The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: lavocado@sbcglobal.net

The evidence keeps mounting that blue is the new green: A report released earlier this week by the Interior Department predicts that we in the Western US are going to have to make do with a lot less water over the next few decades, due to the drought-inducing effects of climate change.

From HuffPost:

…Annual flows in three prominent river basins — the Colorado, Rio Grande and San Joaquin — could decline by as much 8 percent to 14 percent over the next four decades. The three rivers provide water to eight states, from Wyoming to Texas and California, as well as to parts of Mexico. The declining water supply comes as the West and Southwest, already among the fastest-growing parts of the country, continue to gain population.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called water the region’s “lifeblood” and said small changes in snowpack and rainfall levels could have a major effect on tens of millions of people.

Before you start stockpiling the Evian, consider: We won’t go thirsty if, and only if, we adopt a radical measure: It’s called conservation.

In Los Angeles, for example, the city literally throws $1 billion a year down the drain, importing water from the Colorado River and other far-flung sources. A full half of that imported water (potable water!) goes to irrigation — i.e., watering people’s lawns.

Southern California had record-setting rainfalls this winter. Yet LA’s rainwater harvesting program — something as simple as putting a barrel in one’s backyard — is still only in the pilot stages.

In the not-so-distant future, a patch of pretty-looking grass or one’s own private watering hole will seem like an exercise in futility. And insanity.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Kale was one of those vegetables I never quite “got.” I know dark leafy greens are nature’s powerhouse, but every time I tried a recipe that included kale, I felt like I was mouthing giant leaves of slightly tough curly parsley.

Then a couple weeks back, I spotted a humble looking package of pre-washed, pre-made organic kale salad in Erewhon under the brand name Harvest Sensations. The bag beckoned; I turned it over.

There was a recipe for a simple-to-prepare sesame kale salad (see below) that actually sounded pretty tasty. That turned out to be an understatement: I’ve been addicted ever since. (As is everyone who’s tried it. My Chicago-born, char dog–loving husband actually exclaimed “Yesss!” last night when I told him I was making it for dinner.)

Don’t omit the sugar from the dressing in attempt to be even healthier; it’s really necessary for the full deliciousness of the salad.

Sesame Kale Salad

Serves 6

8 oz Harvest Sensations Kale Salad Blend (or wash and thoroughly dry one head of curly kale)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp good salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Toss all ingredients together and let sit 30 minutes before serving. If you can’t finish all of it, the leftovers will keep for two days.

Want to go total granola? Enjoy this for Meatless Monday with fried tofu and a side of brown rice.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Francesca Russell

Anyone else out there think an Earth Day sale is kind of tacky? To me, it smacks of the same cringe-inducing consumerism as when Bush told Americans to ‘go shopping’ in the aftermath of 9/11.

I promise you don’t need to buy a new reusable water bottle to celebrate Earth Day. Heck, you don’t even have to plant a tree. Just shut down your computer, walk out your front door, and go spend some time outside.

And preferably take a kid with you. (It doesn’t even have to be your own; just don’t steal one.) According to the 2010 United Nations-commissioned Bio-Index report, the younger generation is increasingly losing touch with the natural world: More than 1 in 7 children don’t even know what an endangered species is. Not surprising, given that (according to the same study), playing computer games trumped playing outdoors as the more enjoyable pastime.

It’s kind of hard to care about saving the Earth if you never actually enjoy it. So go see some green!

–Jennifer Grayson

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I wrote a couple weeks back about the need in my own life to turn to eco-conveniences, and it looks like I’ll be adding one more: gDiapers hybrid diapers with their disposable (but flushable/biodegradable/compostable) inserts.

I won’t give you the play-by-play of the whole blowout that led to this decision, but let’s just say it involved one husband grabbing a particularly messy cloth diaper out of his wife’s hands, double-bagging it in plastic shopping bags (where did those even come from?), and storming out to the dumpster while screaming The world is going to shit no matter what kind of diapers we use!

a) That wife doesn’t want to destroy her marriage over doody, but b) once she stopped to take into account the amount of water and money (and time!) she was wasting trying to clean cloth diapers at the laundromat (2 washes + 2 dries for 5 days’ worth), it turns out the gDiapers inserts are a pretty close second, both environmentally and monetarily.

(Tip: Subscribe to Amazon Mom and sign up for Amazon Subscribe & Save (both free!) and you can get the inserts for 30 percent off the regular price. But you didn’t hear that from me; you heard that from the wife in the “story.”)

–Jennifer Grayson

Want to hear firsthand how other eco-minded moms are dealing with their own dilemmas? Don’t miss the “green mommy” panel I’ll be moderating at the upcoming 2011 Women of the Green Generation Conference.

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[Watch video on Smarter Life Better Planet website]

Earth Day is one week from today, and I have to say: It’s been a bit disheartening to see what began in earnest as a call for environmental action turn into just another Hallmark holiday. I won’t be a jerk and call out specific companies, but in the past month-plus, I’ve received Earth Day-related product pitches for everything from recycled pens to a melatonin/vitamin blend. It’s great to see green become mainstream, but come on! We’re better than this.

We don’t need all this stuff. And calling the stuff “eco” doesn’t make the stuff OK.

