The Gifts of Earth Day

Sunday, April 27th, 2008, 2:07 pm

On Earth Day, I joined over 150 NBCU volunteers to plant trees in Harlem. The GreenIsUniversal team selected the specific location at Lenox Avenue and Malcolm Boulevard because the neighborhood had a low tree population and a high children’s asthma rate. (A few weeks ago, my husband wrote Green Medicine: Solutions to the Children's Asthma Epidemic if you want more information on how trees can lower the incidence of asthma.)

I signed up because I thought planting trees would be fun…I welcomed that chance to get out into the sun (and away from my Blackberry) for a few hours and celebrate Earth Day with my fellow green friends. I pictured us placing small saplings in little holes, cutting a few ribbons and posing for a few photo ops. Let’s just say that I learned a lot this Earth Day…

First of all, we were planting 6 foot trees so planting turned out to be at least a 5 person job. My original team consisted of 4 women and 1 young girl (Molly, age 6, and the daughter of a dear friend who I’ve known for over 15 years). We noticed a young man and his son who were not assigned to a team and asked them to join us. Turns out it was a great blessing as not only did we need the man power, but they lived in the apartment building where we were planting trees and had stopped by wanting to help. By the end of the morning, his young daughter and wife also joined us and dug right in cheering us on with their stories and bringing welcome gifts of cold drinking water. They must have thanked us about 10 times for planting these trees in their backyard.

With our newly assembled team we divvyed out the chores: three diggers to make the hole 4 feet deep and 4 feet round, an axe picker to chop up the bricks and big rocks buried in the hard soil, a rock collector to separate out the big pieces, a hopper to pack in the dirt when planting the tree and a waterer to saturate the newly planted tree with fresh water. None of us had realized how difficult a task this would be with 5 really big trees to plant in just a few hours. It really didn’t seem possible so we quickly got to work. I think I’ve never used some of the muscles I used on Earth Day. Digging was hard labor, and I can still hardly lift my arms. But the muscles I recall using the most were my stomach muscles from laughing. I had forgotten how delightfully literal a child can be. Molly was our chief rock collector and the first time I uncovered a really big rock, I called out to her and said “Molly, we need you…this rock has your name on it.” She came bounding over from her stock pile and looked hard at the rock. Then bewildered, she said she didn’t see it, “where was her name?” While we dug, we talked with the neighborhood kids about Earth Day and what it meant. Seems they had learned about Earth Day in school and already knew that it was the day when you “stop being shellfish (sic, read: selfish) and pick up your own garbage”.

In a few hours, we discovered a lot. We found several treasures buried in the dirt such as a Spiderman with no arms (we found one arm a little later). We unearthed a worm, called Wormie, who quickly came under Molly’s gentle care. We uncovered a silver bracelet that fit perfectly as a shiny collar around a 3 week old puppy that was just passing by. And together we discovered the joy that comes from working towards a seemingly impossible task, motivated by the knowledge that we were indeed making a difference. I’ll be among the first to sign up again next Earth Day.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

iVillage.com

Tags: volunteer, earth day

My Commitment to Green Wednesday

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008, 7:06 am

Green Wednesday, the day after Earth Day, is here. Today is a day when consumers can vote Green with their dollars and reward those companies who offer eco-friendly products. I’ve been saving up my greenbacks and researching my Green Wednesday purchases for weeks. It hasn’t been easy to think of new green things we can do since our lifestyle is already very green, but I’m ready to start exercising my purchasing power!

My environmental commitment is focused in three areas: “good for me” green, “good for my family” green and “good for the planet” green. Here’s where I’m putting my money today:

“Good for Me” Green:

- Purchase a bottle of Nordic Naturals – a daily dose of this fish oil, rich in omega 3, offers health benefits such as reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow, promoting joint, heart and skin health, improving memory and general wellness, $39.95

- Buy To-go Ware bamboo utensils for use at work and eliminate using plastic forks silverware with my lunch take-out, $19.95

- Eat an organic, free-range egg breakfast at home rather than grabbing a non-organic breakfast to eat at my desk, $3.60 a dozen

“Good for My Family” Green:

- Go to an organic dry cleaner: Green Apple Cleaners, $2.75 for a men’s shirt, $14.50 for a dress (!)

