environmentalism

Black on Earth: African American Ecoliterary Traditions

annette — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

African American literary contribution to the national conception of nature, in all of its symbolic ambiguity and historical twists and turns, is a subject that has been little studied. In fact, African American writers have contributed profoundly to our popular understanding of nature and to our ecological concern. Kimberly Ruffin’s book must confront the notion that modern ecological movements have been the exclusive province of privileged white people—that African American people have had little to do with the natural world as writers or advocates. To challenge this assumption, she redefines nature and ecological thought as it has applied to the experience of African American people throughout American history, as articulated by artists both well known and obscure.

This transformation in our understanding begins with a recent anecdote concerning the “Jena Six” incident in Louisiana in 2006. When high school students sought shade under what had been designated “the white tree,” they were subsequently threatened with nooses hanging from it. A tree is, indeed, a source of comfort, a sign of natural beauty with practical value. But it is also—sorry, Joyce Kilmer—emblematic of lynching and a history of terror aimed at African American people. The author points out that rather than preserving the tree as a “troubled relic,” school officials cut it down, presumably in an effort to prevent further trouble and to erase this living monument to racial injustice.

If many African Americans have felt estranged from mainstream environmentalism, Ruffin argues, it is because people themselves—“the most precious of natural resources”—seem to have been excluded from the discourse. The author cites Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement as a model for a new way of thinking about environmentalism, a “human-sensitive” activism that advocates simultaneously for people and the land. She argues that people of African descent have had both the burden and the blessing of being themselves seen as natural; whereas too often people of European descent have viewed themselves as radically separate from nature, a realm to be tamed and controlled or, later, to be visited for leisure.

Another critical point that she makes is that pre-twentieth-century Americans knew nature through work. The connection to the land was forged through labor, with both the body and the landscape part of the same “bioregion.” Similarly, nature has been inextricably involved in human efforts to achieve social justice and to escape from enslavement. She demonstrates that environmental degradation has disproportionately harmed the disenfranchised, but a detailed knowledge of the environment was instrumental, for example, in helping enslaved people establish routes to freedom. African American writing also reveals the extent to which the natural world provided sources of healing—the “wild-growing medicines” that are so much a part of cultural tradition and folklore.

Ruffin revisits the contributions of George Washington Carver, whose intense scrutiny of the natural world led to a unified view of science and religion, a balance between practical knowledge of the natural world and human spirituality. This balance is displayed in the myths written into the African American ecoliterary traditions about food and medicine and many different aspects of life, and they still are made manifest in community urban gardens, for example. The ultimate aim is an environmentalism that fully incorporates social justice as its aim, a natural world that includes humanity.

Written by: Rick Taylor, April 17th 2011

Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet

mandy — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

By Janet Wilson

Second Story Press

Warm colours cover this book of global children’s experiences of how they are changing the world. Janet Wilson’s Our Earth is a brightly illustrated compact collection worth reading. The core message is simple: all people need to come together to heal the Earth.

Children such as David Suzuki’s daughter, Severn, are included. Part of her advice on protecting the earth is, “If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!” Susuki certainly had an environmental hook-up through her parents, but her message is no less potent.

Other voices, such as that of twelve-year-old Adeline Tiffanie Suwana (Indonesia), present knowledgeable adolescent awareness of the devastating effects of humans on Earth. Part of her realization is that we are all connected and whatever damage we do in one region of the world influences other areas.

Part of the attraction of this collection (beyond the artwork and inspirational experiences) is the fact that all of these individuals have proved that activists, no matter their age, can make a difference in the world. Costa Ricans Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone have started up Kids Saving the Rainforest, a nonprofit that helps maintain habitats for animals like the Titi monkeys.

Accounts go beyond dealing with the after affects of human destruction; Fan Minghe, a Chinese teenager, searches markets for endangered wildlife being sold illegally in China. Thanks to his efforts, China has an organization called Green Eyes Club that not only saves animals but also is responsible for a number of tasks including reporting poachers and maintaining animal sanctuaries.

The last few pages provide a number of inventions and ways that children have provided as alternatives to modern pollutants like plastic bags. There are also snippets of grassroots level awareness which educate the reader.

Another strong point about this book is that the author does not highlight human atrocities; Our Earth's goal is to present solutions to the current problems Earth faces as a result of our existence here. Wilson encourages the reader to implement such strategies in their own schools and neighbourhoods.

