tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36378763874997612952024-03-05T01:35:12.764-05:00The Green, The Bad and The UglyThe Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-79648445242023372152013-08-18T23:04:00.001-04:002013-08-18T23:04:12.718-04:00Hall of Plastic<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt;">Gathered together from the cosmic reaches of the universe – here in this great hall of justice - are the most powerful forces of good ever assembled. Their mission – to fight injustice, to right that to which is wrong, and to </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i><span lang="EN">rid the world of Styrofoam and plastic</span></i></span><span style="font-size: 16px;"><i><span lang="EN">.</span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Super Friends was my favorite cartoon, followed by a trip to the great hall of Stop & Shop where I would get my assignment - a handful of coupons from my dad with the mission of gathering these important items. Off I went, in search of truth, justice and a giant box of Cheerios. </span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But my assignment was not complete until I’d roll up the back of my father’s foot with the cart and get “the look.” As a kid, the look was the equivalent of Lex Luthor.</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I haven’t received “the look” in quite a few years…until last night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I don’t hit the produce aisle of the Key Foods very often and yesterday, I realized why. It was like I had entered the Legion of Doom. Nearly every piece of produce was lying on a Styrofoam tray and wrapped in plastic. </span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I saw an employee standing there taking some sort of inventory. Maybe she was counting how much had not been bought since they were pretty well stocked. Could it at all have anything to do with the packaging?!</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I decided to activate my Wonder Twin powers and formed of an activist, asking if there was any way to order the fruits and veggies without all the wrap. She kindly told me to ask the manager and went back to recording.</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I was beginning to realize that we might need to call in the Super Friends to come to our rescue. </span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I took my cart and was off to interrogate the manager. </span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Once I found him, I took the truth lasso from my waist, wrapped it around him and demanded to know why these fruits and veggies were wrapped in toxic, land-filling waste. </span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But all I got back was a blank stare. Clearly this man was not understanding the magnitude of the arch-villain standing right in front of us.</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Finally, he began to utter something…something about new ownership next week.</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What else does this current manager know?</span></span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Find out next time on Legion of Super Markets.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-34810858061010085042013-08-12T07:19:00.000-04:002013-08-12T07:19:09.748-04:00That's Some Bad Trash, Harry<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's August, and just when you thought it was safe to go back to watching TV... Shark Week was back! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">While I fully enjoy watching the feedings of Bulls, Tigers and Great Whites, it’s beyond sad that we even need to have a shark week to raise awareness for these amazing creatures. In fact, to Jaws’ author Peter Benchley’s chagrin, his book and the movie popularized the false notion that sharks are the enemy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">But we’ll need more than Chief Brody to kill that idea. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In the meantime, swimming up on us is another terror of the sea…trash. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">People leaving behind cigarette butts, plastic bags, scraps of food and other unmentionables. The ones who need to stop acting as the enemy are... us. For a start, we need to take responsibility for our trash each time we go to the beach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">We've come a long way from 1975, when people were afraid to go to the beach because of "Jaws". Now, you'll find that a short walk along the coast looking for seashells can turn into a nightmare bigger than a Great White.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">At the beach, who even stops to think about trash? That plastic bag that blew away while you were trying not to get sand in your sandwich? Or the little plastic rings that stick to the tops of our soda bottles that we just happen to let fall in the sand. What could those little things matter? It’s a big beach and a big ocean. Nothing is going to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">But that simply isn’t true. For every piece of Styrofoam, plastic, butt, and bag you leave behind, our amazing sea creatures are seeing that as food. Instead of being nourished, they’re dying slow deaths as their stomachs fill with undigestible trash. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Could it be that the shark in Jaws got so big because she was ingesting so much garbage? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Nearly every one of my beach outings uncovers some ridiculous piece of crap that you have to stop and ask yourself “Why?” This summer was no different. I uncovered everything from balloons to bubbles to a watermelon. Yes…a watermelon - sitting on the edge of tide waiting to be washed out to sea. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">That’s a little more water than that melon had in mind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">If that imagery isn’t bad enough, imagine you and your family sitting down for that yummy seafood dinner after your great day at the beach. You bite into that delicious piece of fish… mmmm. Now stop and think... did that fish ingest any trash? It probably didn't swallow something the size of Quint, but chances are it's ingested something inedible. Do you want to be eating little bits of plastic debris? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Included in everyone’s beach bag along with a summer read should be a summer trash bag – one that you carry to not only take your trash away, but any trash that you might pick up between the car and your coveted spot on the beach. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It’s up to all of us to do our part. To paraphrase Richard Dreyfus in Jaws, we can’t “ignore this problem until it swims up and bites us in the ass.”</span></div>
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-72058368001439518632012-11-13T09:53:00.004-05:002012-11-13T09:53:52.959-05:0024 Hours of Reality<iframe frameborder="0" height="302" scrolling="no" src="http://www.ustream.tv/embed/8914332?v=3&wmode=direct" style="border-bottom: transparent 0px; border-left: transparent 0px; border-right: transparent 0px; border-top: transparent 0px;" width="480"> </iframe><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">People have been asking me how I weathered Hurricane Sandy being from New York City.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Part of me is beyond grateful that we only had some broken branches and a traffic light tip over. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East 91st Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenues</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corner of 92nd & 2nd Avenue</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And then there is the part of me that feels guilty as so many people are suffering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some of my friends waded through waist deep water and lost power. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hoboken</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some of my colleagues lost homes and one was held up at gunpoint over firewood. And throughout the tri-state area, there were many that lost their lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since Hurricane Sandy, there has been a great deal of talk about climate change and “dirty weather.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Dirty Energy pollution is heating up our climate, and we end up with Dirty Weather. Today, climate disruption affects us all. And it will take all of us together to solve it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is now more important than ever that we take a stand against climate change. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Millions will join me and Al Gore online tomorrow for the live broadcast of The Climate Reality Project’s 24 Hours of Reality: The Dirty Weather Report. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You can watch it right here. Just pick an hour…or two…and find out how the world is mobilizing to address this risk.</span><br />
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<br />The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-70037384162564738582012-10-31T14:26:00.001-04:002012-10-31T14:26:57.336-04:00Hallogreen<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unbeknownst to me, my Halloweens when I was growing up were very green. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Though I didn’t always want them to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since the year I was born, I never wore a store-bought costume. My mother was a fabulous sewer and she made all of our costumes using things from around the house. From clowns to witches, baton twirlers to bumble bees – they were made with love for us, and then passed down to cousins and friends. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We never knew anything else…until that Halloween of 1978.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My mom had taken my sister and me to Bradlees to get some last minute Halloween candy. Bradlees was the equivalent of Walmart but better!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Trips to Bradlees were a treat. They always had really fun stuff that we would beg her for and this trip would be no different. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As we entered the store, we stepped into a Halloween wonderland full of boxed costumes depicting every possible TV character. It was like a walk through the Battle of the Network Stars. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Chachi. Mork. The Bionic Woman. My eyes widened at every piece of molded, toxic plastic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And then – I spotted her. Kris Munroe. I had to be one of Charlie’s Angels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I knew I had an original Sheila masterpiece waiting for me but I had to be Kris. My favorite TV character immortalized in a plastic mask with big eye cut-outs and a one-piece plastic jumpsuit that smelled so good! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I could not find a picture of the "Kris" costume...but you get the idea.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I grabbed the box so as no other 9 year old could take it and ran up to my mom. “PLEASE can I be Kris for Halloween?” I shouted as I practically tripped over the cart.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“You have a costume at home that I made you.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This was going to be harder than I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“You don’t understand. I HAVE to be her!!” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Now stop. Put that away. It’s junk.” she said simply and continued to push the cart, trying to avoid running me over as I blocked the ca</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I knew I only had one option left. And it was risky. But the situation was dire and I needed to act fast. The plastic smell was intoxicating me (literally). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I dropped to my knees and began to cry. And not just any cry. Full out wailing. In between sobs, I told her how awful my life was and that I just had to be Kris. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She stopped the cart and calmly asked me to stand up and put the costume away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was devastated. I sat the entire car ride home wondering what lucky girl was going to get to be Kris - the best Angel ever.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I got home, I saw the ballerina costume hanging on my door that she had made especially for me. And while I was still mad that I wasn’t the plastic version of Kris, I decided that Kris would be on assignment as a ballerina fighting crime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It worked. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today, boxed costumes are a thing of the past but store-bought costumes still fill the aisles of Bradlees-type stores. Made in China with lots of dyes and chemicals, there is no better time to bring back the home-made costume!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And a few years ago I did get to meet the real Kris Munroe (Cheryl Ladd) who autographed my Charlie’s Angels trading card. That made up for the boxed costume a zillion times over. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYdy9Nm-yigDi7wrdgLYwtlbomABajvQmQR6e4TiVvEedDnqBCTOpMUmSVAKXOGT_KyJd-fvXNwH3dohHqZRaPId0OmeB5zjMXFSMOzWC6MQrbAIxTMQCt3EbIlOlaL9aKKWmU5Byohg-/s1600/Kris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCYdy9Nm-yigDi7wrdgLYwtlbomABajvQmQR6e4TiVvEedDnqBCTOpMUmSVAKXOGT_KyJd-fvXNwH3dohHqZRaPId0OmeB5zjMXFSMOzWC6MQrbAIxTMQCt3EbIlOlaL9aKKWmU5Byohg-/s200/Kris.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I thank my mom for her decision that day and send her a sincere apology for what I’m sure was not a pleasant afternoon. If she were alive today, I know she’d be sitting at her sewing machine with her glasses on, busily creating works of art for the next generation of Forbes kids (and dogs). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And as I walked by the dozens of Halloween stores that popped up for the month of October, filled with every imaginable character, I think to myself how lucky I was and give my mom a smile.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costumes hand-made with love by Sheila Forbes.</td></tr>
