jchatraw's blog

From Consumerism to Sustainablility

jchatraw — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:00:45 -0500

My toddler's first sign language word wasn't "mama" or "dada"--it was "more". Yes, more. Now instead of it being signed, it's spoken incessantly as, "I want more, daddy." Whatever it is, she can't get enough of it.

We're OK with her unquenchable thirst for all things green and vegetable in nature. But it's the more regarding the potato chips she recently discovered that has me somewhat concerned.

However, it's our culture in general that has a disconnect when it comes to more. Our solution for everything is more. If we're in tough economic times, we see the answer as people need to buy more. If we're feeling unfulfilled, then the answer must be that we need more of ... something.

John R. Ehrenfeld's book Sustainability by Design: A Subversive Strategy for Transforming Our Consumer Culture takes a look at some of the problems regarding our society's systematic thinking when it comes to regarding things we need and want--or things we think we need when really we just want them ... and more of them:

“Our actions do not correspond to what we seek in life. This term values is as elusive for me as is the concept of need, which I will explore later. Langdon Winner, another critic of modern technology, has pointed out the inadequacy of this term, noting that values is a useful catchall term for ‘cares, commitments, responsibilities, preferences, tastes, religious convictions, personal aspirations, and so forth.’ I believe that all of these collapse into the notion of Being, which frames much of this book. All are manifestations of our humanness.”

The Color of Hope

jchatraw — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Watching the news has never been likened to taking Prozac. In fact, listening to a talking head recite a laundry list of the world's problems drives me toward not only getting a prescription to Prozac, but getting one that prescribes it in bulk. Can we hear any more dire outlook of the world in 30 minutes than the news?

I'm ready for some good news, some green news, some news that brings me hope that our society will somehow figure out a way from this mess and navigate it successfully for a sustainable and healthy future. So, I turned to Van Jones' book The Green Collar Economy: How one solution can fix our two biggest problems.

Jones sees the world like I see it--a long list of problems that can be solved with ingenuity, determination and the right shade of sustainable green. Here's a snippet from his new book:

"Turning the world’s governments green will not be an easy task. And it will be especially challenging in the United States, given the entrenched political power of old polluters and the overwhelming “business as usual” inertia inside the D.C. Beltway. To create a pathway to a livable future, a mobilized U.S. citizenry will have to march into the halls of power and rewrite the rules—at every level of government.

"We cannot be naïve about the obstacles. A people’s movement strong enough to achieve that aim would have to quickly become as big, sophisticated, and morally appealing as the greatest democratic movements of the last century. And yet building just such a movement is the central challenge—and the highest calling—of our time.

"Success in this world-historic endeavor will require genius, courage, a Herculean effort—and a great deal of luck, too. But we must begin. Fortunately, we have good examples and role models to guide us along the way."

The Green Conversation

jchatraw — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:14:47 -0500

Communication is a true art form that can be as uncreative as crudely drawn stick figures or as masterful as a Van Gogh. When it comes to discussing the environment with others, the way we communicate is almost as important as what we communicate. Good communication on the environment helps spur the conversation along instead of watching it stall out.

After hearing a national park ranger discuss their approach to solving environmental challenges in their parks, it was clear that there are effective ways to engage groups or businesses that could be combative to going green. For example, when approached by the national park to discuss a way to make a more environmentally friendly vehicle, one snow mobile company bristled at the notion that anything but their two-stroke engine was the best piece of equipment. So, the national park changed the conversation by developing a competition for colleges and universities to develop such snow mobiles. After eight years of holding the competition, the national park has now successfully engaged the snow mobile company into moving in this direction.

In the book 147 Tips for Teaching Sustainability: Connecting the Environment, the Economy, and Society, readers are challenged to take controversial topics head on and change the conversation. Issues are not always black and white and sometimes require a deeper level of thought and discussion before making headway. Here are some of the book's thoughts on this issue:

Study Controversial Issues
The brain is like any other muscle; it needs regular, vigorous exercise. Sustainability demands new and innovative thinking. We can all practice these skills by starting with the data and forming our own conclusions.

