Enviro Mentality

Plastic bags have become a staple of modern life.  First introduced in the 1970’s, they  became the standard in the 1980’s.  Worldwide, we use about 500 BILLION to 1 TRILLION plastic shopping bags a year .It’s estimated that here in the United States we use about 84 BILLION bags a year.  They littler roadsides, flutter from trees, clog catch basins and ultimately end up in landfills and the ocean. Marine life suffers, too:  each year over 100,000 whales, turtles, birds and fish die of strangulation or starvation from eating or being caught up in plastic bag litter.  There’s even the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a floating island of trash:  most of it plastic!  Plastic bags come from petroleum, so every one that’s used requires Middle East oil. The Earth is being destroyed and depleted for our convenience.

Retailers like Wal-Mart have jumped on the bandwagon and are selling reusable bags.  While a noble effort, consider where these bags are coming from.  Noting Wal-Mart’s reliance on cheap goods from China, I’d hardly think that these bags ARE fair trade.  They first had the black bags which were completely made out of recycled plastic.  Then they switched to the blue ones but they are only made from about 50% recycled plastic, and last half as long!  Leave it to Wal-Mart to LOOK ‘green’ but not be.

Australia,  Italy, Ireland, Mumbai (Bombay), and others like Taiwan have begun to charge for plastic bags. Here in the United States, several localities have either started charging for plastic bags or banned them outright. San Francisco has banned the use while Washington DC is imposing a 5 cent fee.  Of course, some residents are fuming and the oil lobby and retailer’s association are against it.

Chico bags are a light, easily packable way to reduce your plastic bag consumption. Many of you forget your bags.  Chico bags are easily packed into a purse or for you guys, a knapsack.  Mine are in my purse all the time.  I’ve loaded them the 14oz cans of cat food plenty of times., easily topping over 20 pounds! The good news is — they are really RECYCLABLE!  The company that makes them will take them back and rework them into something else!

Each of us on this Earth must make a choice every day to save resources.  Whether its turning off lights,  buying a solar charger, fixing leaking faucets, switching to a composting toilet or buying a more fuel efficient car:  everything — EVERYTHING — we do does have an effect!

Because I feel very strongly about supporting local food endeavors and educating people on environmental issues, I recently  made an announcement of an upcoming showing of “Fresh, The Movie” and “Food, Inc.”

In my e-mail I stated: “Please keep this in the back of your minds to come to because these are two VERY IMPORTANT films that anyone concerned about our food supply really needs to see.”

I received an reply from a editor in the Charlottesville area:

“I question the validity of your statement that either or both of these films are important for everyone to see.”

Excuse me????

If you are truly concerned about our food system I would think that you’d want people to see these films.

If you feel that the public has been purposely kept in the dark by the FDA, USDA,  the food industry, large corporations like Wal-Mart, chemical giants such as Monsanto, fast food companies and large agribusiness concerns, how can you ‘question the validity’ of my attempt to educate consumers?

Current health statistics cite rising rates of cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, food allergies, birth defects and a host of diseases from our modern diet. Consumption of food laced with pesticides, additives, hormones, antibiotics, artificial colorings and flavorings are making people sick.  Society’s dependence on cheap processed foods, proffered by our ‘friends’ in the food industry and fast food chains, have led to a frightening rate of obesity, illness & premature death.  With this in mind, can you honestly say that either or both of these films are NOT important?

Pending legislation threatens the very existence of small farms and farmer’s markets across this country.  Passage, without amendments, will sound a death knell for small farmers and severely damage organic food concerns. If you support our farmers and local food initiatives, then I would hope you would be for the dissemination of this information.

If  you are committed to preserving the right of citizens to get their food directly from small farmers, instead of corporate giants who put profits ahead of the health of their customers, why then do you not support this venue?

Are you at all concerned about Monsanto and their tactics of bullying, spying on and putting small farmers out of business through litigation?

