Contact: Thomas Llewellyn: 925-876-2942: tom@realcooperative.org

                 Emma Hutchens: 336-244-8732: emma@realcooperative.org

“Fishycorn Car” to do National GMO Education Tour this December

Environmental, education and advocacy organizations partner with Organic Food and Natural Products Companies to educate US citizens about GMOs from California to Washington DC.

This December, members of the REAL Cooperative and Sustainable Living Roadshow, in partnership with Mintwood Media Collective, GMO Inside, Organic Consumers Association and Institute for Responsible Technology are embarking on a journey from California to Washington DC to promote education and to build awareness around genetically modified foods and the importance of mandatory GMO labeling and regulation in the United States.

And they’ll be traveling in ‘Fishycorn’ the giant cornfish car…

Supported by organic food and natural product companies; RW Garcia, Dr. Bronners, Nutiva, HimalaSalt and Organic Valley; members of Sustainable Living Roadshow and REAL Cooperative will accompany the fishy car to local food cooperatives, farms and public gathering spaces in every state along the route to host playful actions and “teach-ins” about GMOs.

The trip will be taking a southern route, leaving the Bay Area on Dec 8 and heading through Bakersfield CA, Flagstaff AZ, Albuquerque NM, Amarillo TX, Oklahoma City and Tulsa OK, Springfield and St. Louis MO, Evansville IN, Louisville KY, Columbus OH, State College PA and on to Washington DC.   Fishycorn will make an appearance at the City Museum in St. Louis, home of the bio-industrial giant, Monsanto, finishing the 10 day journey in Washington DC on December 18.

So, what and where are Genetically Modified foods? Genetically engineered foods are plants or animals that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria. This type of genetic modification occurs in a laboratory and cannot be found in nature. A high percentage of corn, soy, cotton (cottonseed oil) and sugar beets used in processed foods sold in the U.S. are genetically engineered, but we don’t know exactly which foods contain these without labeling.  It makes you wonder, are you eating Fishy Corn?

This trip is following on the heels of the recent battle for Prop 37, a ballot initiative that would have required labeling of GMOs in the state of California that was narrowly defeated despite nearly 6 million votes in favor of the prop.

GMO Inside will be using this cross-country tour as part of its launch of their National GMO Education Campaign; providing Americans with actions they can take in their homes, grocery stores, and communities to call attention to genetically engineered foods.  GMO Inside will provide tools and resources for Americans to find the GMOs in a wide-range of products and brands on grocery shelves, and give people organic and non-GMO alternatives.  It will also create communities of people who are concerned about GMOs and who will support each others’ efforts to label GMOs and avoid the products containing them.

The idea for the labeling of GMOs may be new in the United States, but it isn’t new for the rest of the world.  Over 50 countries around the world already require mandatory GMO labeling including all of Europe, Japan, India and China.  With an astoundingly few long-term health studies and little to no FDA regulation, it seems that labeling may be the least Americans, and the fishy corn car crew should be asking for.

Fishycorn Tour events will be fun and educational for participants across the nation.  For those who want to follow along online, Fishycorn’s adventure will be documented via daily blogs at realcooperative.org and regular picture and video posts via facebook (facebook.com/ fishycorncarGMO) and twitter (@fishycorn).  Interested onlookers are encouraged to participate in online contests including “where in the world is fishy corn car” and more, for fun prizes and surprising GMO facts!

Holy moly … it is.

My, Julia, what big rays you have

Suddenly, it’s November, and the trees in the mountains of North Carolina are ablaze with fiery hues.  We’ve got 15 of our 17 events under our belts, and the buses are barreling down the highway towards Austin, Texas.  Paul Simon is playing softly over the speaker system, and I am reading Noam Chomsky articles in between editing and updating.

And it has been a wild and wonderful three-and-a-half months.

Perhaps I’m being preemptive in putting up a nostalgic, tour-wrap-up post, but there is at least some space for reflection right now, I’d say.  Not only is there only one event left for me (I’m hopping off in Austin to head home and be with the family for a bit), but it’s getting to that time of year where both our bodies and minds head inwards.  Naval-gazing just seems so appropriate next to a fire, with a warm beverage in hand.

