The photograph above (from my post entitled Into the Woods: Hacklebarney State Park) represents a small portion of the joy I found this year, and some of my resolutions for the year ahead. In essence, this post is a retrospective and a wish list.
In 2012, I spent much more time outdoors exploring, beyond our back yard. (If you've got a green blog, this is part of the deal.) In 2013, I will find new forests, new parks, new farms, new trails. In the spirit of the Japanese practice ofshinrin-yoku (forest bathing), I will take more "baths."
In 2012, I read many thoughtful books and blogs on nature and environmentalism from authors who inspired me to live healthier and more eco-consciously. (See the post entitled 10 Green "Gifts" That Won't Cost You a Dime, as well as the sidebar for book recommendations on the home page.) In 2013, I'm looking forward to making the acquaintance of more new environmentalists, sustainability experts, and thought leaders.
In 2012, I bought a lot less stuff. Of course, trying to financially recover from a major kitchen renovation played its part in curbing the overall spending, but by and large, I think I've finally developed a genuine distaste for the endless acquisition of "stuff." It's been liberating. In 2013, I will aim to buy even less stuff, continue to find new homes for old things, and impart the message to my children that more stuff does not equal more happiness. I really believe that experiences are more important and meaningful than anything you could buy at a store, and I wrote about this topic in the posts entitled Rethinking Gifts for Children and Greening the Holiday Gift-Giving.
In 2012, I realized that the best way to approach environmentalism was to accept that it's a personal quest and a never-ending process. It's also a practice that is best served without preaching, proselytizing, or pontificating. This led me to write one of my favorite posts, the one that was most widely read since I began this blog, entitled The Many Shades of Green (or: Get Off Your Green High Horse!). I think the reason it resonated with readers was because, as Kermit The Frog sang, "It's not easy being green." As long as we're heading up the green ladder instead of down, then we're heading in the right direction, and it's best to concentrate on our own progress instead of butting into the green or non-green business of our neighbors (which has its own adverse effects on the green movement).
In 2012, I worked on being more connected to the present moment. I'm not 100% unplugged (nor do I want to be--I've got a blog, after all, so technology is my co-pilot), but I want to be mindful of what's truly important to me. (I wrote about this idea in the posts entitled Unplugging from Technology to Reconnect with Your Child and Changing the Focus.) My goal for 2013 is to savor the experiences, places, and people I cherish, and to live more fully in the present. That last point is tidily summed up by one of my all-time favorite environmentalists, below:
It's been hard to be joyful lately. The weather here in New Jersey has been a reflection of the tragic news from Connecticut, with dense fog and drizzle from dawn 'til dusk. It's been hard to formulate anything to write, so forgive me if this post isn't exactly environmentally focused. I fluctuate between walking around feeling like I've got a barbell on my chest, to bursts of energy due to (not always the wisest) ideas for how to help the families of the victims. Yesterday, after poring listlessly through my Facebook newsfeed, reading all of the sad links my friends were sharing, and signing every petition that was sent my way, I thought I had come upon a "Eureka!" moment: Organize a memorial to plant 26 saplings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. After all, that's been one of the central tenets I've learned from Judaism--to plant a tree in memory of a loved one, so that a new life blooms to commemorate the one that has passed.
But then I paused. I need to be mindful and respectful of what these grieving Newtown families want, not what I want, or what I think they want. I've since learned they have plans for their own memorial (so I will make a donation to that). A friend shared a statement from the family of Dylan Hockley, so I found it informative to hear from somebody (heartbreakingly) connected to the tragedy.
I was equally saddened, shocked, and repulsed when five small schoolgirls were shot at their one-room Amish schoolhouse in October 2006; however, as I knew from visiting Lancaster, Pennsylvania when I was a child, the Amish are intensely private people and they do not appreciate contact with the "outside world." (Is it any wonder?) The best way to help them heal was to let them be, to return to the peace and quiet of their insular world. So, somehow, I let it go...
