Cultural exchange: travel without much carbon footprint

Hungry? Here's a tasty little treat for you. Doesn't it look sweet and delicious?


Well, you'd be wrong. That's no cookie, as my 6-year-old daughter's eyes led her to believe. It's a salty Japanese cracker, perhaps, even with a hint of fish sauce. It was a small present from our Japanese exchange student, one among many. She also brought us some darling little origami bookmarks folded like girls in Kimono.

Now, I could tell you that our family doesn't travel because we are super holier-than-thou when it comes to the carbon footprint of air travel. But that's not really the case. It's price more than anything. Sure, we'd love to see more of the world with our kids, but it's just not really in the cards these days.

That's why hosting an exchange student gives you many of the benefits of travel, without leaving the comfort of home. This year, we hosted a 15-year-old girl from Kobe, Japan for two weeks in July. Very sweet girl. I was proud of her. First time away from home! Sheesh -- what a big trip! Her English was good, but not great, so we had our fair share of 'language barrier' confusions. Like the cookie/cracker. Oh, but you should have seen the look on my treat-monger's face when she bit into that thing she thought was a frosted cookie… Hilarious! Yet she made me so proud when she didn't spit it out and say it was gross. She chewed it up and said perhaps she'd take some ice cream after all and save her Japan treat for later.

We had joked in advance that we were dying to ask about the robo-toilets of Japan, but never really got to that comfort level with our student. The kids and my husband had this running joke saying "let's go!" and "get up!" in Japanese -- the phrases sound very similar. And perhaps the most fun of all was when we made sushi rolls together for dinner one night, using the bamboo rollers and nori that our student had brought from home.

As much as we work to lower our carbon footprints, if we had the money, I think we'd travel much more. I'd love to see more of the world, and share it with my kids. For now, we've enjoyed hosting exchange students and sharing with them the joys of our little corner of the world.

Portland: summer recycling class for high school students

Here's a great opportunity to turn the younger generation into future environmental advocates:

Be a Recycling Advocate

Open to 9th-12 graders
6/28 - 7/2, Mon-Thurs,10am-noon; Friday 10am-4pm

St. Mary's Academy, 1615 SW Fifth Ave. in downtown Portland
Tuition: $100

In a few short days become educated on the critical matters of recycling and waste. Understand and claim the integral role you can play in helping the environment locally and globally. Bring a brown bag lunch on Friday as class will last until 4pm and we will field trip off campus to explore "green" spots in our local community including Metro Paint and the Rebuilding Center. There are also optional sessions after class that may include films and tours. Instructed by Felicita Monteblanco, Master Recycler and Adelle Monteblanco, PhD student at CU Boulder (Environmental Sociology), both SMA Alumna, Class of '03. Open to any student entering 9th -12th grade. Questions regarding the class? Email felicitam4 [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information see: http://www.stmaryspdx.org/student_life/documents/CourseCatalogue9th_12thgraders.pdf

Read or see: Chris Jordan's Running the Numbers

Right now in Seattle, there's an exhibit by artist Chris Jordan at the fantastic Pacific Science Center called Running the Numbers, on display until January 3, 2010. I'm hoping our family will find time to go and see it.

If you are not familiar with Jordan, he is considered the 'it' artist of the green movement who mixes art with activism in stunningly beautiful digital images. The Seattle Times' review of the exhibit offers a great explanation of Jordan's work:

'His subject is human consumption, human waste, our whole buy-it-now-throw-it-away-later culture. His method is to start with a statistic — say, the 2 million plastic beverage bottles used in the United States every five minutes — and to create an image that translates those astonishing numbers into something you can see at a glance.'

Oooh, boy. Are you sitting down? Two million plastic bottles every five minutes?! Arggghhhh! Forgive me while I freak out for a few minutes...

OK, I'm back. The Pacific Science Center's web page that outlines the exhibit features an 11-minute video of Jordan speaking about his work. He's extremely well-spoken and worth the 11 minutes to watch. In the video, Jordan explains that his art helps us to visually feel environmental and social issues that detrimentally affect our culture, and he hopes it motivates us to take responsibility and change our personal behavior.

About a year ago, my oldest daughter became fascinated by the book Hungry Planet. I'd hazard a guess that Jordan's images will be arresting and though-provoking when I share them with my kids, and likewise valuable learning tools for all EnviroMoms striving to raise green kids. If you're not near Seattle, this is a traveling exhibit. Check out Jordan's website for cities it's coming to. He's also published a book by the same title, Running the Numbers, that I haven't read, but plan to.

Climate change coverage in high school text books: more, less or better?

Oregonlive.com, the website hosting our main newspaper's content, has been getting a heapin' helpin' of debate on how climate change is being taught to Portland Public high school students. Granted, I've still got wee ones, and we don't really talk about that serious business, since I don't think its age-appropriate yet. But I don't want to say it's all academic -- because I find the debate fascinating.

