sandwich packers unite

My newest step in waste reduction is declaring myself Zip Lock free. I understand that can be a hard goal, so I thought I would focus this blog post on the lunch factor.

That's right. All you lunch-packing sandwich-eaters, I'm talking to you. If you pack 100 sandwiches a year, that is 100 non-biodegradable plastic baggies somewhere around the earth (not to mention, those baggies are not free...).

My solution? Let's go eco- and recession-friendly on lunch. You can make a one-time purchase of a reusable sandwich container for just a couple of bucks. Just check out your local grocery store. I'm sure Target has it as well.

Check out the one I just bought from Hello Kitty for $4.99

elephant neglect: a fiscal issue

As if putting a magnificent animal in solitary confinement at the Los Angeles Zoo isn't heartbreaking enough, the tab LA residents pick up for torture is additionally nauseating.

The LA Zoo is dumping $42 million tax dollars a year on an elephant exhibit that is far below standard (meanwhile, millions of dollars are taken away from state parks, with an estimated 50 parks threatened to the point of closure). It also costs an additional $1.1 million yearly to care for 10 elephants.

Free Billy! reports that "At least 13 elephants have died at LA Zoo since 1975. More than half did not live to age 20. Elephants have a natural lifespan of 60-70 years."

Billy is a 23-year-old Asian elephant that is suffering so severely from his confinement that he exhibits the neurotic behaviors of head bobbing and swaying--actions that are not seen in elephants in their natural habitat. You can watch a clip of this below.

Mayor Villaraigosa has expressed his belief that zoos are too small for elephants: "I've said for a long time that I think we need to take the elephants out of our zoos. I believe that."

Tell Mayor Villaraigosa to stand by his word. Remind him that elephants do not belong in zoos and to send Billy to a sanctuary now.

Call (213) 978-0600

the 350 Teach-In and INTERNATIONAL Day of Action

I've been involved in the environmental movement for 2 years, and I have to say that our actions just keep getting better and better and cooler and cooler.

The latest from 350 is a national teach-in held throughout thousands of campuses across the country. And you, yes you, can sign up to present in your campus community! After the speakers give it a go, there will be an hour for discussion.

Click here to sign up at your local teach-in

But it gets better. The teach-ins will be taking place on the 350 International Day of Action. It all goes down October 24th, before world leaders get together in Copenhagen to discuss the climate.

To get ideas and register an action, click here. I'm sure a list of registered actions will pop up in weeks to come.

So exciting!

rescue elephants from circus abuse

Undercover PETA footage reveals Ringling's abuse of circus elephants--and also reminds us that living creatures are not petty items in existence for our pleasure.

The most painful part of watching the video is that these elephants were not "acting out" or being rowdy. They were calmly standing, yet trainers still felt the need to hit them, even on their sensitive ears. One elephants even sways back and forth out of madness.

You can view the video and sign the PETA petition here. (Note: I have a lot of issues with PETA, but will get on board for an honorable goal of sending these elephants to a sanctuary)

You can also sign an online Facebook petition and invite your friends!

more on No Impact Man

I found Colin Beaven aka No Impact Man's blog! Here is a great piece I wanted to share:

My wife Michelle and I decided, before jumping in at the deep end of this year-long project, to try no impact living as an experiment for a week. No garbage. No greenhouse gasses. No toxins. No water pollution. No air pollution. No electricity. No produce shipped from distant lands. No impact. Or so we naively hoped.

We started one Thursday night at 10:00 PM in the middle of the August, 2006 heat wave. Our sweat-soaked tempers frayed immediately. We argued about who would take our 18-month-old daughter, Isabella, to the babysitter since both our schedules now had to accommodate a lot of walking. We had tense discussions about who would be in charge of picking up Isabella’s milk from the only New York dairy farmer who uses reusable glass bottles. We both pretended not to notice the mounting pile of dirty dishes resulting from the dishwasher being out of bounds.

But then Michelle surprised herself by loving her walk to and from the office. It gave her back something she missed since becoming a mom: time alone. With no TV, we found ourselves playing with Isabella more, reading more, talking more and—hurray!—having more, well, you know. Having perennially struggled with finding time for the gym to wrestle off our middle-aged midriffs, a couple of pounds immediately dropped off us both. Who needs a gym when you’re riding bikes and refusing lifts in elevators and walking everywhere?

In that one week, we discovered that, without transportation to rush us around and junk-food media to steal our time, there is a different, calmer life to be had right here in Manhattan. No TV to oppress you with news of Britney’s failure as a mother. No concerns that charging another pair of Diesel jeans might be declined by Amex. No worrying that the bad cooking oil from the Chinese takeout is clogging your coronary artery. We developed a consciousness of our actions that that felt suspiciously akin to the living in the moment that the Dalai Lama keeps coming to New York to tell us about.

We got the glimpse of a life with an entirely different rhythm. We began to think that, by depriving us of our Madison Avenue addictions, the no impact experiment might actually make us happier. It was only a seven-day experiment, but it convinced us that living no impact can be done, it can be done pleasantly, and that we could conceivably end up happier rather than sadder--which is why, God help us, we're in it for a year. Read more

cannot wait to see this

quote

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."--Ayn Rand

children, bodies, and shame

The NY Times posted a great article regarding children who love being naked and mixed reviews as to how long this is acceptable.

It's a great question. When do we start teaching people to be ashamed and embarrassed of their naked bodies?

For those of us who believe the body is free, natural, and ought to be experienced comfortably, we (particularly women) are generally assigned the label (and intended insult) of promiscuous. Funny how philosophical beliefs about the body tend to be demeaned and misunderstood as sexual statements (which also raises questions about the roots of sexual anxieties...).

Yes, the body is sexual, but one can express body, freedom, and self through more than simply sexual means.

tell your senators to pass a strong climate bill

Click here and send a fax. So simple.

in case one isn't enough

WORKERS AHEAD update

After you call your councilmember and report your concern, try the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, as well as the only 2 female members of the Los Angeles City Council.

Los Angeles Department of Transportation (213-580-1177). You can press "0" to speak with an operator and have the opportunity to leave a voice mail.

Councilmember Jan Perry's office (213-473-7009) was extremely friendly and helpful. I strongly recommend that you additionally call this office.

Councilmember Janice Hahn's office (213-473-7015). After being put on hold, I was told that these signs are no longer used. After replying that these signs are up right now, I was told to talk to my own member. Obviously, I have done that, but I felt female councilmembers might care more about this issue.


Read about the Workers Ahead Campaign

take action for WORKERS AHEAD

Following up from my last post regarding sexist roadside construction signage, I am trying to figure out where is the best place for our complaints. So far, here are two ways you can help:

1) Call your Council Member and report the problem. Much of the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles is represented by my Council Member, Paul Koretz. You can call his office at (310) 289-0353.

2) Send an email to the Bureau of Street Services within the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. The email address is bss.boss@lacity.org

Here is a copy of my email:

To Whom It May Concern, I am a resident of Encino, and am highly offended by roadside construction signs that say "Men Working Ahead."

I find these signs extremely sexist. Women work, and they work in construction at that. Such discriminatory signs have no place in my neighborhood or anywhere else. These signs must be modified or replaced to say "Workers Ahead."

Please let me know if there is a better source to contact regarding my concern. Thank you, and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,


Keep checking in for more updates and ways to take action!

Click here for updated ways to take action