Yesterday I spent the morning participating at a Stop the Spray Campaign organized by several groups of local Bay Area mothers to put a halt to the planned Bay Area-wide spraying of pesticides that have not been tested on human beings. I was called to speak unexpectedly and though butterflies (or were they Brown Apple moths?), filled my belly as I wondered what I would say, the words came easily as I briefly shared the stage with a host of powerhouses including Lisa Chipkin, Kris Brewer, Lisa Krausz, Judi Shils, Joe Nation, Carol Migden, and Mark Leno among others (most notably, a teen age girl who spoke with great poise about not wanting her younger siblings to grow up being sprayed with a toxic cocktail of chemicals). Even if unprepared, there was no way to be uninspired. If this can happen in our community it can happen in yours. Indeed, after spraying begins in August, the plan is to expand the spray to other states thereafter. Education is the key to making sustainable choices so whether you’re a Bay Area-ite or not, if you’re inclined to learn more and take action, please visit Stop the Spray Marin and MOMAS.
Once upon a time there was an oh-so-not-tech savvy mom who still owned a 2002 Nokia phone with nothing more than calling and text messaging capability. Then, in an effort to inspire women around the world, she started something called The EcoMom Alliance and lo and behold, a year and a half later she is learning all about Technorati, Facebook, widgets and more. Yes, that mom is me and I still own that phone, despite regular complaints that I am unavailable due to my archaic personal communication system, (so I’m not yet “twittering”) but I’m doing my best to be a part of the technologically hip and cool. Still, it was a lovely surprise to receive Christina Strutt’s new book, A Guide To Green Housekeeping. In this age of all things fast and efficient, her writing, and the whimsical photos, make even the dirtiest of jobs sound well, just lovely. Perhaps it is her British manner that shines throughout, the book is part call to action, part how-to and most certainly a visual treat that harkens back to a time when one took pride in the laundry and such. For all of these reasons, as well as the educational aspect of course, I just loved Strutt’s book.
With summer almost upon us, it’s time to begin thinking of a tune up if you have not already. No, not your car (you’re using that less anyway, right?). I’m talking about you. Your body. Your soul. I was reminded of this with painful clarity after a morning round of “playing Danny Phantom” (if you don’t know, don’t ask) with Corbin finished with me on the floor. Ice pack under my neck. And as I sit and work this evening, going on six-hours straight, it occurs to me that I am not doing such a good job of walking my talk in terms of the whole Sustain Your Self mantra on which I am regularly asked to speak. With shoulders up to my ears, and neck-oh-so-tight, I vow that tomorrow I will make an appointment for some acupuncture with my favorite integrative medicine specialist Susan Fox, of Balance Restored. She’s also one of our EcoMom Experts and well worth a visit if you’re in the area. For tonight, I’m off to go do some stretching and deep breathing in my candle lit living room.
For a fun little read introducing young children to the importance of reusable bags, check out My Bag and Me, by Karen Farmer with illustrations by Gary Currant. Complete with a real bag discreetly packed within the book, it is a quick and simple piece for tiny hands and the story reminds us all that for every trip to the store, carrying one’s own bag saves energy and natural resources. As I’m hearing more and more of my friends worry about eco-angst in our children, we can use books such as this to teach them, early on, efficacy instead of despondency.
I recently had the honor of being part of a panel at the NOW Conference in Los Angeles, CA focusing on Women In the Public Eye. What a fantastic treat to see such a wide range of women come together in one place. I was particularly impressed with the young women. Bumped into Patricia Klauer, who is doing great work with The Women’s Technology Cluster Social Fusion in San Francisco. Zoe Nicholson is just lovely and ever so gracious - even in all her power! - and Lani Lee is a passionate and inspired young leader to watch. Sharing the panel with me was Mary Hunt, author of In Women We Trust, editor of Smart Products, and a consultant to the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability (SMaRT Standard). Mary is a dynamic and passionate interconnector and a brilliant source of information, working in the exciting intersection of women and the corporate marketplace. Reminding us just how much power we have to implement big change with our “tiny” choices. Corporate America is listening. What are you telling them?
In honor of the 38th Anniversary of Earth Day, and due to the graciousness and generosity of Robin Wright Penn, her husband Sean Penn (who chipped in with direction), our Program Director Chrise de Tournay Birkhahn and Jeff Brooks, who kindly donated his cinematography and editing skills (and put up with our very spontaneous and unscripted project), we’ve put together an Introduction to Composting Video for you. Technically, as Chrise says, we’re more rotters than composters but the point is that this is an easy and affordable way to reduce your waste.
- Over 1/3rd of all trash that ends up in our landfills comes from green waste.
