Is medical botany the answer to 'Silent Spring'?

In the book that is credited with triggering the American environmentalist movement in the 1970s, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962) claimed that the widespread use of chemical pesticides and herbicides were having an irreparable effect on our natural environment and our health. The New York Times reports on Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a research scientist studying medical biochemistry and botany at the University of Ottawa school of medicine.

The article opens:

Diana Beresford-Kroeger pointed to a towering wafer ash tree near her home.

The tree is a chemical factory, she explained, and its products are part of a sophisticated survival strategy. The flowers contain terpene oils, which repel mammals that might feed on them. But the ash needs to attract pollinators, and so it has a powerful lactone fragrance that appeals to large butterflies and honeybees. The chemicals in the wafer ash, in turn, she said, provide chemical protection for the butterflies from birds, making them taste bitter.

Many similar unseen chemical relationships are going on in the world around us. “These are at the heart of connectivity in nature,” she said.

The main focus of the report is on the many uses of trees and the many effects they have on our health and environment. Ms. Beresford-Kroeger has a somewhat radical idea in how we can incorporate medical botany into our urban planning and sustainable development. Again, from the NYT:

She favors what she terms a bioplan, reforesting cities and rural areas with trees according to the medicinal, environmental, nutritional, pesticidal and herbicidal properties she claims for them, which she calls ecofunctions.

Wafer ash, for example, could be used in organic farming, she said, planted in hedgerows to attract butterflies away from crops. Black walnut and honey locusts could be planted along roads to absorb pollutants, she said.

This theory, if researched and implemented correctly could spell the end of the need for chemical pesticides and herbicides, if the same result could be achieved by creative foresting.

Ultimately, the article leaves the reader with the notion that we really know very little. "Dr. Wilson, at Harvard, said that more research into the role of trees in the ecosystem was imperative and that it was alarming how little was known. 'We need more research of this kind to use the things we have, such as trees, to their fullest,' he said." "We," of course, are urban westerners. Indigenous peoples, have incredible knowledge of their native botany and its medical uses.

This knowledge is not lost and we can learn it from others. The important research that Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger is incredibly important for the future of our food production and could be key in producing urban farming as a reality.

Millions of pounds of synthetic chemicals are dropped on our food supply, and therefore into our soil and water, to protect crops from bugs. These chemicals are not harmless. 'Bioplanning' provides an alternative to the wasteful and harmful practice that utilizes our natural ecosystems instead; cycles and processes 'built in' so that our planet functions in balance and order.

Check out the article, it's a good read!
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"To go beyond recycling"

CNN reports about an international community called "The Compact" that has three simple goals (according to their blog):

1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc; 2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er); 3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

As the article would have it, The Compact is about saving money. This is no small reason to reduce our consumption, but it is not the most significant message of the group's ideology. That would be, "simplify."

The group has a very active Yahoo group and their blog is a regular roll of great ways to contribute, as an individual, to bettering our world, our environment and our lives.

Their mission, in my own words, appears to be this. Reuse as much as possible. Buy local. Acquire less. Eliminate unnecessary consumer spending. How are these related? We all know how ridiculous our consumer culture has become. On my walk to the market to buy local, organic vegetables last week, I encountered a line of people outside the Apple Store (they weren't there to buy local, organic apples). They were there to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a new toy that most people were sure to be disappointed with, meanwhile making rich people even richer (and poor people poorer, by effect--that's capitalism, baby!). The Compact seeks to end the phenomenon of lines for Apples, and any other product, and would much rather you buy a local, organic apple (than an Apple iPhone.)

What we forget is that when we buy unnecessary consumer goods we enter into a cycle, and a chain of production. If you haven't seen it, The Story of Stuff will tell you a little bit about the cycle of consumerism. The Compact reminds us that it is simple to avoid being party to this destructive trend. To quote a woman referred to in the article, "You don't just go out and needlessly shop as a hobby."

By opting out of the capitalist, consumer "grid" we create a paradigm and a model for a society that is not blind to the affect of its foreign policy, which serves primarily to sustain the corporate consumerism that has grown in our country. Buying local is a way to support the US economy, and support real people. No stimulus package or tax-refund can do for our pocketbooks what localized economic habits can.

Next time you need to fill the fridge, skip the grocery store and go to the farmers' market, there's even meat sold at most markets today! Simply google "farmers' market" and the name of your town or city. The next time you need to replace some clothes, try going to a resale shop--there are high end grabs in many (if you look hard) and you're not directly supporting child and sweatshop labor. Instead of throwing away old furniture, see if you can reuse it for other things; or donate it instead of throwing it away.

