recommendations:

Recycle, compost and dispose of trash thoughtfully! 

In June of 2008, I visited our dump in San Francisco and the two hours I spent there changed lifelong habits of how I organize (yes, that is the word I intended) our family’s trash.  It won’t be the same as standing over that odiferous Pit yourself, but reading about my experience may just keep a few apple cores out of your refuse.

Improving our national performance of this daily duty is essential for our climate as the methane gas that leaks from our landfills is 24 times more potent to our atmosphere than CO2, and the chemical soup that leeches into our ground is toxic to the water, soil, plants, animals and humans for generations to come.  There is no question that we can all take small steps in our lives to better manage our refuse.

Read a book written by Michael Pollan.

I suggest The Omnivore’s Dilemma for starters.  If there is one American who can explain the negligence that reigns over our nation’s food supply, it is this brilliant reporter from Berkeley, California.  I believe that his work will inspire people to be more thoughtful about what they put in their mouths each day.

For those who still don’t comprehend why I have transitioned my family to an entirely organic diet, the answers lie in Pollan’s research.  Same goes for the clean sweep of processed food from our shelves and the far less frequent appearance of meat on our dinner table. 

As far as our climate is concerned, reducing pesticides, responsibly farming and sustaining our land are all factors that play predominant roles in the tangled web of resource depletion that impacts our ability to thrive as a species.

If you are intrigued, but can’t commit to the book, watch this excellent video of a November 2008 conversation between PBS reporter, Bill Moyers, and Pollan about improvements he recommends to U.S. food policy.

 Watch www.thestoryofstuff.com.

I’m assuming that most readers have encountered this compelling piece already.  If not, it is 20 minutes of insight that will forever alter your desire to enter a Wal-Mart.  After viewing it a year ago, I have not only cut way back on our family’s consumption, but I lend a critical eye to the packaging, sourcing and materials used in the products I choose to buy. 

You should hear my kids when they find a toy with undeniable promise of fun - sadly, within moments they discover that it’s not only plastic, but it also bears the dreaded stamp, made in China.  They share a glance, roll their eyes, and agree, “Mom will never let us have it.”

The constriction of our economy has resulted in a tragic loss of jobs and security for too many Americans.  However, the silver lining – if there is one – is that our insatiable desire to acquire without regard to cost has effectively been chopped at the knees. 

We would have no hope for a brighter future if the rate at which we have been sourcing, manufacturing, consuming and disposing were to continue at it’s feverish pace.  “Less is the new more,” I told a group of 150 green-minded middle school students this time last winter.  Turns out, I was right.

When you do shop, spend green $.

Follow the advice of fellow Green Mom Carnival writer, Diane MacEachern, and boost the green economy with your Big Green Purse.  The growing availability of products offered by companies that support fair trade, package using recycled materials, or manufacture in plants powered by alternative fuels is hugely encouraging for an expanding base of conscious consumers.

It is essential that we reward the companies that are driving a shift toward sustainability with a larger share of our wallets.  While we all know that we cannot shop our way out of climate change, we can certainly attempt to burgeon demand for the products, technologies and innovations that have the potential to brighten our collective future.

Envision the bigger picture of how your actions reverberate in the world

Too often, many of us (myself included) think, “What’s the big deal if I just leave the light on, idle in the carpool line, or decide that composting is inconvenient?  I’m just one person, so how much damage can I really do?”

Well, we as individuals add up to 300 million citizens of a country whose resources are being pillaged in favor of our comfort and convenience.  Our actions as individuals do matter and just as we can do harm by ignoring that fact, we can do great good by remembering it as well.

One trick that works for me is to stop for just a moment when I know I have a choice and think for example, “I’m in a rush and don’t want to run across the room to turn out the light.”  But then I counter with, “Remember that shocking documentary about strip mining in West Virginia in order to extract coal for our power plants?”

I know it sounds a bit extreme, but this visualization takes me away from the bubble of my cozy life and into the reality of what my luxuries really cost our planet.  Flipping a switch is hardly a task that warrants debate.

