Comments karenc has made

Cows in India

Here is my photo of cows eating plastic- taken in a suburb of Mysore, India, in 2005...:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xfZj-9bxSWPN0alNwHaH ...
(I guess you'd have to copy and paste the link? I am a Luddite, sorry!)On Images of an evolving world by artist Don Simon posted 9 months, 4 weeks ago 12 Responses

lead wheel weights

It is my understanding that there is still lead in wheel weights on trucks and other large vehicles and that lead dust from these contaminates the air and soil around roadways- any information on this? On Umbra on lead and gardens posted 1 year, 6 months ago 8 Responses

Folding bikes

I just got an IZIP EZGO which can be used as a regular bike or electric/rechargeable.  I am hoping this will enable me to go almost car-free.  I tried biking here (SW VA) but the hills were killing me, so I am hoping this will be the answer!On Eco-conscious gizmos for the enviro to lust after posted 1 year, 7 months ago 14 Responses

Hezbollah Tofu!

Thanks for the link!  I love the way she writes.... Get her on Grist!!!! We need more food fun.... especially of the kick-ass type....On From Battle to Bourdain posted 1 year, 7 months ago 2 Responses

Drying problem: help!

I have been hanging all my clothes to dry outside in order to reduce my carbon footprint (hardest when it is cold!)... There is a clothesline behind my apartment building.  But my dark yoga clothes started getting all these white lines on them.  I thought maybe it was too much soap but it wasn't.  It seems to be lightcolored lint that the washer leaves in lines.  I was having to go over all my clothes painstakingly by hand to remove these... not worth the trouble/took forever.  Any solutions?  How to avoid these? Thanks!  Karen

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

yoga room mat/floor!

Thanks for the link, Kendra!  You are lucky to be part of a studio that would do this, I think.  I don't have my own studio but taught recently at the university's weight room, which had a rubber floor and it was great for yoga (althought the posters up about methycillin-resistent staph infections were definitely a buzz-killer!).  And those who questioned why not just use cotton have a point but it slips and rips too much with more vinyasa type yoga such as ashtanga.  And having done ashtanga on marble floors in India, which get very slick with sweat, you need something to prevent falls.... which is where the rubber or other "sticky" type mats are necessary.  Believe me, I know the "make do with what you have" mindset: right now I practice and teach in the community room(carpeted) of the local Y's thrift store.  Mats also prevent slippage on carpet and wood floors- I don't want any broken tailbones!
However, my opinion is that any yoga, anywhere, anytime, on the mat and off the mat, is good!  And ultimately: It's all yoga....
Namaste, Karen CairnsOn Umbra on toxic yoga mats posted 1 year, 8 months ago 19 Responses

Yoga Mats!

I have spreading the word about this for years!  And testing "greener" yoga mat choices... In my opinion, the new EKO Manduka mat has them all beat.  My first eco-yoga mat had jute embedded in the top and foamy rubber underneath- it shredded rapidly, especially with the yoga I do and teach, which is ashtanga.  I tried a natural woven grass with rubber backing- didn't work for ashtanga but was ok for more "gentle" yoga.  For awhile there was a mat called the "Naked Mat," which was cotton with a rubber backing- got one, didn't like it (I think it is not made anymore)but keep it handy for the classes I teach in case someone needs a mat.  I have also had several Harmony mats- they are ok, have a polyester webbing inside the rubber, but the process making them sounds slightly suspect to me- although the company was great about emailing me answers to my questions about content and production of the mats- and they only lasted about a year each.  Then Manduka came out with the EKO!  These are natural rubber.  I love them- I have two now- one that is thicker but is very heavy and the thinner version for traveling.  Both are great- good traction, easy to wipe down, thick enough for comfort in headstands, etc. even on wood or marble (the studio I go to in India) floors.  My mats are holding up very very well to hard use- at least 2 hours daily, 6 days a week.
I worry about yoga studios using the vinyl mats- often you see the floors covered with those little shreds and pills from these, and we are inhaling these! Yikes!  No thanks!
Karen (environmental educator/environmental health nurse, and grateful ashtangi)On Umbra on toxic yoga mats posted 1 year, 8 months ago 19 Responses

Infiltration!

Has to be someone inside the factory... Notes in kleenex boxes- what great eco-education activism!  Non-violent.... educational.... The Kleenex Box Gang!  Ed Abbey would be so proud!  I don't use kleenex but this story gives me hope.  On Kleenex boxes infiltrated by anti-logging leaflets posted 1 year, 9 months ago 4 Responses

Canis, Dude, love the grammar examples!

