Yes, I'm Back

Will have a post on my vacation tomorrow most likely.

But first, I have a question for you. Those of you with four eyes, do you have a good solution for homemade glasses cleaner?

No I Haven't Abandoned You Yet Again....

Okay, I kind of have. But only for a couple days while I go on a much needed post-exam vacation.

Back Wednesday.

Spotlight on Sustainable Cities: Amsterdam

A while back I was talking about how I thought a truly sustainable country was one in which both human welfare and environmental concerns were taken into account. Thus, it isn't enough to have one or the other, we need both. And EJ asked if there had ever been a welfare state that had been sustainable for several generations.

Well, the answer to EJ's question is no, mostly because the modern welfare state came into existence after World War II. So while there has been state welfare for a long, long time, our current concept of a welfare state is only about 60-odd years old.

However, if ever there was a contender for a sustainable welfare state it would be the Netherlands. Given the Netherlands' affluence, its greenhouse gas emissions are quite low and they have ambitious plans to further reduce reductions. It's also got the full complement of government programs: health care, public housing, etc.

So how do they do it? Well, a look at Amsterdam provides a clear indication of one important means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions:

Everyone bikes. Everywhere.

In fact, there are now, on average, more trips taken via bike in Amsterdam than via car. But a bike culture doesn't occur in a vacuum and the city is designed for bikers with bike lanes and bike parking in abundance, and car parking is seriously restricted. Moreover, speed limits are relatively low in order to increase safety.

And it works. Even though no one I saw biking around in Amsterdam was wearing a helmet, their bike fatality rate is extremely low ... lower than in the U.S. where everyone seems to wear a helmet, knee pads, and reflectors among other things. (Side note: do you think people would bike more if it weren't such a freaking production every time you needed to get on your bike? Why can't people bike in jeans anymore? Why must we wear lycra and spandex every time we hop on our bikes? Why am I saying we as if I've been anywhere NEAR a bike in the past ten years?)

But it's not just the bikes. Amsterdam's approach to the environment is integrated into all their policies. In housing, Amsterdam has been working with housing associations, who supply over half of the housing in Amsterdam, to make the housing more efficient. And one of their recent programs trained unemployed young people to become efficiency advisers to housing associations. People got jobs, other people got more efficient houses, and less carbon was emitted. Win, win, win.

The point here is that Amsterdam isn't just green because the people there are just better. Amsterdam is more sustainable because the city has been designed to make it easier to live sustainably. Because care has been put into making institutions sustainable. Because it is an incredibly dense city that has done an effective job of developing mixed-use neighborhoods. Because the environment is integrated into all types of policy. Because Amsterdam aims to link livelihoods with the environment.

The point is you can have a high population of relatively affluent people living fairly sustainably if you do it properly. Amsterdam seems to be doing a pretty job of getting things right, and they are also getting better.

We can learn a lot from their example.

Good News For Moms

Apparently, a couple weeks ago a bill was submitted in Congress that would allow all mothers the ability to take time off to pump breast milk while working, and would offer a tax credit for companies to set up proper facilities for nursing moms.

Now, I probably don't have to tell most of you about both the environmental and health benefits of breast feeding. I think those benefits have been fairly loudly publicized. Still, I was shocked by some of the stats in this New York Times article. The percentage of moms in the top income bracket who breast feed is about 25 points higher than the percentage of moms who breast feed in the bottom income bracket.

There is no reason that wealthier parents should breastfeed more than poorer moms. Breast milk is, among other things, free.

But in fact, wealthier moms do breastfeed more because poorer moms are 1) less likely to take time off for leave 2) more likely to work in jobs where they have no place nor time to pump.

We live in a culture of blame.

When a mom doesn't breast feed, she is blamed for not doing so. She is castigated as selfish and uncaring. When another person drives to work, they are refusing to sacrifice. They don't care about the Earth or they would take the bus. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

And we fail to take account of the socio-economic, legal, and political institutions that influence our behavior. You can't breast feed if you have to work and you aren't allowed time or facilities to pump. You can't take the bus if the bus triples your commute time and lessens your already precious little time with your family and friends.

Yes, we are back to my favorite topic. It's the institutions, stupid! I think I'm going to make tee-shirts.