We’ve watched the world shift in an incredible and dynamic way from the windows of our little bus(es).  One single occupation – a seemingly radical notion that the media refused to cover at first – sparked an electric reaction that has led to over a 1,000 occupations in over 80 countries.  In between events and discussions with members of the public about sustainability, we have stood in solidarity (and with bated breath) as this movement towards real change has taken hold, picked up steam, and started marching, resolutely, towards a more sustainable future for all members of this planet.

In Asheville, we visited the occupation there and connected with the people who are putting their bodies on display to show their disenchantment with this current system of politics and governance.  It was interesting; I had held a fairly romanticized notion of the occupy movement before we visited one.  Not to say it’s not an amazing thing — for it is.  But in action, it’s not all roses … at all.  Consensus and true democracy are arduous, time consuming, difficult processes, and everyone has a different opinion of how they should be approached.  Though the encampments are political statements, they also draw individuals who are not as much interested in the movement as they are in the free food and lodging.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing (everyone should be included, right?), but in Asheville at least, it has led to some issues.

Still, I’m absolutely amazed by the way this movement has grown, and so organically, in such a short period of time.  The fact that people are coming together across party and national lines to show their disenchantment with the way this world is run is phenomenal, and gives me hope in a way I hadn’t had before.  I hear people often ask for tangible requests or solutions to the problems we are presenting, and though I understand that request, I think that (other than getting the money out of politics) it’s not about that.  That is — it is about that, of course, as we should always be focused on solutionary discussions, but I find it almost unfair to expect a movement so young, so new, and so damn disgruntled to be coming up with solutions when the politicians we’ve supposedly elected and have been in the game for years can’t even do it in a timely manner.  What this is about, right now, right here, is forming together, showcasing our discontent, and making sense of the mess.  Then we can focus on solutions.

There’s so much more to say (isn’t there always?), but I think that’ll be enough for the day.  Now, I return to Mr. Chomsky and looking out the windows into the chilly evening, content to be cozy on this bus with my Roadshow family.

Cheers –

Nasi

Nothing is as Powerful

Only those who risk going too far truly find how far they can go – T.S. Eliot

We must be doing something right – earlier this week nature graced the Roanoke Valley with four glorious days of balmy weather, with temperatures in the low seventies, above normal for this late in October, a meteorological phenomenon known as an Indian summer condition. An Indian summer can also refer, metaphorically, to a late blooming of something, often unexpectedly, or after it has lost relevance. In this latter use we should perhaps be referring to our American Autumn as the American Indian Summer, in the sense that the Occupy [everywhere] movement seems to have picked up where we left off 40 years ago. In a renewal of purpose, there is an urgent, articulated call to action with the gravity of destiny. As is oft quoted, there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come. And come, it has. It’s as if, after the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam, the counterculture went into hibernation and its ringleader, Rip Van Winkle, just got rudely awakened. Tea Party members, beware – you may want to keep your distance until after he’s had his morning constitutional.

Last night, under a waxing crescent moon, there was a reversal of fortune. Temperatures dropped 30 degrees. It was a frigid hand attempting to flick a Bic to light the burner to boil the water to heat the oats to feed the mouths to warm the bellies of Julia’s crew. By invitation, we were parked adjacent to what was once a golf driving range, now home to Cross Fit, a military-regimen informed, indoor/outdoor facility, and nothing like what most of us have learned to expect in a gymnasium. Our hosts, were its proprietors, Tim Falke and Andy Beetle. We met Andy, an itinerant philosophy professor and internet marketing entrepreneur, at the Roanoke Outdoor Circus, where Cross Fit also had a presence. One could not help but notice the minimalist equipment: a huge, over-sized tire and two thick ropes hooked to the back of a pickup truck. He liked what the Sustainable Living Roadshow was all about. Coming at sustainability from different tributaries, we are both flowing in the same direction toward the Sea of Change. Andy walked away from a multi-million dollar enterprise to help fund Cross Fit. Tim is an recently-retired member of the United States Armed Services, a former Special Forces Navy SEAL, with nine deployments to the Iraqi and Afghani war zones under his belt. His story is an object lesson of what happens when military meets intelligence, in this case not an oxymoron. When Tim returns to the same town seven years after first befriending an eight year Iraqi boy only to be fired upon by the now, rifle-toting fifteen year old, it dawns on him that nothing whatsoever is any different, not one iota. However, he has… and it gets him wondering – just what the hell are we doing there? The straw that breaks the camel’s back comes when he is unwittingly privy to a high-level conference call that reveals to him the true nature of American involvement in the region. His heart no longer in it, he pulls the plug and retires.

