Home Sweet Home

After watching last night’s eclipse, I’m reminded that we are all in this together. We’ve got one planet to live on, planetary health and personal health are deeply connected.

I found this in a booklet by Edward Esko, a teacher of macrobiotics. These 7 instructions are derived from the Seven Universal Prinicples of the Infinite Universe described by Michio Kushi in the The Book of Macrobiotics.

1. We all share and are nourished by one planet, the Earth.

2. By changing our diet and lifestyle, we have the power to change the environmental crisis into an opportunity for planetary healing and renewal.

3. The environmental crisis challenges all people to put aside their differences and unite to save the earth.

4. The environmental crisis offers a unique opportunity to establish heaven and peace on a planetary scale.

5. The environmental crisis is the downside to the modern preoccupation with material prosperity, comfort, and convenience, including the modern diet.

6. The greater the threat of environmental destruction, the greater the need for personal reflection and change.

7. The misues of technology has reached its limit; a planetary revolution in consciousness, guided by the desire to live in harmony with the environment, is about to begin.

NASA reported back in 2007 that global warming would bring more violent storms and tornadoes. Last night parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island experienced what sure as heck seemed to be a tornado. This sort of violent weather seems to becoming more common. This summer’s wildfires in Moscow and severe flooding in Pakistan are part of a pattern of weird weather that won’t go away.

Global Weirding is a term that Thomas Friedman coined because that is what actually happens as global temperatures rise and the climate changes. The weather gets weird. The hots get hotter, the wets wetter, the dries drier and the most violent storms more numerous.

We just lived through the hottest 6 months on record in the history of the planet. Pakistan hit 129 degrees this summer. Hello? Is anyone paying attention?

For me this whole global weirding situation is like Groundhog Day.  I remember many years ago trying to convince school administrators that childhood obesity and declining children’s health would be front page news.  They wanted to keep their heads in the sand and continue to believe that the school food environment didn’t matter. Boy were they wrong. As a result of dragging their tails, the problem is bigger than ever and even harder to fix.

Wacky weather is the same thing all over again. Climate change is a conversation that is even more uncomfortable than childhood obesity. It requires all of us to make major changes in how we live. It is complicated further with the reality of peak oil and economic instability, it can be really hard to sleep at night once you start doing your homework on these issues.

This must be my lot in life, to be ahead of the curve working to wake people up. After advocating for better school food for 15 years, there is now a groundswell of school food advocacy coming from a new wave of young mommies. I do what I can to help guide them so they don’t hit the same obstacles I did along the way.  While school food and declining children’s health still  occupy a big part of my time and attention, I’m drawn to this bigger, scarier and even more vital triple threat: climate change/ peak oil/ economic insecurity.

I’m doing what I can by working with the Transition movement. This group  represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people and communities to take the far-reaching actions that are required to mitigate the effects of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Their relocalization efforts are designed to result in a life that is more fulfilling, more socially connected and more equitable than the one we have today.

Tomorrow night, I’m bringing my family to hear Bill McKibben speak at the Cathedral of St.John the Divine in NYC, part of an event by Green Faith, an interfaith environmental group.  I hope my youngest daughter will bring back some wisdom and share it with her classmates.

I hope someday to be able to break through this Groundhog Day like trance. Before its too late.

Being a mother can be a thankless job. Speaking from personal experience, it can be really really annoying when your kids don’t heed your wise words. Instead, they do stupid things with out planning ahead or considering the consequences. Oftentimes, its mom who comes to the rescue when things get screwed up. This situation has happened twice in the past 24 hours here at the Rubin Rodeo, I won’t bore you with the details.

These days I get the feeling that Mother Earth is feeling the same way. Her kids have been thoughtless, shortsighted and self-centered.  As a result, we’ve got a messy massive oil spill, melting ice caps and shifting weather patterns. For some people, myself included, this is serving as a wake up call.

Lately, I’ve been revisiting the concept of  the Gaia Theory, the idea that the Earth is a living system. Right now we are out of balance with Mother Earth. We take and take and take what we want without consideration of the consequences. Native Americans consider seven generations whenever making a decision. The idea is: whatever you do today will impact things far into the future. Chopping down a tree today will mean depleted resources years from now.

Happy Mother’s Day.

On this day and every day, don’t forget about Mother Earth. Take time to go outside, plant your feet on the ground- not on pavement or sidewalk. Take a deep breath in, and give thanks to this mother that supports us with every breath we take.

What is so friggin’ happy about it?

OK, I hate to sound like Debbie Downer here, especially after yesterday’s blog post about Gratitude, but we’ve got to have a serious talk about Earth Day. I’m sick and tired of all the “eco-friendly” blah blah blah and the corporate greenwashing that lulls most Americans into a complacent stupor. Sadly Earth Day has become another Hallmark Holiday with people wishing me a happy Earth Day like its Easter or Valentines day. ENOUGH of the hype, let’s talk about what really matters.

