Greener Board

An Ordinary Man, an excerpt

2006-12-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

So it did not stop.

The guards opened the gate for me at my house, and I walked through my front door to the sound of a ringing telephone. It was Bik Cornelis, the general manager of the Hotel Mille Collines -- my counterpart at Sabena's other luxury hotel. He was a colleague and a friend, and not one to waste time when something was pressing.

"Paul," he said, "your president and the president of Burundi have been murdered!

"What?"

"Their plane was shot down with a rocket just a few minutes ago and they are both dead!"

My wife and I stared at one another from across the living room while I tried to digest the meaning of these words. The only clear thought I could manage was that Tatiana must have heard the sounds of a plane exploding. I had no idea what that must have sounded like.

"All right," I said to Bik. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know;' he said. "We don't know what is going to happen. But I think you'd better go back to the Diplomates. We don't know what will follow this:"

"All right," I said. "But I don't think I should go alone. I'm going to call for a UN escort."

"Whatever you think is best," he said. "I will be in touch."

We hung up and I told my wife the news while I dug in my pants pocket for a phone number. Tatiana looked as if she might faint. There was no need for us to discuss the gravity of the situation. We both knew Rwanda's history. Murders at the top are usually followed by slaughters of everyday people. And since I was such a political moderate and she was a Tutsi we were both in trouble. How much time would we have before-there was a knock at the door?

I picked up the phone. The leaders of the UN troops had always been cordial to me on their frequent visits to the hotel, and they often said things like, "If there's anything you need, please call the compound and we'll see what we can do for you." This seemed like a good time to play that card. I was put on the line with the commander of the Bangladeshi troops that made up the largest contingent of the United Nations' mission in Rwanda. I had heard rumors about their poor training and lack of equipment, but they were wearing the uniform of the UN, which carried a kind of magical protection for them. Unlike nearly everybody else, they could pass roadblocks without harassment by the militia.

"I need a military escort to the Diplomates Hotel," I told him. "Can you help me?"

His voice sounded very far away, as if he was speaking from down a long hallway.

"People have already started killing other people," the major told me. "They are stopping people at roadblocks and asking them for identification. Tutsis and those in the opposition are being killed with knives. It is very dangerous to go outside. I don't think I can help you."

"Well, what am I supposed to do if they come here looking for me?" I asked.

"Does your house have two doors?"

"Pardon me?"

"Does your house have more than one way to get inside?"

"Yes, of course. There is a front door and a backdoor. Why?"

"It is very simple. If the killers come looking for you through the front door, just leave through the backdoor."

I thanked him for this advice and hung up.

It seemed that this was going to be all the help we would get from the United Nations tonight. I resigned myself to staying at home that night and hoping that nobody would come through either door.

Excerpted from An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography by Paul Rusesabagina, Penguin USA, 2004

Carnival of the Green

2006-04-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great time hosting this week's Carnival of the Green. Drop by if you haven't had a chance to enjoy all of this eco-bloggy goodness!

Global warming as asset

2006-04-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Corner has a post on a dust-up between Nature magazine ("the once respected science magazine") and Encyclopaedia Britannica. Apparently, Nature published a news feature that claimed that Wikipedia was just as accurate, if not more so, than the venerated volume. This bit in The Register, commenting on the whole thing, is the most interesting to me [emphasis mine]:

Perhaps the clue lies not in the news report, but in the evangelism of the accompanying editorial. Nature's news and features editor Jim Giles, who was responsible for the Wikipedia story, has a fondness for "collective intelligence", one critical web site suggests.

"As long as enough scientists with relevant knowledge played the market, the price should reflect the latest developments in climate research," Giles concluded of one market experiment in 2002.

Lots of evangelism going on over global warming, eh? And their point on science being scientific is smack-on. More also here.

I attended a meeting last week to review a draft hydrogeological (i.e. groundwater) study that San Diego County is doing for arid East County. The study was commissioned to make sure the development plan for that area is supported by the amount of groundwater available. I thought the geologist's study was technically very sound, and his model did a great job describing the actual water use/storage/availability conditions.

I asked him what has lately become the most important question for guys like him: How does he present this information to his bosses and the public that ensures it isn't used as political football? His deer-in-the-headlights initial response said a lot. After blinking for a second, he replied that he hoped the model would stand on it's own merit.

