Opening Doors in D.C.

Between the pundits, the politicians, the special interest groups, and shifting allegiances (Arlen Specter is going to be a Democrat?!), it's easy to feel like politics may be an arena that many of us are unwilling to negotiate.

However, from the economy to the environment to health care, issues directly affecting us all are being debated and decided in D.C. Of course, you can opt to just sit back and take what your lawmakers come up with, or you can take a more direct approach by sending emails or making phone calls to your representatives.

If you choose the latter, you can easily follow the progress of bills you care about, as well as the accuracy of statements made by politicians, by visiting FactCheck.org and Project Vote Smart. FactCheck is a nonpartisan website that researches statements made by politicians and then verifies or dispels them based on the results. Project Vote Smart offers access to representatives' biographical information, voting records, positions on key issues, public statements, interest group ratings, and campaign finances. Visitors can also follow key votes at the national and state level.

Tracking down this type of unbiased information on your own can be daunting. These sites make it easy to learn, and speak out, about issues that matter to us most.

A Very Merry Un-Earth Day

Once again, we celebrate Earth Day. One of the main themes of this year's celebration is that we strive to live environmentally responsible lifestyles every day. With this goal in mind, the Earth Day Network has launched their Green Generation Campaign, which has 3 main goals:

• A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.

• An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.

• Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.

For a round up of events and ways to get involved today and every day, visit the Earth Day Network's website and Earth911's Earth Day Network.

Now About That Storm...

Last week's blog was a repost of my friend Seth Fischer's reaction to the recent Vermont legislation that legalizes same sex marriage. As Seth said, one of the most important variables in the movement towards granting human rights for all is a commitment from everyone to support and pass legislation towards this end.

While there has been predictable "outrage" and expressions of non-specific fear about this new legislation from groups such as Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), which made this commercial about a "brewing storm", it is critical that we all work together to expose these types of intolerant, fear-based arguments that have no basis in fact.

Of course a little satirical humor is effective as well, and Steven Colbert's spoof of the NOM's commercial does a good job exposing the nebulous concerns posed by the original, which you should watch first so you can fully appreciate the spoof:



It is up to us to support legislation, legislators, and activists who are working to make same sex marriage legal all over the country.

One organization that has been working hard to educate and lobby is the Human Rights Campaign, and I encourage you to visit their website, sign up for email action alerts, and consider making a donation. HRC's legislative and grassroots campaigns have been highly effective in educating and empowering the public to advocate for basic rights for all.

Can We Get a Few More Vermonts?

On Tuesday April 7th, Vermont made history by legalizing same sex marriage in the Green Mountain State. My friend and fellow Antioch MFA writing student Seth Fischer writes a blog called "A Map of My Brain for All the World to See." I met Seth at our first writing residency, and I was immediately impressed by both his insight and kindness. He posted the following on his blog about the vote in Vermont, the historical implications of legislation and court rulings on discrimination, and the current forces swirling around the issue of same sex marriage. He has graciously allowed me to repost it here:

Today, the Vermont state legislature overrode the governor's veto to legalize same sex marriage in the state. This is a monumental moment. Never before has a democratically elected body in the United States confirmed the rights of LGBT people to marry whom they choose. In Massachusetts, Iowa, and Connecticut, the courts have determined that marriage is a fundamental right for all people. (California did as well, but that decision was overturned by ballot measure). Now, for the first time, the representatives of the people of a state have passed a law making marriage legal for everyone. And while this might seem like something minor, it is hard to understate how important a shift this is, even if it did occur in a state as small and liberal as Vermont. If you look historically at rights movements for minority and oppressed populations in the United States, there are generally two phases. In almost all recent cases, courts get the ball rolling. Brown v Board, for example, helped kickstart the Civil Rights movement, but it led to nearly a decade of unprecedented racial tension and violence. Ten years later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, a law that cost the Democrats the south but also fundamentally changed this country's attitudes towards race. Today, racism is still pervasive, but it is almost universally frowned upon. Racial violence persisted, but it has gradually faded (though it still unquestionably exists). This, I argue, is largely because the people Americans chose to elect them passed a law granting further rights to African Americans and other racial minorities. It by no means fixed the problem; it did, however, help to fundamentally change the culture. The women's rights movement, unfortunately, is a not-as-happy counterpoint to the Civil Rights movement. Roe v. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion, resulted in a huge backlash against the women's rights movement. The Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment to the constitution that would have guaranteed equal rights for women, failed largely because of anti-choice concerns that it would invalidate any restrictions on abortion. This history is largely glossed over and hugely oversimplified due to the fact that no one will read more than a few paragraphs on a blog, but the point is this: court decisions do not necessarily mean that a minority group will gain any more stature in the long run. The civil rights movement was largely successful: legal segregation was ended, outright racial violence such as lynchings were minimized, and the culture was fundamentally changed, though a subtler and some would say more dangerous form of racism still exists. Women, on the other hand, continue to be beaten, raped, murdered, paid less, and kept out of positions of power. This can't all be blamed on any one thing, but the fact remains that the American people failed to ever stand up and have their legislature do much of anything to protect the rights of women. They did so for racial minorities, particularly African Americans. This is a huge difference. Today, over 50% of violent hate crimes are committed against LGBT people. Court decisions that stand up for the right to marry are welcome, but I fear they will do nothing to change the views of the people. Without that change, real change on the marriage issue -- and real change on hate crimes legislation -- will never happen. We need more Vermonts, desperately. We need to pass ballot measures that support the right of all people to marry, not vice versa. We need municipalities and elected officials of all types to do the right thing here. And that, unfortunately, means the people need to do the work. Yes, that means you need to do the work.

While we are rallying for a few more Vermonts, can we also get a few more Seths?! For more on what you can do to sponsor human rights for all, read next week's post.

