An article published Sept 19 in The Guardian called How Climate Change Will Affect the World by David Adam noted that we are no longer talking about global warming affecting our children and grandchildren, let alone "the seventh generation." Those of you in Boston have likely enjoyed having a fall season with 70-80 degree days, but balmy days for us spell disaster in Africa, the Arctic, and the Indian sub-continent. Personally, I think there will come a time (in the not too distant future) when we can't believe we actually wasted potable fresh water on outdoor watering. Heard the drought news out of Atlanta recently? Read on for David Adam's full article:
"The effects of climate change will be felt sooner than scientists realised and the world must learn to live with the effects, experts said yesterday.
Martin Parry, a climate scientist with the Met Office, said destructive changes in temperature, rainfall and agriculture were now forecast to occur several decades earlier than thought. He said vulnerable people such as the old and poor would be the worst affected, and that world leaders had not yet accepted their countries would have to adapt to the likely consequences.
Speaking at a meeting to launch the full report on the impacts of global warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Professor Parry, co-chairman of the IPCC working group that wrote the report, said: "We are all used to talking about these impacts coming in the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren. Now we know that it's us."
He added politicians had wasted a decade by focusing only on ways to cut emissions, and had only recently woken up to the need to adapt. "Mitigation has got all the attention, but we cannot mitigate out of this problem. We now have a choice between a future with a damaged world or a severely damaged world."
The international response to the problem has failed to grasp that serious consequences such as reduced crop yields and water shortages are now inevitable, he said. Countries such as Britain need to focus on helping nations in the developing world cope with the predicted impacts, by helping them to introduce irrigation and water management technology, drought resistant crops and new building techniques.
Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, said: "Wheat production in India is already in decline, for no other reason than climate change. Everyone thought we didn't have to worry about Indian agriculture for several decades. Now we know it's being affected now." There are signs a similar shift is under way in China, he added.
The summary chapter of yesterday's report was published in April, after arguments between scientists and political officials over its contents. Prof Parry said: "Governments don't like numbers, so some numbers were brushed out of it."
The report warns that Africa and the Arctic will bear the brunt of climate impacts, along with small islands such as Fiji, and Asian river megadeltas including the Mekong.
It says extreme weather events are likely to become more intense and more frequent, and the effect on ecosystems could be severe, with up to 30% of plant and animal species at risk of extinction if the average rise in global temperatures exceeds 1.5C-2.5C. The consequences of rising temperatures are already being felt on every continent, it adds.
Prof Parry said it was "very unlikely" that average temperature rise could be limited to 2C, as sought by European governments. That would place 2 billion more people at risk of water shortages, and hundreds of millions more will face hunger, the report says."
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Youth inspired by our MySpace to stop watching television.
We just received this comment over on our MySpace(www.myspace.com/consciousconsuming):
"Thanks for inspriring me to give up on t.v. I havent watched it in a week now. One night i was gazing up at the sky watching the clouds pass and the stars come out and shine. I then realized how much of the world im missing out on. I never want to watch t.v again , its also helping me in school. :)~~Thanks, Tori.
It says so much that there's not really a need for me to add any comments on it! I love that she touches on appreciating nature, having missed out on so much and that it helped important parts of her life when she stopped watching.
What do you think?
"Thanks for inspriring me to give up on t.v. I havent watched it in a week now. One night i was gazing up at the sky watching the clouds pass and the stars come out and shine. I then realized how much of the world im missing out on. I never want to watch t.v again , its also helping me in school. :)~~Thanks, Tori.
It says so much that there's not really a need for me to add any comments on it! I love that she touches on appreciating nature, having missed out on so much and that it helped important parts of her life when she stopped watching.
What do you think?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
CNN features 100-mile diet
A recent CNN article, "estimated sales at farmers markets rose from $888 million in 2000 to $1 billion in 2005, according to a 2006 USDA survey. There are now more than 4,300 markets nationwide -- an 18 percent increase from 1994 through 2006 -- where local farmers sell directly to the public the fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and baked goods they have grown, raised, caught and made." The article goes on to say that September was the month to pledge the 100-mile diet.