Read Poisoned Profits The Toxic Assault on our Children by Philip and Alice Shabecoff

My green library is pretty extensive now and I can honestly say that this is the most outstanding reference I have read about the chemical exposures that are putting our population and our planet at risk.

A husband and wife team of seasoned reporters, the Shabecoffs have authored an expose of how America has become increasingly toxic over the past 50 years.  While science scurries to support the impact of our synthetic overload, our population suffers from ever-increasing chronic and acute healthcare issues that logically stem from the silent “assaults” we all endure.

If you have followed the headlines about phthalates, mercury, Bisphenol-A, breast cancer, autism, infertility – you name it – this book is a must read for added perspective and extraordinary insight. 

It is their hope that we will fight harder against the corporate concerns that are now permitted to pollute our children as well as the water they drink, the air they breathe and the food they carry in little lead-laden lunchboxes.  Enough is enough already.  Our kids deserve better and so does our earth.

Take action

If you read the books I’ve recommended above, hopefully they will compel you to affect some kind of change in your own household or community.  You may already be way ahead of the curve personally so perhaps you can take some additional steps to contribute to the collective work we must engage in to reinvent the American way of life.

The simplest way to get involved is to participate in online political efforts lead by non-profit entities such as www.ewg.org, www.care2.org, www.organicconsumers.org.  I consistently rely on these and other sources for information, access to petitions and perspective on government policy that directly affects not only our nation’s farmers but also the chemicals floating in my children’s bathtub.

Exponential benefit occurs when we all step out of our own comfort zones and seek to lead others.  A friendly place to begin this work is often at our local schools or within our own companies and civic organizations.  I have felt a great sense of contribution in founding eco-Councils on my kids’ campuses, which has allowed me to address issues like climate change in a broader context outside my own domain.

Another excellent option is to join an organization like Hope to Action, a nationwide movement of women for climate protection.  This San Francisco-based group, founded by visionary Jennifer Caldwell, has developed compelling presentations that they have packaged in the form of EcoSalons which women across the world are hosting within their communities.  Designed to inform, inspire and initiate change, this program is an excellent means for anyone to take action and “become part of the solution.”

And beyond, don’t hesitate to step up in your town or city to make your voice heard.  If there is anything I learned in 2008 when San Francisco was under imminent threat of a multi-year aerial pesticide spray program that would have put our children (and all citizens) at significant unnecessary risk, it was that when mama bear growls, beware those who threaten her cubs. 

Advocacy, whether for climate protection, chemical testing, food standards or consumer safety is a role we all can weave into our civic routines.  We already voted for Change, thankfully.  It is now time to step up to make it happen!

The good news is that it is fun - not to mention rewarding.  The whole concept of "greener than thou" must be banished from our society.  To achieve success, our collective frame of mind has to embrace all efforts to effect change, large and small.  

To close, I know that global warming was the topic for today and perhaps a comment or two appeared to swerve off-base.  However, I would argue that what we eat, consume, lather, learn and even believe are all tied together in a complex equation that will dictate the survival of our planet.  As naturalist John Muir wrote almost 100 years ago in 1911, 

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

Happy, Healthy 2009!  Let's go make a difference!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There ARE More Green Moms!

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few weeks on a personal treasure hunt, trying to uncover the core value of moregreenmoms. As I have joked many times, there is very little “there there.” If you pull back the curtain, you will find just me, surrounded by books and clippings, fingers tapping and brain clicking in a determined effort to help turn the tide of consumer awareness as it relates to our health and the environment.

But as I reflect on the many conversations and emails that now fill my days, this notion of working as an individual has suddenly evaporated. Although my payroll may not reflect growth, my company has burst wide open and is now teeming with innovative thinkers, political advocates, marketing experts and effective leaders.

Collectively, we have a task, and that is to take greater initiative to protect our earth, our families and ourselves. But individually, we all bring to the virtual Board Room a unique set of skills, experiences and connections that enable effective parallel operations. Our coalition does not exist under a formal umbrella, but we are united in focus and spirit.

