Good News and Bad News!

First some good news: I'M BACK! I took a hiatus (from blogging, not saving the planet). Yes. I know. Good news for whom? Well...for me.

More good news: my eco foot print (http://www.myfootprint.org/) is now down to 3.3 PLANETS. Pretty sweet, eh? All due to me moving to NYC (more on this below). Improvements are still necessary, but I was pretty happy to see the change.

The update about the "eco-ness" of my new city with the bad news interspersed: I'M OFFICIALLY A NEW YORKER, and as such, I sold my car and now live in an apartment with a roommate. All of which have helped lower my Ecological Footprint to 15 acres. Of course, the move has also prompted the need for a lot of new items. Boo. Acacia and I (shout out, Roomie!) are doing pretty well with the second-hand finds (silverware, bread machine, table), but there's still a large influx of new items (IE: new material, lots of packaging, and most of it made in China). We're workin' on it, though (emphases on work. This savin' the planet thing ain't easy). Craigslist is pretty rad. Then there's the new job and new climate, meaning new clothes (i've never needed slacks and collars before...ack! and yes, I've lived in the cold, but I've never had to walk a mile or two (depending on the day) in it). On top of that is the air time. I've racked up quite a few hours flying now that I'm not located in the destination point. That'll slow once the holidays are over...till next year. I've heard about programs in which you can cancel your emissions by buying trees or donating to renewable energy sources (or something like that). I'll look into it.

Immediate goals: diet! Somewhere along the line (I think it was when my body was crying out for protein in the middle of Japan) I REGRESSED INTO QUITE THE CARNIVORE. Less meat it is (see blog "Buying Close to the Source). Also, getting fresh ingredients when a trip the store is a half day venture is so much work (especially when you're limited to what you can carry for roughly 8 blocks and a subway ride). Man...more effort. *heavy sigh.*

I'll finish here. I could go on for days, but for the first post in over 2 months (shoot...I really am a slacker), I think that'll do.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Go Planet!

Remember when...

I don't get why they don't air this anymore. Well...maybe I do. You should watch it anyway.

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/499/

Go Planet

Artistically Speaking...

Artist Chris Jordan on the Colbert Report:

http://www.comedycentral.com/motherload/player.jhtml?ml_video=111474&ml_collection=&ml_gateway=&ml_gateway_id=&ml_comedian=&ml_runtime=&ml_context=show&ml_origin_url=/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/celebrity_interviews/index.jhtml&ml_playlist=&lnk=&is_large=true

Web site (particularly "Running the Numbers"):

http://www.chrisjordan.com/

I don't have much to say. That's sorta the point. You just have to see it.

Go Planet

Already Failed (and it took less than 24 hours)

So you know that self-righteous blog I wrote last time? Yeah, well, it didn't even take 24 hours for me to be bucked off my high horse.

I was in an airport (more on my air travel at a later date) waiting for my flight when a guy started chatting me up (and no, he wasn't that scuzzy guy trying to pick up chicks. I've met him, and this guy wasn't him). We probably talked for 20 minutes, in which time I had numorous oportunities to be like, "and I'm a budding environmentalist. It's something I'm really passionate about and you should be too. Here's my blogspot." The closest I got was telling him about the National Geographic article I was reading on carbon emissions and how we're killin the planet (read it. also look for the article on bio fuel in the same issue http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-10/carbon-crisis/carbon-crisis.html). Yeah. No one said it'd be easy.

Go Planet

GOALS UPDATES:
Goodwill and I are compatable. 2nd trip: successful.
I had my first sewing lessond today. Tricky, but not impossible.

Super Power Environmentalist

Recently I was out to tea with a friend of mine, telling him all about my new found environmental passion, when he threw a question my way that stumped me: "What can I do--me and only me--that will make a noticable difference?" Said friend is a long time environmentalist (recycling, buying local, donating to organizations, etc), but not being able to see active results from his efforts has gotten to be frustrating over the years. While he has no intention of stopping his eco ways, he said that if I could find something that one person could do to MAKE A VISABLE DIFFERENCE, he'd be thrilled.

As we age, we must come to terms with certain facts of life: the New Kids on the Block aren't cool, our parents did in fact have sex to have us, and there isn't a city of Fraggles living underground with a WICKED COOL THEME SONG. I, however, refuse to believe that the old addage "one person can make a difference" falls into that category. My friend wants an answer to the order of: if you (and only you) burn oak wood from precisely 3-3:15am during a full moon in February, it releases a powerful substance that actively patches the ozone so that the next day you can go down an SPF. Alas, such a solution doesn't exist (if it did, we'd have seen it on the Today Show), and if it does exist but has yet to be discovered, I would not be the one to discover it (said discovery would clearly be made by a Fin). So I began turning my brain on something a little more abstract.