This news makes me really miss my CSA. Since I relocated this summer from Boston to Boulder, CO, I didn't join my favorite (oh, OK, only) Boston area CSA, Brookwood Community Farm. The farmer at Brookwood, Farmer Judy, grew the most fabulous varieties of tomatoes, beans, and greens, and even prepared a washed field greens mix weekly for her customers. Last year, as a CSA member, I found myself trying new recipes and freezing a lot of food just to keep up with the weekly harvest box. This ensured that I was eating locally not just during the harvest season, but also during the winter when some of those meals made their way onto my family's table.
I am fortunate that Boulder also has an excellent farmer's market, but I think it falls into the "more expensive than Whole Foods" category. Luckily the Whole Foods in Boulder has done a fantastic job featuring local foods, so that shoppers can easily buy locally made products if they want to. I guess the difference is that at the grocery store I buy for the week, rather than buying extra while local foods are in season (and cheaper). I look forward to joining a new CSA next year, and planting a garden of my own, so that I am forced to "put food by" for another day. I can freeze, pickle, and can my way into local foods all year long.
This news makes me really miss my CSA. Since I relocated this summer from Boston to Boulder, CO, I didn't join my favorite (oh, OK, only) Boston area CSA, Brookwood Community Farm. The farmer at Brookwood, Farmer Judy, grew the most fabulous varieties of tomatoes, beans, and greens, and even prepared a washed field greens mix weekly for her customers. Last year, as a CSA member, I found myself trying new recipes and freezing a lot of food just to keep up with the weekly harvest box. This ensured that I was eating locally not just during the harvest season, but also during the winter when some of those meals made their way onto my family's table.
I am fortunate that Boulder also has an excellent farmer's market, but I think it falls into the "more expensive than Whole Foods" category. Luckily the Whole Foods in Boulder has done a fantastic job featuring local foods, so that shoppers can easily buy locally made products if they want to. I guess the difference is that at the grocery store I buy for the week, rather than buying extra while local foods are in season (and cheaper). I look forward to joining a new CSA next year, and planting a garden of my own, so that I am forced to "put food by" for another day. I can freeze, pickle, and can my way into local foods all year long.
Biofuels: Dream Turned Nightmare?
This blog post about biofuels from Grassroots International tells the reality they're seeing on the ground about the actual production of all that sugarcane that's being hailed as the new fuel of the future.
Can we have less environmentally-harmful emissions without jeopardizing the health, safety, and livelihoods of workers around the world? Will we ever find a solution to our energy-gobbling addiction without building it on the backs of poorer nations?
This issue is timely and deserves more discussion.
Can we have less environmentally-harmful emissions without jeopardizing the health, safety, and livelihoods of workers around the world? Will we ever find a solution to our energy-gobbling addiction without building it on the backs of poorer nations?
This issue is timely and deserves more discussion.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Days of Action
Jake Miller of Grassroots International posted the following today on the Grassroots site. Thought it was relevant and worth sharing.
Today is Blog Action Day and more than 15,000 bloggers with a combined reach of more than 12 million subscribers are joining forces to blog about the environment.
Tomorrow is World Food Day, a day created by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, a day that's dedicated to bringing awareness to the struggles of the 800 million people who go hungry every day. Thousands of people around the world will take action to fight hunger.
It's too bad these two days didn't coincide, because so many of the problems related to hunger are environmental, and so many of the solutions are ecological.
Read more
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Slow Down and Green Up Newsletter--October
Well, October holds a lot for Conscious Consumers to think about: it's Fair Trade Month, World Vegetarian month, and Oct 23rd is Take Back Your Time Day! I don't know about you, but I've been feeling more and more optimistic about the growing awareness of buying (and not buying) in line with your values. The message is spreading, and the audience is growing. Even Newsweek recently covered the topic, which you can see in the last post.