This morning, a massive bulldozer is off-loaded a semi-trailer and begins to grade an area the size of…well, the size of a rugby field. Tim, you see, was (and apparently still is) an avid player, something totally in character for a man who is now on a far different mission from that which Uncle Sam had in mind when he signed up 13 years ago. Cross Fit has plans to start raising chickens, cultivating an organic garden, ultimately teaching men, women and children how to live a sustainable existence and learn self-reliance, if not self-resilience.

We are now barreling down Interstate 77, about 60 miles east of Asheville, North Carolina, where we will spend the next week and three days. After a brief consensus process, we have decided that out time will best be served by digging in for an extended stay with Occupy Asheville. Across this roiling nation of ours, sands are shifting in all directions and the time is coming to draw lines. In some towns and cities, the law is cracking down on the tented encampments, in others the local authorities are supporting the 99%. Which side are you on?

A person who stands for nothing will fall for anything.

(Hello!  From Delaware, the first of the original 13 colonies.  We’re marching through Newark, then down to Darlington, Maryland, and onwards towards Baltimore.  Our feet are tired and our muscles are sore, but we carry on, carry on, carry on.)

During our skillshare in Philadelphia, one of our crew led a general assembly, modeled after that held on wall street daily to discuss – as open ended as this is – change.  A group of us gathered together and opened up about where we come from and why we are interested in changing this current system we’re living in.  We talked about sustainability, dominant culture, and a wide range of other topics.  I found the whole thing quite enlivening – and very inspiring.

But I noticed that the marcher, a lovely fellow from Palestine, had remained silent throughout most of the discussion.  Once we broke the group, I asked him for his perspective.  It was like I’d burst a bubble – he immediately began talking and sharing, seemingly unable to stop the volley of thoughts pouring out of him.

His main problem with our discussion was our focus on localization.  We spoke of that a lot in the circle; for many of us in America, the land of globalized everything, that seems a wonderful response to the current state of affairs.  Bring it back; shrink it.  Close the gap between production and distribution to reduce the amount of fuel used and re-instill a feeling of personalization – and thus, accountability.  It’s much easier to harm the earth when your trash is out-of-sight-out-of-mind than it is to throw your waste into your own community – or your neighbor’s yard.

To me, this sounds like an amazing start to solving the many issues that plague us today.  But to Adley, this sounded like it would only perpetuate the problems.

“There are companies that have an overstock of rice, so they dump it into the oceans to keep prices stable,” he said passionately, “while in other parts of the world, people starve.  That’s thinking local.  That’s not working as one unified entity.”

I had never thought of it like that.  I tried to express to him that when I talk about going local, I assume that the other part of the thought is there as well: to think global.  That’s the term we all know, right?  Think global, act local.  Part of the very reason for localization is because of a regard for global issues – reducing our impact so that everyone has a chance to enjoy this earth (and for generations to come!), not just those who are privileged.

Still, Adley had a point.  I mentioned using our resources that are nearby; he countered with the fact that often, we have to trade resources, simply because of our climate and geography.  Through it all, he was insistent upon the fact that thinking in local terms leads to not helping others and turning a blind eye to the problems outside our little bubble.

It’s especially poignant – if not downright heart-wrenching – when you consider where he comes from, a land that has been ravaged by war and violence for decades.  For him to hear talk of shifting our perspectives ever-smaller must be torturous, for it’s that sort of outlook that has, at least partially, led to the Israel-Palestine conflict being as tenuous as it is.  Had people looked into their neighbors’ communities and seen themselves reflected back, had they worked as one unified group instead of so many fractured ones – or if we could begin to do that now – it would have made, would make, will make all the difference.

This doesn’t discredit or debunk the fact of localization, in many forms, being a good one.  We need to start relying on nearby resources more, for getting so much of our supplies (food, anyone?) from so far away is having an enormously detrimental impact on this fragile planet.  Localizing our production and distribution of resources is a fantastic way to begin reducing our impact, overall, as a species.

…But.

We also absolutely must work together as one creature, one movement, one planet, just as Adley said, lest we lose sight of the fact that we are undeniably and inextricably linked.  The human race is an ecosystem, one that, like any other system, only works best when all its parts are functioning at their full capacity.  As we turn our focuses on our own communities, let us not forget that we are still part of the wider community.  We must still help our neighbors, even if they are neighbors half the world away.

