A Dreamer and Doer for Earth Day

I have received the best present.

It's not my birthday and clearly it's not Christmas (though it's been chilly enough).


It's for Earth Day.


Earth Day is this Friday. In its 41st year, it's promoting "A Billion Acts of Green".


I knew that my Earth Day celebration would include heading over to Grand Central Station where there are many events going on, but in my wildest dreams, I didn't imagine that I'd be getting such a gift.


My sister called the other day. My nephew Robert came to her and told her he wanted to enter the Disney Dreamers and Doers contest. Central Florida children in grades K-12 can nominate themselves.  It is Disney's way of recognizing those "who demonstrate excellence in their schools and communities."


The children are judged on an essay so Melissa asked him what he wanted to write about.


Here is what he wrote:


"When I go to the beach, I walk with my sister and my aunt and we clean up all of the trash that people leave.  We sort and make a trash and recycle pile.  It is fun and other families walk by and say good job.  It also helps the Earth."


I had no idea the day I took him and his sister Theresa for a walk on the beach to collect seashells would turn into a beach clean-up - and that it would make such an impact on him.


Robert is one of three finalists in his school, but it doesn't matter to me whether he wins the contest.


He's already won.


And so have I.


And best of all - so has the Earth!

Eating With The Enemy

One of the saddest days of my life was when my boss's daughter quit Girl Scouts.


I'm sorry to say I wasn't sad because she was no longer earning patches, but because I would miss the coveted cookies.


Every spring, my boss would come in with that giant piece of paper.  You know the one...with all the colored rows where you check off that green box for Thin Mints.  (Of course in my house, it's never just one box of Thin Mints.  It's more like four . . . or eight. . . or ten.  Plus boxes and boxes of Tagalongs (now renamed Peanut Butter Patties).


Then that day would arrive when she'd walk in with her supersized duffle bag and start handing out the greatest cookies ever made.


They went straight home and into the freezer.  Because everyone knows that a Girl Scout cookie is best when frozen.  There's nothing like that first bite of the Tagalong...separating the peanut butter top from the cookie bottom in your mouth, letting the flavors mix together and...OK...I'll stop now.


John and I would savor each one and make them last for months.


Wait...who am I kidding?  John could polish off a box in a night!


Clearly, the cookies are not good for my waistline and I didn't kid myself they used any organic ingredients.  But I figured it's a once-a-year indulgence that brings me back to my childhood, when my sister and I sold them.  My mom would be up all night grouping the boxes for easy delivery. 



Unfortunately, there's another reason why I need to be worried about my cookies.


Orangutans.

Orangutans are in danger.  And it's the Thin Mint's fault.


Apparently, the morsels of goodness are made with palm oil.


Most oil palm plantations are in Indonesia where deforestation, forest fires and hunters are the main cause of the decrease in organutans population.


But ironically, it's Girls Scouts to the rescue!


Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen are two young Girl Scouts who are taking a stand against this.  They have been awarded the titles of Rainforest Heros by the Rainforest Action Network.  These two heroes are committee to convincing Girl Scouts USA to stop using palm oil in their cookies, via letter writing campaigns and presentations.


Girls Scouts USA claim that they can't make a cookie without the enemy.  But I won't eat a cookie with the enemy.


It's good that that famous order sheet won't be making its rounds in my office anymore.


And I won't go hunting for the sheet until the orangutans, not the palm oil, are protected.

Code Green...Dr. Earth to the Trash Room - Stat!

Last month, I said good-bye to a part of me.


An important part.  A part that had been with me my whole life.


It wasn't a sad good-bye, but one that I knew would be good for me and make my life better.


I said good-bye to my gall bladder.


For 20 years whenever I had stomach pains I thought I had a corn allergy, when, in fact, it was those nasty gall stones.


My hospital stay was only about seven hours.  But even in that short time-span -- and being heavily sedated -- I still managed to be on green patrol.


I was hooked up to monitors with disposable electric sticky pads, had various IV tubes stuck in my hand (including one that the anesthesiologist took out and replaced because he didn't like the nurse's "attachment style") and sported more band-aids than I could keep track of.  I watched in amazement as the nurses continuously reached for the trash can.


As the doctor administered the anesthesia and I began to drift off (while alerting him every few seconds that I was still awake and it wasn't time to start cutting), I worried about the disposable items that were being used on me to make me feel better.