Dare I say it? We're almost not even fringe anymore!!! Of course, any trip to the mall could dash my hopes and confirm otherwise. Mental note: avoid the mall, unless it’s to celebrate Buy Nothing Day.
For information on Fair Trade month, visit Co-Op America. If someone would please design some fair trade goodies I could buy at a reasonable price in bulk to distribute to the kiddoes on Halloween it would be fabulous. I love the idea of Fair Trade chocolate (and eat it myself) but my simple living sensibilities prevent me from spending $2 a serving for kid candy.
For World Vegetarian Month, why not try a meat-free week? Challenge your household! If eating meat-free for a whole week sounds impossible, commit to limiting your meat intake, both for the environment (livestock production is the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind transportation and energy production) and for animal welfare/compassion. If you’re in the Boston area, come to the 12th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival, on October 20th from 10am-6pm. Click here for event details, including directions and the speaker and demonstration schedules.
Take Back Your Time Day is October 24th, to signify the nine weeks of vacation scarcity in the US compared with European nations. While we won’t be hosting an event in Boston this year, you can visit Take Back Your Time Day to see if there is an event in your area, or to find out more about Take Back Your Time’s legislative campaigns.
Finally, save the date for Gift it Up! On Saturday, December 1st, Conscious Consuming will host Boston’s 5th annual alternative gift fair at the River of Life Church in Jamaica Plain. We gather 14 or so local and international non-profits and participants have the chance to give gifts that change the world. If you’re in the Boston area and would like to volunteer, we need you! Please email Marty if you might be available to help serve refreshments or hand out flyers on the day of the event.
Have a great time Slowing Down and Greening Up in October! If you got to attend the DC Green Festival this month we are jealous!
The Team at Conscious Consuming
Psssttt...if you like our monthly emails, pass them along to your friends! While we hate viral marketing, for all-volunteer non-profits we make an exception. We hope you will too!
Dare I say it? We're almost not even fringe anymore!!! Of course, any trip to the mall could dash my hopes and confirm otherwise. Mental note: avoid the mall, unless it’s to celebrate Buy Nothing Day.
For information on Fair Trade month, visit Co-Op America. If someone would please design some fair trade goodies I could buy at a reasonable price in bulk to distribute to the kiddoes on Halloween it would be fabulous. I love the idea of Fair Trade chocolate (and eat it myself) but my simple living sensibilities prevent me from spending $2 a serving for kid candy.
For World Vegetarian Month, why not try a meat-free week? Challenge your household! If eating meat-free for a whole week sounds impossible, commit to limiting your meat intake, both for the environment (livestock production is the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases, behind transportation and energy production) and for animal welfare/compassion. If you’re in the Boston area, come to the 12th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival, on October 20th from 10am-6pm. Click here for event details, including directions and the speaker and demonstration schedules.
Take Back Your Time Day is October 24th, to signify the nine weeks of vacation scarcity in the US compared with European nations. While we won’t be hosting an event in Boston this year, you can visit Take Back Your Time Day to see if there is an event in your area, or to find out more about Take Back Your Time’s legislative campaigns.
Finally, save the date for Gift it Up! On Saturday, December 1st, Conscious Consuming will host Boston’s 5th annual alternative gift fair at the River of Life Church in Jamaica Plain. We gather 14 or so local and international non-profits and participants have the chance to give gifts that change the world. If you’re in the Boston area and would like to volunteer, we need you! Please email Marty if you might be available to help serve refreshments or hand out flyers on the day of the event.
Have a great time Slowing Down and Greening Up in October! If you got to attend the DC Green Festival this month we are jealous!
The Team at Conscious Consuming
Psssttt...if you like our monthly emails, pass them along to your friends! While we hate viral marketing, for all-volunteer non-profits we make an exception. We hope you will too!