For many, many more ways to step away from consumer culture check out The Compact's blog and look for the link to your community on their webpage!
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Georgian and Russian Olympiads embrace

While Russia belligerently furthers its invasion of Georgia, and while the Olympics get used to as a stage for abusive politics, Georgian and Russian sharpshooters put that aside for a congratulatory embrace.

CNN reports.
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Saving the World one wrapper at a time...

There are a number of people who I have been blessed with meeting who have been a significant and concrete positive impact on my life. One of those people is Scot Quaranda.

"Every time we purchase something, we are
voting with our dollars and my vote is for a
healthy planet and for a world future generations
can love and enjoy."

Aside from being an all around great guy, and pretty damn smart, Scot has taught me an incredible amount about the role we play as a consumer in today's world. Our purchasing matters, and it has direct impact on our environment. One way that this is clear is in the amount of paper we use in our society. As we all know, paper comes from trees, and trees, well, let's simply say trees are pretty darn important.

Scot is dedicating his professional life to saving our forests. He works as a campaign director for the Dogwood Alliance, a non-profit based in Asheville, NC that focuses on saving US forests in the South by reducing non-sustainable forestry, lumbering and milling.

"recycling is the third R after reduce and reuse
which are better alternatives whenever possible"

The primary message of the group today is to use less paper, and when we do use, choose 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) products. Dogwood Alliance celebrated a major victory in 1999 by urging a study to be conducted by the US Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

the study showed that the Southern United States produces more timber than any other country in the world and paper is the number one wood commodity produced in the region. It also confirmed that Southern forests are some of the most biologically diverse and endangered in North America.

According to the Dogwood Alliance website, 90% of the forests in the Southern US are privately owned. This "private property" (as if such a thing could actually exist...) happens to be home to some of the most diverse forests in the country, and even the world, and, in addition to other aspects which you can read about when you go to their website), the highest concentration of wetlands in the US--which serve as an integral part of the eco-system for purification and water storage,

"the safest type of packaging for our
forests is 100% post-consumer recycled
packaging which ensures no new trees
were cut down in the production of that
packaging"

and also are home to countless species of birds, aquatic life and mammals. In 2002, the Dogwood Alliance, in coordination with ForestEthics was able to get Staples (yes, the office store Staples) to commit to phase out paper sourced from endangered forests and invest in PCR products.

The campaigns that the Dogwood Alliance are focusing on today include continuing their work with the office supply industry and packaging reform. The amount of waste we produce because of unnecessary and wasteful packaging (think grocery bags, plastic bags, take-out packaging, online shopping) is unfathomable and "symbolizes the disposable society we have become," as the group's website so aptly puts it. The group, along with Campaign to Protect the Southern Forests, is targeting fast-food, and has a great website at www.nofreerefills.org

"If we work together to solve the packaging problem,
more of our forests will remain standing, meaning more
wildlife habitat, healthier communities and more valuable
land to sequester carbon thus helping to mitigate the climate crisis.

Be sure to check it out and play Packaging Man! I asked Scot some questions about packaging, and what we can do as individuals to make a positive impact.

Click below to read what he has to say. Before you do head over to the Dogwood Alliance (click here!) and say, Thank you!


Justin: what packaging is the safest for our forests?

Scot: The first question you should ask yourself is, “is this packaging really necessary?” If it is, the second question is, “have a utilized a design that produces the strongest packaging using the least amount of material?” After you have answered those questions, the safest type of packaging for our forests is 100% post-consumer recycled packaging which ensures no new trees were cut down in the production of that packaging.

are there any large companies that have made real and meaningful change, have any completely committed to sustainable packaging?
While no company is perfect, a number of companies have taken meaningful steps to reduce their packaging footprint. Companies like Patagonia, Keen Shoes and Timberland have reduced excessive packaging. Companies like Kellogs and Celestial Seasons have committed to 100% pcr packaging. And even corporate giants like Wal-Mart have worked with its suppliers to reduce the overall use of packaging in products they sell at their stores.

for people who try to "reduce their carbon footprint," what can they do to stop using paper goods?
I believe that all efforts small and large make a difference on this front. The first question you should ask yourself is do I really need to use this paper? If the answer is yes, then take steps to be more conscious about it. Always buy 100% recycled copy paper and toilet paper. Buy in bulk whenever possible. Bring Tupperware and reusable mugs with you whenever you go to restaurants or coffee shops. Print on the backside of your paper or double-side your printing whenever possible and increase the margins in order to print on less pages. For more great tips, visit: http://www.shrinkpaper.org/

can't we just recycle it anyways, why does it matter if it's already been recycled or not?
First thing to remember here is that recycling is the third R after reduce and reuse which are better alternatives whenever possible. Recycling is a great step, but by purchasing recycled products you are stimulating the market for the paper you recycle and helping to dramatically reduce the number of acres of forests destroyed, reduce the tons of pollution spewed into rivers and the air, and reducing your overall climate footprint.