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-36760815332967608762012-10-15T10:49:00.004-04:002012-10-15T10:49:53.551-04:00Blog Action Day 2012 - The Power of We<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the past several years, I have been participating in <a href="http://blogactionday.org/" target="_blank">Blog Action Day</a>, a day when thousands of bloggers come together to write about the same socially conscious topic. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Never has a topic resonated so much with me as this year’s - The Power of We.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Having just returned from San Francisco from the training session for <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project</a>, I’ve experienced first-hand what the Power of We means and what it can do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I first stepped on to the bold-patterned hotel carpet in the ballroom where our training was about to take place, I instantly froze at the sight of 1,000 like-minded people. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bluTHz1amaEUStC4j5jHli-lPpnfKPkMGYOUq0HHW-3sGJ2j2Q69HZZXYfx23hZ1qs5Sr97H3Uig3PJDmldN6x6x6-_ocRCAPp0HUPam-NK1btexRABJs6nmDHvlzNgkN6gdFblf3DpK/s1600/Climate+Reality+Group+Photo+9.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" nea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bluTHz1amaEUStC4j5jHli-lPpnfKPkMGYOUq0HHW-3sGJ2j2Q69HZZXYfx23hZ1qs5Sr97H3Uig3PJDmldN6x6x6-_ocRCAPp0HUPam-NK1btexRABJs6nmDHvlzNgkN6gdFblf3DpK/s400/Climate+Reality+Group+Photo+9.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 Climate Reality Leadership Corps - I'm in the 3rd row behind Al Gore!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I spend so much time trying to convince others to carry their own bags and use a reusable mug that I didn’t know what to do with myself when I was surrounded by people who were already doing that! Who was I if I wasn’t yelling at someone to reduce, reuse and recycle?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project</a> is the organization founded by Nobel Laureate and Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore, to bring the facts to the public about the climate crisis and engage the public in conversation on how to stop it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As a Climate Leader trained by Al Gore himself, I am now equipped to present the slideshow that Mr. Gore gave in the Academy Award-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joining the global force that is <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project</a> (already more than 3,000 strong and representing over 50 countries) is a tremendous honor that also carries a lot of responsibility. The climate crisis has become about more than just changing your light bulbs - we need to change laws.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On November 14th and 15th, “we” will be out in big numbers for <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/24hours/" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project’s 2nd Annual 24 Hours of Reality: The Dirty Weather Report</a>. (This will be broadcast live over the internet and you can check back here for details or on <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank">The Climate Reality Project's</a> website.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">People around the globe will share their stories of about the impact of climate change and how they’re moving forward with solutions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wouldn’t it be nice to walk outside on a hot, summer’s day without your hair expanding to the size of Texas from the humidity?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">How about not having to swim through your neighborhood because your streets are flooded?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Better yet, wouldn’t it be fantastic if you made s’mores over a campfire as opposed to a wild fire?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“<a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/24hours/" target="_blank">24 Hours</a>” will feature music, man-on-the-street interviews, multi-media content…all generating energy and urgency so that We CAN all work together to address the climate crisis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So as I write about The Power of We, I’m talking about the power of you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you are ready to take a stand, talk about climate change and stand up to the deniers...you will be making a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And if you are one of thousands reading this, then that’s thousands making a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The power of one converted into The Power of We!</span><br />
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-23546886515936302742012-09-06T12:33:00.000-04:002012-09-06T12:33:21.989-04:00Al-Gore-Rhythm Day 3<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I sat on the floor of the Grand Hyatt, listening to Kathy Mattea sing the words, “It’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away,” I quickly turned to my friend Joe and said, “I didn’t realize she sang this song!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Joe turned to me with a look and said, “Only after the Rolling Stones wrote and performed it 35 years ago.” He had a look on his face that was all too familiar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was one that John, a huge Stones fan, would have given me (and did, when I got home). I begged Joe never to tell him should the two ever meet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I suspect they will. Joe was one of several people with whom I bonded with at the training. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Up to this point, I had spent much of those three days telling my story and hearing theirs. So it was serendipitous that the third and last day of training focused on storytelling and presentation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Everyone has a story to tell and if you read this blog regularly, you know I have lots of stories to tell. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During our training, we were asked to tell each other personal stories…the girl who helped her dad find the spot where his brother died in Viet Nam and my friend Emily who helped to rescue an abused pig at a petting zoo so it could enjoy life at a sanctuary. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But there were also stories of what inspired these 1,000 people to want to save the planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Some were raised in homes where their parents’ read Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring," the 60's call-to-arms that launched the environmental movement. Others, like myself, saw "An Inconvenient Truth" and were immediate converts to the cause. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These are the stories that through our presentations, we will share with our audience…our personal connection to climate change and why it’s so important to make a difference now.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Connecting through our stories, I met some of the most amazing people from all over the world who are expressing their stories about climate change by writing plays, teaching children, creating music and finding alternative energy solutions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I feel so lucky to have these new friends…friends who I know will last a lifetime. And with all of our stories combined, the solution to climate change is “Just a slideshow away!”</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Eve - my dear friend and fellow actor from So Cal! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-umgfGBe0lGrKjbXNgnPj33t7e1M7atHInSzFQWffVWesFeT_rTtpBW7HHDYVLmQYECCRJ8ANATkCVybrQ1aSwOBWOb_g36GxcsM7Tpp_yx16NGZVzW8xlYN4m6OOk5gXK4LayALpbZN/s1600/Crp+lauren.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia-umgfGBe0lGrKjbXNgnPj33t7e1M7atHInSzFQWffVWesFeT_rTtpBW7HHDYVLmQYECCRJ8ANATkCVybrQ1aSwOBWOb_g36GxcsM7Tpp_yx16NGZVzW8xlYN4m6OOk5gXK4LayALpbZN/s200/Crp+lauren.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lauren! My NYC friend and partner in crime!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2h6wEiaQfzo32k71e2L7JrH6UGEQQUeAioF_pl3wlRYAhd5TeSO4xXRnyFfxxKWFEZaI1HjHYXdrm24iKMuhhjxkFOSv4BIV4CkJVKwtH5V7Dia_Tx6tDs4EdG8eZHFdiqb7oBZdekku/s1600/crp+group.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2h6wEiaQfzo32k71e2L7JrH6UGEQQUeAioF_pl3wlRYAhd5TeSO4xXRnyFfxxKWFEZaI1HjHYXdrm24iKMuhhjxkFOSv4BIV4CkJVKwtH5V7Dia_Tx6tDs4EdG8eZHFdiqb7oBZdekku/s200/crp+group.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">All my new NYC friends - Gordian, Kathy, Vicky, Lew, Emily, Lauren and Scott!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>As a final story…I'd like to give a shout out to the woman who came up with the title for this series - Al-Gore-Rhythm. She was in our international break-out session where we gathered to find solutions for those who are experiencing climate change first hand with floods, droughts and massive storms. I don't know her name, but she's clearly a very witty person! </em></span><br />
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-89333594395474363132012-09-05T12:48:00.001-04:002012-09-05T12:48:19.400-04:00Al-Gore-Rhythm - Day 2 <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The closest I have come to the feeling I had the night before my training was the one I had the night before I got married. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A bunch of Monarch butterflies poking around my stomach saying, “Is it morning yet? Can we walk down the aisle already?!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Monarchs (I use Monarchs simply because I don’t really know any other butterflies) can also make their appearance right before I’m about to confront the Starbucks barista as she makes my drink in a paper cup and pours it into my reusable one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These butterflies are not to be confused with first-day-of-school or starting-a-new-job butterflies. Those are more like moths which bring about a sense of worry and nervousness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In truth, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Thoughts of a man circled by Secret Service, our table locations being switched around, a tall guy sitting in front of me blocking my sight line…these are just some of the ideas my brain played around with. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But like most things in life, my worries were for nothing as I took the same chair I’d been in the day before, spread out my notebook, poured myself a glass of water and settled in waiting for the day to begin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When Al Gore walked out on stage, emotion overtook me and I filled up with tears. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaYbkreK5JO2Q49HNkf9VIk0Nf1KaZXG2PjUGgBerQx5W0TGA9p_D_-oM1DZUPusOOIBu2mKaJfi_-rQnipSxTCQviN0P9qDWmZmyELQNF-X7QQ5Z6XwRmZ4wdIzlD6JuM4gVDtE9gq2H/s1600/Gore+stand.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaYbkreK5JO2Q49HNkf9VIk0Nf1KaZXG2PjUGgBerQx5W0TGA9p_D_-oM1DZUPusOOIBu2mKaJfi_-rQnipSxTCQviN0P9qDWmZmyELQNF-X7QQ5Z6XwRmZ4wdIzlD6JuM4gVDtE9gq2H/s200/Gore+stand.