Friday, October 05, 2007
Freegans get Newsweek press!
Read about how the Newsweek author Rania Kelley became a freegan for a month in this Newsweek article. I share her sensibility that dumpster diving is not for me, and she seems, in the end, to have chosen the sensible path of moderation. Most importantly, she has become aware that her consumption patterns are out of whack:
"I am determined to limit my buying. So one pair of fall shoes won't break my budget or make me feel guilty but 12 pairs would—a distinction that I would not have been able to make four weeks ago. There's too much waste, and I'd like to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. And with the twelve hundred dollars I saved, I can now retire two weeks earlier than I planned."
Even though I have no idea who actually buys 12 pairs of fall shoes (I hope no one but Imelda Marcos and Carrie Bradshaw), I'm glad that she's chosen to be part of the solution. Luckily she has a really public forum to introduce mainstream readers to the concept of freeganism, and maybe a few of her readers will second-guess their consumption patterns, too.
"I am determined to limit my buying. So one pair of fall shoes won't break my budget or make me feel guilty but 12 pairs would—a distinction that I would not have been able to make four weeks ago. There's too much waste, and I'd like to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. And with the twelve hundred dollars I saved, I can now retire two weeks earlier than I planned."
Even though I have no idea who actually buys 12 pairs of fall shoes (I hope no one but Imelda Marcos and Carrie Bradshaw), I'm glad that she's chosen to be part of the solution. Luckily she has a really public forum to introduce mainstream readers to the concept of freeganism, and maybe a few of her readers will second-guess their consumption patterns, too.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Biking in Boston
Originally posted by Eileen on EcoSpace.
Boston’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino is vowing to reverse Boston’s reputation as one of the worst cycling cities in the United States. Last year, Bicycling magazine put Boston on its list of worst cycling cities for "lousy roads, scarce and unconnected bike lanes, and bike-friendly gestures from city hall that go nowhere." Mayor Menino has just picked up biking himself and has hired a “bike czar”, former Olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman.
“We need to get more people to take the bike around. It’s good for the health, it’s good for the environment, and there’s less congestion on the streets,” Menino said. “It’s time for the issue to come to the forefront.” He now bikes every morning around his neighborhood.
The plan is to install 250 bike racks across Boston, and implement an online map system. First of course, more bike lanes need to be installed, but lane plans are still in brainwashing stages. Current bike commuters of Boston are being surveyed for their most frequently traveled roads. The city will soon hold a summit for local bikers and national experts.
Now only about one percent of Bostonians bike to work, according to a 2000 US census. And a recent poll revealed that more local residents would bike to work if their workplaces had showers. So the city will try to encourage offices to install shower facilities, convince gyms to let non-members use showers, or even install citywide coin-operated showers.
Another idea is to put bike terminals around the city so residents and tourists could rent a bike, ride it an return it to any other terminal in the city. The concept is similar to Zipcars, and is in place in Paris.
Boston has unbelievable potential," the newly appointed bike czar Nicole Freedman said. "We're a compact city, we're flat, we have a young population and lots of tourists. If we do this correctly, we have the potential to be one of the best bike cities in the country. In three years, I think we will see some very dramatic changes."
Boston’s Mayor Thomas M. Menino is vowing to reverse Boston’s reputation as one of the worst cycling cities in the United States. Last year, Bicycling magazine put Boston on its list of worst cycling cities for "lousy roads, scarce and unconnected bike lanes, and bike-friendly gestures from city hall that go nowhere." Mayor Menino has just picked up biking himself and has hired a “bike czar”, former Olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman.
“We need to get more people to take the bike around. It’s good for the health, it’s good for the environment, and there’s less congestion on the streets,” Menino said. “It’s time for the issue to come to the forefront.” He now bikes every morning around his neighborhood.