I am trying to learn the Sanskrit cases and always forget them, so will print your wonderful examples.... Thanks, Friend (since you stand by your contempt for "dude")!  And... what would I do without Funny Times.... loved the recent cartoon of the baby in the hospital saying "White male! Jackpot!"

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Aunt Karlie's puddin'

Hi Roz- I went to the link but didn't see the recipe...??? Loved the stories but that was the only recipe I thought I might make (and channel Aunt Karlie).  KarenOn In which we attempt to calculate how much an organic feast would cost posted 2 years ago 9 Responses

Thanks, all of you!

I've enjoyed this exchange- loved the antifeministbingo, thanks, Ruxandra- Bruce, your mother's art was wonderful and she was a lovely person, as was what you and your father wrote... Greta, you have a great sense of humor- your NRA ads reminded me of the anti-Victoria's Secret ones showing the sexy "angels" with chainsaws logging the old growth forests for their catalogs.  I don't know- our culture is so damaged... I think being nude is great and healthy and love to see all types and ages without clothes.  I recently saw an art piece with a photo of "Mary age 91" without clothes and just loved her spirit shining through (the photographer was taking photos and quotes from women all ages and cultures).  Will we ever live in an age where it all is seen as beautiful?  For both men and women?  All ages?  In the sixties I remember my first mother-in-law (later to be a MS Woman of the Year) very seriously asking me "Are you one of those aggressive ball-cutters?" about me being a feminist.  No way to answer that one... I have no point or side to take here, clearly, unless it's Can't We All Just Take Our Clothes Off And Be Feminists?  Love, Karen  On From Population to PETA posted 2 years, 2 months ago 101 Responses

Catch-22

I loved this article, even as it came just as I was finishing writing about my own behavior changes to decrease my carbon footprint!  The light bulb focus depresses me- too little, too late.  And a prominent "green" religious leader just urged people to "drive the speed limit."  My god. This is ludicrous.  
I too believe I must do what I can personally as being "morally responsible."  But where will all these people demanding new, tough laws come from?  Perhaps if more people try to live sustainably, try to change their behaviors [the difficult ones, not the light bulb ones], and see how very very hard it is, they might start phoning and demanding more?On Voluntary actions didn't get us civil rights, and they won't fix the climate posted 2 years, 2 months ago 61 Responses

Me too!

It is my staple dish and I eat it frequently.  My last night's version used Annie's Organic Mango Papaya Salad Dressing for "thinner."  Yum.  My son and I like peanut sauce over organic spinach fettucine noodles.  And I always buy crunchy, so am much relieved it is pc.  Whew!  The cookbook you mention was my first cookbook and I still have it, lo, these many many years later.  Your first job sounds great- mine was in 1963 in the summer before sophomore year- working at Harvard extracting fossil pollen from rocks (and using the pay for buying many pairs of dangly earrings)!  Thanks for the memories, Sauce Sister!On On summer memories and politically correct peanut butter posted 2 years, 6 months ago 6 Responses

pictures of polar bears and jets

Did you know? This exists... it is at www.climatecamp.org.uk and the caption is "You Fly... They Die" and it also says "Flying Costs the Earth."  I printed it out because I had written something about how I feel a direct link between my daily actions and the dying polar bears.  I grieve daily for both the charismatic megafauna and the non-charismatic microfauna and flora.... and even the lost and delusional dominant species...

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Yes, Wiscidea!

I lived in Louisville, Ky, until recently.  The environmental consequences of the Derby are enormous.  And before the Derby, there is a godawful event called Thunder Over Louisville where planes fly all over the river, people picnic on the Ohio's banks (and litter), and a gazillion fireworks go off.  The air and ground pollution is amazing.  Then there is a parade- I drove down the main street after the parade and the trash was piled waist high- I kid you not.
Also:  Let's have an end to flying to environmental (and other) conferences!

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Additions:

Most Charmingest But Difficult to Understand Eco-Underwear:  the bra that turns into a shopping bag.
Most Effective Environmental Education: the panties that say Eat Organic.  Note:  the Eat Local is implied.
Ultimate Cradle to Grave Purchase:  the cardboard coffin I saw in Inhabitat.
Saddest but Touchingest Recent News Item:  The NY Times story about the eco-socialites and their house parties for eco-cleaning products.
Surest Cure for the Organic Vodka Hangover:  This Grist Earth Day List (tied with the Earth Day Cards)!
Happy Earth Day, Gristers!  On Our second annual Earth Day list of the year's goodies, oddities, and inanities posted 2 years, 7 months ago 3 Responses

Geronimo!

