You didn't think this would be easy, did you?

Been thinking long and hard after being asked "what can we do about the fact that the EPA seems destined for dissolution"... Here's what I am thinking: This election (at it's core) is about one thing: MONEY. It's about the haves, grabbing everything they can and not caring at all about the have-nots. The dismantling of the EPA at it's core is about the fossil fuel and chemical industries wanting to keep the billions of dollars they currently spend fighting against regulation (and buying votes) in their own pockets. So the answer isn't going to be easy, but it's the only way to have a real impact. Hit them in their wallets. It will mean changing the way you transport yourself: driving less or not at all. It will mean reevaluating what type of energy you consume. It will mean not patronizing companies that are complicit in this. It will mean if you have investments, divesting from all fossil fuel ties (or if you have a pension, lobbying to get them to divest--a great resource is: https://gofossilfree.org/). It will mean taking a long hard look at how you consume products and food because it all connects back to the consumption of oil. Will it be easy? Absolutely not, but you really don't want them to win this easily, do you?

What's your footprint?

Every so often I like to visit one of those online carbon footprint calculators to check in to see how good I’m doing. There’s a lot of calculators online but I like this one the best (it allows you to fine tune your answers and paint a better picture of your true usages). So even with my recycling, my minimal meat consumption, my 45+ mpg car and my limiting my air travel to bare minimum, I’m still at 10.48 metric tons of CO₂ created by my lifestyle; 50% less than the US average, but still way above where we all need to be. My biggest culprits? The 2.29 metric tons created by my use of heating oil (necessary to keep my house/pipes from freezing in winter) and my car, my sweet little car at 3.20 metric tons for 15,000 miles of driving. Another great thing about this calculator is that you can instantly see how small changes affect your CO₂ footprint: like switching from eating only white meat to becoming a vegetarian saves a half ton of CO₂ or driving 5,000 miles less a year saves a full ton of CO₂.

www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

On the soapbox again...banging my head against the wall...

Look, deny it or call it whatever you want, politicians, but this climate change “thing” isn’t going away on it’s own. It always astounds me why even if you think climate change is a bunch of hooey, why you wouldn’t just err on the side of caution for some issues. Yes, I get that money is a huge factor on why politicians support petroleum, natural gas and coal subsidies, and yes I know that “that money” is actually a shit-ton of money, but sooner or later all of these politicians who deny will be directly affected by climate change. Maybe their summer home will wash away during flooding from the next hurricane. Maybe their nephew will contract West Nile Virus on a camping trip. Maybe their daughter’s wedding day will be ruined by thick smoke from wildfires. Like it or not, our dependence on fossil fuels is what is not-so slowly destroying our environment. How can people not see the connection between these extreme weather events (record breaking heat and drought, catastrophic wild fires and tornadoes, bigger and wetter hurricanes, etc…) and our actions?

APATHY IS NOT AN OPTION!

I’ve had a few days to think over the Bill McKibben lecture last week. I wondered what I was going to say that hasn’t been said before, what was I going to take away from this experience that I didn’t already know. McKibben preached to the choir for about 2 hours on Friday night (it’s fair to assume James Inhofe wasn’t in the audience…[sidebar: why does “McKibben show up as being spelled incorrectly in Microsoft Word, but “Inhofe” does not?]) I mean I’m egotistical enough to think if everyone in America lived as I do, we wouldn’t have a problem with climate change. What else can I possibly do to make a difference? As someone who literally got hit over the head by global warming (and yes, I mean literally) I nodded appreciatively when McKibben talked about how Vermont, one of the greenest states (it’s right there in the name, people!) was devastated by rains and flooding from last year’s Hurricane Irene, and how there should be a whole lot more believers out there now. Is that what it’s going to take? A personalized hurricane for every James Inhofe out there? Frustrated at dire statistics and feeling like all I do is just to offset someone else’s emissions, I tried to dig deeper into this lecture and find the kernel that was going to move me from my own apathy into a new level of activism.