The plan is to install 250 bike racks across Boston, and implement an online map system. First of course, more bike lanes need to be installed, but lane plans are still in brainwashing stages. Current bike commuters of Boston are being surveyed for their most frequently traveled roads. The city will soon hold a summit for local bikers and national experts.
Now only about one percent of Bostonians bike to work, according to a 2000 US census. And a recent poll revealed that more local residents would bike to work if their workplaces had showers. So the city will try to encourage offices to install shower facilities, convince gyms to let non-members use showers, or even install citywide coin-operated showers.
Another idea is to put bike terminals around the city so residents and tourists could rent a bike, ride it an return it to any other terminal in the city. The concept is similar to Zipcars, and is in place in Paris.
Boston has unbelievable potential," the newly appointed bike czar Nicole Freedman said. "We're a compact city, we're flat, we have a young population and lots of tourists. If we do this correctly, we have the potential to be one of the best bike cities in the country. In three years, I think we will see some very dramatic changes."
Boston loves a parade
SUNDAY OCT. 7 @ NOON -- JOIN THE PARADE! Honk Festival parade: Reclaim the Streets for Horns, Bikes, Feet
Join the Livable Streets Alliance this Sunday at the Honkfest parade. The route is Davis Square (Somerville) to Harvard Square (via Elm, Beech, Mass Ave). Walkers, strollers, bicyclists, rollers, wheelchairs, pedicabs, skateboarders, dancers, kids, adults, teenagers, and geezers will honk, roll, strut, and stroll with 20 marching bands from around the world, led by CarTalk's Click & Clack and Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. For more information visit Honkfest.
Join the Livable Streets Alliance this Sunday at the Honkfest parade. The route is Davis Square (Somerville) to Harvard Square (via Elm, Beech, Mass Ave). Walkers, strollers, bicyclists, rollers, wheelchairs, pedicabs, skateboarders, dancers, kids, adults, teenagers, and geezers will honk, roll, strut, and stroll with 20 marching bands from around the world, led by CarTalk's Click & Clack and Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. For more information visit Honkfest.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Kitchen Garden Day 2007
Know about Kitchen Garden Day? Sponsored by Kitchen Gardeners International, this day celebrates household gardens across the world. Learn more by watching this short 3-minute video:
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Junk You Junk Mail!
We've blogged about junk mail before. We all get lots of it. It takes a bit of work to reduce it but we're asking you to take the pledge to reduce you junk mail this month.
Click here to sign up to reduce your junk mail:
In addition to the forms on the site above, you can also just call the mailers. Every catalog mailer will remove you from their mailing list, just ask. Even nonprofits will remove you. You can also call places that you donate to and ask them not to sell, rent or exchange your information. Almost everybody will stop mailing to you, just ask!
Click here to sign up to reduce your junk mail:
In addition to the forms on the site above, you can also just call the mailers. Every catalog mailer will remove you from their mailing list, just ask. Even nonprofits will remove you. You can also call places that you donate to and ask them not to sell, rent or exchange your information. Almost everybody will stop mailing to you, just ask!
Sweat Free Massachusetts
If Massachusetts is like other states, most of the apparel, textiles, and other products that it buys are made in sweatshops. That doesn't sound like Conscious Consuming to us!
But that can change. Conscious Consuming is proud to be part of a growing national movement of students, workers, unions, faith-based groups, and community organizations is organizing for sweatfree purchasing to build market demand for sweatfree products and political momentum for a just global economy. Six state governments, 45 cities and counties, 120 school districts, and 164 colleges and universities have adopted policies requiring their apparel products to be made in fair labor conditions.
Help us make Massachusetts sweatfree! Through our collective effort, our state can ensure living wages and decent working conditions for those producing goods for us.
