photo courtesy of kallao
A couple of months ago Kendall and I watched Fast Food Nation (a movie based on the book, Fast Food Nation, which I have not read) with some of our friends. It was a good movie, although there were a lot of unnecessary sex scenes which I just in general hate, and it could have been a lot stronger if it was done as an actual documentary.

The movie takes a look at how the meat packing industry is so heavily influenced by multinational corporations behind the fast food industry. It briefly touches on immigration, safety standards, quality standards, and local economy. The most memorable scene was when the “kill room” was shown. It was very graphic and I actually had to close my eyes for most of it. I have read and heard about the conditions in which this kind of meat preparation is done, however, it is different to see it. In fact, the “kill room” scene seemed to be footage from inside an actual factory where a cow was being slaughtered, does anyone know if it was?

My belief is that all of creation is connected and that the Earth is full of resources that we are able to use with respect and and good stewardship. With that in mind, I don’t believe that it is morally wrong to eat meat, but the way in which that is done needs to be with respect that we are taking another living being and using it for our nourishment. I do realize that for vegetarians/vegans that the phrase “ethical eating of meat” is an oxymoron, but this is where I am and within my beliefs I don’t feel that it is. We buy meat from local farmers at the farmers market down the street from us. We slowly made the switch to free-range/pasture/grass-fed and are now fully there.

In our home, Kendall and I have greatly reduced the amount of meat we eat since we have been getting our weekly farm share. Our diet consists largely of fruits and vegetables and we eat meat about once or twice a week (we used to eat meat every night). Eating less meat is a lot better for the environment since raising farm animals for consumption uses a lot of natural resources and if you are going to eat meat it is best to have that meat raised as wildly and naturally as possible.

Despite the weaknesses of the film, Fast Food Nation served to reinforce my thoughts on using animals as a source of sustenance (nutritionally and otherwise). I am not a vegetarian, although I do respect and understand why some people have become vegetarians or vegans on moral grounds. My thought process on this subject is just that, a process. I have not come to any conclusions, but as my thoughts have continued to develop, I am led to the belief that in our zeal for efficiency, productivity, and capital gain we have forfeited respect for life and a connection to the Earth and each other. Our vision has become narrow, priorities disordered, and morality reduced to an oppressive notion as we have relentlessly beaten our consciences numb. Today I am writing with particular reference to our treatment of animals (although I by no means feel that it is limited to this topic).

I know that this is a sensitive topic and I want to make comments available to those of you who would like to have constructive dialogue about this.

There is continuing to be a shift towards becoming more “green”. I think this is so great! However, I feel that unfortunately people are missing the point. Being sustainable, environmentally friendly, or “green” has to do with more than what products you buy.

A change in thinking needs to happen. Even this change is a process, but there is a point at which a light goes on and we need to be moving towards that point. Within this process there needs to be a shift in the way we think about consuming. Most people consume more food, clothing, electricity, natural resources, and produce more waste than is healthy for one person or for one planet.

Think of it like this: Say there was a sedentary person who used to eat 4,000 calories/day in fast food, junk food, and soda and as a result was obese. Then lets say that person decided they wanted to eat healthier foods. So, they remained sedentary and started eating 4,000 calories/day in fruits, vegetables, whole grains—they would still be obese. When you consume more calories than your body needs to operate you will still have extra calories that will turn into fat. You may be doing less harm to your body because you are not greasing it up with fast food toxins, but you are still eating more than you need.

The same is true for the environment. Being sustainable is trying to live within what we need and what is healthy for the planet. We can’t just switch to buying organic yogurt, that was not local, which gets put into a plastic bag when we check out, and then throw away the plastic bag and recycle the container and think we have done our part. Switching to organic yogurt is a great change to make. It’s just that we can’t stop there.

The shift needs to be in the way we think about how we want to live our lives. It’s the same as the person struggling with overeating–they have to decide that they want health over immediate satisfaction. There are going to be times where this feels like we are being restricted. However, we need to remember that our health is more important than the feeling that, “I just had a bad day and a yummy donut would really help to make me feel better.”

I talked to a friend of mine the other day about coping mechanisms. We were saying that there is a difference between healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms. There are somethings that are fine to do to help us get through a period of time, but when our life turns into a series of coping mechanisms then we need to re-evaluate our lives and see what changes we need to make.

There is SO MUCH FREEDOM IN BEING HEALTHY and it is beautiful! Life is not futile. Global warming is not futile. We all are capable of making ourselves and this planet healthier. We just need to continue to make positive changes in our lives and usually the most important and lasting changes happen when we first change the way we approach our thinking about the situation.

No Impact Man is doing a No Impact Experiment and writing a blog to share his and his family’s experience.

The way I see it, waiting for the senators and the CEOs to change the way we treat the world is taking too long. Polar bears are already drowning because the polar ice is melting. In fact, research shows it’s worse: they are so hungry, they are actually starting to eat each other.

I can’t stand my so-called liberal self sitting around not doing anything about it anymore. The question is: what would it be like if I took the situation (or at least my tiny part of it) into my own hands? I’m finding out.