Pollution and destruction are not simply local problems; they are global problems too. But as Our Earth shows, the world’s children and youth are at the forefront of the change we need to repair the earth. Get a copy of this book and pass it along to a young person you know in order to keep the momentum going!

Written by: Nicolette Westfall, January 19th 2011

Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire

andrea — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Edited by Bruce Erickson, Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands

Indiana University Press

Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire explores the intersections of queer studies and environmental studies and aims to trouble dominant discourses of nature and sexuality. The authors in this collection argue that we should adopt a queer ecological perspective, a “transgressive and historically relevant critique of dominant pairings of nature and environment with heteronormativity and homophobia.” Drawing on science studies, environmental history, queer geography, ecocriticism, critical race theory, cultural studies, landscape ecology, and LGBTQ theory, this interdisciplinary anthology presents the various possibilities for “queering ecology and greening queer politics.”

What do queer ecologies and greener queer politics look like? To answer this question, the essays use various theoretical and methodological strategies to explore how understandings of nature shape discourses of sexuality and how understandings of sex and reproduction shape perceptions and uses of the environment.

The chapters delve into topics as diverse as animal sexuality, hermaphrodite frogs, eco-porn, biophilia, lesbian rural communities, pollution and overpopulation, and penguins as environmental icons. Several themes weave throughout the entire collection, including critical analyses of homophobic and racist evolutionary narratives and the ways that particular spaces become imbued with sexual meanings. Overall, Queer Ecologies critiques the heteronormative, racist, nationalist, and colonialist narratives that structure popular environmentalist discourses.

The volume approaches these issues through three sections. In the first part, "Against Nature? Queer Sex, Queer Animality," the authors examine how sexual natures are produced through dichotomies such as animal/human and nature/culture. These essays argue that the question is not whether queer acts are “unnatural,” but rather how definitions of nature and culture (and the boundaries between them) are produced and mobilized.

The second section of the book, "Green, Pink, and Public: Queering Environmental Politics," explores the intersections of sexuality and nature as sites of engaged political action. These contributions critique the heteronormativity and whiteness of environmental politics and offer possibilities for radical ecologies and sexual environmental justice.

The final part of the book, "Desiring Nature: Queer Attachments," speaks to the pleasures and losses of engaging with the “more than human” world. The authors in this section explore the links between the regulation of sexuality and the destruction of non-human life. One of the most profound essays in the collection is by editor Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands, who writes on the subject of mourning in queer writing about nature. Drawing on a politicized melancholic sensibility from lesbian and gay experiences of AIDS, she attempts a queer re-thinking of environmental destruction, arguing that few, if any public rituals exist to express mourning over the loss of the environment.

Overall, this collection moves forward conversations in queer and environmental literatures, and makes important connections between discourses of sexuality and nature that offer promising possibilities for productive political coalitions and more critical theories. While the authors are careful to note the materiality of bodies and spaces, the volume relies predominantly on textual analysis. The authors examine familiar cultural texts such as mainstream movies like Brokeback Mountain and Happy Feet, popular documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, and the poetry of Adrienne Rich and Minnie Bruce Pratt.

Readers will come away from Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire with a complex understanding of the dangerous assumptions that shape environmental discourses, as well as the importance of environmental considerations to queer theorizing and movement building. The queer ecological framework offered in this collection has valuable insights for readers across a broad spectrum of interests.

Written by: Traci Yoder, January 5th 2011

Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know

admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0000

By Robert Paarlberg

Oxford University Press

As an ethically and environmentally aware feminist vegetarian, I view food and politics as ineluctably joined. Robert Paarlberg’s Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know challenged some of my basic ideas about hunger, famine, and the scope of issues contained by the term food politics, yet the book ignores some of the ways in which food is always simultaneously personal and political.

Food Politics covers a wide range of topics connected to the way we eat as well as to our food’s impact on the world around us at local and global levels. Paarlberg examines population growth, food costs, politics of chronic hunger and famine, farming technologies, food aid, obesity, environmentalism, agribusiness, fast food culture, organic and local food, GMOs, and the overarching structures that govern the world food system. At times Paarlberg oversimplifies complex problems, especially in his chapters “The Politics of Obesity” and “Agriculture, the Environment, and Farm Animals.” Moreover, although he supports his points with statistics and logical arguments, he frequently flattens alternative positions, sometimes inconsistently. For example, he suggests that vegetarianism has little global impact on the food supply in one context yet acknowledges the consumption of less red meat as a better way to reduce the environmental impact of food than eating local produce.

