Author Archive

During the next several days, a UN Conference on Climate Change will be taking place in Bali. Nations in attendance are hoping for agreement on the successor to the Kyoto Protocol - of which the US has not taken part. Al Gore will be there in front of representatives from the World’s Countries speaking of the need for a new treaty to be brought into effect by 2010.

In order to avoid catastrophe to Human Life due to Global Warming and Climate Change, drastic reduction of carbon emissions needs to happen. A major concern for leaders is the effect this reduction in emissions would have on their countries’ economies. Leaders have the opportunity to meet and discuss at this summit (click here for UN website updates on the conference).

No matter what your political inclination, help to save human life on the earth by signing this petition which will be presented by Al Gore at the Conference.

I’ve been researching and brainstorming ideas for a more sustainable way of celebrating the holidays and I’m going to share them with you on this last day of November. Consider incorporating one or all of these ideas into your holidays.

Lighting:

If you don’t already have a fortune invested in outdoor lights, or you’re willing to make the change - try LED Christmas lights. Easily found at most of the big-name hardware stores, they are 80% more efficient and last up to 20 years. Best of all, their vivid colors and shapes can be more fun than traditional lights. At the very least, use a timer to keep your lights from staying on past peak “cheer” hours.

Trees:

This is a hard one - is it better to cut down a live tree or buy a plastic tree? My research has informed me that most Christmas tree farmers plant 2 trees for every 1 cut down. And without Christmas tree farmers, would the millions of trees planted for their farms exist? No. Their existence is good and the trees spend about 7 to 15 years in the ground keeping hillsides from eroding and sucking carbon from the air before they adorn a home for the holidays. Also, most cities offer special disposal of live trees, they are made into mulch or compost and returned to nature. Plastic trees on the other hand, are not biodegradable and they are made from petroleum. If you do have a fake tree, use it for years and years and when you tire of it, please donate it to Goodwill, that is a great way to recycle unwanted items back into society instead of to a dump. Another option would be using a potted live tree and returning it outdoors after the holiday - although you risk killing it if you don’t take proper care.

Ornaments:

I found one website offering green “baubles” for Christmas decorations, although they don’t explain how these items are sustainable and they looked like glass balls. Common sense tells me that natural materials are better than plastics, so stick to them. Also, if you keep the same beautiful ornaments on your tree year after year, isn’t that recycling enough? And if you tire of your ornaments and want a new look, please donate them to Goodwill instead of throwing them in the garbage.

Wrapping Paper:

Be creative as you wrap gifts this year. I invested in a set of decorated boxes about 5 years ago, and they get re-used each year. If you are giving a gift outside of your immediate family, use a gift bag (which can be re-used) and put a note on it, letting people know that you’d appreciate if they saved the bag and used it again. I save all gift bags that come into my house and each gets re-used. Other ideas include wrapping gifts with newspaper or magazines. I saw an article that suggested wrapping gifts in scarves, which I thought was cute since scarves can be found in a variety of price ranges. Here’s another idea, put the gift in a re-usable bag (They often sell at grocery stores for $.99 each) and place a note on the bag requesting the person use the bag when shopping.

Shopping:

It seems such a waste to collect all the paper and plastic bags as you shop for that endless list of gifts. This year, bring re-usable bags with you to the mall. Use a different set for groceries. I find mine easier to use since the handles are longer, I can slip it over my shoulder for easy carrying.

Cards:

This is a difficult one. I’m not ready to give up my paper cards. I’m an old-fashioned gal that loves sending and receiving mail. If you’re up for it, send email cards or use a website where friends and family can visit a short photo album with a few notes from you describing your family’s achievements for the year.

Festivities:

Most of us have no choice but to entertain during the holidays and some of us actually enjoy it. Either way, forgo using throw-away plates and cups, get out the china, silverware and glasses. When it’s time for clean-up, don’t let the water run as you rinse. Either fill the sink and rinse there or let your energy efficient dishwasher do the work for you.

I hope that you have a very Merry and Green Holiday Season!

One of the greenest things you can do is to grow a vegetable garden. It really isn’t that difficult and the rewards are more than worth the work and money.

