Take the Pledge to Think Outside the Bottle!

From Corporate Accountability International:

Bottled water corporations are changing the very way people think about water. Though many bottled water brands come from the same source as public tap water, they are marketed as somehow more pure. What's more - bottled water corporations sell water back to the public at thousands of times the cost. Plastic bottles also require massive amounts of fossil fuels to manufacture and transport. Billions of these bottles wind up in landfills every year.

You can help reverse this trend. At events and over online networks tens of thousands are supporting the efforts of local officials to reduce the social impact and environmental harm of bottled water by prioritizing public water systems. So far, in Chicago we have gathered over 1,500 pledges. Taking the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge is quick, easy, and sends the message that water is a human right, not a commodity.

Take the pledge at: http://www.stopcorporateabusenow.org and also visit the website www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org for more information.

Opt-out of Catalogues

This great new service will unsubscribe you from catalog mailings. You can return again and again whenever you receive another catalog in the mail. Not only is it a great way to decrease junk mail, but it also saves trees!

http://www.catalogchoice.org/

Buy One, Give One

If you are planning to buy some stuff this holiday season, you might want to consider a "Buy One, Give One" program. Many, many socially responsible businesses now regularly donate 10% of the purchase price of items to non-profits or local schools. Buy One, Give One programs take that concept further by donating an item of equal value to the one purchased. Read on for three great programs: the Bogo solar powered flashlight, the XO laptop, and Tam and Rob fair trade clothing company.

Sun Night Solar has developed a Buy One, Give One program for their Bogo solar powered flashlight. These fabulous flashlights are a terrific innovation for us in the developed world, reducing the expense and pollution associated with disposable batteries. In the developing world they are priceless. According to the Sun Night Solar website, "two billion people living in the developing world rely on kerosene lanterns, candles, and single-use battery flashlights for light at night. Not only are these options expensive, dangerous, and harmful to the environment, they also negatively impact health, education, and security." The Bogo light provides an opportunity for children to further their educational opportunities by reading at night, which is especially important in developing countries where children often work during the day. These flashlights also reduce the dangerous, expensive and carbon-emitting use of kerosene. The Bogo solar powered flashlights cost $25, and the buyer gets to choose which US nonprofit will distribute the flashlight to a program in a developing country. Mom, if you're reading, one of these lights is all I want for Christmas!

Another fabulous Buy One, Give One scheme is through One Laptop Per Child. Their mission is to provide a means for learning, self-expression and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education. Collaborating with design experts from academia and industry, OLPC developed the XO laptop: "The result is a unique harmony of form and function; a flexible, ultra-low-cost, power-efficient, responsive, and durable machine with which nations of the emerging world can leapfrog decades of development—immediately transforming the content and quality of their children's learning." Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give 1 Get 1 Program for a brief window of time in North America. For $399, you will be able to purchase two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home. The buyer can also just donate an XO laptop for $200.

Lastly, this holiday season, the women's fair trade fashion label Tam & Rob is launching Buy One Give One Free for Christmas. For every item purchased before Christmas, a new sari will be donated to a destitute woman through the charity Social Action for Association and Development (SAAD) in Maharashtra, India. Tam & Rob supports the work of SAAD, a charity that provides literacy and skills training to some of the world’s most vulnerable women, as the label’s own ethos is also to increase opportunities for disadvantaged groups. The new saris donated by Tam & Rob will benefit these women as they start their new lives and careers supported by SAAD. These companies are doing well by doing good, and we hope you'll support them if you can.

Green Cuisine: Earth-friendly, Healthy Recipes from Top Chefs and Local Farmers

The Union of Concerned Scientists has put out a new series of recipes from chefs using locally-grown, sustainable ingredients. This season's article is on sustainably-grown meats and what it means for meat to have too many antibiotics.

Check it out!

Yvon Chouinard's revolution

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of hearing Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, speak about the social and environmental responsibility of businesses. While he made some great points about how corporations need to work towards a sustainable future, and gave examples of how Patagonia has eschewed focusing on growth to ensure job security and less costs to the environment, there was one thing he said and one thing he did that really made me respect him as a leader in corporate social responsibility.

First, he acknowledged that because of the nature of his business, selling new consumer goods to the public, Patagonia will always have a cost to the environment no matter how much they work to reduce pollution, material waste, and use recycled materials. He encouraged us all to use products until they are no longer usable instead of going out to buy new clothes or other products when we don't need them. I've never heard anyone who's trying to sell me stuff tell me not to buy their stuff before!

Secondly, at the end of his talk, the hosts presented Yvon with a bag of goodies as a thanks for speaking to us. He politely declined, saying "I have everything I need." That small gesture showed the thousand audience members that he was committed in his own life to the philosophies he espouses in public.

I'm not writing this post to recommend Patagonia above other companies as a "better" business in any way. I want to show that there are corporate owners out there who care, in a meaningful way, as much as we do about the environment and in the people who live with us on this Earth. We must find a way to work together towards our common goal!

Wiser Earth

We are excited to have been included on the Wiser Earth website, which links up activists and community organizers in the social justice and environmental sustainability movements. Paul Hawken, author of the book Blessed Unrest and co-founder of Wiser Earth, posits that these movements (of which Conscious Consuming is a part) together form the largest cultural movement in the history of the world. I am very excited to order my copy of his book from the library, but in the meantime, the Wiser Earth website has videos introducing the concept. My favorite is the second one down. Check it Out!

Playing Sports Fairly

I just found out about this company, Fair Trade Sports, a company that makes Fair Trade Certified, and environmentally-friendly soccer and rugby balls, basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, and other gear. For people who are a little more exercise-enthused than I am, this might be a great option the next time you need a new sports ball!

Slow Down and Green Up Newsletter--November

Happy November everyone!

