I am watching this fantastic new show I discovered on Netflix. It is called Eco Trip and the host follows a product through its life cycle to truly measure the impact the supply chain and production of things like chocolate or cotton have on the environment. I love this show! It really demonstrates how we should consider the impact of every single decision we make, especially in terms of things we purchase. I am still a student, so I love things that are free or cheap, but watching the episode about cotton production is starting to make me wonder.
I might want to buy a bag of v-neck white cotton t shirts for under $10, but cotton is one of the most harmful of crops in terms of chemical use and waste. I've learned by watching Eco Trip that 70% of the cotton crop is not usuable for creating textiles and in fact is either consigned to be waste, fed to livestock, or made into cottonseed oil. The waste seems somewhat unavoidable. Cotton is my favorite textile and I can't imagine giving it up. I sleep in it, I clean things with it, I dry myself off with it...but here is the real question. If a cotton farmer uses a separate chemical to kill bugs, another to kill weeds, and another to "ripen" the cotton for harvest rather than waiting for a hard freeze, how is it possible that conventional cotton is cheaper than organic cotton, which doesn't use any chemicals? Now, I'm not a cotton farmer, but I do know that chemicals cost money. So who is paying the bill?
Cotton is subsidized by the U.S. government, just like corn, the giant grass that has found its way into every single processed food available in the center of the supermarket. But, I don't want my taxes to be paying for chemicals. I want my money to make it worth the cotton farmer's while to not use chemicals. And so, I will use the power of my pocketbook and buy organic cotton wherever I can find it. If Adam Smith had anything right, demand will eventually conquer laziness.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Communes are where it's at.
So...here is the real question of the day. Who decided American young people between the ages of 18-23 should move out of their parents' homes and forge their own way in life? Historically (and by historically I mean for the past few millenia), young adults have simply lived in their parents' homes until they started their own families. This is still the case in the majority of Latin and South America as well as other cultures around the globe. Sure, there is something to be said for having your own place. You get to make all of the decisions and you know who ate the last cookie in the cookie jar. BUT...think of all of the wasted energy.
As I write this, I am sitting on the couch in my new apartment that I will inhabit through August of this year. My apartment is approximately 750 square feet, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, walk-in closet, in-house laundry, and patio. Since I am in Texas, it is ungodly hot and I have the air conditioning on (though I set it at a reasonable 78 degrees Farenheit) in order to help my poor native Minnesotan body adjust to the unreasonable temperatures. The dishwasher is also running. It was only half full even though it has been 4 days since I last ran it. I had to run it because I am flying to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow for a 7 day stay and I didn't want my dishes to mold up while I was gone. The point of these ramblings is this:
I am using approximately 1 bajillion kilowatts of energy to cool my new home and wash my dishes. The space I live in could easily accomodate at least one more person comfortably. If I could live with my parents (or at least some roommates like the commune of 5 adults in 1500 square feet I lived in a week ago), I could save approximately 1 bajillion kilowatts and still be happy, comfortable, and have plenty of space for any alone time I may need (though I rarely need it due to my extroverted nature).
Unnecessary waste is inherent in every facet of American culture.
As I write this, I am sitting on the couch in my new apartment that I will inhabit through August of this year. My apartment is approximately 750 square feet, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, walk-in closet, in-house laundry, and patio. Since I am in Texas, it is ungodly hot and I have the air conditioning on (though I set it at a reasonable 78 degrees Farenheit) in order to help my poor native Minnesotan body adjust to the unreasonable temperatures. The dishwasher is also running. It was only half full even though it has been 4 days since I last ran it. I had to run it because I am flying to Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow for a 7 day stay and I didn't want my dishes to mold up while I was gone. The point of these ramblings is this:
I am using approximately 1 bajillion kilowatts of energy to cool my new home and wash my dishes. The space I live in could easily accomodate at least one more person comfortably. If I could live with my parents (or at least some roommates like the commune of 5 adults in 1500 square feet I lived in a week ago), I could save approximately 1 bajillion kilowatts and still be happy, comfortable, and have plenty of space for any alone time I may need (though I rarely need it due to my extroverted nature).
Unnecessary waste is inherent in every facet of American culture.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Germany should take over the world...
The movement to live locally is growing stronger everyday, but here in midwestern America, it isn't as easy as it could or should be. Enter the community of Vauban, Germany. In Vauban, life is local because it is designed to be. Car ownership is heavily discouraged. There are no roads within the community wide enough for automobiles and a parking space in the community's parking garage must be purchased like any other form of real estate and will run you around $40,000. Have no fear, however, you don't need a car to live here. A local grocery shop is right down the street and everything you need is within walking distance due to a beautiful mixed zoning policy. Now you may say, "What if I need to visit Ma Suntken in Berlin?" Once again, the urban planners were using their thinking caps. The train station is right on the edge of the community, walkable from any home.
Indeed, the pictures of Vauban in a recent New York Times article make the community look positively utopian. But despite the clear quality of life perks of living in Vauban, the success of the designed community has not spurred a worldwide revolution in which we transform suburbia from a place where our lawns stretch endlessly to the horizon into a place where our children can play in the streets without fear of being hit by a driver filled with road rage.
