Gasland Filmmaker Josh Fox Arrested At House Committee Hearing on Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Yesterday, certain members of the GOP – particularly Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), who has been an advocate for fracking and has strong financial ties to the natural gas industry and and Committee Chairman Ralph M. Hall (R-Texas) – prompted the arrest of the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox for daring to attempt to exercise his First Amendment right to film what has been a long process to actually get science back into the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Gasland - Fighting Hydraulic Fracturing in Montana

The committee was there to discuss the latest findings by the EPA about the water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming as directly linked to the fracking in that area. This was the first time the EPA has linked any groundwater pollution to fracking and was a huge vindication for the environmental community and the residents of Pavillion.

That hard work may be in jeopardy because of industry lobbyists and political maneuverings. Yet a further slap in the face is to actively work to keep public eyes out of the process.

What Is Fracking?

Josh Fox has single-handedly brought fracturing to the forefront of mainstream America through his film, Gasland. You may have even heard about fracking in the recent State of the Union address.

Fracking is controversial natural gas drilling technique that pumps millions of gallons of water, sand, and a proprietary blend of methane, ethane, liquid condensate, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (courtesy of Halliburton) into the deep wells at high pressure. The pressure fractures the shale and allows natural gas to be extracted more easily.

While the Safe Drinking Act was put in place to prevent what is quickly becoming the biggest environmental and public health challenges in history, there was a loophole, often called the Halliburton Loophole, in the 2005 Energy Bill that exempts natural gas extraction and ensuring that communities all over the country are finding enough chemicals in their drinking water to be able to light it on fire.

Gasland - Contaminated Drinking Water from Fracking

This is the world that Fox has been working to prevent.

Statement From Josh Fox

Fox spoke about his arrest later that evening:

We were there covering a very crucial hearing about a case of groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming, a three and a half year investigation by the EPA where it shows subjects from the first film, Gasland, from Pavillion with groundwater contamination resulting in fifty times the level of benzine in groundwater.

And EPA has pointed in this case that hydraulic fracturing is the likely cause. And what was happening on the Hill today was Republicans have called, in the Science and Space and Technology Committee, a hearing to challenge science. Their panel was made up of gas industry lobbyists. And we were there to expose what I believe is actually a rather ugly and brazen attack on science itself, on what’s happening across the country with this hydraulic fracturing and water contamination.

So we were there actually doing our jobs as journalists. I was not interested in disrupting that hearing. I was not charged with disrupting that hearing. I was simply interested in capturing on film in a broadcast quality camera what the Republicans were going to be doing right there, putting the EPA and citizens of Pavillion and everyone across the nation who is complaining of contamination due to hydraulic fracturing on trial. We wanted to make sure people knew that that was happening.

What You Can Do – Take Action

Learn more about fracking and the problems we face because of it.

• Gasland the movie.
• Earthjustice – Fracking Gone Wrong: Finding a Better Way.
• Natural Resources Defense Council -  Steps to Keep You and Your Family Safe from Drilling.

Respond.

• Respond to Josh Fox’s arrest and a blatant disregard for the people and the First Amendment with calls to Rep. Andy Harris’s office: 202-225-0254 and Chairman Ralph Hall’s office: 202-225-6673.
•  Tell President Obama and Congress to impose an immediate nationwide ban on all fracking now.

Sing?

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Today is my husband’s birthday. It’s funny as we get older how our birthdays become less and less of a big deal, except perhaps those big ones that we make a big deal about. Or maybe it’s when we become parents that it happens. But now birthdays, especially when they fall mid-week, are really just like any other day except they end with cake.

But today is my husband’s birthday and I want him to feel the magic that birthdays bring.

Today is my husband’s birthday and he deserves the world.

I don’t think I can manage that, but what I can do is try to show him how grateful I am that he came into my life so many years ago. I can try to show him how amazing, strong, funny, and kind I think he is. I can try to tell him what a wonderful father he is – even when he is doing the lion’s share and they drive him crazy, maybe even especially then.

I can give him my respect. I can give him my love. I can give him whatever it is I have to give. And I can give him a Akai MPK 49 Controller Keyboard and just hope that is enough magic for today.

Music that reminds me of him… Kick Drum Heart

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I wrote my list of the top ten children’s books to learn about social justice right after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Here is part two in hopes that our children learn about caring for the earth in simple ways first so that as they grow they don’t take our precious resources for granted.