Wait!  Isn't that how our whole lives are tailored these days?  How much disposable stuff do we use to make our lives easier which in turn makes us feel better?

Why did I think the hospital would be any different?


I wondered, where does all that red bucket waste go?  Is there a separate landfill?

It turns out that hospitals alone generate over two million tons of medical waste annually, of which about 90% is incinerated, generating all sorts of horrible gases into the atmosphere.


Before I knew it, I was back in the recovery room telling anyone who would listen that "it hurt."


They gave me another disposable plastic bag full of saline (I assume...it was really potent saline!) and I tried hard to keep my eyes open so I could go home.

John came by to visit me, but the doctor assured him that it would be a while longer.  He told me later that I said something he didn't understand about "recycled styrofoam cups."



As my stupor began to wear off, I overheard three residents sitting at the desk across from my bed.

Here is the conversation as I remember it:

(Lots of laughter)


"Oh! You're the one!"

"Yes...she's the one that's all paper conscious and sh*t."


"Wow.  Wait till she sees the OR and what they throw away in there!  You better get over your 'green' thing fast!"

(More laughter as the female resident hit the "green thing" resident with a folder.)


So the good news was there was a fellow greenie on the staff.  The bad news was they had to have a conversation about it.  How much waste was generated on account of my stupid gall stones?


With infections on the rise, I realize that everything has to be pre-packaged and sterile. I'm all for that.  But there must be a better way to dispose of medical waste.


A hospital's primary function is to serve the health of the people - which includes the health of the planet.

Now when someone says to me, "You mean to say you have the gall to tell me we should worry about hospital waste, too?"  I'll say, "No, I don't have any gall at all."

After all, I said good-bye to it.

The Vampire Energies

The other morning I awoke from my slumber like any other morning.  I had a big stretch, got out of bed, gave Bailey his "good morning" kiss and made my way through the barely lit living room trying not to trip on one of the many stuffed dog toys lying on the ground.


I found my way to the fridge, took a swig of water and then continued on, making my way to the bathroom.


But something stopped me.  Suddenly, I was startled awake.

Not by the alarm clock, but by the coffee pot being plugged in.


An energy vampire.

It had somehow been invited in.

In its sexy, caffeinated way, it was sucking up power.

I acted quickly.  There was no time to waste.  I reached for the stake, but it was still thawing (OK, I meant "steak").

I did the next best thing - I pulled the plug.


The vampire died, but will surely leave its bite marks on the US power grid.


According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the plugged-in appliances that we take for granted use up 5-10% of the residential energy supply.  The average American has 10-50 of these appliances plugged in, jacking up their electric bills.


When I first started going green, I ran around my apartment like a crazy woman unplugging everything in sight.  Hair dryers, clocks, phone chargers.  We are very careful to unplug when we're not using the appliance.

Unfortunately, there are some things that seem impossible to unplug every time.  Like the TV, cable box and our main computer.  Unplugging them is an effort because it takes time to reboot your cable box and it also prevents the DVR from taping those all important episodes of The Bachelor.  And simply turning them off is not enough.  They're still leeching power.

So what to do?


Don't worry!  You won't have to string garlic or douse your house with holy water.  There are other solutions.


One way is to look for energy efficient Energy Star* electronics when you're replacing your old ones. (And don't forget to take the old ones to an electronics recycling event in your area.)

Another way is to get smarter power strips.  I like the BITS Smart Strip Power Strip.  You can get it with either 7 or 10 outlets.  It has regular outlets for appliances that have to be on all the time, but other sensors that will turn off things when they haven't been in use.


So what are you waiting for?  Bill (coffee pot), Damian (cable box) and Edward (chargers) may glamour you into the ease of keeping them plugged in, but at the end of the day, their survival depends on your blood.  (I mean, energy.)


*As of January, 2011, the GOP wants the Energy Star program (among other "green" initiatives) cut as part of their "slash government spending" promise.  Let's hope this does not pass.  I will keep you posted. 

Dancing in the Dark

Tomorrow night is Earth Hour 2011!  At 8:30 PM, people around the world will turn their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

While this started in 2007, this will only be my third official Earth Hour.

For my first one, John and I sat in our apartment, candles lit, and...I waited. The hour seemed to take forever.  We talked but I admit I kept checking my watch.  And I remember when it was time to turn the lights back on, it felt weird.  Was that it?  Was the purpose just to sit in the dark for an hour?  Had I really done my part?  Or was I just waiting for HGTV to come back on?