Are we better off using recycled paper goods or more, durable goods--even if those goods are plastic or other petro-chemical based product?
Paper versus plastic is a false dichotomy. Each material brings with it destruction associated with resource extraction, industrial processing and environmental degradation associated with our rampant consumption habits in North America. When you need to consume, your best choice is to buy less and buy smart. Every time we purchase something, we are voting with our dollars and my vote is for a healthy planet and for a world future generations can love and enjoy.

Is there such a thing as sustainable forestry?
Though all forestry has an impact on soil, water quality, wildlife habitat, and local communities, some forestry is better than others. Our organization supports Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of forests, which limits the size of clear-cuts, use of toxic chemicals in forest management, and creates no go zones for the world’s endangered forests. It is currently the only credible forest certification out there.

sustainable packaging?
Again here, the best option is the smallest amount of packaging with the highest amount of environmental attributes. Reduce and reuse first, and if necessary make sure the packaging used is high post-consumer content recycled or FSC-certified.

What kind of packaging should I look for?
When you do need to buy something that is packaged rather than in bulk, look for the packaging that uses the least amount of material possible, that is high post-consumer recycled fiber and where this is unavailable, that is FSC-certified.

If real change is made, what will the difference look like in our forests, in our landfills, in our lives?
If we work together to solve the packaging problem, more of our forests will remain standing, meaning more wildlife habitat, healthier communities and more valuable land to sequester carbon thus helping to mitigate the climate crisis. 40-50% of landfill space is taken up by paper and wood products, so by decreasing this load and increasing the amount that is reused and recycled we decrease the amount of land that must be used for landfills, we stop a large percentage of the methane gas released from the decomposition of paper which is a major greenhouse gas emitter and we keep our local communities, usually in the most marginalized regions of our country, healthy and vibrant. Our lives will become simpler and less cluttered and the air we breathe, water we drink and environment we enjoy will be much cleaner and enjoyable. Additionally, research shows that paper mill communities are the most toxic and economically depressed, when we move away from this destructive industry, we open the door for more sustainable economies based on local forest-based tourism and lower-impact factories and industries.

What are three things people can do to make a difference in this regard?
There are so many small steps an individual can take to make a difference. Three easy steps are to buy less over-packaged products, carry with you Tupperware, canvas bags, and refillable mugs, and when you have to buy packaged good, show your preference for high post-consumer recycled packaging or packaging that carries the FSC label. Of course, you should also support your local environmental initiatives and groups including Dogwood Alliance. And while you are at it, visit www.nofreerefills.org so you can play our environmentally-themed video game, Packaging Man and take a moment to send the CEOs at the big fast food companies an email ask them to support the work to solve the packaging problem.




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'Texas to Tel Aviv'

Thomas L. Friedman has a great Op-Ed in the New York Times, where he imagines:

What would happen if you cross-bred J. R. Ewing of “Dallas” and Carl Pope, the head of the Sierra Club? You’d get T. Boone Pickens. What would happen if you cross-bred Henry Ford and Yitzhak Rabin? You’d get Shai Agassi. And what would happen if you put together T. Boone Pickens, the green billionaire Texas oilman now obsessed with wind power, and Shai Agassi, the Jewish Henry Ford now obsessed with making Israel the world’s leader in electric cars?

You'd have the start of an energy revolution.

You can read about T. Boone Pickens here, Shai Agassi is the founder of Better Place Project which seeks to make Israel fully equipped with an electric car "system" in the not too distant future.

Agassi's concept, backed by the Israeli government, is this--the electric car system will work similar to pay-by-minute cell phone subscription. Subscribers to the program would get a car and a battery. The roadways will be scattered with charging stations and garages where batteries can be replaced. The first cars, built by Renault, will be on Israeli roads next year.

Israel, because of its small size but large percentage of undeveloped land is an ideal place to develop the infrastructure for a countrywide electric car makeover. It will also serve as a great model for other nations to follow suit.

And I believe Mr. Friedman to be correct, combining the efforts of Shai Agassi and T. Boone Pickens together would make for amazing possibilities.

In days of hardship and strife, it is always nice to see positive news coming out of Israel.