And then it dawned on me: McKibben, (who has been a hero of mine since seeing a Dateline interview with him in the 90s about Curitiba Brazil and his book Hope, Human and Wild—a catalyst that made me want to be a writer and an activist) is not by nature an outgoing person. He’s a writer, a college professor, he lives in a small town in Vermont, but by his passion for getting people to believe and act on climate change, he has become a powerful advocate and activist. And that’s what I need to do, what we all need to do. We need to set aside our apathy and move from our comfort zones. We need to stop saying it’s not going to get better—because it WILL NOT get better unless we do something about it and do it now. I see a glimmer of hope with the small but major activism victories of the last year: Occupy Wallstreeters braving winter, stopping SOPA, the President not caving to pressure to green light the Keystone XL pipeline. These are small victories, but they should be celebrated. They should be seen as momentum.

So McKibben’s next action with his grassroots organization 350.org, is to blow the whistle on Congress and the amount of money they receive from the petroleum industry. A good percentage of Americans do believe in climate change but feel powerless to do something about it because the people in charge of legislation are caught in a cycle of too much money. So January 24, 350.org is heading to Washington DC to call out the Senators and Representatives and how much each of them are receiving from Big Oil. And from here on out, I am going to make it my personal mission to get 500 people to join 350.org. And maybe those 500 won’t march in Washington the first week or call their Congressman but maybe they’ll sign an online petition and maybe they’ll think twice about driving somewhere they could easily walk to. And maybe they’ll look closer at their elected official and maybe, just maybe we can keep the momentum of change going. If you've made it to the end of this blog post and it led you to 350.org, let me know and I'll add you to my tally. Even better, pass it on and let's go viral. We're going to start slow, but I'm not going to rest until I hit 500 converts.

Why I Didn't Buy A New Car Yesterday

(also known as "Why I Paid $4000 for a New Battery Instead".)

I’ve had my hybrid for almost 8 years now, driven it almost 150,000 miles and most of that was long range cross country driving (at least 10-15 trips). But when the good ole check engine light went on accompanied by the IMA battery light, I knew I was in for the day every hybrid owner dreads from the day you are first handed your keys. For those of you who don’t know there are 2 batteries in a hybrid, 1 is the usual car battery that all cars have, (that turns the car on, powers your radio, and can be easily restarted by flagging down a neighbor with a pair of jumper cables). The IMA (or Integrated Motor Assist) battery is what helps make a hybrid a hybrid. It’s what transfers the energy caused by braking to recharge the battery and adds additional power from the electric motor to increase fuel efficiency. But when the IMA battery is set to crap out, that’s when the tree-huggin’, reusable bag totin’, organic market-shoppin’ hybrid owner threatens a fatwa on Honda Motor Corp.

I previously had one of my IMA batteries replaced, but a dealer thought I could still be eligible for the 10 year/150,000 warranty that California had extended. No dice. After some fine begging by Gail of Lundgren Honda of Auburn, MA, we were told even though the car was bought and operated in California for most of ownership, since it was now registered in Maine, warranty: null. I could however pay to have the car shipped back to California, have it re-registered there and then they’d honor it… but doing the math, it seemed this would just end up costing me just as much (and the ecological impact of that seemed ludicrous).

So out came the credit card (actually several, since I had to pay for the battery and shipping in full before it was ordered) and now we wait for it to arrive from somewhere far off magical land (most likely Japan).

Some might think it’s crazy to shell out $4000 for a car that’s already 8 years old, but there is method to my madness. New car manufacturing is an unbelievable resource hog. And I have made a promise that my next car will get better gas mileage than the one I have now. When my 8 year old car still regularly gets 45-50 mpg, I think it’s safe to say, I’m not going to find a used car with that kind of mileage for around $4K. And the battery replacement fits into my ethos of “use it up, make it do, or do without”. Another teaching lesson here, is discovering a forum of fellow 2003 HCH owners, (http://www.amid.com/werd/hybrid-woe-ima-battery) which may or may not turn me into one of those “My Car is Better Than Your Car” aficionados. This community shows me that HCH owners are getting upwards of 200K miles and still going… my goal drive my little ‘brid till they take it out of my cold dead hands!