For my second one, John and I sat in our apartment, candles lit, and...I fell asleep.  That felt weird too.  I was pretty sure the idea was to stay awake and reflect, not repose.  And John had to listen to me snore.


For my third one, John and I sat...in a theater.  We had tickets to a play.  There we were...in a black box theater with lots of big, hot lights shining down.  A reminder of the global warming that at that moment we weren't doing anything about.


Somehow my Earth Hours weren't adding up...or coming together.


For my fourth...tomorrow night...I will go back to sitting in my apartment, candles lit, and...what?

How can I/we make the most of our hour in the dark?  (Minds out of the gutter, please...this is for the environment!)

Here are five ideas on How to Make the Most of Earth Hour...candles lit:


1) Invite friends over and have an Earth Hour party!  Grab some organic or local wine/beer, bake some kale chips and par-tay!


2) Get crafty with the kids!  Get out all that scrap paper, torn t-shirts, loose buttons and put them to work.  It's about time you had some new art on your walls!


3) Plan out your next eco-friendly vacation equipped with a Terrapass, eco-friendly hotel and a beach clean-up!


4) Do an early spring cleaning!  Get into your closet and purge.  Fill up your bags of unwanted items and take them over to your neighborhood Goodwill so others can use them.


5) Grab your bottle of local/organic wine and snuggle up with your loved one.  Revel in the silence, soak up the ambience and feel good that you are raising your own awareness to keep this incredible planet of ours going.  (Now you can put your mind back in the gutter!)

Mizu

Mizu is Japanese for "water."


And today is World Water Day!

Unfortunately, the image I'm associating with water these days is that of the tsunami - and the cars, buildings and people it took with it.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan.

Ironically, this year's WWD theme is Water for Cities:  Responding to the Urban Challenge.

Challenge?  What challenge?  Getting your Klean Kanteen through airport security?


Not exactly.


Did you know that for the first time in history, most of the world's population now live in cities?


I found that staggering.  Well, maybe not. I t feels that way when I'm in Times Square or on Canal Street.


New York has definitely become more crowded over the years but they're not referring to the US or Europe.  93% of urbanization is in poor or developing countries...mostly in Africa and Asia.


My initial thoughts were that they must be facing a water shortage.  But that wasn't the case.  They're facing management problems.


Hmm.  It seems that we New Yorkers aren't the only ones being ripped off.


Because these city infrastructures have not kept up with the increasing rate of urbanization, their systems are declining and poor people are getting the shaft.  And because they can't afford to extend sewers to less fortunate areas, the volume of sewage is increasing and is causing a threat to their health and the environment.


And this is only going to get worse.


As global warming continues, and floods, droughts and "extreme events" (their words, not mine) occur, disrupting services, rising costs will drive more people to urban areas, increasing demands on these urban systems.

So far this is turning into a pretty grim piece.  But it does have an upside.

By bringing attention to issues like this one, cities have the opportunity to adopt more efficient water treatment technologies and capture water and waste to prevent it from causing environmental and downstream pollution.


Cities are resilient.  There are opportunities here - opportunities to recycle and reuse water and waste.


For me...I'll throw that glass of water that has been sitting on my nightstand into the plant. Wash that hair a little quicker.  Turn the water off while I brush my teeth.

Little things add up.

What will you do on this World Water Day?

Each day seems to bring us more unpleasant news from Japan. We can help. Text "REDCROSS" to 90999 and give a gift.  Any amount will help.

Erin Go Green

Top of the greenin' to ya!

This year, take steps to green your St. Paddy's Day...and I don't just mean your beer color!

1) Forgo all those plastic decorations including shiny shamrock garlands and green plastic bowler hats. You'll save money and keep stuff out of the landfill.

2) Go to an Irish pub that serves local beers. Not only will you be supporting your local businesses, they'll probably taste better too!


3) If you're hosting your own party, mark everyone's cup with their initials. Less waste means extra money in your pocket!


4) Visit your local farmers market this weekend and look for organic and locally grown and raised corned beef and cabbage.


5) Don't just wear green...choose green! Go for that organic cotton t-shirt that you can wear time and time again!


6) And finally...recycle, recycle, recycle! Leprechauns aren't the only ones who can work magic with common household items.


Have fun, travel safe and may the luck of the Irish be with you all!