We at Conscious Consuming are gearing up for our 5th annual alternative gift fair, Gift it Up! We are excited to be holding the gift fair at a new venue this year, The River of Life Church in Jamaica Plain. We gather about 14 non-profits, including Grassroots International, the African Mission Society, Prison Book, The Network/La Red, and Heifer International (with more groups pending); attendees have the chance to talk to a representative from each of the non-profits, and make an honorary donation in a loved one’s name. We have beautiful cards to announce your gift. If you can’t make it to the fair on Saturday December 1st (12-4pm), you can still purchase alternative gifts securely on-line, via our website http://www.giftitup.com/. Lest you think this is too far “out there” for your family, start a conversation at Thanksgiving and see where it takes you. In my very traditional family, we decided to attend Gift it Up together and each choose our favorite non-profits in lieu of material gifts. Your family just might surprise you! If you can volunteer on the day of the event, please email marty@consciousconsuming.org, and if you can hang flyers in your town about Gift it Up!, please email susan@consciousconsuming.org and we’ll send some along.

Speaking of alternative gifting, we would like to share with you The Center for a New American Dream’s alternative gift registry at http://www.alternativegiftregistry.org/. This is a fabulous resource if you are planning a wedding or baby shower and are interested in nontraditional gifts. The website tool allows you to create your own registry, including gifts such as “bringing us one meal a week after the birth of our baby” or “chipping in for our CSA membership.” You can also provide links to material gifts if you’d like, such as your favorite organic sheets or cloth napkins.

Lastly, Friday November 23 is Buy Nothing Day! According to the Adbusters website, “On November 23, millions of people around the world will go on a 24 hour consumer fast and thousands of activists in 65 countries will engage in credit card cut ups, zombie walks and other pranks and shenanigans in an attempt to catalyze a mind shift towards sustainable lifestyles.” Visit http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd// to print flyers to hang in your community or to join with other activists in building awareness about the need to consume less stuff.

Thanks for all you do,

The team at Conscious Consuming

5 Minutes to Change the World

Looking for ways to change the world in 5 minutes a day? Coolpeoplecare.org has a new tip everyday that will make your home more energy efficient, your commute cleaner, and and your life healthier. You can sign up for their tips through your email or get it through your newsfeed. Be sure to also check out events in your community organized by people like you!

Eaters Unite!

Here's a great article by Michael Pollan on the current Food & Farm Bill being sent through the Senate right now. As Pollan replies to a representative who thinks that the public outcry about subsidies to big ag companies are because people don't know what they're talking about: "It seems more likely that, this time around, people in the city and all across the country know exactly what’s going on — they just don’t like it."

How Climate Change Will Affect the World

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."

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?

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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 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.

And if you liked that...

...you'll LOVE this:

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:

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Bringing Moos and Oinks Into the Food Debate - New York Times

I read a great article in the NY Times Food section called Bringing Moos and Oinks Into the Food Debate - New York Times that talks about how various non profits like PETA, The Humane Society, and Farm Sanctuary are working together for what Wayne Pacelle of The Humane Society calls the 3 R's: refinement of farming techniques, reducing meat consumption, and replacement of animal products. While the number of vegetarians nationwide is estimated at below 10% of the US population, many more people are opting for conscious eating, where they focus on something of importance (eating locally, eating humanely raised meats, eating organic food, etc) and eat in alignment with that value.

Which reminds me, we're meeting on August 11th for the Tour de Farms potluck in Jamacia Plain. Even if you're not up for riding 15 or 25 miles, you can still learn about the local food movement by coming to hear Jim Buckle, farm manager at Allendale Farm, come to speak. Bring a potluck dish and turn up at Franklin Park at 12:30pm, or email Cindy.

Eating Locally on a Budget

I've often heard of concerns about eating locally through a farmer's market because it can cost more than the food at a conventional supermarket. This can be true, but one reason for this is because small, local farmers aren't receiving the same subsidies as industrial agriculture.

This blog post on Wise Bread talks about this further and gives great tips on how to save money at the farmer's market. Many farmer's markets, such as the ones in Boston and in my current town of New Haven, also take WIC and food stamps so that local food can reach a wider audience.

Some tips that I would add are:
1. Browse the entire market before buying -- often, some stands have cheaper produce than others.
2. Eat in season -- the most abundant fruits and vegetables will often be the cheapest. The more you buy out of season, the more you'll pay.
3. Buy in bulk -- along with eating in season, you can find good deals if you're willing to buy a few more carrots or tomatoes. This is also a great time to stock up on fruits and vegetables to can or freeze to have local produce available throughout the year.
4. Befriend your local farmer -- I'm not suggesting scamming our beloved farmers, but those who I have gotten to know and been loyal to have very generously given me deals on their produce. They know, too, that this business is all about relationships (well, that and good food).

Fair Trade Hits Home (Washington Post article)

Here's a recent Washington Post article about organic, fair trade nuts & dried fruits from family farms & small co-ops now being sold in the D.C. area, thanks to a partnership between Domestic Free Trade Working Group and Massachusetts-based Equal Exchange.

Eco-Friendly Weddings

Here's an article from the Washington Post a few weeks ago about eco-friendly weddings. It talks about many things you might expect from a "green" wedding - live plants instead of cut flowers, soy ink & 100% post-consumer waste invitations, donations instead of gifts, etc. It also mentions different ideas - place cards written on magnolia leaves, and an online "wedding carbon footprint" calculator to figure out the amount of greenhouse gases and carbon emissions generated by wedding guests, which you can offset buy buying "carbon credits." Hopefully a trend that continues to grow.

How I Offset My Summer Vacation

We're in the midst of summer traveling, and with all this talk about global warming, I'm feeling a little guilty about taking that plane ride to visit my parents in a couple weeks. But alas, I'd feel worse if I didn't go. What's a world traveler to do?

Lots of renewable energy companies are now offering to offset your carbon output with efforts to reduce carbon emissions elsewhere. Through a small donation to their efforts, you can feel good about neutralizing your travel. Travelocity even has a program that allows you to make those contributions as you book your ticket.