Nel Noddings has written much about a culture of care, what is required of individuals and society to create more supportive communities: “If we value critical thinking, if we commit ourselves to encouraging it, then we must allow it to be exercised on critical matters—that is, on issues of keen interest to students…. If we really believe that knowledge and critical thinking contribute to living fuller public and private lives, then we must allow the study and discussion of such critical and controversial issues” (Noddings 2003, 148). When dealing with environmental, economic, and social issues, go beyond the obvious to deeper solutions to complex problems.

Would You Like Some Solar Fries with That?

jchatraw — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0500

I'll never forget the night we went to the store to buy our first microwave oven. In my innocence, I wondered why we would ever need two ovens. Then my dad explained to me the wonders of the microwave, how we could just put food in it and -- presto! -- it would come out piping hot. It wasn't until I went to college that I truly appreciated this amazing invention, although at the time it was lost on a mind that pondered why we didn't just start cooking earlier if it took so long.

Now my mind is making the adjustment again, moving from a faster mentality to a slower one with the solar oven. In Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew's book Toolbox for Sustainable City Living, you learn how to not only bake with a solar oven but also how to build one. Now, no one has ever accused me of being a handyman (and probably never will, except for my two-year-old who thinks I can fix anything), but the oven seems simple enough to make. Yes, I believe even I could do it.

Here's what they say about solar ovens:

"Solar ovens cook food over the course of a day. Although it may take several hours to bake a potato, slow cooking's conversion of starches to sugars makes up for the wait. Food cooked in this way is especially tasty. Solar ovens produce deliciously cooked food with no energy inputs other than the sun and are great for tasks from cooking vegetables and tofus to toasting nuts. In their most basic form, solar ovens are boxes covered by glazing that heat up when set in the sun. Their designs can be highly elaborate or plain and simple. Solar ovens can be constructed out of wood or even layers of cardboard.

"The sheet of glazing that covers a solar oven allows sun rays in, but doesn't let heat back out. This trapped high heat sometimes nears 200 degrees and will crack regular glass. Tempered glass must be used for glazing. Store-bought tempered glass is the heat-resistant glass dors found on some ovens. Another cheap option is to use baking bags--plastic bags designed to roast turkey. These can be cut open and stretched across a solar oven. For the same reason that regular glass can't be used for glazing, only oven-safe cookware can be used inside of a solar oven."

The Secret Green Code

jchatraw — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:46:05 -0500

While I may not be skillful enough with my pen to write an award-winning comedy, I'm quite certain I could craft a reality show that would leave people in stitches ... even if it merely started and ended with the pilot episode. It would consist of a camera man following me into the produce section of the grocery store.

How I came about to be the one doing all the grocery shopping has less to do with my interest in food and more to do with my wife's experiment in swapping traditional gender roles. While I haven't yet been able to convince her to cut the grass for me, I traipse off once a week to the grocery store and find a natural-born comedy in the produce section. I once went to each section seeking scallions, unable to find the label. I quit in frustration, only to learn that that scallions were the same as green onions. Grrrr.

I also enter rich comedy soil when I ask other shoppers (read: women) how to tell if certain fruit is ripe enough. Do I thump it? Do I shake it? Do I sniff it? It's different for different varieties, too. Why does it have to be this difficult?

And while I've purchased my share of "un-organic fruit", I have found a new resource to prevent such a comedy of errors again in Green Living: The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly on Earth. Check out this helpful tip on how to ensure you always select organic produce:

"While at the produce counter, you can tell whether a zucchini or a Hawaiian-grown papaya are genetically engineered or organic by employing this little-known strategy: Look at the code printed on the tiny sticker stuck on the produce. If the PLU code begins with the number 9, it’s organic. Conventionally grown fruits and vegetables bear a code beginning with 4. If the code begins with an 8, the produce is genetically engineered—making this the only genetic engineering label in the United States. While this numbering system is handy for ensuring that you picked up organic fruit instead of the conventional variety, it’s unlikely that you’ll pick up a piece of genetically engineered produce. Very few varieties are sold."

