Armchair Activism- Number Punching Edition

Hi guys, hi guys. Sorry to bust in on your long weekend again, but this will only take about a minute of your time, I promise. As most of you know, the California Supreme Court recently ruled that under the California Constitution, gays have to be given the right to marry in California. Of course, opponents of the Supreme Court decision are now gathering signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot banning gay marriage.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised not to support this constitutional amendment. Given that he's a Republican and a fairly popular governor, this is wonderful news for gay rights advocates. However, the Governor is currently being flooded with calls asking him to support the constitutional amendment.

If he doesn't hear from progressives, he might change his mind!

Please call Governor Schwarzenegger's office to voice your support of the Supreme Court decision. It's a completely automated system. You won't speak to anyone, nor will you be able to leave a message. It's kind of like voting for American Idol, except instead of choosing a pop-star, you're supporting gay rights!

Here's what you do:

Call 1-916-445-2841 (Governor`s office). Wait until you are instructed to press 1 for English, then: press 1, 5, 1, 1

(1=English / 5=opinion / 1=court / 1=support)

And that's it! Please call today. As Shannon so eloquently put it, "Everybody has a right to their fairytale." So pick up a phone and let's prove that fairytales do come true.

More Armchair Activism!

I'm guessing most of you have seen this, but if you haven't, please help  Colin aka No Impact Man out. I know everyone's raring for the three-day weekend, but it's just cutting, pasting, and emailing, I swear! By the way, non-Americans, you aren't exempted. Colin is asking that you still send an email putting in the subject line "From a world citizen to whom American policy makes a huge difference."

Here's Colin's plea:

I really, really need support from all of you today (and I'm unashamedly bribing you with the offer of free Reverend Billy DVDs). But first I have to give you some background. Just read the bits in bold if you're in hurry.

Next Friday, May 30, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York's Eight Congressional District has kindly agreed to meet with me in his New York office. As one of his constituents, I intend to ask Representative Nadler to support an effective global warming mitigation policy that is based not on what is politically possible but on what is scientifically necessary.

More specifically, I intend to ask him to:

Introduce, as soon as possible, a non-binding resolution to the House of Representatives asserting that we need a climate change mitigation policy with a goal of no more than 350 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide (read why here). Furthermore, the resolution should say that the United States must collaborate with the international community to achieve an effective successor to the Kyoto Protocol that will achieve the 350 goal or better (depending on how the science progresses).

Pledge to support the 1sky.org policy platform that also includes creating five million green jobs (through, for example, weatherizing our buildings and manufacturing solar panels and windmills), and placing a moratorium on the building of new coal power plants.

Pass on to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter addressed jointly to her and Representative Nadler, in his position as Assistant Whip, asking them both to push for the introduction of new and the strengthening of currently pending climate change legislation to reflect the crucial 350 goal. This means, at the very least, aiming for an 80% reduction in climate emissions below 1990 levels by 2050 and a 25% reduction by 2020.

Now then, here's how I was hoping you could help. My dream is to present Representative Nadler and Speaker Pelosi with between 350 and 3,500 (10 x 350) emails of support for these policy objectives.

Can you help? All it requires is a cut and paste job (see below).

Fellow bloggers: would you be willing to pass this request onto your readers?

Everyone: would you email this around and get your friends to pitch in?

Two bits of good news:

Representative Nadler has been an ardent supporter of environmental issues ranging from the thorough cleanup of the World Trade Center site to securing federal funding for state conservation and wildlife grants. He received a score of 95% for his voting record in the 1st session of the 110th Congress from the League of Conservation Voters.
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping have provided me with five copies of their new DVD, What Would Jesus Buy (watch the trailer here). I'm going to give the DVDs to people who send in their emails of support (the 1st, the 35th, 100th, the 350th and the 1000th).
Here's how to send in your email of support:

Simply cut and paste the below, making sure to substitute in your name, mailing address and email address, and send it to noimpactman+nadler+pelosi@gmail.com (it looks like a weird email address but, don't worry, it will work).