I personally like NativeEnergy, a Native American company that supports farmer-owned, community-based renewable energy projects. Offsetting my round-trip flight to Milwaukee costs $12. Considering what we pay for airplane meals these days, I think I can afford it.

Help Us Start Spreading the News!

The Conscious Consuming Movement is taking off!

We've experienced a big jump in both exposure and events over the last two years. Now we're ready to take it to the next level by spreading the word but we need your help now.

We do this all without any major overhead. We don't have offices, nobody is paid for the countless hours that are put in and we get many things donated. Now we're asking you to help us spread the message with a small donation. A few dollars from a few people will go a long way!

Please make a donation today to help put the Conscious Consuming message out beyond Boston and beyond the internet.

After you've donated, please click the "share" button on the badge above and copy the code onto your website, blog, MySpace of FaceBook!

Earthworks - A Champion in Action

NECN and Citizen's Bank has chosen Earthworks, a Boston-based non-profit organization, as its current Champion in Action. This non-profit works in urban Boston to create a sustainable environment through education programs, nature walks, and restoration and beautification projects. You can watch the video which features my friend Annie Cardineaux. The video also talks about their collaboration with a Conscious Consuming favorite, The Food Project, to bring urban food to Boston farmer's markets.

Green Festival Time Again

If you live in or visit DC or San Francisco, head's up, the annual Green Festival is coming to town in October and November, respectively, and you can sign up to volunteer during the festival right now! Let me just say, whether you choose to volunteer (and get in for free!) or just check out the festival, it is a completely amazing way to spend a weekend. The festival features hundreds of inspirational speakers, booths highlighting products and organizations that are doing cool things in your area, organic food/beer/wine, and workshops on a variety of topics. If you don't live in one of these cities, check out their website anyway. They have video streams of past speakers and lots of other interesting stuff.

Are you a Carbon Conscious Consumer?

Conscious Consuming is delighted to partner with the Center for a New American Dream in presenting their Carbon Conscious Consumer campaign!

The action for July is Eating Local, which is what Day 6 of National Downshifting Week was all about. What a perfect fit! To read more about that, check out our blog entry for Day 6.

We're excited to be involved with this campaign as we continue to grow and spread the Conscious Consuming message.


Click the banner below to find out more and join us!

A Penny Saved

This year, the Washington Post's Penny Pincher of the Year Contest has a new focus. The Post is looking for unique ideas that not only save money, but also reduce environmental impact. Send your best energy, water, or waste-saving penny-pinching story to the Post and you could win a cash prize and have your idea published. You can nominate yourself, a family member, friend, relative or co-worker. Click here for details.

Day 7 of National Downshifting Week: Go Global

Friday - Day 7 of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

"Simplify, simplify, simplify…"
Henry David Thoreau

Ahh...and relax. It's been a great first US National Downshifting Week. New partnerships have been forged and strengthened, new people have joined the effort to "Slow Down and Green Up," and attention is finally being paid to environmental concerns on a national scale in the US.

So today's goal for the Downshifting Manifesto was to start something just for me. I hope you do enjoy whatever you choose. Henry David Thoreau, in Walden, said, "I went into the woods to live deliberately..." and really that's what voluntary simplicity and Conscious Consuming are all about. Get in touch with your core values, educate yourself, and live (and work, eat, play, and shop) deliberately every day.

The next steps for Downshifting involve working together to make the sustainability message go global. Historically, "native" societies lived sustainably out of the belief that no one could "own" the water or land, anymore than they could own the air. In relatively recent history all of our Earth's resources have been turned into commodities to be bought, sold, and traded. We have to seize the opportunity as economies grow all over the world to embrace the green economy and the message of sustainable living. It's cool to slow down and green up!

Please send your friends a link to our website or blog to help us spread the message! Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto. Thanks for a great first US NDW!

Day 6 of National Downshifting Week: Eat Locally

Thursday - Day 6 of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Purchased Local Produce from a Farmers Market, Co-op or CSA: Plan in August for local, winter produce.

Summer meals in the garden state of New Jersey are easy. We get to eat a lot of fresh produce, and everything in season is cheap! Fresh, local, blueberries, strawberries, and peaches have been a staple all week. August in NJ is sublime, with fresh tomatoes and Silver Queen corn, but alas, another month to wait. I just finished Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which made for great porch reading), about her family's year of eating local produce, and found it very inspirational! I plan to start making my own bread and soft cheeses to augment the fresh produce I already grow and glean from my local farmer's market and CSA.

I have always complained that eating locally only works in temperate climates like California, but I've been inspired by Kingsolver's book to begin to Put Food By. Canning is largely a lost art in metro and suburban US, but I plan to learn. I am starting with blueberry jam!

It's Day 7 of NDW tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

Day 5 of National Downshifting Week: Make it Homemade

Wednesday - Day 5 of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Cooked a Simple Meal Using Fresh, Local Ingredients: Scrumptous, Sustainable Salad!

Eating is a need we have to fulfill every day, and making your own food these days can say a lot about what you value! The rise of convenience foods in the US is astonishing; as the public gets busier and busier, one of the first things we sacrifice is making (let alone growing) our own food. But shopping for, cooking, and eating your own food doesn't have to be a "chore" to be gotten through; it can be a great way to bond with family and friends and spend time together.

I made a delicious salad today full of a variety of salad greens from a local farmer's market. My kids love washing the greens and using the salad spinner. I added strawberries we recently picked at a berry farm together (entertainment, education, and yummy food all in one outing). They always enjoy helping me make home made dressing, because everything goes right into the cruet and we just shake it up at the end. We complimented our salad with fresh bread baked in town (I aspire to bake my own but haven't gotten there yet).

For friendly service with a smile, fresh taste, and your health, buying food from a local farm, CSA, or farmer's market is a big notch up from the supermarket and it won't break the bank. Preparing that food with your family or friends is part of the fun. Now let's eat!