And now we have Sandy Hook. Another senseless tragedy that could have been prevented. It seemed to keep getting worse and more eerily familiar with each emerging piece of news. I attended a small elementary school in Connecticut. My sister is a teacher of young children. My cousin was the principal of a school. The first victim's name that I heard was Charlotte, the name of my own daughter, who is about the same age. The President called the name of Charlotte first in his interfaith service, and again, I shuddered. Any one of these children could have been one of ours. In a way, they all are.
After the heart-shattering day on Friday, that same night, I attended a lecture by Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who was visiting our town. For an hour and a half, I was completely riveted to the inspiring words of this man, who, with poignant or amusing stories, often came back to the topic of "what can you do with this moment?" Do you make the best of it, or do you make the worst of it? What one small step can you personally take today; what step can you take that will lead to a positive change? He spoke of many times in his own life when he thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, yet he turned the circumstances completely around, sometimes to mind-bogglingly successful results. I hope our country is collectively at one of those turning-point moments now.
When I walked into my home office this morning, after yet another crying jag, my eyes fell upon a book that I'd seen only once before--I'm not even sure how it got into our house. The title was "Solace in So Many Words" (2011, Weighed Words, LLC). The first page I turned to was right in the middle of the book, and even after pondering through the pages, this first poem I read was the one that most resonated with me in the wake of Sandy Hook:
It's that time of year again--a time for looking back, taking stock, thinking of the most memorable things that happened within the last twelve months. And of course, it's the time of year that we get deluged with lists! The 10 Best Movies of the Year. The 10 Most Intriguing People. The 10 Best Top 10 Lists...well, you get the drift. So who am I to buck the trend? Following are My 10 Favorite Green Resources for 2012 (in no particular order). These are the environmental blogs, books, and ideas that have inspired me to be ever-greener. Just think of them as 10 holiday gifts from me to you--gifts that keep on giving, are clutter-free, plastic-free, battery-free, and just plain FREE. And please, feel free to re-gift them! (Note: The books are still free if you get them from the library.)
1. Little Eco Footprints.I subscribe to many green blogs, but my #1, must-read-it, always-love-it blog is Little Eco Footprints. The blog's writer, Tricia, lives in Australia with her husband and adorable daughter (whom she refers to as "Little Eco"). As she introduces herself: "I write here about learning to live better with less. I dream of living close to nature; having space to grow food; having a little ecological footprint; and being part of a community." Her goal for the past year was to avoid shopping malls and big-box stores, and to support local farms and merchants instead. I love her recipe for homemade play dough--there's just something magical about a hunk of fresh dough that turns every child into a wannabe Auguste Rodin.
2. Beth Terry's blog, My Plastic-Free Life. Think of this as a companion piece to her habit-changing book on the same subject (which I'll review in a future post). I haven't come across anyone better than Beth Terry for researching the monumental problem of plastics in our society, and suggesting what we can personally and collectively do about that problem--all without the "gloom and doom" factor.
3. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.Yes, I know this book was published in 2007; however, this is the year that I finally got around to reading it--and now I wish that I'd read it sooner. Thanks to this book, no more McDonald's food for me (or at least a drastic reduction of it--since I read the book in January, I've taken the kids to McDonald's exactly three times, when we were seriously on the fly). Also thanks to this book: My addiction to Pepsi has been kicked, cold-turkey.
4. Richard Louv's blog: Children & Nature Network. As I wrote in my review of Last Child in the Woods (see sidebar entitled "Green Books for Adults" on the home page), I feel like I grew up with Richard Louv. His childhood was so similar to mine, with a neighborhood full of children all outside, playing together, and exploring from morning 'til evening. Now, his blog continues the inspiring work that he began with his books--citing studies of the changing times, and suggesting how we can re-introduce nature into family life. He's consistently interesting and informative.
5. Posie Gets Cozy. Technically, this choice is not an environmental blog. However, in the green spirit of unplugging and simplifying, Alicia Paulson posts exquisite photos not only of Oregon (I really must visit someday...), but also of the beautiful simplicity of everyday life, of home-made food and hand-sewn things, of quiet moments, of people and pets she cherishes. It's so peaceful and calming, and is the perfect antidote to technological overload. If you've had a long day and night at your desk, filled with number-crunching and telephoning, then make your last stop of the night here, at Alicia's home, before you turn off your computer. Sweet dreams!