- Buy an organic, non-toxic, sustainable sofa: ABC Home and Planet , $2799

- Buy a new energy-efficient, window Energy Star GE Air Conditioner ,$499

“Good for the Planet” Green:

- Purchase four Spider plants to clean the air we breathe, $5.99 each

- Buy bamboo blinds for our five southern facing windows to cool the room and save on energy costs, $74.95 each

- Watch Ed Begley Jr. in Living with Ed on HGTV, a green reality show to support green programming and their green advertisers

It has been an expensive day, but I wanted to make a strong statement of support for these environmental companies. Please join the “buy-cott” and share your own plans today for Green Wednesday. Let’s put our money where our mouth is.

Tags: ecofriendly, green wednesday, earth day

Going Green Guide to Earth Day 2008

Sunday, April 20th, 2008, 5:01 pm

Earth Week

So Earth Week is finally here…we kick it off with Earth Day 2008 on Tuesday, April 22nd - a day when being eco-conscious is the norm and in preparation, the media is filled with eco-friendly advice, green product discounts and eco-success stories. I’m soaking it all up like a sea sponge.

Green Wednesday

And then we celebrate Green Wednesday on April 23rd – a day when you can vote green with your dollars. Let’s make eco-conscious choices and vote with our purchasing power. We’ll join the “buy-cott” by choosing to buy green products on Green Wednesday.

Going Green Guide

Since navigating all this greenness can be overwhelming, I thought it might be useful to provide a little “Going Green Guide” of websites where you can get super eco-smart this week. Consider this a cheat sheet for your Green Wednesday commitment on April 23rd!

Green Websites

So start clicking and start making your Green Wednesday list and activating all your newfound green knowledge. Help make the world better for you, your family and your planet.

Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: organic, green wednesday, earth day, ecofriendly

Green Wednesday: Go Green for a Day

Sunday, April 13th, 2008, 2:52 pm

Green Wednesday: Go Green for a Day

In preparation for Earth Day on Tuesday April 22nd, the media has ramped up their coverage of the global climate in crisis and their offering of environmentally-friendly suggestions. As consumers, we should expect a tidal wave of helpful, eco-friendly tips over the next few weeks. As environmentally conscious consumers, what shall we actually do with all this information?

Let’s activate our new eco-knowledge by celebrating Green Wednesday on April 23rd. On Green Wednesday, the first day after Earth Day, let it be the first day of a new green resolution - a commitment a “buy-cott” by choosing to buy green products with your green dollars. Everyday we face buying decisions. These can be conscious choices where consumers vote with their purchasing power and choose to buy green, environmentally friendly products instead of their regular choice.

Here are ten simple Green Wednesday solutions to help you get started on a greener path.

1.       Try natural, fluoride-free and sodium lauryl sulfate-free toothpaste (I like: Kiss My Face’s Wake Up with organic aloe vera)

2.       Order organic coffee for your daily Starbucks fix (I drink their Tazo Organic Chai tea)

3.       Take mass transit instead of driving to work

4.       Reach for organic, hormone and antibiotic-free milk (I recommend Organic Valley)

5.       Buy a few reusable grocery bags (my favorites: Envirosac and Ecobags)

6.       Treat yourself to ecocentric, natural body care products (I’m addicted to Pangea Organics who has a 20% discount offer for April at their online store)

7.       Purchase safe, effective non-toxic cleaning supplies (I suggest you start with Shaklee’s Get Clean Starter Kit)

8.       Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs (I use GE Energy Smart)

9.       Toss the take-out dinner and try organic, natural, ready to cook meals (we enjoy Amy’s Kitchen vegetarian meals)

10.   Slumber in safe, organic bamboo bedding (we love Gaiam products)

Please feel free to chime in and share your own favorite green solutions. And maybe next year, every Wednesday can be a green one.