Unfortunately, I think that approach has become a tad naive these days; advocacy for your data has become a necessity now (assuming it hasn't always been the case that you had to defend your thesis through the peer review process), but historically this has always been scientific advocacy, not political advocacy.

Using data from sources on the Internet further complicates matters, especially when it's difficult to decide whether that information is authoritative or not.

Not really offering a solution here, just an observation. But clearly it's an issue that won't go away.

by Don Bosch :: Evaneco.com

reprinted with permission db
guest contributing writer Greener Magazine

Book Review: Veggie Revolution

2006-01-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Smart Choices for a Healthy Body and a Healthy Planet

Vegetarians often will tell you that they have chosen a vegetarian diet for health reasons, or over concerns for animal welfare, that the decision was personal or influenced by a loved one, or they may tell you their vegetarian lifestyle is a by-product of their faith. People make decisions about their lives often unilaterally but never in a vacuum because what each of us chooses ultimately impacts society and the world as a whole.

Veggie Revolution, Fulcrum Publishing, by authors Sally Kneidel, Ph.D., and Sara Kate Kneidel, activist, vegetarian cook is a new book about a very old subject, one ignored by most other books on the subject: the connection between vegetarianism, social activism and the environment. Like Pierre-François Bouchard’s Rosetta Stone, which revealed to scholars the connection between two ancient languages, Veggie Revolution illustrates, in one volume, the two languages of vegetarianism and socio-economics revealing at once their interconnected meaning; that to preserve the natural environment man and animal have to return to the principles of good animal husbandry and sensible farming practices.

The authors visit factory farms and small family operated organic farms to witness for themselves the evolution of today’s giant corporate farming machines. The comparison is a stunning revelation about modern farming technology, corporate indifference to anything but profit and the revolution of organic farming.

Veggie Revolution is also a cookbook, or perhaps that should be 'book that cooks.' The lessons revealed about the nature of man and his food to the natural order of things are practical nourishment for the soul. There is more here to digest than just some wonderful vegetarian recipes interwoven with social commentary. The book can, and ought to be, read and reread as a manifesto for eco-environmental preservation. Whether you are a vegetarian, meat eater, organic or non this book in simple terms and with great honesty provides you with informed observation and lets you come away with your own personal solution to environmental stewardship and the Veggie Revolution.

About the authors:

Sally Kneidel, Ph.D., is a biologist, journalist, photographer, and parent of two college-age young adults. She has taught biology and writing in colleges and public schools for more than 15 years, and with her husband teaches tropical ecology on student trips to the rainforests of Costa Rica. She is particularly interested in issues related to the impact of our growing population on wildlife and habitat. While her first nine books deal strictly with zoology and botany, Veggie Revolution is her first examination of how human behavior and social responsibility affect the natural environment.

Sara Kate Kneidel, an activist, feminist, and Quaker, earned a B.A. in Spanish and women’s studies from Guilford College in 2005, with a minor in field biology. She worked as a vegetarian cook for three years, then planned and pulled together a communal vegetarian household for herself and friends, centered around a “food ethics” theme. After a stint as coordinator for a community-development program in Mexico, she recently returned from traveling in Spain and West Africa. Writing, she believes, is an effective means of raising public awareness of political issues and social concerns. Veggie Revolution is her first book.

by Harlan Weikle
Greener Magazine

editor's note: Read an excerpt from the book Veggie Revolution.
Get a copy of one of the book's recipes, "Greek Tofu Salad."

New Guest Columnists join Greener Mag

2005-12-08T07:31:00.000-08:00

Judy Kingsbury the "Savvy Vegetarian" and Green Advisor joins Greener Mag today with her special brand of advice. Judy has years of experience as a vegetarian, natural living proponent, advice columnist and all around "sage" commentator on green lifestyle and personal choices.

Read her column today and join in the discussion. "Ask Judy" may well be the best green, sustainable advice you'll ever find and it's always free and earth friendly.

As well, you may have noticed a new/old voice on Greener Mag lately, Jeff McIntire-Strasburg of Sustainablog. Jeff has long been a leading sustainability commentator, explainer of the green and voice of ecological reason on the internet.

We're looking forward to a long, entertaining and informative association with both of our new guest columnists. Please contact Judy or Jeff with your comments or questions and read their columns every week in Greener Mag.

