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I was just reading my friend Ann’s blog Snowballs and Candy Corn (see sidebar!!) and noticed a mention of a very common sight in Union Square, the potato peeler man in the suit. I always think about this man when I see him… juste being curious, like usual. Well, seems as though I’m not the only one…check out his story. I’m still curious though…what does he do with all those potatoes and carrots he peals during the day?
I have issues. We all know this. But what the friggin heck are people thinking when they chew their gum like a cow!! I mean its one thing to blow bubbles (in private) or even to get excited about your gum. But when you are in public, ESPECIALLY on a VERY crowded NYC subway, shut your mouth!! It is so rude to chew your gum like a cow in someones ear. Thank heavens for my IPod. If I didn’t have it… I would seriously lose my mind. Come to think of it, there was this week that my old IPod broke… and one day my boss says “what the heck is wrong with you?!?!!”. I realized then that every day I was being “Bitter Betty” (as my brother would say) because the noises I was hearing exuding from people during my commute made me that annoyed. My boss said if my IPod ever broke again to let him know immediately so he could get me one right away…no waiting a week for it to be shipped. I’ve always been like this… I used to scream at my brother… “Stop GULPING your water!!” or to my dog (because he really understood) “Stop LICKING your butt!!” or to my ex…”Stop being so LOUD with your cereal!!”… so yeah, issues. But the gum thing, come on… its just called being polite. Chew with your mouth closed. Yuck.
Today I cleaned out my office. It badly needed it 
I even tackled my drawer that was getting near impossible to open. What was in this drawer? Menues, food bags, and napkins. I barely ever eat out for lunch. I typically bring my lunch to work and maybe eat out once or twice a week. When I get food somewhere, I never grab napkins. If they give them to me, I’ll take them, but I will never grab more…most restaurants will stick a handful of napkins in your bag. Why is that? Are humans really that messy that they require multiple napkins to eat their lunch? No, I really don’t think so. I think that most restaurants don’t think about the napkins at all. The result? Sadly, most end up in the garbage, unused. A serious waste of the resources used to make that napkin.
Seventh Generation has a wonderful factoid of information on their tissue package. While this is for toilet paper, you get the jist.
“If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 500 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
- 297,000 trees
- 1.2 million cubic fee of landfill space, equal to 1,400 full garbage trucks
- 122 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 3,500 families of four”
I propose that you never again throw away an unused napkin. Don’t take napkins from restaurants, if you do, take only as much as you’ll use. If they are given to you in your bag, stack them up like I do and take them home with you to use. At home, try to use cloth napkins as opposed to paper. You’ll save money and resources. This world doesn’t have an endless supply of resources, though we often act that way. Play your part in making a difference, no matter how small. If even 1/2 of NYC participated in this, imagine how many resources we would save. Every big movement, every big change, is made up of small pieces. Take part. Make a difference.
napkins collected over 3 month time frame, eating out 1-2 times a week, never taking napkins unless it was in the bag already
I’m the Volunteer Coordinator for a wonderful cat rescue in NYC, KittyKind (see sidebar!!). It’s a lot of work, but so worth it. This is what I want to do with my life and I am gaining the best hands on experience out there. When (and possibly if) I ever leave NYC I’ll have the tools under my belt to hopefully snag a paying gig just like it. I love kitties!!
Being involved in KittyKind (and I imagine any organization/work that involves giving yourself to others in need) means that I see some of the very worst in humanity. But it also means that occasionally I get to see the very best too. KittyKind has a wonderful blog (see sidebar!!) and today I read a story that is a perfect example of a happy ending, the reason I do what I do. Check it out, but a forewarning…you may want a tissue
http://friendsofkittykind.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/lenny-happy-ending-cat-adoption-nyc/
ah vinny. one of my absolute best friends. i met vinny through my brother, they have been partners for about 2 years now. from day one i knew vinny rocked. we have so much fun together. see, i am a complete and utter nerd and anyone that is involved in my personal life must be able to deal with that. and for those that take part in that…well they are the ones i will keep close to me forever. vinny is a wonderful person, he has an amazing heart and makes anyone around him smile. i love him to pieces. here are a few of my favorite pics with vinnigins. love you man!!
balboa park carousel, san diego, ca
weirdos.
chubbie bunnies.
i win.
get um.