In fact, here in the U.S., there continues to be substantial resistance to what should be a simple choice when one weighs the pros and cons. The standard answers I receive when I passionately discuss local eating, bicycle commuting, organic gardening, making my own cheese, etc. with my friends and family center around the cost and inconvenience of actually taking up any of these earth-saving habits. But Vauban puts both of those concerns to rest. It isn't inconvenient to bike to the grocery store when the store is a few blocks away. It isn't more expensive to ride the bus or train when owning a car requires a significant additional investment.
With Vauban leading German planning into the 21st century, I say, let the Germans rule!
Indeed, the pictures of Vauban in a recent New York Times article make the community look positively utopian. But despite the clear quality of life perks of living in Vauban, the success of the designed community has not spurred a worldwide revolution in which we transform suburbia from a place where our lawns stretch endlessly to the horizon into a place where our children can play in the streets without fear of being hit by a driver filled with road rage.
In fact, here in the U.S., there continues to be substantial resistance to what should be a simple choice when one weighs the pros and cons. The standard answers I receive when I passionately discuss local eating, bicycle commuting, organic gardening, making my own cheese, etc. with my friends and family center around the cost and inconvenience of actually taking up any of these earth-saving habits. But Vauban puts both of those concerns to rest. It isn't inconvenient to bike to the grocery store when the store is a few blocks away. It isn't more expensive to ride the bus or train when owning a car requires a significant additional investment.
With Vauban leading German planning into the 21st century, I say, let the Germans rule!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Everything I need to know about global warming I learned in 3rd grade
On Friday, April 17, 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that they were formally declaring carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride as pollutants. I am extremely excited that the government has finally taken an official stand on how intensely human activity on the planet has impacted the state of our environment. The declaration opens doors for many new and necessary policies that could accelerate the changes that need to be made before we cause our own extinction. In The 11th Hour, Leonardo DiCaprio told me that the U.S. government's denial of the severity of climate change and global warming was the single biggest obstacle to positive change. So, the EPA's announcement is good.
On the other hand, the fact that it is 2009 and the EPA, the governmental agency appointed to monitor and regulate the state of our environmnet, is only now declaring the danger of these potent gases is disturbing. When I was in 3rd grade in 1994, my mother gave me a book called 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth (the book was actually published in 1990....19 years ago). Now, I remember quite clearly that "The Greenhouse Effect" was described in that book as one of the "things that was happening" that needed to be stopped. The Greenhouse Effect was the 90's phrase for global warming. So, I, as an 8 year old, knew more about global warming, its consequences, and what I could do to stop it, than the EPA did in 2007.
If the EPA was a schoolkid, I would have require it to take the 3rd grade over again, as it just isn't keeping up with its peers.
On the other hand, the fact that it is 2009 and the EPA, the governmental agency appointed to monitor and regulate the state of our environmnet, is only now declaring the danger of these potent gases is disturbing. When I was in 3rd grade in 1994, my mother gave me a book called 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth (the book was actually published in 1990....19 years ago). Now, I remember quite clearly that "The Greenhouse Effect" was described in that book as one of the "things that was happening" that needed to be stopped. The Greenhouse Effect was the 90's phrase for global warming. So, I, as an 8 year old, knew more about global warming, its consequences, and what I could do to stop it, than the EPA did in 2007.
If the EPA was a schoolkid, I would have require it to take the 3rd grade over again, as it just isn't keeping up with its peers.
Friday, April 10, 2009
I guess you really do have to cook your food...
The New York Times has a lot of good information, but sometimes its journalists just fail to get to the point. For example, today my daily email of headlines included U.S. Food Safety No Longer Improving. I clicked the headline to learn more. The article started out great, stating that the food safety system in this country needs some serious help due to the fact that it was "created when most foods were grown, prepared and consumed locally." This really caught my attention. Here was a perfect opportunity for a NY Times reporter to provide a critical analysis of the entire food system, not just the food safety system. Low and behold, as I read on, the only solution presented to me was that the "F.D.A. needs to do more inspections.” This led me to ask myself, "How exactly would more inspections help?" We could hire the 650,000 people who were laid off in February to work as FDA inspectors and we still wouldn't catch all of the contaminants. Furthermore, as a later part of the article stated, “You can only tell people so much to wash their cutting boards and wash their hands,” Dr. Jones said. “I think we’re running out of things to do to make dramatic improvements.” Though Dr. Jones seems to think we have zero options, there is still one brightly shining star that could help remedy the food safety system and it isn't getting people to use more soap and water.
Fix the food system. Prevent the contamination of meat by feeding cattle what their stomachs can digest rather than force feeding them inedible feed and then pumping them full of antibiotics while they lounge in their own e. coli contaminated excrement. You can irradiate the steaks that come out of that cow and hire an inspector to make sure that always happens, but it seems a lot easier to me to let your cows roam a plot of grass and keep their muscles healthy until it is time to turn those muscles into food. Since a large percentage of bacterial contamination of food is ultimately caused by contaminated fecal matter that enters the soil and handling equipment, eliminating the cause of contaminated fecal matter would actually attack the contamination of food, rather than preventing already contaminated food from entering the market.