What if as environmentalists, we defined it as part of our mission to turn as many people into environmetalists as possible? Thus, by definition, they would then be turning as many people into environmentalists as possible exponentially. Now, in my experience, one can generally break environmentalists down into two groups: the in-your-face-chip-on-her-shoulder-turn-you-off-by-her-brashness kind, and the I-don't-want-to-be-rude-so-I'll-recycle-my-bottle-and-hope-you-see kind. What if we merged the two to make a SUPER POWER ENVIRONMENTALIST--one who is persistant, yet polite? What if instead of telling people about our dogs, schooling, jobs, family, etc. when they ask about us, we told them about something that actually concerns them: the environment? What if instead of shoving our opinions down peoples' throats or being afraid of peoples' judgements we spoke passionately, knowledgeably, and sincerely about something we're passionate, knowledgeable, and sincere about?

That's some big-ass talk. I know. But we need some big-ass change.

Go Planet!

Field Trip: My Bathroom

SITE: The (Female) Bathroom
PURPOSE: Recognise the amount of plastic used by one person in the bathroom.
GOAL: Explore alternatives to plastic.

SHOWER PLASTIC INVENTORY:

3 regular bottles shampoo (regular, post show, post perm)
1 "jug" shampoo
1 bottle conditioner
2 body washes
2 body scrubs
1 face wash
1 shave lotion
1 disposable (for shame) razor
1 mesh shower poof thingy

COUNTER TOP PLASTIC INVENTORY:

3 tooth brushes (regular, travel, cleaning)
1 tube tooth paste
2 bottles hair product
1 face wash
1 bottle contact solution
1 tube neosporen
2 hair brushes
3 contact cases

MEDICINE CABINATE INVENTORY:

1 face wash (yes, another)
1 bottle moisterizer
2 bottles astringent
2 face masks (clay and peel)
1 face scrub (totally different than face wash)
1 stick deoderant
3 bottles contact solution (I don't really know how that happened)
1 bottle eye make-up remover
3 bottles pain killers
3 contact cases

MISCELLANEOUS:

21 bottles lotions, product, vitamins, etc.
1 "jug" bubble bath
3 lids on none plastic containers
countless cosmetics, including but not limited to eye liner, lipstick, chap stick, mascara, powder, blush, bronzers, shimmers, and shadows
3 curling irons
1 straight iron
1 set hot rollers
1 spray bottle
disposable contacts all stored in plastic
other crap


Ok. I can make all the excuses I want--they were gifts. It's been in there for years. I need it for theatre--it doesn't change the fact that I'm eventually going to have to throw it out (or recycle the 1 and 2).

How do we go about solving this? Well, what became blaring clear to me as I took this inventory is to STOP BEING SO EFFING VAIN!! Good gracious! How many products does one person need?

Ok, now that we solved about half the problem, let's take a closer look, keeping in mind I'm well aware that it's less convenient (that is, after all, why we use plastic), and a little more costly, but the links I'm giving are rather reasonable. Not to mention, the products are all natural (i.e. better for you), and saving the planet is kinda worth it.

THE SHOWER:

*shampoo: use a SHAMPOO BAR. It works as both shampoo and conditioner. Go here: http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm
*body wash: USE SOAP! Freakin' a. You can get fancy kinds or just buy dove. It comes in a box.
*body scrub: good ol' LOOFAH. you can even get loofah and soap in one (http://www.hydrasoap.com/loofahsoap.asp), or you could MAKE A SALT SCRUB(http://www.pretendingsanity.com/projects/salt_scrub.html)
*face wash: soap
*shave gel: Fill a small spritz bottle (yeah, it's plastic, but get a sturdy one and it'll last for years) with COCONUT OIL. It's a great moisturizer, and you can get it at Vitamin Cottage in a glass jar. You can also use it for your salt scrub.
*disposable razor: ok, all I have for this is buy a reusable razor. Aside from waxing or going al natural, I don't know how to do this with out plastic. Any suggestions?
*mesh shower poof thingy: Wash cloth or a SOAP SACK (http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/accessories.htm)

COUNTER TOP:

*tooth brush: WOODEN with natural bristles (http://www.caswellmassey.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=372)
*tooth paste: A little extreme, but...MAKE YOUR OWN(http://www.bathandbodyrecipes.com/tip.php?tipid=41)
*hair product: Ah, vainity. Use less.
*brush: Wooden with natural bristles...once the current ones die.
*contacts: This is a hard one, considering the contacts themselves are made of plastic. Since lasik surgery isn't in the near future, I'll just have to commit to WEARING MY GLASSES more to make the solution and the contacts last as long as possible.