It's Day 6 tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

Day 4 of National Downshifting Week: Volunteer

Tuesday - Day 4 of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Donated Time or Items to a Worthy Cause: Volunteer

One of the best things about downshifting out of full-time work is that you have time to do all of the things you would like to do "if only you had the time." One of those things for most people is volunteering and giving back to your community.
When I downshifted a few years back, I decided to get involved in helping Conscious Consuming as an organizer, and I also became a local Leader with La Leche League. I devote several hours a month to each cause, and have a lot of fun in the process!

Volunteering also allows you to develop new skills. This year I learned to make and edit an iMovie for Gift it Up, make blog entries, gave a conference presentation to forty people,and helped write a website. I always wanted to write, and now I'm published on the Web (see, you're reading it!).

Volunteering in your community gives you a lot more than you bargained for - what could you do for yours?

It's Day 3 tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

Day 3 of National Downshifting Week: Compost, Recycle, Reduce

Monday - Day 3 of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Started Composting or Recycling: What a Load of Rubbish!

The US has among the highest recycling rates in the world, with 35% of municipal solid waste being recycled, according to the EPA. Yet we have a long way to go. The American Forest and Paper Association says that the paper recycling rate in the US was at an all-time high of 51% in 2005, but we recycle only 17% of plastics. According to the National Recycling Coalition, on average Americans purchace 200 plastic bottles each annually, 80% of which end up in landfills. We produce an average of 4.5 pounds of municipal solid waste per person every day.

Recycling is a routine, and is simpler in the US than in other parts of the world. In many communities you can throw all types of paper (including newspaper, magazines, junkmail and office paper) into one bin, and all types of empty food and beverage containers (plastics, tin cans, and glass) into another. Get going if you don't recycle as part of your routine yet!

If you are already an avid recycler, the next thing to tackle is reducing the waste generated in the first place. Instead of buying juice boxes, buy a thermos and a big jug of juice. Place a filter on your tap to eliminate the purchase of single-use water bottles. Purchase in bulk where possible, and avoid "snack size packs."

Composting also goes a long way to reducing the amount of waste you put out for trash collection each week. There are a variety of composting bins and containers availble, but another simple way is to collect uncooked food "waste" (your veggie peelings, fruit rinds, etc) into a big tupperware. At the end of a few days, dig a hole 18-24 inches deep (so you won't attract animals) where you'll plant your future garden, and dump the clippings in, covering the hole. Place holes 6 inches apart. Next year your soil will be rich and ready for planting!

It's Day 4 tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

Fight or Flight

This article details a rising trend in big box stores across the country -- house sparrows, and other birds, are moving in to stay. These birds have discovered that with large indoor garden centers, bird food in abundance, and a decided lack of predators, the perfect place to nest is inside a Walmart, Lowe's or Home Depot.
I thought this article had some interesting things to say about a series of issues -- nature's adaptation to the changing way in which America shops (stores so big that a bird could live a full, free life inside and never miss the outdoors), the struggle big boxes have in controlling these "pests" (the birds defecate on products and customers, and can be aggressive during mating season, but big boxes don't want to look cruel by shooting the birds, a methodology that would have once been used), and what this trend has to say about shoppers' nature deficit disorder:
"And some customers like a little wildlife above the shelves. "I find it relaxing," said Teresa La Rosa, a Manassas resident browsing through a Home Depot in Prince William County last week. One set of sparrows was romping through the garden center while another, smaller flock had settled indoors above the patio furniture and the stainless-steel gas grills."I don't feel like I'm in a store when I hear them," La Rosa said. "I feel like I'm outdoors, in nature.""
Ironic? Beautiful? I don't know...

Day 2 of National Downshifting Week: Reclaim Your Time

Sunday - Day 2 of NDW UK ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Reclaimed an Hour of Time This Week: Time for a balance of work and play!

Encouraging everyone else to downshift takes a lot of time as I answer emails, try to garner up some publicity for the first ever US National Downshifting Week, and still try to keep a firm handle on the work/life balance. I am technically on vacation, visiting my mother at the beach, and find myself going to the coffeeshop for several hours each day to promote NDW. Luckily, the rest of the day includes long walks on the beach, jumping the waves, and building sandcastles.

I downshifted a few years ago out of full-time work. I was a teacher, and wanted to cobble out a living that would enable me to stay home with my young children during the day. I tutored, watched other kids in my home, and became a yoga teacher, which enabled me to be with my children during the day and earn more money per month than I would have after teaching and paying for full-time day care for two kids.

In the words of Tracey Smith, "it's easy for us to keep our nose to the grindstone, especially when we love what we do, but there's a bigger picture to consider, our mental health and well-being and making time to enjoy our children and partners."

It's Day 3 tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

Day 1 of National Downshifting Week: Say NO to Debt

Saturday - Day 1of NDW US ~ What Have You Been Up To?

Cut Up a Credit Card...Say NO to debt!

In the US our savings rate slipped into the negative territory for the first time ever in 2005, and has grown to –1% today. One way to "say no to debt" is to consolidate and eliminate credit card debt.

I confess, I was not always "debt savvy." I graduated college with $3,000 of credit card debt (despite having a waitressing job during the last two years and every summer). Now, this doesn't seem like that much, but for a recent graduate with no job, making the minimum payments was about all I could muster. As anyone who has been in that situation knows, the interest rate quickly escalates and make the original debt miniscule compared with what the borrower pays over time.

Lucky for me, my mom bailed me out and set up an interest free payment plan. I learned my lesson, never missed a payment and have been debt-free (besides mortgage and car payments) ever since. Now I carry one credit card in my wallet and pay the balance in full every month. I cancelled all of my other cards (doesn't it seem like you get a free offer every week?) and don't buy something unless I can afford it. A big ticket item, like a new appliance or couch is SAVED FOR!

If I can't save enough to buy a new one, I can't afford a new one (how's that for the most logical argument you never hear anymore). I barter, sell, or trade my skills for what I need. Check out great websites like Freecycle (where I got all the free gear for my family's pet hamster), Craig's List (where I sold an old tricycle and got a secondhand two-wheeler), and a bartering site.