Dear Representative Nadler and Speaker Pelosi--

Thank you for your hard work on behalf of the people of the United States. It is indisputable that the health, happiness and security of the American people depends upon the well-being of our planetary habitat. It is also indisputable that the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is causing changes in our habitat that will adversely effect Americans on every level--from our health to our economy.

On May 30, Colin Beavan aka No Impact Man will visit Representative Nadler to express to him support for a number of climate change mitigation policies that are much stronger than those currently passing through Congress. Please consider this a letter of support for the measures Colin Beavan will be advocating.

Specifically, I support Colin Beavan in requesting that Representative Nadler and Speaker Pelosi both, together or separately:

Introduce, as soon as possible, a non-binding resolution to the House of Representatives asserting that we need a climate change mitigation policy that accords not with what is politically possible but what is scientifically necessary--a goal of no more than 350 ppm of atmospheric carbon dioxide (read why here). Furthermore, this resolution should assert that the United States must collaborate with the international community to achieve an effective successor to the Kyoto Protocol that will achieve the 350 goal or better (depending on how the science progresses).

Pledge to support the 1sky.org policy platform that also includes creating five million green jobs (through, for example, weatherizing our buildings and manufacturing solar panels and windmills) and placing a moratorium on the building of new coal power plants.

Push for the introduction of new and the strengthening of currently pending climate change legislation to reflect the crucial 350 goal. This means, at the very least, aiming for an 80% reduction in climate emissions below 1990 levels by 2050 and a 25% reduction by 2020.

Yours sincerely,

Your Name

Your Address

Your Email

Good, Not Perfect

Guys, I have to admit that by most metrics, the local food challenge has been something of a failure. I mean, I haven't gone to McDonalds, but I've done everything but. Oh, I know, I know, I just detailed that amazing local meal we had on Sunday. Yeah, here's the thing. Those days? When I eat fabulous local meals and am all warm and fuzzy? They're few and far between.

Most days, I've been a total disaster. You see, because of my job, and because I'm still taking public transit several days a week, I am outside of the house from about 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Breakfast and lunch are always eaten at work and sometimes dinner. So I'd gotten in the habit of making 3-4 small grocery runs every week at lunch. I'd get some bread for sandwiches, or I'd pick up some vegetables and a bottle of dressing for a small salad I could toss together in our kitchen at work. If I was in the mood to cook, I'd do the grocery shopping at lunch so that I wouldn't have to do it at 9:00 pm at night.  And if all else failed, I regularly bought pasta and a jar of Trader Joe's organic tomato sauce so I could just have spaghetti. 

But if I want to be eating local, all that goes out the window. The grocery stores that are walking distance from my work don't sell too much that's grown within 150 miles, and even if they do, they don't really label anything. Occasionally I see something marked, "California Grown," but California is a ginormous state. I have no way of knowing if this was grown in San Diego, or if it was grown in Eureka. Oh, I know, buying from California is still better than buying from New Zealand, but like ... everything is already all grown in California. I've probably unwittingly eaten "California local" a zillion times because really, if you live in California, how can you not? So to just accept all California produce as local seems like it's cheating, somehow. 

Plus, I think part of the reason people advocate for local food is because buying local often means buying from local family farms. In other words, industrial organic, even Californian industrial organic, is missing half the point. So instead of doing my 3-4 shopping runs a week, I've been pretty much limiting myself to a once a week shopping trip at the farmers' market.

It's been a mess. Because I'm only able to shop once a week, I over buy. I haven't had this much food waste since I did Crunchy's No Waste challenge. But produce, as Barbara Kingsolver reminds us, is not meant to be eaten days and days after it is picked. And if you wait a week, or hell, with some of these veggies, even a few days, they end up going bad. But if I omit buying tomatoes for example, and then I have a craving for rajma on Tuesday, well, I'm screwed. I have to wait until the next farmers' market on Sunday. 

