Lots of Info, Now We Need to ACT...

First of all, thank you Gabe for your treatise on Humanure and Andy's insights on his last blog. I learn so much from all of you! Since I missed my posting schedule as set out by Kira, I thought I would check in with a quick note and a few more resources to ponder.

Although, it is discouraging to read the results of the G8 Summit and realize that "Curious George Bush" (aka "George the Idiot") is still up to the same 'ole monkey business, his days are numbered. Since our nation lacks leadership, we can choose to take action in our personal lives and perhaps inspire our family members and neighbors to take positive action also to reduce our carbon footprints.

So what am I doing this week? Although still a bit pathetic---I am becoming more informed. I have been shopping at Costco less and buying local. This week I will continue eating vegetarian/vegan and try to eat at home more. I will attend the Sierra Club event on Thursday (see description below) instead of driving 100 miles RT to see Josh Ritter at a free concert. I will try to get my act together and contact the City of Orem this week to order a compost bin and encourage my neighbors to use it also---even though the thought of saving garbage repulses me.

Check out 2 outstanding articles from the latest Catalyst Magazine: http://www.catalystmagazine.net/pdfs/0708/catalyst_0708.pdf

1) page 12 "The Low Carbon Diet"
>>>don't miss this web site they refer to since it is an amazing resource: http://www.empowermentinstitute.net/
2) page 16 "...how the food industry pimped my breakfast"

We are going to be counted after all in our new "Church of the Sierra Club People"...
David & I will attend "Lightbulbs to Leadership House Party"! Watch the video, then throw a party!
http://action.sierraclub.org/site/GetTogether?gettogether=activity_splash&cal_activity_id=1120

The Sierra Club is holding hundreds of house parties across America on Thursday, July 17 to help send the message that to really solve global warming, we need to change more than lightbulbs -- we need to change direction. We need action that is strong, urgent and bold enough to get the job done.

It was fun to see Kira & Andy's clothesline this week. Check out the chart from the "Low Carbon Diet" article and you will see how many pounds of C02 they reduced. When I was a kid and even when we were first married with kids---we used to dry our clothes (including all the diapers) on the line, walk to the corner grocery store---we didn't have a dishwasher, color TV, air conditioner or a furnace; of course we only had one car, we walked to school, we always ate leftovers, we returned our glass bottles to the store so they could be refilled... It is amazing how this is going full circle and people are now realizing "in the name of progress" has really screwed us. In this regard, the good 'ole days may have been just that.

Look forward to hearing from some of you---although I think we have all been in touch. We know how Gabe is reducing his footprint lately---he need not say too much on this topic. Perhaps, we can just encourage one another to not give in to the "gloom & doom" as we read about food wars, water shortages, global energy crisis and instead work toward a bit more self-sufficiency (kitchen gardens, cisterns, solar panels, etc). This is a challenge in a culture and my personal life style of dependency. We have a long road of re-learning ahead of us!

Thanks for listening. Love you, Lakshmi