Paarlberg recognizes the significance of women’s labor in third-world farming systems. He addresses the political disenfranchisement of women in these economies when he depicts the problem of chronic undernutrition in “poor and hungry communities” where women are prevented from political action because they are, first, overextended by their duties as farmers and as caregivers for the children and elderly and, second, their socially marginalized status. Feminists doubtless know this and would like to see Paarlberg push his points further, as I wanted him to, but his attention to the gendered politics of undernutrition is significant.

Paarlberg considers the work of Rachel Carson and Frances Moore Lappé in dialogue with Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, but he dismisses Frances Moore Lappé’s as a “young countercultural food activist.” Although Lappé was young when she published Diet for a Small Planet, she has created The Small Planet Institute and established a rich, innovative series of books, videos, teaching aids, and other resources about the politics and environmental impact of food. Although he supports some of Lappé’s points, he does so in a way that shifts their focus—he implies that her actions are good, but not for the reasons upon which she bases them, which is a partial, uneven, and reductive way to treat an argument.

The greatest flaw of Food Politics is Paarlberg’s oversimplification of other groups’ and individual’s claims. He provides useful and even groundbreaking information but only by suspending these fundamental components of food politics in a way that does not allow for the inextricability of belief or ideology from the way we eat.

Written by: Emily Bowles, August 7th 2010

Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

By Femida Handy, Carol Carpenter, Adrianna Steele-Card

Second Story Press

Struggling with the idea of how to teach your child about the concept of his or her environmental footprint? Who isn't! With young children being so literal, it's hard for them to think about how a footprint could be anything other than, well, a footprint. In steps (pun intended!) Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint.

With interesting, creative fabric and wood sculpture art introducing us to Sandy, and her dog, we learn about her summers with her grandparents at the ocean. Her grandfather teaches her all about sea creatures, and Sandy loves to explore the beach. When she stumbles over some garbage, and begins to clean it up, she meets the "garbage monster" who is really not scary, but an older women who collects garbage. She shares some environmental words of wisdom with Sandy, and then Sandy is off to tell her family how they can reduce their footprint on the earth as well.

This book is simple, clear and not preachy. The illustrations give life to the story, and provide some clues for developing knowledge beyond the literal. For example, the pictures of the earth clearly illustrate what can happen to the earth if we don't take care of it, and what will happen if we do. Children can see and understand this.

I only wish there was a page filled with adult ideas for lessening our footprints and kid ideas for lessening their footprints. A resource page with these lists would be nice to review with a child. But, of course, you can generate those lists with your children, yourselves. We brainstormed some ideas after reading this book together with my three- and five-year-old girls. Perhaps doing this ourselves makes it more meaningful than if it was in the book in the first place.

Looking to teach environmentally responsible lessons and meaning through books? This is a great addition to your green book collection. And rest assured, this book wasn't created by using rainforest pulp, as I shared that many environmentally-themed books are. Sandy's Incredible Shrinking Footprint is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. A big thank you to Second Story Press for being a publisher that values the environment and minimizes its impact (or, shrinks its footprint! I couldn't resist). More publishers need to join you in this regard.

Cross-posted from Non-Toxic Kids

Written by: Katy Farber, June 25th 2010

Living Downstream: An Ecologist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Sandra Steingraber

Da Capo

In the original 1997 edition of Living Downstream, Sandra Steingraber was the first to compare data on toxic releases with data from U.S. cancer registries. In the last ten years since this edition was published, there has been rapid growth in the understanding of environmental links to human cancer and new published findings that corroborate the evidence Steingraber compiled in 1997. With a Ph.D. in biology and a Master's degree in creative writing, Steingraber has been the recipient of many awards, including Chatham College's Rachel Carson Leadership Award in 2001 and a Hero Award from the Breast Cancer Fund in 2006. Living Downstream is both a personal story of Steingraber's battle with cancer and her investigation into the potential sources of carcinogens released into the air, land, and water in and around her hometown of Normandale in West-Central Illinois, as well as in other areas of the United States.

