I [heart] Al Gore

"Now comes the threat of climate crisis ­, a threat that is real, rising, imminent, and universal . . . The penalties for ignoring this challenge are immense and growing, and at some near point would be unsustainable and unrecoverable. For now we still have the power to choose our fate, and the remaining question is only this: Have we the will to act vigorously and in time, or will we remain imprisoned by a dangerous illusion?"
--Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

keeping on keeping on

We've been talking about drinking out of toxic plastic on our listserve and getting bummed out about all the years we've been doing it. It is hard sometimes to do this work, to face what is happening and change it. I especially don't like looking at the ways I contribute to the problem. I hate the fact that my little girls have been drinking out of toxic sippy cups for years and that my breast milk probably did a number on them too. And the plastic thing is just one little tiny facet of this incredibly complex and integrated crisis we find ourselves in. It's scary because we don't know what's going to happen with any of it. And sad because I love my family and want a bright and happy future for them.

So what do we do? How do we move forward? I was talking about this whole situation with a friend of mine who has been a therapist for many years. He said two things that really stuck with me: First, that we need to stay in balance ourselves as we work to return our lives and the world to balance. It's so easy for me to abandon things like sleep, regular meals, exercise, time with my family and friends and plain old fun. But I think my friend is right. We've got to pace ourselves, which is never my strong suit. His other idea is to think of this work as continual transition. We don't have to have it all down, and probably never will. We just need to keep learning, responding and changing, making healthier and more informed choices each time. The sum total of all our small changes will lead to good things.

Some days (often multiple times a day), I don't want to do this green thing anymore. I want to go back to where I was a month ago, blissfully buying plastic toys at 5 in the morning on Black Friday and feeling all cozy in my 72 degree house. But two things keep me moving forward. I keep mentally bouncing against the idea that the reality of global warming isn't going away whether it makes me happy or not. And the thought that always follows is that I need to face it for my kids. The depth of my learning to live green is fueled by my love for my kids. They're (to use my favorite phrase I learned in high school) inextricably intertwined.

I want this future for my kids and I believe it's possible. We can change direction. It's just hard sometimes.

experiment: writing consumer emails

After reading that NY Times story on high tech toys for little kids, I decided to leave a comment on the website. I noticed that neither the story nor the 50 reader comments that followed talked about the massive toxic waste all those toys are going to generate. For some reason, the comment feature was shut down, so I thought I'd just try writing the reporter directly. It was so easy (his email was right there. Come to think of it, I'll send the same email to his co-author too) and so satisfying. Instead of stewing about it and getting depressed, I just asked him to contemplate doing a follow up story on what happens to the e-waste generated by these toys. Took me five minutes. He might completely ignore me, but that doesn't even matter. It's just the act of doing it that feels great, asking our reporters to take responsibility for the consequences of the messages they're delivering. And if he does listen, his deeper investigation into the issue could impact the nation's conversation about buying electronic toys for kids. I'm struck by how easy and painless it is to say your thing to the big dogs via email.

Today, I did it again. I went to the store to buy some Pyrex containers and realized how cool it would be to walk in and pick up a Green Kitchen Kit with a bunch of containers of different sizes, a measuring cup and some tips on how to go green in the kitchen. Especially if the containers were made of recycled glass. Something like that could make going green easier for people looking for it, and introduce the idea to people that aren't. So I just wrote and told them about my idea. Took me another five minutes and it was fun. They might ignore me too, and that's ok. Because now I'm on a roll!

Let me know if you have any email projects you'd like others to help out on and I'll post them here:

> NY Times: Tech Toys Story needs to address the e-waste fallout
> Pyrex: How about a Going Green Kitchen Kit?
> Trader Joes: Why are you selling garlic from China?
> REI: Get rid of the toxic Nalgene bottles