MEDICINE CABINATE

Ok, I could load up on a bunch of recipes for creams and toners (http://www.bathandbodyrecipes.com/index.php), most of which are hard to make with out using products that come in plastic, or I could just say, BE REASONABLE.
*deoderant: Natrual, no plastic (http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/catzoom.html?mv_arg=Deodorants&expand=Closeup)
*eye make up remover: Coconut oil should work, any oil for that matter...
*pain killers: I know I should just not use them, but SOMETIMES A GIRL JUST NEEDS AN IBUPROFEN. Any suggestions?

MISCELLANEOUS:

*lotion: LOTION BARS (http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/lotbar.htm)
*styling contraptions: BUY QUALITY and only what you need.
*cosmetics: I'm at a stand still here. It just comes in plastic. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

I've only tried a handfull of what's here (gotta use what I have first), but I'll keep you updated as long as you do the same. Also, any tips of your own are greatly appreciated.

GO PLANET

Get Your Thrift On

Part of my new environmentally sound lifestyle is to buy as much as possible second hand. The full levity of this decision won't be realized until I'm furnishing an apartment second hand (keep an eye out for that blog in a few weeks time), which, at this point, still sounds like a lot of kitschy fun.

Back in the day (also known as the awkward years), I did the majority of my clothes shopping at yard sales and thrift stores--and I looked it. That was the point. As I got older, however, my tastes in clothing sophiticated. Since being home, I've cruised by Pollux (my own mini kryptonite) a few times and fought the urge to enter...you know...just to browse. That'd be like letting a recovering alcoholic go into a bar...you know...just for the atmosphere. So, you can imagine my relief when I found myself at a garage sale scoring some wicked cute j. crew pants and a scarf.

Itching for some more second hand finds, I decided to check out the new Good Will of which I'd been hearing good things. As I entered the brand new, well lit, clean, airy store, my palms began to sweat and my pulse started to race (ok, so that may be an exageration, but the store is pretty impressive). I began to take a look at what GW had to offer, but found myself with a new mentallity. When I'd thrifted in the past, I had always been looking for costumes and shock value pieces. Now I was looking for staples to my wardrobe that would make people exclaim, "You got that at Good Will?!" A challange indeed, but one that added to the fun.

With a fist full of skirts, I made my way to the fitting room.

Skirt one: OK. A good find for two bucks, but I'll never feel cute wearing it. No.
Skirt two: A wrap around (a thrifter's best friend). Really cute, but too small. Fine if I stand completely still, but an embarrbassing moment waiting to happen. No.
Skirt three: Whoa! Hello Captain Dumpy. No.
Skirt four: Too small. No.
Skirt five: Wrap around. Great audition skirt (color: neon watermelon). Pockets! I love pockets! It fits. It's cute. It's half off $1.99? Yes!

I ended up leaving GW with said skirt and a new pocket book--only $3.80 lighter. Over all: extremely successful (although the sales lady looked at me as if I were mad when I told her I didn't need a bag. I could just carry it). Of course, I wasn't looking for something specific. That will be the real test of my second hand committment. For now, though, I'm content.

I'm so embarrassed, I amost didn't post this...

It's my ecologicacl footprint.

http://www.myfootprint.org/

This site asks a few simple questions and then shows you the impact you're having on the earth. Thinking, "how bad could I really be?" I took the quiz. Turns out pretty bad. My footprint is 41 meaning that if everyone lived like me, we would need 9 1/2 planets to support it all!

"I don't have to post this on my blog," I thought. "Who has to know?" Then I realized everyone has to know. That's the point of this blog--taking responsibility for the impact I'm making and actively trying to better it.

So here I am. 41, and hell bent on changing.

Go Planet!

Plastic

I'm starting with the link (thanks Carrie) this time. Read it, and then we'll talk.

http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/travel-leisure/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we.shtml

Alright. If you didn't read it (which you should), let me sum it up: 25% of the planet is covered in plastic by way of gyres (a giant circular oceanic surface current), which basically suck in the world's discarded plastic, and "except for...small amount[s]...every bit of plastic ever made still exists." That's a lot of effing plastic. On average, Americans toss 185 pounds of plastic per person every year, and plastic production is increasing exponentially, currently around 120 billion pounds (that's every year) in the U.S. alone.

