back-blogging

... so after over a year of being relatively invisible, i will be starting to do a bit of posting again. things have changed and my path deviated in all sorts of unforseeable ways; my health is still up and down, and so, therefore, is the rest of life as i know it. in an amoungst having to take three steps back, i have been using the two-step-forward days to begin to piece together all the bits i've been missing or not keeping up with. like, say, communication. i've given up on getting email to everyone, especially in catching 200+ people up on the happenings of this last 18 months... so i will be back-blogging when i can, posting events in "hindsight" to appropriate dates... in answer to those who have been asking, a bit of (the lighter side of) what's been up with me lately. stay tuned.

Sites of the Week for May 21-27

Message Products
Support environmental, animal rights, social justice and other ethics-based organizations by ordering your checks, address labels, business cards, stamps, stationary and more through this site; a percentage of each sale goes directly to the organization whose items you choose, and their message is spread when you use the products.

'The Green', presented by Robert Redford
A site simply stuffed with information, ideas, news, interviews, resources, and support on and for greening your life and our world. "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" is an excellent weekly series that tracks down the latest concepts and developments in the environmental movement across all sectors, and the video clips on this site are worth catching (especially the episode on all the new and in-development green cars). Learn your local green resources and network with other green-minded folks through the eco-mmunity forum, follow the eco-blog, take the green quiz, and find out a million more things than you ever new before about all you can do to help save the planet.

The Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore
Even some hardcore right-wingers are switching out their incandecent lightbulbs for compact flourecents and even buying Priuses based on the science and research on global warming presented in "An Inconvenient Truth". But the simple truth is that the single industry most responsible for global warming is the animal agriculture industry -- in a study conducted at the University of Chicago and supported by UN and WorldWatch research, it has been determined that:

The standard American diet, about 28% of which comes from animal
sources, generates the equivalent of nearly 1.5 tons more carbon
dioxide per person per year than a vegan diet with the same number
of calories. By comparison, an average driver switching from a typical American car to one of the more fuel-efficient hybrids would save 1 ton of carbon dioxide per year -- making the switch to a vegan diet a more effective way of reducing one's contribution to climate change.

Curious, then, that there was no mention in "An Inconvenient Truth" of this connection between animal product consumption and environmental impact... or perhaps not so curious, given Al Gore's connection to the animal agriculture industry...? Let's hope that it was for the sake of accessibility (goodness knows that Americans would hardly have been as amenable to see a 'vegan' movie on global warming) and not self-preservation that inspired Mr. Gore to leave out this critical and planet-saving information.

Eating Outside the 'Self' Bubble
E Magazine's cover story from January/February 2002 was an excellent exploration of the ramifications of our food choices, pell personified by the subtitle:

Evidence Shows that Our Meat-Based Diet is Bad for the Environment, Aggravates Global Hunger, Brutalizes Animals and Compromizes Our Health

This article is an amazing and well-written example of what consequences our eating habits (and they are "habits", which means they are optional) have outside of our own preferences or desires, and the accompanying links provide great info on the evolutionary science behind vegetarianism as well as advice and support for those considering shifts in their dietary patterns.

Compassion Action of the Week: Hug to End Cancer
A group in Toronto that gathers downtown periodically to raise money for cancer research by "giving away" hugs for 25 cents apiece -- I just find this such a simple, beautiful idea that I had to post it. Check in with your arms and see how many hugs you've got to spare; if you've got a surplus, consider setting out a 25-cent Hugs for Cancer coffee can on your desk or counter or wherever it is you work and seeing how much you come up with. A few places to consider send your proceeds:

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital - Pediatric Research
The Cancer Project of the Physicians Committee for Responisble Medicine

and, finally, the best for last....

Recipe of the Week: Baked Seasoned Yam Fries from the Post Punk Kitchen
Get your Vitamin A fix and knock the fat out of any standard recipe... plus get a dose of Isa and Terry, which makes just about any recipe worth making.

Inspiration

The amazing Catra is beginning her latest adventure today: a fastpack for time of the 2,666-mile Pacific Crest Trail, out to beat the current record. The depth of her strength, determination and beauty of spirit are simply awesome. Follow her PCT journey, and let it expand your goals, inspire your dreams, and remind you as it does me that we are the only ones who can push our own limits.