Unfortunately, my good intentions have left me ill-prepared to deal with the matter of feeding myself. I went without bread for a week because the grocery stores near my work doesn't sell local bread. There is a store near my house that does sell local bread, but by the time I got home from work, I never feel like going to the damn store. I finished up the tomato sauce, and have been reluctant to buy more because, well, shouldn't I buy some local tomatoes and make my own sauce? But when the hell do I have time to make tomato sauce? Oh yeah. Last Saturday. The day BEFORE the farmers' market. So, finally, the other night, I came home late, starving, with no (non-rotting) food in the house. I thought I was going to cry. Instead, I picked up the phone and I ordered a pizza. For delivery. (Yes, I picked a local business, not Dominoes, but still.) I started to wonder, have I made the perfect the enemy of the good?

Tonight, as I walked home from the subway, I ran the dinner options in my head. I had some asparagus I'd bought on Sunday that miraculously hadn't gone bad yet, that I really had to deal with tonight or it would definitely be bad. And I had some corn that I had chosen specifically because I suspected corn lasts a reasonable length of time. But ... asparagus and corn isn't much of a dinner. So I decided I HAD to stop by the grocery store to pick up a lemon for the corn (I had used all my local lemons to make lemonade) and some bread for peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. And I thought, maybe they'll have some Winchester gouda or brie and I can eat that too.

First, I headed for the cheese. No Winchester. Okay fine, I thought, I'll just get the bread. I headed to the bread aisle, where, because it was now 9:00pm, the stock of locally baked daily bread was vastly depleted. In fact, the only kinds of bread I could find were rye, sourdough and rosemary olive. None of which go very well with peanut butter and jelly. Okay, it's okay, I told myself. I'll just get a lemon. So I headed to produce, picked up a "California grown!" lemon, and then I saw my beautiful Mexican mangoes. I picked up one, fondled it, put it back down, and almost threw a temper tantrum in the store. Instead, I angrily walked back to the dairy aisle, grabbed a goat cheese made in Sonoma. 500 miles is good enough! Then I stalked back to the bread, and grabbed a loaf of the sourdough.

I headed home and within twenty minutes, I had a meal of roasted asparagus, corn on the cob, and sourdough bread with goat cheese. It wasn't perfect, but I'm done making the perfect the enemy of the good. Tomorrow I will have peanut butter on sourdough, and you know what? Maybe it'll taste just fine.

And Then My Site Meter Burst Into Flames

Jayzus! In one hour, I get linked by both Crunchy Chicken and No Impact Man, and by the time I woke up this morning I had more page hits than I normally get in a whole day. You guys! You didn't tell me to expect company! I would have ... dusted and made tea and stuff.

But anyway, welcome! I started this blog as a way to chronicle my one-year adventure in non-consumerism. (To see my rules, click here.)

Because one adventure was not enough, I began a series of personal monthly challenges. You can read about all the different challenges in the archives, but some of my favorites were the Slow Food Challenge in December and the Public Transit Challenge in April. And, I'm not revealing anything yet, but I have the June challenge already figured out, and let me tell you, I am really excited for it.

I like to talk about the little things, and I like to be silly, but I also sometimes like to talk about the big things too. Most importantly, I like to live in the gray. I choose to embrace the dichotomy of living a lesser-impact life in a higher-impact world.

Imagine it's 2:00pm and you're at the top of a hill. On one side you can see see a magnificent city. On the other side, is a gorgeous valley, a veritable rural pastiche. What is your eye drawn to? Where do you find beauty? People are going to have different answers depending on their sensibilities. Some will be drawn to the city rooftops, others the colorful wildflowers that dot the landscape. Still others will be drawn to the forest of trees beckoning silently in the distance.

Now imagine you're at the top of the same hill. But it's now 11:00pm. What is your eye drawn to down below? Where do you find beauty now? In the lights of the city, right? Because you see, those lights don't just represent industry and technology, they represent humanity. They remind us, even when we're all by ourselves on a hilltop, that somewhere not so far from us, someone is falling in love, and someone is getting his heart broken. And someone else, is just kicking back and ordering a pizza. Just as there is beauty in nature, so is there beauty in the industrial.

I believe we are all industrialists, we are all technologians (you are reading this on a computer, right?) And if "eating is an agricultural act" then we are all agrarians, and anyone who's been outside is a naturalist. And that's okay. In fact that's more than okay, it's great! Because to me, being an environmentalist isn't about renouncing technology or trying to live the life of a peasant. Being an environmentalist is about embracing nature yes, but it's also about embracing technology. Being an environmentalist is about figuring out how to extend the American dream to every person on this earth.