Doc Review: Carbon Nation (2010)

I internalize my anguish over global warming more so than the average American…who am I kidding, if the average American was in anguish about global warming, we would have a lot more regulations in place… It’s hard to stay positive when there are just so many ecological failures lately. Frankly, some days all you want to do is curl up with a White Russian and watch episodes of “Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. So, It took me a full 3 weeks to finally watch the documentary Carbon Nation. I couldn’t psych myself up for yet another documentary that rehashes the same old doomsday prophesies and statistics that make you want to throw yourself off the non-solar-panel covered roof.

Fortunately, Carbon Nation paints a much more positive look at how we can combat the climate crisis. Yes, we’re still in dire straits, but even if you don’t believe in climate change, it presents solutions that just make good economical sense. (“So if you don’t give a damn about the environment, do it because you’re a greedy bastard and you just want cheap power.”—THE BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEER)

So if you’re still thinking there’s no hope and why bother, this documentary offers positive stories from dozens of positive voices who truly believe we can fix this problem. (My favorite of all the “characters” interviewed has to be Michael Dunham, the ex-rock n roll concert promoter who after a near death experience began a company that recycles old and inefficient refrigerators (JACO Environmental)…ironically, his father helped create the technology that helps keeps modern refrigerators cold! It also presents my 2 new favorite eco-enterprises: creating biodiesel from algae and using mycorrhizal fungi for carbon sequestration.

Reading List: More Good News (by David Suzuki & Holly Dressel)

I have to say, this book made me feel a little better about this world we live in... when I first began writing The Simplicity Connection 11 years ago, I was originally going to call it Who Gives a Damn because it was a period of time when it seemed no on cared about the environment or helping others. Now, a quick stroll through Twitter or popping the word “eco-conscious” into Google Search and you get a feeling that everyone and their brother has jumped on the eco-band wagon. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a very very long way to go, but I believe the country is poised to make so definitive changes to its environmental policy. Case in point, Suzuki’s book… (the revised and updated version his book Good News for a Change) they provide inspiring stories about how ordinary business people are changing the way they do business to become more sustainable and still be profitable. Amazing stories of a sustainable forestry company (Collins Pine), how micro-loans are changing entire economies of 3rd world countries $50 at a time (The Grameen Foundation) and an inner city food co-op that is not only keeping it’s constituents fed, but teaching them the benefits of organic farming and management of waste and energy usage (Growing Power). The future may be bleak if you only listen to the popular media outlets...instead when you learn to read deeper to find the hidden heroes, you find the hope.

DO 1 THING FOR THE PLANET, TODAY.

I love lists. I've been feeling a little depressed lately that I'm not making a difference in the world, even though I feel that I do more than the average person to help the planet. I know that the hardest part of making a difference is getting (and keeping) the motivation to make a change and that's where this year's motto comes in.

Just do ONE thing for the planet today.

Because if everyone could just do one thing from this list every day, a major shift would occur. I tried to make the list as contagious as possible, little steps that are easy and painless to accomplish, and hopefully the little success of little steps will be encouraging enough for people to seek out bigger changes. I also left off the big stuff like slapping solar panels up on your roof and giving up your car permanently because if you're at that step already, you don't need me telling you to recycle your aluminum cans. But on the contrary, I tried to keep this list as a reminder to everyone-from the person who's never heard an organic apple to the person who actually grows the organic apples-that everyone can make a difference, it just takes a spark.

(This is just the tip of the iceberg to start with, just 100 quick tips jotted down in a fit of caffeine today. There will be more. Oh, will there ever be more!)