Fix the food system. Prevent the contamination of meat by feeding cattle what their stomachs can digest rather than force feeding them inedible feed and then pumping them full of antibiotics while they lounge in their own e. coli contaminated excrement. You can irradiate the steaks that come out of that cow and hire an inspector to make sure that always happens, but it seems a lot easier to me to let your cows roam a plot of grass and keep their muscles healthy until it is time to turn those muscles into food. Since a large percentage of bacterial contamination of food is ultimately caused by contaminated fecal matter that enters the soil and handling equipment, eliminating the cause of contaminated fecal matter would actually attack the contamination of food, rather than preventing already contaminated food from entering the market.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Those who truly need to Discover probably don't watch the Discovery channel
Tonight I watched Tom Brokaw's special report on Global Warming. I was really excited as I had seen previews the weekend before while watching a Discovery channel show about renewable energy. When I heard "Tom Brokaw" and "Global Warming" used in the same sentence, I assumed it would be a big deal, probably would be on one of the major networks to reach the masses, and I would have guessed NBC since that is Tom's alma mater. Tonight when I was turning on the TV and trying to locate the show, fiance Tom informed me that it was on the Discovery channel. Obviously, I love the Discovery channel because it is all about learning, but I was a little miffed. I didn't believe fiance Tom. The Global Warming report was a really big deal. People needed to know about it. Even in Texas. But, as so often is the case, fiance Tom was right.
So, disappointed that roommate Dave and I might be the only people in the world watching Tom Brokaw (even fiance Tom decided he needed to do laundry instead), I sat and waited for the show to begin. Considering it was on the Discovery channel instead of NBC, I was a little disappointed. The show was a little soft. I had already heard about pine beetles and the devastating effect they are having on white pines in the Rockies and the far-reaching consequences the extinction of the white pine will have.
Nevertheless, I learned a few new things and I wanted to post them in case someone else didn't know them.
1. Honda has created the FCX Clarity, a zero-emission vehicle, which is actually in production. 200 vehicles will be released over the next 3 years, primarily in Southern California. It's real and it is totally awesome.
2. Geyser generated electricity. The electricity generated by the geysers in the show could power 725,000 homes or roughly the city of San Francisco. That is pretty badass yo.
3. LivingHomes has created green, prefabricated homes that can be assembled in less than 24 hours. And the coolest part is that they actually are aesthetically pleasing both inside and out.
Keep your head up, Tom Brokaw. One person out here is listening.
So, disappointed that roommate Dave and I might be the only people in the world watching Tom Brokaw (even fiance Tom decided he needed to do laundry instead), I sat and waited for the show to begin. Considering it was on the Discovery channel instead of NBC, I was a little disappointed. The show was a little soft. I had already heard about pine beetles and the devastating effect they are having on white pines in the Rockies and the far-reaching consequences the extinction of the white pine will have.
Nevertheless, I learned a few new things and I wanted to post them in case someone else didn't know them.
1. Honda has created the FCX Clarity, a zero-emission vehicle, which is actually in production. 200 vehicles will be released over the next 3 years, primarily in Southern California. It's real and it is totally awesome.
2. Geyser generated electricity. The electricity generated by the geysers in the show could power 725,000 homes or roughly the city of San Francisco. That is pretty badass yo.
3. LivingHomes has created green, prefabricated homes that can be assembled in less than 24 hours. And the coolest part is that they actually are aesthetically pleasing both inside and out.
Keep your head up, Tom Brokaw. One person out here is listening.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
To cook or not to cook?
Two days ago my brother sent me a link to a blog that had a recent post about eating raw. He thought I might be interested in learning more, which of course I was. (If you happen to click the link, you should check out the before & after photos link and you'll be interested, too). I must admit, much of my interest came from wanting to discredit raw foodies as lunatics (which I may or may not do by the end of this blog post). I had recently been discussing raw diets with my going-on-2-months vegan friend Molly. Molly told me she had been browsing the raw food cookbooks in Barnes & Noble because they happen to be placed right next to the vegan cookbooks. We brainstormed a bit about what these cookbooks could possibly contain. I mean raw cookbook is an oxymoron, is it not? My best guess was basically guacamole with some carrot sticks for dipping. It didn't sound much like cooking and it didn't so much fun to be eating either.
Nevertheless, I found myself guiltily cruising the information superhighway in my pjs at 10:03pm last night. I was hoping no one would catch me and accuse me of losing all of my marbles. The first post that my brother had provided had a lot of reasons why eating raw is great, and though a couple were a little out there (something about natural life energy and eating seeds that have sprouted), I felt like maybe eating raw was at least as good of a choice as the Typical American Diet (or TAD for short, an acronym I just picked up from the raw food circle last night). Plus, who doesn't want to join a diet where you get to eat ALL THE TIME because of your foods are so light in calories that should you eat only 3 plates of food a day you most certainly would die immediately. Also, I would get to eat plenty of nuts and avocados (two of my favorite items from nature's bounty) to help me sustain life with supplemental fat. It sounded healthy enough, even if I was questioning the fact that I would get enough protein.