Governor John Baldacci of Maine has written to all governors asking them to take an important step for workers everywhere. Join us in asking Governor Deval Patrick to sign on to Baldacci's resolution calling for multi-state collaboration in sweatfree procurement. Governors Rendell of Pennsylvania and Corzine of New Jersey are already on board. Other governors have expressed interest and will sign on soon. In addition, local campaigns are hoping to get their cities to come together with the Governors' initiative to form a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium to coordinate enforcement of sweatfree procurement policies.
While working to gain the Governor's support, we will campaign for a sweatfree procurement law in Massachusetts, which will include the following provisions:
• A sweatfree manufacturing code of conduct: All vendors, contractors, and subcontractors with the state must adhere to the code of conduct which includes respect for local laws and International Labor Organization standards; above-poverty wages; rights to assemble and bargain collectively; non-discrimination; ban on child labor; and safe working conditions.
• Disclosure of factory locations and wages: To qualify for a bid vendors must disclose locations of factories and wages of workers producing goods to be sold to the state.
• Collaboration with other states and independent accountability: Join other public purchasers nationwide by pooling resources to investigate labor violations and monitor factories, coordinate enforcement, and buy jointly from sweatfree factories.
• Community involvement: Creation of a community advisory committee composed of citizens and worker rights experts to ensure that good intentions are translated into good results.
Please join Conscious Consuming in endorsing this important effort to improve working conditions locally and globally online, visit www.sweatfree.org/mass. Your endorsement also signals support of the national campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium.
But that can change. Conscious Consuming is proud to be part of a growing national movement of students, workers, unions, faith-based groups, and community organizations is organizing for sweatfree purchasing to build market demand for sweatfree products and political momentum for a just global economy. Six state governments, 45 cities and counties, 120 school districts, and 164 colleges and universities have adopted policies requiring their apparel products to be made in fair labor conditions.
Help us make Massachusetts sweatfree! Through our collective effort, our state can ensure living wages and decent working conditions for those producing goods for us.
Governor John Baldacci of Maine has written to all governors asking them to take an important step for workers everywhere. Join us in asking Governor Deval Patrick to sign on to Baldacci's resolution calling for multi-state collaboration in sweatfree procurement. Governors Rendell of Pennsylvania and Corzine of New Jersey are already on board. Other governors have expressed interest and will sign on soon. In addition, local campaigns are hoping to get their cities to come together with the Governors' initiative to form a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium to coordinate enforcement of sweatfree procurement policies.
While working to gain the Governor's support, we will campaign for a sweatfree procurement law in Massachusetts, which will include the following provisions:
• A sweatfree manufacturing code of conduct: All vendors, contractors, and subcontractors with the state must adhere to the code of conduct which includes respect for local laws and International Labor Organization standards; above-poverty wages; rights to assemble and bargain collectively; non-discrimination; ban on child labor; and safe working conditions.
• Disclosure of factory locations and wages: To qualify for a bid vendors must disclose locations of factories and wages of workers producing goods to be sold to the state.
• Collaboration with other states and independent accountability: Join other public purchasers nationwide by pooling resources to investigate labor violations and monitor factories, coordinate enforcement, and buy jointly from sweatfree factories.
• Community involvement: Creation of a community advisory committee composed of citizens and worker rights experts to ensure that good intentions are translated into good results.
Please join Conscious Consuming in endorsing this important effort to improve working conditions locally and globally online, visit www.sweatfree.org/mass. Your endorsement also signals support of the national campaign for a State and Local Government Sweatfree Consortium.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Recycling is Awesome!
Our country would be much less environmentally-conscious if it weren't for the recycling efforts in the past decades. Recycling has become a habit for many of us, but we know it's more than that.
Check out www.livepaths.com for what others are doing to make recycling a business, which as I'm learning in economics, is one of the greatest ways to ensure things get done.
Check out www.livepaths.com for what others are doing to make recycling a business, which as I'm learning in economics, is one of the greatest ways to ensure things get done.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait
Check out this interesting set of works from Chris Jorgan. What a way to capture our consumption visually, and beautifully!