I had to go to his profile after Mmimika's post- whoa!  But my reaction was that I liked it (especially having taken many a Tour de Stench of confined animal feeding operations).  And, Canis,I thought you were not a meat eater ("quiero comer tu corazon")?... even if it is shade grown, fair trade, organic, and free range? By the way, Canis, did you see the link to the PB&J website from a previous Gristmill post- it says eating 16 PB&J sandwiches saves the life of one chicken!  An odd perspective but somehow appealing.  
Those last lines of Geronimo's were lovely indeed....

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Grumpiness and eco-anxiety!

For awhile the back and forth "grumpiness," "crankiness," etc. in Gristmill was getting to me and depressing me.  But now I actually found this amusing, endearing, and it made me laugh out loud- a good thing in the face of rampant eco-anxiety and eco-depression!  Oh wait... maybe that's just my eco-meds talking....

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

PB&J in assisted living!

Thanks, I love the PB&J website...  Caniscandida would like to know that it takes 16 PB&J sandwiches to save a chicken's life, I'm sure.  My father, who is almost 84, has been giving talks about climate change/global warming here at his assisted living community.  Just today he talked about ecological footprints to 35 folks here.  He works hard to make the ideas accessible, talking about our children and grandchildren and their lives, giving ideas about light bulbs and less driving, etc.  My father inspires me so much with what he is doing here, which I consider your basic PB&J approach. This approach is simple, patient, and persistent.  Wendell Berry always said that to define a problem as global makes it impossible to deal with, but a local emphasis makes it approachable.

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Environmental Health News

Above the Fold (from Environmental Health News) is wonderful- daily way to keep track of environmental health issues globally... with links to sources...

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Turmeric!

Thanks, Ron- what a happy thought... I love that idea!  And turmeric is an anti-inflammatory so that makes sense.  I hope I am absorbing it into my system as turmeric is good for preventing Alzheimer's and good for arthritis (I use it in my cooking a lot as my mother died from Alzheimer's).  

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Olive oil soap

I love that soap!  I sometimes go to NYC for yoga and stay at a friend's apt. which is right around the corner from the Amish Market.  I buy as much olive oil soap as I can fit in my suitcase. I love the smell.  And its rough hewn texture.  The Amish Market where I found the barrel of soap is at 45th, I think?  And right off of maybe 3rd (a big street going one way towards the Bowery where my yoga is)?  They have the really good balsamic vinegar in wonderful little bottles, too, and sometimes really tasty organic olive oil on sale. Karen

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Priorities

I liked what you said, Wiscidea, about preserving human (and other) community at every level!  For me, my own "environmentalism" has always included environmental justice issues, which relate to much of what JS is discussing, I think.  Also, social justice... also just plain awareness and compassion.  For me it would be inconceivable (thank you, Princess Bride!) to not include these in the mix of environmental concerns.  Human community, sometimes called human capital (ick), is the force that drives my green fuse...

An ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk. -Vivekananda

Cooking and eating are acts of love...

I grew up with parents who were rabid Adele Davis fans (40's and 50's)- I would never eat something with preservatives, dyes... an abusive ex-husband once tried to force feed me a hotdog because I'd never eaten one.  I also grew up with Gypsy Boots' "cook"book, which would be right in line with today's vegan diet.  Jack LaLanne's recipes.  Bob Cummings' recipe for yogurt pie.  Long history of what used to be called "health food" obsession.  But... I will never ever forget discovering as a young adult that food and its preparation could be sensuous and loving.  A father-in-law that I loved showed me from the Vincent Price cookbook how to make souffles, custards. My first avocado- picked warm off the tree- heaven on earth.  Baking bread, cooking with people you love, food that feeds heart and soul...food as taste, smell, hearing, color and flavor... food as love.  This has stayed with me and deepened as I grow old.  So now I have the best of all worlds:  eating for health, for sheer pleasure, and as a political environmental act!On How a cookbook renaissance heated up the sustainable-food movement posted 2 years, 9 months ago 18 Responses

Wild and Wonderful

Wonderful to see this in Grist!  We need images, music, dance.... to supplement all the words (which can wear me down easily).  So powerful- I remember seeing his work in Orion magazine in 2003 and being enthralled by a vision not my own.  Yes, Canis, we need art for this- ways to see that are different than our usual, languages that speak to unknown parts of our selves.  For this, and so much more, I am grateful.On Walton Ford brings testosterone to nature painting posted 3 years, 2 months ago 2 Responses

I was lost and alone in the desert...

moaning, crying, and beseeching the heavens for some sign: a crust of human kindness, a drop of mercy, an old bottlecap of hope, a whale fluke with the message "Bite Me," anything... anything... maybe even a burning bush?  And then there was You.  And Gristmill.  My steps are now springier, my hair has luster, my eyes brighter...and the wag is back in my tail. Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I found you.... or at least, where you and your buds hang out.On A public service announcement posted 3 years, 2 months ago 16 Responses

Cheese and Bread Pudding!