Then, at the end of reading a posting on someone's 30 day trial of eating all raw, I found it. At this point, I was seriously considering trying a raw diet, especially during my summer in Dallas when I would have access to all kinds of fresh, local, raw produce. Steve had lost 8 pounds in a month, but found his weight had stabilized and he was feeling "insane energy". I thought I would return for my wedding looking great and feeling even better. Then Steve told me his secret. He admitted to experiencing some difficulties during the 2 week detoxification period. And then Steve told me that he had such dry skin since he began the diet that his skin was cracking and bleeding all over his body, and that it hadn't gotten any better during the entire month.
Steve, your skin is trying to tell you something.
(This post is dedicated to Leah, the one who was always there to remind me that I like my blog and should stop avoiding it).
Nevertheless, I found myself guiltily cruising the information superhighway in my pjs at 10:03pm last night. I was hoping no one would catch me and accuse me of losing all of my marbles. The first post that my brother had provided had a lot of reasons why eating raw is great, and though a couple were a little out there (something about natural life energy and eating seeds that have sprouted), I felt like maybe eating raw was at least as good of a choice as the Typical American Diet (or TAD for short, an acronym I just picked up from the raw food circle last night). Plus, who doesn't want to join a diet where you get to eat ALL THE TIME because of your foods are so light in calories that should you eat only 3 plates of food a day you most certainly would die immediately. Also, I would get to eat plenty of nuts and avocados (two of my favorite items from nature's bounty) to help me sustain life with supplemental fat. It sounded healthy enough, even if I was questioning the fact that I would get enough protein.
Then, at the end of reading a posting on someone's 30 day trial of eating all raw, I found it. At this point, I was seriously considering trying a raw diet, especially during my summer in Dallas when I would have access to all kinds of fresh, local, raw produce. Steve had lost 8 pounds in a month, but found his weight had stabilized and he was feeling "insane energy". I thought I would return for my wedding looking great and feeling even better. Then Steve told me his secret. He admitted to experiencing some difficulties during the 2 week detoxification period. And then Steve told me that he had such dry skin since he began the diet that his skin was cracking and bleeding all over his body, and that it hadn't gotten any better during the entire month.
Steve, your skin is trying to tell you something.
(This post is dedicated to Leah, the one who was always there to remind me that I like my blog and should stop avoiding it).
Friday, January 23, 2009
How green is your orange?
So, a couple of days ago The New York Times published an article called "How green is my orange?" Apparently, Tropicana picked up on the idea that living green is the biggest trend of the 21st century. They decided to hire some consultants to figure out the amount of carbon emissions released for every half-gallon of orange juice they create. I was excited to hear about Tropicana's project. I love orange juice, especially the kind that is not-from-concentrate, which just happens to also be the kind that is not-so-environmentally-friendly. This is because if you buy concentrated orange juice in a frozen canister you can save a ton of packaging waste, but if you buy not-from-concentrate, the weight of the water has to be transported over a zillion miles.
Over the course of my first 3 weeks of attempts to make positive food consumption choices, I had discovered that orange juice causes a few problems. First of all, the best tasting and probably better for your overall health orange juice is not from concentrate (Problem #1 - Transporting excess weight). Secondly, the best orange juice is made by Florida's Natural and they only use oranges from Florida (Problem #2 - Would be great if I lived in Florida and could call Florida's Natural local, but I live really, really far away from Florida). Thirdly, the organic orange juice available in Whole Foods and the Linden Hills Coop is both from concentrate, but packaged just like not-from-concentrate AND it contains oranges from all over the place (Problem #3 - Organic orange juice contains oranges flown here from South America and requires transportation of the extra water weight even though it is from-concentrate).
I am not giving up orange juice. I love it, and I am fairly certain I cannot swallow any sort of pill with any other type of liquid. My OJ is a requirement of my being.
So, back to the Tropicana case. At first Tropicana made me very sad. It turns out a half-gallon of Tropicana produces 3.75 pounds of carbon emissions. To put that in perspective, I biked 20 miles round trip per day to work all summer and I only reduced my carbon emissions by 630 pounds. But then, Tropicana made me very happy. Tropicana said, "...it turned out that the biggest single source of emissions was simply growing oranges. Citrus groves use a lot of nitrogen fertilizer, which requires natural gas to make and can turn into a potent greenhouse gas when it is spread on fields." Now, Tropicana seemed confused. At the end of the article, they stated, "Now, PepsiCo managers said they planned to work with their growers and with researchers at the University of Florida to find ways to grow oranges using less carbon. " And I said to myself, duh, have you guys not read The Omnivores Dilemma? All Tropicana needs to do to cut out practically all of their carbon emissions is grow oranges without using nitrogen fertilizer aka......
Grow them organically.
Life can be so simple.