We built raised boxes over the lawn with 12X2 boards and filled them with compost and rich soil (cover the lawn with corrugated paper or thick layers of newspaper before putting the dirt down). We then went to the nursery and chose tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, beans, pumpkins, watermelon, artichoke and a variety of herbs. The only things that didn’t grow were the watermelon and artichoke. And this fall, I was so excited to choose all types of lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, winter tomatoes and seeds for spinach, carrots, onions and radish. Even if you just have a small patio or balcony, many vegetables do well in pots.

There’s nothing like the sweet taste of summer sun in a warm, juicy, ripe tomato!

We feasted on the freshest and best vegetables all summer. And now that I have lettuce available to me, we eat it all the time. I used to pass the spinach and lettuce at the grocery store with contempt. I chose carefully, thinking, would this be the time that I’ll pick one that has e coli in it? Will this be the time that I force my kids to eat a vegetable and they get deathly ill? Now I can pick with pride. There is nothing in our vegetables but wholesome goodness. No pesticides, no human or animal has spit, urinated or defecated on the garden. I get such a sense of pride that I can go outside and pick something that we grew and that we can eat it for dinner or lunch. I love to grab a few leaves of lettuce and make a quick salad. In the summer, we ate tomatoes on everything. As well as zucchini. We even grew our own pumpkins. It is such a joy to place them on the porch for the autumn holidays! Everyone is in awe of our pumpkins, but really, all we did was plant the sprout that we got at the nursery, make sure it got watered and nature did everything else!

This garden has also been a blessing.

My kids love to help me. They run outside with me at dinnertime and pick something. I can get them to eat lettuce from our patch, when I can’t get them to eat it otherwise! Besides the health benefits, the garden has been a family benefit. The kids are learning things about nature that they could never learn in school. And we are all working together to achieve something good.

What can be better than that?

My morning emails contained a forwarded green article someone thought I’d like to see. Click here. The forwarded article was by Jesse Lichtenstein and it appeared on Slate. The author was talking about the UN documents released earlier this year regarding Global Warming - at the time, there was a stir because the documents stated that GW was caused by humans, but the affects on the climate were still unknown. Second, the author talked about a couple articles by scientists regarding the science of climate change and the how and whys behind it’s unpredictability. Third, the article talked about how politicians are having a difficult time creating laws regarding Global Warming because they need more solid predictions from scientists about how exactly the Climate is going to change. There was then mention about how politicians would need to be more flexible in their planning of policy to manage Global Warming and Climate Change. I hope I did Jesse’s article justice, I had to read it article 3 times to gather my understanding of it’s content, and I still could use a few more to get it straight in my head.

Remember when I wrote a couple months ago that the earth was like a Rubik’s Cube - changes made to one side didn’t just affect that plane of the cube - but affect the other 5 planes as well. We just tend to focus on the one plane. From what I could gather from this article - climate change and predicting climate change as an effect of Global Warming are quite the same way. A computer model can predict based on numbers, but so many other elements have to be taken into account. For example, if GW causes a warmer climate, is it just warmer weather? Not necessarily. After taking into account how warming can affect such things as weather patterns, rainfall or cloud cover (which in turn adds to warming); the climate is also affected by continued carbon emissions by humans, the ability of the oceans and vegetation to absorb carbon, the melting of ice which could change ocean currents. It’s an intricate web. I’m not a scientist, and I wish that I was so that I could give a really intelligent view of the ramifications of Global Warming, but I can’t. I barely understand it myself.

So where am I going with this? I hope climate change won’t get to the apocalyptic level or even the uncomfortable level. But we just don’t know. And it is in the unknown that I find fear. I hope that this fear is enough to get me to make the big changes that I haven’t had the heart to make yet. I need to give up my luxurious car and put solar panels on my house. I’ve only made the small and comfortable changes here at home: saving water, saving energy, recycling, changing lightbulbs to compact fluorescent, switching to plant-based laundry soap, growing a vegetable garden, setting my thermostat, setting my water heater lower, lessening my use of garbage intensive products, keeping the car in good working order, making use of re-usable drink and food containers, purchasing and using re-usable bags for all my shopping. I wish I had more money. I wouldn’t have to think twice about the solar panels. I’ve wanted to do it for years now. I just can’t afford it. The car is a different matter. It’s going to hurt to give it up. But it won’t hurt as bad as the future could hurt me and my family.