Thank you, Shai Agassi, for striving to bring electric cars to the Jewish State.
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Winona LaDuke talks about Thunder Beings

One of my favorite people, 1996 and 2000 Green Party vice-presidential candidate and activist Winona LaDuke, has an interview in Yes! Magazine. Ms. LaDuke has made her name with an amazingly impressive and positive resume as an activist for indigenous rights, and environmental and anti-nuclear movements as well. Born to a Jewish mother and Ojibwe father in LA, Ms. LaDuke now lives on the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, and is the executive director of Honor the Earth and White Earth Land Recovery Project (YOU REALLY NEED TO CLICK HERE!!!), in the interview Winona LaDuke spins a tale of traditional belief, traditional food and how to live and not destroy.

Ojibwe is a language of 8,000 verbs. The word for “work” is a strange construct for us. It doesn’t mean we aren’t a hard-working people, but in our language, the word is anokii, which means that whether you are fishing or weaving a basket, what you are doing is living—which is not the same thing as being paid a wage to do something.
After the harvest, we have a big feast, and we dance and tell stories. The anthropologists watched us, and they didn’t like that. They said we would never become civilized because we enjoyed our harvest too much. We did too much dancing, too much singing.
When you no longer enjoy your relationship to your food, to your plant relatives, to the harvest, to the dancing and singing—when you end up with a harvest that has no relationships or joy, I think that must be the mark of civilization and industrialized agriculture.

Ultimately, Winona LaDuke sets out a very positive look at possibilities. She tells it like it is, and unfortunately, "it" is a depressing tale of how governments, corporations, and pure consumer ignorance has led to the absolute depletion of indigenous food practices and indigenous food knowledge--worldwide. But LaDuke shows us this positive example from her own homestead,

We are growing more of our own food. About seven years ago, we got a handful of Bear Island flint corn from a seed bank and now we have about five acres of it. The corn is higher in amino acids, antioxidants, and fiber than anything we can buy in the store.
The traditional varieties of food that we grew as indigenous peoples—before they industrialized them and bred out much of the nutritional value—are the best answer to our diabetes. A third of our population is diabetic. We give elders and diabetic families traditional foods every month: buffalo meat, wild rice, hominy.
My 8-year-old, Gwekaanimad, and I started a pilot project with the school lunch program after I saw that they were eating pre-packaged food from
Sodexho, Sysco, and Food Services of America. We try to give our school kids a buffalo a month and also some deer meat, some local pork, and local turkeys. We started growing and raising our own. It’s just a start. We had to de-colonize our kids, too, because they got used to thinking that their food was that other stuff.
We plowed 150 gardens last year on our reservation. I’m a big proponent of gardens, not lawns. It turns out in most reservation housing projects you can’t grow food. That spot in front of your house is where you park your car, or your dogs will trample it, or your cousin will drive over it. So we’re putting two-foot-tall grow boxes up there, and you can grow a lot of vegetables in them.
Our goal is to produce enough food for a thousand families in five years. And these foods we are growing in anishinaabe akiing are not addicted to petroleum, and they don’t require irrigation or all those inputs. These strong plant relatives just require songs and care for the soil. And in a time of climate destabilization, that is what you want to be growing. You don’t want to be guessing with some hybrid.

Personally, I'm going to listen to Winona LaDuke about rice LONG before I listen to Uncle Ben.
Really, click above, read the interview, buy some rice and other goods (Minnesota's closer than Thailand or India, even if it isn't local!), but more importantly, you can trust it came from a positive source.

Thank you, Winona LaDuke, for a lifetime of positive action, creation and living.
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Vertical Farming--are 'living buildings' the future of the urban landscape?

What if our skylines were vibrant, lush living eco-systems? What if local produce meant a few blocks, rather than dozens of miles? What if our farms were protected from element, wind contamination and infestation, thereby securing absolutely chemical-free food? What if the urban landscape was transformed from twisted and riveted metals and steel into a green paradise?

If Dickson Despommier of Columbia University can get his Vertical Farm Project off the ground(literally) this vision might become reality. Click below to find out more about vertical farming and some tips on what you can do to make a difference.

According to a write-up recently published in the New York Times, the idea for vertical farming was created in 1999 and was born in discussion with his graduate students studying medical ecology. The facts from the Vertical Farm Project website are staggering:

By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?

For this concept to work, it would take a rethinking of the entire concept of the urban arena. It seems that Mr. Despommier's work has been noticed by important folks in important places, most notably Scott M. Stringer, the president of the borough of Manhattan. He likes the Vertical Farm Project so much, he has embraced it and wants to put it into action. According to the New York Times report,

"Mr. Stringer’s office is “sketching out what it would take to pilot a vertical farm,” and plans to pitch a feasibility study to the mayor’s office within the next couple of months, he said."

