Sustainable Good

Hurricane Gustav

Having grown up close to the gulf coast all of my life, I have seen my share of hurricanes. There are pictures of me on the sand of Gulf Shores, AL, forcing all of my weight forward in the wind –gripping smile, flapping hair – I was always one for a thrill. I loved hurricanes namely because of my innocence. I’d never experienced a hurricane strong enough to do much damage (other than ruin my beach vacation) and I always had a strong, stable shelter where I felt nothing but safe. Unfortunately, that's not the case for thousands if not millions of people on the Gulf Coast and in many other countries that experienced the devastating effects of Gustav.

Sustaining our Earth!

As I have been visiting the amazing sites of Washington DC, I have been absolutely thoroughly impressed by the amount of human ingenuity that it has taken to build everything--the National Cathedral, the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument are spectacular. And while I realize the value of buildings, I became a little disheartened, because I wished that the ingenuity used on these structures could have been used to help solve the problems of poverty, war, environmental destruction. And then I stumbled upon these globes outside of the US Botanic Gardens.

Each globe represents one thing that we could do to make our world more sustainable. One covered with windmills encourages us to push for more wind power. Another covered with all kinds of colorful trash asks that we simply consume less. And one lined with bottle caps encourages us to buy recycled products.

Gardening as activism: Working for the earth, one organic tomato at a time

I am participating in a growing network of anti-globalization environmental activists.  We have no centralized headquarters, no bylaws, no mission statement.  We also tend to be a dirty bunch – especially the fingernails!  I’m speaking of a quiet sector of the local food revolution known as home gardeners.  As a passionate organic gardener, I grow way more than my family can eat. 

Smog at the Olympics and in Our World

Have you been keeping up with the Olympics in Beijing?  Having lived in southwestern China for almost two years, I find myself glued to the TV – not necessarily during the gymnastics competitions or the swimming races but the B-roll of the vast landscape, the sea of bikes, the glistening food.  These images bring me back to those two years – I can almost taste the lotus root and fish-smelling eggplant right now (I promise it’s amazing.)  Unfortunately, I also taste the grime on my tongue and in my nose from a long bike ride in the smog.  While Beijing has dramatically cut the smog for the Olympics, the athletes and visitors can still see those dirty molecules in the air and feel it in their lungs.  I remember the claustrophobia I felt almost every time I walked outside to enjoy the day.