Axis of Food Evil

If we were to name an Axis of Food Evil (yes, I'm stealing a catchphrase from W, a turn of phrase which I found both dangerously inflammatory yet funny at the same time), I would put Monsanto at the top of that list.

First really heard of Monsanto in Omnivore's Dilemma, then got the David v. Goliath story in Food, Inc., and now, just read a disturbing article on Food Freedom about a study that strongly urges more research into the effects of Monsanto's GMO corn. The study links it to organ damage. Yay!

Good article on Mindfully.org about some of Monsanto's common practices.

As illustrated in Food, Inc., because they use high powered attorneys and spies, and due to the nature of wind, bees, birds, etc., it's nearly impossible for farmers not to use their proprietary seed.

Never mind about Kim Jong-il, companies like this scare the bejeezus out of me...

Save the Planet

So, I was in the shower this morning, thinking about how most shampoos come in smallish bottles and how wasteful that is (especially if you've got hair like mine, ha!). And, I was thinking how cool it would be if more companies adopted the Method formula: i.e., you can buy one of their pump bottles of hand soap, and that's it...the refill soap can be purchased in a plastic bag. It's great...and uses much less plastic.

And, I was thinking how I would write about this on my blog. And, then I read John Amato's Crooks and Liars blog post from today and I thought, how useless is my idea -- I mean, yes, it's a good idea and I do really wish more companies would adopt this, but also I realize this will have little, no really, zero, impact on global warming.

So, please, take a few minutes and read this...yes, it's a little disheartening, but then, also inspiring.

Happy New Year...Here's to changing the course of the planet...

I get by with a little help from my friends...

Wanted to give a shout out to a couple of my cool friends and the ways in which they are living more sustainably.

My friends Mike & Ali rented their Christmas tree. Yes, rented. I first heard about this on NPR, and then was delighted to learn that my friends decided to try it out. The Living Christmas Company delivers a live, potted tree to your house and then collects it once all the gifts have been unwrapped and the nog drank. They bring it back to their nursery and, unlike my sadly unsuccessful attempt one year (poor dead tree), will actually keep the tree alive until next year. Prices are comparable to buying freshly cut trees from a lot. Only, you don't have to strap this puppy to the roof of your car.

And, by the way, I'm fully aware that I'm sharing this information here after Christmas. Yes. Sorry 'bout that. But, hey, at least now you know about it, and hopefully by next year the company, or companies like it, will be in other cities across our fair nation. Because, right now, Living Christmas Company only provides rented Christmas trees in Los Angeles.

Gotta also give props (can a white, 30-mumble-mumble-year-old woman say that? Ah, heck, why not.) to Ali & Mike for installing a rain barrel. A rain barrel collects water from your rain gutters. Water that would otherwise go into the street or in the ground, collects and can then be used when it's not raining to water your plants. Most rain barrels come with a hose hook-up or a spout for filling up your watering can. Ali told me theirs filled up within the first two hours of a recent downpour.

There are many different rain barrel options (from old wine barrels to plastic 50 gallon drums to large ceramic pots). Just type rain barrel into google if you're interested...

Lastly, want to talk about my friend and neighbor Kristi. She stopped by yesterday and dropped off a couple of Christmas gifts. My gift included hand salve and nail polish from the company she works for, SpaRitual.

"SpaRitual is committed to creating eco-friendly products and packaging perfectly crafted for the enlightened consumer. We use Vegan ingredients from around the world, including many specially sourced and selected plant essences that are wildcrafted or organic. The formulations are naturally colored and free of synthetic dyes."

SpaRitual has partnered with Trash 4 Teaching to package their products. The Handprint hand salve Kristi gave me was packaged in a repurposed cardboard tube. "Trash 4 Teaching promotes environmental awareness through creative reuse. Available to schools, our materials help bridge the gap between excess waste created in manufacturing and the lack of materials in education."

All in all, a good Christmas.