The article also references Jerry Kaufman, an urban planner at the University of Wisconsin, who queries, "Why does it have to be 30 stories? Why can't it be six stories?" And this question serves a great point. We need not wait for the city planners of Manhattan to build a multi-million dollar 'living building;' we can bring our own buildings to life by some simple home gardening. Climate change can be combated at home without buying a hybrid car or purchasing wind power. Start by taking some simple steps at home, like these listed below, toward a carbon-neutral climate.

• Use window boxes to grow small herbs and leaves instead of decorative flowers; hearty greens and lettuces can be gorgeous in addition to delicious!
  
• Lawns do not have to be grass; flowers and vegetables can make beautiful and useful additions that help the ecosystem, reduce toxins, purify the air and provide something useful and beautiful
• Flat roofs and patio/decks can be used to grow food in large pots
• Sandboxes, barrels and wagons make great vegetable, herb and flower beds; just fill with dirt and plant!
  
• Backyard and kitchen composting are helpful for the environment, useful for planting and gardening and even fun and educational for kids!

Keep posted here for more information about urban gardening, including an exclusive interview with a professional urban gardener with plenty of tips for your own gardening. In the mean time, it is important to acknowledge the important work that the Vertical Farm Project is doing. Thank you, Dickson Despommier, for making our cities more sustainable and more livable.

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"It takes a school, not missiles"

When I attended the presidential inauguration in 2004, I (and a number of others) managed to get into seats that had been set aside for Republican attendees (how that is American or legal, I don't know). One gentleman had on a leather jacket with duct tape writing on the back "build gardens, not bombs". A security guard told him he could leave or take off the jacket... in January in D.C. He took off the jacket, or turned it inside out, either way, he stayed. But the idea seemed offensive to people, and that is mind boggling.

I was happy to find a positive op-ed piece in the New York Times about a very special man who lives by a similar sentiment to the message on that jacket named Greg Mortenson. I had never heard of Mr. Mortenson, but I am surely inspired by the story I read. Simply put, he builds schools in Afghanistan, rather than blow them up.

Read the op-ed piece and his website for a good idea of what he does. For a concise understanding of what he has done, enjoy this quote from the op-ed piece:

"So a lone Montanan staying at the cheapest guest houses has done more to advance U.S. interests in the region than the entire military and foreign policy apparatus of the Bush administration."

Author and activist, Greg Mortenson is making real and substantial difference in a small and fractured part of the world. According to his wikipedia site, "Greg Mortenson (born 27 December 1957) is a mountain climber, former United States Army medic, and humanitarian from Bozeman, Montana." Mr. Mortenson also has a blog which seems to not have been updated recently but is a wealth of great and inspiring information.

Here is a transcripted segment of a recent CNN International report, from March '08, on Greg Mortenson and his work:

Greg Mortenson brushed his tears away. His body sagged when he saw it happen. The prize he had sought for 78 agonizing days was slipping from his view. from the top, blocking his path to the summit.

Now more than his vow was at risk. His life was in danger, too. His climbing party had started out with 12 men. Five would die. He was lost and alone at 25,000 feet with an empty water bottle and one protein bar.

"I felt as if there was an angel holding my hand, trying to take me to the top," he said. "When I lost that hand, I decided I better go down. "

What Mortenson found on his descent would test his will as much as K2. He would stagger into a remote Pakistani village, have his heart "torn out" by an unexpected encounter, and meet a girl who altered his life with one question: "Can you help me build a school?"

He didn't know it at the time, but he was about to take another dangerous journey.

Mortenson shared the details of that journey in "Three Cups of Tea," a best-selling book he wrote with journalist David Oliver Relin.

Since 1996, Mortenson has helped build 63 schools for children in Pakistan and Afghanistan through the nonprofit group, the Central Asia Institute. The group's premise: books, not bombs, are the best weapons against extremist groups like the Taliban.

"The real enemy is ignorance and ignorance breeds hatred," he said.

The schools encourage girls to enroll. The ultimate goal: produce educated girls who, when they become mothers, will teach tolerance to their sons.

"You can drop bombs, you can build roads, but if you don't educate girls, the society is not going to change."

That message has made Mortenson popular man. He lives in Montana with his wife, Tara, and their two children, Amira and Khyber. But he's constantly on the road, giving speeches and traveling to Asia.

That message has also made him a marked man. Mullahs have issued death threats against him. In the book, he described being kidnapped and held hostage by the Taliban. He's also received hate mail from Americans who don't think he should educate Muslim children.

Yet he shrugs off any notion of being a hero.