This was a difficult list to narrow down. There are just so many good books out there to teach children about their natural surroundings and how they can play a part in protecting the wild and the free. We are leaving our children a world with many problems, from fossil fuel dependency to pervasive toxins to melting glaciers and rising permafrost temperatures, the least we can do is prepare them for it.

Top Ten Books to Connect Children to Nature

1. Let’s Help the Earth (Sesame Street) For the littlest ones, Sesame Street introduces the concepts of environmental awareness and appreciation for the world around us.

Elmo helps show small tasks that any of us could do to help the planet, it gives children and parents an age-appropriate way to introduce environmental concepts.

2. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss With the rhythmic cadence of any of Dr. Seuss masterpieces, this one delves into a sadder tale of mindless exploit and the dangers of pollution.

Set off with bright, colorful photos and the message, “Unless someone like you…cares a whole awful lot…nothing is going to get better…It’s not,” makes it clear that no one can sit idly by any longer. This is a favorite in my house.

3. Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth by Mary Siddals A fun way to learn about making compost at home to nourish the earth’s soil. Each letter stands for a different “ingredient” of what will go into the compost stew.

An eco-friendly lesson in a different type of recycling, the dos and don’ts of composting, and giving back the richness to the garden soil that needs it. A great read-aloud.

4. Children of the Earth… Remember by Schim Schimmel This is a wonderful story of Mother Earth coming to be. A wonderful look at the planet’s animals, people, and the connections of all living things with gorgeous illustrations.

A reminder to us all that we must remember our shared ecology and work to protect what has been lovingly created.

5. Human Footprint: Everything You Will Eat, Use, Wear, Buy, and Throw Out in Your Lifetime (National Geographic Kids) A look what our human footprint really is through striking visualization. Showing our consumption through photos and giving easy tips on how to conserve our resources, this book resonates with young and old alike.

And both can use this as a catalyst to changing habits!

6. 50 Ways to Save the Earth by Anne Jankeliowitch Describing 50 easy tasks that children can complete daily empowers them to realize they can have a positive impact on the environment – that any action, no matter the size is important.

Beautiful photographs of our natural world that will inspire any budding environmentalist to protect it.

7. Heroes of the Environment: True Stories of People Who Help Protect Our Planet by Harriet Rohmer We all need heroes to look up to. From teenagers
 to a superstar wrestler, these real-life heroes are an inspiration to all that care about the world we live in.

Includes illustrations and photos to bring each tale vividly to life!

8. Fighting for the Forest by Gloria Rand A tale of a boy and his father who discover that the ancient forest near their home has been marked by loggers. The boy begins a campaign to fight to save the forest!

With illustrations of native flora and fauna and a nature guide at the end, it’s the perfect book for young naturalists.

9. Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children by Michael J Caduto An environmental classic that teaches children respect for the earth and all living things. The Native American stories are a wonderful way to encourage understanding different cultures and how they all relate to their environment.

Science, social studies, and environmental stewardship in one lovely book.

10. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv This may not be a children’s book, but if you are a parent that reads and acts on the information presented in this book, your children will certainly learn to connect to nature in a way that too many children these days do not.

Louv brings a whole body of research to the forefront that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. Then gives practical advice to close that deficit.

Which have you read? Am I missing one of your favorites?

{And don’t forget to Click here to take survey to share your thoughts and enter to win a gift card. Today is the last day!}

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A partnership between Scotts and the National Wildlife Federation was recently announced to the dismay of people everywhere that love the mission of NWF: Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future. What do they have to gain? One – greenwashing. The other – funds.

photo credit:flickr

Monsanto

To begin this sad greenwashing story we need to start with Monsanto. Monsanto began in 1901 as a chemical company and has recently gained notoriety in environmental circles for its hand in GMO crops. Monsanto is also behind:

• Agent Orange. Monsanto knew about the human health effects before Agent Orange was even used in Vietnam, yet continues to block any compensation for veterans that were exposed to the herbicides toxicity. The dioxin in Agent Orange may well be one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet.
  
• Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). This is the synthetic GE hormone that has been banned in every other industrialized nation for health reasons, except for the U.S. It causes cows to become sick, requiring even more antibiotics that have their own negative health effects. It causes harm to people. Instead of addressing the problem, Monsanto sued a dairy farm that labeled their milk rBGH-free. Due to consumer concern, Monsanto dumped their division responsible for rBGH, but have never owned up to the harm it causes.
• Untested and unlabeled GMOs. A Monsanto official declared that the job of proving safety was up to the FDA. That is almost funny given the number of government officials have serious ties to Monsanto. In fact:

In order for the FDA to determine if Monsanto’s growth hormones were safe or not, Monsanto was required to submit a scientific report on that topic. Margaret Miller, one of Monsanto’s researchers put the report together. Shortly before the report submission, Miller left Monsanto and was hired by the FDA. Her first job for the FDA was to determine whether or not to approve the report she wrote for Monsanto. In short, Monsanto approved its own report.

• Inflated success of GMO crops. The Monsanto scientists pushed through de-regulation of their GMO patents due to the promise that farms would use fewer pesticides and have greater yields, when in fact neither have come to pass. Instead, reports show, taxpayers have subsidized billions of dollars on Monsanto and received lower crop prices, loss of major export orders product recalls, and “superweeds” that are resistant to Roundup in return.
• Persecution of small family farmers. They not only take out ads and encourage anonymous tips regarding seed saving from year to year, they actively pursue farmers whose crops were contaminated by the wind. The explanation is that these farmers must now pay Monsanto their technology fee for use of the seeds – even though they all told us there was no need to worry about cross-contamination. This is not only scary for those farmers, but terrifying for those that make their living on organic farms and those that rely on organic corn, canola, soybeans, dairy, and milk to feed their families.
• Roundup and its harmful effects.  The use of Roundup comes with a whole host of problems to humans and to birds, fish, beneficial insects and even the soil it is used on. Roundup’s heavy use is even hindering the yields from crops that were GMO for it to be used on.
• And more, including PCBs, Aspartame, DDT, and farmer suicides.

Scotts and Monsanto

So you may be asking yourself why I just spent so much time talking about Monsanto when Scotts is the company partnering with the National Wildlife Federation. Scotts is Monsanto’s exclusive agent for the international marketing and distribution of consumer Roundup. They are intrinsically linked, as is their mission.

Scotts Miracle-Gro is a corporation that makes billions of dollars a year as the maker of pesticides, weed killers, and genetically-modified grass seed that ravage our natural world and uphold Monsanto’s values, or lack thereof, of profits first and safety later. This is what is called “taking money from the enemy.”

Scotts, Monsanto, and the National Wildlife Federation

The NWF has spent decades working to safeguard America’s wildlife and wildlife habitat. They actively engage in improving federal and state policies that will improve wildlife conservation. Scotts and Monsanto actively work against it, including doing their best to get exerting their influence within the federal government through the “revolving door” of key people moving from Monsanto to government and back again.

The NWF has an important mission to get kids outside, to connect with nature, to be healthier. Scotts’ products ensure that our outdoors are less safe due to the increase in pesticides used on lawns, city parks, and farms. Pesticide exposure from products like Roundup is linked to many health problems beginning prenatally and extending well beyond.

The NWF is working to solutions to the climate change crisis. Scotts, benefiting from the lobbying of Monsanto, is putting our food security at risk during this time of rapidly changing climate patterns. The U.S. is being set up to be a country of monoculture that can’t be sustainable with the impending problems of global warming.

Take Action

Sign this petition: Stop NWF from Partnering with Scotts/Monsanto

Then, let the National Wildlife Federation know what you think.

• Call NWF at 1-800-822-9919, M-F 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
• Comment on NWF’s Facebook page
• Contact NWF on their website
• Tweet a message to @NWF

Lastly, share the message! If your friends and family aren’t informed they can’t take this important action.

Will you tell NWF that a partnership with Scotts/Monsanto is not what will help them get kids outside and connect with nature?

Update: Yesterday (and several days after this post was written), NWF announced that they will be ending their partnership with Scotts! Now use your time to tell them how much you appreciate it!

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When I first heard about Happy Belly Bags I thought it was an amazing idea. These are the perfect eco-friendly gifts for pregnancy, new mamas, college students (care package!), newlyweds, kids, grandparents, or anyone! How many people do you know that are vegan/vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, or simply like delicious and healthy foods? I know many, including my own family.

Happy Belly Bags strives to provide healthy foods to people suffering from food allergies, as well as those on restricted diets by choice or for health reasons. We also strive to do business in a manner that has the least amount of impact on the environment as possible, and to give back to charities that align with what we are about.