1. Say 'no' to plastic today.
2. Eat vegetarian instead today.
3. Use a bucket to collect your shower water to flush the toilet.
4. Take the bus to work or errands today.
5. Switch to cloth napkins instead of paper.
6. Eat something organic today.
7. Donate old books gathering dust to a library, school or Good Will.
8. Say 'no' to chemicals today.
9. Donate to a local charity today.
10.
11. Rake instead of leaf-blowing or shovel instead of snow-blowing.
12. Plant a tree today.
13. Walk to do your errands today.
14. Choose sustainable fabrics instead today.
15. Call and opt out of catalogues you don't want.
16. Call and have your address removed from database of junk mail circulars.
17. Take your name off the yellow pages delivery.
18. Switch your print settings to use less toner and ink.
19. Properly recycle old batteries.
20. Skip the clothes dryer and hang clothes outdoors in the sun or indoors on hangers on your door frames.
21. Pick up trash in your neighborhood.
22. Use the back side of scrap paper in your printer.
23. Skip the carwash for the month.
24. If you have to buy, buy for durability.
25. Plug your electronics into a power strip that you can shut off before you go to bed each night.
26. Read an environmentally themed book instead of watching a TV show.
27. Sweep instead of vacuuming.
28. Set your print settings to print 2 or 4 pages to a single page.
29. Reuse glass jars for food storage instead of buying plastic baggies or containers.
30. Visit Terracycle.com for ideas on recycling items you might not have considered.
31. Investigate investing in socially responsible investments.
32. Consider buying used instead of new.
33. Stick a few reusable shopping bags in your trunk or purse so you won't forget them next time you need them.
34. Bring a set of silverware and flatware to the office to replace single use plastic versions.
35. Create rags from old t-shirts to use instead of paper towels.
36. Visit the Salvation Army instead of the mall.
37. Find the people who nurture your spirit and support your dreams.
38. Gift a gift of time or service instead of a material possession.
39. Take a hike outdoors instead of being cooped up at the gym for a few hours.
40. Find the beauty in your public surroundings.
41. Opt for the natural fiber rather than ones made with petrochemicals.
42. Skip a shower for the day; a day of dirty won't offend too much.
43. Switch any remaining incandescent light bulbs to CFLs.
44. Borrow a tool from a friend or neighbor rather than purchasing a new one.
45. Print your documents double-sided.
46. Run a load of laundry without using soap. Chances are if you're washing at the Laundromat, there is plenty of soap already in the machine from the previous wash.
47. Donate old working electronics to those who may need them.
48. Say 'no' to genetically modified ingredients.
49. Too cold? Add a layer of clothing before turning on the heat.
50. Too hot? Remove a layer of clothing before turning on the AC!
51. Leave the computer and cell phone off and go have a conversation, in person, with an old friend!
52. Keep your immune system healthy by taking acidophilus.
53. Reuse plastic silverware at least twice before throwing away.
54. Think twice about whether you actually need to print something out.
55. Take a stand for something you truly believe in.
56. Don't allow yourself to buy something just to solve a problem.
57. Adopt a local area or stretch or road and take care of it.
58. Donate old eyeglasses to Lion's Clubs.
59. Think of mindfulness with all your decisions today.
60. Carry 'waiting to warm up' buckets of shower water to water your plants.
61. Skip the soda for today and have water instead.
62. Ask yourself, 'do I really need this'?
63. Read by candlelight tonight instead of watching TV.
64. Unplug the hairdryer for the day.
65. If you're not composting on your own yet, give your organic waste (fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, egg shells) to someone who is.
66. Buy in bulk.
67. Fix leaky faucets and toilets sooner rather than later.
68. Skip the chips and have a piece of organic fruit instead.
69. Bring your reusable mug to work (or Starbucks!) for your coffee or tea.
70. Leave everything a little neater than you found it.
71. Choose the version of a product packaged in glass over the one packaged in plastic.
72. Do something for someone, "just because."
73. Choose organically grown flowers.
74. Gather all your hazardous waste products for proper disposal.
75. Opt out of deodorant for a day, even a little sweating helps rid the body of toxins.
76. Freecycle things you don't use or need any longer to give them a second chance to those who may need them.
77. Read up on an issue that is near and dear to your heart. Make a decision to actively do something about it today.
78. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
79. Look for a little stress relief today.
80. Say 'no' to greed today.
81. Offset your yearly travel at terrapass.com or myclimate.org.
82. Maximize the daylight. Open the shades on a sunny day and leave the lights off.
83. Support handmade artisans!
84. Take a closer look at the ingredients of what you're eating today.
85. Listen with an open mind today.
86. Before buying something you don't really need, take 24 hours and sleep on it.
87. Before you pop a pain reliever, try a glass of water, a quick walk or a bit of acupressure.
88. Buy refillable products such as razor blades and cleaners.
89. Patronize local businesses to keep money in your community.
90. Skip the make up, perfume or cologne today, give your senses a chance to recharge.
91. Think twice about buying new jewelry and instead consider heirloom pieces.
92. Resist the urge to procrastinate!
93. Introduce a few houseplants into your home to help freshen and clean the air.
94. Call your credit card company and ask to be removed from their marketing list.
95. Say 'no' to water in plastic bottles. Always carry your own refillable glass or aluminum bottle with you.
96. Try a holiday free of 'store bought' presents.
97. Choose fair trade chocolate.
98. Say 'no' to free samples, boredom purchases and souvenirs today.
99. Clean out your closets and donate old clothes, shoes and accessories.
100. Forgive and forget.