"I see girls walking three hours to school," he said. "I see girls who are being threatened at home by the Taliban still trying to go to school."

This man is one of many people who came out of the military who clearly recognize that violence provides no paths to freedom. Since his vision and those whom Mr. Mortenson has inspired and touched make the world a safer place, I feel strongly that we all should together be saying-Thank you, Mr. Mortenson, for making real difference in the lives of people in a scarred nation.
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Some healthy competition

The Huffington Post is reporting a totally new take on "beating the jones'." Neighborly competition may be a highlight of human nature. We've all seen those people who build a bigger extension, put up more Christmas lights, buy a nicer car, anything to out-do the neighbors. But now, Bill Nye (the Science Guy, of former child-TV fame) and Ed Begley, Jr. (with a TV and film resume too long to list) have entered into a friendly, neighborly competition that should serve as a model for that competitive bug that resides in every human. Find out what it is...

Ed Begley, Jr. has long been an activist for clean green living. He is a former owner of the GM EV1 (watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?"), has a line of green cleaning supplies and is one of the more outspoken voices in Hollywood against climate change and has been so for at least two decades, long before the green-fad was upon us. Ed Begley and Bill Nye reside in Studio City, CA and when Bill Nye moved in two years ago the two began a "greener than him" competition. The article at The Huffington Post lists all the specs of each actor's green abode, and it is impressive.

Clearly one needs lots of cash to create such a home in today's world, but they can be a model for us all on rethinking competition. Furthermore, some of their improvements, like collecting rainwater for cleaning and watering plants or growing simple garden foods like herbs and greens, are things we can ALL do to reduce our "carbon footprints."

So, while we may not all have the financial ability to challenge our neighbor to a "greener than thou" spat of competition we can each challenge ourselves to make small changes. Bring your own reusable bags to the store to carry off your locally grown produce, re-use your plastic goods instead of sending them to the recycling plant and assume it's all ok (for a good, but out-dated read on the problems with traditional recycling, look here), use green businesses when you can and there's more.

I, for one, encourage the competition between Mr. Nye and Mr. Begley and encourage us all to reduce our own carbon footprint.

Thank you, Bill Nye and Ed Begley, for being a model of healthy competition.

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It ain't easy bein' green

The "leaders" of the world have exhibited a typically leadership-less commitment to lowering the world's carbon output by the year... 2050! 2050!?

At the G-8 conference in Japan, where some members of Oxfam International were arrested during their peaceful protests, these people elected to rule their countries made an embarrassing promise universally criticized by environmentalist organizations as not even coming close to coming close to solving a serious worldwide problem.

While the world's leaders sit in their fancy homes and fancy clothes, eating their fancy food, those in developing nations are suffering from the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, one American city's mayor is trying to make a difference now.

Mayor Bill White of Houston wants to make his city the greenest in America. I first heard of Bill White in an NPR interview, and he has some great ideas for the future of Houston and America. The fact that Texas has no zoning regulations makes it easy for him to make Houston a center of mixed-use development, pairing residential and commercial zones in the same district so people can have all their services and amenities within walking distance, making it easier for Houston to have no carbon footprint.

The man has some great ideas, many of which have already been implemented. Houston has hybrid buses for public transport, he has established Houston's own Clean Air Act dedicated to lowering cancer rates in communities where mainly minorities reside. He also has a Green Building Advisory Committee and he has made it so Houston, TX runs 25% of its energy from wind power and he also intends to expand the use of solar power. All this and more can be read about at the city's website.

This mayor even makes me want to move to Texas.

As the world's "leaders" flounder in the face of this global crisis, it is nice to know that Bill White, the Mayor of Houston, Texas is doing what he can to make a difference, not in 2050, but right now.

Thank you, Mayor Bill White, for making a difference.
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I feel I never told you the story of the G.ho.st

It's now a fact, ghosts are real--at least the Global Host Operating System, the brainchild of G.ho.st Inc, a 2006 start-up with an interesting ideal. On the surface of things, what G.ho.st, Inc is attempting to do is "develop the Global Hosted Operating System, the world's only true Web Operating System." But beneath the surface of this company lies a progressive vision based on collaboration and co-existence.

The company has a simple, yet provocative, vision:

"to provide a free fully functional Virtual Computer, on the Web, so that every person in the world can do any computing at any time, any place, on any budget."

In that spirit, the G.ho.st provides a word processor and spreadsheet program, applications and games. Much like Google has challenged Microsoft with their new free Office Suite-style package, G.ho.st provides a means for consumers to avoid financially supporting corporations. This would be good enough, but there is more.