Here's info from the Global Footprint Network:
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Artist Chris Jorgan's photos
speak volumes. In Jordan's own words, the photographs portray
"contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics."
Many of the images portray a specific quantity of something Americans
consume: 8 million toothpicks, representing the number of trees
harvested in the US every month to make the paper for mail order
catalogs; 106,000 aluminum cans, reflecting "thirty seconds of can
consumption," according to Jordan. The image above, for example, is a
portion of Jordan's image of 426,000 cell phones, which he says is
"equal to the number of cell phones retired in the US every day."
This series will be exhibited at the Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los
Angeles, opening Sep 8. More info at www.paulkopeikingallery.com.
Here's info from the Global Footprint Network:
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Artist Chris Jorgan's photos
speak volumes. In Jordan's own words, the photographs portray
"contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics."
Many of the images portray a specific quantity of something Americans
consume: 8 million toothpicks, representing the number of trees
harvested in the US every month to make the paper for mail order
catalogs; 106,000 aluminum cans, reflecting "thirty seconds of can
consumption," according to Jordan. The image above, for example, is a
portion of Jordan's image of 426,000 cell phones, which he says is
"equal to the number of cell phones retired in the US every day."
This series will be exhibited at the Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los
Angeles, opening Sep 8. More info at www.paulkopeikingallery.com.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Carbon Offsets - Effective or Not?
On today's front page of the Washington Post is an article titled Cost of Saving the Climate Meets Real-World Hurdles, about carbon offsets and their actual effect. It says that because it is an unregulated market, not all produce the results that people pay for, so industry standards might be put in place. And while one guy quoted says he feels it's okay to keep his gas-guzzling vehicle since he paid for offsets, the Sierra Club advises remaking your life to become eco-friendly before spending money on offsets.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Join us this Saturday!
Who: You
What: Potluck Picnic
Where: Franklin Park
When: Saturday, Aug 11 12:30pm
How: Bring food to share, bike, hop, or skip (or even drive) over
Join us at the Tour de Farms potluck in Boston on Saturday, August 11th. While the riders finish up their 15 or 25 mile segments, we will be listening to our speaker Jim Buckle, the Farm Manager at Allandale Farm, Boston's oldest commercial farm, at about 12:30pm. Limited parking is available in the lot opposite the golf course, by the entrance to the Franklin Park Zoo. We will meet up on the fields in Franklin Park for our potluck picnic.
Please bring a potluck item to share, preferably showcasing local food, and some extra for our hungry riders. Visit your CSA, local farmer's market, or garden that week to harvest something yummy. Please bring a small index card to list the recipe or ingredients so that folks know what's in your dish (for food allergies or vegans). Also, please bring a picnic blanket, as there are no picnic tables available. The event runs rain or shine (within reason).
Farm Aid's Tour de Farms ride will showcase innovative urban farms and food projects that are strengthening Boston's local and sustainable food system. The 15 and 25-mile rides will go through the neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Mattapan, Milton and the beautiful Blue Hills Reservation. The Tour de Farms is a free event and all are welcome. The ride will start and finish at Boston's Franklin Park, beginning at 9:00am and concluding by 1:00pm. Pre-registration for the ride is required. For more information about the Tour de Farm and to pre-register, contact Mark Smith at Farm Aid, 617-354-2922, or via email to mark@farmaid.org.
This event is our usual Potluck format. Please bring a food item or $10 in lieu of food.
DIRECTIONS: To get to the zoo, just use www.googlemaps.com and enter Franklin Park Zoo, Boston MA. Once you get to the zoo, pass the first entrance on Columbia Road. Columbia becomes Jewish War Veterans Dr. Pass a golf course and take the next right, Pierpoint Rd. We will be set up about 100 yards down Pierpoint on the left. We'll have a picnic beneath two large trees. Unload there. (If you drive to baseball fields, you've gone too far.) After unloading, drive past the baseball fields and park there.