Let’s do some off-settin’!

‘Tis the season to think back on how much impact I’ve had on the planet this year.

It’s not a secret that I love to drive long distances (and conversely hate to fly, but sometimes it’s unavoidable for work) so I figured I’d add up all my miles on the road this year and head over to Terrapass and offset the carbon I’ve created.

Car Travel
2 round trip cross country trips (and a good 6 months of Los Angeles driving) in the ’03 Civic Hybrid totaling 20,216 miles, which equals 9,316 lbs of CO2.

Air Travel
7 plane trips totaling 12,049 miles of air travel equaling 4,148 lbs of CO2 emitted.
All told, 1,000 lb offsets at Terrapass are $5.95 each, so for under $84 I’ve offset my yearly travel with donations to renewable energy sources such as wind farms and livestock methane capturing. A very small price to pay for my contribution to global warming.

God, I love the dump.

I mean I realize that’s not a phrase you hear everyday (or even once a decade) especially because most people these days don’t even come within miles of the dump any more. And to be honest, my ‘dump’ isn’t even a true dump, but a delightfully titled ‘Transfer Station’ where town residents bring all sorts of unwanted items to transfer onto the next station… whether it be the actual dump, the recycling facility or someone else’s living quarters. The great part about having to package up and carry your waste to a separate location is how conscious it makes you of how much you make. When you drop another bag in the bin and then drag that bin out to the curb once a week, you don’t think twice about how much is in the bin, much less where the contents go once the bin is returned to you empty. Having to put that bag in your trunk and then drive it down the street, well, that’s another story. When I see that my bag is joining the hundreds of other bags of my neighbors, I have an instant reminder of how dirty trash can be—take a deep whiff, that smell only gets worse the more people add to the pile. Right next to the compactor is a little area where people drop off usable items that they no longer want (sort of an in-person Freecycle corner). Head to the recycling area and you’re responsible for sorting your cans, paper and plastic… but turn the corner and that’s where the real fun begins. Piles of scrap wood, appliances, toilets, furniture (all categorized but free for the taking if it’s something you want) And on Sundays, I’ve seen people just hanging out sitting in the furniture section, shooting the breeze…when’s the last time you got social about your garbage? I think the only way we’re going to be able to solve our trash crisis (and thus the environmental crisis) is to make everyone more conscious AND responsible for the waste they create.

Book Review: No Impact Man

No Impact Man (The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes about Himself and our way of life in the process) by Colin Beavan