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here was the Former Vice President, Nobel Prize winner, and Academy Award winner standing right in front of me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it wasn’t just those titles that were getting to me. I was about to learn about climate change from the master. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Round one was just simply watching the slideshow presentation which runs about 45 minutes. The presentation consists of slides showing the effects and proof of climate change and is, of course, narrated by Mr. Gore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We were asked to note how he presents the material, what feelings are evoked, etc. The slides have been updated since last I saw the film, but the message is still the same. The facts have gotten worse. More droughts, floods, melting. The situation is dire. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I first started my conversion to a greener lifestyle, I would come home with stories of people taking 4,000 plastic bags at the grocery store or the girl in the bathroom who would leave the water running as she dried her hands. John would laugh and then follow up with,“You need to write a blog!” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But I was sure that the green movement was not ready for humor. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Obviously I overcame that thought and found my voice. And one of the things I learned during Mr. Gore’s presentation is that I’m not alone. Al Gore is funny. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Talking about how Vatican City is one of the most sustainable places, he commented “Well, they have two advantages: they’re small and they have God on their side.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But he was also serious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He noted that it’s important to change lightbulbs, but it’s more important to change laws.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The energy radiating off everyone after he finished the presentation could have supplied enough power to light the Empire State Building for an entire decade. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After our break, it was time to get to the nitty gritty – learning the presentation. Again, not knowing what to expect, I somehow thought Mr. Gore would appear again later in the day and one of the Climate Reality staff would do the teaching. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And once again, I was wrong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mr. Gore divided the presentation into three sections, the opening, the scientific proof, and finally, what you can do. He went through every slide, explaining what it meant and his rationale for using it. He was up there for almost nine hours with a few breaks in-between sections. His energy and enthusiasm never waned. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There were moments of laughter and moments of passion in explaining the slides. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And there were many moments where we all rallied, encouraging him to show us that extra slide or video despite the wants of the staff to keep us on schedule…something none of us at that point really cared about. How often do you get to have Al Gore show you the SNL sketch “The Yard-a-pult?” <em>(This is where Kevin Nealon plays a homeowner who catapults his trash into his neighbor's yard thereby using the analogy, let it be someone else’s problem.)</em></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Like all good things, the day came to an end too quickly. Mr. Gore told us that we would prevail and wished us “Godspeed for taking on this endeavor.”</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The room flew to its feet and erupted in applause for the man that brought attention to a crisis and started a conversation. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After his presentation, Kathy Mattea and her husband, John Vezner, came back and sang for us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She prompted us to “sit down and enjoy the show!” and we all dropped to the floor…including Al Gore who sat with us, in the exact same spot, the entire time. And no matter how cramped my legs got, if Al wasn’t moving, neither was I.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When the final note was played, the butterflies came back. But this time I realized that I was really the cocoon keeping them safe and it was time for them to be born and set free. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had come full circle. The whole reason I started <em>The Green, The Bad and The Ugly</em> four years ago this month, was because of the emotional reaction I had watching <em>An Inconvenient Truth</em>. And now I was qualified to present that same slide show and hope to make an impact on others the same way it was made on me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was the butterfly about to spread my wings – and the message.</span><br />
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-37544342496099686592012-09-04T12:45:00.002-04:002012-09-04T12:45:52.372-04:00Al-Gore-Rhythm Day 1<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My dreams came true two weeks ago as I jetted off to the golden city of San Francisco to train with the guru of green, Al Gore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first thing that struck me was that instead of landing on Cloud 9, I actually landed in a bunch of fog. I had no idea it would take me three days to actually see the Golden Gate Bridge! However, once it unveiled itself, it was well worth the wait…as was the wait to get to the conference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The airport shuttle pulled into the driveway of the Hyatt Regency and we were greeted by a group of protesters. OK…three protesters. But protesters with picket signs, nonetheless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I guess I should’ve expected some sort of protest from the climate change deniers telling us that proven science isn’t accurate. However, these protesters were not deniers…they were upset that we weren’t covering “animal ag.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This threw me…and brought two questions to mind. The first – what is animal ag? The second…how did they get their hands on our agenda? I hadn’t even seen our agenda at this point!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Assuming that animal ag had something to do with the food industry and that is definitely something that affects climate change, I realized that no crusade is easy and that my job wasn’t only to fight the deniers, but to also convince the believers! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I decided to focus my energy on the task at hand – getting registered. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With cardboard notebook and badge in hand, I set out to meet up with my fellow New Yorkers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The conference was divided into about 100 groups, each with approximately 8 individuals from a region, paired with a mentor. My mentor was the very amazing Gordian. We all headed out to lunch to discuss how we were going to save the planet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The bonding was instant and easy – until the conversation really got started and I soon realized that this was not to be one of sharing crazy stories of store owners keeping their doors open with the air-conditioning on (as I was used to telling), but rather with names of climate experts and activists that I did not recognize. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found myself smiling and nodding my head…a lot…pretending to know what they were talking about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And then I relaxed, listened and learned. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When it was time for the training to begin, I entered the room and a strange, foreign sensation came over me…I was about to sit down with 1,000 people who recycle and carry reusable bags. What on earth was I supposed to blog about now? I had never been in a room with that many people who thought the same way I did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The energy coming off my fellow trainees and the speakers, including Maggie Fox, the CEO of the Climate Reality Project, was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. The closest I’ve ever come to electricity like this was when I was a kid and my dad took me to have breakfast with Santa. A room full of kids waiting for the man in the red suit to appear so we could sit on his lap, tell him what we wanted and get a coloring book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In this case, the man in the red suit was actually one who wouldn’t appear until the next day, but the anticipation was the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The one thing I noticed was that when you have speakers who are passionate about what they’re speaking about with an audience just as passionate about devouring every word, time can get away from you. So while we all would have loved to hear more about social media and presentation skills, the day had to be keep moving. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our special treat (the equivalent of Mrs. Claus showing up at the breakfast) was Grammy-Award winning singer, Kathy Mattea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She is also a trained Climate Reality Presenter and told stories of her eagerness to fight the fight not only against climate change, but the coal industry as well. Later we would learn how to tell stories to get our points across and finding unique ways to do so. She told her story through her Grammy-nominated album simply titled “Coal.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One important thing about training in 2012 was the added benefit of media like Facebook. Prior to training, we were all exchanging ideas and articles on our private page and it was so fun to be able to connect with those people at the conference. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Excited, exhilarated and exhausted, I headed off to bed with anticipation for the next day where I would be seeing Al Gore! </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And excited because I knew the presents he would be delivering were going to be a lot cooler (no pun intended) than the pencil case I got from my breakfast with Santa.</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-57216464435540600802012-08-21T10:25:00.002-04:002012-08-21T10:25:57.277-04:00Mission: Possible<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Greetings from San Francisco!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t any trip to San Francisco. True, I want to see the Mission murals, eat a Mission burrito and plan a mission to Alcatraz. But my real mission – which I’ve chosen to accept – is to train with Nobel Laureate and Former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In conjunction with his organization, <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">The Climate Reality Project</span></a>, I and several hundred other eco-minded individuals, will be trained to give the slideshow presentation Mr. Gore gave in the Academy Award-winning movie, “An Inconvenient Truth.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">That's the film that inspired this blog, so to come full circle, where I will be the one actually giving the slide show, is more surreal than San Francisco's murals. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The slide show is meant to bring the facts about climate change to people in order to ignite action. The objective is to get the conversation going. In the words of <a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">The Climate Reality Project</span></a>: “</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span id="yiv1093425415yui_3_2_0_19_1345227225480208" lang="EN" style="color: black;">The climate crisis is real and we know how to solve it.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">What does that mean to me? Watch out world…this blog is about to explode!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span><span id="yiv1093425415yui_3_2_0_19_1345227225480193"><span id="yiv1093425415yui_3_2_0_19_1345227225480193"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://climaterealityproject.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6aa84f;">The Climate Reality Project</span></a> has chosen me, along with four others, to live tweet on my experience during the training. <br /><br />I couldn't be more excited about my Mission: Possible! So stay tuned…this blog will self-destruct in 5 seconds.</span></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><span id="yiv1093425415yui_3_2_0_19_1345227225480193" style="color: black;"><div>