Over the course of my first 3 weeks of attempts to make positive food consumption choices, I had discovered that orange juice causes a few problems. First of all, the best tasting and probably better for your overall health orange juice is not from concentrate (Problem #1 - Transporting excess weight). Secondly, the best orange juice is made by Florida's Natural and they only use oranges from Florida (Problem #2 - Would be great if I lived in Florida and could call Florida's Natural local, but I live really, really far away from Florida). Thirdly, the organic orange juice available in Whole Foods and the Linden Hills Coop is both from concentrate, but packaged just like not-from-concentrate AND it contains oranges from all over the place (Problem #3 - Organic orange juice contains oranges flown here from South America and requires transportation of the extra water weight even though it is from-concentrate).
I am not giving up orange juice. I love it, and I am fairly certain I cannot swallow any sort of pill with any other type of liquid. My OJ is a requirement of my being.
So, back to the Tropicana case. At first Tropicana made me very sad. It turns out a half-gallon of Tropicana produces 3.75 pounds of carbon emissions. To put that in perspective, I biked 20 miles round trip per day to work all summer and I only reduced my carbon emissions by 630 pounds. But then, Tropicana made me very happy. Tropicana said, "...it turned out that the biggest single source of emissions was simply growing oranges. Citrus groves use a lot of nitrogen fertilizer, which requires natural gas to make and can turn into a potent greenhouse gas when it is spread on fields." Now, Tropicana seemed confused. At the end of the article, they stated, "Now, PepsiCo managers said they planned to work with their growers and with researchers at the University of Florida to find ways to grow oranges using less carbon. " And I said to myself, duh, have you guys not read The Omnivores Dilemma? All Tropicana needs to do to cut out practically all of their carbon emissions is grow oranges without using nitrogen fertilizer aka......
Grow them organically.
Life can be so simple.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Priorities, priorities. . .
This is an apology to all of my loyal blog readers (I know you're out there somewhere). I have been in Mexico for the past week. I didn't tell any of you because I was afraid. I know what you're thinking. I just escaped from the Minnesota winter where we've been having sub zero high temperatures for almost 100 hours straight. This is a good thing. But, you say, how can you possibly be trying to save the world, and by eating locally to reduce fossil fuel consumption no less, and still think it is ok to jet set off to the tropics whenever things get too tough around here. Where is my hearty Midwestern background that thrives on matyrdom and suffering?
It is true. One of my biggest struggles in trying to live a more responsible lifestyle is air travel. Air travel is one of the greatest consumers of fossil fuels, and each additional hour flown per years adds hectacres onto my carbon footprint. But, what do I do? I love to travel. There are a great many benefits to traveling. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I wouldn't be trying to live a responsible lifestyle if I hadn't traveled in the past. Travel makes me understand how connected we all are. It has taught me that the flavor of an in season tomato or avocado in Chile really is so much better than those shipped to the U.S. at the same time that I shouldn't bother to eat the pathetic excuse for produce that lines the shelves of my local grocer in the winter. It has taught me both the benefits of and how to use public transit. It has taught me that smaller houses do not actually result in a lower quality of life and can be quite cozy.
So. How do I reconcile flying 5,000 miles with saving the world? The problem is that no one person can engage in every single world saving practice. Also, there is considerable disagreement over what practices actually do contribute to the saving of the world (which is part of the reason this blog exists, to help us all sort through the mucky muck). I think the best philosophy and ultimately the most successful is simple prioritization. There are a lot of things we could do or we should do to make a difference, but sometimes we can't afford to do them all or they directly conflict with eachother. Take a look at your life. Figure out what you value. If the most important part of your daily breakfast is the not-from-concentrate OJ you ship to Saskatchewan from Florida, then finding a local substitute or buying from concentrate OJ is probably no going to work for you. Right now, I drive a 1999 Grand Prix GT. It has a huge V6 engine and the best gas mileage I've ever gotten is 24 mpg. But, I can't afford a new car, especially a brand new Prius or the forthcoming Chevy Volt and I need a car to get to where I'm going on a regular basis. So I keep my car, but I take the bus whenever I can and I ride my bike all summer. You figure out what is important to you, what you absolutely need, and then you try your best to make the rest better.
It is true. One of my biggest struggles in trying to live a more responsible lifestyle is air travel. Air travel is one of the greatest consumers of fossil fuels, and each additional hour flown per years adds hectacres onto my carbon footprint. But, what do I do? I love to travel. There are a great many benefits to traveling. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I wouldn't be trying to live a responsible lifestyle if I hadn't traveled in the past. Travel makes me understand how connected we all are. It has taught me that the flavor of an in season tomato or avocado in Chile really is so much better than those shipped to the U.S. at the same time that I shouldn't bother to eat the pathetic excuse for produce that lines the shelves of my local grocer in the winter. It has taught me both the benefits of and how to use public transit. It has taught me that smaller houses do not actually result in a lower quality of life and can be quite cozy.