I'm a sucker for any book that poses a year-long eco-challenge to itself (See my reviews for: Plenty, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Not Buying It (okay I meant to review this one, but it slipped through the cracks), A Year Without 'Made in China') but what makes Beavan's book unique, is that he combines all of the challenges posed by these other books and tries them all at once. While living in New York City. With a toddler. A grand undertaking indeed. Now I realize there are people out there thinking “what a presumptuous jerk! There are people who live like that every day, not because they want a challenge, but because they have to.” But the issue is that so many people do not want to consider live as he does—eating locally, not driving or taking mass transit, not using electricity (!!), (there was also some note about also not using toilet paper but it wasn't revealed how exactly they went about this). With the title of the book 'No Impact', it's pretty big boast, but on only page 22 he admits that having 'no impact' is actually impossible, but what you learn slowly is that he can lessen his impact so much that he can make up for what waste and destruction he does create with simple actions like picking up litter along the riverfront. He won me over by not only talking the talk but walking the walk. Shutting off the electricity? That's a pretty bold maneuver. Sure I've got the worm bin chewing up my scraps and I can make less than a plastic grocery bag full of trash a month, but this guy washed his own clothes in the bathtub and read by candlelight for months. And that's pretty cool. He's a minor celebrity now, with his blog and his documentary but I'm happy to support anyone who preaches the gospel of needing to simplify your life no matter where you live and finding creative solutions to do so.

Look, I like to consider myself a fairly environmentally sound person (in the grand scheme of things) but I also don't pretend that I'm something I'm not: we all have our vices and that's a great thing about simplicity-it's not about deprivation. It's about being conscious of your actions and not allowing those vices to get out of hand. I love In-n-Out Burger, and I don't want to imagine giving it up, so instead, I use it as a treat, a reward. I also try to keep learning about creating less waste and lowering consumption and staying mindful about my actions. I also am working on my strength as an activist, so that someday I'll convince those In-n-Out folks organic meat and vegetables are the way to go, or to recycle their paper waste, or to have non-plastic options for eat in service.

2009 Resolutions: Give a Little Bit

After my trip to Ye Olde Tax Preparer this year, I was stunned to see how little I made in charitable contributions last year. And in this “ECONOMIC CLIMATE” what’s going to suffer most are the organizations that rely on contributions to survive. So this year, I’m going to challenge myself to make at least one donation a month, for 12 months to a cause near and dear to my heart. January I’ve already written about my fated donation to the team behind Gregg’s documentary, but February I think I’m going to select my local YMCA. I’ve been pretty much a lifelong member of one Y or another (back when mom threw me into swim lessons at 6 months of age), and I have seen first hand what a membership can for a person. Bally’s or 24 Hour Fitness may be the place to be if you’re looking to turn your workout into a social event, but the Y is the place to be if you want your membership dollars to directly benefit your community.

Sometimes the world works in very mysterious ways. During my new conscious habit of being more responsible for my actions, I had a rather prophetic experience. After discovering that a PayPal donation I had tried to make 2 years ago did not go through (I don’t check the account very often and when I signed on recently, I noticed the money back in my account and a “declined” letter waiting for me… dated 2006) I was disheartened, because I had no idea that this happened. I could have just walked away, taken that money and moved on with my life. But instead, this week, I went about making it right. I resent the donation directly to my friends at Greenie Films (creators of A Finished Life, the documentary about my late friend Gregg) with a note of humble apology and fessing up to what had happened. Their response was a pleasant coincidence: the amount I sent was needed exactly at that time to pay for the dub of the copy of the film that will shown on HERE TV shortly. Sometimes the world works in mysterious ways, and I am beginning to truly believe the power of intuition.

The Accountability of Simplicity

Oops. Okay, I’m ready to admit it. I did it. Picked up a wedding present for a friend this weekend (pushing that Emily Post rule about having 1 year after the wedding to come through with the gift or face social rudeness) and promptly proceeded to puncture a hole and scrape the side of the leather ottoman I had just purchased, not 15 minutes before. Sigh. So I ran through the options, #1- I mean it’s not really that bad, right, giving a wedding present that’s slightly damaged? Um, yes it is. Okay how about #2-head back to Tarjay and say that I didn’t notice that it was damaged when I bought it. This seemed like the way to go, but after sleeping on the decision, I remembered something I had written about in my book, which is that returning things that are damaged or that you have bought just to take parts out of is stealing, plain and simple.
So now the ottoman sits in my living room, and I convince myself that it is a nice addition to the space, damage and all. It serves as a reminder to be more accountable for my actions. I’ve also decided that I need to fill it up with a comparable amount of “stuff” to get rid of to justify its arrival. I’m also going to try to save the comparable amount of money spent, since now I still have to get another wedding present!