Perhaps this all goes without speaking – I suppose I thought it did, considering how surprised I was by Adley’s response.  Nonetheless, even if it’s redundant, it’s a good thing to remind ourselves of again …. And again.  And again, and againagainagain, until it finally, finally becomes a reality.

I’ll be thinking about this all as we march through Amish country tomorrow.  Where do you stand?

See you on the road –

Nasi

In the Northeast regions of North America, fall is beginning its yearly cascade of colors.  Trees are slowly segueing from verdant opulence to their more bright and bold outfits, their outstretched limbs gaining hues of yellow, orange, ochre, sienna.  Towns are beginning harvest time as they watch the days wane and the air turns crisper and chillier.  And through it all, a small band of travelers march, resolutely, with banners high and spirits to match.

Zoom in – close up.  At the front of the march, two individuals in bright green shirts (with an extra arm and the entirely-too-adorable slogan “GMO SHIRTS ARE EASY TO SPOT.  GMO FOODS AREN’T”) hold a banner that introduces the crew: RIGHT2KNOW MARCH.  They pass, and along come the rest – a group that waxes and wanes, with people hopping on and off at different point … but never stops.

The group represents a surprising number of countries.   There are Americans, of course, but also a handful of Germans, an Italian woman, and a fellow from Palestine.  This shows to us – to me, one of the marchers – the global importance of this issue, the entirely pressing problem that we are marching against.

Don’t you know?  You know.  We are marching, marching, to label GMOs.

GMOs.  Genetically modified organisms.  Bioengineered creations that, whether we like it or not, are in about 80% of the food on supermarket shelves.  That there are few laws regulating.  That almost all other industrialized nations have either mandated labeling on or outright banned.

Lens shift; perspective re-adjust.  Zoom in again, this time on a young female marcher, with a moose hat on and a microphone in her hand, leading the group in chants.   A call-and-response chant is the most utilized, reminiscent (or so she thinks) of team sports played in youth.  “WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!” (WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!) “…IF OUR FOOD IS GMO!” (IF OUR FOOD IS GMO!)

And so they march.  And so they march.  And so. They. March.

I’ll admit that when I first heard of this endeavor, I was a bit confused by it, or perhaps just not entirely clear on its purpose.  What would marching do, I wondered, for making a difference in labeling GMOs, in demanding what I consider a right but, apparently, the higher-ups consider inconsequential?  Would it really do… anything?

I’ve had a lot of time to think about this while we’ve been marching.  I knew that there were marches in Germany and Europe that were effective and led to labeling, but I wasn’t entirely sure where we fit in the equation.

It was somewhere between the giant Buddha statue we happened upon (what a sight when you’re marching!) and the Whole Earth Center co-op that I came to the realization about why we are in this, and why I keep feeling the pull to march, to chant, to push, even though I’m tired, and my feet hurt, and my muscles are tense and sore.

As activists, what do we have?  Some have money, but not many; some have political sway, but not enough.  Any and all of us, however, have our bodies.  We have voices.  We have spirit.  We have perseverance.  Those are the tools we have immediately at our disposal and anyone has at their disposal.  Those are the tools we can come together on and collectively utilize to push for and urge towards change.

And sometimes, the most powerful message you can give is through a metaphor.  Of course, it’s important to undertake the logistics – to get signatures and educate so that citizens can agree on this issue and pressure congress to make it a priority – but it’s equally as important to showcase your passion.  That’s what marches in towns and cities do, and that’s what this march does.  It shows that there are those of us so horrified by the state of our food system that we will walk 313 miles, in rain and sun, uphill and down, across hill and vale and whatever else, to make an impact.  To press for – no demand – change.

And so we march.  And so we march.  And so. We. March.

Camera pan; scene change.  Return to the marchers, plodding forward, a bit quieter this time – but their balloons are still bobbing, their signs still bouncing along.  A car passes by and honks joyously; cheers arise.  A breeze brushes through, lifting yellow leaves off the sidewalk and sending them skittering among the crew.  And somewhere in the middle of the band, I lift my face to the sky and smile.

-Nasi

I’m here in a quirky cafe near Park Slope, where we’re gearing up to begin a major leg of our journey: the Right2Know March.

This 313 mile, two-week promenade is modeled after a similar march in Germany that succeeded in enforcing labels on genetically modified foods.  We – as well as the hundreds of marchers joining us, and the other companies and caravans partaking – are hoping this traipse goes in a similar direction and puts pressure on our politicians to finally label the foods that wind up on so many of our tables.