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The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-84765144504398025762012-08-08T14:58:00.000-04:002012-08-08T14:58:25.274-04:00The Thrill of Victory - The Agony of De-feet<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If my weekly Weight Watchers meetings were the Olympics, and the sport was Going Green, the coverage would go something like this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">These women have been counting points all week. Let's see how they do on the scale. Stepping up now is the woman from the Upper East Side. She's worked out hard this week and we should see some good results. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because it's summer and so hot, these women are stepping on the scale without shoes. It's a requirement by the Weight Watchers Committee to lay down a piece of paper towel before they step on to remove all possibilities of athlete's foot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><strong>Bob Costas</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's right, Al. However, that towel is no friend to the environment. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It certainly isn't and we will be adding pounds to their weigh-in based on how many towels they take.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here is the UES woman. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She's taking two towels. That's a .4 gain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Absolutely. She doesn't look happy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With these games you work hard all week and something so careless is going to cost you. Approaching the deck is the woman from Yorkville. Here she goes for the grab!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Four towels!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is unheard of. One is standard, two is stretching it, but four!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is going to cost her, no doubt. Let's see what the leader adds on...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's a full pound! She's adding a full 16 ounces to her weight loss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unbelievable but deserved. Watch as she bunches the towels and throws them away.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Coming up next is the visitor from SoHo. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She should be very familiar with this practice as they crack down hard over there. And after seeing what just happened, I'm confident she's going to use just one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She's looking in her purse. What is she doing? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I can't believe it! She is using her own socks. This is unheard of! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Al Gore</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She's absolutely losing this week. Gold medal. I've never seen anything so perfect.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Bob Costas</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She's in it to win it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is what went through my head as I waited for my turn at the scale. Woman after women grabbing paper towels by the handful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I took my turn – with socks – and headed back to my seat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The meeting began and our leader announced that this week's meeting topic would focus on the phrase “If only…” because people say, "If only ___________, then my weight loss would be successful." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Still steaming from all the paper towels, the first thought that popped into my head was, “If only we all brought socks to the meeting and eliminated the need to step on paper towels for two tenths of a second.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The first woman's "if only" was “If only I had someone to clean up after me, I’d save more time.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To which the leader replied, “You can always get disposable things!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Before I had time to get mad, another woman said, “I line all my pans with tin foil and then when I’m done cooking, I just throw it away so I don’t have to scrub!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was too much...like a green Sanya Richards Ross, I sprinted into action, waving my hand frantically in the air.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The leader nodded to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“I’m a huge environmentalist and when you talk about disposable and throwing things away, it makes me want to rip my head off!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The leader looked horrified and the entire room of women was staring back at me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"If you do your own dishes," I continued, "and give that pan a little elbow grease, you can earn Weight Watchers activity points.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The leader did say "Good point," but it was clear I wasn't winning any medals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I didn't even get the usual smile and a nod when someone leaves early, which I had to do (I couldn't miss the synchronized swimming finals!). </span><br />
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<br />
When I got home, I made an Olympic size dinner - used my own plates and scrubbed my own pans.<br />
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And I imagined the coverage went like this . . . <br />
<br />
<strong>Bob Costas</strong><br />
She's going . . . she's going . . . she's won the Green Medal! <br />
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<br />The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-2779690083743694182012-07-12T12:18:00.002-04:002012-07-12T12:18:19.169-04:00The Stepford Cashier<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As I stood in line at Key Foods waiting for my turn at the check out, the girl in front of me put her groceries on the conveyor belt. Then I watched in horror as the cashier double bagged them: two frozen dinners (double bag), a 12-pack of ginger ale – with an easy-carry handle (double bag), and the bounty to end all bounties, paper towels (double bag!!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most of the time when I'm shopping, I watch this process in utter amazement and annoyance. But double bagging paper towels threw me over the edge. I found myself wishing the Brawny guy would stick his big hand out and slap the cashier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The girl left and it was my turn. I tried to remain calm. All of a sudden, the words came rushing out of my mouth. “Do you think this store will ever ban the plastic bag?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He chuckled…nervously…and replied, “That’s not in our power. That has to come from the Federal government.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This poor kid had no idea how things worked. How many people thought this? Or thought about it at all?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Well, that’s not true," I said. "The city has the power to ban the bag and I’m working to help that process.” I said trying not to be preachy, when I really just wanted to grab the stand holding the bags and run out the door.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“The Surfrider Foundation where I volunteer is working hard to get the plastic bag banned in New York. Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland have already banned them!”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Really? Wow,” he said as he started to put my items in a plastic bag. I waved my reusable one at him. “Oh! Sorry. Right.” He started putting my items in a plastic bag again, then caught himself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I realized that these poor cashiers are programmed like Stepford wives to automatically reach for plastic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“I think our store would never be able to do it," he said. “People would get mad.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Doesn’t it matter if the people who don't want plastic get mad?”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">He pondered the thought, agreed and then pointed out that the store sold reusable bags for 99 cents and showed them to me. He said that when someone says they forgot their bag, they offer those.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I thanked him, took my reusable bag, and headed out the door past all the people grabbing their plastic bags. And as I approached the final cashier station, I saw someone’s Brawny paper towels sitting there waiting to be bagged. And I swear the Brawny guy gave me a wink of approval. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-4171194682913001582012-06-29T11:18:00.000-04:002012-06-29T11:18:03.078-04:00Jones Beach Ball Boys!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">For the second time in a month, I saw one of my favorite groups…the Beach Boys! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This wasn’t just any concert…it was the 50th Anniversary Tour. And what better way to see the Beach Boys than at a beach -- Jones Beach! Hearing "California Girls" with the ocean breeze blowing my sun-kissed locks was like catching a wave and sitting on top of the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And if ocean breezes, tiki drinks and my high school anthem, "Kokomo," weren’t enough, the group was introduced (and then later joined) by my teen idol, John Stamos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When the still ever-so-handsome guy appeared on stage, I started hitting John’s leg and screamed, “Oh my God, that’s Blackie Parrish!” Could this night get any better? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well…at one point, I wished I could get in my little deuce coupe and drive away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There was the guy sitting next to me tapping his chair incessantly. And the kid in front of me buried in a game of Connect Four on his father's iTouch. While I wanted to scream help me, Rhonda, I realized that while they were distracting, it was not tragic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There was a problem with the show. And it wasn't the Beach Boys. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It was the beach <em>balls</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">They were everywhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At first the stupid things just kept getting in my sightline. Then the crowd would erupt in screams as it came near us as if John Stamos himself were batting the ball. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the real reason I hated the damn things is because the brainiacs hitting the balls kept knocking them into the water. They are floating in the Atlantic now, just waiting for some poor whale or dolphin to think it's food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I found myself getting more and more annoyed as the evening went on... especially when one pegged me in the head. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I wish the Beach Boys could get rid of the beach balls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I know some would say that if I'm not giving off good vibrations, that it'd be fun fun fun 'til the greenie took the plastic away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But God only knows I'd like to send the beach balls on a surfin’ safari so there’s no alley oop into the surfer moon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be nice? </span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-18929017069985891392012-04-24T16:22:00.000-04:002012-04-25T17:06:12.970-04:00The Stingray Shuffle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Florida is full of dangers. Sting rays. Bull sharks. Republicans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thankfully, when I was in Florida last week, I survived them all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The biggest thing I survived was Stand Up Paddle surfing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had my first SUP lesson on the Intercoastal Waterway in Jupiter, where my friend took me for one of the greatest, coolest experiences of my life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There were things I needed to watch out for. Drifting into the middle of the Intercoastal and falling off my board were my biggest concerns. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But there was a more immediate obstacle as I entered the warm waters…stingrays.