Sustainable Living and You: November APLS Carnival

Greening Families is pleased to be hosting November’s APLS Blog Carnival. I’ve appreciated the conversations on sustainability and green living that the APLS Blog Carnival has sparked so am glad for the opportunity to directly support their continuation. If you are interested in serving as a host of a future carnival, simply contact Robbie from Going Green Mama at goinggreenmama[at]gmail[dot]com. December’s carnival will be hosted by Erin at The Conscious Shopper. Be sure to visit her site in a month’s time to read where the discussion goes next.

The topic for November’s APLS Blog Carnival was how people have been affected by their efforts to live a more sustainable life. The questions posed included:

What have your efforts to live a more sustainable life taught you about yourself? Have you been able to change a behavior you initially thought you could not? What has surprised you about your own capacity in your efforts to live more sustainably?

Here is what folks had to say. Read more

Family Friday: Owl Prowls

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer, what is a nature-starved family to do? Once again, Lucas Miller has the answer! This month he discusses how to go on an owl prowl with your kids. With a little preparation, warm clothes, and patience, you are sure to have a good time. And the possibilities for learning about the world around us are owl-t of this world!

This month we’re going to talk about owls.  Owls have fascinated and humans for millenia (they appear on many ancient petraglyphs and artifacts) but, with Harry Potter and a number of other children’s books featuring them prominently, they seem to be especially hip at this cultural moment.

Most owls are non-migratory so, even in the winter, you can still hear and even see them. Winter’s actually a great time to go on an “owl prowl” because you won’t have to keep the kids up way past bedtime since the sun sets earlier. Read more

Green Books Campaign – Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming

Leave a comment below to be registered for Greening Families’ very first Giveaway. The randomly selected winner will receive a copy of this book, as well as the honor of being our first winner! The winner will be drawn on Sunday, November 22.

This review is part of the Green Books campaign. Today 100 bloggers are reviewing 100 great books printed in an environmentally friendly way. Our goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign is organized by Eco-Libris, a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris’ website.

Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming by James Hoggan with Richard Littlemore is not an enumeration of the scientific details of research on climate change, as I thought when I first saw the title. It is instead a discussion of the efforts to hide and distort scientific findings by an extremely well-funded and -coordinated public relations blitz that is using the same game plan used successfully to protect tobacco from regulation for years.

Both of the authors are very qualified to discuss these issues. James Hoggan has more than 35 years of experience in public relations. He is the president of Hoggan & Associates, an award-winning Canadian public relations firm which he founded in 1972.  Richard Littlemore worked as a reporter for twenty years for Canadian newspapers, including the Ottawa Citizen and the Vancouver Sun, before he moved into freelance writing. He also sat as a delegate to the Canadian government’s Kyoto Implementation Process. Mr. Hoggan and Mr. Littlemore co-founded DeSmogBlog.com, for which Mr. Littlemore is the Editor-in-Chief, because they believe,

“There is a line between public relations and propaganda – or there should be. And there is a difference between using your skills, in good faith, to help rescue a battered reputation and using them to twist the truth – to sow confusion and doubt on an issue that is critical to human survival”

The book covers numerous crossings of that line, discussed in a clear and engaging manner. The information I found most enlightening and, frankly, distressing was the data shared on lobbying on the issue of climate change. Here are just a few of the facts shared:

• In 2004, the Center for Public Integrity reported that the oil-and-gas industry had spent more than $420 million on lobbying and political contributions in the preceding six years.
• More than 14% of that total – $60 million – came from one company, Exxon Mobil. (Yes, the same Exxon Mobile that has been earning record-breaking profits again and again and again.)
• Other pieces of the energy sector were equally active in purchasing lobbyists’ time. Southern Company is one of the United States’ largest generators of electricity, the great majority of which comes from burning coal, spent $25 million of lobbying between 2001 and 2004 plus another $4.4 million for political contributions.
• Between 2004 and 2009, there has been an increase of more than 300% in the number of registered lobbyists on climate change. There are now more than 4 climate lobbyists for each member of Congress.
• Spending for lobbyists has been increasing significantly. In 2007 alone, the oil-and-gas industry spent $82 million on lobbying. That increased 57% for 2008, bringing the total for lobbying in 2008 to $128.6 million.

Clearly the businesses involved believe their investment in lobbyists is worth it because they are not only maintaining this spending, even during this time of serious cost-saving measures, but also increasing it considerably. Given the articles linked above on Exxon Mobile’s record-shattering profits, I guess they are right.