It is time for us to change ourselves, our companies to change themselves and for us to push our government to do more to help us stop Climate Change. Push them to be flexible and creative with laws and treaties. I fear what will happen if we don’t.

Humor? Fear? Negativity? Positiveness? Recently, the Alliance for Climate Protection sent out a challenge - create a film advertisement about saving the earth. Take a peek at these ecospots on the Alliance for Climate Protection’s website. I saw all of them and each offers a unique and artistic point of view on Global Warming. Here’s your chance to vote on what kind of TV commercial affects you the most when it comes to changing your lifestyle in an effort to battle Climate Change. Voting is finished on the 9th at 12pm PST.

I had fun viewing the ecospots. I learned something new from several, was turned off by others and a few really got to me. I’m not going to say which was my favorite, I want you to view them with an open mind. And hopefully think about Climate Change with an open mind too. Last week, I wrote about how the wildfires in California affected me. I enjoy it so much when I receive that little comment from someone who read my post and is now making a conscious effort to turn off the water when they’re brushing their teeth. It means that I got to you, I inspired you, and as we mothers know, inspiration is just the beginning of action!

Fast forward to the future: I wonder if I will be 60 and sitting in our underground home because the surface of the earth is an inhospitable temperature and the only way that my children and grandchildren can experience nature is to be in a biosphere where plants can grow.

Sorry if I seem a little down. I guess being evacuated last week has gotten to me. I can’t seem to get back into the swing of things. We were only out of our house for a day - better than the many who lost their homes to wildfire. We still have everything. Well, not everything, I’m losing my hope. I now wonder if this is going to be something that we California residents can look forward to in our future. We’ve had a hot, dry summer - once again. Here it is, early November, we’re all still wearing shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, windows wide open (we have a whole house fan, our neighbors are still using their A/C units). It is supposed to get up to 85 again for the next several days. I don’t even want to check to see if 2007 is the new record hot year.

Last week was scary. It took every ounce of firefighting ability we have and help from neighboring cities and states to get through the onslaught of wildfires. Can we do this every time the Santa Ana’s blow? The newspaper reported today that firefighters were trying to finish dousing out the Santiago Fire in preparation for the Santa Ana Winds expected this weekend.

There aren’t enough ways for us to thank all of the pilots, firefighters and forest service men and women who worked so hard (and still are) to save our homes.

I keep thinking about all the Global Warming articles I’ve read and the info I’ve gathered: drought in the western US, drier brush, harsh weather. If this is to become a yearly thing, will we have enough water in the future to successfully put out fires?

It is all the more reason to live more conservatively. Save water, recycle, do as many little things as we can to stop Climate Change.

I’ve written about my “Ah-Ha” moment last year (PI, PII), small things to start on, saving water, and recycling so one of my next moves was to examine what I send with my child to school in his lunch. After such examination, I was in a quandry: lunch-making in the morning needs to be as simple as possible. Ziploc baggies and pre-wrapped items are just that: EASY.

EASY is nice, but it won’t save the Earth.

So, I let go of EASY, had a small mourning period, and started brainstorming how I could make a lunch that he could take to school and not end up trashing the planet. How much waste do your childrens’ lunches produce? Sandwich and snack baggies, chip and pre-made food containers and wrappers, napkins, plastic utensils, saran-wrap, juice bottles, juice boxes. The list is endless. Not only are you sending trash to school with your child, but most of the pre-wrapped EASY items are heavy on the trash. For example, lunch chips come in individual bags, in a box, wrapped in plastic. And just by purchasing that item, you are telling the manufacturer YES. Buy the big bag of chips and put a handful in a tupperware and send that. Why use individual bags of chips that can’t be recycled?

These are the changes I made to my son’s lunch:

• re-usable lunchbox
• re-usable drink bottle for water
• square re-usable container for sandwich
• small round re-usable container for apple slices and carrot sticks

I chose to use tupperware-type items for his lunch. But I did lots of research and there are other great re-usable items - check out the link! I also shot off a few emails to various manufacturers. I am just a little voice, but if you join me as a Mother Fighting for Others - you can help make a big voice. Stop saying YES to manufacturers who make products that are harmful to the earth or just plain aren’t recyclable. (By the way, products that are usually harmful to the earth are also usually harmful to humans - just think of the BPA found in plastics).