Summer Rayne Oakes: Fashioning a More Sustainable World

2005-11-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

Hippies and clothes-horses, beware! If you still believe sustainability can't be stylish, or style can't be sustainable, fashion model Summer Rayne Oakes has a message for you: "If you're a fashionista, you can't see beyond your Spring collection. If you're an environmentalist, you can't see past your own back yard." Such directness is typical of this 21-year-old Cornell graduate who's taken on the challenge of proving to the fashion and media worlds that the newest look doesn't have to involve environmental degradation or exploitative labor practices. In pursuing this mission, Oakes weaves the roles of student, educator, diplomat, entrepreneur and model into a unique professional identity: "Traditional ways of doing business need to be breached, and innovation needs to allow for bridge-building between corporations, non-profits, and governments. It is necessary to be 'multi-lingual,' metaphorically speaking, for spontaneous cooperation to occur.... That is where I see my role coming into play -- this 'multi-lingualist' that bridges the gap between stakeholder entities in order to create a 'spontaneous collaboration for sustainability' as it relates to the fashion & beauty industries."

"Multi-lingualist" may be a phrase that your computer's spell checker doesn't recognize (not yet, anyway), but Oakes has already established herself as a fluent translator of several professional "languages." She recently published a cover story in Yogi Times entitled How Fashion Got Its Soul Back" in which she demonstrated her virtuosity both with a keyboard and the multiple disciplines underlying sustainability. She also writes a monthly column called "Behind the Label" for international fashion magazine Lucire. She created EcoFashion 101, a "conscious curriculum with style," that engages middle and high-school aged students with the concept of sustainability through fashion and popular culture. She's involved in Organic Portraits, an effort to promote ecological knowledge and raise funds for the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, through avant-garde photography and sustainable fashion. Finally, she's on the road participating in both ethical fashion shows and interactive workshops on sustainable style.

While just reading about her range of activities may bring on a spell of fatigue, Oakes has been a multi-tasker from a young age. Raised in rural northeastern Pennsylvania, she notes that her parents supported her early interest in the natural world. At the same time, "my mother fondly pushed me into activities that I probably would have never pursued: tennis, ballet, piano and art." At her small high school, Oakes pursued growing interests in social causes, and served as an HIV/AIDS peer educator, a tobacco peer educator, a state environmental competitor, and a peer mediator. In her senior year, she introduced her school to the Yellow Ribbon Project, a suicide prevention program. In college, she continued her environmental education by pursuing a major in natural resources, and after watching a gleeful professor jump into a lake to capture whirligig beetles, she added a second major in entomology. She notes that all of these experiences contributed to her current activities: "My passion for bringing upbeat social and environmental ventures to the fashion and media industries has been an evolution of all my past experiences, including getting down and dirty with some six-legged creatures."

Despite her success at a young age, Oakess eclectic past keeps her philosophical about the direction of her unique calling. "Though I have clear ideas of my own, there is no telling where my current work will take me. I can say, however, that it has been one heck of a roller coaster ride thus far. When you are paving a new way for change, you hit a lot of bumpy roads, and it's never without a lot of ups and downs." So far, though, Oakes has demonstrated that bumpy roads can lead both to changed minds in established industries and more sustainable efforts to keep the world stylish. For the latest on Summer Rayne Oakes' projects, visit http://www.summerrayne.net/news.htm.

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Guest Columnist -- Greener Magazine

Photograph by Storm Williams.

GreenBusiness.net: Continuing the Conversation

2005-11-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: A new feature in Greener Magazine premiers today with the introduction of our guest Columnists and Editorial page Greener Board. Our first Guest Columnist is a pioneer sustainability author and commentator who began sustainablog in July, 2003. Jeff McIntire-Strasburg is a writer, a teacher and a passionate green activist.

When I first came across the GreenBusiness.net web site, which touted “a discussion list for eco-entrepreneurs,” I was excited to find such a resource, and quickly signed up. After a couple of weeks with no discussion, though, I was afraid that the list was yet another one of those great online concepts that never quite caught on. The discussion did begin, however, and as I joined in with my two cents, I came to realize that this “great online concept” would work because creator Jason Trout simply wasn’t the kind of person to let an idea die.

