FLOW… a giveaway

The generous people at New Video contacted me to have two free downloads to give away, via iTunes for the film FLOW.

For those who don’t know… here is some information about this AMAZING film:

 

Irena Salina’s award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis.

Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world’s dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

Interviews with scientists and activists intelligently reveal the rapidly building crisis, at both the global and human scale, and the film introduces many of the governmental and corporate culprits behind the water grab, while begging the question “CAN ANYONE REALLY OWN WATER?”

Beyond identifying the problem, FLOW also gives viewers a look at the people and institutions providing practical solutions to the water crisis and those developing new technologies, which are fast becoming blueprints for a successful global and economic turnaround.

This film is incredible and should be viewed by everyone… water is a limited resources, possibly made more limited by the potential of privatizing it by larger corporations. This film explores ever aspect of water including the rights of all people to access to clean water. The group of filmmakers was even invited to appear before the United Nations to honor the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

To enter the contest, submit a comment to this link… when you do, I get your email address that is unseen by others. I will randomly select two winners from the submissions in a week (2/26).

In the meantime, it is available for purchase on iTunes:

review: Auntie Em’s

 

by Amy Swanton Mills

A friend told me about Auntie Em’s over dinner on Sunday. It sounded too good to be true. Fresh, organic, local produce delivered to your door? Recipes provided with each delivery so you know how to turn that produce into something delicious? All for around $40 a week? I was amazed. How had I not heard about this before?

I checked out the website, and everything my friend told me was true. (Not that I thought she was lying, I just wanted to verify things for myself.) They will also deliver prepared meals, such as Organic Chicken Gumbo, Free Range Lamb Tagine and many others, including plenty of vegetarian choices. How great is that?

So many people, when I tell them we get most of our food from the Farmer’s market, say things like, “Oh, I’d love to get things from the Farmer’s Market, I just don’t have the time to go.” Or, “I buy fruits and vegetables and then I don’t know what to do with them.” I have to admit, my husband does all the schlepping of produce from his biweekly trips to the Farmer’s Market. My inner curmudgeon can’t stand navigating through dozens of shrieking children and aimlessly wandering adults, all set to the tune of bad folk music, just to fetch a few items for dinner. (This description only refers to my experience with the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Santa Monica.  I don’t want to scare anyone away from the more “professional” Farmer’s Markets that occur during the week.)

So, if you don’t have the time, or the inclination, to deal with going to a Farmer’s Market, you can still support local, organic, sustainable farmers through the great service that is Auntie Em’s!

Click here for all the info:  http://www.auntieemsdelivery.com

watch the video

I posted a new video today in the homepage section.  It is a great interview with Simon Johnson who is an economist and professor at MIT.  

I think it is avery interesting perspective about our economy and what we as citizens need to be aware of and how we can demand that something change.  

I could only link the first ten minutes, but you can follow the video to YouTube for the last ten minutes or go to Bill Moyer’s site directly, HERE.

aahh… the frustrations

For those of you who have frustrations on how to be more environmentally friendly.. here is an author who empathizes with you and has written about it.

Can One Household Save the Planet? No, but the planet cannot be saved without it, by Liza Mundy

This is one family’s journey into becoming greener.. all of it.  It follows the ups and downs, the lies and the truths, the joys and the frustrations, until the end when habit is formed and a better way of life, for all of us, is achieved.  

 

In the end, despite the loss of a computer and the fact that I did not choose the best season to start composting — when I turn the barrel, I hear the thunk of frozen orange peels — I considered the experiment in greening a success. The reusable shopping bag is second nature to me now. We can live with our energy-efficient light bulbs. By paying attention to our own habits, I better understood how we are driving climate change and was more engaged with the national policy discussion. And I became convinced that individual action does matter. The numbers confirm this. According to statistics assembled by McKinsey & Co., 37 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions are under the direct control of consumers. Another 28 percent are under our indirect control. The challenge is to get people to understand this and buy into it. As consumers, we do have power, and the truth is, we’re all going to have to use all the power we have.

stimulate this

President Obama and his staff have been working diligently getting a stimulus package approved to jump start the economy.  And, as promised, he focused on creating a “green” stimulus package.  While some things were cut, in the end, we have $60 Billion going to green initiatives.  

Here is the list:

$11 B for a smart energy grid

$8.4 B for public transit system, including high speed train

$6.3 B for state energy grants

$6 B for cleaning up test areas by the Department of Defense

$4.5 B for greening of Federal Buildings

and 1.2 B for EPA clean up programs

The remaining $20 B  is a compilation of funds going to our National Parks, aquaculture, and jobs.

What was cut: updated the federal car fleet with hybrids (conflicted with the Buy American part of the stimulus bill), assistance to citizens in weatherizing and greening their homes, and updating of school buses.

admission

I will admit to you all that I am not feeling very inspired to write lately.  