Do you question Monsanto’s worldwide monopoly for Round-Up Ready crops?  What about the environmental effect of farmer’s increasing use of  pesticides on  all GMOs?  Are you unfazed about the environmental impact of pesticides on the health of this planet & ALL of its inhabitants?

“Fresh” captured many accolades in 2009.  Among them were official selections from:  Environmental Film Festival, Sustainable Living Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Maine International Film Festival and the Kerry Film Festival.  It was reviewed far and wide, garnering praise for insightful views into the food world.

“Food, Inc” also was applauded in many circles last year.  In addition to the Gotham Award, it also was on the list for Academy Award for Best Documentary, the 25th Anniversary Spirit Award, and is on the list for an Oscar Award.

Everyone that I’ve talked to who has seen either (or both) agrees that these two films are important.

Methinks, dear scribe, that you are outnumbered!

Times are tough today.  We’re all looking to save a buck and get the best deal.  However, shopping at your local mega discount store isn’t always the best choice.

Large corporations such as Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s and others are not in the business of fair trade.  They want to make money - lots of it.  Their goal is to sell cheaply manufactured goods, which hopefully will wear out fast and you’ll come back for more.  Buyers for these companies go to the cheapest source:  China, Thailand, Indonesia - wherever they can make the best deal for their company…, where their bottom line will show the most profit.

There is absolutely no concern for the workers who make these products, either. A blind eye is turned toward any situations where workers are subjected to dangerous and toxic conditions, long hours or menial wages.  Human rights abuses, too, are not a concern for the buyers of Wal-Mart and others. They just want their goods and they’re on the way.

Fair trade products, however, lift people out of the mire of subservience, disrespect and hopelessness.  Fair trade also preserves ancient crafts which are fast disappearing in this modern world.  It promotes respect for the crafts person because of what they know and the artistry of their craft. They are treated as human beings, as business people, not as a slave.

You can make a difference in the world by choosing Fair Trade products whenever possible. Many companies carry both fair trade and organic products. That means you are helping twice:  promoting and strengthening fair trade and choosing organic, which helps the environment.  By shopping this way - YOU - make a statement to the big box retailers.  YOU are taking a stand.

This is such a simple way to help those far less fortunate than yourself. Whether your purchase is fair trade quilts or crafts, fair trade organic body care, fair trade coffee or any of the hundreds of goods,   fair trade is good for everybody and the planet, too!

The environment is tops on everyone’s list.  Browse the ‘new and notable’ tables at your favorite book store and GREEN jumps out at every turn.

You can help introduce your friends and family to environmentally friendly living, too.

Give them a GREEN GIFT of organic personal care,  or bath salts,    or perhaps some

mustard bath.   or a detox seaweed bath 

Henna hair coloring     is a great way to lessen a loved one’s exposure to possible carcinogens in chemical dyes.

You can promote sustainability, independence and encourage environmentally friendly business in impoverished nations by purchasing fair trade gifts.  

Artisans worldwide produce crafts and are paid a fair wage.    This also helps preserve ancient crafts which are rapidly disappearing as populations move to urban areas.

Another great way to introduce environmentally friendly living is to get a GIFT CERTIFICATE to start a friend sampling some environmentally responsible products.  Often people are a bit hesitant to give up what they know, but once they try things, they find they are doing TWO things at once:  saving the environment and being more environmentally responsible themselves!

This could be toward the purchase of a Sun-Mar composter  or   perhaps a rain barrel…,   or even for a composting toilet    or maybe for a portable solar powered battery charger,  which is great for travellers!

We also have unusual    art and   gifts like original art  

by local Virginia artists.

There are many ways that you can spread the word about sustainable, green and helping the environment!

Detox is an important facet of modern life. Our bodies cannot rid themselves of the modern compounds we are surrounded with.