Even the Pope has Gone Green

jchatraw — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:51:08 -0500

If you're wondering which presidential candidate is going to show more care and concern for the environment--Barack Obama or John McCain--today's election winner will certainly have the help of some very influential people to help back them up in their new green initiatives.

Religious leaders from every persuasion are voicing their opinions on the subject, not from a scientific perspective, but from a "God created the Earth, let's take care of it" viewpoint. In a new book Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation, edited by the Sierra Club's Lyndsay Moseley, religious leaders all weigh in on why caring for the environment is important and why people of faith must do something about it.

Here's an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI's thoughts on why caring for the environment should be important to Christians:

"Anselm of Canterbury, in an almost prophetic way, once described a vision of what we witness today in a polluted world whose future is at risk: 'Everything was as if dead, and had lost its dignity, having been made for the service of those who praise God. The elements of the world were oppressed, they had lost their splendor because of the abuse of those who enslaved them for their idols, for whom they had not been created' (Patrologia Latina 158, 955-56). Thus, according to Gregory’s vision, the stable in the Christmas message represents the ill-treated world.

"What Christ rebuilds is not ordinary place. … He came to restore beauty and dignity to creation, to the universe: this is what began at Christmas and makes the angels rejoice. The Earth is restored to good order by virtue of the fact that it is opened up to God, it obtains its true light anew, and in the harmony between human will and divine will, in the unification of height and depth, it regains its beauty and dignity."

What Does a Lifetime of Eggs Look Like?

jchatraw — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:22:15 -0400

Upon the birth of my daughter, I began contemplating just how many diapers were being carted to the landfill each week from our house alone. Then I began quickly running the numbers in my head … times two years, carry the one … I was shocked! If only I could get a visual of what that many diapers piled up would look like …

While I love books, sometimes a picture is worth way more than a thousand words when determining the enormity of the footprint average Americans are making on the planet. Enter National Geographic and its “Human Footprint” DVD hosted by newscaster Elizabeth Vargas.

Instead of letting your head swell with numbers that are difficult to put into visual comparison, National Geographic does the work for you. Want to know how much crude oil it takes for disposable diapers? Want to see what a giant omelet looks like comprised of all the eggs an American eats during his or her lifetime? Want to know how many gallons of milk the average American consumes? This video will show you.

As opposed to the preachy, condemning tone that many videos present these ideas, Vargas and National Geographic display the visuals in a fun way that are sobering unto themselves. It will definitely make you think.

The Green Science of Food

jchatraw — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:51:58 -0400

As the husband of a bright, intelligent woman who possesses her Ph.D. in nutrition, my habit of eating at greasy spoons died a quick, yet painful, death. Instead of telling you how many pats of butter the short order cook at the Waffle House will add to my hashbrowns, I can now read the nutrition information on a food package with astounding clarity and understanding about what each item is and what it means to my health.

Since my wife is a scientist, she's also interested in why certain flavors go better together and loves to experiment with our weekly evening dinners. I'm totally fine with a nice rotation of 15-20 meals in a month, but that's just way too boring for her. And our eco-friendly lifestyle also now includes ways to grow our own food and integrate more organic foods into our diet.

Harold McGee's book On Food and Cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen is a great book that not only addresses health issues in your cooking but also why going green matters in the kitchen and how it impacts you. Here's McGee explaining why there's been a recent return toward fruits and vegetables as a larger portion of our diets:

"Plant foods can provide us all the nourishment we need in order to live and thrive. Our primate ancestors started out eating little else, and many cultures still do. But meat and other animal foods became important to our species at its birth, when their concentrated energy and protein probably helped accelerate our evolution (p. 119). Meat continued to have a deep biological appeal for us, and in societies that could afford to feed livestock on staple grains and roots, it became the most prized of foods. In the industrialized world, meat’s prestige and availability pushed grains, vegetables, and fruits to the side of the plate and the end of the meal. And for decades, nutritional science affirmed their accessory status. Fruits and vegetables in particular were considered to be the source of a few nutrients that we need only in small amounts, and of mechanically useful roughage. In recent years, though, we’ve begun to realize just how many valuable substances plant foods have always held for us. And we’re still learning."