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally my television watching had paid off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had recently seen an episode of <em>Lifeguard</em> where the topic was stingray stings. To avoid them, you have to do the “sting ray shuffle.” Instead of walking, you shuffle, moving the little buggers along so as not to accidentally step on them. The scuffling scares them and they swim away, keeping your feet out of harm’s way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When we were deep enough, I climbed onto my board and after a little while of getting the feel of it, I graduated to the standing position. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I felt so at peace searching for manatees and watching fish jump. And I got to see some rays scurrying below me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was stunned when I lost my balance and fell into the water, but I kept calm and hoisted myself back onto my board. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’m actually more sturdy and confident in the water than on land. I’m famous for bumping into furniture, banging into walls, and tripping over things that shouldn’t be tripped over. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I left Florida, I expected to leave the heat and humidity behind but New York was just as balmy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I knew what was coming next. The dreaded, vampire-energy-sucking air conditioner.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I do not like the A/C. The noise. The fake air. The menace to the environment. Every year I wait longer and longer to install ours. But the time had come upon us early this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was just about finished tightening the last screw. I was ready to settle in with a glass of wine to watch another <em>Lifeguard</em> episode, when I stepped off the two-step stool, lost my footing and came crashing down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had three punctures in the bottom of my foot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had managed not to be wounded not by a stingray's tail, but by an air conditioner's plug. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Later, as I lay in my hospital bed waiting for the doctor to stitch me up, I hummed new lyrics to a Rolling Stones song:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Hitch hitch hike baby </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Across the floor </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>I can't stand it no more </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Now come on baby </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Now get into your slide </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Just ride ride ride </em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Little 3-prong plug, ride!</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Yeah yeah yeah do the A/C shuffle </em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Air conditioners aren't just bad for the environment - they're bad for your foot. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm heading back to my paddle board where the shuffle is safer. </span><br />
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<br />The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-43033025885253738222012-04-20T14:31:00.001-04:002012-04-20T14:31:53.605-04:00Earth Day 2012 - A Billion Acts of Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This Sunday, April 22nd, is the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day! </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Join in the Earth Day “Billion Acts of Green” celebration this weekend! Here are just a couple of events happening in Manhattan but if you check out </span><a href="http://www.earthday.org/2012?gclid=COSdtOqdoK8CFQdN4AodNhBtiA" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Earth Day’s site</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, you will find hundreds of events all across our great nation!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Earth Day New York</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">April 19-21st</span><br />
<a href="http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/go/mallEvents.cfm?eventID=2145396348" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Grand Central Terminal</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Join in the fun at GCS where there will be exhibits, activities for adults and kids as well as entertainment! Best of all…it’s FREE!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.greenfestivals.org/nyc/updates/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Green Festival</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">April 21-22</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Javits Center North</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Saturday – 10-7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sunday – 11-6</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This is an amazing weekend packed with “green” vendors, amazing speakers and sustainable food. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Tickets are $10 for the day or $15 for the weekend if you buy online (a bit more at the door)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In celebration of Earth Day - I thought I'd give you some "green" tips. Unfortunately I don’t have enough room here to give you a billion tips, so how about 10? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Use a reusable water bottle to keep plastic out of our landfills and oceans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Keep your own utensils at work and avoid plastic ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Change out your light bulbs for LED or CFL bulbs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Unplug those “vampire” energy suckers like hair dryers and coffee makers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Use an eco-friendly power strip if you need to keep things plugged in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. Use non-toxic, biodegradable household cleaners. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Eat local, organic and sustainable foods. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Use reusable shopping bags. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth or while drying your hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Pledge your act of green on the </span><a href="http://act.earthday.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Earth Day</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> website and tell all your friends to get on board! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One person’s actions can make a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-39441128380114839242012-03-22T12:38:00.000-04:002012-03-22T12:38:38.946-04:00World Water Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXkkV_YF7LKsnWmQ7oVfUE_x780E-uGeGcZbsIGb3gvxxkAZpouZOGsaTwrraxtpDuVJ7hB0k6Oqr55Q0rYtO9yER7N1StXBFaIvvnDMiMoiXClojzdaAh7KkVA0iWzcXBA7zh8Hvkg9-/s1600/wwd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgXkkV_YF7LKsnWmQ7oVfUE_x780E-uGeGcZbsIGb3gvxxkAZpouZOGsaTwrraxtpDuVJ7hB0k6Oqr55Q0rYtO9yER7N1StXBFaIvvnDMiMoiXClojzdaAh7KkVA0iWzcXBA7zh8Hvkg9-/s1600/wwd.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love to drink it, swim in it, bathe in it, surf in it (or wish I could surf), brush my teeth with it, clean my clothes with it, cook with it, listen to it and watch it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Maybe it's because I grew up going to the beach all the time...Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, New Smyrna.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Or maybe it's because I have webbed toes like Ashton Kutcher and Patrick Duffy in <em>The Man From Atlantis</em>.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtqPfd-tpuiHu3AFgDbKdstGS-xBFyST4_0lWYwGqftkVHkfnMsyW7dSASeETjg1fYah5yqZ6sD4Z9Sr2q5zeZmQMhYPpNUz8YCslQg89ST5pVzTezrXKbKnfcxkTNFha4A7QuOSuoT0k/s1600/feet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtqPfd-tpuiHu3AFgDbKdstGS-xBFyST4_0lWYwGqftkVHkfnMsyW7dSASeETjg1fYah5yqZ6sD4Z9Sr2q5zeZmQMhYPpNUz8YCslQg89ST5pVzTezrXKbKnfcxkTNFha4A7QuOSuoT0k/s320/feet.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">John often tells me I'm part fish despite the fact that he's grossly intrigued by my twin toes. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I like to think that this unique trait of mine has empowered me to defend and protect our waters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That could be why today is one of my favorite days...World Water Day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">World Water Day was conceived to "focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But with the world weighing in at a whopping 7 billion people and another 2 billion expected by 2050, we have to do all we can to ensure there is enough water for everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So since today is the 22nd...and the 22nd happens to be one of my favorite numbers (seeing as I was born on the 22nd), I thought I'd give you 22 ways to conserve water!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy H2O Day!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Turn the faucet off when you brush your teeth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Limit your shower to 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Don't water your lawn if you know it's going to rain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Reuse water from your shower or cooking to water your plants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Reduce your food waste - most food is made with, you guessed it, water!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. If you're not going to drink it, ask the waiter to stop filling your water glass with it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">7. Don't use your toilet as your trash can - less flushing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">8. Use a water aerator on your sinks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">9. Install a water saving shower head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">10. Check your toilet for leaks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">11. Rinse your fruits and veggies in a basin as opposed to under the running water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">12. Wash full loads of dishes and laundry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">13. Buy high-efficiency appliances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">14. Use your garbage disposal sparingly and compost.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">15. Soak your pots and pans to get the dried food off instead of running them under the water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">16. Use a commercial car wash that recycles water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">17. Bathe young children together.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">18. When you change your pet's water, use the old water to water your plants and shrubs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">19. Throw the leftover ice from your drinks into plants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">20. Keep up with your car maintenance to reduce leaking of oil and such that seep into our environment and pollute the drinking water.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">21. Sweep your driveway or sidewalk instead of watering it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">22. And finally...my biggest pet peeve...PLEASE turn the water off while you dry your hands!</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-4485651239419197342012-02-27T11:30:00.000-05:002012-02-27T11:30:34.412-05:00And The Swag Goes To...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sociallighthawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/swag_bag-p1498050249266067042wldi_210-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://www.sociallighthawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/swag_bag-p1498050249266067042wldi_210-1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last night ended the awards season with the grand-daddy of them all – The Oscars. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Oscars have always been my favorite awards show (probably because I want to win one). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But this year, my favorite awards show was The Writers Guild of America Awards (of course I’m partial because my husband produced them).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love to get all dressed up and I got to see my friends as well as some of my favorite celebs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When my friend and I got to our seats, we found a program and a box of chocolates. I had not eaten all day (so that my dress would look good) so by the time we sat down, I was ready to gnaw my hand off. The chocolates were a happy surprise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The evening was hysterically funny and everyone had the best time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At the end of the evening, we said our good-byes and made our way towards the door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Suddenly I paused a moment. I felt as if I had forgotten something. I did a quick check but I had everything I came with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We continued out the door and I stopped abruptly. “My Swag Bag!