Food is so culturally ingrained in our society – we give food when we’re celebrating, we give when someone isn’t well, we give just because. There are plenty of other companies that are centered around food gift baskets for this reason, but Happy Belly Bags are different.

• It all begins with the bag. Choose from any of their reusable cotton bags, including recycled and organic! Even the tag on the bag can be planted for wildflowers.
• Then they offer easy choices with clear labels for anyone that needs gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, corn-free, wheat-free, casein-free, nut-free, soy-free, nut-free, kosher, organic, vegan, or raw to have a happy and healthy belly.
• You can build your own bag to have the most control over what goes in and the price.
• The prepackaged bags have nearly every price point to choose from starting at just $29.99 all containing delicious and healthy foods.

Happy Belly Bags has also teamed up with celebrity dietician, Ashley Koff, to create Mom Energy Bags that act as a “starter kit” for the nutrition strategy outlined in, Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged by Koff and Kathy Kaehler, which is also included in the bag. For any mama that is constantly drained of energy, this would be a welcome gift.

I received a custom “Mom Energy Bag” to check out and was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful eco-friendly products they are able to pack into one of those bags! If you are already a busy mom you can appreciate having healthy snacks on hand to grab as you run out the door to preschool pick-up and a plan to get use the other healthy foods for more energy when you are at home.

What I loved: The SuperFoods. I have talked about chia seeds before, but have also been incorporating hemp seeds into my diet. Both are great additions to oatmeal or green smoothies. Both were found in my Mom Energy Bag, along with Living Intentions, Superfood Cereal – Hemp & Greens and Better Than Roasted, Sprouted Raw Almond Butter. All of the products in my bag were GMO-free and had ingredients that I felt more than comfortable giving my family.

What I didn’t: Not much. I am trying very hard to stay away from any processed foods and single serve products due to an excess of packaging, however they often come in handy when on the go.

Where to buy: Happy Belly Bags website. You can also visit Happy Belly Bags on Facebook and Twitter.

*I received a Happy Belly Bag to review. All opinions are my own.

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{Editor’s note: We have had near incessant rain here lately, which always has me thinking of sunnier locales to take my family. Whenever I travel, the last thing I want is for someone to get sick – just ask my husband about our honeymoon! The guest poster today has lots of great traveling tips to keep you and your family whenever you might travel next.]

5 Tips to Stay Healthy and Avoid Illness While on the Road

If there’s one time in life when getting sick just isn’t an option, it’s when you’re on vacation. After making all of those plans and looking forward to a nice, relaxing break for months, coming down with a cold or flu can be extremely disheartening. While there’s no surefire way to completely ward off illnesses while you’re traveling, there are things you can do to minimize your risk by a significant degree.

The best part of all is that none of these strategies cost substantially extra money or involve a lot of time or effort. They are simple and practical, and they can save you from a lot of aggravation while you’re on the road. Five of the simplest and easiest tips are outlined below.

1. Water is Your Friend

   Perhaps the most surefire way of avoiding illness is staying hydrated at all times. In fact, most common sicknesses like the cold, stomach ache, etc, are best avoided (or if you do fall sick, treated) by drinking as much water as possible. At the same time, however, clean and potable water is not necessarily readily available in many countries. If you think you will be traveling to a destination where the drinking water could present a health hazard, and you want to avoid the wastefulness of bottled water, be sure to bring with you a water filter, heater, and/or water purification tablets. For more information on purifying water while traveling, check out this excellent resource from Everyday Health

2. Take Natural Vitamins

   Whether you take vitamins regularly or not, you should be especially vigilant about taking them while you are on the road. It’s not easy to get proper nutrition when you’re traveling. Even if you take pains to avoid greasy fast food, it’s not always possible to find truly healthy fare. Furthermore, it never hurts to take a little extra vitamin C when you’ll be coming into contact with scores of different people. Your immune system will be pummeled by all kinds of foreign germs, and it can use all the help it can get. By taking your vitamins, you’ll give it the boost that it needs to keep sickness at bay. If you don’t normally take vitamins, be sure to purchase natural vitamins, instead of their synthetic counterparts you typically see at your average grocery store. For more information on natural versus synthetic vitamins, check out this Global Healing Center article.