Thank you to the folks at Haier for inviting me as a speaker for their Smarter Life Better Planet campaign, which is featuring videos from 30 environmental thought leaders in 30 days — including No Impact Man Colin Beavan and Earth Hour co-founder Andy Ridley — as a lead-up to Earth Day. (I do see the irony here, since Haier makes “stuff”; but much of it falls into the “necessary” category. Well, for modern life, anyway.)

–Jennifer Grayson

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Jamie Oliver’s show Food Revolution is back tonight for its second season on ABC, and I could not be more excited: It was my favorite show last year, not only because I love the man’s message — fight obesity by cooking real, fresh food – but also because it was pretty compelling television in and of itself. (I knew you’d come around, Rod Willis!)

I was also pumped to see this map on the Food Revolution homepage. It shows how many people have signed Oliver’s petition so far, and is color-coded by location. Red states are the places where the most people (30,000+) have signed. Take a look: California — not a surprise. New York — not a surprise. And Texas?!

Now, I’m not saying that people in Texas don’t care about fighting obesity. But Oliver has definitely caught flack from the right for what some construe as a condescending message. So to see a typically red state go red (which in this instance, essentially means go blue) is truly, well, a food revolution.

–Jennifer Grayson

p.s. Much as I love Food Revolution, it will not be my favorite ABC show this season. That honor goes to Happy Endings, which premieres this Wednesday — both my husband and brother-in-law are writers on the show. Please watch!

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A map of RadNet, EPA's nationwide radiation monitoring system

The federal budget deadline is today, and there’s been a lot of speculation about what a government shutdown could mean for the environment. Yesterday, The Huffington Post reported that the National Park Service could suffer a big blow, citing the 368 parks that were closed during the last government shutdown in 1995-1996.

While I love our national parks profoundly and feel for the workers who may go without pay as a result (not to mention the thousands of stranded vacationers), I think we have a more pressing matter here, and that is: Who’s going to be monitoring the radioactive material that may or may not be affecting the United States as a result of the Fukushima nuclear disaster?

Not EPA, whose RadNet monitoring stations have been keeping tabs on the situation: Administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency would start planning its “orderly shutdown” as of 12:00 this morning. Other watchdogs, like the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Defense, may also have to send workers home.

The Department of Energy, which has been recording data with its own aerial monitoring system, may be able to stay in business for the meantime — though it’s unclear how long its funding will last.

There’s a sushi restaurant near me that recently invested in a Geiger counter…

–Jennifer Grayson

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Hardwood floors are great for people with sensitivities to conventional chemical-laden carpet; they’re not so fab, however, for little heads when learning to crawl and walk comes into play (ouch!). Enter FLOR eco modular carpeting. Made with recycled material (and fully recyclable themselves), the ultra-low-VOC FLOR tiles can be arranged to fit any space. They also come in a huge range of colors and super-stylish styles, allowing you to mix and match squares for your own custom look.

We chose Easy as Pie in Cream for our little one’s play area, and it was — as promised — a cinch to install: My husband put our whole new area rug together in about 15 minutes one morning before work. And for those questioning why in heaven’s name anyone with a child would choose a cream-colored rug, get this: The sustainable squares are also washable and easily replaceable. I’m in love!

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Clean Wal-Mart

Over the weekend, I ran into my local Ralphs supermarket to pick up a few whatnots. I walked down the paper goods aisle, passing by an older gentleman who was deliberating over the boxes of Kleenex. He looked troubled.

“Everything’s gotten so darn expensive,” he said. “I don’t even think I can afford to blow my nose.”

“Yeah, I know,” I commiserated. “Maybe it’s time to bring back the good old-fashioned handkerchief.”

He looked at me like I had two heads.

Here was a man, arguably from the cloth handkerchief generation, yet even he had so lost touch with the former non-disposable world that he probably would have taken food out of his grocery cart to pay for a box of tissues before he remembered that you can actually blow your nose in a piece of reusable cloth.

We’re not talking reusable toilet paper here; why are people missing the obvious?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Jencu

Lately, every day feels like I’m on one of those giant hamster wheels. I can’t remember a night when I haven’t been writing and answering emails right up until it’s time to go to bed. Yesterday, my husband said to me: You know, we’re really doing everything the most difficult way possible. And it gave me pause. Because you know what? He’s right.

Going green is obviously so much a part of my life that it practically is my life, but my effort to DIY (actually DIM) is starting to feel, well, exhausting: We don’t have a washing machine, so I have to schlep my daughter’s cloth diapers to the laundromat. She’s starting to eat solid food now, so I’m whipping up different variety organic purees every couple days. I abhor processed food, so I cook three organic meals a day from scratch (and we don’t have a dishwasher). I try to make it to the farmers market once a week. I run errands on foot. I mend clothes. I soak beans. I breastfeed.

Oh, and did I mention my daughter recently started crawling?

The fact is, there are great eco-conveniences out there: Disposable (but biodegradable) gDiapers, for instance. Prepackaged organic baby food. Prepackaged organic adult food. Organic grocery delivery services. Canned beans.

The problem is, these little green time-savers come at a cost; monetarily, yes, but also environmentally, since they usually come neatly wrapped in not-always-recyclable packaging. But I may have to learn to compromise.

What eco-conveniences are you turning to?

–Jennifer Grayson

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