Genetic modification is a tricky, sticky topic.  Yes, farmers and gardeners have been practicing various, less direct forms of genetic modification for centuries – cross breeding is, after all, a form of GM.  But there are concerns about the form that recent “advances” in the field have taken.  To quote the National Geographic website:

“…concerns exist over the potentially negative environmental impact of GMOs. Because they introduce genes not native to a particular species, the impact these genes will have if they enter wild plant populations is yet unknown. GMO crops are often engineered to produce pesticides or resist herbicides, so the potential for GMO crops to induce pesticide resistance in pest and weed populations could result in high pest populations that cause agricultural and environmental damage. The potential of these pesticides to harm nontarget organisms also raises concern.”

The second – and to many, the most pressing – issue that these crops raise is that of corporate control.  When a new strain is introduced, companies have the ability to patent that specific seed – and then sue farmers if that seed is found in their fields.  Often, the seed spreads without their consent or knowledge, and small farmers end up losing everything because of it.  Many people know about the now famous Percy Shmeiser, who decided not to back down and stand up to Monsanto when they sued him over saving seed.  Countless other farmers have not achieved the same fame as him, but have shared his fate.

And of course, it begs the question: can you place a patent on life?

Whatever your, or anyone’s, view on GMOs in general, it’s hard to deny that they should be labeled.  I mean, if they’re as safe as the biotech companies claim, then there should be no issue with labeling them – that in itself is suspect.  An MSNBC poll indicated that 96% of Americans support labeling GMOs, so what’s the holdup?

That’s exactly our question, and that’s exactly why we’re marching.

Tomorrow is the kickoff party in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY, where we’ll be adding an element of whimsy to the marchers’ and attendees’ day.  We’ve spent the past few days getting things in order for the march – making banners and signs, figuring out last-minute logistics, and generally doing all the various tiny things it takes to put together an activist event.  Because, it turns out, it takes a lot.

Keep your ear tuned to our facebook and blog for updates, photos and videos from the march.  I have no idea what this march is going to be like, but we’re being joined by a bevy of amazing speakers and awesome organizations (Dr. Bronner’s foam tub, anyone?  I’m stoked), so it’s looking to be an amazing, enlivening, activating time.

Time for lunch!  As always – see you on the road.

-Nasi

PS — Want to join in on any part of the march?  It’s still not too late!  Check out the Right2Know website for more details.

The full blog (and more photos!) after the jump.

It was sometime during our parade, as the excited crowd of children was shouting their mantra – “WE ARE THE CHANGE MAKERS!” – as we marched, pranced, hula-hooped and danced through the festivals, as onlookers cheered and took pictures, that I was really struck by the power we possessed.  By our movement.  By our motion.

But it was only later, as I perused through the plethora of photos from events around the globe – from the tiny island nations that are the first affected by climate change to Copehnagen, to Vietnam, to D.C. – that it truly hit me, that I truly realized the magnitude of this.  Our movement.  Our motion.

On September 24^th, the Roadshow was at a festival called Mother Earth News Fair – so named after the publication that puts it on.  Though only in its second year, the festival is fantastically well attended, perhaps because Mother Earth News is the oldest environmental magazine still in circulation.  15,000 people paraded through the grounds over the course of the weekend and attended workshops and seminars on a diverse range of topics such as alternative energy, natural building, and herbs.

A large percentage of the people who visited the festival visited our area, as well, and a small portion of them took part in our parade on Saturday.

At first, I was a bit disheartened by the turnout for our parade.  We were at least 30 strong – perhaps 40 or more – and it was undeniably a powerful sight.  But compared to the crowds we marched through, ours was a very low number.  It saddened me that despite our efforts, despite our coaxing and encouragement, so many people chose not to participate in this global occurrence, this (in my humble opinion) amazing opportunity.  Were they really so apathetic?  Did this metaphor of feet-stomping and earth-shaking mean nothing to them?

Then I looked through the photos.  I saw the persistence of activists across the world – the small group of mostly older citizens in Moscow, marching resolutely with their Russian signs; the grandfather who walked with his grandchildren in Yemen, wanting to protect their future; the children in South Africa with their mouths agape and their signs demanding, “ARE YOU A FOSSIL FOOL?”; and the youngsters in my own notoriously conservative home state of Florida hoping for “renewable energy, sustainable peace” – and I realized.