By the American dream, I don't mean that I believe everyone in the world has an inalienable right to more crap. I don't mean we should all be shopping at the Gap, eating at MickeyD's and purchasing yogurt in strange tubes.

Instead, when I talk about the American dream, I am talking about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am talking about justice, about optimism, creativity and entrepreneurship. And yeah, I'm also talking about drinkable water, food to eat, liveable wages, and a light to read by.

I've often thought that I set out to save the world, but ended up saving myself. Because of my journey, I am happier and healthier. Some people see my life of not-buying and they think, "Oh poor her. She's so deprived."

But I've never felt less deprived in my life. Because all that stuff I'm not buying? Turns out don't need it. Instead, I live each day more conscious of what I HAVE. I was born into the first world. I went to a top-notch public school. I grew up believing that I could have anything I set my mind to.

And I do. I live in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. I have access to great cultural institutions, restaurants, theatres, and cinemas. I can walk to the subway, and read on the train. I have a good job, great friends, and a 401(k) AND an IRA. And I have more money to give to good causes. Feeling blessed with what I have has made me a more generous person.

I have plenty of stuff too. And you know what? I love much of my stuff, I do and I'm thankful for it too, but frankly, the world has so much more to offer us than stuff.

And that's what I'm about. Stick around, peruse the archives, leave a comment, and come back again soon!

-Arduous

Who Would be In Your Wagon?

Found this game at this blog and thought it would be fun to play.

Who would you pick to be your four wagon-mates on the Oregon Trail?

Celebrity Edition:

1) Richard Branson- because he could fund our trip in style. And also because of his experience in the transport industry. Maybe he would attach fuel cells to our wagons? That would be cool.

2) Sarah Michelle Gellar/Buffy the Vampire Slayer-because I think we need a little martial arts mastery on our side. Plus, I would bet she's a good shot.

3) Jon Stewart- to inject some levity into our harrowing trip.

4) Roger Federer- I could say it was because he was athletic, or because sometimes it might be fun to camp out and play some tennis. But really, it's because he's hot. Sue me.

Blogger Edition:

1) Chile- For her mad repurposing and reinventing skillz. Seriously, ford a river? Chile, would be like, whatever, give me some rope and a broken axle wheel and I'll just build you a bridge.

2) Student Doctor Green- because, duh. Doctor is her middle name.

3) CAE- she seems to spend a lot of time in kayaks. I think this might be helpful. Kayaking, rafting down rapids, same diff, right?

4) Crunchy Chicken- Because she's a total badass. Does anyone really doubt Crunchy would make it to Oregon, handing out diva cups and cloth pads to all the Indians along the way?

Your turn! Who would you pick?

You Have Died of Dysentery

Growing up, one of my favorite games was The Oregon Trail. Really, I think it was one of everyone's favorites. There were no graphics to speak of, as it was played on the then ubiquitous Apple IIe. There were no prostitutes, nor princesses to rescue. No street fighters, no tomb raiders, no paladins nor mages. Hell, it was technically educational. And yet, against all odds, we loved it.

One of the best parts of the game was getting to go hunting. Often you would only "find" a rabbit, but if you were lucky, you'd nab a bison, providing you and your wagon with plenty of delicious meat. Of course, what the game never mentions is that bison were almost hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Ooops.

Luckily, the bison are making a comeback. And weirdly, their populations are growing, in a large part, because of an increased demand for bison meat. It may seem counter-intuitive, but demand for bison meat encourages ranch owners to raise bison. Higher demand for bison meat means more ranchers raising more bison. Thus one of the best ways to preserve bison, is to ... eat bison meat.

Of course none of that was going through my mind on Sunday when my friends and I saw a vendor at the farmer's market selling grass-fed bison. Mostly I was thinking, "Wow! Now I can be just like a pioneer!" So we bought some, along with some strawberries, apricots, artichokes, and cheese.