Thirty years ago, when Steingraber was a twenty-year-old college student, she learned that she had bladder cancer and was surprised when her urologist asked her whether she had ever been exposed to textile dyes or worked in a tire factory or the aluminum industry. The author later learned that bladder cancer was considered a quintessential environmental cancer. In other words, there was more evidence linking it to toxic chemical exposure than to any other type of cancer. However, although bladder carcinogens had been identified, they continue to be used by industry even today. The obvious question, of course, is why have these chemicals not been banned. The reader quickly discovers that cancer causation is complex, as is proving the source responsible for this disease.

The author reminds her readers that of the 80,000 synthetic chemicals currently in use in the U.S., only about two percent have been tested for carcinogenicity and only five have been banned under the U.S. Toxics Substances Control Act since 1976. We also learn that the U.S. environmental regulatory system does not require exhaustive toxicological testing of chemicals before they are marketed. Legal limits are set on chemical releases, but, as we recently learned with bisphenol A (BPA), trace amounts can be more harmful to humans than higher doses. Moreover, we are often exposed to many contaminants simultaneously in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we ingest, and the land where we live and work.

Often compared with Rachel Carson, Steingraber makes some compelling arguments in favor of the precautionary principle, or the better-safe-than-sorry approach to chemicals. She also advocates the principle of reverse onus, which holds producers responsible for proving that their products will not harm the public, as is the case for pharmaceutical companies.

Sandra Steingraber has the expertise in science to give her the necessary authority to present an investigation of this scope and the impeccable writing to make it accessible to a wide audience. Although some environmental texts can be dry, Steingraber's writing and personal story make for a compelling read. Her drive and commitment to finding the missing pieces of the cancer jigsaw puzzle are humbling. I only wish that she had included a map of Tazewell County, Illinois, which we repeatedly visit throughout the book. A few diagrams of some the atoms she describes would have also been nice.

In short, if you have ever thought that the environment may have played a role in the death of a loved one and would like to know more, this is the book for you.

Written by: Heather Leighton, June 9th 2010

Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:01:00 +0000

Directed by Robert Cornellier

Macumba International

In light of the recent devastating oil spills along the southern U.S. coast, it seems unfortunate but appropriate to revisit the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Black Wave is a documentary that looks at both the environmental and personal economic impact of the disaster on the small fishing village of Cordova, Alaska, twenty years after the spill.

The story of the Exxon Valdez is as convoluted as you want it to be. Some maintain that the vessel’s captains were drunk and/or overworked when they ran the tanker aground in Prince William Sound. Others say that a faulty sonar system was to blame. In any event, the crude oil spill is cited as the most ruinous human-caused environmental disaster to ever occur.

Black Wave features interviews from the people who have lived to tell the tale. While the O’Toole family—whose personal story is highlighted through several conversations with the filmmakers—have suffered markedly less than some families, their willingness to speak on-camera was largely due to their relative pain. Sam O’Toole had invested his savings in expensive fishing permits less than two months before the spill, effectively leaving the family bankrupt when the local fishing industry subsequently collapsed. In the aftermath of the disaster, his wife Linden was able to shoulder the economic burden by working as a real estate agent, keeping the family afloat. The O’Tooles explained that because they lost less than many Cordova residents—many of whom find it too painful to discuss how their lives were ruined by the spill—they were willing to once again dredge up their memories to share in the hopes of educating a wider audience.

The film also prominently features Riki Ott, a renowned marine biologist and toxicologist, activist, and author of several books about the disaster including Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. At the time of the spill, Ott—like many others in her community—had been working in commercial fishing. Skeptical of the oil ships all along, she had long predicted a spill by saying “not if; when.”

Following the spill, it was apparent that the oil industry was completely caught off guard. Containment and cleanup crews were promised within six hours; but they simply did not materialize. The film includes old footage from locals, who began cleaning up oil faster than the corporation could dispatch emergency teams, which didn’t arrive until days later. To complicate matters further, a storm four days later moved nearly half of the sludge 1,200 miles west of impact, trapping the glistening goo in the sound.

The immediate effects were disastrous. Three hundred thousand sea birds were killed; over 3,500 otters died, as did 300 harbor seals, 250 eagles, and up to twenty-two killer whales. Two hundred thirteen salmon streams were contaminated, and billions of eggs were destroyed.

