Saturday Shorts: Getting Ready for Earth Day ’14

With Earth Day on Tuesday, “How to Live a Greener Lifestyle” is a popular theme in every form of media. 

The Original Earth Day logo

I’ve been sifting through the many hints and ideas I’ve heard and read as I look for new ways to make every day Earth Day — for some small steps I can take and sustain in the days ahead.

Here are some of the things I’ve tried:

• I’m attempting to grow Red Swallowwort Asclepias incarnata, a native milkweed important to the Monarch Butterfly. The Monarch Butterfly is wholly dependent on native plants from this genus for egg laying and larval feeding. These seeds have a really long germination time (sprout time of 21-40 days). So far one seed has sprouted. [If you look carefully towards the center of the pot, you will see a tiny green shoot with the seed case on its head.]

• I am continuing to cut back on prepared foods. Today for breakfast we had oatmeal with amaranth seeds, a dish I began last night by pouring boiling water over the grains and that I cooked in the morning. [More on this in a future Meatless Monday post.]
• I continue to find good homes for good stuff I no longer need. I can’t wait for EcoWorks, Inc. to find a building and get up and running.
• I got my old-school 1972 Raleigh Super Course tuned up and ready for next Saturday’s Rock to Rock Ride thanks to Sarah at the Devil’s Gear Bike Shop in New Haven. Want to support me? There’s still time. Here’s the link to my fundraising page.

This post was in the works before my friend Pennlee sent me this link to a story in the Los Angeles Times. “Finding Ways to Make Everyday Earth Day” addresses the anxiety that comes with wanting to do the right thing and examining the consequences of the lifestyle choices we make. The article concludes with a suggestion for raising our “consumption consciousness” by looking towards Buddhist mindfulness. David Glidden, a philosophy professor at UC Riverside urges that as we peel a tangerine we “think of all the resources that went into making that tangerine. Sun, water…As you eat each segment, think of all the people who labored to bring it to your table. If you do this, you will eat more slowly and consequently consume less.” I just happened to buy a bag of clementines today. I’ll be trying to do this small thing every day until they are gone. 

Let’s make every day Earth Day. Together.

Why Saturday Short Subjects? Some readers may recall  being dropped at the movie theater for the Saturday matinee — two action-packed feature films with a series of short subjects (cartoons or short movies, sometimes a serial cliffhanger) sandwiched in between. Often the short subjects were the most memorable, and enjoyable, part of the morning. That explains the name. The reason behind these particular posts is that we are all short on time. My Short Subject posts should not take me as long to write or you as long to read (or try).

On My Radar 3.1.14

Recent News. Happenings. Discoveries…Here are some of the items on my radar.

METEOROLOGICAL NEWS:

The West has finally gotten some rain, but too much, too fast, with some devastating results. All that rain did little to mitigate the multi-year drought. One official opined that it would have to rain every other day until May just to reach average precipitation levels.

Storm Titan is now making its way across the country.  The Northeast, once again in the grip of the Polar Vortex, is waiting to see how much snow Titan will deposit during its visit here. 

The smog that blanketed much of northern China, including the city of Beijing, last week has dissipated somewhat, but a report in Mashable predicts such problems will continue until dramatic steps are taken to reduce pollutants. In early December, Shanghai, on the coast of central China, was shrouded in smog. You can see the dramatic images here. Time claims that China’s smog is being called a “Nuclear Winter.”  

NEWS from NEW HAVEN:

In advance of Thursday’s public hearing on United Illuminating’s Vegetation Management Plan, Urban Resources Initiative (URI) has issued its position. You can read it in its entirety here. In summary, URI calls for:  

• A balanced approach to securing electrical power reliability by removing hazardous trees and branches while retaining healthy trees
• A comprehensive review of all trees
• Development of a detailed plan for removal or pruning
• Replacement planting
• Undergrounding of distribution wires as a long-term solution

The public is invited to sign up to make brief comments at this meeting. URI urges all lovers of trees to turn out; a large audience will send a strong message. Details on the time and place are below.

The Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride, a fundraiser for environmental causes in New Haven, is less than two months away. The snow should be gone by then, and organizers are urging all past and future riders to commit — now! Join a team and start collecting pledges!

Justin Elicker, former Ward 10 Alder and Mayoral Candidate, was recently named Executive Director of the New Haven Land Trust. The Land Trust cares for and manages 80 acres of property and oversees 50 community vegetable gardens across the City. “I am thrilled to take on this challenge as executive director,” Elicker said. “As the state’s first urban land trust and one of New Haven’s pioneers of urban agriculture, the Land Trust has a history of being visionary while delivering a direct and positive impact on the daily lives of our city’s residents. I look forward to building upon the Land Trust’s strong relationships with communities throughout the city to increase access to healthy food, foster environmental stewardship and facilitate strengthening connections within and across all of New Haven’s neighborhoods.”

Rachel Ziesk, Community Garden Manager at the Land Trust, is thinking ahead to Spring. In her blog Organic Gardening she has been posting tips for garden planning. Her latest post discusses what to consider as you flip through those beautiful seed catalogs.

FOOD NEWS:

The nutrition label on food packages may get its first makeover in 20 years. If the recommendations are approved, a consumer will no longer need to do mental math to calculate calories and nutrition information. The two most dramatic changes proposed are updates to serving sizes and a larger, bolder type face for the calories in the product.

Chipotle is rolling out Braised Tofu Sofritos, the first item to become a permanent addition to the menu since salads were added in 2005. The organic tofu experiment began in 2013 with seven locations in the Bay Area. This item is not available in Connecticut yet, but Chipotle advises “stay tuned.” According to Bloomberg Business Week, Tofu Sofritos should be an option in all 1,572 U.S. stores by the end of 2014.

RELATIVE NEWS:

My niece Sophie, college sophomore and blogger at Philo-Sophie is planning a summer service trip to Haiti. You can read more about it here. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thursday, March 6th

6:30 pm

Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Avenue

Technical Meeting and Public Info Session

hosted by PURA with a presentation by United Illuminating (UI)

In response to public objections to the UI plan adopting Enhanced Tree Trimming or Tree Removal (ETT/ETR) 

March 19th

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Chipotle, 910 Chapel Street, New Haven

New Haven Green Drinks 

Chris Schweitzer (New Haven/León Sister City Project) and 

Joel Tolman (Common Ground High School) will speak on 

the Rock to Rock Earth Day Ride

Chipotle will donate half of all sales, including Margaritas and beer purchases, between 5 pm and 9 pm to support Rock to Rock.