Any questions, please email cindy@consciousconsuming.org.
What: Potluck Picnic
Where: Franklin Park
When: Saturday, Aug 11 12:30pm
How: Bring food to share, bike, hop, or skip (or even drive) over
Join us at the Tour de Farms potluck in Boston on Saturday, August 11th. While the riders finish up their 15 or 25 mile segments, we will be listening to our speaker Jim Buckle, the Farm Manager at Allandale Farm, Boston's oldest commercial farm, at about 12:30pm. Limited parking is available in the lot opposite the golf course, by the entrance to the Franklin Park Zoo. We will meet up on the fields in Franklin Park for our potluck picnic.
Please bring a potluck item to share, preferably showcasing local food, and some extra for our hungry riders. Visit your CSA, local farmer's market, or garden that week to harvest something yummy. Please bring a small index card to list the recipe or ingredients so that folks know what's in your dish (for food allergies or vegans). Also, please bring a picnic blanket, as there are no picnic tables available. The event runs rain or shine (within reason).
Farm Aid's Tour de Farms ride will showcase innovative urban farms and food projects that are strengthening Boston's local and sustainable food system. The 15 and 25-mile rides will go through the neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Mattapan, Milton and the beautiful Blue Hills Reservation. The Tour de Farms is a free event and all are welcome. The ride will start and finish at Boston's Franklin Park, beginning at 9:00am and concluding by 1:00pm. Pre-registration for the ride is required. For more information about the Tour de Farm and to pre-register, contact Mark Smith at Farm Aid, 617-354-2922, or via email to mark@farmaid.org.
This event is our usual Potluck format. Please bring a food item or $10 in lieu of food.
DIRECTIONS: To get to the zoo, just use www.googlemaps.com and enter Franklin Park Zoo, Boston MA. Once you get to the zoo, pass the first entrance on Columbia Road. Columbia becomes Jewish War Veterans Dr. Pass a golf course and take the next right, Pierpoint Rd. We will be set up about 100 yards down Pierpoint on the left. We'll have a picnic beneath two large trees. Unload there. (If you drive to baseball fields, you've gone too far.) After unloading, drive past the baseball fields and park there.
Any questions, please email cindy@consciousconsuming.org.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
The 4-Hour Workweek
Has anyone read this book yet? It sounds right up our alley: freeing up your time to do things you want to do and how to afford doing it. It sounds like author Tim Ferriss focuses a lot on what you can do at work to free up your time and how to save money in the rest of your life. But, who couldn't use tips like that?
Read reviews for this book here and here.
Read reviews for this book here and here.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Myabodo.com
I love this climate change site that's recently come to my attention. It's from the UK and is an interactive way to look at how your living choices (bikes or SUV? line dry or tumble dry clothes?) makes an impact on the Earth's climate. There are also tons of links to more information in case you're curious about other choices you have to affect climate change.
But mostly, it's lots of fun to play around with all the different options and cute pictures. Be prepared to spend multiple hours on this site!
Myabodo.com
But mostly, it's lots of fun to play around with all the different options and cute pictures. Be prepared to spend multiple hours on this site!
Myabodo.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
Co-op America: Twelve Ways to Shop Fair Trade Now.
While it may be better not to buy or to buy secondhand, sometimes you just have to buy new (food and gifts, for instance). When buying new, why not shop Fair Trade? According to Co-op America: Twelve Ways to Shop Fair Trade Now:
"The Fair Trade marketplace is broader and more vibrant than ever before. That's the lesson our editors learned while putting together our latest Guide to Fair Trade which makes its debut as a 24-page online PDF." Check it out for yourself, and ask at your local market for fairly traded items.
"The Fair Trade marketplace is broader and more vibrant than ever before. That's the lesson our editors learned while putting together our latest Guide to Fair Trade which makes its debut as a 24-page online PDF." Check it out for yourself, and ask at your local market for fairly traded items.
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