This morning I was waiting in some very, very cold wind for the bus and I was dazzled. There must have been 100 or so birds performing a magical dance in the sky above the buildings. They were swaying and swooping, spiraling this way and that. They were riding the currents of the wind…it was beautiful. I love it when I see this happen with birds, though it happens with most animals, birds are the easiest to see in everyday life. It’s called herd behavior. Although bird groupings are a flock, not a heard. It’s when large groups are able to think as one, able to move together in every shift of motion. It’s typically used as a defensive mechanism, inspired by fear. I think it is one of the most amazing sights on this planet. And not just with birds, any grouping of animals moving as one. The only time it’s not beautiful to me is when it’s with humans. When it’s humans, the ones outside the herd tend to be the beautiful ones to me. Although I must say…take any one individual and force them away from the herd, they are bound to surprise you in one way or another. You just really never know someone until you separate them from the rest and have a real dialogue. Think on that.
Photo by George Steinmetz of National Geographic
Earthjustice (see sidebar!) is one of my favorite groups to turn to for environmental information. They are real people taking real actions and reporting the real stories. I found this a very interesting one, enjoy!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ecuador Gives Rights to Nature
Most environmentalists believe that nature has a right to exist for its own sake, but that’s not how the law works in our country.
In the United States, nature is defensible only if a human will miss the forest, species, or clean water when it is gone. To use the law, a human must first prove harm to their person.
If that proverbial tree falls in the woods and no human cares, no laws were broken. But if a tree falls and the hiker who depended on its shade is harmed, the U.S. legal system may provide some relief.
Breaking with tradition and establishing a bold legal precedent, Ecuador recently decided that nature should have rights of its own. Just for the sake of protecting nature and the intricate web of life that depends on it.
Although constitutions in other countries have long provided stronger protections than those available in the United States, guaranteeing for example the right of all citizens to enjoy an environment that is healthy and in equilibrium, as in Costa Rica, the right of nature to simply exist and continue to evolve for its own sake has not yet been guaranteed.
However, the Rights of Nature section in the Ecuadorian constitution that recently became law does just that. In Ecuador today, an ecosystem:
- Has the “right to exist” and—perhaps more importantly—to “persist.”
- Has the right to “maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, and functions.”
- Has the right to “its processes in evolution.”
And most importantly, any person, people, or community can take legal action to defend those rights without showing personal harm.
Rights of Nature provisions may finally provide balance in legal systems around the world that tend to view nature as only an economic resource for humans.
We congratulate our colleagues in AIDA and ECOLEX who contributed to the efforts that led to this great precedent.
There are some worries that this new take on the inherent importance of defending nature may be too associated with President Rafael Correa, and that these new provisions are only as strong as the party currently holding power in Ecuador.
But if the country remains stable, the Ecuadorian Rights of Nature could be a model for what may someday become standard practice in constitutions around the world.
Each year, the Earthjustice International Program
I was just having a conversation with one of my co-workers about John McCain. He is apparently speaking in Durango, CO (my hometown) this week. This sort of surprises me because it is my thought that Durango is a fairly democratic town…even though Colorado is generally republican. Perhaps I’m wrong, or perhaps he thinks he can persuade my humble town to vote for his foolhardy self. Ugh, he is so unappealing to look at and listen too, not to mention the words that come out of his mouth don’t make much sense. Anyway… back to my conversation. I was just thinking… wouldn’t it be funny if someone threw a rotten egg at him? Or perhaps a tomato? What would be the best item to throw at him? Popcorn? A head of lettuce? An onion? A shoe? I propose this question to you, if you could throw anything at John McCain, what would it be? ***Now of course, this is all fun and games… I’m not really planning on doing this, nor do I think anyone in Durango would do it…so if anyone is out there screening these things… don’t worry. John McCain is not going to get hit by a pumpkin.***Maybe a spaghetti squash… ha ha, just kidding. My choice: a hefty slice of tofu. Splat.