3. Eat Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

   It’s easy to forgo fresh fruits and vegetables while you’re on the road. After all, it’s not like you’ll be stopping in at the local grocery store on a regular basis while you’re out of town. However, it’s possible to get your hands on fresh veggies and fruits virtually anywhere. Don’t cross them off your list just because you’re not on your home turf. If you’re not sure where to find them, ask the hotel staff, a cab driver or another local. Carry a backpack and keep a few fruits and veggies in it at all times. When hunger strikes, you can nosh on something healthy, which will curb your hunger and boost your immune system.

4. Keep it Sanitary

   Everyone knows the importance of regular hand washing, and it’s even more important when you’re out and about in the world. However, in the mad dash to find your way from point A to point B, you may fall off the hand-washing wagon. Keep with you hand-washing soap in case you encounter bathrooms without any. Eco-friendly hand sanitizing sprays, like those offered by CleanWell, are also available if you must travel long periods of time without being able to wash your hands in traditional bathroom setting.

5. Get Plenty of Shuteye

   One thing that can seriously increase your risk of becoming ill while you’re on the road is a lack of sleep. It’s not always easy to get a good night’s sleep when you’re out of town, but there are things you can do to make it easier. Invest in a good pair of earplugs. Buy a comfortable sleep mask in case you end up in a room that’s flooded with light at night. If you have a smartphone or an iPhone, download a white noise app and use it to lull yourself to sleep. The goal here is to wake up as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as possible.

At the end of the day, you need to be conscientious about not overextending yourself while you’re on the road. By taking care of yourself, you should be able to avoid most illnesses. It’s well worth it to put the preceding tips into action whenever you are away from home. Whether you’re going away for business or pleasure, they will help to keep your immune system as strong and robust as possible, and you’ll be able to get through your travels without any serious colds other illnesses.

_______________________________

Sara Reynold’s passion for art, reading, and travel has allowed her to pursue a career in writing. At this time, she is currently a staff writer for a travel insurance site.

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{Editor’s note: Today’s post is a wonderful look at an emerging trend in early-childhood education. Based on European models and the knowledge that being immersed in nature only connects us more. If you don’t have a similar school near you, consider trying an activity Kelly proposes that brings nature in while getting you and your child outside more.}

We are living at a time when over half the world’s population lives in cities and when media and electronics are defining reality. In contrast, farm work, crafting, and imaginative nature play enhance problem-solving skills, encourage full sensory engagement, and support healthy social development.

In Europe there are hundreds of ‘forest kindergarten’ outdoor immersion early childhood programs. In the United States, this movement is just gaining momentum. The first recognized outdoor kindergarten started in Portland, Oregon through Shining Star Waldorf School in 2007.

Since then, we have expanded into our own small school called Mother Earth School. We offer year round outdoor programming for preschool and kindergarten, as well as summer camps and rite of passage programs for children up to age 12. We are located on a 7-acre permaculture farm within the city limits of Portland, Oregon.

The Mother Earth School philosophy honors the contribution of every being. This not only includes the children and teachers, but also each plant and animal. Each leaf that falls to the ground to compost, each egg laid by the hens, and each bee pollinating a blossom offers something magical that weaves into the landscape.

A lovely Earth-honoring activity that parents can do with their children at home is to create a nature table. This can be as simple as a designated space on your kitchen table or fireplace mantle. You can bring in a tree round or lay some fabric on the floor in a safe place.

Make the area special, and treat it with care and respect. When your family is outdoors and admiring a flower petal, a fallen branch, a dead butterfly, a pine cone (you’ll be amazed what is recognized as a treasure!!), lay it carefully on the nature table, honoring its beauty. This activity will increase your awareness of what is happening around you. It is important that nature doesn’t just become scenery, but that we are actively appreciating and interacting with the natural world.

Supporting this school is also supporting a new educational model that combines several key philosophies that are currently addressing the needs of our future generations. Please visit our website www.motherearthschool.org for more details about school year and summer camp enrollment, farm tours, and our pursuit to find land for a grade school.

photo credit

_____________________________

Kelly Hogan is the administrator at Mother Earth School in Portland, Oregon. Mother Earth School supports the healing of humanity by transforming education with reverence for the wisdom inherent in nature. We offer year-round nature immersion education in a forest and farm environment. Our vision is to create an educational experience for early childhood and grade school children in which all subjects are steeped in elements of the outdoors.