Like most entrepreneurs in green business, Jason’s desires are simple: higher profits and a greener planet. While he’s in the process of making that first million and saving the world from itself, though, Jason has one more modest goal: keeping the lines of communication open among the growing sustainable business community. GreenBusiness.net, started in February 2004, was his attempt to recognize that goal. In the year and a half since, the site has grown to a community of over 230 members, ranging from heavy-hitters to newbies, and has morphed from a simple email discussion list to a full-fledged discussion portal. Members have enjoyed conversation about the joys and challenges of running a sustainable business with like-minded entrepreneurs. Frequent participant Jennifer Boulden of Anavo Group and IdealBite compares the list to “a green cocktail party” where everyone understands the concept of sustainability. “I am a 'green business owner' - and sometimes it gets tiring to have so many people look at you quizzically when you answer that age old question at the cocktail party: ‘so, what do you do?”

Such comments let Jason know that he had the right idea when starting GreenBusiness.net. Having experienced the sense of community present at the 2003 Co-op America Green Business Conference, Jason had left wondering, “How could we continue the conversations and relationships begun at the meeting?” He began a search for an online group, certain that someone had already created what he was seeking. When he came up empty, he decided to fill the void he saw himself. Already a web business veteran with the charitable portal site Metaaid.com and email service Planet-Save.com (now under other ownership), both of which he started while studying at the University of Iowa, Jason recognized a genuine business and community-building opportunity.

Greenbusiness.net came to fruition after graduation while Jason was involved in yet another venture, long-distance and Internet service provider Red Jellyfish. When contacted by an aspiring green entrepreneur about web development for his online store, Jason was able to pass on information that saved this businessperson $15,000. “At this point, I knew what GreenBusiness.net could become,” said Jason. He foresaw “a resource for sharing not only thoughts and ideas, but also concrete opportunities to make and save money between people passionate about the environment and business solutions to environmental problems.” Jason now divides his time among his responsibilities as marketing and business development partner of Red Jellyfish, and as sole proprietor of both GreenBusiness.net and BlueAction.org. Since all of these businesses share the goal of profitable environmental sustainability, he finds that they enhance each other and allow him to work concretely towards a single goal of “saving the world.”

While started to serve the larger green business community, Jason also hopes that GreenBusiness.net can continue to mature into a successful business of its own. He charges an $8 per month subscription fee, and notes that this doesn’t scare away potential members. “If anything,” he notes, “the revenue allows us to make the site and list even more useful for the members.” Jason envisions that once the site is on firmer financial footing, he’ll be able to use these resources to benefit the membership through print and online advertisements listing the companies who belong. He also sees the site as a natural place to turn when looking for talent. “We’re in the process of adding member profiles to the site, and plan to make them searchable. We hope that such features will make the list more attractive to potential members and continue the growth of the community.” All of these ideas recently came to fruition as Jason sought out a designer in the community to create a brochure for the 2005 Green Business Conference that would, among other things, “list every company represented on GB.net from Anavo to Zinio.”

Jason is attending the Green Business conference in San Francisco as I write, and a post to the message board demonstrates the power of his initial concept: “I've already met three ‘Gbers’ and know there are many here I haven't met yet … but I'll find them before too long.” Judging from the determination he’s exhibited from the germination of GreenBusiness.net, I have no doubt Jason’s already found these folks, and will return from the conference with even more of that initial enthusiasm to build a more successful and sustainable community of green business thinkers.

Letter from the editor

2005-09-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

While the 184-nation members of the International Monetary Fund this week took a final step toward implementation of its plan to forgive the debts of the world's poorest nations, many of them in poverty stricken Africa. The United States increased its own debt from the 2 storms to more than $40 Billion. That same amount -$40 Billion - loaned to the world's poorest 18 nations will be forgiven when IMF and World Bank executives meet within a week. That final step was enabled when the big 8: Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Britain and the United States agreed to underwrite the entire amount.

This unprecedented debt relief will do more to improve life for a third of the world's population living in extreme poverty than any other single effort in recent history. The world's wealthiest nations can make a difference simply by absorbing the debt of the poorest. This costs almost nothing to the industrialized nations who simply readjust their own debt repayments with an incremental rate increase. It provides, on the other hand, a miracle for poor nations struggling to gain a foothold out of poverty by relieving them of a terrible burden and allowing them to spend the money on much needed medicine, education and land redevelopment. The working model for the relief program came during the economic summit in Scotland this past July and had been promoted extensively by Irish rocker Bono who lobbied world leaders and conference executives through his debt-relief group DATA.