- With landfills around the world quickly reaching capacity, we’ll soon have to start transporting our trash to new locations further increasing the natural resources used in waste management.
- Less trash =’s reduced use of fossil fuels and fewer CO2 and methane emissions, both of which contribute to global warming.
- It’s a great way to teach your children about the food cycle.
- Composting can save you money on trash collection and help fertilize your garden (or your friend’s garden).
So we hope you’re hosting an EcoMom Composting Party today, or plan to soon. Check out the Video with Robin and send it to your friends too. Earth Day is a great day to celebrate this wondrous planet we are blessed to live on, but every day is the day to take action.
April 21, 2008 – 11:51 am
As it seems life most often does when one is “in flow,” last week’s Goldman Prize Ceremony came at a perfect time in my life. Things have been a bit crazy ever since the story about the EcoMom Alliance appeared on the front page of the NY Times (gratefully overwhelming is what I’ve been saying), but that night I really needed a little connection and inspiration. As the guest of social butterfly and green builder John Shurtz the evening was just what the doctor ordered. The story of each of the prize recipients tells an amazing story and and I felt privileged to bear witness to their being honored in such a global arena. Ignace Schops, who led the effort to succesfully establish Belgium’s first National Park, finished his acceptance speech with, “We must think globally, act locally, and change individually,” and this seems perfect for tomorrow’s Earth Day celebrations that will be happening around the world.
I was particularly touched by Feliciano dos Santos, of Mozambique, whose work in sustainable development uses the power of music to promote the importance of water and sanitation. In his acceptance speech he shared of turning to Mother Nature when looking for answers and inspiration. His words brought tears to my eyes as I thought of my own experiences on Vision Quest, and how I pray that Corbin - and all the world’s children - will also have nature to turn to as they seek meaning and guidance in their lives. It is what keeps me going and gives me strength every day. As dos Santos stated so eloquently, “By loving the natural environment as we would a child, the environment will love and serve our children, producing food and clean water for future generations.”
So as far as the photogenic ones go in my family, it is definitely my sister and her family. Then there’s my little monkey Corbin who never wants to get his picture taken, but gets upset when there are not as many pictures of him around as there are of his cousins. Fortunately my dear friend Annie Robillard, of Annie X Photography works like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. She’s also become a favorite among many of the EcoMoms I know as well as those just about to become moms, those just getting married and everything in between. She’s also doing her best, in a not so eco industry, to take strides to reduce the ecological footprint of her business. To start, her website is hosted by wind powered Sustainable Websites, all of her collateral is printed on recycled paper with soy ink, she uses recharchable batteries on her cameras (up to 24 at a time!), recycles all packaging and she works out of her home to avoid long commutes. Offsets a good portion of her travel too.
If you have not yet picked up a copy of Ode
magazine, I urge you to do so today. I started snagging copies of my Dad’s
subscriptions years ago and it has long been one of my favorite
magazines. Editor-In-Chief Jurriaan Kamp’s Letter in this month’s
issue offers a perfect glimpse into why it is growing in mainstream
popularity as well. "The history of humanity is very much a story about
creativity, about finding new solutions for new problems - in short,
about progress," he writes. "It might be better for the planet if we
all went back to our pre-historic caves . . . but it’s not going to
happen - unless a meteorite hits Earth. Our real challenge is to find
ways to make our world a better place from the starting point of our
current reality." I’ve started reading sections to Corbin and he is loving Ode too. As their subtitle says, To People, To Passion, To Possibilities. To you. Read up.
March 25, 2008 – 10:30 am
Had a lovely opportunity the other day to visit with Jennifer Drubner Eagen and meet Danny Seo, eco lifestyle guru and founder of Simply Green while he was on a shoot for Method and a new green line for Serena and Lily. Speaking of Method, after several of you contacted me, I spoke with them about the concern you had about the ingredients used in their products. In particular, you asked about 1, 4 dioxane, a by-product of a process called ethoxylation, which changes natural oils into gentle, effective surfactants.
In the words of founder Adam Lowry, "We don’t believe there is a healthier or safer choice for the consumer than the ingredients we have chosen to use in these products, and we are 100% confident in the safety of all of our products. In addition to our internal safety testing, we enlist Dr. Michael Braungart, the world-renowned environmental scientist and co-author of Cradle to Cradle, to conduct independent and comprehensive health and safety reviews of all of our products. After the OCA test results came out, we again contacted Dr. Braungart and confirmed that these products are indeed completely safe."
Further, many of their products are reformulated regularly as new, healthier alternatives become available. In my opinion, and perhaps of greatest import, is that these guys always seem open to learning and are genuinely trying to do good while providing an example to other companies that it is possible to do well at the same time. They have never claimed to be perfect but they are doing a good job of heading in a better direction and we can all use more of that.
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