It's Day 2 tomorrow ~ what are you going to do, to 'slow down and green up'? Click here for a copy of our Downshifting Manifesto.

National Downshifting Week

'CONSCIOUS CONSUMING' AND TRACEY SMITH LAUNCH CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S FIRST "NATIONAL DOWNSHIFTING WEEK" FROM JULY 7-13TH

The USA will soon be celebrating its first National Downshifting Week, an awareness campaign sponsored jointly this year by Tracey Smith, the founder of National Downshifting Week in the UK, and Boston-based nonprofit Conscious Consuming. National Downshifting week is scheduled for July 7-13, 2007 and is designed to help participants "Slow Down and Green Up."

To downshift means to cut out unnecessary expenditure and cultivate a simpler lifestyle with time to do more of the things you want to do. Data from the mid-90's from the Trends Research Institute shows that about 10% of Americans identify with downshifting, voluntary simplicity, and simple living. Duane Elgin, author of several books on voluntary simplicity, calls this a "conservative estimate." While there is a definite trend toward voluntary simplicity, too many Americans sacrifice themselves to their work. According to Lisa Steubing, Executive Director of Take Back Your Time, more than half of Americans will take less than a week's vacation this year.

Smith says, "Downshifting can leave you excited, encouraged and upbeat and can reduce your stress. A positive approach to living with less helps you re-think ways to enjoy time with your loved ones without reaching for your wallet; changes to your spending habits should happen because you want them to."

Donohoe notes that the dates for National Downshifting Week (July 7-13th) were chosen to coincide with the birthday of America's most famous downshifter, Henry David Thoreau (born July 12, 1817). "Modern downshifters don't have to move into a cabin in the woods to simplify their lives, but would to well to stop chasing money and material things. Happiness depends on knowing when you have enough, and spending time doing the things you love to do," says Donohoe. "Downshifters can live deliberately, leave a lighter footprint on the earth, and have even more time with their families and friends."

National Downshifting Week’s slow down top tips are targeted at individuals, companies, and children and schools, and include things like cutting up a credit card and planting a garden. During the UK's 3rd National Downshifting Week in April 2007, almost 11,000 people from 96 countries and 24 American states visited the website. Over the past 3 years, many thousands of visitors have used the The Downshifting Manifesto which allows individuals to print and track their progress on the road to leading a simpler life.

For further details see Downshifting Week and Conscious Consuming.
Contacts:

Susan Donohoe
Boston, MA
Conscious Consuming, Public Relations Coordinator

Tracey Smith
Somerset, UK
Writer and Broadcaster, Sustainable Living

You may reproduce this press release in on your website or in your publication.

Blogging Away Debt

Debt can be a grueling burden for many Americans. For those in debt, whether it be from school, mortgages, hospital bills, bad buying decisions, or just plain struggling to get by everyday, can understand what it's like to always have it on your mind all the time.

This woman has found it therapeutic to talk about her debt, and in fact her and her husband have been able to get rid of a lot of it with the support of the online community. Blogging Away Debt records every transaction, thought, and attempt to get rid of debt. Hopefully this continues to work for her and be an inspiration to others!

Thank You to all of our MySpace Friends!

As many of you already know,

Conscious Consuming is on MySpace at myspace.com/consciousconsuming.

We recently asked if people had us in their "top friends" and the response has been so overwhelming and inspiring that we wanted to share it!

Nice Comments and Messages

From: Jill Kristine
Hi Conscious Consuming!!
I'm Jill *** and I wanted to let you know that you are indeed in my top friends!! My e-mail is *** and my MySpace page is http://www.myspace.com/prinsessjilly
I'd LOVE to be added to your top friends, but if that can't be done, a message from your fantastic organization on my page would be a huge honor!! Thank you for your consideration and for all that you do and are still striving to accomplish! Knowledge is power!! Keep up the amazing work!!
In Awe,
}i{ Jill ***

From: Lady X_Pursuit of Truth and FREEDOM
Your definitely on my top friends... why??? i support your movement and feel it is essential for others to be able to eaily access your page if you were on my top... Keep up the great work...

From: vegasbombshell

You do not need to reciprocate, but just wanted to let you know that you are on my top friends list. I think your message (and your links) is very important!

From: Oxfam Action Corps-Denver
you guys are great...you are in our top friends!
-Oxfam Action Corps-Denver

From: Hippy Chick!
Hi guys,
You sure are! I am proud to have given you place in the top spot.
Keep up the good work and keep spreading the message.
Peace!
Hippy Chick! x

From: Jaime
hey! i do have you as a top friend. i think the message you guys send is great. i'm a phd student at usc in LA studying media criticism and i am an advocate to all the issues except demonizing television. demonizing television is an easy scapegoat, television could be a great thing if it wasn't for greedy corporations and inadequate/inneffective media regulation that does not protect and serve the public interest!
jaime

From: ~X
your my number two, hope all is well out there for you guys. I am loving it out here.

From: Christine
Keep up the good work!

From: ♪♫ Broseph Be Rude ♫♪
Hey. i love what you guys do. I've been buying sweatshop free for years and and I think it's great,full support. Take care.

From: Brett [leftist anti-authoritarian motherfucker]
I'm definantly throwing you on my top list. I forgot this page was on my friends list.
I was at the local mall earlier and just felt disgusted. It seems that everything americans live off of has been produced by utter slavery in poor countries, for our benefit.

From: ~Jamie~
You guys rock, thanks for all the helpful info...


Answer to question "Are we in your top friends?"

From: JessicaLynn
Yes. you are top ten :) trying to spread conciousness. We are all in this together!
peace &love
Jessica

leaheart yes!! in top friends

From: Rebecca
You're number one in my top friends, but I'm nothing to promote.
Love.

From: ric Yes !! just did some re arranging

From: Mike Abdow yo yo top friend

From: Takid You're on my top 12!