The damage done to our own Gulf coast by 2 powerful storms is almost unimaginable and provoked for the first time comparisons to conditions in third world countries like those of war torn Africa. The comparison may be more than visual; the storms revealed a truth that underlies America's glossy veneer, that of our own wrenching poverty in places like Mississippi, Louisiana, and in truth anywhere-America when people are not paid a livable salary, paid only the $5.50 an hour minimum and forced to carry burdensome debt loads just to stay even. If every cloud has a silver lining then maybe this storm's "silver lining" is that it points the way to a much needed debt forgiveness for our own. The Fed should use this opportunity to refurbish the Gulf Coast with $40, 50, or even 200 Billion of guaranteed loans to manufacturers, suppliers, builders, property owners with this one condition, the monies must be paid out to Americans in the form of a decent wage, enough to build a life equal to the expectations of the average American's dream to own a home, send their children to college and pay for medicine, healthcare and secure a golden retirement. Those debts we can forgive.

H Weikle, Managing editor

Letter from the editor

2005-09-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

As world leaders convene this week in New York for the UN conference on world poverty it seems almost apocryphal that they gather in the wake of Katrina, dying in the north Atlantic and Ophelia, raging up from the south. In the midst of one of the worst storm seasons in history another storm is brewing that is even worse, so vast and deadly that it threatens not just one country or a single great city drowned on the Gulf coast but an entire generation, an estimated 400 million who will die of starvation, poverty inflicted disease, and related causes this year.

The 2005 storm season bears one critical message above all others which is that no matter how powerful, how wealthy or proud a nation might be we all live just a paycheck away from disaster, poverty and ruin. The third most powerful storm just 5 years into this century temporarily deprived our economy of its life's blood oil supply and in less than a week, gas prices rose 50%. The irony is that this is still approximately just half of what the rest of the world pays. Hundreds, perhaps a thousand died when they encountered Katrina and a tried and tested emergency relief system collapsed utterly. Yet, we will rebuild New Orleans not just as a city but as a nation because as a nation we can afford the $100 or even $200 Billion it will cost. Leading economies across the globe are capable of rebuilding and surviving such a storm but what of the 'third world,' what is such a storm or tsunami or crop failure mean in their lives. How do they survive, how do they rebuild?

A new strain of wheat rust, UG99, recently emerged in Uganda and now threatens to leap across continents, decimating the world's second most critical grain crop. If that happens, something that has not occurred since 1950, millions will die.

In Africa cholera has reemerged and threatens tens of thousands mostly, children and the elderly, and year after year on this planet 8 million souls die from simply not having clean water to drink.

The world's 500 wealthiest individuals combined have the same income as the world's 416 million poorest. The US still provides only 16 cents of every $100 of income toward eradicating poverty, considerably less than the 70 cents/$100 targeted during the Clinton administration.

The storm is rising and it's been rising steadily as we, distracted as we are in our isolation and focused on day to day cares, continue to disregard the awful portent of a single, perfect storm of hunger, disease and poverty that threatens horrific disaster world wide - figuratively just a paycheck away.

The UN and its member nation's leaders should head the catastrophic lessons learned by America this storm season and look toward the horizon and the storm approaching. Poverty can be lessened dramatically if we make a committed, almost painless effort to ease trade restrictions as we did this year on sugar from South America. Disease will succumb finally to free drug distribution programs like that of the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunization and other grass roots enterprises that promote clean wells technology and reforestation which puts thousands of people to meaningful work providing not only gainful employment and healthier communities but can in fact rebuild lives. If every household in the United States, approximately 106 Million according to the current census, could generate just $100 a year by recycling plastic bags, old batteries, paper, glass and aluminum that would create a little over $1 Billion a year, enough to begin to restore a region devastated by famine, reinstate a people to economic independence or rebuild a city.

We, our leaders, our UN and our corporate and private institutions must endeavor to re-partner in the land, the oceans and the air we breathe if we want to avoid the storm that threatens us all. Only in practices that sustain our environment will we be able to resurrect the planet and all its living systems including man.

H Weikle, Managing editor