The human cost is also shown to be immeasurable. While local Cordova fisherman like the O’Toole family suffered losses, cleanup crew workers continue to live with myriad chronic problems such as bronchitis. One cleanup worker in the film, Merle Savage, originally believed he had the flu after he worked to contain the mess. Today, he’s been diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and takes a daily cocktail of medication for pain. He’s one of many affected by the “poisoning epidemic.”

The spill can also be blamed for the city’s unusually high stress levels among residents and resulting problems such as high rates of domestic violence, substance abuse, and a higher-than-normal suicide rate. Ross Mullins, a fisherman interviewed for the film, lost his marriage to divorce after the spill, and his sons, once thought to take over the family business, moved far away. At least twelve suicides since the spill have been attributed to Exxon litigation and the related legal matters, including a former Cordova mayor who killed himself due to the immense pressure of the situation and hopelessness that plagued the community.

Alaska’s vastness is difficult to capture on film, as is the vast impact of this horrific disaster; but the documentary effectively showcases the gorgeous wilderness and its inhabitants. Mixed with archive footage of old town meetings and spill cleanup efforts, Black Wave comes at just the right time: to remind us why oil drilling won’t solve any of our problems, and to incite anger and action in response to the impending devastation along the Gulf Coast.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, May 13th 2010

Grow Your Own Tree Hugger: 101 Activities to Teach Your Child How to Live Green

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By Wendy Rosenoff

Krause Publications

As a woman with young siblings, I have a vested interest in all materials that help me to have a positive influence on the adults they will grow up to become. I was very excited to see this new title by Wendy Rosenoff, an environmentalist who works with children through the Girl and Boy Scouts. Grow Your Own Tree Hugger contains, as noted, 101 activities that you can work through with your kids to help them better understand the planet and how to take care of it.

I often find it challenging (though necessary) to discuss lofty concepts with kids, and Rosenoff’s book helps because the activities serve as examples or analogies to larger, more complicated issues. For example, it might be difficult to get a child to understand the impact of pesticides and chemicals on our food, especially when these foods look the same as organic ones. Rosenoff suggests that you take two pieces of fruit—one organic and the other non-organic—and put them in the refrigerator. After several days, the organic fruit will be green and withered while the chemically enhanced one will still look new. This is a great, visual way to illustrate how pesticides prevent the natural decomposition process for kids.

Some activities do not actually involve activism, but offer a fun game as a way to encourage open conversation. Rosenoff suggests you make and fly a kite with your child and then use the opportunity to talk about wind power. She also encourages parents to take their kids out to experience nature, something the modern child often lacks exposure to.

In this day and age of the internet, video game devices, and television, some kids don’t spend much time outdoors at all. Rosenoff believes you should take them to examine tree stumps and determine the tree’s age, or get outside and plant something. She even includes recipes that parents and kids can make together with organic ingredients.

In working through Grow Your Own Tree Hugger, you not only inform your kids about the environment and the ways in which they can have an impact, but you get to spend time with them doing hands-on activities that are actually a lot of fun. You will probably both benefit from the time you spend growing your own tree hugger.

Written by: April D. Boland, April 30th 2010

Fight Global Women's Organic T-Shirt

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

By Autonomie Project

If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, you’ve got to go out of your way to make sure your tees have something interesting to say. If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans girl who lives in New York City, that message should make a statement about art or politics. The Fight Global Women’s Organic T-shirt from Autonomie Project does both.

Specifically made for a female body, this soft-cotton tee lightly clings to my curves while still providing room to breathe. I'm an XL wearin' gal, so this seemingly small detail is important. I love my body and all, but I'm not trying to show my goodies to the globe, ya know?

The cap sleeves and scooped neck design breathe a smidge of femininity into this traditionally genderless top. The deep charcoal color flirts with a kind of rock 'n roll sex appeal that is enhanced by the stencils-and-spraypaint DIY-esque design. The additional length of the shirt suits my above average height; instead of creeping above my belt like other tees, the bottom seam of this one remained at my hips.