From: Jennifer yEP, YOU ARE IN MY tOP 24

From: Dianna
yes, I have you in my top 40.
Dianna

From: mary
yes, you certainly are in my top! :)

From: Pirateofwst dam right you are, our dollar is our vote

From: tph you're in my top four!

From: Amazing Eyeballs You are now in my top friends!

From: Shara [the girl with the MOST cake]
You are in my top friends!
:)

From: RAWSOME AHIMSA
Hi,
You are on my top friends list.
Jason

From: The Organic Touch
Hello!!
You are absolutely in my top friends! :D
To Consious Consuming!!!
Love and light,
Chris T.O.T.

From: The East Boston Make-Out Club Band
You're in OUR top friends!!!!!!!!

From: ♪♫Kφ†¥♫♪™ {Lꆚ ŠªVê †Hê ˪®†H!}
:.:*_You're on my top friends, you have been ever since you approved my friend request! Thanx so much. -- ♥Kitty Jo♥_*:.:

Thank you to everyone who has visited us on MySpace - myspace.com/consciousconsuming and on the web - www.consciousconsuming.org!

Holding Corporations Accountable for Climate Change

A new website, launched in a partnership of Cool-Air Clean Planet and Stonyfield Farms, aims to hold corporations accountable for their contributions to global warming and climate change.

On www.climatecounts.org, you can learn about what the biggest corporations are doing (or not doing) to curb their climate emissions. For instance, Gap is rated as "Starting": just beginning to address climate change by measuring their impact and setting goals for their company to reduce energy use. You can also write to these companies directly from this website and let them know what you think about their stance on climate change.

To learn more, visit www.climatecounts.org.

Guilt Free Flight

"Seems like a tough sell, but it's the latest rage in travel. About 50 companies and organizations, profit and nonprofit, have sprung up in the past couple of years to sell not something, but the absence of something -- greenhouse gases, to be exact".
This article in the Washington Post details an interesting new trend. Now consumers can pay carbon offset providers to calculate the greenhouse gases created by national or international flights and plant trees to offset those emissions.
"Here's how it works: A carbon-offset provider, using a calculator programmed to make certain assumptions, figures that a plane traveling between Washington and San Francisco will spew into the atmosphere, say, 90 tons of carbon dioxide, to choose one of many disputed estimates. If there are 180 people on that flight, then you're "responsible" for half a ton of those emissions. You pay the carbon-offset provider, say, $10, and it'll use the money to reduce the same amount of carbon somewhere else".

What Would Jesus Buy?

After seeing its East Coast premiere last night, I wanted to highly recommend the documentary film What Would Jesus Buy? to those interested in conscious consuming. The movie follows Reverand Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they travel the country warning Americans about the coming shopacalypse. Filled with interesting actions, witticisms, interviews, and "fun" facts about consumer debt, this movie really inspired me to think (even more) deeply about my shopping habits and creative ways of raising awareness. I think it'll be in general release closer to Christmas, so keep an eye out :)

Philanthropy through your food!

Here's an interesting way of thinking of local foods: as a way of spending your money wisely.

Those with philanthropic tendencies can use the local food market, through shopping farmer's markets or demanding local foods in grocery stores, as a way of giving to their community and supporting healthy neighborhoods. This has the added bonus of helping philanthropists eat better, too!

This is one of many ways that shows that you don't have to be rich to be a philanthropist -- it's all about the choices you make in life. For more articles about philanthropy and areas we care about, visit www.philanthromedia.org.

ExxonMobile's still denying global warming...

...and funding it too! The Mother Jones blog announced that ExxonMobile claimed to have stopped funding the denial of global warming but is continuing to do just the opposite. According to Greenpeace, "Exxon spent $2.1 million last year on 41 groups who are leading the climate sceptic industry" last year. It has dropped funding for the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), it continues to fund The Heartland Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the George C Marshall Institute, the American Enterprise Insitute, and many other groups at the heart of Global Warming denial who have participated a plan to eliminate the Kyoto Protocol.

Mother Jones deems it "pseudoskepticism" and compares it to the strategy used by those in the tobacco industry to "cast doubt over the danges of smoking." Luckily, the government didn't let the tobacco industry get away with it, and now they are not letting ExxonMobile either. The chairman of the House Science oversight committee Brad Miller requested a list of "global warming skeptics" it has funded yesterday.

The most important thing is keeping these lies in the public. We cannot stop bugging ExxonMobile, and other gas companies of the like, about whom they are funding. We cannot allow gas companies to fund the denial of global warming just because they might get a better profit off a misinformed public.

Wedding Crasher - Finally!

A new book by Rebecca Mead, a staff writer at the New Yorker, explores the garish ceremonies that American weddings have become. One Perfect Day: the Selling of an American Wedding talks about what a huge monster the wedding industry has become and why it's become that way. More in this New York Times article.

Here's something new I didn't know: the average wedding costs $27,000! A big enough number to crash your wedding, don't you think?

Bill McKibben is hopeful too!

Bill McKibben says we're stuffed | Salon Books: "Unfortunately, the science on global warming has grown steadily worse and the situation is much grimmer now than it was 20 years ago. But there have been changes in the last couple of years that have made me hopeful. We're figuring out that the endless increase in our consumption, which drives global warming more than anything else, actually isn't making us very happy. That seems to me a very powerful idea. If it were making us happy, we'd be out of luck, because no matter how much trouble it was causing we'd just keep pushing the lever."

Bill McKibben is one of my favorite environmental writers. In his new book, Deep Economy, he argues for a return to more local economies, where the main goal isn't to increase productivity and profit, but to make enough profit to make a living while building community, maintaining durability, and meeting environmental commitments. I have heard forward thinking economists and companies call this the "triple bottom line." Here's hoping that many, many more CEOs jump on the bandwagon. I know that John Mackey, chairman and CEO of Whole Foods Market, is working on a book called "Conscious Capitalism." Maybe it will be a roadmap to show the way to both build relationships (supporting local and artisinal growers), and make a difference in the environment (building a market for organic growers, offsetting 100% of carbon emissions), while still providing a product that people are happy to pay for.