For example, during the Q&A after a recent presentation I gave, a woman in the audience expressed a particular interest in learning more about composting and waste management. We explored some resources as a group and later THAT DAY I received an email inquiring whether I would be game for a visit to the San Francisco Recycling Center, which our Mayor, Gavin Newsom, proclaims to be a more worthwhile tourist attraction that the Golden Gate Bridge! So, thanks to her initiative, we are hosting an outing to our city dump later this month. Imagine the knowledge that will spread outward from our soon-to-be-enlightened group!

And just this morning, I met with five other moms to better align our opposition tactics against the impending aerial pesticide spray planned for Northern California, http://www.moregreenmoms.com/advocacy/index.html. The majority of us have never before taken a leadership role in any politically charged controversy. Yet, in an effort to safeguard our community, all of these women have halted the normal flow of their lives to organize Town Hall meetings, consult with attorneys, develop communications platforms, interview medical experts, befriend entomologists, raise money and tirelessly lobby our legislators to protect us. They have become reluctant, but extraordinarily effective players in the ever-expanding stage of global chemical warfare. Without question, a hornet’s next has been knocked from the rafters!

So what encourages me to no end is to tally a collection of similarly action-oriented and positive stories that I could share not only from people I’ve met in San Francisco, but from across our country, and even Europe. There are More Green Moms every day. And they are blazing new paths to revamp the menus at their schools, develop healthier consumer products, champion sustainability and raise the growing green whisper into a forceful shout.

Like me, many of the people I hear from are fairly new subscribers to a greater environmental sensitivity. Some are piecing the puzzle together perhaps for the first time. I know this might be a major slap in the face to the MANY dedicated scientists, activists, legislators, writers and educators who have been professing these truths for decades. But I think we have now tumbled over Malcolm Gladwell’s tipping point. We are ready to listen, but more importantly, we are ready to take action. Mama bear has awoken.

So if I were to define moregreenmoms’ core value, I would say that it has become an effective translation service. Not only can I tune into an empathetic audience who shares a history of mistakes and a keen desire to avoid them in the future, but I can help distill the myriad of resources into bite size portions that can catalyze rather than paralyze our powerful audience. I am trying to find anyone and everyone, Mother or other, who will make the commitment to simply stop the madness, think about the greater equation and take action to promote change.

While my base of contacts is nascent, author Michael Pollan, has earned the respect of a vast collection of readers who, like me, have gained invaluable insights relating to the complexity of our American environmental landscape. I have read many books on these topics, but no one can transport you from the cornstalk to the drive-through like he can. That is why I was particularly intrigued to read his essay in the April 20th New York Times green-themed Sunday magazine. While the conclusion of his piece focused specifically on food, the body of his message explored why we must “all bother” to partake in the effort to safeguard our planet. Please excuse the long quote as you can read his entire article yourself, but he’s brilliant,

“If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for hybrid cars.) Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even changed: new moral imperatives and new taboos might take root in the culture. Driving an S.U.V. or eating a 24-ounce steak or illuminating your McMansion like an airport runway at night might come to be regarded as outrages to human conscience. Not having things might become cooler than having them. And those who did change the way they live would acquire the moral standing to demand changes in behavior from others.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html?_r=2&ref=world&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

I obviously agree with him. I agree to the extent that I can’t stop “bothering” now that I’ve started. And I know that many of you feel the same way.

In closing, I received an email this morning from a teacher at my daughter’s school, and it read, “The third graders are doing a project about someone who is working towards protecting and conserving the environment. A number of teachers recommended you and your work with your website. A student in my class selected you as her EcoHero. Would it be possible for her to email you a few questions or give you a short interview?”

As I sit here alone, again, at my dining room table, I bear no fantasy that I deserve to be grouped with the true EcoHeros of our time. But I do know that I have helped coalesce some thinking, jumpstart some action and build some excitement around how we can live differently in our community.

And the beauty of it is that I have never met resistance, but rather encountered unbridled desire to own the solutions we are capable of delivering to our society.

I will passionately keep recruiting More Green Moms, because I have the data to prove that whatever we can accomplish will make us heroes to our children. And that clearly the day has arrived for us all to “bother.”