I realized that this movement was so much bigger than us.  I realized that that moment I had, during our parade, was the same feeling, at least on some level, that was shared by citizens of the world, across the world, on that very same day.  I realized that the fact that we had done a parade at all was a beautiful thing.  I realized that we were standing with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in our commitment to, our desperation for, change.

I realized that we were that change.

So we marched, we danced, we pranced, we hula-hooped, we devil-sticked, we drummed and laughed and giggled and wailed, all through the grounds.  Because if they weren’t going to join us, then we were going to join them, and regardless, we were going to rally.  We were going to get behind this movement and push it forward, inch by inch, towards becoming a reality.  It takes a village (or a transition town?), and this global grassroots movement is nothing but that – hundreds of thousands of villages, all laying aside differences and convening on one common issue: the ground which we share.

Remember that, change-makers.  The fight is not over, nor is it anywhere near won.  But it is being fought, every day, and in many ways, by people the world over.  If you ever begin to doubt that, just look through the photos from September 24^th, 2011 – you’ll be reminded very quickly.

Carry on, my global friends.  You’re inspiring us all.

“The courtyard is well kept
but the fields are full of weeds,
and the granaries stand empty.
Still, there are those of us
who wear elegant clothes, carry sharp swords,
pamper ourselves with food and drink
and have more possessions than we can use.
These are the actions of robbers.

This is certainly far from the Tao.”

Tao Te Ching, Verse 53

Salutations, solutionaries!

Derek again. I wanted to get the ball rolling on a topic that Nasi will run with in an upcoming installment:

How low can you go?

The “low” we’re referring to is your environmental impact upon the world. Almost everything we do takes up natural resources (especially in industrialized nations). Food, water, shelter, clothing, transportation, recreation. As hard as we try, it seems like the cards are always stacked against us as we’re part of a system that’s destructive to the very ecology that nourishes us. Even I am typing this for you on a laptop composed of petroleum-based plastic and precious metals mined from the earth. The electricity that’s charging my battery comes from a power plant fueled by blowing up mountains to extract the coal that’s burned to generate it. Ditto the broadband wifi that I’ve used to upload it to our blog. And don’t even get me started on the level of waste at the coffee shop that’s doubling as my office right now…

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s easier to look out a window and find faults than it is to look in a mirror and do the same. However, nobody’s perfect, so no need to flog yourself in punishment for your transgressions against earth the next time you slip and do something unsustainable. You’ve been freed from The Matrix and your eyes are still adjusting to the light and your body is getting used to carrying its own weight. Maybe enlightenment isn’t a ladder, with some people higher and some people lower on the rungs. Maybe it’s a giant circle, and we’re all staring in at the same huge question mark?

I’ve always thought that sustainability is a lot like driving your car on the highway at night: you can never see to your final destination, but as long as you’re facing in the right direction all you have to do is keep moving forward. Being conscious of what you’re doing and being mindful of your impact on the world is (in my opinion) the first and most important step that all else flows from. I’ve noticed a tendency for people to think of sustainability as some kind of end goal to be reached, as if they could stop once they hit a certain level of recycling/composting/buying organically and locally/etc.

On the flip side, I think the secret of it all is actually this – sustainability is really a mindset, a way of life, a method of looking at and interacting with the world around us and all living things that cohabit it. It’s about constantly questioning if you can do a little more to help, if you can try a little harder and dig a little deeper in order for you to let go of the unnecessary in your life.

Too often I hear people say that they’ve GIVEN UP smoking cigarettes or buying individually-packaged products or supporting companies that pollute. I’d much rather hear their language reflect the truth – that they have actually LET GO of material goods/personal practices that were weighing them down all along and hurting the planet in the process. It’s much easier, from a psychological standpoint, to understand the value in LETTING GO of something you don’t need than it is to think/say that you are GIVING UP on something you have been dependent upon.

The words we use have power. They define our reality and dictate not just how we think, but IF we think. There’s a reason plantation owners wouldn’t let their slaves learn how to read. How can you question a system if you don’t even understand it? It’s all in the language, as George Orwell so eloquently expressed in the Appendix of his seminal masterpiece, “1984”. And I thoroughly believe we need to choose our words carefully if we really want to see a ripple effect of positive change spread across the globe.