Here is my letter to Ziploc:

“I really like the ease of use Ziploc offers, but lately, I have a hard time putting 2-3 bags in my kids lunch each day

knowing that they are going into the trash. Schools need better recycling programs for lunch waste, but has Ziploc considered making their bags recyclable? If they currently are, why aren’t they marked with the “triangle”? I’m tempted to start putting my kid’s lunch in re-usable tupperware containers so I can feel better about my daily imprint on this earth. What you have in me is a consumer who isn’t afraid of a lifestyle change to make this a better earth for our kids. Please consider changing your products to help me in my fight. Sincerely, Cecily –”

Take a minute, mourn EASY and then make changes today!

1. Take a serious look at what goes in your child’s lunch
2. Say NO to products that aren’t earth-friendly
3. Send your own email to a manufacturer

By the way, once I got used to my new lunch routine, I didn’t notice any strain on my morning, it was really EASY!

After learning to be water-wise and changing lightbulbs, the next easiest thing to do is RECYCLE!

I am so lucky that I live in an area that offers recycling with my weekly trash pickup. I always recycled the obvious - glass jars, tin cans, plastic drink bottles and newspapers. I thought I was doing well. But it is just NOT enough! So many more items can be recycled. I started paying attention to the recycle symbol (see side) on everything that I was about to throw away. Most paper can be recycled, as can junk mail. I looked to other places than the kitchen for recyclables - the bathroom and laundry are full of recyclable soap and shampoo bottles. I started buying products that were in recyclable containers or containers that had the recycle symbol printed on it rather than those that did not (in my area, Albertson’s brand puts frozen vegetables in plastic bags marked with a recycle symbol, C&W brand does not). If I accidentally threw something recyclable in the trash (old habit) I forced myself to go in after it and put it in recycling instead (really helped me form a new habit quickly!).

Besides looking to recycle at home, I looked outside my home to see what I could do. I had met a bunch of mommies at McDonald’s for lunch with our kids and I had emptied the recyclable containers and put them in my diaper bag to take home and recycle when I normally would have tossed them (someday we’ll battle to get recycling containers at eateries/fast food places too!). Some of the mommies in my group caught on and gave me their containers too. I was so happy that my action inspired others to think about recycling when it didn’t seem so easy or obvious.

At home, I contacted our recycling company for a list of acceptable items. I’m passing it on to you, but keep in mind that your part of the country will be different. Please take a moment to visit your waste collector’s website and get the information on recycling for yourself. Just think of all the items you can keep out of a dump!

Recyclable Materials:

• Aluminum cans, foil and trays
• Tin cans and bi-metal cans
• Rinsed milk cartons - flattened
• Juice boxes and soy milk boxes - flattened
• Carryout bags, butter and margarine tubs, screw on caps and yogurt containers
• Mixed plastic materials
• Shampoo, detergent, milk, soda, water containers
• All plastic food containers marked #1 - #7
• Glass bottles and jars - empty and rinsed
• Loose newspaper
• Paper board
• Cereal and cracker boxes
• Six-pack cartons
• Cardboard and corrugated boxes
• Brown grocery bags
• Magazines
• Glossy paper
• Junk mail
• Stationery and envelopes
• Any high-grade/uncoated paper
• Binder/notebook paper, any color

If your area doesn’t currently offer recycling - take on the battle! Be a mother fighting for others and fight to get recycling in your area.

Last year, if you asked me on the street if I was waterwise - I’d have said yes. Our home came with low-flow everything and we have our sprinklers on timers so we don’t get runoff. We take short showers and I only run full loads in the dishwasher and washer.

I was not really waterwise!
And the worst thing is that I was fooling myself!