Dinner was a sumptuous affair, and probably way better than any pioneer meal could possibly have been. Goat cheese brie with bread. Artichokes with butter and lemon. Vodka strawberry lemonade. Grilled apricots. But the piece de resistance? The bison burgers.

I am not the biggest meat eater. I was a vegetarian for four years, and I still don't eat much meat. I still generally prefer the taste of vegetables.

But this? Was the best damn burger I have ever, ever eaten. Seriously, I never knew meat could taste so amazing.

So let's see. Helping to preserve a once-endangered species? Check! Eating grass-fed meat low in cholesterol and high in omega-3? Check! Local? Check! Delicious? Check! Pretending to be a pioneer? Check!

I mean really, what's not to love? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a river to ford.

Be a Bookworm: "In Defense of Food" Review

I really, really wanted to love In Defense of Food. I adored The Omnivore's Dilemma, and to say it changed the way I eat would be an understatement. The Omnivore's Dilemma changed the way I looked at food, thought about food, ordered food, ate food, and how much I savored food. So, in a sense, I feel inclined to give Michael Pollan a pass. How many life-style altering books can one person write?

Still, the truth of the matter is In Defense of Food is sloppy. And I wouldn't want anyone to read In Defense of Food first and then decide to forgo Omnivore. So I say this to you as a public service of sorts. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma. Relish every word. Then skip In Defense of Food.

The full title for In Defense of Food is In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, and that is exactly what the book is, but not in a good way. Although Pollan makes a valiant attempt to give the book structure, this is a rambling manifesto moving from subject to subject without a cohesive thread. Because the reality is, Pollan ignores essay writing 101. He gives us a thesis of sorts (Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants) but then fails to really provide support for said thesis.

In fact, the argument he seems most concerned with making is that the Western diet is a mess, and that all other ethnic/indigenous diets are better. I'm not going to disagree that the Western diet has its problems, but I've got to level with you: the Indian diet, though rooted in culture and tradition, isn't the healthiest one for you either. The truth is, our diets evolved from a time that food was somewhat scarce, and human beings needed quite a lot of calories because we engaged in calorie-burning activities. I understand that the book is not "An Exerciser's Manifesto," but we cannot talk about our well-being, we cannot talk about diet, if we completely ignore the exercise quotient. While eating chapatis with plenty of ghee probably served my ancestors well, it's not the best diet for a woman who sits in front of her computer for 10 hours a day.

Pollan does address the fact that most Westerners eat too many calories, but he never fully acknowledges that when other cultures have started adopting a more calorie-filled, sedentary lifestyle, their health has slipped even though they might still be eating traditional foods instead of Bagel Bites and french fries. This is a deeply personal issue for me. My father died at 54 of a massive heart attack, and South Asians in general are at a high risk for heart disease. By making a monster out of the "Western diet," (and what does that mean, really?) Pollan does himself and his readers a disservice.

Because Pollan is so intent on demonizing the "Western diet," his thesis, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants," gets neglected. At times, even, Pollan completely contradicts his thesis when he mentions various indigenous groups who are perfectly healthy even with very few plants in their diet. It turns out that the truth is not so simple. Many of the problems with a Western diet stem from our move from a leaf and seed based diet to a seed-based diet. Nutritionists now believe we need a proportionate ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3, but because seeds contain mostly Omega-6 and very little Omega-3, most of us have too much Omega-6 in our diet, and too little Omega-3. Paradoxically, because many "leaves" as such are not really part of the human diet (grass, algae, etc) one of the best ways to boost your Omega-3 count is to eat more fish and more grass-fed beef. In other words, eat more grass-eating meat. And eat more plants, but try to eat more of the leaves, and fewer seeds. Although when I started the book, Pollan's thesis "eat mostly plants" made good sense, his book actually convinced me that I personally need to eat more of the right kind of meat.

I don't mean to entirely write-off In Defense of Food. There certainly was some important information that I learned, especially about the value of Omega-3. But I find it a little ironic that a book that sold itself as an "escape from nutritionism" actually spent most of its time resorting to said nutritionism. (To his credit, Pollan admits this himself.) I guess the unfortunate truth is, the question of what to eat is simply more complicated than we would like. Even for Michael Pollan.