We’re all on our own paths at different points along a much greater path to whatever our collective destiny as a planet will be. Asking questions about the issues raised above can be real mind benders and try the soul. And we may not be able to save the world…but don’t we at least want to be the kind of people who TRIED?

Knowing others is to be clever.
Knowing yourself is to be enlightened.
Overcoming others requires force.
Overcoming yourself requires strength.

Tao Te Ching, Verse 33

We’re parked up here at Seven Springs Resort in Western Pennsylvania for the Mother Earth News Fair.  It’s a lovely spot – if not a bit rainy.  We can’t seem to escape the rain, no matter where we go … Tom, a crewmember, half-jokingly called this the “bring the rain tour.”  (Cue rimshot)

So – anyhoo – we had a long (soggy) talk this morning amongst ourselves about steps we can take to be more sustainable.  We may be the Sustainable Living Roadshow, but we’re by no means perfect, and we struggle with pushing ourselves towards sustainable practices just like anyone else.  The issue on the docket today was packaging.

"Why yes I would, sir, but only if you take off that labcoat"

It’s a silly little comic, but there’s a lot of truth in it.  Surely you’ve noticed just how packaged our products are – from our food to our clothing to our medicine (and on, and on, and on).  The EPA estimated in 2008 that 30% of the average American’s waste stream was made up of packaging – and almost half of that doesn’t get recycled.  That, by the way, is about 71,000,000 tons of packaging — only packaging!  Add to that the energy (and raw materials) needed to create packaging, then the extra fuel used for shipping it … and you’ve got quite a bundle of oil and waste on your hands.

Not to frighten you (or maybe to frighten you a little..?), but here are some more facts about landfills that might make you think twice before purchasing that product that comes cocooned in plastic:

• The barriers of all landfills will eventually break down and leak leachate into ground and surface water. Plastics are not inert, and many landfill liners and plastic pipes allow chemicals and gases to pass through while still intact.
• In 2008, a survey of landfills found that 82 percent of surveyed landfill cells had leaks, while 41 percent had a leak larger than 1 square foot.
• Incinerators are a major source of 210 different dioxin compounds, plus mercury, cadmium, nitrous oxide, hydrogen chloride, sulfuric acid, fluorides, and particulate matter small enough to lodge permanently in the lungs
• Waste incinerators create more CO2 emissions than coal, oil, or natural gas-fueled power plants.

(taken from cleanair.org)

I’m not trying to belittle you – you undoubtedly knew that landfills were not exactly the cat’s pajamas before I spouted any of those facts.  Still, it can help to hear facts like that, if only to remind ourselves of just how much of an impact our personal decisions have.

Back on point, what of the eco-friendly, biodegradable, and compostable packaging that is becoming increasingly popular in stores – especially grocery stores?  That’s not so bad, right?  Hey, it doesn’t sit in a landfill for lawd-kn0ws-how-long – it breaks down!

Yes, true.  And admittedly, that’s a better option than plastics and other non-biodegradable materials – but still not your best bet.  Plant-based plastics and other such “eco” options don’t grow from the garden in their current state; they still take raw materials and energy to make, and use up space (thus more fuel) to transport.  They’re a step in the right direction, but ultimately, these new materials only divert our attention from the real issue at hand.

– Which is to reduce. The biggest change we can make in our personal lives to be kinder to this lovely earth is to reduce our consumption.  Though this applies across the board, a low-hanging fruit on the tree of sustainability (to borrow a metaphor from our dear crewmember Dan) is simply reducing your own waste stream by cutting out packaging.

What does this look like in practice?  Well, it means:

• Buying in bulk – and bringing your own containers!
• Opting for non-packaged produce (farmer’s market, anyone?)
• Choosing fresh snacks instead of prepackaged bars, chips and sodas
• Really thinking before you buy something!  The cost of a product should not be the only consideration – remember that it has a cost far beyond the price put on it.  It has a cost in its impact on the environment and in upholding and supporting the system that made it.
• Buying secondhand is a great way to reduce packaging – and waste in general!

We don’t live in a world that promotes non-packaged items, and it can sometimes be hard to either resist the temptation of a packaged good or, in some cases, find another option.  But if there is an option, choose it – remember that if everyone just made that one small decision, companies would be forced to listen and reduce their packaging.  We vote with our dollar every time we buy something, so vote for what you truly believe in!

What do you think?  What steps have you taken in the realm of waste and packaging?

Cheerio, friends!

-Nasi