One of the first things that I did to start living more green was seriously pay attention to my water usage. I rinse the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher - I have a small family and don’t run it everyday so I don’t want food drying onto the plates and silverware. I used to let water run down the drain while I rinsed away. Now, I fill a small bowl with soap & water and try to rinse all my dishes using just that water. It’s actually turned into sort of a game - I challenge myself to rinse the whole sinkful without re-filling the bowl. We also don’t flush toilets every time - there is really no need. And I don’t let the kids play with the hose or in the sinks anymore (fill a spray bottle instead). We don’t let water run while we are brushing our teeth or washing our faces. I have always tried to keep native or drought-tolerant plants in the garden. I even covered over our thirsty lawn this summer and we now have a wonderful vegetable garden (which is worth every drop of water it gets, unlike our useless lawn!). We are well on our way to being a waterwise family. We can’t afford every new gadget out there, but we add things as we can. There are so many things that you can do too!

Take the test below and see how many times you can answer “Yes”!

1. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? Wet your toothbrush and fill a glass of water for rinsing your mouth and toothbrush when you’re done.
2. Do you take long, hot showers? Up to 5 gallons of water are wasted for every extra minute you’re in the shower!
3. Do you have low-flow toilets in your bathrooms?
4. Are your sprinklers set to water the lawn or garden during the coolest parts of the day (before 9am-after7pm)? The sun can evaporate the water even before it soaks into the soil!
5. Have you checked for leaks in pipes? Hoses? Faucets? Sprinkler heads? Even a tiny leak can send 12,500 gallons/year down the drain!
6. Do you only wash full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher?
7. Do you use water to defrost frozen foods? It’s safer to thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
8. Do you let the water run until the water is cool/hot enough? Keep bottles of water in the fridge for cool water, while waiting for hot water, put a watering can under the faucet and use it to water houseplants.
9. Have you installed low-flow showerheads? These types of showerheads can save up to 8 gallons of water/minute.
10. Do you aerate your lawn? Aerating allows water to reach the roots, reducing runoff.
11. Do you have a smart timer for your irrigation? These timers can adjust automatically for different seasons.
12. Do you have drought tolerant trees and plants in your garden?
13. Do you have a rain shut-off for your sprinklers?

Water is our most precious resource. Please join with me in the fight to save water!

There was an interesting article in the newspaper recently.

It was about how celebrities are lending their name to green causes - yet they are coming under attack for not living green themselves. Some examples listed in the article were outrageously large houses, multiple houses for that matter, multiple cars or private jet flights. I was a little sad at all the finger pointing. Aren’t solar panels on a large house or all your houses better than no solar panels at all?

I’m happy that celebrities are willing to lend their names to the cause - the word still needs to get out there. Just taking a walk in our neighborhood yesterday evening, I was shocked to see a trashcan full of recyclables, while the recycling bin sat half-full. I saw rivers of good water running down the gutter, no longer usable. So many people still need to get it - even the celebrities.

It is up to us to change.

One thing I am realizing about living green these days is that you are likely to have to be your own champion. There is really nobody out there that is going to make it easy for you. Not your family, not your friends, maybe not even your husband or children. Are you sitting back and waiting for a hybrid that fits your needs (I admit, I am), are you waiting for the government to start pushing green lifestyles - government style (water and electricity regulation, taxes to discourage use)?

If I really must change my life for the benefit of our Earth - I’d rather it be by my choice and the changes I make be my choices.

More recently, I was able to read the printed responses in the newspaper to the previously mentioned green celebrity article. One man, who had been supporting the green cause for 25 years with his organization, just folded his efforts. He felt that the earth was at the “no turn-around point” and there was no longer a reason for him to fight. According to him, there is already too much CO2 in the atmosphere. He feels that we are dedicated to a certain amount of warming, and the earth’s temperature will reach an inhospitable point, whether we (including celebrities) all drive hybrids tomorrow or not.

I am a Mother Fighting For Others and I am going to keep up my fight. I hope you will join the fight!

Okay. I had caught the bug…worse than I ever had it before. It wasn’t just about casually recycling and maybe turning off lights if I thought about it. I knew that it was up to me - and only me - to make changes that mattered. It had been about a week since I had watched Too Hot Not to Handle and I was honestly bothered. The documentary mentioned certain aspects of life that could and would change with Global Warming: melted polar ice; rising ocean levels; longer, hotter heat waves; more violent storms causing flooding, storm surges, stronger hurricanes; animals forced into extinction; water shortages; desertification of land. The list was endless and scary!