True to its own message, the Fight Global Tee is made with eco-friendly dyes through a Fair Trade and sweatshop-free business practice. The message is also an apt fit for this particular time in my life. After living in India for two years, I’ve decided to shift my grassroots organizing work toward one with a focus on international needs. Perhaps wearing this tee when I interview will give me a bit of an edge; at the very least, I’d make an impression.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, March 8th 2010

CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:59:00 +0000

By Lauren A. Greene

Hearst Books

I never really considered myself a “green” person until I went to the Power Shift conference in Washington, DC last year. Things I or my family had done for years—recycling, composting, using reusable bags and cutlery—were second nature to me, and it did not quite click with me that we had been going green for years. After going to Power Shift, I made a decision to do more to help the environment, so when I saw CosmoGirl! had come out with a book with 250 ways to go green, I was intrigued.

The audience for CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World is the same audience as the magazine: high school girls. Many of the suggestions are targeted to that age group, such as ways to go green for the prom. Some of the tips extend to college students, such as dump and runs (a great idea, and a good way to pass on things you do not need anymore). However, many of the green ideas can apply to any age group. The pocket-size book is broken up into nine sections: fashion, home, food, beauty and fitness, travel, school, holiday, pets, and activism. I appreciated in their pet section that they recommend adopting pets from an animal shelter, a cause very close to my heart.

What makes this book very accessible is that many of the green ideas are easy to do. For example, tip #115 recommends keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge, then pouring into a travel mug or reusable bottle (bye bye plastic bottles!). Since the target audience is high school girls, many of the ideas take into account a limited budget. Many of the tips also suggests different eco-friendly organizations and charities that readers can get involved in. In addition, the book also gives a shout out to green groups run by women.

Each page contains one tip (except the ten eco-tips that are longer) and are easy to read—they resemble the blurbs of information found through a CosmoGirl! or Cosmopolitan magazine. However, I did find one small problem. In tip #176, the authors recommend buying a book printed on recycled paper; I could not find anywhere in the book stating that my review copy was printed on recycled paper. Besides that glitch, CosmoGIRL 250 Things You Can Do to Green the World is a good “going green” reference, especially for teenagers.

Written by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch, February 11th 2010

Gardening From the Ground Up Part 1

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

By Sarah Elizabeth Foster

Studio Sarah Records

Never judge a book by the cover. Never judge the content of a CD by the title. I was expecting an album on basic gardening. I was surprised when I opened the package and saw that instead of a how-to CD, it was the debut album of Sarah Elizabeth Foster. This artist began studying music at the age of four. She is a classically trained vocalist who has fulfilled her ultimate dream of being a singer/songwriter in New York City. By persevering through intensive vocal therapy, Foster made a “miraculous recovery” from the diagnosis of a benign, vocal cord polyp.

Gardening from the Ground Up Part 1 is a display of the singer’s vocal range and the songwriter’s poetic lyrics. Foster brings her values and beliefs to this project. All of the CD covers are printed with recycled materials. She donates one percent of album sales to 1% For The Planet, a non-profit organization which donates to environmental charities.

“Wake Up” is the first track on the album. It is a young girl’s conflicting mental conversation. She retreats from life by day and longs for the day come the night. Foster implores us to wake up and start living. “Gardening from the Ground Up” has metaphorical lyrics comparing a romantic relationship to weeding a garden. She loves him and he loves her, but in the process, she has lost herself. The song concludes with “I’m gardening from the ground up, but I can’t pull this weed. It will come back. He will come back.”

“Missing You Now” is a nostalgic love song which is written in the musical style of a waltz. “Be My Friend Always” is the only track that, according to the artist’s website, was recorded live in the studio. This is a soulful song of friendship. “Let’s Go Away,” I think speaks to us all. At some point in time, we all just want to escape. The songwriter invites us to join her and leave everything behind.

With just five tracks, this disc features instrumental and vocal variety. I am looking forward to Part 2. This time, I have a good idea what to expect.

Written by: Maryann Gromisch, January 31st 2010

Black Tagua Ring

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:28:00 +0000

By Muichic

As a society, we are constantly becoming more aware of how many beautiful materials we use in our attempts to make ourselves and our homes beautiful are incredibly harmful to the environment. After years of mining for silver, harvesting for mahogany, and slaughtering for ivory have taken their toll, we’ve started seeking out more viable fashion options. Organic is replacing synthetic and sustainable is replacing rare.