Consumption: A Big Role in Climate Change

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently published their report on the costs and benefits of various methods of offsetting the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, which are up 70% isnce 1970. The IPCC chair, Rejendra Pachauri, told reporters: "Human society as a whole has to look for changes in consumption patterns." BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Climate change 'can be tackled' Well, thank goodness consumption is no longer the elephant in the room! Changes in how we transport ourselves, what we eat, what we build, and what we buy must be made to reduce climate emissions. Now, will the government listen???

Things are looking considerably better than at this time last year, before the Step it Up movement rallied support around the magic number of 80% emissions reductions from 2000 levels by 2050. Decision makers around the US are joining the chorus of voices signing loudly for solutions. For a look at the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, click here, and also see what US mayors have been up to. I am cautiously optimistic, how about you?

Patenting Yoga

The US Government has decided to tap into Indian culture by patenting Yoga. According to Suketu Mehta's OP-ED in The New York Times today, "The United States patent and Trademark Office has issued 150 yoga-related copyrights, 134 patents on yoga accessories, and 2,315 yoga trademarks," producing "$3 billion a year in America alone."

The issue of who owns what regarding Yoga has also been brought in question in India with regards to Bikram Chowdhury's Bikram Yoga. The Indian government is creating a library of the asanas in order to prevent people from patenting different aspects of the ancient practice, and this library would be available to the US. Apparently, that's not enough for the US Government though. We'd rather own it because then we can make money off of it.

When will we, as Americans, learn that all of life is not about money? Sometimes life is about feeding your soul and helping better the universe. Instead, e have managed to strip the soul right out of Yoga by turning it into a commercialized profit-industry, just like everything else in America.

Stop Watching, Start Living!

Did you know:
The US now has more TV's than people?
The average home has a TV on for 7 hours, 40 minutes each day?
22.5 billion dollars was spent in 2005 to advertise on broadcast television?
80% of the people who participate in TV Turnoff Week change their TV habits?

On Wednesday, April 25th, from 6-9pm, Conscious Consuming (http://www.consciousconsuming.org/) presents "Stop Watching, Start Living," a TV Turnoff Week event (http://www.tvturnoff.org/). The event will feature a variety of Open Mike music, poetry, and comedy. $5 cover. Bring your friends!

All Asia Café
334 Mass Avenue
Cambridge
617-497-1544
http://www.allasiabar.com/

Step it Up America!

Bill McKibben, environmental writer extraordinaire, was so pleased with his 2006 climate walk across Vermont that he decided to go further this year. He and some of his dedicated students have launched the Step it Up campaign, which will consist of rallies and demonstrations all across the country on April 14th, 2007 to call to curb carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. If that target sounds outrageously impossible and you feel like a naysayer by saying so, consider that the United Kingdom actually PASSED legislation in March to cut carbon emissions by 60% by the year 2050.

Even though the 2006 Vermont walk was a success, Bill McKibben couldn't believe that the 1,000 people who gathered to rally represented the largest US global warming demonstration ever...1,000 people!!! Help show Congress and our presidential candidates that we're not too busy for environmental activism. Check out Step it Up to find an event near you, and get out there to show your support for our planet.

Speaking of low impact living....

There's an article in today's New York Times that describes how one couple is living in New York City on a No Impact pledge for a year.

Although the article's author is sometimes baffled by their choices in typical New York Times speak, the articles is good at chronicling the difficult decisions that the couple has to face in a materialistic world. When living in a Compact, do you accept gifts? Is a birthday dinner at a restaurant ok?

You can read more on their blog: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change

One of the many exciting things we talked about at our last potluck was the concept of a one hundred mile diet: eating foods that come from no further than 100 miles away from your home. The idea is that everyone can find what they need close to home, and doing so allows consumers to support farmers in their community, at the same time eating in season and saving the environmental costs that come from shipping food halfway across the world.

One couple from Canada record their journey of a year on this diet at 100milediet.org. Check it out!

Recap of Local and/or Organic Potluck(with pics!)

We recently held our second event of 2007: Local and/or Organic - a potluck with a discussion of CSA's, Farmers Markets, local agriculture and the implications of buying from factory farms or from places outside of the region.

There were over 30 people in attendance to hear Mark Smith(Brookwood Community Farm and FarmAid) and Danielle Andrews(The Food Project) talk about their work specifically as well as all of the issues in general. The attendees were quite interested in the subject so a lively Q&A session followed the presentations. There were brochures and sign-up forms for various CSA's as well as a guide to buying local(including farmers markets) that is published by The Food Project.

Thanks to Doerte for taking pictures at the potluck! To see all of them, visit our MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/consciousconsuming

"Local or Organic? It's a false choice"

Even though there is still snow on the ground in New England, it's time to start thinking about your summer menu. If you plan to eat locally grown foods this summer for optimal health and taste (benefiting the planet as well by reducing carbon emissions and fuel use), check out Local Harvest to find farmer's markets, community supported agriculture programs, and farms that sell direct in your area.

If you live in the Boston area, we will be hosting a potluck on March 11th in Jamaica Plain titled "Local or Organic? It's a false choice" to talk about the benefits of both. According to Samuel Fromitz, author of Organic, Inc: Natural Foods and How they Grew, the local and organic markets account for only 2% of total food sales. Instead of worrying so much about whether buying local trumps buying organic (from California), the larger job is to convince the majority of Americans to try either. For more on this topic, see Samuel Fromitz's Grist article. Come on March 11th to hear about the options, opportunities, and obstacles (there is still snow afterall) to eating sustainably in the Boston metro area. An Evite to our event will follow later in the week.