The book contains much more explanation and detail about the extent of the movement to confuse, or at the very least postpone, a true dialogue on global warming and our world’s best next steps. I have to admit that PR is one of the professions for which I have not felt many positive feelings so the obvious depth of the authors’ feelings of betrayal in the first couple of chapters was initially startling. But as they laid out issue after issue and itemized common practices in manipulating the public discussion on global warming, I better understood the intensity of their outrage.

Global warming is a topic that has become incredibly politicized. The last chapter contains a piece of advice that surely everyone can agree makes sense.

“But this is not a time for easy answers. This is a time for right answers, which you will find only if you insist on the best sources, the respected journals and national science academies that have no agenda other than advancing the scope of human knowledge.”

The consequences of misunderstanding or underestimating the effects of global warming are too great. We need right answers. The information in Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming can help you discern where spin is getting in the way of the facts.

As mentioned above, Eco-Libris organized the Green Books campaign to highlight the fact that there are more eco-friendly methods available for book publishers. This book was printed on forest-friendly 100% post-consumer recycled paper, thus providing a market for all the junk mail and school worksheets we have been so diligently recycling. The paper was also processed chlorine-free. This means the publishers, Greystone Books, saved water as well as trees. As detailed on PlanetGreen.com, an 8×11 inch sheet of paper made with chlorine chemistry requires more than thirteen ounces of water (for each sheet!) while those made with chlorine-free technology require less than two ounces of water. After living through the hottest summer on record in Austin, which exacerbated our ongoing drought and pushed Lake Travis to its third lowest levels, I have a much deeper appreciation for water savings so was happy to see this! The book feels and reads exactly like our other books so the changes in the way this book was produced did not cause any loss of quality while still saving significant resources. I encourage you to check out the other books featured in the Green Book Campaign and to consider the publishing process utilized when purchasing books!

To help spread the word, Greening Families is offering its first Giveaway! To be entered to win our gently used copy of Climate Cover-Up, which we received as part of the Green Books Campaign, please leave a comment below on this post. We will announce the randomly selected winner on Sunday, November 22.

Book People Hosting Jill Richardson

Tonight Book People is hosting Jill Richardson, activist and author of Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It and the blog  LaVidaLocavore.org, for a discussion and food tasting. The event will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 tonight and is co-sponsored by Edible Austin. This event will feature farm fresh veggies and cheeses from the Austin Farmers’ Market and Rio’s Brazilian cheese breads. Locally brewed beverages from Saint Arnold’s Brewing and Zhi Tea will also be available.

Ms Richardson has been called “a fresh voice in the movement to create a healthier and sustainable food system” by Marion Nestle. I have not yet read her book but can say that the writing on her blog is informative, thoughtful, and well researched. I always learn something there. How many things can you say that about?

If you can’t make this event, Ms Richardson will also be speaking and signing books at the Austin Farmers’ Market on Saturday, November 7 from 10:00 to 1:00 (hosted by the Sustainable Food Center) and at Cafe Caffeine on Sunday, November 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm (hosted by the South Austin Food Co-op).

All of this makes has me feeling incredibly grateful to be living near Austin! Now let’s do what we can to help others have as many healthy, local food choices as we are blessed to have!

Seven Natural Cold Remedies

We spent the last half of October not only preparing for Halloween but also dealing with various illnesses. First we faced the flu, which swept through my eldest daughter’s class and infected all the kids and both teachers over the course of five days. Both our daughters caught it but fortunately had mild cases. Just as things were wrapping up on the flu front, however, Richard caught a cold, which quickly morphed into an awful upper respiratory illness complete with hacking cough. The cold lasted much longer than the flu so we’ve had lots of chances to implement our favorite natural cold remedies and try out some  that were new to us. Most of them would also help with the flu. If you have sickos at home, I hope you find some relief for your family members here!

Here are the seven natural cold remedies that made the biggest difference for our family: Read more

The Wall Street Journal Talks Canning – and They Don’t Mean CEOs

This morning I was very pleasantly surprised to see an article about canning food in the Wall Street Journal. It is really exciting to see that people taking control of their food sources is becoming a strong movement! (And nice to read about another kind of canning – ba dump bump!)