So. How do I reconcile flying 5,000 miles with saving the world? The problem is that no one person can engage in every single world saving practice. Also, there is considerable disagreement over what practices actually do contribute to the saving of the world (which is part of the reason this blog exists, to help us all sort through the mucky muck). I think the best philosophy and ultimately the most successful is simple prioritization. There are a lot of things we could do or we should do to make a difference, but sometimes we can't afford to do them all or they directly conflict with eachother. Take a look at your life. Figure out what you value. If the most important part of your daily breakfast is the not-from-concentrate OJ you ship to Saskatchewan from Florida, then finding a local substitute or buying from concentrate OJ is probably no going to work for you. Right now, I drive a 1999 Grand Prix GT. It has a huge V6 engine and the best gas mileage I've ever gotten is 24 mpg. But, I can't afford a new car, especially a brand new Prius or the forthcoming Chevy Volt and I need a car to get to where I'm going on a regular basis. So I keep my car, but I take the bus whenever I can and I ride my bike all summer. You figure out what is important to you, what you absolutely need, and then you try your best to make the rest better.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Joy of Blogging
Blogging makes you a better person. It holds you accountable for things you plan to do. Eating at tables makes you a better person. It also makes you better at your job.
Eating at desks may be one of the single greatest problems in modern corporate America. Since we already essentially spend 95% of our days in front of our computer screens, you'd think we'd want to get away for an hour and look at something else, even if it is just an orange-painted wall or the table of middle-aged women who lunch together everyday without fail. I used to be a desk eater. I had my reasons, including but not limited to not wanting to clock out when I would probably just be sitting by myself at a table, wanting to leave earlier in the day (which taking no lunch break allows), or simply being too lazy to walk down to the cafeteria when I have a microwave located in the corner of my department. I was reading In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan's most recent book, when he suggested to me that I eat only at tables with the caveat that "No, a desk is not a table." With little else to entertain me during the day, I decided that maybe this table eating thing would have some benefits. After all, Michael Pollan is a pretty smart guy. So Monday I went to eat in the cafeteria. Within 30 seconds, one of my long lost friends in Finance sat down with me. I learned a lot about how he was doing, didn't spill any crumbs in my keyboard, and had FUN. Now I am only on day 3, but I feel like I have an infinitesimally better understanding of my organization than I did last Friday. Also, people have started to tell me things. Secrets. And, if you knew me, you'd know that I love a good secret and consider it one of the defining features of your relationship with me if you're willing to tell me things you wouldn't tell the average Joe.
So, in conclusion, my blog has held me accountable for blogging, eating right, and making new New Year's Resolutions whenever I find something I should probably try doing to make my quality of life better. Eating at tables has, in 72 short hours, made me 37.7% better at my job and increased the quality of 5 of my office relationships. If those stats aren't good enough to convince you to try eating all of your meals at tables, check back in another 24.
Eating at desks may be one of the single greatest problems in modern corporate America. Since we already essentially spend 95% of our days in front of our computer screens, you'd think we'd want to get away for an hour and look at something else, even if it is just an orange-painted wall or the table of middle-aged women who lunch together everyday without fail. I used to be a desk eater. I had my reasons, including but not limited to not wanting to clock out when I would probably just be sitting by myself at a table, wanting to leave earlier in the day (which taking no lunch break allows), or simply being too lazy to walk down to the cafeteria when I have a microwave located in the corner of my department. I was reading In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan's most recent book, when he suggested to me that I eat only at tables with the caveat that "No, a desk is not a table." With little else to entertain me during the day, I decided that maybe this table eating thing would have some benefits. After all, Michael Pollan is a pretty smart guy. So Monday I went to eat in the cafeteria. Within 30 seconds, one of my long lost friends in Finance sat down with me. I learned a lot about how he was doing, didn't spill any crumbs in my keyboard, and had FUN. Now I am only on day 3, but I feel like I have an infinitesimally better understanding of my organization than I did last Friday. Also, people have started to tell me things. Secrets. And, if you knew me, you'd know that I love a good secret and consider it one of the defining features of your relationship with me if you're willing to tell me things you wouldn't tell the average Joe.
So, in conclusion, my blog has held me accountable for blogging, eating right, and making new New Year's Resolutions whenever I find something I should probably try doing to make my quality of life better. Eating at tables has, in 72 short hours, made me 37.7% better at my job and increased the quality of 5 of my office relationships. If those stats aren't good enough to convince you to try eating all of your meals at tables, check back in another 24.
The Cost of Living
Why do Americans always want the absolutely cheapest item we can purchase? This obviously applies to traditional Black Friday practices, where we are so motivated by falling prices that we forget about our common humanity and harm others. At least in Black Friday's case, we have been fooled by consistently higher prices the rest of the year that we are actually getting more bang for our buck, a high quality product at a lower price. Black Friday is about value. I'm fine with Black Friday. Though I rarely accompany them, my family heads out every year to grab a few deals, and my brother's big screen plasma TV is a shining example of how he got a high quality product at a great price. Those who know me well would attest to my own love of deals. I shop Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx with great relish and return home with leather driving gloves and cashmere sweaters that I paid next to nothing for. Still, here I am purchasing a relatively luxurious item for a discount. I could pay the same price for synthetic material gloves at Wal*Mart, but would never do so because I know that those gloves will not last as long or please me as much.