For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets.

What would it be like to try to live a no impact lifestyle? Is it possible? Could it catch on? Is living this way more fun or less fun? More satisfying or less satisfying? Harder or easier? Is it worthwhile or senseless? Are we all doomed or is there hope? These are the questions at the heart of this whole crazy-assed endeavor.

You might be thinking, Colin Beavan is cracked–no one can cause literally NO impact on the planet, right? Well, what I’m talking about is no NET impact. If you don’t get it, or you want to know more about how we’re proceeding? Check out the The Year-Long Plan.

I love what he is doing and I am so interested in reading more about how the changes he and his family make affect their lives.

Thank you Kirsten for sharing this with me!

Lights, camera, take action! Ha.

Tom Shadyac, director of the film Evan Almighty, wanted to make the first major motion picture that was a zero emission (carbon neutral) production. He describes Evan Almighty as a film that speaks of our need to be good stewards of the Earth and he didn’t want to contribute to the destruction of the Earth while trying to get this message across. So, they worked with Habitat for Humanity, Conservation Fund, and Hope to Others to create a movie that left no trace (similar idea to “leave no trace” camping or hiking).

“Green” activities/efforts during production included:

• The film’s production was carbon offset through a donation to the Conservation Fund.
• All the landscaping, lumber, windows and other reusable materials were donated to Habitat for Humanity.
• All crew members were given bicycles by director Tom Shadyac to reduce car usage.
• Recycled paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass were used on set.
• After production was completed, trees were planted near the site of the ark in Crozet,VA as a thank you to the community.
• HtoO water was used -(Hope to Others, a company founded by Tom Shadyac, donates 100% of the profits after taxes to charity).

Go to their site to find out ways in which you can Go Zero (as individuals and businesses).

photo courtesy of elvisripley

My friend Mike sent me a very much appreciated link to this article, The CFL mercury nightmare.

How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent light bulb? About US$4.28 for the bulb and labour — unless you break the bulb. Then you, like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at a cost of about US$2,004.28, which doesn’t include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.

* * *

As each CFL contains five milligrams of mercury, at the Maine “safety” standard of 300 nanograms per cubic meter, it would take 16,667 cubic meters of soil to “safely” contain all the mercury in a single CFL. While CFL vendors and environmentalists tout the energy cost savings of CFLs, they conveniently omit the personal and societal costs of CFL disposal.

My first response was to feel really sad because I have encouraged a lot of people to switch to CFL bulbs because they are more energy efficient.

My second response was to remember that this blog is a place of learning, encouragement, and positive life changes based on education. It is a process and sometimes that process involves mistakes—this is in general a helpful life lesson to learn, none of us are perfect and we are all in need of grace.

In trying to find out more information on CFL’s and how to properly dispose of them I came across this NPR article which acknowledges the problem but discusses it in a more productive and helpful manner.

“The problem with the bulbs is that they’ll break before they get to the landfill. They’ll break in containers, or they’ll break in a dumpster or they’ll break in the trucks. Workers may be exposed to very high levels of mercury when that happens,” says John Skinner, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America, the trade group for the people who handle trash and recycling.

[Wendy Reed, who manages EPA's Energy Star program,] says that even though fluorescent bulbs contain mercury, using them contributes less mercury to the environment than using regular incandescent bulbs. That’s because they use less electricity — and coal-fired power plants are the biggest source of mercury emissions in the air.

“The compact fluorescent light bulb is a product people can use to positively influence the environment to… prevent mercury emissions as well as greenhouse gas emissions. And it’s something that we can do now — and it’s extremely important that we do do it,” Reed says. “And the positive message is, if you recycle them, if you dispose of them properly, then they’re doing a world of good.”

I haven’t decided what to do with the current CFL light bulbs that I have throughout my home, except that I will be very careful in my handling of them, or what I will do when I need to buy new bulbs.

However, here is what I have taken away from this:

1. We use more energy than is good for our planet and there is no easy or problem-free solution to our need to light our homes, offices, and stores. Maybe it was better when the sun and moon were used to light our way.

2. If a bulb breaks near your home you will have soil contamination which is dangerous because it is a neurotoxin and if it breaks in your home there is a major hazard waste issue.

3. Throwing CFL light bulbs in the trash in not an option even if it is legal in your county because you could cause dangerous health problems to workers who are exposed to the neurotoxin.

4. You can bring light bulbs to IKEA to recycle them, search Earth 911 to find a disposal options near you, or look into lamprecycle.

5. “CFLs are safe to use in your home. No mercury is released when the bulbs are in use and they pose no danger to you or your family when used properly. However, CFLs are made of glass tubing and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Be careful when removing the lamp from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the lamp by its base, and never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket by its tubes. Used CFLs should be disposed of properly, learn how to properly dispose.”

6. Finally, this has been a good reminder that we all need to be working to live a sustainable life, trying to leave the places we touch better than we found them.

Resources via NPR article:

• General Electric’s mercury and CFL FAQs
• Fact Sheet: Mercury in CFL bulbs
• Energy Star: FAQs on disposing of CFL bulbs