For the first time in my life I was facing two huge hurdles - the earth and myself. I instantly realized what an incredible amount of work and change it would take for most of the human race to begin living differently in order to reduce carbon emissions. I also realized what an incredible amount of work and change it would take for just me to begin living differently. And I was realizing rather quickly that I wasn’t going to have a cheering section. Last year, most people still didn’t believe that Global Warming was happening and not only would I be fighting myself and my old habits to make changes, I would be fighting to make others believe.

Where to start?

In my small mind (which was already feeling like it would explode from information overload), I started where I could. With the small things.

1. Unplug small electronics, appliances and chargers, use a power strip that can be turned off for other electronics.
2. Switch lamp, chandelier and recessed can lights to compact flourescent style (you wouldn’t believe how many different styles they make these lights in!) and Turn Off lights that aren’t necessary.
3. Really, really pay attention to recycling. I contacted our local waste management company and requested a list of acceptable recyclables. Think about other recyclables - Best Buy, Office Depot all accept office/electronic recyclables that you probably even didn’t know about! Call them for more information.
4. Save water - we all think we do, but there’s room for improvement. Watch your sprinklers for runoff, don’t let the faucet run while you: wash dishes, brush teeth, wash your face, let the shower warm up.
5. Always remember that the possiblities are endless and up to you. You decide how much change you are willing to make - from buying a hybrid and solar panels to just changing your lightbulbs and unplugging chargers and electronics.

I feel good about my changes and I am going to report to you all how they are going. Sometimes I get really overwhelmed and sad that I can’t do more faster or get others to start doing. I tried my best to get my husband on board - and he’s doing great - even making changes at his office. My kids are learning about recycling, saving water and turning off lights. I am working on others that I’m close to…and they still get annoyed. But at least, this year, we are having conversations about it and about possible changes they can make (my dad just bought re-usable grocery bags!).

So, there I was, “ah-ha” moment over, wondering what to do. I couldn’t, absolutely couldn’t, go back to normal. But, I still didn’t know enough to know where to start.

Then, I happened upon an article in House & Garden magazine that was written by Laurie David. Obviously, part of the media blitz surrounding her two film projects from that spring – Too Hot Not to Handle (THNtH) and An Inconvenient Truth. She was editor for the day and had done a few sections on living green. In one section, it showed her and then-husband, Larry, standing on their driveway next to their Priuses. The article accompanying the picture talked about Laurie’s move to environmentalism and what triggered it. She also suggested several things that we can do to lessen our output of carbon dioxide – things I could do at home to battle Global Warming. I was so happy. The pure desolation I had felt after watching the movie was turning to hope. I had always associated a green lifestyle with the negative “tree-hugger” image of people who live such radically different lifestyles it seems undesirable to the rest of us. I mean small hybrids and solar panels don’t fit into everyone’s budget or lifestyle. And unfortunately those are the lifestyle changes that I had always associated with living green. There was absolutely no reason why I couldn’t do these few things she had listed: Replacing light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, keeping my vehicle in good condition, planting trees, wrapping the water heater and watching the temperature at which it is set, keeping the air conditioner filters clean, programming the thermostat, choosing minimally packaged goods. The next day, I checked out Laurie David’s website. I didn’t join the virtual march on Washington – I hate to admit that I was scared to. I didn’t want my name on a list that labeled me as something I had never been before. I guess that is the whole problem here. Change.

We don’t like change and it is scary to us.

But I think that if we want to pass this beautiful home we inhabit on to our children, we need to be more conscious of our choices. One of Laurie’s suggestions was to unplug chargers and small electronics. I had no idea that electronics like TV’s, toasters, phone and camera chargers (when not in use) still sucked almost half as much power during times when they weren’t used as when they are switched on. I immediately unplugged the toaster. And I have to say, it was a little annoying to have to re-plug it every morning and even more annoying to get my husband to do the same. But the point here is that I got used to it, and so has my husband.

I’ve read pros and cons to Global Warming. I am fairly convinced that it is happening and that we’ve reached a point where human existence on Earth is great enough to affect nature. But, whether or not you or others believe Global Warming is actually happening – what exactly is wrong with conservation and smart living? In my mind, there are great reasons for us humans to start changing our lifestyles to be more conscious of our impact on this Earth and how it affects everything. One thing that I have learned in all my research about Global Warming and Climate Change is that everything on Earth is interconnected and messing with it is like twisting a brand-new Rubik’s Cube – with every change to one side, the other sides are also changed, but we just don’t notice it because we are so concentrated on only one side of the cube.