Nature Immersion Schools: A New Trend? {Guest Post} is a copyrighted post from: Almost All The Truth - Exploring how to improve and protect the health of our children and their world through living, learning, and parenting…
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We have fewer than five years before irreversible damage will be done due to climate change. That is a frightening thought. The catastrophic effects are already reaching parts of the world and most of us have experienced the extreme weather that is becoming commonplace.

The youth took their stand to fight in climate change 2011, let’s make 2012 the year that the mama’s make that stand. It is our turn to fight.

As humans we are often less likely to fight for ourselves, but when it is our children or grandchildren? That is when we become a force to be reckoned with!

Resolutions to Fight Climate Change

See where my word for the year is coming in handy? The following resolutions are the ones that I am personally going to work on for 2012. Join me or find your own climate change resolutions.

Meatless Monday or Vegan Thursday?

When you choose to go meatless or vegan at least once a week, you are committing to better health as well as reducing your impact on the environment.

Did you know that the average American eats approximately 45-50% more protein, most often in the form of an animal product, than is recommended? Eating a large amount of both red and processed meat increases your exposure to toxins and is linked to several health problems, including heart disease and cancer.

The impact of meat and animal products can be just as harsh, if not more, on the environment leading directly to climate change. The United Nations has declared that livestock may be one of the “most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems.” This is because:

• Animals themselves create digestion-generated methane. It may sound funny, but methane is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. They also produce an enormous amount of manure, about 89,000 pounds per second, emitting more methane, antibiotics, and other nasty stuff into our groundwater and air.
• Animal feed on the big farms is designed to fatten them up as quickly as possible relying on soybeans, corn, and other grains that need an enormous amount of resources. We are talking about millions of acres of land and pesticides, as well as billions of pounds of fertilizer – which has 300 times the effect of carbon dioxide when spread on the soil.
• This means that over half of the world’s crops are designated for livestock. We are facing global hunger crises and we are losing more and more cropland in environmentally sensitive areas to livestock and land to feed livestock. The meat produced will not feed all the hungry, but it is posited that if we stopped subsidizing the feed crops ($45 billion in the last decade) there would be enough land to support more people.
• We eat too much meat as a nation and we also waste too much. About 20% of all edible meat is thrown into landfills. Ensuring that all the resources, from raising the livestock to processing and transportation, that go into the production of meat is wasted.
• Not all animal products are alike. In fact, the top three that have the worst impact are lamb, beef, and cheese.

The good news is that if everyone in the US chose to go meatless and/or vegan at least once a week is like taking 7.6 million cars off the road! That is huge. And if your family does it meat on a regular basis, there are plenty of ways to eat healthier and choose better meats. Look for: grass-fed beef, eggs, and dairy; certified organic; no antibiotics or hormones; local; sustainable seafood.

Support Your Local Farmer!

As you can tell from above, local farms that use sustainable practices are a healthier way to go, for both you and the planet. I chose to try a CSA basket last year and am looking to do a lot more this year at a local farm that we chose to support. Fruits and vegetables that are harvested the day I get them is amazing. Pasture-raised eggs and butter too. It is such an incredible difference than the ones that have to be shipped from a distant locale to the processing facility to the trucks and finally to the store. Plus we get to try lots of different things and in season.

My farmers use Georgic Farming techniques which are best for people and best for the land. They believe in building a long-term relationship with the people who eat their food. Farming is a way of life and they feel a responsibility to help build “a healthy, vibrant, free civilization.” Who wouldn’t want to support that?

If you aren’t ready to try a CSA, the Farmer’s Market is a great way to get what you need all from your local farmers. Plus, there are often yummy samples to try. It is great to actually get to talk to the growers and find out about their sustainability practices as a lot of small farmers can’t afford to get the certified organic label, but are organic just the same. Depending on the Farmer’s Market you choose, prices can be just as competitive as the grocery store.

Other Choices to Fight Climate Change

Those were my two resolutions to fight climate change, but I also want to work on several other eco-friendly changes that effect the impact I have on the environment: consume less, cut electricity use and waste, and reduce my time in the car. I think starting small is always the best way to go for permanent change. Then once, you have made one a habit and permanent, start trying another.

And you still have plenty of time to decide what your resolutions for the year might be. Chinese New Year is coming up on Jan. 23rd and provides all of us to reassess our fresh starts once more.