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I turned around and ran back inside only to find…nothing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Where was the bag of unwanted things that I will either give away or never use? Every awards show gives away “The Swag Bag!” Or at least I thought they did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After my initial shock was over, I suddenly realized that the chocolates were the swag. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I wasn’t disappointed (and not because I was starving). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong...in my days before I turned eco-psycho I was all about a bag of free stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But now, I try to consume less and I’m pretty much married to the eco-friendly products I use so I was actually relieved that I didn’t have to go home and empty out this bag of things I felt guilty about getting rid of because someone went to a lot of trouble to get. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There are actually two definitions of Swag from the Urban Dictionary. One describes it as appearance, style or the way one presents themselves. The other is actually an acronym for Stuff We All Get.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I like the “way one presents themselves” definition better because I want to present myself as someone who works hard to make choices that are better for our planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">S.W.A.G. – Someone Who Acts Globally! Hmmm…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So if the WGA awards weren’t already the cream of the crop of 2012, they certainly became that by eliminating their Swag Bag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you must Swag, then think about this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. What did this item have to go through to get to me and my guests?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Will more than one person actually use this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Would I use it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once your rules are in place, use these ideas to make your Swag Bag one that means:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Stuff We All Gobble-up </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. Use a fold up, reuseable bag like a Chico that fits nicely in your purse or pocket.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Add fruit to the bag instead of wasteful, processed, packaged foods.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Enclose a card for a free issue to a magazine rather than the actual one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. Make sure the items are high-quality and not junk - like maybe an organic t-shirt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the best Swag of all is Spending the Weekend Amongst Good-friends-and-food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now that’s some Swag I can get on board with. </span><br />
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</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-56837945403583944982012-02-08T11:59:00.000-05:002012-02-08T11:59:17.335-05:00I'll Have A Grande, Cafe Attitude with Extra Waste<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The old saying is fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. What is it if you fool me 400 times? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">That's my relationship with Starbucks. Actually, my relationship with the coffee giant is more like the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">In past blogs, I've talked about their use of the small, plastic plugs in their cup covers to prevent spillage, the cardboard sleeves slipped over the reusable mug and the making of my drink in a cup which is then poured into my reusable mug.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But the other day was the visit that broke the camel's back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was craving a Peppermint Mocha. I handed my reusable mug over to the barista with my instructions: non-fat milk and no whip. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She took the mug, placed it down on the counter, then grabbed a paper cup and wrote my order on it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Excuse me...but did you just use another cup to write down my order?" </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She looked at me blankly. "Yes."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I felt my blood pressure rising. I tried to take some deep breaths. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I'm sorry but I gave you a reusable mug. The whole point of the reusable mug is to not use paper and save the trees!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But she didn't care. She called the next customer over and told me to wait "over there" for my drink.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"I want to cancel my order and speak to your manager."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The manager came over and I told him the story. His reply was a simple "She's not supposed to do that," followed by "The cup won't go to waste. Those are the cups we use."</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Can you say "contradiction"? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I knew at that moment that this was a regular practice. And it still didn't solve the tree problem, which I pointed out. By this time, the barista was not a happy camper and she began to yell at me. "I don't give a damn about the planet!" To which I replied "You will when there's no planet left for you or your kids!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At this point I knew that it was time to exit the store. I took my cup back - sans the Peppermint Mocha. I was not about to give my $5 to a place that didn't give a crap about our planet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">From that moment on I decided to boycott the coffee chain. I figured out how to make my own peppermint mocha using organic, fair-trade coffee and cocoa. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The next time you go into an establishment with your own cup, take a look behind the counter. Are they really using your mug? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Or are they fooling you too?</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-88280555384161345442011-12-09T14:42:00.000-05:002011-12-09T14:42:47.300-05:00Have Yourself A Sustainable Little Christmas<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHA3ctakRQQM0u7GihHVK9wKzBlWHxwL0XAVI3I7tTUZ2QjKVqbiIg1oKCGyl1ViJA6br7SJ1Xcoowh3K55mKmug298ddMDefrlOlYpAntYVS0fRlH9xiAniC8-B3L3lW0s1FaoGXF7pG/s1600/Gift.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHA3ctakRQQM0u7GihHVK9wKzBlWHxwL0XAVI3I7tTUZ2QjKVqbiIg1oKCGyl1ViJA6br7SJ1Xcoowh3K55mKmug298ddMDefrlOlYpAntYVS0fRlH9xiAniC8-B3L3lW0s1FaoGXF7pG/s400/Gift.JPG" width="300px" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The other morning I boarded the bus to work and found my favorite seat. The bus quickly became very crowded, as it usually does, and two women parked themselves right up against me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Trying to avoid being hit by their designer handbags, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on their conversation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One woman began to tell her friend about a colleague who had started a company that sold great sustainable gifts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I immediately perked up and wasn't as offended by their bag nearly missing my head.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Her friend quickly interrupted her and said, "Now what exactly does 'sustainable' mean?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was horrified that this seemingly intelligent, well-dressed woman had no idea what 'sustainable' meant. It’s not a hard word to understand. But maybe it’s hard to know how to apply. And then I thought, how many others don't know?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Webster’s defines sustainability as “a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My definition is along the lines of “ Has this gift's production made sure a tree is gone forever?” or “How long will this stay in our landfill?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Materials like bamboo, cork, hemp and organic cottons are great choices for sustainable items such as clothing, flooring, and accessories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Talking about sustainability around the holiday season is super important. Each year we spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on token, mass-produced gifts for family and friends. But do we stop to think about the resources it took to make those things?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This year, I found myself doing more of my shopping on sites like Etsy and eBay, or visiting the local, artisan holiday market. Buying used or hand-crafted items is a much better, unique solution and way more sustainable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As you shop this holiday season, consider these two questions for each gift you're looking at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1) Do I (they) really need it?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2) What did it have to go through to get to me/them?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sustainability can also include gifts that aren't physical objects, like saving a tiger or adopting a manatee. There's nothing more sustainable than making a donation to an organization in your loved one's name. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And when you sit down to wrap those great, sustainable gifts, try and use recycled or re-used gift wrap. Or wrap it in something else like an organic cotton dish towel or pillow case. (I've gone from someone who used to be offended if gift wrapping wasn't nice to someone who's bothered if it's there at all!) </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplTLOIsFPDNhsP-oweopl-IHNC0y2JaT1tEzWzoKAQf1PAbxP1Sri8pISNwQvGSqkm4kLwLYAR2Rf4E7xxcGGq-2dW3Xx_0JtZVsou4-ZfoV7eFbjx8WfO2N5h__X4DCFVJkMC0RCQdTl/s1600/Present.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplTLOIsFPDNhsP-oweopl-IHNC0y2JaT1tEzWzoKAQf1PAbxP1Sri8pISNwQvGSqkm4kLwLYAR2Rf4E7xxcGGq-2dW3Xx_0JtZVsou4-ZfoV7eFbjx8WfO2N5h__X4DCFVJkMC0RCQdTl/s200/Present.JPG" width="150px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our precious Mother Earth is sustainable, but only if we sustain it. Let's make the holiday season The Most Sustainable Time of the Year. Happy Sustainability!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-77681768365230513352011-10-27T15:12:00.001-04:002011-10-27T15:13:00.003-04:00The Seven Year Pen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www4.corecommerce.com/~seltzerllc476/images/categories/3521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115px" ida="true" src="https://www4.corecommerce.com/~seltzerllc476/images/categories/3521.png" width="400px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When I was in 6th grade, there was a kid named Matt who always tipped back on his chair and chewed pens. And as sure as the sun will rise, that pen always exploded in his mouth. He would always be leaving class to head to the boys room to clean up the blue mess left behind on his face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I can only imagine how happy Bic or Papermate was by this act of constantly having to replace his exploded pen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I can only imagine the disappointment of Mother Earth that another pen was headed to the landfill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Now that I'm married, I face a similar problem. A husband who is a writer who keeps a pen/pen cap in his mouth and leaves mangled pieces of plastic all over the apartment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But honestly, how often do we even think of these things? It's a pen. It's meant to have a short life. And it's so small, how could it possibly matter if it ends up in the landfill?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But it does matter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On average, Americans throw away 1,600,000,000 pens every year! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Did you just pull that pen out of your mouth? I did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But now there is a solution. The Seven Year pen!