The company is founded on an interesting philosophy. According to their website, "Windows, MAC and UNIX are all successors to operating systems that were designed in the 60’s, 70’s and 80's, long before the Internet was even dreamed of." Well that's a great point that never even crossed my mind! All of our software is constantly catching up to technological advancement. We have been limiting our capacity by not exploiting the wireless nature of the Internet to its fullest. Internet communication has allowed people to break cultural, diplomatic and economic boundaries like no other media has. G.ho.st is implementing that spirit of cooperation into their work. And it does not stop at the software...

Perhaps the most inspiring and impressive aspects of G.ho.st is not so much the background of the company, as the background of the individuals who made it.


These men and women are Palestinians and Israelis. This company does seek to help the world collaborate, share and cross boundaries. These people have experience in collaborating, sharing and crossing boundaries that many of us cannot fathom. In their own words:
The G.ho.st team is itself a rare Palestinian-Israeli collaboration. Ghosts go through walls and the very first wall that G.ho.st goes through is the 425 mile concrete barrier that Israel has built in the West Bank between itself and the Palestinians and which physically divides the G.ho.st team into two. However the Internet and collaboration between human beings transcends all physical boundaries.
The team is led by Founder and CEO Zvi Schreiber, a British-born Israeli; G.ho.st is his third Israeli start-up company. He describes G.ho.st as a "consumer service," as opposed to his other two projects which were "business ventures." The company's director is Tareq Maayah, a US educated Palestinian who was on an advisory board to the Palestinian Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. The company itself itself is made up of 40 Palestinians and Israelis who desire to provide free computing for the world and peace for their communities.

Perhaps the most important facet of their company is the G.ho.st Peace Foundation. According to their website:

The GhPF is founded on firm beliefs that

The silent majority of Palestinians and Israelis want peace.

That personal and commercial cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians can overcome nationalistic animosity.

That supporting independent economic development for Palestine is preferable to aid and is the key foundation for peace.

That all peoples in the region should have access to technology skills to overcome the digital divide and allow future prosperity.

Their website is not yet developed, but based on what they've been able to do with their web-based Operating System, I'm sure it will be an impressive digital feat. This is an endeavor we should all be supporting. We should use their FREE web-based operating system (I wrote this post on their word processor!) and support their peace initiative.
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All who are hungry, come and eat...

This famous phrase from our Haggadah (Passover ritual book) highlights an aspect of Jewish culture that is all but lost in our 21st century. In the ancient Jewish world there were two institutions to ensure that all were fed: the tamchui, the communal meal plate; and the kuppah, the communal fund. Today these institutions have been replaced by the occasional soup kitchen and fund raising campaigns, but the replacements do not provide the same service as the original.
Yet, there are those acting now and creating a model of an alternative to the profit-driven food market.

We are in a world of soaring food costs largely propelled by the increase in the cost of oil which is the foundation of shipping food around the world. As costs rise, individuals like you and me can feel it in our pocket books--and if you'd made serious changes, in your belly too.

Let's play a game. We're going to imagine a wonderful place, a restaurant that could only be the product of dreams. Imagine a place that serves fresh, organic, local foods; where the menu is never set but constantly changing based on the whims of the chef and the availability of the local farmers' market. Imagine that at the end of your scrumptious meal, you get your bill, and the total reads "Pay what you'd like!"

Impossible, you think! Unlikely, you dismiss! I retort, it is possible and it is real, and what's more... you have two options!

The SAME (read: So All May Eat) and the One World Cafe's are two examples which I have encountered of people making a real difference in the availability of fresh, organic, local foods and reasonable prices (unless you choose to pay an arm and a leg!). Both feature similar concepts: No set menu, no set price--the only thing set is that you're sure to get delicious, nutritious, fresh, organic and local food. They will also take your labor as payment, instead of money. Like in the old TV shows and movies; can't pay or the meal? Wash some dishes instead!

SAME Cafe is located in Denver, CO and was founded by Brad and Libby Birky, the One World Cafe, founded by Denise Cerreta, is located in Salt Lake City, UT.

I have never been to either of these places (as I've never been to Salt Lake City and not been to Denver in years and years) but I will make a point to go if I find myself near either of them. What they provide is not just delicious food at the price you want to pay; they also act as a model for ways to provide sustenance and support and not be profit driven. That being said, according to their website, One World has experienced steady growth since their opening. Support them with your money, support them with your love and prayers, support them however you can. One thing is sure, these two places are a dream come true!
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Eli Rogosa is saving the world

Eli Rogosa, founder of Growseed.org

You know those people that you meet just for a moment, and you know that not only have they had a profound effect on you in that brief encounter, but you recognize the greatness of their ideas and their endeavors and are immediately humbled by the knowledge that the Holy One blesses the world with such special souls... In the early emergence of New England spring I encountered Eli Rogosa for one of those brief, special moments.