It all started when Portland Public School teacher Bill Bigelow published an op-ed piece in the Sunday Oregonian detailing the skeptical and minimal text-book discussion of climate change/global warming (you say non-GMO potato, I say non-GMO poh-tah-toe!). I thought Bigelow's piece was interesting, well written and it taught me something I didn't already know. How sad that fairly new textbooks being used across this large metropolitan school district are so scant in their coverage of what many consider the biggest issue of our times.

Some writers of letters to the editor agree with me. Others think we've all drunk of the Al Gore koolaid -- that human-caused global warming is a crock, and if you follow the money, it's all about who is going to become rich off of our fears. There are about a bajillion other opinions in between (some of which have been added to the website, and others published in the print paper). Many miss the point about the opportunity for more in depth text-book coverage on this important topic for our high schoolers.

Like I said, my kids are elementary-school aged. This doesn't affect us yet, but I'm interested because it affects kids who can be making a difference now. What about you? Are your kids learning about climate change in school? Do the text books and school lessons do the topic justice? Or is there room for improvement in your school district too?

Climate Masters program: coming soon to a city near you?

I recently read about the Climate Masters program being offered by the University of Oregon Climate Leadership Initiative. According to the Oregonian, similar programs -- designed to help individuals decrease their carbon footprint -- are under development in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Maryland.

As much as I feel indebted to the learning I was exposed to in the Master Recycler program, there is always more to learn. When I would find time to become a Climate Master is beyond me, and might have to take a back-seat to becoming a Master Gardener -- but for now I'll just read the Organic Gardening for Dummies bbok my family thoughtfully picked up for me at the library, and hope that I figure out some workable chicken- and slug-proofing measures before my garden's tender sprouts get gobbled up.

What's really cool about these "Masters" programs is that volunteering and education are required payback, leading to a viral expansion of the greater good: growing and eating local and seasonal food, more informed decisions on how we use and conserve resources, and (near and dear to my heart) waste reduction. I also feel the programs help people feel like they are doing something positive and acting out of hope for the future. Only history will tell if any of these baby steps really make a difference. I hope you'll excuse my belly-button gazing... As we approach Earth Day 2009, I'm feeling a bit more philosphical than usual. Tell me, readers. Why do you strive to live sustainably? What motivates you?

Environmental considerations of greening human waste: a good read (really!!)

I've been reading a book about poop and pee, and let me tell you, it's fascinating. The Big Necessity, by Rose George, covers the world of human waste from the high-end, built-in bidet with blow-dryers, heated-seat robo-toilets of Japan, to the hand-collection of excrement due to open defecation that happens in undeveloped parts of the world. And everything in between. 

Now, if you use a flush toilet like I do, you may think it's simple. Everyone just needs to do what we do. It's modern, efficient, clean and sanitary. Our senses are not assaulted by foul smells and sights. But modern is probably not a fair description. Most western urban sewers were built a long time ago, and have a hard time keeping up with the growth of our cities. Or they don't work during sudden severe rains -- and end up overflowing raw sewage into rivers, lakes and oceans. This happens in Portland on a regular basis. Surprisingly, it's not really the poop that is the bane of the sewer workers' existence: it's fat and Q-tips and liquid concrete and grenades. The ignorance of "civilized" people throwing everything down the toilet and just flushing it "away." Before I move on, I want to underscore that fat from residential cooking and especially restaurants going down the drains is especially bad because it builds up in sewer pipes, has to be cleared by hand and can cost millions of dollars.

Evolution of a GreenGroup

We started our SW Portland GreenGroup the same month that EnviroMom.com was born (March 2007). The forming of the group was fairly word-of-mouth. A few friends, Heather and myself, some interested moms who we met via the Southwest Watershed Resource Center. And it grew from there. We did some field trips to each others' houses to brainstorm "green" challenges and learn from one another. We met about every month for a while -- with the structure of the meetings being loosey-goosey at best, but always with lots to say and none of the pregnant pauses you might expect from a diverse group of people, many of whom had just met.

Then came requests to start GreenGroups in other parts of the Portland Metro area, as well as distant places: Memphis, Austin, Salt Lake City, Atlanta, even London! We've tried to seed these groups to the best of our ability, but admittedly, with limited success. No doubt, it's hard to find a place and time that works for a group of busy EnviroMoms and EnviroDads. It also takes someone to head it up, and believe me, I know it's hard to add one more thing to your plate. If there's any advice I have for someone who wants to form a GreenGroup, I'd say just go for it:

• Pick a date, time and public place -- family-friendly cafe or coffee shop, library, community center.
• Invite some green-minded friends.
• Limit it to about 8-12 people, for simpler scheduling and ease of discussion. Keep the focus as "local" as possible.
• Post a flier with the details at the meeting place, if possible.
• Post an online announcement via your local craigslist.org or similar site.
• Then see what happens... Most likely you will all learn some helpful things from one another. Share what you learn via a blog or set up a Yahoo Group to communicate outside of meetings.