Yet, many of us must guiltily admit that despite our desire to be eco-minded, equally appealing substitutes can be hard to find; however, Muichic has overcome this obstacle with the tagua nut ring. In layman’s terms, dubbed vegetable ivory, tagua nuts come from an ivory-nut palm that grows in the humid rainforests of South America. This raw material can be harvested without negatively affecting their habitat, and provides an economic alternative to destroying the rainforests for farming.

The best part, however, is the natural beauty of Muichic’s products. Smooth and substantial, the shapes and designs of their rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings embody a natural vibe. All products are 100% handmade in Colombia, and each tagua nut has its own unique grain and shape, making every item one of a kind. The ring is comfortable to wear and compliments anything from a tribal print dress to jeans and a funky t-shirt. The company is based in Vermont, which makes buying and shipping within the United States easy and affordable.

As we all become better buyers with a conscience, Muichic's tagua accessories are a great, organic, eco-friendly option. Companies like Muichic are advancing the movement to reconcile our vanity with our scruples, which is a great thing for fashion and our planet.

Written by: Melissa Ablett, January 3rd 2010

Ladies Certified Organic White T-Shirt

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:32:00 +0000

By Truth

Green is the new black, and no, we’re not talking about that vintage Chanel dinner party dress. From cosmetics to clothing, the determination to be more earth friendly is not just a celebrity fad, but a way of honoring Mother Nature. Many may not understand or care about what going green means, but if we research what really went in our daily couture, perhaps we would think twice before spending our green.

A recent _Seattle Times_ report claims that common fabrics, such as cotton, nylon, and polyester are either grown with a strong dose of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, or are even petroleum-based. Consequently, how can our Sunday sweats, a fall sundress, or silky lingerie made with insect poison make us look or feel good? Going green does seem like a pain, or is it? What if there’s an all-natural thread made from the fastest growing plant in the world that can sooth problematic skin, is breathable in even the hottest temperatures, and can please nearly any budget-conscious shopper? Pandas thrive on it and one Canadian designer believes it’s the key to discovering the Truth.

“When I started this company, I was not a vegetarian and was not even thinking of pursuing anything along those lines in terms of a market,” explains Reina Pruchnicki, owner of clothing company, Truth. “But the path that I took opened my eyes to many things and over the years my diet slowly became mostly vegetarian. I have become more aware of making healthy and sensible choices when it comes to food and I love how much better I feel!"

Truth, which began in 2001 in Toronto, first started as a line of leather-looking belts, which became popular among the Canadian vegan community. However, it’s her t-shirts that are gaining attention for being made with bamboo. According to the Truth website, this biodegradable fibre has “natural antibacterial properties and prevents allergies and skin irritation.” In addition, these t-shirts can reportedly absorb and evaporate up to four times quicker than other alternatives without losing its silky smooth feel. Unfortunately, these claims aren’t enough to make Truth t-shirts a must-have.

While Truth t-shirts are famous for being made with bamboo, it isn’t fully accurate. They’re actually produced with “Bamtex,” making them 66% bamboo, 28% cotton, and 6% spandex. Yes, Truth t-shirts are so velvety that you just want to wrap yourself in them, but it seems that only pencil thin girls can truly appreciate this irresistible benefit. More voluptuous women must suffer the wrath of spandex, creating a tight, snug feel that accentuates every undesirable curve, making even the most confident female self-conscious about being exposed. While Truth t-shirts seem perfect for hitting the gym or bearing sizzling hot temperatures, sweat can actually cause them to ride up. The thickness of a Truth t-shirt feels as if it’s retaining more heat even though it’s not. The top’s too-tight collar can easily smudge makeup and anyone who can’t leave the house without applying foundation for a flawless face understands how annoying this can be.

Most importantly, why is it that Pruchnicki’s latest line isn’t 100% bamboo when a few clicks of a mouse can lead shoppers to a vast world of designers providing this feature for a similar or more affordable price? If clothes make the man, then what of women? Should they suffer in the name of beauty and their environment? With so many independent online vegan shops to choose from, the troubles one must face with Truth t-shirts are unnecessary and may even discourage others in thinking that bamboo clothing is uncomfortable when it’s supreme compared to standard cotton.

Pruchnicki’s Truth t-shirts may leave eco-friendly fashionistas disappointed, but her new invention shouldn’t be tossed aside like dirty socks. Her willingness to provide healthy choices for women are admirable and hopefully she’ll offer shoppers a more improved version of her line in the upcoming future. For now, it’s certain that the truth indeed hurts.