Earth Has No Bailout

jchatraw — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:15:00 -0400

Maybe I've watched too many action hero movies, but I truly believe one person can make an incredible difference against insurmountable odds. But if more people cared, would you really need an action hero?

Our fragile eco-system is the damsel in distress right now and is not only worth saving but her saving is vital to the rest of us who need saving as well. It's so easy to get stuck in the mindset that someone else will bail us out (Wall Street, anyone?), and it seems daunting that we can really make a difference. But if someone somewhere doesn't start, nothing will ever happen.

That's the conclusion that David C. Korten comes to in his book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. And while he paints an accurate bleak picture on a dark canvas, he weaves in many rays of hope, inspiring people to be that someone somewhere who starts something. He will inspire you with his words:

“It is hard to admit that we have been living a lie, as to do so seems to call into question our intelligence and integrity. Yet we are in good company, for living a lie has been a chronic affliction of most members of our species for thousands of years. Let us celebrate the awakening that is the key to breaking free from Empire’s play-or-die dynamic. …

“The momentum is building. Around the world people are organizing from the grass roots up to take back their lives, reject calls to work and violence, rebuild their local economies and communities, democratize their political institutions, and create authentic cultures.

“Most Earth Community initiatives are small and tentative. Many disappear without a trace. But hope lies in the geometric growth of their numbers, scale, and the linkages among them. Some—like the Landless Workers’ Movement in Brazil and the Green Belt Movement in Kenya—have already achieved sufficient scale to inspire people throughout the world. Millions of such initiatives give substance to a shared vision of the world that can be. The faster they grow and link, the faster the human story changes and the faster the life energy of the human species turns away from Empire and aligns with Earth Community.”

How Harmful is Climate Change?

jchatraw — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:58:00 -0400

As someone who has become involved in the environmental movement, I become concerned when I listen to people passionate about the issue of climate change fail to understand the interconnectedness of our world. Without thoughtful consideration, "fixing" one problem may only result in creating many others somewhere else.

Last week, I attended the RE:FORM Conference in Boise, ID, and heard stories that both made me apprehensive about our world's future and very hopeful. Yet, it was how connected so many of our world's problems are that really gave me moment to pause and consider the implications of some green efforts.

Bjorn Lomborg's book Cool It: The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming gives everyone reason to take a deep breath and think about the scope of environmental issues such as climate change. You may not agree with everything Lomborg writes, but it's definitely good food for thought for anyone deeply immersed in any crusade:

"The green group Earth Policy Institute, which first totaled the deaths, tells us that as “awareness of the scale of this tragedy spreads, it is likely to generate pressure to reduce carbon emissions. For many of the millions who suffered through these record heat waves and the relatives of the tens of thousands who died, cutting carbon emissions is becoming a pressing personal issue.”

"While 35,000 dead is a terrifyingly large number, all deaths should in principle be treated with equal concern. Yet this is not happening. When 2,000 people died from heat in the United Kingdom, it produced a public outcry that is still heard. However, the BBC recently ran a very quiet story telling us that deaths caused by cold weather in England and Wales for the past years have hovered around 25,000 each winter, casually adding that the winters of 1998–2000 saw about 47,000 cold deaths each year. The story then goes on to discuss how the government should make the cost of winter fuel economically bearable and how the majority of deaths are caused by strokes and heart attacks.

"It is remarkable that a single heat-death episode of 35,000 from many countries can get everyone up in arms, whereas cold deaths of 25,000 to 50,000 a year in just a single country pass almost unnoticed. Of course, we want to help avoid another 2,000 dying from heat in the United Kingdom. But presumably we also want to avoid many more dying from cold."