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My friend recently introduced me to this gem of a pen and I'm in love with the idea. I won't need to buy another pen till I'm...well...let's not go there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I dare Matt to try and chew this pen...that would be a lot of ink to clean off his face!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And no pen caps...even better! I won't be picking up mangled pieces of dead pen carcus. And think of the money you'll save.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You can get your Seven Year Pen on the <a href="http://seltzergoods.com/The-Seven-Year-Pen-c3/">Seltzer</a> website. I was very excited to see that Seltzer was carrying these pens as they have a lot of other cool, eco-friendly stationary stuff. I love this site and I hope you will too!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy writing!</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-13293818186644869222011-10-06T11:08:00.000-04:002011-10-06T11:08:37.715-04:00An Apple A Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thinkofthat.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/AppleMacintoshLogo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" kca="true" src="http://thinkofthat.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/AppleMacintoshLogo2.jpg" width="185px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last night when I heard the news that Steve Jobs passed away, I became overwhelmed with sadness. With all that is going on with Occupy Wall Street, it's rather strange that I would feel this way over a CEO of a large corporation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But to me, Apple is more like family than big business.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My sophomore year of college I purchased my very first MacIntosh. It was 1988 and I was one of only a few girls in my sorority house to have a computer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If it's possible to love a machine, I was in love with my Mac. Everyone loved her and she affectionately became known as "Polly."</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://oldcomputers.net/pics/macintosh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261px" kca="true" src="http://oldcomputers.net/pics/macintosh.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Her unique font, user-friendly system and ultra-cool design made you want to run over and turn her on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She came home with me on college breaks and eventually moved with me to Washington.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And then she became older. She slowed down and eventually became obsolete. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There wasn't a love connection with my next computer. A regular PC that didn't respond to me in the way Polly did. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But eventually, another Mac came back into my life. The iMac. A beautiful, white, spaceship style that fit into our family like an old friend. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2002/01/08/bu_imac-tableglow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" kca="true" src="http://imgs.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2002/01/08/bu_imac-tableglow.jpg" width="255px" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By this time, Apple products were also producing a small carbon footprint, improving their product's environmental performance by "designing them to use less material, ship with smaller packaging, be free of toxic substances used by others, and be as energy efficient and recyclable as possible." It was a dream come true.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">With that in mind, our Mac family began to grow with the addition of QTMcGee, my laptop, and Larue, my iPhone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This blog was born on a Mac and continues to reproduce on one. Apple products made a huge impact on my life and John's. Movies, scripts, blogs and books have all been written and produced on our Macs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We are forever indebted to Steve Jobs and his vision that helped our visions become realities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My deepst sympathies to his family. Our thoughts...and Macs...are with you.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-46845075564081943012011-09-29T14:45:00.000-04:002011-09-29T14:45:50.786-04:00RAPpers Delight<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Right now, the biggest thing to hit the beach since Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon is rap. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">No...I'm not talking about The Sugar Hill Gang grabbing surfboards or Grandmaster Flash taking the white lines highway to Santa Monica Pier. I'm talking about RAP - the <a href="http://riseaboveplastics.org/">Rise Above Plastics</a> movement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Plastics threaten not only our planet but our oceans and marine life. Thousands of marine life die each year from either ingesting plastics or getting tangled in them. So <a href="http://www.surfrider.org/pages/4702">The Surfrider Foundation</a> went on a mission to "reduce the impacts of plastics in the marine environment by raising awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution and by advocating for a reduction of single-use plastics and the recycling of all plastics."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Are you re-thinking taking a drink from that plastic water bottle in your hand right now? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It's time to put down that bottle and grab your ceramic beer stein.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yes...I said beer stein! Because...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">October is <a href="http://www.raptoberfest.org/"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong>RAPTOBERFEST</strong></span></a>!! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Raptoberfest will be giving you tips all month long on how you can lessen your plastic footprint. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But first, let's kick off Raptoberfest right! Remember that beer stein I told you to get. Do you have it? Good. But WAIT! Don't fill it with beer (yet). I'm starting to tease you, aren't I? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Take the stein to your favorite beach or park this Saturday for the <a href="http://www.raptoberfest.org/ofaat/">One Foot At A Time</a> plastic clean-up. The goal is to pick up one square foot of plastic and then get creative. Click <a href="http://www.raptoberfest.org/ofaat/download-ofaat-templates/">here</a> to choose your template, print it out and create something wonderful from the plastics you've collected! There will be prizes for the best piece of plastic art. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Check back because I'll be posting my masterpiece. And then I'll properly dispose of it in the recycling bin.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">OK...Now you can fill up your stein. And perform rap songs. Rise Above Plastic songs, that is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">See I am Wonder Mere </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">And I'd like to say hello </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To the bag, to the cap, the toy and the straw</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To the bottle and jello </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But first </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I gotta ban ban</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The plastics from the beach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Say up jump the ocean </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">To the banned banned plastics </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Take stock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">You don't stop </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Rock the clean-up that will make your planet rock</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">"Recycler's Delight" </span><br />
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</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-69316087688434355272011-08-25T13:38:00.001-04:002011-08-25T13:39:32.358-04:00Back to Green School Shopping 101<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thefashionablebambino.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" qaa="true" src="http://www.thefashionablebambino.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bts.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I love back-to-school shopping! Notebooks, folders, backpacks…it makes me want to be back in a small wooden desk smelling worksheets fresh off the ditto machine. Of course, the ditto ink smell was probably the toxic equivalent of an elementary school BP oil spill.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.peteglover.com/junkstore/ditto2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" qaa="true" src="http://www.peteglover.com/junkstore/ditto2.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Growing up, back-to-school shopping was a ritual. We piled in the car and headed off to Bradlees and Caldor to get our supplies. I can still remember my first Snoopy loose-leaf binder and my blue Trapper Keeper. Come to think of it, I sniffed those too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While my school supplies were more than likely filled with BPA and toxic substances, today’s school supplies are much eco-friendlier. Kids have choices now. And since our kids are going to be making decisions and running the world sooner than we think, this is the perfect time to step in and teach them which supplies are the right ones to sniff!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">School supply shopping does not have to be a complicated word problem. Instead, it can be a simpler multiple choice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here’s a little mnemonic device to shop SMART this back to school season:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">S</span></strong>olar calculators and chargers are best. Harness the sunshine!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gd-wholesale.com/userimg/3391/3418i1/solar-calculator-cj-606-49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" qaa="true" src="http://www.gd-wholesale.com/userimg/3391/3418i1/solar-calculator-cj-606-49.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">M</span></strong>ake your child’s lunch using healthy, local and organic foods and pack it all up in a reusable lunch bag!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mochatini.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/2008-09-05-spoollunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197px" qaa="true" src="http://www.mochatini.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/2008-09-05-spoollunch.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>A</strong> </span><span style="color: black;">reusable water bottle is key to keeping your child hydrated and away from sugary soft drinks.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://inhabitots.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/sigg-reusable-water-bottle-sale-kids-reusable-wate-bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150px" qaa="true" src="http://inhabitots.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/sigg-reusable-water-bottle-sale-kids-reusable-wate-bottles.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">R</span></strong>ecycled products are best! Look for backpacks, notebooks, pens and other supplies made out of recycled </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">materials.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/backtoschoolsupplies-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220px" qaa="true" src="http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-content/uploads/backtoschoolsupplies-copy.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #38761d;">T</span></strong>hrift store shopping for new clothes. Today’s thrift stores carry items that still have tags on them! Don’t be afraid </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">to venture in and take a look.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://kingmanmerchantsmall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Kingman_AZ_Special_Ts_Thrift_Store__More_in_clothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146px" qaa="true" src="http://kingmanmerchantsmall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Kingman_AZ_Special_Ts_Thrift_Store__More_in_clothing.jpg" width="200px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Your choices and actions will be picked up on by your kids. Make sure you score an A+ for your kids…and the earth!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">(<a href="http://theultimategreenstore.com/"><span style="color: #38761d;">The Ultimate Green Store</span></a> is a great place to complete your one-stop shopping for "green" school supplies!)</span></div><br />