What are your best solutions and resolutions to fight climate change?

The green moms are coming together this month for the Green Moms Carnival to share our thoughts on Resolutions to Fight Climate Change. The carnival is hosted this month by Amber at Strocel.com.  The carnival goes live Monday, January 23, 2012.  Be sure to stop by then for all the great links and resources.

{And don’t forget to Click here to take survey to share your thoughts and enter to win a gift card.}

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Have you ever felt like you needed to find more meaning, more purpose, just more? Looking at the water crisis, the environmental health issues, famine, or children with cancer all make your heart hurt. Who will actually do something about it makes their own lives and the lives of other better?

(Do make sure to read through to the bottom for a giveaway of the book!)

Wine to Water

Doc Hendley

That is exactly what Doc Hendley felt when he learned about the global water crisis and was inspired to start his non-profit organization, Wine to Water. And then he went and wrote a book about it with the same name.

From the adventure (and I use that term loosely as others would just call it terrifying) in Darfur to becoming a hero to those in desperate need for clean water to taking his gift all over the world, his journey from Raleigh to Sudan (and all over the world) has been life-saving and life-changing. Wine to Water is part memoir, part call-to-action (love a good call-to-action), and shows just how great the water crisis is from a man who spends much of his time in the places that need Wine to Water’s help the most.

Doc was working as a bartender trying to finish up school, but this loner, biker rebel had no plans for what the rest of his life would look like.

Learned from a family friend about Samaritan’s Purse, which sounds like adventure and excitement along with the joy of helping others. He started thinking about the big picture of his life and understanding that his world had grown too small -  there was more to it than being a bartender. That night he woke with a start and as he tossed around the words that came to him he arrived quickly at wine to water. He couldn’t know at that moment that this was his chance to do something great, to do something for others and still be true to himself.

In that early stage of just dreaming about Wine to Water could be, he really had no idea of the significance of water. Once he discovered some of the facts of the crisis, he couldn’t wait to start helping. Luckily due to his contacts made while bartending, his first and second parties as Wine to Water were flawless and he raised more money than he even expected. When trying to get the money where it was needed, Doc was hired by Samaritan’s Purse to go to Darfur himself and learn more while using the money to change the world. This was just the beginning.

And lest you think this is a heavy read, this is one of the most accessible and enjoyable books I have read about a subject filled with heartache, surreal horror, and helplessness. This is a story about grit, determination, and a just “regular guy” who went out to change the world. Inspiring and uplifting. Everyone should read Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.

Water Crisis Facts

¹

The water crisis claims more lives than any war claims through guns.²

3900 children die every day from water-borne diseases.³

People living in the slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city.⁴

In Africa alone, women and children spend 40 billion hours every year just walking for water⁵ and often suspect water at that.

An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country uses in a whole day.⁶

How Wine to Water Has Helped

Developed aid projects in 12 different countries: Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Peru, Ecuador, and Haiti.

Some of these projects include:

• Drilling 200 wells in Cambodia.
• Sponsoring a deep borehole drilling machine in Ethiopia.
• Built a Haitian run water filter factory to supply water filters to earthquake victims.
• Built two water filter factories and training facilities in Uganda, distributing over 1000 water filters to those in need all over the country.
• Dug wells for orphanages in South Africa and Peru.
• Dug a new well for a community recently cleared of land mines and distributed 200 water filters in Sri Lanka.

And after all their many efforts, Wine to Water has provided an estimated 50,000 people access to clean water with a goal of doubling that by the end of 2011.

Want to Help?

First and foremost, I would recommend conserving water where you live. That may not give water to villages in Africa, but if we all use our water wisely it will provide clean and safe water for generations to come. Our water supply is finite and we must all do our own bit of conservation. If not for yourself, then for your children, your children’s children, and so on.

Visit Wine to Water and learn about how you can get involved with their projects by donating directly (love that you can specify which project to donate to!), host your own event in your community, or buy the wine!

Learn more about Doc Hendley and his incredible journey to bring clean water to those who need it: buy his book Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.

The Giveaway

Doc has generously sent me a book to review and is also allowing me to give away one copy of Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World to a reader of Almost All The Truth!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World is a copyrighted post from: Almost All The Truth - Exploring how to improve and protect the health of our children and their world through living, learning, and parenting…
Come join the conversation (I love your comments!) on Almost All The Truth, and connect further on Facebook, and twitter!