I sit in front of my computer everyday looking for things to report on; news on climate change, food issues and the like.  And, each and everyday, I feel more and more resigned to the fact that nothing is going to change.  

I go to other blogs and everyone is reporting bad news this and bad news that.  No one is reporting anything original and no one is reporting anything positive.  It really makes one wonder what we are doing to this place and is there anyway of getting out of it.

I think if you are constantly being told you are doing something bad, why would you try to do something good.  After a long day of work, it is hard to get a healthy meal on the table.  After spending all day taking care of your kids, it is no wonder you want to sit in front of the television instead of learning about what you could be doing differently. When the economy is in the tanker, why would you and how could you spend a few extra cents to get CFL’s instead of normal light bulbs?

Believe me, I get it.

I am equally bombarded with the negative.  For example, I had hoped to report on Obama’s stimulus package and the positivity towards the environment.  But, instead, every environmentalist is reporting what was cut.  Would you be inspired to sit down at your computer and deliver bad news to everyone?  I don’t think so.

My new intention for this site is to report what good is happening.  I do think it is important for people to get the news, so I will, possibly, do a daily news post.  Other than that, it will be about what is working.  Now.  You will have to bear with me in this transition.  Right now, there is not a lot of good news to report, so there may not be a lot posted on the site.  

Everyday, I will try.  And, I believe slowly but surely, everyday there will be more out there for me to write about.

GOOD transportation

I always love posting what GOOD Magazine has to offer.  Today…. what is the most efficient way to move?  Interesting that a bus is a little but more efficient than walking!

go HERE for a larger picture

the good news… it’s a climate change

The UN Climate Chief, Yvo de Boer, praised the United States in having a night-to-day shift in climate policy and beliefs surrounding climate change.

Speaking from Tokyo where leaders have spent a couple of days laying the ground work for the upcoming international climate change meeting in which the next version of the Kyoto Protocol will be signed, de Boer felt that the change of heart in climate policy will allow for an international agreement on emissions reductions, and the like.

This is a fantastic first step in ensuring this planet is sustainable for generations to come.

peanut butter

We have all been hearing the devastating news about the peanut butter contamination; the people who have gotten sick or lost their lives, the 1,800 products that have been pulled from the shelf, and worse yet, the fact that the company knew it was sending out tainted peanut butter and did nothing about it because it was worried about losing money.

I am actually not a fan of peanut butter, so this scare didn’t impact me.  But, of course, it was something that I followed because of my interests in following the FDA policy, corporate greed and eating healthier.

Yes.  This is a huge issue and should never have occurred.  And, you as the consumer may feel like you have no other choice in the matter and so you wait for the problem to be dealt with and hope that the companies have learned their lesson (or go out of business) so you can trust what you eat, again.  I totally get it.

But, how about an alternative?  What if you learned how to make your own peanut butter??  Think about it… you control what goes into what you eat.  It is cheaper.  And, best yet, since you aren’t buying from a company you are putting your trust in, you do not have to worry about the safety and quality of your food.  

PEANUT BUTTER

15 oz of your favorite roasted peanuts (shelled and skinned)

1 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp honey

1 1/2 T peanut oil

Place the peanuts, salt and honey into a food processor. Process for 1 minute, and they scrape down the sides.  Process again, this time slowly adding in peanut oil until incorporated, another 1-2 minutes.  Store in air tight container in fridge.  It should last 2 months…. if not eaten before!

As you can see… it is so, SO easy to make your own.  You can then use it in your favorite recipes for cookies or other treats.  You can also use this recipe using other favorite nuts… almond, cashew, etc.  

It’s fun.  It’s healthy.  It’s cheaper.  And, you don’t have to worry about a corrupt company hurting you and your family

critical windows of development

OK everyone…. an AMAZING new site launched today and if you have any iota of interest into what effect chemicals are having on your children… even in utero… you need to go here and spend some time looking at it.

Critical Windows of Development was created by Theo Colburn, who is most often credited with the discovery of hormone mimicking chemicals, stating that she created the site as a way to “give scientists, policymakers, journalists and others immediate access to the information in a user-friendly, visually interesting way.”

When a Critical Windows user chooses a chemical, red lines appear on a timeline, displaying the areas of development where effects have been found in laboratory animals exposed to low doses. Clicking on a triangle retrieves a summary of each study, which then leads to direct access to the published article in a scientific journal.

The site shows how normal development should occur versus results obtained in lab results of development in the presence of these various chemicals, like BPA and phthalates.  It does focus on human gestation and compares to results found in mice gestation.

The site has links to where you can get the latest news, how you can contact the EPA and other agencies to ask for change, and all the definitions of the chemicals and the products they can be found in.  This is seriously the most comprehensive site for anyone concerned about the health of their babies and the impact from environmental factors. 

To read more about how to interpret results, please go to Environmental Health News.

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