6. The Minimalist Mom. Rachel Jonat, the Canadian author of The Minimalist Mom blog (who currently lives on the Isle of Man), inspires me with every single post. I just discoved her blog within the last month, but there's such a treasure trove to dig through in her archives. My two favorite articles so far are Toy Clutter Confessional and Farewell Facebook. Jonat makes so many thoughtful points, I want to follow them all--in moderation. As I said in my post entitled The Many Shades of Green (or: "Get Off Your Green High Horse!"), we're not all at the same levels of environmentalism--and the same goes for minimalism. (By the way, Jonat admits that she's not 100% minimalist either.)
7. Clean. This blog, written by Rachel Jepson Wolf, is subtitled "Your (Crafty, Organic, Bubble-Filled) Happy Place." Gotta love that. I also love the nature photos, tutorials, and good humor, such as this photo of a puppy licking off the Thanksiving dishes completely inside of the dishwasher (scroll down within the link). Plus, Rachel's children are ethereally beautiful, and if I believed that children should be models (my jury is still out on that case), I'd tell her to sign them up, STAT. Her photos of them are just amazing.
8. Treehugger and Live Green. Be Green (LGBG). Yes, I know--those are two things, not one. But they are different sides of the same coin. If you've got a lot of free time (does anybody?), then Treehugger.com is your definitive resource for everything green under the sun. But, if you want a concise, more manageable recap of what's going on in the (green) world this week, that's where LGBG comes in. They research a wide range of green news and then hand-pick the highlights, along with links to the original sources where you can read further (if or when you find that free time). The site isn't just green news stories, though--they also offer good ideas like putting together an earth-friendly holiday party. (Disclosure: LGBG recently featured Joyfully Green [thank you again, LGBG!]; however, I'd been reading and enjoying their blog before they contacted me to let me know about their review.)
9. Go Explore Nature. Blogger Debi Huang and I are like-minded mothers living on opposite coasts. We're both trying our best to nurture a deep appreciation of nature in our children by creatively exploring the outdoors. Actually, she's much better at getting her kids outdoors than I am (probably due in part to the fact that she lives in sunny L.A. and not the chilly Northeast, so she can do things like taking her kids on nighttime strolls in their pajamas during the holidays). But, she also offers up trillions of creative nature projects that you and your kids can make indoors or out. I particularly like her twig stars (which can be made to celebrate Hanukkah, too), and her "Give a Kid a Camera" series.
10. Get Going, Get Green! Blogger Fredi Baker is a self-proclaimed "green geek," but she's also a tireless investigator of everyday things that could use some serious second thoughts. She's delved into everything from the spooky facts about Halloween candy to fossil fuels in airplanes. It's a big world out there, and somehow, she's covering all of it (or large swaths of it!), with a view to greening it. Lofty goals, down-to-earth writing. Love it.
I hope you will enjoy these "gifts" as much as I do. Happy holidays, and have a happy, green new year!
Food for thought: Do you have any green websites, blogs, or books that inspired you this past year?
When I was growing up, our living room had a library of books that filled two walls, floor to ceiling. The books belonged to my father, who lovingly collected them from each new town or city he visited--an old bookstore was the first thing he would scout out when we arrived, and he could stay there, quite happily, for hours, browsing through the stacks, reading a passage here, a page there, until he came away with his selections of three or four new (actually, old) books to take home with him. His vast collection contained books on art, nature, poetry, countries of the world, and languages (he studied seven), but most of all, he collected classic novels, and the older the publication date, the better. (Those are some of his books, pictured above and below. Beautiful, no?)
If my father were alive today, I wonder what he would think of the curious evolution of books, from the printed page to the electronic one. I'm sure he wouldn't have given up his habit of collecting old books (nor should he have), but as a nature-lover, wouldn't he appreciate that books have evolved to a point where we no longer have to cut down trees to make them? Saving Trees = Green, right? To that point, I just read an article noting how 80,000 copies of Jonathan Franzen's novel Freedom had to be pulped due to typographical errors. (Yikes, that makes me cringe just writing it.) With an e-book, the publisher can simply correct any errors electronically.
