'Global Warming Might Be Worth Reversing'

God bless you funny, funny people at The Onion (America's Finest News Source). Today I needed a laugh. The Onion delivered. Here's the headline:

Report: Global Warming Issue From 2 Or 3 Years Ago May Still Be Problem

Now go read the whole article and don't be surprised if you laugh until you cry, or snort some herbal tea out of your nose. It's a good one. Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Eaarth: holding onto hope despite the odds against it

When Bill McKibben's latest book Eaarth: Making Life on a Tough New Planet came out, I was so excited to read it that I immediately put it on hold at our local library, along with about 1000 other people. Yet, as I neared the end of the line, I became more reluctant to read it. Or, skeered, truth be told.

Perhaps you saw McKibben when he appeared on Letterman late in the summer? While I admired Letterman for having McKibben on the show, and giving 11 minutes to an important topic, it seemed to me that what Letterman was trying to say was: Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we will die. While that's not a real quote, Letterman did say something along the lines of "the little contributions we all make don't add up to much." If you haven't watched the clip, carve out 11 minutes in your schedule and take a gander.

About those little contributions not adding up to much... This isn't news to me, or probably you. If you look at the science behind climate change and global warming, it's all pretty frightening. Yet, I put on my big girl pants and read the book. I'm not going to do a real review, but I will say that McKibben continues to give me hope, where other experts often leave me feeling quite hopeless. It's a pretty quick read, and I heartily recommend Eaarth. I will also keep taking baby steps, and making my little contributions to living sustainably.

Copenhagen, climate change, clean water

Oh sure, we were grateful for the bounty of food before us on Thanksgiving, but at no time during our 'giving thanks' part of that meal did anyone specifically mention clean water. A few days later, something odd happened. A neighbor called and said the water supply in the west side of Portland had been issued a boil water order due to E.coli samples coming up positive in a reservoir. Many people rushed to stores and bought bottled water, emptying the shelves in record time. Others, like us, got out our biggest stock pots, filled with water and brought to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. It was odd, but not unduly taxing. We did not have to fetch water from a murky river, miles away, walking barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways (isn't that how the old story always goes?). And then in 24 hours, it was over. After flushing the taps for 2 minutes, we returned to our normal programming of pure, reliable water running from our taps.

To say the least, there's been some uproar in Portland over the safety of our water supply and its historic uncovered water reservoirs. I don't want to get into that. For me, it was a minor inconvenience and a small eye opener for just one more thing we should be thankful for on a daily basis. For those of us who try to live lightly on the earth, this gave a taste of what life is like for those who struggle to get enough clean water for their families each day. As our planet gets hotter, the amount of people in the world who lack clean water will increase. I am far, far away from the climate talks in Copenhagen. We at EnviroMom supported the campaign to have fellow green mom Diane MacEachern attend and be the voice of green moms in Copenhagen. I don't know if anything will be accomplished there. But I sincerely hope that the voices of the moms are heard.

In the meantime, we green moms continue to do what we do best: teach our kids to count their blessings and conserve resources. I created a Water Conservation Poster last year for my kids' school, and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I see it posted near the sinks and drinking fountains. I hope it makes a difference. Feel free to download it and use it at your school too.

Download Conserve-water-poster

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 champions: starting conversations

Heather, our friend Carol and I attended one of the town hall meetings Portland is hosting on its Climate Action Plan. I don't know if I'm just easy to impress, or what, but I think it's fantastic that our city continues to take initiative on this global problem. It was news to me that Portland has been on it -- I believe they said since 1993 -- long before I'd ever head the terms 'global warming' or 'climate change.' They are seeking feedback before July 13, and what frequently came up in our session was the phrase: 'It's just great that we're having this conversation.' From the real-time surveys they took from those attending, we were not atypical. These people are pro-solar, bike-riding, vegetarian, green team, One Can A Month kind of people.

The plan, which Heather outlined, identifies eight areas where regular folk, just like you and me, can make changes with a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent. Ambitious? You bet! And a heck a lot easier to take actions in our own lives than to talk about it with friends, family, and neighbors who haven't yet drunk of the green kool-aid.

I left the meeting charged up. I will become a 'climate champion'! In many ways, I feel I already am one. But it's easy talking to you guys and gals. We're preaching to the choir, right? So how do you have conversations with those who are not buying into the science supporting global warming, or are in denial because they don't want to change their ways? I hope this isn't too heavy of a topic for a Friday. But really. I want to know. How do you start the conversation?

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?

Good read: Bill McKibben article on getting to work on climate change

I had the pleasure of listening to Bill McKibben speak at Powell's Books in Portland a few years ago when he was touring for Deep Economy. He writes and speaks with such an easy manner, that even complex issues are understandable. Yes, I've drunk the Bill McKibben kool-aid. He's up there with Michael Pollen for me. He wrote an article for Mother Jones a while back that is a great read. It's long, but worth your time. Sit back, get something warm and toasty to drink. Then find out why 350 is the most important number on the planet.

What green changes would you be willing to make at Obama's request?

The other morning while we were reading the paper, my husband asked me a hypothetical question. "What would you give up for the betterment of the country if Obama requested it? What if, after much consultation and research, he laid out a whole bunch of things we needed to do to lessen our impact on the climate, and requested that we do as much as we can." So we started making a list:

• Leave the cars parked two days a week.

• Eat meat only once or twice per week, or give it up entirely.

• Greatly reduce both computer and TV time.

• Use fewer lights. Maybe this means our entire family is in the same room more often (eek).

• Vigilantly save our money (give up eating out, dry cleaning, magazine subscriptions, etc.) to invest in an energy efficient heating system, water heater and better appliances.

Battling global warming with viral social change

Record heat on the East Coast. Flooding in the Midwest. Snow on the West Coast. It's June, folks. Methinks that something is in the air. Something noxious that is altering the climate. Are you with me?

My aunt and uncle's home in Franklin, Indiana had five feet of water in it on Saturday. Everything is ruined. The photos of flooding in central Indiana, where I grew up, are devastating. I am pissed. Scientists have long said that global warming will result in extreme, destructive weather. So instead of waiting around for the earthquake to tumble my house down the hill, I pledge to do the following:

• Follow Cheap-o-Dad's example and fill my car's tank up with gas once in the next eight weeks and rely on my bike, feet and public transportation when I need to get somewhere.
• Finally install that clothesline!
• Rely on the farmer's market for 75% of our food this summer.

It doesn't sound like much. It's really not going to affect the climate. But what if we all did it? Michael Pollan wrote a powerful essay titled Why Bother? that spoke to the reasons we all need to do our best even though others may be canceling out our efforts. It's called viral social change, and here's what he says about it:

If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand. (Just look at the market for hybrid cars.) Consciousness will be raised, perhaps even changed: new moral imperatives and new taboos might take root in the culture. Driving an S.U.V. or eating a 24-ounce steak or illuminating your McMansion like an airport runway at night might come to be regarded as outrages to human conscience. Not having things might become cooler than having them. And those who did change the way they live would acquire the moral standing to demand changes in behavior from others — from other people, other corporations, even other countries.

I want this, and I know you want it, too. Are you ready to make some changes and release the virus?

TGIF: time for a little levity after a very trying week

If it wasn't one thing, it was another or another this week (and these are just a brief sampling of some of the dramas Heather and I experienced this week). Suffice to say it was a very loooong and trying week. And of course, it's not over yet. So when my husband showed me this video last night, I nearly busted a gut laughing. I hope you will all enjoy it.