I love this!  As a vegetarian it appeals to me much more than the chicken soup... Will make it with my homemade pesto and tomatoes- both from my urban rubble garden (slowly transforming into earth and worms and food much to my daily delight).  Oh... and local cheese from raw milk from contented grass-fed KY cows and the eggs are from the farmer's market from a woman who talks to her hens daily and loves them dearly- each with its own chickeny chickenness.  As Joel Salatin said in a talk about Healthy Foods:  It is very important that a chicken gets to express its chickenness.  Thanks, Mihan!  I hope you get to be idly rich and express your richness!On Food can comfort and heal us in times of grief and despair posted 3 years, 2 months ago 11 Responses

Letting Go of Money

As I stop working, stop having an income, and prepare to go I know not where, everyone who asks me what my plans are hears me say I am not sure.  And they all are jealous.  Jealous that I am happy and jealous that I am free.  "I wish I could do that," they sigh.  And they state many reasons they can't.  Of course, I am at the stage of "forest dweller" according to Hinduism- past the "householder" stage of my life.  My happiness in choosing things other than things is not constant and unchangeable.  I don't think of happiness as a constant state.  But my general level of joyfulness is higher than ever- my lows not as bottomless and lasting less long on the time continuum.  I did an art piece that described my life at one time:  Fuck up, fuck up, fuck up, brief moment of joy, fuck up, fuck up, brief moment... and so on.  Now, the balance has turned to more joy.  And greater risk-taking.  Less money.  Fewer things.  Less "Thneeds." More space.  It feels like the right choice to me. But of course I made sure I had a $ cushion in case I need a Thneed!On If the U.S. could get happier and poorer, would it? posted 3 years, 2 months ago 16 Responses

Normalizing Inconvenience!

Wow, Christine!  This is so powerful- I wish and hope that it finds a larger audience, such as why don't you go on Oprah?  Or maybe write this for her magazine... You are being the change you wish to see and it has a ripple effect for sure.  I hear complaints all the time about environmentalists (usually professors or universities) not walking the talk and often it is about something that would be "inconvenient" due to circumstances beyond our control (our culture for one).  So, plunging into a life of inconvenience and finding its joy is a marvelous bit of yoga!On Can a mom in middle America survive a month without a car? posted 3 years, 3 months ago 6 Responses

Fight or Flight

This was so timely for me... as I pack up what's left after yet another downsizing and prepare to begin my Personal Quest for a More Sustainable Living Situation!  I am grateful for the link to the urban/rural column but I too tried the rural self-sufficient path in Colorado in the 70's.  My question is no longer urban versus rural but how to find and create a mixture.  So now I am looking for a small town somewhere in the NE with rail access to a larger city perhaps where there would be trains to where my father lives in an assisted living situation but still needs some contact and errands.  I live in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, with little available mass transit that goes beyond the downtown- certainly not to where my father is- so I have been driving there monthly for over a decade.  Not sustainable any longer!  I have been here for 22 years, working hard for many environmental causes, including transportation, environmental justice, brownfields, etc.  But I have done as much personal behavior change as I can here and now need something more personally sustainable in a larger context. So... it is exciting and scary and maybe I will see you in DC, Karen! One thing I have found is that when other people see and hear you trying to live your life with as much thought and integrity and love as possible, it is enormously powerful and initiates wonderful discussions (and a ripple effect in behaviors)!On Umbra on dropping out of society posted 3 years, 3 months ago 9 Responses

Lessons from Bogota

Thank you so very much for this posting and link to the article!  It was more than inspiring.  I was in Bogota in 1979, working in the extensive slums as a student nurse.  It was horrifying.  There were tanks in the streets.  Poor people had so little access to health care, food, anything.  The gap between the small percentage of rich people and the huge numbers of extremely poor people was something that changed me forever.  Parts of my journal were published in a literary journal called Rolling Stock (defunct now, I think).  I lived with a middle-class family who treated me horribly, calling me names (I was older than they expected!), had a seizure downtown from malnutrition (nobody helped me- I came to with blood all over my student nurse uniform and people just looking at me and walking away), got placed with a very loving very poor family (got worms but oh well), sewed up pig bites on peoples' heads, delivered babies and made home visits to cardboard boxes.  It remained a nightmare in my head and this article was like light and balm pouring in.  Thank you.On Lessons from Bogotá posted 3 years, 5 months ago 5 Responses