No, friends, my problem is with those who will pay the lowest price and sacrifice all quality just to save money. Wal*Mart's current tag line is "Save More. Live Better." At first, as a poor college student, I thought it was genius. I could buy cheap things at Wal*Mart where quality was less relevant (in the case of light bulbs, pencils, and dorm room decor), and I would have more money left over to improve the quality of other consumer goods in my life. I was happy with my lot. I noticed, however, that some of my fellow starving students would buy other goods at Wal*Mart where quality seemed more important. Cheap produce was abundant in our SuperWal*Mart, but I still remember the day when my roommate peeled the orange she had just purchased and found the inside covered in mold. Food is essential to the quality of our lives, both in terms of the pleasure found in eating a delicious meal and in the long-term health of our bodies. Food is also kind of like wedding photography. You get what you pay for. You can hire a cheap photographer, but unless your freshman art major roommate is doing you a favor and taking your pics, the important moments won't be captured and your face will look a little fuzzy. The differences are not very distinct with packaged foods. Obviously, if you buy a name brand box of cereal at Lund's, there wouldn't be a difference between the actual product if you bought it at Wal*Mart instead, but in terms of the whole foods that are the best tasting and most healthful anyway, $4 strawberries at Lund's will always be far better than the $2.50 container at Target. Don't even get me started about Aldi. Yes, despite the occasional ecoli outbreak, our food system is actually extremely secure in terms of bacterial contamination. Nevertheless, all food is not created equal. Just as no one can argue that a BMW is equal to a Hyundai in quality, Aldi's food, processed or whole, is not the same as what you could purchase at your local farmer's market. And so I return to my original question. Who decided that food, our lifeblood, the subject that occupied the whole of human life for our first 10,000 years of existence, should be relegated to the bottom of our priority list? How can something absolutely essential to our well-being take the back seat to Blackberries and Nintendo Wiis?
No, friends, my problem is with those who will pay the lowest price and sacrifice all quality just to save money. Wal*Mart's current tag line is "Save More. Live Better." At first, as a poor college student, I thought it was genius. I could buy cheap things at Wal*Mart where quality was less relevant (in the case of light bulbs, pencils, and dorm room decor), and I would have more money left over to improve the quality of other consumer goods in my life. I was happy with my lot. I noticed, however, that some of my fellow starving students would buy other goods at Wal*Mart where quality seemed more important. Cheap produce was abundant in our SuperWal*Mart, but I still remember the day when my roommate peeled the orange she had just purchased and found the inside covered in mold. Food is essential to the quality of our lives, both in terms of the pleasure found in eating a delicious meal and in the long-term health of our bodies. Food is also kind of like wedding photography. You get what you pay for. You can hire a cheap photographer, but unless your freshman art major roommate is doing you a favor and taking your pics, the important moments won't be captured and your face will look a little fuzzy. The differences are not very distinct with packaged foods. Obviously, if you buy a name brand box of cereal at Lund's, there wouldn't be a difference between the actual product if you bought it at Wal*Mart instead, but in terms of the whole foods that are the best tasting and most healthful anyway, $4 strawberries at Lund's will always be far better than the $2.50 container at Target. Don't even get me started about Aldi. Yes, despite the occasional ecoli outbreak, our food system is actually extremely secure in terms of bacterial contamination. Nevertheless, all food is not created equal. Just as no one can argue that a BMW is equal to a Hyundai in quality, Aldi's food, processed or whole, is not the same as what you could purchase at your local farmer's market. And so I return to my original question. Who decided that food, our lifeblood, the subject that occupied the whole of human life for our first 10,000 years of existence, should be relegated to the bottom of our priority list? How can something absolutely essential to our well-being take the back seat to Blackberries and Nintendo Wiis?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Uh oh...spaghetti-Os!
I haven't posted anything for two days. My older brother, who is currently my only follower, called me on the phone and informed me he was extremely disappointed in me for not caring for my blog. I'm experiencing a little bit of fear. What if I'm not meant to be a blogger? I don't know if I have a valid contribution to the world today (or yesterday or the day before). What if I fall victim to a neverending writer's block?
I think when I can't write, it means I haven't been reading enough.
I think when I can't write, it means I haven't been reading enough.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Beverly Farm Saves the Day!