I was visiting the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in northern Connecticut to attend a retreat for rabbinical students sponsored by PANIM; an INCREDIBLE and sacred place, and a holy and blessed organization--definitely follow those links. I pulled up to the remote retreat center, snuggled away in the warm (in spirit) and welcoming green New England mountains, after a wonderful day sharing coffee with a man I'm honored to call mentor and friend, Bob Meagher, and tromping through the pine forests of Hampshire College. So I park my car and begin to timidly wonder around the area looking for someone who looks as if they know where they are. I happen upon two sweet women from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, who were attending the same retreat and also appeared as if they had no idea what was going on. We introduce ourselves and jump into a successful game of Jewish geography (an easy game when you make up only a tiny fraction of the population). When two wise women swagger up, clearly familiar and comfortable with their surroundings. The taller, a grey haired woman who carried her confidence like a brilliant shawl, leaned to the shorter, a woman who struck me as a stalk a grain--ancient and firmly rooted, yet light and dancing in the wind (I would soon understand why I was feeling such things)--the taller leaned to the shorter and said softly, "Shall we ask them how their retreat is going?" They approached the three of us, who clearly looked a bit uncertain and admittedly not wholly comfortable. We immediately began chatting after polite introductions and explanations of the newness of the environment.

The women explained to us that they had been doing a matzah baking retreat (Passover was just around the corner); in those two minutes I learned more about matzah then I knew there was to learn. For example, the original matzah was made from emmer, an ancestor of wheat, now all but extinct--it is much tastier, more nutritious and gluten free. And thus I was introduced to one woman who is saving the world. Eli Rogosa.

Eli Rogosa is the founder of the Heritage Wheat Conservancy, she spends her time saving us from evil people like these folks .

How is this one woman saving the world? Simple. She is saving the foundation of our food. Eli travels the world collecting ancient grains and assuring that they survive amidst the rise of genetically engineered foods, the literal copy-writing of foods, and the global food crisis that is upon the world.

Why is her work so important you ask? Food is at the center of it all. When certain entities seek to submit others to their power, they lock up the food supply--it is an old story, as old as centralization and urbanization (if not older...) Our own consumer culture is one in which is are completely removed from our food supply and production. We go to the store, or restaurant, and purchase food already neatly packaged and sometimes prepared. We have no knowledge of where the food comes from, no honor for the people involved in growing, picking, transporting preparing and packaging those foods. We hardly even have an awareness of the person stocking or bagging our groceries! We have allowed corporations to erase our knowledge of nutrition and food, replacing our ancient memories with fabricated food pyramids and calorie counts. All we need to know of food is within our collective sacred conscience. Eli is reminding us of that.

According to Eli's website, Growseed.org:

The Heritage Wheat Conservancy is a grass-roots initiative by and for traditional farmers to conserve the heritage wheats best adapted to our organic fields. All profts from the sale of our wheats support our conservation farms in Maine, Palestine and Greece. Heritage wheats are well adapted to the organic fields of traditional farmers, have the highest capacity for stable yields in weather extremes of climate change and are rich in flavor and nutrition.

To give you an idea of what Eli does, I had asked her to answer a few questions for me, via e-mail, so I could have some more information to share with people, because I am so excited by what she is doing. Her response was that she was too busy keeping up with all the 112 rare varieties of ancient wheat she had saved in the Middle East and Europe and was planting for spring.

Eli's work saving ancient grains in the Middle East has brought her toward other sacred work as well. Beyond perhaps most any other region in the world, the Middle East needs lots of positivity and lots of healing. Eli has helped create real means for peace in the Middle East.

One of the foundations of the philosophical approach which has dictated Shimon Peres' approach to the peace process has been his belief that if the Israelis and Palestinians have shared economic interests, they would be more likely to work things out. Eli, and a group she helped establish, the The Israel Seed Conservancy (read about it here), is a grassroots collective of Arab and Jewish farmers to save traditional knowledge and grains. Shimon Peres has the right idea, but the wrong commodity. The answer is not in sharing the financial resources, the future peace of Israelis and Palestinians is recognizing their shared food resources.

At Growseed.org you will find great information that will explain more about the incredibly holy and important work that Eli is embarking on. In addition to wonderful information you can also purchase ancient grains and donate to the Conservancies.

The safety of our food supply is at risk. The key to our future is in the work that Eli Rogosa is doing. Thank you, Eli.
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