You would think that e-readers are the greener option just on the tree issue alone. But there's more to consider when weighing the environmental impact of one versus the other. In an article from the Sierra Club entitled "E-Readers vs. Old-Fashioned Books: Which is Eco-Friendler?", the author writes:
"The key to the answer is that basic tenet of sustainability, life cycle analysis. We must consider not only the trees needed to make paper versus the manufacturing of electronics products, but the shipping costs, fuel, and ultimately, the energy needed to recycle these materials at the end of their days. Not to mention, what ultimately happens to e-waste? Where do the non-recyclable remains end up?"
An article from The New York Times' green blog notes that it all depends on how much you read. If you're a big reader, the electronic version of books will quickly offset the environmental impact of buying all of those same books in paper. According to Casey Harrell of Greenpeace, quoted in the same NYT article, borrowing from your public library is one of your greenest choices. I'd venture that buying from a second-hand book shop is another wise environmental option--if you're not going out of your way (i.e., using extra gas) to get there. (By the way, there are two second-hand book shops that are my all-time favorites: Strand Bookstore in New York City ("18 miles of books!"), and The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, the latter of which has dozing dogs and cats nestled in among the stacks, along with "browsing gardens." Heaven!)
There are some important ancillary issues for the debate of which format is better. For example, are e-readers beneficial or harmful to authors? I found an interesting essay on that topic at Popcorn Reads, entitled "The Effect of E-Books and E-Readers on Authors", with the writer noting that piracy is much more of an issue with electronic media. (Side-note to all e-pirates out there: You've seen my digital copyright notices on this blog, right?) The writer also notes that for e-readers, authors are paid a lower price per book. However, they also can sell more copies. My friend, author Shawn F. Peters (The Catonsville Nine, Oxford University Press, 2012) concurs: "The cost of an e-book is lower, so I get less per sale. I don't mind that, though, because I think I'm selling more books overall."
Are e-books causing the demise of traditional books? Now that Borders has gone out of business while sales of e-readers has continued to climb, I wondered if traditional books were on the same trajectory as typewriters and film cameras. Other than rare, old books, which seem to have taken on a strange, new life as "home decor" (the September 2012 issue of Architectural Digest had a series of arguments in the "Letters" column for and against whether people should use books simply for beautiful props in their homes), do people even want traditional books anymore? So I took an informal poll of my friends on Facebook: "Which do you prefer: books or e-readers?" Books actually finished slightly ahead of e-readers, but quite a few respondents said they use both, with an e-reader for travel and traditional books for home. Several friends noted that it's just not feasible to travel with large books. I'd extend that argument to textbooks for students--my son (age 8) can barely make it up the steps of the bus in the morning with his over-crammed backpack of textbooks. I long for the day when he'll just be able to get the necessary texts electronically. And yet...not so fast. There's also the point to consider about information retention. This article on Time.com makes the case that it's harder to remember what you just read if you read it on an e-reader.
My friend, Steve, made a remark that I could relate to: "I love my Kindle as well as books. Leaning toward my Kindle more and more, though, as the books I store there don't take up any precious shelf space at home!" Amen to that! We are a family that is very big on reading, but our son is such a voracious reader now that he tears through thick books in a couple of days. After he raced through the Harry Potter series (those seven hardcover books alone take up over one cubic foot of space on a shelf!), we quickly realized that our bookshelves just couldn't accommodate his reading habits anymore. I'm horrible at math, but even I could tell that we would soon run out of living space if we were buying every book that my son wanted to read. Now, we get most of his books from the library. We will, however, choose one or two classic books for him for the holidays. His class recently enjoyed reading the amusing poems of Shel Silverstein, so A Light In the Attic is on our gift list. We've found that poetry collections stand the test of time and are well worth the shelf space. I'd add children's picture books as well, if the illustrations are particularly lovely and detailed--they're just not the same on a little screen.
But back to the library for a moment: I've found that it's the perfect way to "test-drive" books. If I really, really, REALLY love the book, then I'll buy it. (This happened recently with New York Times contributor Tim Kreider's thoroughly hilarious book, We Learn Nothing. I was constantly quoting passages from it to friends and family, and soon realized that I just needed to own the book myself so I could lend it out. Note: It's not about environmental things [although there's an interesting chapter on peak oil]--it's a mix of liberal politics and achingly funny personal essays.)