Judging by the growth of farmer's markets around the country (the number of farmer's markets has more than doubled in the past 10 years according to data from the USDA, and has increased more than 18% in the past 2 years), the American public is catching on. As Michael Pollan notes in his best-selling book The Omnivore's Dilemma:

"...a successful local food economy implies not only a new kind of food producer, but a new kind of eater as well, one who regards finding, preparing, and preserving of food as one of the pleasures of life rather than a chore. One whose sense of taste has ruined him for a Big Mac, and whose sense of place has ruined him for shopping for groceries at Wal-Mart."

Won't you join us in becoming a new kind of eater?

We've got a new website!

We are very excited to announce our new web site, www.consciousconsuming.org and wish to give the students at Boston University's School of Design a big thanks for helping us design the site. Please check it out, and share our web address with friends and family. If you have your own blog or website, we would very much appreciate it if you add us to your links on the sidebar. Thanks!

Personal Savings Lowest Since Great Depression

Americans' personal savings rates have fallen to a 74-yr. low into negative savings, according to an article by the Associated Press. In fact, it's the lowest it's been since the Great Depression.

There's a lot of speculations as to why Americans are spending more than they're making. Perhaps it has to do with very economic matters, such as high housing prices causing people to feel like they have more wealth than before.

But maybe it has to do with our consumer culture and this need to always be spending.

Whatever is the case, it can't last for very much longer until people have to change their ways.

Affluenza: Rampant consumerism erodes us - Yahoo! News

There's a new book out by British psychologist Oliver James called Affluenza. That's the same name of a PBS movie produced by John DeGraf in 1994. Based on what I read in this short article Affluenza: Rampant consumerism erodes us - Yahoo! News, it looks like things haven't gotten much better since then:

"Bigger houses, more cars, larger televisions, younger faces
-- these goals are frenetically pursued by middle-class
workaholics afflicted by 'Affluenza.'

'Studies in lots of different nations show that if you
place high value on those things, you are more likely to suffer
depression, anxiety, addictions and personality disorders,' he
said."

Gift it Up! 2006 comes to You Tube

Gift it Up! 2006 raised over $8,000 for 14 Boston area non-profits. Please check out our You Tube video to see our successful event for yourself!

Where does your food come from?

In Costa Rica, I took tours of coffee, banana, and pineapple farms.

While I've read a lot about these industries in the past, I've never seen them up close or met many people who work there. On this trip, my eyes were open to where my food comes from.

Coffee, bananas, and pineapples are back-breaking crops. Coffee berries don't ripen all at once, so each berry has to be picked by hand when it's ready. Since bananas and pineapples are so easily bruised, each fruit has to be carefully grown, picked, and packaged by hand. This labor-intensive work means lots of jobs, but jobs where the worker is bent over, in the sun, for twelve hours each day.

Thanks to organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, working conditions have improved a lot since the 80's, with higher wages, protective gear from harmful chemicals, and independent inspections of the farms and factories. But in a place where $15/day is a good wage, it's hard to justify supporting these industries by consuming exotic fruits way up North.

But these harsh conditions aren't going to go away just because I stop eating bananas, and I'm not sure I want these jobs to be taken away from Costa Ricans, either. I can understand the argument that although these are awful jobs, they are jobs that allow people to subsist in a poor country.

Right now, I'll continue to do what I know how to do.

First, buy locally at all times. Wonderful fruits and vegetables are grown right here in New England, even throughout the winter, and these farmers deserve my support as well. Plus, locally grown foods mean less transportation costs, which means less impact on our environment as a whole.

Secondly, when I do buy coffee, bananas, or pineapples, I look for fairly traded, organic products. Fair Trade means higher wages and better working conditions for the workers. Organic means less chemicals used, which means that much less exposure to the workers every day. Also, organic earns a higher price, often translating to a higher price for the farmers. (Here's a great piece by Oxfam America on organic rice farmers in Cambodia.)

You can also learn more:
Rainforest Alliance's Sustainable Agriculture program
TransFair: Fair Trade Certified

Being a Conscious Consumer Abroad

It's the time of the year where many of us are going abroad for vacation, and I'm no exception.

I'm heading off to Costa Rica for 10 days on a class trip. We'll be looking at how the country has managed to make conservation into a profitable industry through ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and forestry, and partnerships with for-profit companies from North America and Europe. Doing so makes Costa Ricans -- from politicians to farmers -- realize how important it is to conserve the unique and diverse natural resources the country holds, hopefully allowing these resources to be around for hundreds of years to come. (If only we could do this here!)

As a tourist from the U.S., I'm very aware of my role in a country that's struggling with immense poverty. I'll uphold my pledge of responsible tourism with the awareness that my individual behavior reflects on my school and my country.

Being a Conscious Consumer doesn't stop at the border!

Hey Economist: get the facts right on Fair Trade

An article in the Economist (I found it in the New York Times) seeks to explain why buying organic and fair trade doesn't protect the environment in the long run.

Ah, but if it only had its facts straight.

For instance, the article talks about how Fair Trade coffee has forced the production of coffee to increase, thereby making the "real" price of coffee go down. But, it doesn't talk about why coffee production is so high in the first place: because of subsidies from the World Bank to places where coffee hadn't been produced before, such as Vietnam.

Learn more about the facts on this U.S. Food Policy blog.

Another world is possible and you won't find it at the shopping mall

The online version of Gift It Up! is still going strong so we have extended our hours.

Make donations online at www.giftitup.org by 9 a.m. on Saturday 12/16 and your gift cards will be placed in the mail on Monday 12/18.

This is one alternative gift that benefits everybody while restoring meaning to the holidays and keeping your shopping dollars out of big box stores and malls.

1) You are supporting the work of one(or more) of the great non-profits participating in Gift It Up!

2) Your honoree receives a gift card outlining what the donation made in their name is doing.

3) You receive a tax deduction.

For a win-win-win situation, make your donation now at www.giftitup.org

Brought to you by Conscious Consuming - your alternative to stress, media bombardment and shopping malls!