 Mary Beth Gonzalez

Tags: green, easy, earth day, simple

To Mel, Love Sylvia

Sunday, April 6th, 2008, 3:30 pm

Since April is “Earth Month” I find myself with lots of Green events on my calendar – so many in fact that it is hard to attend them all but as with my philosophy about living green, I simply do the best that I can. So yesterday morning I woke up with a little green dilemma…I wanted to attend the Bedford Spring Antiques Show sponsored by St. Matthew’s Church in Westchester County. This year’s theme: “Renew, Recycle, Redecorate” is part of their “Bedford twenty by 2020” pledge to help Bedford reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by the year 2020. Furthermore, I’ve been attending the annual event for years and was excited to see their collection of antiques and some old friends. But I had suffered a neck injury earlier in the week and was under doctor’s orders to rest. My original plan to lug myself (and whatever I might purchase at the show) from NYC to Bedford and back via trains and taxis didn’t seem very restful. And given my stiff neck and lingering pain, I couldn’t rent a car and drive myself.

Then I thought…Ozocar to the rescue! I contacted this hybrid car service (Prius and Lexus hybrids) and felt relieved about being as green as can be. When a large black Lincoln town car arrived to take me to Bedford, I was surprised and disappointed. Seems that Ozocar had run out of hybrids, and they didn’t think to tell me when they called to confirm. I guess to some folks, a car is still a car. So I reluctantly got in and reassured myself that I had at least tried to go green.

Every year for over 15 years now, I visit Josephine Thrasher’s antique jewelry booth at the show. She is nearly 80 years old now and running her small business alone since her husband died suddenly over 2 years ago. The first year after he died, I helped her work her booth at the Bedford show. In the car, I sorted through my Envirosax bag full of goodies I was bringing to her to recycle. Over the years, I had unconsciously collected a very wide assortment of small jewelry store boxes and earring storage envelopes. Josephine likes to give her customers their antique jewelry purchases in pretty boxes so I knew these would go to good use.

When I got to the Bedford Spring Antiques Show, I immediately saw all the thoughtful ways they were going green. In the entrance lobby stood a recycled cardboard box calling for your recycled cell phones. Signs encouraging you to “Dare to Recycle” led you to the ticket table with a raffle for his-and-her premium bicycles and an electric children’s dirt bike. Their show program was a simple and effective 8 pages on recycled paper with listings of the sponsors rather then the typical 50 page, glossy ad filled, printed book. Then a close friend of my parent’s, greeted me warmly and handed me a list of the 20 steps for the “Bedford twenty by 2020” pledge and a brown eco-friendly, re-usable grocery bag.

With my own eco-bag of boxes to recycle in hand, I made a beeline for Josephine’s booth. She greeted me as only old friends can, with a big hug and wet smiling eyes. She saw my 40 jewelry boxes and announced that “it must be Christmas!” as it seems she had been running low on her own supply. Conscious of the car service waiting outside, I tried to take in the show as quickly as possible. And I did make one special purchase – an antique 18 carat floral-engraved 200 year old, gold wedding band. A unique, yet more everyday choice compared to my diamond wedding band. Since it was antique and by definition, recycled, it was a green solution too. “A true find” remarked Josephine. Another old Bedford friend arrived at the booth while I was trying it on and called it “my-running-to-the-A&P” wedding ring. I smiled and said “rather, my running-to-the-farmer’s market!” ring and paid cash.

On the way home in the car, I thought back to how nice it was that an event I’ve always enjoyed was now made even more special by going green. I thought about how “green” seeing old friends was because you didn’t have to exert as much energy as when meeting new people. And as I twirled my new ring in the sunlight, I saw the inside engraving for the first time. “To Mel, Love Sylvia 2-12-74”. Gosh. While I enjoy going green as much as I can, it sure can be full of surprises.

Tags: green, recycle, earth month, antiques