Inspiration to Help Others.

Yesterday our nation celebrated a man who’s most pertinent question while fighting oppression was, “What are you doing to help others?” I think that was directed to himself and to each of us. The refrain still lingers in the air when I see his photo and when I look at the children suffering here and abroad… It makes me wonder, just what are you doing?

I write, I speak, I persuade (sometimes), I give, I hope, I teach. Is that enough? For now it must be. I think the most important gifts we can give this up-and-coming generation is knowledge, courage, and a willingness to do the right thing in the face of adversity.

Books to Realize Their Social and Environmental Potential.

I love books and I often use them to learn and teach about something difficult as a means to begin the conversation with my children, my sweet little ones who someday must be strong, especially when others cannot. I hope that the more often we read about inspirational men, women, children, then they will know they are also inspirational. When we read about actions taken to protect and honor the world, then they too will take action. When we read about the wrongs that have been made right, they will spend their lives righting wrongs. One step at a time.

Top Ten (OK, Eleven) Children’s Books to Learn Social Justice.

1. One Love – From the spirit of Bob Marley, this book adapted by his daughter, brings the love, joy, and movement of, ‘One love, one heart, let’s get together and feel all right!’ age: Preschool
2. My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the REV. Dr. Martin Luther King JR – Such a moving story of a child who played childish games and told jokes. He also experienced segregation bitterly and became such an inspirational figure, but once he was just a child – like you. age: 4&up
3. Freedom Song: The Story of Henry “Box” Brown – The story of an ingenious escape from slavery using the music, family, and a dream of freedom that kept him going all his life. age: 4&up
4. Let Freedom Sing – Featuring Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., the Little Rock Nine, the Greensboro Four, and Ruby Bridges all to the tune of “This Little Light of Mine,” this book shines its light on some important figures and events in the Civil Rights Movement. age: 4&up
5. Blowin’ in the Wind [With CD (Audio)] – A wonderfully illustrated look at Bob Dylan’s classic song. There are many roads a person can take, but which one will he? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. age: 5&up
6. The Listeners (Tales of Young Americans) – Ella May gives us the story of what it might be like to live on a slave plantation. The children would listen at the master’s house, listen to see about their fates and those of their loved ones. The author has the perfect balance between giving enough information about slave life and the too harsh brutalities that kids wouldn’t be ready for. age: 6&up
7. Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez – Cesar Chavez is another important Civil Rights leader. He too started as just a child who saw injustice before him at seemingly every turn. But when he followed the path of a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. age: 6&up
8. Friend on Freedom River – A young boy left to tend the farm in his father’s absence had the courage to help a slave family on their travel on the Underground Railroad, ferrying them over the icy and dangerous Detroit River. age: 6&up
9. Let Them Play – The true story of The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars, an all-black team, in 1955. All these boys wanted in the world was to be able to make it to the state’s annual Little League Tournament. No other team would play them, many withdrawing from the league because of the color of their skin. ”Let Them Play” takes its name from the chant shouted by the spectators who attended the World Series final, where they were not allowed to participate. age: 7&up
10. The Kid’s Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-And Turn Creative Thinking Into Positive Action (Dream It! Do It!) – this award-winning guide includes everything kids need to make a difference in the world. This gives kids the ability to feel empowered to take action and changer their lives and the lives of others! age: 10&up
11. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee’s classic story about the race and class issues of the time seen through the eyes of children, 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem The children of  a lawyer, Atticus, that strived for justice for a black man on trial, but was pushed back by prejudice time and again. “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” age: 12&up

These books are a gateway to conversation. Kids can draw their own conclusions, but it is so helpful to have a loving parent guide them along. Use them wisely!

All of these books link to a local, independent bookstore that I hope you will patronize (someday in person because Powell’s City of Books is truly something to get lost in). It has remained independent. It values used books and encourages selling your own used books online or in person.

Now tell me what else should be on this list?

**Come back for part 2 – “Top Ten Books to Connect Children to Nature.”

{And don’t forget to Click here to take survey to share your thoughts and enter to win a gift card.}

Top Ten: children’s books for social justice is a copyrighted post from: Almost All The Truth - Exploring how to improve and protect the health of our children and their world through living, learning, and parenting…
Come join the conversation (I love your comments!) on Almost All The Truth, and connect further on Facebook, and twitter!