Homegrown

A new sandwich shop just opened up in my neighborhood in Seattle, and it's some of the best "fast food" I've ever eaten. All of the ingredients at Homegrown are sourced from "organic, local, all-natural, and/or sustainable producers." Clearly not resting on their low-impact laurels, these guys take things a step further by greatly reducing the use of typical to-go packaging, which creates some of the greatest impact at an establishment such as theirs. In order to achieve "sandwich environmentalism", the Homegrown folks use compostable, recycled, and recyclable packaging. If you decide to eat in at the shop, almost everything you use, with the exception of the recycled paper napkins (which are composted), can be washed and used again. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that one can choose from delicious sandwiches and a rotating, seasonal soup menu. If you want to pick up a sandwich with absolutely no waste, consider bringing your own To-Go Ware containers to the shop.

Unexpected for the Northwest, the sign only refers to food.

For those of you who don't frequent the Pacific Northwest, look for these same types of practices in the restaurants you patronize. More and more restaurants and shops are springing up all over the country as awareness grows about the importance of eating locally and producing as little waste as possible in the process.

Of course, for those of you who want to embrace a local diet, you need not go out to eat. Check out Local Harvest to find farmers' markets and other local food purveyors near you. Thanks to my friend Anne for pointing me in the direction of the Mixed Greens blog, which has recipes and adventures to keep Northwest locavores (or any locavores, really) inspired and entertained.

Shifting the Power

The first weekend of March in Washington D.C. was really cold, like face masks and long underwear cold, but that didn't stop thousands of fired up young people from gathering for the second Power Shift Conference, which brought youth from all over the country together to "hold our elected officials accountable for rebuilding our economy and reclaiming our future through bold climate and clean energy policy."

Guest blogger and high school freshman Amelia Schwalb recounts her experience here:

On February 27, 12,000 young adults ventured to our nation’s capitol in order to change the world. They traveled 28 hours through blizzards and braved long flight delays, but all eventually arrived at the Washington Convention Center for Power Shift 2009.

They were greeted with keynotes by environmental leaders such as Van Jones (Green for All) and Majora Carter and left with the sounds of Santogold and the So So Glows in their ears. These young people went on to spent their weekend attending workshops, panels, caucuses, trainings, keynotes, and concerts with a common goal: repairing our world. They learned that climate change does not only affect nature, but all human kind. They learned that through climate injustice and environmental racism, climate change affects those who cause it the least the most.

Most of all, they learned that climate change is an urgent issue that we must tackle if our species is to survive. Along with regional planning, the Power Shifters’ newfound knowledge culminated in a lobby day in which they asked their representatives to enact aggressive climate legislation adhering to the principles of cutting carbon, investing in a green economy, using renewable energy, and being eco-equitable.



After the lobbying was complete, the younglings headed to the West Lawn for a rally, clad in green hard hats and green t-shirts. Most of the Power Shifters then headed home to start their own mini-Power Shifts in communities all over the country. Memories of Saturday night’s impromptu rally echoed in their minds; “What is it that democracy looks like? This is what democracy looks like!”

1969 : Tree hugger :: 2009 : Recyclable-cardboard-and-mixed-paper-hugger. The more things change...

Adventures in Urban Composting

It's my guilty moment of the week again - time to take out the trash. I glance in to see what the week's detritus consists of, and I feel that familiar twinge. While I am pretty happy about the fact that two people have generated less than a kitchen garbage bag's worth of trash, the majority of our waste is food scraps, which will decompose in the anaerobic landfill environment and produce methane, a global warming gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

I live in a city with a robust recycling system, so I am able to reuse or recycle almost anything else that might otherwise make its way into my garbage. According to the EPA, 24% of household wastes consists of food scraps and yard trimmings, so it seems I am not alone. Some cities, including Seattle and San Francisco are now offering composting bins for residents that are picked up once a week along with recycling and trash. Other areas, like Santa Barbara County, offer composting bins at reduced rates as well as free composting workshops. Check with your local municipality to see if they offer similar services.

If you decide to compost on your own, the EPA's website is a good place to start to get an overview of different methods and services available in your region. Santa Barbara County also has an extensive online composting guide available on their website.

If you decide to go the urban composting route and have limited outdoor space, consider vermicomposting - tapping into the magical power of composting with worms. I have a tiny deck outside my apartment, and this will be command central for my new compost pile.

According to the Santa Barbara County composting guide, bins also give you bang for your buck. You can build one for about $40 or you can order one from a gardener's supply store. The guide tells me how to calculate the size bin I will need, how many red worms to get, and what can be composted. Here is the rundown of treats for my new squirmy friends:

• Vegetable Scraps
• Fruit Peels and Scraps
• Coffee Grounds and Filters
• Plant Clippings and Leaves
• Crushed Egg Shells
• Stale Bread and Grains
• Tea Bags
• Untreated Paper Towels and Tissue Paper
  

In other words, I can pretty much compost everything that I have been throwing in the trash - hooray!

Of course, I'm also on a budget, so I'm off to search a few how-to sites to figure out how to build my bin. Temperature is a consideration when vermicomposting as well; the worms like 55-75 degree weather, which is pretty much the temperature in Seattle eight months out of the year, so I'm all set there. It's been hovering around 45 degrees lately, so I'm going to give myself a few weeks to gather the materials, do a bit more research, and let the air warm to ideal worm temp.

If you are considering setting up your own composting system, check out these resources:

• Rodale Institute
• Worms Eat My Garbage
• Online Composting Guide - Santa Barbara County

For the true worm fanatic, there is also vermicomposters.com, but I don't think I'm there yet. Check back in a few weeks to see how the composting is going and whether or not I am eating my words (but not my worms!).