The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-44337975813172799162011-08-17T14:08:00.000-04:002011-08-17T14:08:07.976-04:00Tales From The Shark Side<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">After years of being inundated with shark movies, Shark Week and being told how to save someone from a shark attack, now we are learning how to save sharks from humans.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sharks have been swimming the world’s oceans for 400 million years. They have survived mass extinction events but are now endangered because of us. Sharks may be popular villains, but they are a vital part of the world’s ocean ecosystems. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last weekend, I was volunteering for Oceana, which had a booth at Nautica’s New York City Triathlon in Central Park. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Oceana is a non-profit ocean conservation and advocacy organization created ten years ago by several foundations. It merged with Ted Danson’s American Oceans Campaign to become the largest such group working hard to prevent collapse of fish populations, stop ocean pollution, protect sea turtles from extinction and other important causes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At the Triathlon their focus was their Shark Campaign. Oceana is pushing for shark finning bans, reduced shark bycatch (sharks caught in nets) and other forms of protection through policy, science and legal work. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Our goal was to accumulate 500 signatures to send to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to help save sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We moved through the park like . . . sharks. While we didn't attack anyone, we did keep moving, hungry for signatures, offering bracelets of support to those that signed our petition. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Soon it looked like I was gonna need a bigger clipboard. I was being harpooned with one strange rejection after another. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One woman asked when the sharks had arrived in Mexico. Um, I guess we weren’t clear we were talking about the Gulf of Mexico .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Others gave the simple “No…I’m good.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Yeah, but the sharks aren’t!” I wanted to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“I’m with the Ocean Conservancy, but no.”</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Huh?</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">“Sharks! Not while I’m swimming,” one girl exclaimed. “Dolphins, yes. Whales, yes. Sharks, no way!” </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">They say the same about you, I thought.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One man started off sensible and then said that we should round up all the people who catch sharks and shoot them instead. No thanks, Chief Brody. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85bncLoHx0BQ24xULSJ_8cphW3I2Hm1j8N3MO6zHJMJ6syUBQ7Jy2rrcQfAK-wMxzaz8mr9b9pe6KghC37lM5u1qJ1xVp5BsnJFHkuQMUt3xKjgx3IE7qyKWVx4npLwdbKfBJXtU1P1c3/s320/jaws_brody-radio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg85bncLoHx0BQ24xULSJ_8cphW3I2Hm1j8N3MO6zHJMJ6syUBQ7Jy2rrcQfAK-wMxzaz8mr9b9pe6KghC37lM5u1qJ1xVp5BsnJFHkuQMUt3xKjgx3IE7qyKWVx4npLwdbKfBJXtU1P1c3/s320/jaws_brody-radio.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My favorite response was “Call Spielberg.” I just might, considering how much Jaws – which is one of my favorite movies – has hurt the image of sharks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/StevenSpielbergJaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" naa="true" src="http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/StevenSpielbergJaws.jpg" width="208px" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As Hooper said to Mayor Vaughn in Jaws: “I think you're going to ignore this particular problem, until it swims up and bites you on the ass!”</span><br />
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</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.starpulse.com/news/bloggers/6/blog_images/jaws-celebrates-its-35th-anniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138px" naa="true" src="http://images.starpulse.com/news/bloggers/6/blog_images/jaws-celebrates-its-35th-anniversary.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Despite everything, we made our goal of 500 signatures. We didn’t bite anyone, but we did swim up to them. To truly protect these important creatures, we are going to need an even bigger clipboard</span>. The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-65819336679350804122011-08-08T11:29:00.001-04:002011-08-12T22:56:04.449-04:00Big Brother After Shark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://emol.org/tv/programs/sharkweek/Shark_Week_SHARKMAN_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" naa="true" src="http://emol.org/tv/programs/sharkweek/Shark_Week_SHARKMAN_5.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Like many Americans, I was obsessed with Shark Week last week. My TV had not left the Discovery Channel, except for side trips to Showtime for <i>Big Brother After Dark</i>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last week, the <i>Big Brother</i> house was also affected by Shark Week, as the “Have Nots” were subjected to sardines and seaweed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While the contestants in the BB house are called “House Guests,” every time you set foot in the ocean, you’re a “house guest” of the sharks. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thankfully, most of the time we’re welcome. But should a hungry, confused Great White become “Head of Household, ” there could be a slight chance of being “evicted.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In 2010 there were approximately <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_attack">60 shark attacks</a>, most of which did not end in death. If you consider the hundreds of people at your local beach on the hottest summer day and multiply that by the thousands of beaches worldwide, that number is pretty miniscule...especically since humans kill more than 70 million sharks worldwide every year.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While sharks may be one of the most-feared animals, they are an important part of our eco-system. In their role at the top of the food chain, they keep other fish populations healthy. They are powerful yet provide balance (like BB’s Jeff and Jordan). </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">These beautiful, majestic creatures are actually the ones in danger of being evicted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Shark finning, trawler nets, high mercury levels and extinction are just some of the challenges facing sharks. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But you can help. You have the "Power of Veto" and can take these sharks off the chopping block!</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://oceana.org/?id=2927">Oceana</a> and <a href="http://www.sharksavers.org/index.php">Shark Savers</a> are doing amazing work to help save sharks. Visit their websites to find out how you can make a difference. Sign a petition, know where your seafood comes from and stay away from shark fin soup (<i>Big Brother’s</i> Slop would be a better choice). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Taking these small steps can make a huge difference for these amazing creatures of the deep. Sharks need us to build an alliance with them, so they can make it to the end. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Nothing comes between me and my sharks!</span>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3637876387499761295.post-89005372232325283802011-07-19T09:41:00.001-04:002011-07-19T09:42:45.422-04:00Journey to the Center of the Green Earth<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I have been busy cleaning out my apartment. It was definitely time to purge, so for a while there, there was literally nowhere to sit while I had bags, clothes, and a myriad of other crap lying over every flat surface.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ironically, I threw very little in the trash and recycling bin. Most things had another home to go to. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Once I had sorted the good, the bad and the ugly, I loaded up my granny cart (or, as John and I lovingly refer to it, "the cart that paid for itself" since it's saved us on many an occasion) with all sorts of stuff and began my way down the six flights of stairs and around the neighborhood unloading my stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here is my journey of how I kept things out of the landfill:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. C-Town. This was my favorite drop-off. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I had been collecting our glass milk bottles to re-use for iced tea and impromptu vases. However, I'd collected so many (17 to be exact) that I no longer had room. It was time for them to head off into recycling-ville. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">But as I lifted the lid off my recycling can, John shouted, "Wait!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Apparently, we'd paid a deposit on those bottles and he wanted to return them to the store. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I argued a bit with him asking if $.05 was worth the trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As it turns out, it was one time I was happy to be wrong as the deposit was not $.05 but rather $1.50! I collected over $25 for my 17 bottles! I stood in front of the cashier with a look that clearly frightened her. "Are you sure this is right?" I asked. She assured me it was. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn3hUnya479bj17uy7hcPjBCIZggjzexJEm2jH9fr8NJmoPzJijV6RBQ63wC_dlYGDss9WrQxsf_mL01_n-1XZwke1BQ0VqnoqK721gNtHtUPltoGSHaVf1ChbwKQLbiTMhJblsFVg2Ux/s1600/Bottles+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn3hUnya479bj17uy7hcPjBCIZggjzexJEm2jH9fr8NJmoPzJijV6RBQ63wC_dlYGDss9WrQxsf_mL01_n-1XZwke1BQ0VqnoqK721gNtHtUPltoGSHaVf1ChbwKQLbiTMhJblsFVg2Ux/s320/Bottles+1.JPG" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I continued happily on my way with "the cart that paid for itself" and made my way to the next stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. Ventura. Not the boulevard or the city. The apartment building. It's where the Wearable Collections box is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Wearable Collections is a company I discovered in the NYC area that collects old clothes, bags, and shoes. The things that are in good condition are given to people in need. The stuff that is torn, ripped and headed for the landfill is turned into new fibers to make new things. The in-between stuff is made into rags. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. Goodwill. I did have some household items that were ready for a new home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. The Animal Shelter. Here is where I drop off old towels, sheets, and t-shirts. They are used to line the cages of the dogs and cats. They are always at a shortage for this type of stuff and much appreciate the donation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. Aveda. I was not shopping but rather dropping off all of the bottle caps I had collected. Well over 100 of them! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since bottle caps can't be recycled, I collect them at home and at work and turn them over to Aveda who turns them into their bottles. And sometimes, if you get a really nice salesperson, they'll give you a hand massage or a free sample of hand lotion as a thank you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">6. UPS. My final stop was the UPS Store where I dropped off all those horrendous styrofoam peanuts I'd been saving from packages at work. Those were the worst since they seem to fly around and get stuck everywhere. I was happy to unload those.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I returned home and finished my delivery day by posting some stuff on eBay which turned out to be somewhat lucrative this time around!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The entire process probably took less than 45 minutes and was well worth it. Not only did I keep a lot of things out of the landfill, but others will benefit from it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So tell me...what can you keep out of the landfill this week?</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Green, The Bad and The Uglyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06632350404993777787noreply@blogger.com2