Thousands of times a day we are exposed to toxins in the form of pollution, pesticides, chemicals in our food and personal care products.  Additives in processed food, plastics (phthalates) leaching from containers into the food we eat, water bottles, from microwaving food in plastic containers. 80 % of coffee is decaffeinated with chemical solvents ( methylene chloride or ethyl acetate).  Water processed organic coffee is the best bet for decaf.  The clothes you’ve gotten back from the dry cleaners are laced with the chemical perchloroethylene. Nice, Huh?

An ancient remedy used in Ayurvedic medicine in India, turmeric, contains a wealth of healing properties.  In recent publications by oncologists, turmeric has been touted as one of the best detoxifying agents available. Studies have shown that people in countries that consume it daily, cancer rates are extremely low.

In addition to adding beneficial herbs to your diet, a good detox regimen will help you cleanse your body of chemicals.  The idea is to SWEAT - either in a hot bath  or sauna but only if your doctor has advised it is safe for you.   Mustard baths, long a remedy for amazing and effective cleansing are another method.

Relaxing in a hot detox bath is good for your mood as well as what ails you.  It also helps to ward off those yucky winter bugs that are going around.

There are people in desert regions of this Earth who would give anything to have the amount of  good drinking water that the average American flushes down the toilet every day.

Consider the numbers:

A typical 4-person household,

using a 3.5 gallon low-flush toilet

flushes 70 GALLONS per DAY

-or-

25,000 GALLONS a YEAR  of  drinkable water down the drain

An older 7 gallon toilet uses double that: 140 GALLONS per DAY -or- about 50,000 GALLONS per YEAR

Toilet waste is over 90%  water content.  Pathogens like nitrogen and potassium, which upset the normal Ph of the soil, add tremendous pollution to groundwater.

To date, SUN-MAR composting toilets have saved about 3.2 BILLION GALLONS of water (to January 08) with an additional saving of 6,103 gallons a minute!

Sun-Mar toilets are adaptable for any situation.  Residential use, cabins, workshops, guest houses;  even for RV and marine use.  They’re the premier manufacturer of composting toilets.  They’ve been making them for about 40 years now, the same family-owned company started Hardy Sundberg in the 70’s.

I’d think they know what they’re doing by now, wouldn’t you?

When most people think of ‘Fair Trade’ they usually think of Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.  The Canaan Fair Trade Association benefits rural Palestinian communities. This is an empowering chance for Palestinian farmers in a war torn region.

Dr. Nasser Abufarha, of the Canaan Fair Trade Association, says that the empowerment of these rural areas caught in the conflict is enabling them to sustain themselves with respect and dignity.  There is a direct working relationship with these communities using fair trade concepts.

The crop they produce is olive oil.  There is no current Fair Trade Labeling Organization certification (FLO) for olive oil, so they have developed their own using those guidelines.  After adoption by the Palestinian Fair Trade Association, their co-ops, processors and exporters, they have been certified Fair Trade by the institute of Marketology in Switzerland.

This provides access to a fair trade product that is produced across the largest sector of Palestinian society (Rural Palestine).  The farmers receive sustainable prices for their products and fair wages for all the workers along the supply chain.  Fair trade Palestinian farmers receive a 10% fair trade premium above the market price and another 10% organic premium, again above the market price.

What does this accomplish?  It provides a place for Palestinians in the Fair Trade market and benefits rural Palestinian farmers.  It promotes cross-cultural, multi-faith and multi-ethnic connections for all sectors of the fair trade process.  From farmers to workers, processors, traders, exporters, importers, distributors and consumers - one community is created based on fair exchange.

The Canaan Fair Trade Associaton hopes to establish traditional sustainable farming and to build an alternate cultural expression with connections to the outside world.

These fair trade Palestinian products are available in the US:  sun-dried tomotoes, couscous, olive oil, organic tahini, honey, almonds are available at:  http://www.canaanfairtrade.com

The holiday season is the ‘trashiest‘ time of year. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, a staggering amount of waste is created.  There is an increase of over 25% in trash tonnage.  Wrapping paper alone accounts for an additional 25 million tons every holiday season or one million tons a week.