Having collected arguments for both sides, it seems to all boil down to how much you read, how frequently you will read or pass on the book, convenience of time and place--and, oh yes--the all-important coziness factor. Several of my Facebook survey respondents mentioned the experience of cozying up to a good book at home. Rachel Safier, author of the book There Goes the Bride (Jossey-Bass, 2003) noted: "I'm a staunch holdout on e-readers, even as my friends moon over them--and even as I'm packing 500-page books in a carry-on bag. There are very few pleasures that compare to cozying up to a book." I heartily agree with her. Sorry, but electronic devices are just not cozy.
And finally, there's the nostalgia factor. There's a certain dreamy pleasure I get from reading my favorite books from my childhood (and I mean the very same books that I owned, with their yellowed pages and my occasional naughty scribbles). As I read them to my own young children, I savor the bittersweet deja vu of storytime with my parents--many, many years ago. You just can't experience that feeling--or pass it on to your children--with an e-reader.
Food for thought: Where do you stand on the issue of e-books vs. traditional books? Does your decision take into consideration the environmental factors on both sides?
I think that I was born "green", with a forest in the back yard and a father who loved gardening, wildlife and nature, and nurtured his children to enjoy and appreciate those things without preaching about them. That last part is important for this post, so I'll say it again: Without Preaching About Them. In my opinion, one of the biggest obstacles that faces the environmental movement today is this rather pervasive notion of "I am greener than you are; therefore, I am morally superior. You need to do everything that I'm doing, or the planet is DOOMED!" I'm no psychologist, but even I know with some degree of certainty that most people do not like being told what to do or how to think. As a result, they will rebel, big-time. Not exactly the desired result for growing the green movement.
As a green blogger, I scout all around the web for discussions about the environmental movement, and within the last couple of days, I found two very interesting and thought-provoking arguments (not arguments in the sense of "You're wrong! You stink!", but more along the lines of "This is how I see it--how do you see it?", which, to me, is so much more productive). The first one was on the blog My Plastic-Free Life, in which its blogger, Beth Terry (author of an inspiring book about living plastic-free--I'll be reviewing it soon), posed the question Should Ziploc be welcomed at the San Francisco Green Festival?" Maybe I'm just an eco-nerd, but I found the post and ensuing forum discussion fascinating. The gist was this: Ziploc has started a plastic bag recycling program, so should they have been allowed to participate in an environmental event, giving attendees the impression that plastic bags can be a green choice? My favorite takeaways from the discussion were this: We can't all be eco-warriors. There are many different shades of green, and if we encourage consumers and corporations to do something green rather than nothing green, at least that's a first step. It's highly debatable, though, as other commenters suggested that giving Ziploc a presence at a green event is completely misleading and unethical, and should be discouraged at all costs.
"[Dayton] expressed fury over his students’ nature deficit, and said that higher education is aiding and abetting that disconnection. Observational science is devalued. Research unversities have dramatically reduced the teaching of natural history, instead favoring the study of lab-created organisms that can be patented for profit."
A commenter on the above thread spoke about how many teens today are highly resistant to the environmental movement because they don't like adults telling them what to do about the world's problems--they also don't like the "alarmism" and the constant threats of doom, so they just tune it right out. As I commented in reply: "That is a daunting observation and there is much truth in the part about teens rebelling against ideas that are forcefully fed to them. However, my main takeaway from Louv's article was his point here: 'To protect anything, you first have to love it. To love anything, you first must get to know it.' If we nurture children from a very young age (long before they hit the teen years) and let them more fully experience and explore nature, then that is more than half the battle. I don't have the answer for what to do about the problem of youth who have made it out of their early childhood years without having been encouraged to explore and appreciate nature, but just as in learning a foreign language, the earlier we can start the process, the better the chances it will stick."