Earth day was originally created in 1970 as a nationwide  teach-in to challenge corporate and government leaders about environmental issues.  Today, thanks to collective environmental apathy, our continued existence on this planet is more questionable than ever. We’ve thoughtlessly depleted resources like fossil fuels and water to name two. This is the only planet we can live on, there is no “Plan B”.  If each one of us doesn’t wake up and take some solid action, we are screwed.

I’ve known this information most of my life. My dad read a book entitled “Limits to Growth” in the 1970′s. As a tween, I rolled my eyes as he rambled on about future economic, political and environmental instability as we waited in the gas lines to fill up our car.  My dad is no longer with me, he passed on in 1999, he’d be saying “I told you so” if he was here today.

So what can YOU do to have a “happy Earth Day”? Please don’t buy another “eco-tote” or green cosmetics.  Read a book instead. From your local independent bookseller or from the library if you like.  Here’s two that will help you to understand what my dad knew back in the ’70s and will help inspire you to move forward in creating a better world for all of us.

One of my favorite authors, Bill McKibben, explains that we are already living on a different planet.  He eloquently opens our eyes to the kinds of change we’ll need to make in order for our civilization to endure. The endorsement below says it all:

“Read it, please. Straight through to the end. Whatever else you were planning to do next, nothing could be more important.” —Barbara Kingsolver

I stumbled upon The Transition Handbook  a few years back. As they say, when the student is ready, the teacher appears.  This handbook is a goldmine of inspiration to get you started.

There is a growing Transition Movement worldwide and in the US, check it out online, connect with those nearby or start a group yourself.  I’m part of Transition Westchester.

Speaking of gratitude, I am very grateful for Bill McKibben, The Transition Movement and Transition Westchester. As I said yesterday, what you think about grows. Stop thinking about useless eco-friendly stuff and start thinking about real solutions: Transition is  the one that I’m focusing on.

Happy Earth Day.

re·sil·ience
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈzil-yən(t)s\
Function: noun

1 : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress
2 : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

Resilience. The word keeps surfacing for me lately, it’s become a mantra to help keep me balanced through a bumpy few weeks. A heavy duty snow storm downed trees and power lines just two weeks ago. Everyone’s yard is littered with branches and debris.  This past weekend another freak storm with high winds and heavy rains uprooted trees all over the tri-state area. Half of our county didn’t have school today due to power outages and obstructed roads. It takes an attitude of resilience to deal with these inconveniences.

What the heck is going on with the weather? Donald Trump suggested that Al Gore to return his Nobel Peace prize because of all the snow this winter.  I’m starting to believe like Thomas Friedman, that Al Gore underestimated the impact of climate change. Bill McKibben and his new book, Eaarth suggests that we’ve already managed to change the planet in such fundamental ways that it’s not really the planet we thought we knew.

When I think about changes in climate, first thing that comes to my mind is food. We need to create some resilience in our food system to withstand whatever shocks that climate change and fossil fuel depletion are causing. We don’t have to wait for governments or giant corporations to wake up and figure out that we need to make big changes. We can make meaningful changes  from the bottom up by getting our hands dirty and growing some of our food. Creating a small, diverse local/ regional food supply is the first step in creating resilience.

Climate change and peak oil is pretty scary stuff to contemplate. Many of my friends don’t want to acknowledge these changes are close at hand, its so much easier to remain blissfully ignorant and continue on with business as usual. But once you’ve had the wake up call, it’s impossible to go back to sleep.  This is where Transition comes in.  Transition US is part of a worldwide movement  that provides inspiration, encouragement, support, networking, and training for Transition Initiatives across the United States.

Transition Initiatives are part of a vibrant, international grassroots movement that builds community resilience in response to the challenges of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. What’s great about Transition is that it seeks promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected. I’m now working with others in my community to form Transition Westchester.

To learn more about Transition and to find a group near you, visit the Transition US website. Or check out the Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins.  You’ll find that resilience is a comforting concept.

A friend recommended The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight to me recently. Its one of those books filled with the bad news that makes many look away: we are running out of cheap fossil fuel, clean water and other scary stuff. The author Thom Hartmann, who has written many books on ADHD, makes an argument that TV is a part of the problem. TV works as an addictive drug that keeps so many people anesthetized.

What a tough book to read during the massive snowstorm that has hit our part of the country. We’ve been without power for 2+ days and have loads and loads of trees snapped and hanging on wires. I’m 200+ pages into this deep and thoughtful read and I’m finally coming to  what is supposed to be the hopeful part. I’m also hopeful that Con Edison will restore our power while I read these last 100 pages.

I’ll complete this review after I finish Part III: What we can do about it. If you want to take a deep and sometimes dark look at the problems we’re facing, this is the read for you.

The more I learn about building movements, the more I appreciate my Crock Pot. My  handy slow cooker has taught me much about fixing good food for my family  along with the fine art of patience and persistence. This morning, I popped loads of veggies into my slow cooker along with some bison meat that I browned in a touch of bacon fat. My family will have stew for dinner, tomorrow’s lunch or dinner will be easier and even more delicious as the stew gains flavor over night.