I've loved our GreenGroup. We meet about once every other month now. Sadly, I'm the scheduler, and my scheduling of meetings is flaky at best. Our group has decided to add a bit more structure over the summer, by discussing the Northwest Earth Institute Menu for the Future discussion course. If you're not familiar with the NWEI, it's a national organization founded by Portlanders Dick and Jeanne Roy with a mission of "inspiring people to take responsibility for Earth." Any one of the NWEI's discussion courses would make a great starting place for a GreenGroup. It's inexpensive, the readings are thought-provoking and feature fantastic writers. The goal is not consensus, but to promote discussion. I love that.

KidTip: Teaching reuse via recycled art

Yesterday my 6-year-old marched off to school toting a very large paper grocery bag filled with recyclables. No, I was not making her run errands for me. It was for a school project. With Earth Day right around the corner, her kindergarten class was soliciting recyclables to use for their big Earth Day art project. Is your school doing this too? You've probably seen this kind of art. You've probably made some of it. If you're looking for ideas, Savvy Source has a huge list of craft projects made from reuse items.

While it's unrealistic to expect our young'uns will create true, museum-worthy masterpieces working with toilet paper rolls, bottle caps, polystyrene trays and egg cartons, I like the underlying message that these art projects teach: things can be reused. Even if they are created for one-time use: the egg carton, the bottle cap, the toilet paper roll, and yes, the foam tray. These "recycled art" projects plant the idea that using a big empty yogurt container on the beach as a sandcastle form is all you really need -- instead of buying a special plastic sand castle building bucket. Aside from a little text on the yogurt container, they're really the same thing: cheap plastic buckets. Reuse where you can. Make "precycle" the first step in any new purchase consideration. If your kids can learn this from a young age, maybe "retail therapy" will die a premature death.

If you're not in the mood for arts and crafts, or you're looking for other kid-sized projects to celebrate Earth Day, Savvy Source also lists a few eco-friendly activities for kids, along the lines of our KidTips.

Now go off and make your egg-carton caterpillar, or hug a tree, for crying out loud! It's almost Earth Day.

Free lead testing kits at Hoot-n-Annie

The city of Portland is distributing 3,000 free lead testing kits and one of our ReadySetMom sponsor's -- the fabulous Hoot-n-Annie is a pick-up site for them (the kits are for those living in homes built before 1978).

 

Did you know lead is still the number one environmental health threat to children? Lead-based paint was used in many homes built prior to 1978. When lead-based paint is disturbed through remodeling, daily wear and tear on doors, windows and other painted surfaces, or deteriorated by age, it creates dust. It is this dust that can poison children. Even a small amount of dust can be enough to harm a child. Lead can cause permanent learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma, and even death. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. All children should be have their blood tested at ages 1 and 2. If the test kit shows there is lead in the home, families may be eligible for a grant of up to $10,000 for lead clean-up.

 

Time for a green food group?

New York has No Impact Man. The Portland Metro area has Monique Dupre. Monique's mission is to teach sustainable living on a budget, and how to live without shopping at supermarkets.

I'll confess that at first all this sounded like a bit too much for me. I'll stick with my seasonal CSA and shopping the perimeter of the supermarket. But I must say I'm warming to the idea. At least there is a lot more I can learn. At Heather's recommendation, I've just started reading Pollan's In Defense of Food. Like most of us Americans, my family lacks a food culture. We pick and choose: a little Asian here, a little German there, a whole lot of nutritionizing, mixed in with some worry and stress, and not a whole lot of actual food enjoyment.

So I was very pleased to share a cup of tea this morning with one friend who just took Monique's Intro course, and one friend who is planning to take it. Monique's workshops are very reasonable ($25 a pop). Alternately, you can host a workshop at your house with a minimum of 6 friends, and then your tuition is free. My other friend is signed up to attend the Introduction course on February 27, which may get canceled if they don't get enough people. So if you are interested, that would be a great one to sign up for!

What was most interesting about our talk this morning is that all of us moms are feeling there's plenty we have to learn on how to feed our families healthy, safe food that is also easy on the environment. And that moms need the support of one another to make big changes. I was pleased to hear my friend Kim say that she thinks what she learned from Monique's workshops can be implemented into her family life using baby steps. Thank goodness for that, since that's the foundation of what EnviroMom is about: baby steps. It's easy to get overwhelmed, but together we can make positive changes. And it sounds like we may be on the verge of forming a green food group. Since food is such a major part of green living.