Speaking of efforts for children at a very young age, for the past three years, I've chaired the green team at my children's school (pre-school through 8th grade), which requires me to speak at parents' Back-to-School nights about our green mission for the school year and the related fundraiser to support it. Even before speaking at these events, I can pretty accurately guess which parents will glaze over and start texting, and which parents will support the fundraiser. The simple fact, I think, is this: You're either interested in being green or you're not, and there's very little wiggle room for influence, let alone outright conversion in mindset. This belief can strike panic in the hearts of environmentalists, because on a regular basis, we see that famous photo of the polar bear on the shrinking ice cap, and we hear the planetary clock ticking louder and louder with each passing minute.
Before I even started a blog, I was researching green blogs and found a rather unorthodox tagline at EcoCred: "Gaining ecocred without becoming an eco-douche." Yikes, that's harsh, but I find it hilarious and true, because for people who are not interested in the environment, that's often how they view us "greenies." They get hopping-mad and defensive with environmentalists because they feel we're all trying to get them to donate their cars, buy a bike, live on a farm, grow all of their own organic food, use windmills for power and soy candles for light. And the environmentalists get mad at them in return for scoffing at and dismissing problems which are of paramount importance...to environmentalists. I emphasize that last part because other people have their own causes which are of paramount importance to them. We can't all be passionate about the same things.
My friend (I'll call her Barbara) occasionally buys styrofoam cups and has one of those popular coffee machines at home with the little disposable plastic containers for each serving. She sheepishly tells me, "I'm not that green." BUT, she has a wide assortment of thermoses for her children because she has tried mightily to find the ones that won't leak, instead of buying juice boxes. She also was the one who first suggested that I start our school's green team, offering to help me with it. So, she led me to the green place where I am today, literally changing my life personally and professionally, and I am immensely grateful to her for that. Unwittingly, she has been one of my green mentors and has advanced me much farther along on the green spectrum--so who greened whom? (Thank you, "Barbara"--you know who you are!)
As for being green myself: If there are many shades of green, I would be on the darker end of the spectrum (forest green?), but in no way am I the very deepest green I could be. Unlike Ed Begley, Jr., I don't have a composting toilet and don't ride a bike anywhere except around the neighborhood with my kids, and we don't own any electric or hybrid vehicles. In fact, we have a (gasp!) mini-van. BUT, we also have a Suburu Forester, which is labeled a "partial zero-emissions vehicle" (although I wasn't clear on how a car could be classified as containing "some" and "none" of something until I read this explanation), and we're seriously considering a hybrid when we trade in the van. Unlike Jay Shafer, I don't live in a tiny house (far from it, although I do find his 89-square-foot house charming and cozy, in a rather Hobbit-like way). BUT, we do compost our food scraps at our home, use LED and CFL bulbs, and power the house with alternative sources of energy (wind, solar, hydro) through our electric company.
Notice that I set up those constructs with "Barbara does this un-green thing, BUT then there's this green thing that makes up for it" and "I am not the deepest shade of green, BUT because we do such-and-such at our home, I still consider myself green." These are excuses of a sort--kind of like buying carbon offsets. We do what we think we can, but not all that we actually could do if we honestly set ourselves to the task of being 100% green. However, trying to be "ever greener" or perfectly green is time-consuming, expensive, exhausting, and guilt-inducing. I searched "green guilt" on Google and it returned 48,600,00 results. A survey on earth911.com says green guilt has more than doubled since 2009. Not only can't we all be eco-warriors, but we can't be eco-saints either.
One of the most important lessons I've learned so far (not just related to environmentalism) is that it is very difficult--if not impossible--to change people fundamentally. And yet, if you're really passionate about a topic, it's very difficult to shut up about it. However, instead of trying to preach to people who clearly don't want a sermon, perhaps we should just focus on our own progress, on our own journey along the green spectrum. Can we make some improvements in our own personal "greenification" this year? How can we influence people positively and non-judgmentally--people who are ripe for influencing (our children, our students), as well as those who are receptive to change (green wannabes and eco-rookies of all ages)?
I love the old adage: "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink." In this case, perhaps it can be amended: "Get off your green high horse, and simply offer a ride." My dad would have approved.
Food for thought: Where do you stand on the green spectrum? How can you personally go greener? How do you share your passion about being green without being obnoxious, sanctimonious, or judgmental about it?