I’m a mom, just trying to do my part. I’m making lifestyle changes in an effort to live green. I’m basing these lifestyle changes on those listed by Laurie David as well as others that I have found in my reading and research. I will be trying them out and letting you know how it goes.

I have opened my heart and mind and vowed to make change in my life to lessen my impact and that of my family. Maybe you’ll be inspired to make a few changes too.

It was only April of 2006 that I became aware of my footprint on this Earth.

I mean, really aware. There I was, thirty-four years-old, just beginning to understand. Ever have a moment when you realize exactly what you’re doing here? Even if you don’t believe in God or follow a religion, don’t you ever wonder what your small, insignificant life here on Earth means, why were you born, why did you study this or that and pick the career you chose, marry your spouse, have kids, battle illness, watch loved ones die, witness disaster? These are some fairly large questions in life. For a fleeting moment that day last spring, the wormhole of life un-kinked just enough for me to see that my actions on this Earth do have a consequence and that if anything, my presence here is a fragile gift that I should cherish and protect.

You’re probably wondering what spawned my “ah-ha” moment.

It all started when I sat down one spring afternoon to breastfeed my second child. I wanted to relax a little and watch some television. There was nothing on. HBO was airing something called Too Hot Not to Handle (hereby referred to as THNtH). I had no idea what it was about, I hoped it was a light-hearted movie, and according to the guide, I had only missed about 15 minutes. Click. The program was showing pictures of glaciers and comparing them to pictures from the past. I had no idea what they were talking about, but when a picture of a glacier from 1942 was shown and then a second picture of the same landscape, less glacier, was shown from 2003, I was upright in my seat, no longer interested in a vegetative, half-asleep state as my infant nursed. The pictures were telling me that the earth was changing, and the narrator was telling me what Global Warming was and how it happened. I didn’t think glaciers could melt.

I honestly had NO idea.

For thirty-four years, I have led my life thinking that I had goals to attain. My small life in a small community had tied itself up into such a knot that I had been seduced into believing my self-important goals were honorable pursuits. I had spent much of my waking hours concentrating on being thin, beautiful – perfect. I had dreams of zipping around town in a popular SUV on my way to various mommy gatherings while wearing unique designer clothing from a high-end boutique, high-heeled sandals and then returning to my model-perfect home. Of course, I also wanted other things: college educations for my children, a wedding for my daughter, maybe extra money to vacation abroad someday. In a dream world, where the unattainable is reality, maybe a beach house to spend lazy summer days or a cabin for skiing holidays. These were my little goals. Selfish goals.

I realized sadly that these dreams are worth nothing if myself or my children didn’t have a home in which to have them, and by home, I mean, Earth.

For the rest of that day and every day since then, the implications of Global Warming have swarmed in my head and the final blow of its consequence has hit with enough force to knock my old lifestyle straight to the recycle bin. My previous life of blissful ignorance was a thing of the past. That night, my husband came home from work and I bombarded him with information about the documentary and put it on for him to watch. He was skeptical and laughed his way through it, but I was on fire. I washed the dishes differently that night - trying to waste less water, I thought about what I was putting into the trash versus the recycling, turned of every un-necessary light. I didn’t sleep that night or the next few nights. My head swarmed with questions, my devilish sleep-deprived mind displaying sickening scenes of beachfront under water, once-green suburban cities turned to desert, mountains without snow, vegetable and fruit crops dying from lack of irrigation. My God, I thought, who cares about college and a wedding, will my kids know what a California beach looks like? Mentally, I sunk our beautiful coastline by 20 feet (a melted Alaska according to THNtH), then 100 feet (a melted Greenland) and finally 250 feet (a melted Arctic). It was all just too devastatingly overwhelming. The idea of an Earth strangely different and inhospitable seemed so foreign, so far away.

Could it really happen?

I couldn’t bear the thought of my children and grandchildren suffering because of actions I took in my lifetime.