Personally, I think this act seems like a good step forward, though clearly not enough. I'd love to see more comprehensive legislation for parents in the future including paid parental leave for both mothers AND fathers. But until then, time to pump is a start.

Are Used Pillows Weird?

Okay, so I don't know whether I told you all you this, but my dorm has this super cool idea where they allow people moving out to put the stuff they're getting rid of in big "Freecycle" bins and then the rest of us are allowed to pull whatever we want from the bins thus cutting down on garbage and cutting down on unnecessary buying. Awesome and easy, right?

So anyway, so far all I'd pulled out were some hangers.

But a couple days ago I saw some pillows in the bins. Now, I have horrible pillows. Really awful super thin ones.

And these were really nice pillows.

So I pulled them out, figuring I could wash the pillows and then use them.

But then I had some misgivings.

I don't have too big an ick factor, but I started if used pillows was taking my hippie train a little too far. (Yeah, I had no concerns about the diva cup or the giving up of TP or the paper towels, but used PILLOWS, that's where it starts to hit me.)

What do you think? Used pillows? Fine or weird?

For Those of You Who Are Curious

I still haven't figured out where the hell to live next year.

It's actually beginning to freak me out a little because well ... I'm a planner. So to not have a plan for what I'm doing with you know, the REST OF MY LIFE is starting to get a little weird.

I think I've narrowed it down except not really at all. The problem is that I had been operating under the assumption that I could apply to jobs in a bunch of places and then figure out where I was moving based on where I got a job. I soon realized that um we're in a recession... it's going to take me for freaking ever to find a job. So I might need to decide where to live and, you know, work at a Starbucks until I can get a real job.

At this point I think there is a

45% chance I will move to New York which has the advantage of being a good city job-wise, as well as family and friends. And it's a cool city.

35% change I will stay in London which I would dearly love to do. But in this economy I'm just not sure that there are enough work opportunities for a non-EU citizen.

10% chance I will move back to California. I actually have been missing California quite a bit lately, and would be much more likely to move back if I thought I could find a job there, but I've looked and there really ain't nothing there.

5% chance I will move to India. Lately, I've been thinking about this option more and more. Given the field I am going to be working in, this seems to make a lot of sense, and it would certainly be nice to spend more time with my family there.

5% chance I will be elsewhere. Which could basically be anywhere at this point.

So, if anyone wants to weigh in, again, feel free. And if you have a job to offer me, your suggestion will be looked upon even more favorably.

Really, what I'm tempted to do given the double digit unemployment rate is to just cash out what is left of my 401(k) and bum around Europe for a while.

So you know, hire me. I'm awesome! Really!!

My Eco-Sins

So some of you may know this or not but I'm secretly part of the Green Moms Carnival ... even though I'm not a mom. Shhh! Don't tell them. I may have made up an imaginary child named Juanita to get into the club.

Anyway ... point being, this month's carnival topic asks what we do that is not eco-friendly. I feel like I've covered this ground a few times since I love self-flagellation, but what the hell. If you want to read the full carnival, check it out on June 24th at The Green Parent.

Okay ... so first off, I have sinned REMARKABLY during these past few months with exams. I think I've come to the conclusion that we all have the things we're quite good at. For me, it's not shopping. I can not shop until I don't drop. But cooking ...?

Yeah that crap went out the window long ago. In the past couple months, I have *gasp* used several styrofoam cups as I forgot my portable tea mug and then the portable tea mug became so scuzzy and gross I couldn't use it anymore.

I have given up on farmer's markets for the time being, instead buying my (still organic and British grown) strawberries at the nearby supermarket. Of course, they come wrapped in buckets of plastic.

Then there was my exam obsession with Subway. I chose Subway, because, yes, it is fast food, but it is reasonably healthy, I get a lot of veg on my sandwich, and I always take the sandwich without a plastic bag. So getting Subway once in a while, okay. But I lived on Subway. To the point where, I would go in, and they would know me, and know what I wanted. "Why do you always get the Veggie Delight?" they would ask. 'The Veggie Patty is really good you know.' After that time, I stopped going to Subway so much.

What else? Oh yeah. I switched back to normal deodorant after trying the Tom's of Maine kind. (It doesn't work.)

And lastly, when I was in Belgium, I bought a ton of delicious goumet chocolates. They were amazing. And also, seriously not fair-trade.