What are you doing to have an more environmentally friendly holiday season and reduce your footprint?  There are many things you can do:

Recycle your wrapping paper: A tradition in my family, and it almost became a contest between my Mom and Grandmother, was reusing (now called ‘re purposing’) gift wrap. Mom and Grandma would smooth out and save the larger pieces of wrapping paper to recycle next Christmas. Years later, we’d laugh as we’d recognize the paper from years past.

Wrap a gift in a gift: Give two gifts at once.  Wrap one in  a reusable shopping bag which is a strong, lightweight recyclable tote bag. This way the recipient gets TWO gifts, one which is totally environmentally responsible.  Or, you might try hiding a gift in a piece of  fair trade, organic clothing.

Get off the mailing lists for catalogs and unwanted subscriptions. Call the 800 number and have your name removed from the list.  Contact all your subscriptions, credit cards and tell them that you do not want your name rented or sold.  This will dramatically cut down on your junk mail.  If you do get an unwanted catalog, call their 800 number right away, because these things are like rabbits. They multiply quickly!

Give chargers & rechargeable batteries - especially to parents with young children. Batteries account for a massive amount (and environmentally harmful) of holiday waste.  Consider giving a battery charger and rechargeable batteries as gifts.  Take your dead batteries to a safe recycling center - never throw them in the trash.  This endangers the collection people, those who process your trash and the environment.

Lastly:  Think before you buy. Sometimes the best gift is the simplest one:  time spent with family and friends doing things that don’t cost money!  Make memories instead of garbage!

Fair trade has been getting a lot of attention these days. This is good news for developing nations as more and more people are promoting and consuming their products. Fair trade is basically a market-based movement that promotes the products made by marginalized workers of developing countries. It is a way of supporting and aiding these countries to be more self-sufficient.

Some products that have been marketed are coffee, sugar, tea, and honey. There are also handicraft products that promote a country’s culture as well such as a Fair Trade quilt, bags, and decor. Through fair trade, the marginalized sectors of the society are empowered. Fair trade also helps alleviate the plights of the poor and decreases the rate of unemployment.

Two terms which are often confused are “Fair Trade” and “Free Trade” but they mean different things. One term - fair trade - respects the dignity of the human element, encourages stronger communities, provides a living wage and promotes a healthier planet. The other word, free trade,  promotes greed, human rights abuses and environmental degradation.

FREE TRADE favors big business over workers and/or small farmers who cannot compete with the subsidized agriculture of countries like the United States. NAFTA and the newer CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) devastate small farmers who cannot compete with the cheap, surplus dumped into their countries.

In the FREE market the focus is on the bottom line. Businesses like Wal-Mart  and others search for products from countries with the cheapest labor, making for the highest profits.  Workers in these countries endure sweatshop conditions and low wages.  They often lose their jobs when a company relocates to save even more money to be the lowest bidder  to the ‘big guys.’

The free market has devastating effects on the environment.  Free trade agreements do not require member countries to adhere to international environmental standards. Member countries can also compete for investment.  Big corporations looking to broaden their bottom line often go to countries which have dangerous, lax or non-existant environmental standards. This means they can conduct their manufacturing facilities in most cases, without much (or any) restrictions. This encourages large corporations looking for the cheapest and easiest place to do business, regardless of the environmental impact.  after all, it’s not their backyard that needs cleaning up!

In contrast, FAIR TRADE ensures that  fair trade producers can earn enough to care for their families and community. A ‘floor’ is set to provide  fair trade participants with a living wage in the local context with financial stability against global market fluctuations.

Fair trade works to educate its providers about sustainability and ensure that the fair trade local co-ops adhere to international environmental standards.  This helps their local community be environmentally responsible and protects the health and well being of the community -and- the planet.

Which one do you choose?