PS: Have you checked out my Slow Cooker Cookbooklet? You can order it right here

So what does my slow cooker have to do with grass roots organizing? I’ve learned that in order for our advocacy to be effective, we need to utilize the same principles as slow cooking. Gather lots of diverse and delicious  real ingredients together along with a touch of  flavorful spices. Slowly cook together over time. As your efforts grow, the “aroma” becomes enticing and delicious which encourages others to get involved.

No matter what you’re doing, its important to include a diverse group of people in your community and take the time to cook something up that is so good that everyone else will want to be part of the project.  Whether you’re looking to clean up school lunch or to create a plan to deal with issues such as climate change and peak oil the project still needs to start locally. You need to find your ingredients, create your tribe. And start cooking.

December’s UN climate talks in Copenhagen failed to failed to produce a strong, binding agreement to cut carbon-dioxide emissions.  Most Americans are painfully aware that burning fossil fuel contributes to  increasing CO2 levels, pollution and climate change, but did you know we’re starting to run low?

Fossil fuels are not in endless supply under the earth’s crust, many experts feel we’ve already passed peak production. As demand for petroleum and petroleum based products continue, the costs will continue to rise. We’ve got to prepare for the time when cheap oil is not longer an option.

Peak oil and climate change can easily leave one feeling depressed and disempowered. Most of us avoid thinking of what it will be like when the oil runs out or becomes prohibitively expensive. But, without a doubt, we will see this happen within this decade.

With crisis comes opportunity. The silver lining to this crisis can be seen in a new concept called Transition.   Not just another “green” group, Transition focuses on creating awareness of sustainable living along with building local resilience. The focus of our lives will become increasingly local and small scale as we come to terms with the real implications of the energy crisis we are heading into in the not so distant future.

Transition Towns started in the UK back in 2005 by permaculture designer, Rob Hopkins and others. Similar transition initiatives are springing up in communities across the US and throughout  the world.  There is a Transition US organization to serve the growth of Transition Initiatives.

John Bell of Ossining has taken on the task of getting Transition Westchester started.
He’s set up a series of film screenings in both northern and southern Westchester counties over the first 3 months of 2010 along with some organizing meetings for those who wish to get involved in a leadership role.

John is not your typical tree hugging liberal granola crunching greenie. He hails from Houston Texas, with a PhD in Chemistry and has worked with both the oil industry and agricultural chemical industry for more than 30 years.  John’s “aha” moment happened when he read William Kunstler’s book, The Long Emergency.

“Transition is the best way to prepare for an unexpected future”John Bell

Transition is hopeful:  a life without oil could be far more enjoyable and fulfilling than the present. By shifting our mindset, we can recognize this to be an opportunity rather than a threat.  Transition helps us visualize a low carbon future that is thriving, resilient and abundant. One that is  better than our current consumer culture based on greed, war and the myth of perpetual growth.

The goals of Transition Westchester for 2010 are to inform the public of the challenges of peak oil, climate change & economic instability and to start to build the structure for Transition Westchester.

To learn more, visit www.transitionwestchester.org

WORD OF THE DAY: Global Weirding

n. an increase in severe or unusual environmental activity often attributed to global warming.

Note: Global weirding includes an increase in average temperatures, heat waves, cold spells, hurricanes, blizzards, plant and animal die-offs and population explosions, and new animal migration patterns.

photo credit: Capitan Giona

Climate change makes the weather weird.

The hots hotter

The colds colder

Heavier rains, more frequent severe hurricanes.

Cold snaps in strange places

How did it get so weird? We don’t know anymore. In the past 200 years of burning fossil fuels, we’ve put so much CO2 in the atmosphere, we no longer know if our weather is an act of nature or an act of man.

Its safe to say we can count on unpredictable and weirder weather to continue. We’re going to have to learn how to live with a higher level of uncertainty in the years to come as the weather gets weirder.

As the Copenhagen Climate talks wind down, I’m not feeling all that hopeful that our world leaders can all agree on some bold meaningful action to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

I’ve been sitting here in a funk about what the next decade will look like as the climate continues to change in unpredictable ways and as sea levels rise as a result of polar ice melting. The polar bear has become a symbol of wildlife that suffer direct impact of our wasteful ways.

I was not blue for long as one of my friends, foodie blogger Cheryl Sternman Rule, posted a neat list on her blog, 5 Second Rule entitled “Vanish” in which she made a list of foods and edible foodlike substances she wouldn’t mourn if they suddenly left the planet.

That got me thinking about my own list of foods I’d like to see go extinct. My list might take days and would likely get me into an even deeper funk!

With John Lennon’s Imagine playing in my head, I considered what would happen if instead of the polar bear,  just one giant food company were to go extinct. Like some of the banks did last year. Would the world be a better place without this product? I think  you know which one I’m referring to. Imagine all the world living life in peace.