Hello, Sunshine.

I had a fleeting moment at the grocery store when I left with two nylon sacks and a back pack filled with yummy stuff, feeling very good that I was successfully not using plastic bags. I look at the people around me, all toting their massive bags constructed of plastic, and I feel a moment of disgust. Yes, disgust. Then my mind slaps me on the side reminding me to WAKE UP. Yes it’s awesome I use my own bags much of the time. Yes it would be awesome if everyone else did too. No I am not smarter/superior or a better human being than anyone else because I make that choice. It’s funny too because just several months ago I was an environmentally concerned citizen who got plastic bags at the store. I hadn’t found reusable bags that I liked enough and I liked being able to reuse the plastic. Ah how the wiser and more environmental me would have raked old me over the eco-friendly coals…

I’ve noticed similar feelings when I read a really empowering book or discover a really feel-good way of eating. Suddenly I look around and feel like the way we all live is blasphemous and I must embark on a mission to save us all from our crazy ways and share my new information! And while this enthusiasm and inspiration can be very useful and insightful for those who are interested, it is not my job to change how other people live their lives. Nor am I a “better” person because I make certain choices in how I live my life. I make my choices because they bring me joy, and for no other reason. It’s easy when discovering such things as exciting as environmentalism to latch onto it as part of your identity. And in a way, it IS part of who I am. But what it represents is the part of me that is genuinely concerned both with my own integrity and with a sense of caring about others — which includes all of the animals, trees, our oceans, and future generations.

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I wasn’t expecting those headlines this morning.

Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts with climate change. I’m very happy about this! Al Gore has done a tremendous amount and I think he deserves every bit of this recognition. He shares the award with a panel of U.N. scientists.

For more, check out this New York Times article.

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I’ve always been curious about how much water I use, because I feel like it’s such a dispensable commodity in the modern world. In order to get more conscious about it, I found this nifty little online calculator.

According to this, on an average day when I take 1 shower, wash dishes by hand, don’t do any laundry, brush my teeth, flush the toilet several times, and simply drink… I use 51.48 gallons of water. Yikes that is a lot of water. (granted, their estimations are high. I know I don’t use a gallon of water every time I brush my teeth because I turn off the faucet)

It gets me thinking though about creative ways I can reduce this number.

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This is an old quiz that I recently looked up to see how my results had changed after some differences in how I live now (no car, walking mostly, etc). Thought I would share because even after all the pat-myself-on-the-bag eco things I do in my own life, we would still (according to this calculator) need 1.6 Earths if everyone lived like me. Yikes. I suppose it’s good though that my Earths are down from closer to 2.6 the first time I took it!

So, if everyone lived like you, how many Earths would it take to sustain you?

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While normally I read blogs devoted to topics on body image or celebrities, recently I have been loving eco-blogs. i.e. blogs devoted to all things environmental. I consider myself a concerned citizen for the environment and someone who makes Earth-positive choices. But, when I read about the commitments and choices that some of these eco-bloggers are taking it really challenged me to step up my game.

One particular such blog, is Envirowoman, who writes Living Plastic Free. (see link also in my blogroll) Envirowoman has made a commitment to (literally) live plastic free with strict rules and diligence for all of 2007. This is an incredible feat, as reading her blog has shown me. We live in a world essentially run by plastic, so swearing off of it is challenging. It has made me open my eyes to the enormous amount of plastic I personally use, that of course is recycled, but remains a huge waste none the less. And I try to buy as little as possible! How much is everyone else using?

Making the simple choice to use less plastic has shown me how much I really use. Every produce item at Trader Joe’s comes in packaging. Even at other stores, all berries, grapes, soft fruits are in plastic. All take-out containers from restaurants are plastic. Even many restaurants use plastic containers to serve their food. Coffee cup lids. Bottled water is a huge issue for me, because I refuse to drink from the tap in my old apartment building, but I don’t know of a good plastic-free alternative. Even clothing — polyester, nylon, spandex, etc, ALL are derived from plastic. And these are just the obvious items. Envirowoman will let you know about many lesser known plastic evils.

I highly recommend Envirowoman’s blog… Even if we’re not all ready to make a plastic-free commitment, we CAN decrease it significantly.

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I got one of these handy little bags the other day. It’s so great! See that mouse-sized thing in front of the green and blue bags? That is what these grocery bags compact to! I can keep it in my purse and pull it out whenever I stop at the store.  Check it out chicobag.com.

A few reasons from Chico Bag to stop WASTING with all those one-use bags:

• The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year.

• If everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth not once, but 760 times!

• According to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.

• Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade—breaking down into small toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food-chain when mistaken for zooplankton or jellyfish.

Yikes. And bringing our own bags to the store is one of the easiest things to do!!

So whatever you use, just stop getting new bags! Take a backpack or a big purse to the store if you don’t want to purchase reusable bags.

Check out  reusablebags.com for lots of affordable ideas!

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The 11th Hour is both a portrait of a planet and a source of hope and solutions.– Al Gore

Monday night I had the privelege of seeing a pre-release showing of The 11th Hour. Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the producers and the narrator for this film. He includes a panel of world renowned scientists and environmentalists to create a startling picture of the current status of the Earth. The “11th hour” is a figure of speech implying that the final moment is near, and this film communicated clearly that we are not only in the 11th hour, but “it’s 11:59″ as they said in the film. DiCaprio’s film is more entertaining and insightful, though still similar to Al Gore’s environmental film An Inconvenient Truth, that was released a year ago.

The first half of The 11th Hour is grim, discussing global warming and how much of a mess we have created on Earth. The second half is far more optimistic as the authorities discuss changes we can make to halt the current crises and save planet Earth. I liked the fact that the film isn’t merely scolding the American people, but rather a call for creative action. By getting back into harmony, we will benefit our own lives in the process of making positive change to the Earth. I was left feeling deeply inspired to participate and do my part in saving the world.

To see the trailer and find showtimes near you, click here.

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