If that's not enough to make one reevaluate the amount of plastic she uses, how about research that shows this discarded plastic is finding its way into our foodsorces and, thus, into our bodies, and the plastics we use to process and store our food is doing the same? This is believed to be a factor in, among other things, the rise in obecesity, cancer, and infertility.

So what are some simple things we can do to reduce our plastic consumption?:

*buy out of need not want
*buy second hand
*when buying new, buy quality so it'll last
*buy closer to the source
*buy products with eco friendly packaging
*why use disposable when there's reusable (think razors, water bottles, and flatware)?
*take your own bags to the grocery store. "Twenty-three countries, including Germany, South Africa, and Australia, have banned, taxed, or restricted the use of plastic bags." Let's catch up to the rest of the world. Vitamin cottage has great bags for 99 cents. They stand on their own for easy loaing and unloading, and they have straps long enough to sling over your shoulder but not so long they drag ground if in your hand. Plus, you probably didn't realize stores like Safeway charge 5 cents per plastic bag. That's money in the bank folks.
*don't use produce bags unless you have to (you don't need them for two apples or a bunch of bananas), and when you do use them, save them and use them next time. They store easily in a paper towel tube.
*Store food in glass or ceramic. Canning jars work great because they come in a varity of sizes and you can see what's in them, and they're reasonably priced.
*use tampons with cardboard applicators and paper wrappers
*do you really need that straw? What about the no-spill lid when you're sitting down to eat?
*Recycle. Notice, however, that recylcling is last on the list. This is because, unlike glass, plastic cannot be continueously melted down and reformed. When recycled, plastic is only used to make products like fleece, carpet, and wood substitute--not more plastic bottles. Thus, recycling plastic doesn't cut down on the need for new plastic to be produced. Check out this website for misconseptions about plastic recycling:
http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html
check out this blog written by a woman going sans plastic for a year:
http://plasticfree.blogspot.com/

Clearly a basic list, but a good starting point of which to run with.

GO PLANET!

Water Water Everywhere...

*If you don't have the time (or patience, or whatever) to read my rant, please just click on the first website at the bottom of this post*

"Don't drink the water!" is what everyone said when they found out I was going to China. I heeded this advice, and everytime I took a shower, strategically keeping my face dry (ten days in all--astringent is a beautiful thing), I thought of a story I once heard about a crew member on one of the Indian Jones movies putting duct tape over his mouth everytime he showered while the movie shot on location. He was the only one who didn't get disentery (or "the runs" as I recall Harrison Ford referred to it).

Indeed, nothing will make you appreciate drinkable water more than spending time in a country like China, and nothing will make you realize how much water you waste like spending time in Japan.

During my time in the motherland of skating and now dance king Apolo Anton Ohno (I digress), I incountered public bath houses, a shower with a lever that gave you 10-15 seconds of water everytime you pushed it, and a toilet that gives you the option for a full or half flush in just about every bathroom (of course, considering I don't read conji, I had a few misflushes). I'm telling you, the Japanese have got it right.

Here are two websites about water conservation. The first has great "tips," and the second is the site of a local organization called Drought Response Information Project (yeah. who knew?)

http://www.monolake.org/socalwater/wctips.htm#topten

http://www.thedripwebsite.com/

Go Planet!

NEW LONG TERM GOAL: compost

Buying Close to the Source

Buying as close to the source as possible is a simple concept: the farther something gets from where it origionated, the more energy is used. The implication of such a simple concept, however, is huge!

At its most basic level, this means buy local/domestic. This goes for everything from palisade peaches to American made. I'm not trying to get political here, just ecological. Consider the energy used to ship internationally, and while America is hardly the standard of clean emission standards, regulations are stricter here than in places like...oh say China.

Another facet of buying close to the source is the amount of packaging and processing that goes into products. This applies to everything we buy, but is most easily seen for me at the grocery store. For example, I'm a huge fan of the pre-washed pre-bagged baby spinach--how convinient is that? But what about the energy it took to wash and bag it? Not to mention you now have this plastic bag you have to throw out. Instead, I've started buying the bundles of greens (you know the ones my mom bought before there was pre-bagged spinach) and wash it at home. But Rachel, isn't that a waste of water? I fill the sink with water and wash all my fruits and veggies at the same time (but i think that falls under water conservation...a different blog). It's not just in the produce section, however. The grocery store is full of overprocessed over packaged items . My goal: buy fresher and cook more (cutting down on processing and packaging). Not only is better for you, it's better for the environment. A bit of a time commitment, but i feel like it's one of those things that more you do the easier it gets. I'll keep you posted.