Written by: Stephanie Nolasco, December 1st 2009

Earth in Our Care: Ecology, Economy, and Sustainability

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0000

By Chris Maser

Rutgers University Press

In Earth in Our Care: Ecology, Economy, and Sustainability, Chris Maser sets out to explain the interconnectedness of life on this planet and the importance of promoting the functioning of healthy ecosystems. Rather than being a dry treatise on biological systems, the text is engaging and draws on all kinds of disciplines.

I consider myself to be an advocate for sustainability, but am not overly familiar with the technical aspects of environmentalism or ecology. Reading this from the perspective of someone who is not a scientist, Maser does a good job of writing in an approachable way that is easy to understand most of the time. He doesn’t assume that the reader is already familiar with concepts like feedback loops, the commons, or trade-offs, and takes the time to briefly describe some of these key concepts of ecology. That being said, there are definitely some very theoretical and philosophical concepts discussed in this book that can be difficult to follow. The author draws on history, philosophy, linguistics, biology, and other disciplines in order to make his points, which makes his arguments more nuanced and interesting but can also be a little distracting at times.

Maser insists that we as human beings are obligated to care about and understand ecology. The last chapter of the book, “Where do we go from Here?,” gives some recommendations about how to go about changing human culture and society so that we can support the healthy functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems. Maser’s two main recommendations are that we "critically examine our situation today” and "determine where society needs to be at the end of this century if people are to have any kind of dignified life with an overall sense of well-being.” Earth in Our Care makes an important contribution to both of these goals and will likely inspire readers to begin thinking about sustainability in a new way.

Written by: Liz Simmons, November 20th 2009

Mass Destruction: The Men and Giant Mines that Wired America and Scarred the Planet

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:56:00 +0000

By Timothy J. LeCain

Rutgers University Press

In Mass Destruction, Timothy J. LeCain carefully examines the industrial open-pit mining industry in America, and its technological, social, and environmental impact on our modern world.

Full disclosure: Books like this have a tendency to take my enviro-angst to a whole new level. I consider myself concerned with environmental issues, but I clearly have not yet reached Colin Beavan (a.k.a. did-not-use-toilet-paper-for-a-year-man) levels of environmental virtue. I would say that I have a moderate to high level of "impact guilt"; I carpool, but feel bad for not owning a hybrid or taking the bus. I recycle, but feel remorseful for buying food with lots of packaging. Mass Destruction took me from a vague kind of guilt when throwing my towels into the dryer straight to an appendicitis-like pain when thinking of all the copper wiring that has made my lifetime of electricity use possible.

If you have never seen pictures of the Bingham Pit Mine outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, its scope will definitely take your breath away. Measuring two and a half miles wide and three-quarters of a mile deep, the mine is one of only two man-made objects that are visible from space. LeCain sees this as fitting, “given that the astronauts’ technological home away from home in space would most likely contain copper, aluminum, gold, and other metals mined in open pits.” However, LeCain argues convincingly that the rise of technological innovation and efficiencies that sent Americans to the moon has also created the potential for the worldwide depletion of natural resources and irrevocable damage to ecologically important areas. LeCain describes the proliferation of “dead zones,” which are areas near pit mining operations that have been so besieged and exploited that they essentially become sterile, and even poisonous.

Even more alarming is LeCain’s assertion that as developing countries takes on American-style production and consumption habits, the environmental crises created by open pit mining will grow exponentially. Yet, in the fair-minded style LeCain uses throughout the book, he argues that America should not ask the rest of the world to abandon their lucrative mining operations due to environmental impact. Now that we have benefited from the mineral riches we have extracted, we cannot hypocritically expect the rest of the world to sit by and pass up the opportunity such technology provides to its people. The obligation of America, according to LeCain, will be in scientific advancement: finding ecologically sound methods for mineral extraction. His hope is that these advancements will provide an increased quality of life for people around the world.

I fervently hope LeCain is right that our future is one where technology and ecology coincide. However, barring the simultaneous worldwide vaporization of every iPod, Hummer, and coal-fired power plant, I have trouble believing humanity will ever be able to use earth’s resources with anything remotely resembling sustainability. But that could just be my enviro-angst talking.

Written by: Jennifer Wedemeier, November 4th 2009