The article links to Canning Across America, which has some yummy looking recipes along with links to resources and events. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a good source of information on canning as well as pickling, freezing, fermenting and other preservation methods. If you want to take advantage of the season to load up on locally grown food, PickYourOwn.org can help you find both sources of food in your area and preservation methods to match what you harvest.

Happy eating!

Can Your Friends Make You Green?

This post is part of October’s APLS Blog Carnival. Check out what others have to say about October’s topic of proselytizing green at Greenhab on October 19 or join the conversation yourself!

This month’s topic immediately made me think about a headline I saw recently that read “Are Your Friends Making You Fat?” The article, which discusses how two social scientists, Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, used data collected as part of the Framingham Heart Study to measure the impact people had on others in their life, included this quote:

By analyzing the Framingham data, Christakis and Fowler say, they have for the first time found some solid basis for a potentially powerful theory in epidemiology: that good behaviors — like quitting smoking or staying slender or being happy — pass from friend to friend almost as if they were contagious viruses. The Framingham participants, the data suggested, influenced one another’s health just by socializing. And the same was true of bad behaviors — clusters of friends appeared to “infect” each other with obesity, unhappiness and smoking. Staying healthy isn’t just a matter of your genes and your diet, it seems. Good health is also a product, in part, of your sheer proximity to other healthy people.

Friends also help people go green, I wondered?

When we first started making changes to green our life, we often felt alone. That feeling of isolation was, in and of itself, a barrier. On Tuesday mornings, it was tempting to sleep in a bit and let the recycling truck pass us by since we were then the only family on our block who would drag a recycling bin to the curb. I could feel the influence of our neighbors’ actions even though they hadn’t said a word.

On the flip side, a number of the changes we have made were spurred by everyday interactions with others. A helpful parent stopped me in the school parking lot to let me know one of our tires was a bit flat; as a result we started regular air pressure checks. We saw a lady at the grocery store using pretty reusable produce bags and asked her about them; now we have eliminated that source of plastic into our home.

And I can see times when we have had an impact on others as well. A dinner party turned into a discussion about our CSA after folks saw information posted on our refrigerator, with one of the families then joining the CSA themselves. A birthday party shifted to a conversation about reuse after a mom commented on our sand/water table and I told her we bought it for $5 at Goodwill. And, thankfully, we are no longer the only family on our block recycling!

I want to influence others positively so will continue making green choices and looking for others who can teach me how to live a greener life. I believe strongly that actions speak louder than words so am more likely to proselytize the green life through my behavior but have seen again and again behaviors leading to conversations. And I am always up for a chat about greening families!

As I was wrapping this up I came across an article on the need for sociologists to study conversations around climate change on Nature.com. It is an interesting read so check it out!

Family Friday: Enjoying Nature Around Us

It is the first Friday of October so that means another thoughtful article by Lucas Miller. This month Lucas urges us to notice, appreciate, and enjoy the nature all around us. Take advantage of the great fall weather by getting outside with your family!

In the past couple of years, Last Child in the Woods, a book by Richard Louv, has had parents, environmentalists, and educators contemplating, discussing, and making some pretty big changes.

If you haven’t read it I suggest you do, but I will summarize. Louv presents a heap of scientific evidence and a whole lot of anecdotes that compellingly show that children need nature. They suffer emotionally, mentally, and physically when it is denied them and show tremendous benefits when they are reunited with it. Children have never been more inundated with scientific factoids by multiple cable channels dedicated to wildlife and “discovery” (and singing zoologists) but information is trivial compared to unstructured time spent in contact with nature (that means soccer practice doesn’t really count). His term for our children’s lack of free-time in the natural environment is “nature-deficit disorder.” Read more

Business Review: The Common Thread

In preparation for my first sewing class, I visited the newly opened independent fabric store The Common Thread just over a week ago. What a treat!

As I mentioned when I listed my goal of learning how to sew this year, I haven’t done any real sewing since I took a home ec class in junior high. That was a few years ago (ahem!) so I felt a little nervous preparing for my sewing class. What fabrics would be best for the various projects? I checked out organic fabric online but for my first projects, I wanted to feel the fabrics. The selection of organic fabric at the chain store in my area was nonexistent so I had to find another option. Read more

New Rules Proposed on CO2 Emissions and Fuel Efficiency

Yesterday the EPA and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed regulations that would provide a national threshold for carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles and would require an increase in fuel efficiency for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles sold in the United States by almost 40%. Read more

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