Alright. Here's the tough one. Vegatarianism. Let me start by saying this isn't my cry for global vegatarianism. I'm simply putting this out there as something to think on:

Meat production is rediculously wasteful. I once read an estimation that it takes 16 pounds of grain to make one hamburger. WHAT?! That's out of control! Think of the time, energy, water, and land that went into producing that grain that could have made numorous meals instead of one. Not to mention the aditional processing that goes into slaughtering, butchering, packaging, and shipping meat. Am I going full force vegan? No. Humans are made to consume meat (although I do believe it's possible to be a healthy vegan. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge). I am, however, committed to reducing my consumption of animal products. Anyone's who's interested should check out www.goveg.com . Be warned, the sight has links to some pretty intense stuff but also has links to great facts, statistics, recipes, and even a free vegitarian starter kit.

All right. I think that's it for now. GOOOO PLANET!

Gaining Perspective

I've always considered myself a pretty environmentally conscious person. I don't litter, i turn the water off when brushing my teeth, and i've been known to use the policy, "yellow your mellow. brown goes down." Yeah. That was me. Saving the world one flush at a time. I got a pretty good slap in the self-righteous face, however, when my brother and I took a trip abroad this past August. We spent most our time in Japan, the land of efficiency and cleanliness, and took a side trip to china--the land of everything Japan isn't.

China is dirty. It's not yeah-there's-some-trash-on-the-street-and-what's-that-smell? dirty, it's I-don't-want-to-move-for-fear-of-getting-hepatitis dirty. What struck me the most in China, though, was the pollution. The phrase "you could cut it with a knife" never seemed so apropos as on our first day in Beijing when, to look out the window, you'd think you were witness to a rather foggy day. To be out in the "fog," however, you quickly realized that you were not standing in condensed water particles suspended in the lower atmosphere, but rather you were standing in smog. I asked my friend Dave (who lives in Shanghai) about it, and he informed me that the burning/itching in my eyes and throat and the running of my nose which started upon entering China was indeed due to the pollution, and that in central China, where the majority of the factories are, it's even worse. You can't see the other side of the street on a bad day, and people don't wear white because it quickly turns to grey.

My mind was officially blown, and I thought, "Way to go China. Sucks to be you." One of my finer moments really. Once the intellectual prowess of a third grader subsided, I began to really think about what I was laying witness to: what happens when we neglect the planet. While I haven't done in depth research on the topic (give me time, people), it's safe to say that while America is ahead of China in terms of how we treat the environment (that's not too difficult), we're rediculously behind the rest of the world (which became clear after traveling in Japan). That the U.S. doesn't resemble China's environment is due largely to some simple factors: China has more people, and a huge percentage of what we own is made in China (no really. Check the lables.) and other third world countries.

I'm a visual person, and seeing what I'm personally doing the one planet we've been given (I'm trying to avoid these cliches, but that one really worked) served as a swift kick in the pants. My brain starting working overtime on all the changes I need to make be a conscientious citzen of earth(more cliches...blast!). This blog isn't meant to be preachy (welcome to Rachel on her soapbox hour!). While I do hope it will inspire poeple to make chages, no matter how small, the blog's primary purpose is to keep me in line. My biggest fear in undertaking this far from small project is that I'll lose steam and sweep my good intentions under the rug once my initial gusto has worn off. In such a scenario, I'm hoping that my pride (it's got to be good for something), after announcing to the world my new ambitions, will keep me focussed on the goal. With that being said, wish me luck, and I hope, if nothing else, you enjoy.

I've made two lists. One of immediate changes I can make. One of goals for the future. They will be amended indefinitely but are a good starting point.

IMMEDIATE CHANGES:

Buy out of need, not want
change light bulbs in house to the new energy efficient kind
unplug things when not in use
buy as close to the source as possible (more on this in the next blog)
buy second hand
line dry
walk
limit tv/computer use
take reusable bags to the grocery store (vitamin cottage has GREAT ones on sale for 99 cents)
online banking (i'm in the dark ages on this one)
recycle (yeah. wasn't already. point and laugh now.) *number for city recycling: 242-1036*
more water conscious

LONG TERM GOALS:

learn to sew
own hybrid car
have a garden (a Darden Garden if you will)
become competent on a bike