Once upon a time I was given a book as a gift. That book was entitled Now Discover Your Strengths and it came with a test called the StrengthsFinder. I'm a fan of self-discovery, so naturally I took the test. It spit out several strengths, none of which were a surprise. Among them was the Achiever strength and part of the description informed me I would forever be plagued by "a chronic discontent." Most days I refer to this discontent as boredom, but really it is disappointment in my inability to actually do anything to save the world. My fiance refers to this as my weekly existential crisis, but no matter how much I try to change my way of living to make a difference the feeling keeps coming back. Luckily I like to tell people about everything that is going on in my head (duh, that is why I started a blog). I told my friend Molly about my current lack of fulfillment. It turns out she has been feeling the same way and is applying for a position with Green Corps, which is like AmeriCorps, but it is focused on the environment. As part of the Green Corps application, you have to write an essay about what environmental campaign you would conduct if you had unlimited resources. Molly wanted to know what I would write for my essay. After some brainstorming, I settled on a sustainable agriculture awareness campaign and actual agricultural development combination. Three hours later, Molly called me back and said she had had a brilliant idea while walking her dog. Molly's brother is mentally handicapped and currently lives on Beverly Farm , a planned community for adults with developmental disabilities. Not only is Beverly Farm the name of the community, there are 220 acres of green space. (Light bulb turns on) Residents are encouraged to engage in developmental activities and many have jobs for vocational development. Couldn't the green space be converted to actual organic farmland, gardening be offered as one of the vocational development opportunities, and the organic fruits and vegetables be both consumed by residents to provide them with nutritious meals and sold externally through a CSA or local coops? It sounded like a pretty good way to start saving the world...now we just need to write the grant...
Friday, January 2, 2009
Nothing. It's what's for dinner.
So it is Friday and Day 2 of my New Year's Res to avoid the evils of out-of-season, 10000 miles traveled produce consumption. Unfortunately for me, I live in the northern tundra. Normally I preach the joys of four distinct seasons and the appreciation of each season's distinctive qualities whenever someone questions why I would choose to live in Minnesota when I am an adult who is free to go wherever I please. Those were the days when I would bring home a ripe pineapple from the grocery store in the middle of January. Now that I am switching to locavore mode, that is no longer possible. From my limited knowledge of my region's growing capabilities, I know not to expect much. Root vegetables are my new mainstay since I neglected to can or freeze anything from my imaginary garden last August. In hopes there might be something else I can eat that I have forgotten, I turn to my handy dandy guide to what's in season. I select January and my long loved state of the union and what does my interactive map tell me? "The growing season is currently dormant here; opt for items from storage, such as apples, pears, and root vegetables." Dormant seems a little bit harsh, like all of the potential food I could be eating decided to hibernate with the black bears for the winter. In order to avoid panic, I start to strategize about my future. What you may not know is that I am moving to Texas for the summer, and possibly for the next 3-5 years. Praying that a quick glance at my next state of residence will at least give me some optimism for my future (if I can survive my meager diet of pear and root casserole for the next 5 months -- nothing comes into season in Minnesota until late May). Lo and behold, Texas currently has 10 produce items in season. That sounds great for 2010, but it still doesn't solve my current problem: What to make for dinner tonight?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
And in the beginning, there was Tony...
The other day while I was at work, I discovered Penelope Trunk's blog by using my supreme information seeking research skills. After reading a couple of her posts, I decided she must have written it specifically for me and resolved to do everything she told me to do. Obviously, this would result in a long and successful life for me. One of the first things Penelope told me to do was to start my own blog. This would put me in a prime position to be successful in my chosen field as it would mean I was such an expert that I could provide valuable insights for other people to read and learn from, or so Penelope says. Because Penelope is a genius, she also provided a guide to starting my own blog. Step 1 seemed easy enough. I was supposed to ignore blogging buzz words. I'm a Millenial, but I barely passed the test, so I didn't know what any of them meant. This made them very easy to ignore. Unfortunately, step 2 required me to pick a topic.
I was stumped. I've filled journals with my thoughts over the years, but sometimes my propensity to jump from topic to topic makes me think I really might be Abstract Random. How would I ever decide what to focus all of my posts around?
Luckily, my house has recently become a commune. In addition to the presence of Angel and Michelle living upstairs, my roommate Laura's husband is in the process of moving in. That makes 5 adults living in a 1500 square foot space. This is all bad news for the one bathroom we have, but it is good news for my blog. Tony (the husband in question) is your typical idea man. Yesterday we strategized over a potential business model for a "green" shipping company that would operate on the same level as FedEx. Perhaps that idea will never come to fruition, but this morning when Tony was making eggs for breakfast (another fabulous benefit of his moving in), I was talking about my New Year's Resolution of only purchasing local, organic food. Genius Tony suggested my blog theme detail my foray into my new lifestyle and here I am.
Happy New Years and God Bless Us Everyone (especially Tony)!
I was stumped. I've filled journals with my thoughts over the years, but sometimes my propensity to jump from topic to topic makes me think I really might be Abstract Random. How would I ever decide what to focus all of my posts around?
Luckily, my house has recently become a commune. In addition to the presence of Angel and Michelle living upstairs, my roommate Laura's husband is in the process of moving in. That makes 5 adults living in a 1500 square foot space. This is all bad news for the one bathroom we have, but it is good news for my blog. Tony (the husband in question) is your typical idea man. Yesterday we strategized over a potential business model for a "green" shipping company that would operate on the same level as FedEx. Perhaps that idea will never come to fruition, but this morning when Tony was making eggs for breakfast (another fabulous benefit of his moving in), I was talking about my New Year's Resolution of only purchasing local, organic food. Genius Tony suggested my blog theme detail my foray into my new lifestyle and here I am.
Happy New Years and God Bless Us Everyone (especially Tony)!
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