Tragedy in the Gulf

All of us who live on the Gulf Coast have been watching the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico worsen day by day, hour by hour. Initially, it was the shock of the explosion, and the lives lost. Then the oil made its escape. With each day, it seems, the quantity of oil and the rate at which it is flowing from the wreckage of the oil rig on the bottom of the ocean increases. It now stands at 200,000 gallons a day. The oil slick has reached the shores of Louisiana, and the military is scrambling to clean up what the oil company could not. On the news this morning, which I usually avoid, they declared it the worst oil spill in decades, if not in history.

But I think it could have been worse, perhaps. Because I think down there on the ocean floor, amid the massive wreckage, 11 souls are holding back the oil with the strength of their hearts.

Superganic Season Starting Soon

To be honest, it may have already started! Superganic is a local farm here in Pensacola. You might have read about it in my post last year(which you can skip to here). In February, 2010, Superganic Farms was finally certified. I'm not sure if they were certified "naturally grown" or certified "organic". The stamp on their site says the former, but it might have been there all along, and I know Bill was shooting for organic certification. I'll have to ask him in person. See, Bill is a character - no doubt about it, but he didn't get that way from chemical fumes. Superganic's produce is spectacular and delicious. They offer a Wholesale Buying Club for only $10 a week, so if you're in the Pensacola area, you're in luck. Visit the Superganic Farms website, check out the interview with Bill, and get all the details about the buying club.

Going Green Gradually

Earth Day 2010! A day of triumph and celebration for the Momnivore, right? Well, kind of. Sort of. Not really. See, first I overslept, then I turned on the idiot box in my sleepy haze. I wrestled with our rusty old hose so long that the sun was up by the time I got the sprinkler going, so not only did I lose water to leaks, but to the heat of the sun. I also watered as much pavement as lawn because for some reason, the sprinkler was channeling Niagara Falls today. Oh, and then I forgot it was on and totally over-watered. Usually, I'm really good about avoiding that, but I was distracted by giving my toddler a high-VOC pedicure (at her request - c'mon, you don't think I'd encourage that sort of thing, do you?). I haven't eaten any critters yet today, but my soy sausage was highly processed and my peanut butter had sugar in it. Not the best start to Earth Day, but you know what that means? Nowhere to go but up!

I've learned a lot during this Momnivore experiment, but the greatest lesson I've learned is that I can't change the world overnight. Heck, I can't change my socks without warming up a bit. Even though I'm often frustrated by my inability to implement everything immediately, or by the overwhelming information there is about going green, I have to admit that my family has made some progress in the past few months. We have filtered water, we support a local, sustainable farm, we recycle more and waste less. Perhaps most importantly, I'm always thinking green, questioning everything, looking for better alternatives and options. We didn't get here in a day, and we won't make any new radical changes in the next few hours, either. The improvements we've made have been earned one baby step at a time. Done this way, there's less overwhelm, less financial strain, and less lifestyle shock- all of which are important when making any change that involves the whole family.

In this spirit, I offer the Going Green Gradually post (Ta-Da!), a quick list of little ways to go green. Some you may have heard of, or done, others may be new, but all will be small. Even if something is beyond my present means to implement, I hope it will encourage you to discuss, research, or try it yourself. I will update this post as often as reasonably possible, keeping the list active and growing. One small kindness at a time, we can heal the Earth and leave her healthy and strong for generations to come. Namaste'

1. Visit one of the dozens of free online calculators and determine your carbon footprint. Knowing where you stand right now may motivate you to make some changes. Save your results and compare them with new results next year! I encourage you to take several tests, since many of the sites are sponsored by special interest groups. Taking several of them will help you get a good, balanced picture of your environmental status. Ready, set, GO!

2. Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. I learned that little poem from my mother, who learned it from hers... Basically, it means use the stuff you already have, make the most of it, and fix it when it breaks. The world is already full of stuff. Buying more of it just uses resources and adds more stuff to the global pool. Think twice before buying anything.

3. Learn to cook. Ideally, we would all thrive on raw food vegan diets, but I like bacon too much to encourage that. Granted, cooking requires fuel, but cooking from scratch ensures that you'll know what's in your food. The closer your foods are to their whole, natural state, the better they are for you and the environment. Try comparing a recipe for a dish with that same dish prepackaged in the grocery store - the version you make from the recipe will always have fewer (if any) chemicals or preservatives. Cooking from scratch saves a ton of money, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

4. Research alternatives before you buy. Chances are good you'll still buy some stuff sometimes. Before you do, try to find out if there are greener versions of the same product available. For example, I shamefully still buy paper towels (gasp!). When I do, however, I try to avoid those with the pretty patterns, even when they're on sale for less than the plain ones, since the patterns require ink (chemicals) and more processing. It's a small impact, but at least I'm thinking about it. It's all about training your brain to think green.

More to come...

Green Acres Farm News

The nice folks at Green Acres Farm have been trying to get the guys in Tallahassee to change a few laws regarding small farms. Check out this article in the Pensacola News Journal outlining the issue and the struggles they're facing. I'm working on a full post detailing my recent visit to the farm, so I won't climb up on my soapbox just yet, but allow me to assure you that this farm is clean and compassionate. No two ways about it. I wish I lived next door so I could help them and get all my food from these people. Heck, if I'm good, I might come back as one of their animals in my next life - IF I'm good.

If you'd like to meet the Cassons (who are far more attractive than their American Gothic sign might suggest) and pick up some of their wonderful products (for your pets, of course), they'll be at the Earth Day Celebration at Bayview Park in Pensacola on Saturday, April 24, 2010 from 10 to 5. Of course, if you're already planning to attend the Earth Day Celebration, all the better!

Celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day 2010 is this Thursday, April 22nd. Somehow I always forget that hour each spring I'm supposed to turn everything off (I even forget what they call it, and it was only a few weeks ago), but Earth Day I can remember. There are thousands of ways to celebrate Earth Day, but if you're stumped, check out this article. If you have kids, here are some family-friendly ways to celebrate Earth Day with them. I have a little Earth Day project in mind for this blog, too, but I'm still sorting it out in my mind. We'll see what I come up with by Thursday!

For those of you who read The Momnivore regularly (Hi, Mum!), you'll be pleased to hear that Basil, our toad, has upgraded to the rosemary pot. The new pot is a 12" pot, as opposed to the 8" pot of basil he previously occupied, so there's plenty of room for his chubby toad-butt. We will not, however, be changing his name.

I'm not sure how long this link will work before they archive this article, but over the weekend I read this wonderful interview with Jeff Yeager, author of The Ultimate Cheapskate's Roadmap to True Riches. I hadn't heard of him or the book before, but I loved, loved, loved his financial philosophies as they came through in the interview. In his view, saving money and becoming wealthy is about living below your means, not pinching pennies or tackling Wall Street. How green is that? Think before you buy. Buy quality and buy once. Stay in your modestly-sized home for life. (Warren Buffet still lives in the same home he has for years, the one in a suburban subdivision, the one he paid $31, 000 for. ONLY $31K. Warren Buffet. 'Nuff said.) Not only do Mr. Yeager's financial views sound remarkably like my parents' and grandparents', but they certainly fit with today's green living and allowed Mr. Yeager to retire in his 40s. I can't wait to read that book - as soon as my library gets it. We don't need to discuss my rampant book addiction again, do we?

Finally, I'm happy to report that I found local meat and produce at both WalMart and Sam's Club last week. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know. I shouldn't patronize either, but I do. And most of you probably do too, at least for some things, so just admit it and let's move on. The point (and the good news) is that enough of us who do sometimes shop at these places care enough about where our food comes from that the giant box stores are starting to notice. I didn't see enough local and/or organic stuff to live on at either store, but I certainly saw enough to compliment my shopping at Ever'man's (or your local health food co-op). For anyone trying to balance sustainable living with a budget, this is a welcome step forward, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step.

Namaste'

Seeds, Science and Saving Our Water

Ah, Florida. Spring was fleeting, and now it's summer-hot already. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. Along with the heat has come the realization that this is when I usually (accidentally) kill off my plants by forgetting to water them. This year I'm using water-saving pots AND I put "water plants" on my daily to-do list. Hopefully, the poor little guys will last longer this year. Actually, it's the seeds sprouting indoors that are struggling right now. They did so well at first, then one day, they were all, well, smooshed. Another morning I found them strewn about like rose petals at a wedding. Eventually, the plant-killer puked black, organic soil and seedlings on my beige rug and I finally caught on. Stupid cat. Sure, she's taken out my pothos and peace lily, but I assumed the little seedlings were too small to be of any interest to her. I was wrong. I planted more seeds and crossed my fingers, and now I'm searching for a safe place to hide the little plants at night. Interestingly, my children also nibbled on our plants, but they each tried a leaf of the more mature basil. The six-year-old declared it tasted like pizza; the three-year-old declared it was a bad idea to eat a huge basil leaf.

Speaking of basil, meet Basil, our resident toad, peeking out in the picture above. We're pretty sure he's a toad because he lives in the bottom of our basil pot, on dry land, and hops out when we water it. We carefully water from the top, instead of filling the reservoir, so as not to disturb him too much. He keeps coming back as soon as the plant sucks up a bit of water, so we figure he just thinks we're the
housekeeping crew.

This may be a bit off topic, but it made me think, so I offer it to you. My family spent a day at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama recently. Very highly recommended, by the way! One of the permanent exhibits is about the human body. It shows the different systems, how it all works, how it's all connected, and other cool stuff. It also offers many hands-on experiments, and everything is focused on good overall health. There are even stations in the exhibit where locals can check in regularly and keep track of their vitals. While we enjoyed the exhibit, and really, the whole Exploreum, very much, we couldn't help but notice how many morbidly obese families were going though the exhibit, and worse, taking nothing away from it. One display showed restaurant vs. appropriate portion sizes, and my husband heard a large woman declaring that she could never eat that little. I saw another very overweight woman doing an experiment for her large child, who couldn't be bothered making the effort. Throughout the exhibit, we didn't see one family of large people do or say anything to indicate that they "got it", or to teach one of their children. I hope we missed those families. I hope that we saw the exceptions, not the rule. Maintaining good health, including a healthy weight, is so important not only for us, but for the environment.

Finally, I read this month's issue of National Geographic; it's a special issue dedicated entirely to the global water crisis. Cool: a picture of an ice carving in the frozen Kennebec River in my home state of Maine. Not cool: almost everything else. The water crisis is really scary, and I suspect that it's far more advanced than many of us on public water realize. I encourage you to pick up a Nat Geo and read it for yourself. However, I read that and this month's issue of Discover Magazine back to back, and it ALSO contains discouraging water news (and a story on the epidemic of childhood illnesses). While both are valuable and interesting resources, I suggest reading Tiger Beat or Soap Opera Digest or something in between to avoid the staggering depression I battled for a few days after reading all that sad news. Fortunately, when I came out of it, it was with a renewed sense that this little effort of mine, no matter how small, is worth it.