Yesterday, I received this email from Jeffrey Smith. He is the Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology. Last year, October was established as the first Non-GMO Month with the intention of becoming an annual event that would gain momentum, raise awareness, and effect change. The movement has grown over the past year. Although there is still much to be done to bring about the desired result of a tipping point away from the consumption of GMO’s, what has already transpired in one year’s time reflects how much we can each do to create awareness and gain participation as a global community. Please read Jeffrey’s email, follow the links, and get involved. We can make a difference, and our voices can and will be heard!

On January 20th Pamm Larry had an epiphany, as she calls it. Why not have a GMO labeling law on the November 2012 ballot in California? She did her research, put a website together, and “came out” on March 20—as a single voice with a big idea. Within six months, there were about 70 state leaders – holding events, showing films, recruiting support, and creating the framework for what may become the pivotal vote to usher GMOs out of our food supply.

Jeffrey Smith
Director
Institute for Responsible Technology

In our four-family household, second only to our house payment expense is the cost of our food, including meals out. Outside dining represents about 15%-20% of our monthly food expenditures. In doing some research, I found that our household falls into the minority for how the average American home spends its food dollars.

Most people assume that it will require a lot of extra money to eat an organic, whole foods diet. In addition to costing more, many assume it will be more difficult (i.e., less convenient) to eat in a healthier way. Through my own experience, I’ve learned it’s not only easy to eat an organic, whole foods, healthy diet, but it’s also possible to do it on a budget.

One area to take a look at is where your food dollars have been going thus far. If you don’t already do so, plan to save your receipts from groceries and eating out for a few weeks. This will give you the necessary data to help you begin making plans for the future of your food expenditures. First, it will allow you to see what your buying patterns have been up to now. For instance, are you one of the less than 30% of Americans who tends to buy fresh food to cook and eat at home—with an occasional meal out—or do you fall into the majority who are spending nearly half of their food dollars on restaurants and fast food? There’s even a small percentage of our population who spend more than a third of their food budget on alcohol!

Once you know where you stand, you can begin to make your food dollars stretch further, which will include what you buy, how you eat, and what you drink. As you consider strategies to incorporate, remember that you don’t have to do everything all at once. The goal is to create permanent lifestyle changes. You’re more likely to stick to those lifestyle changes if you’ve had a chance to adopt and incorporate them a little at a time and then get comfortable with those changes before adding more. There are really three paths to follow: develop a food-efficient diet, keep a food-efficient kitchen, and spend your food dollars as wisely as possible. Hopefully, you’ll find that not only are these changes enjoyable and good for your wallet, but they can also maximize the flavor and nutrition of the food you’re eating.

There are five main principles to follow which will help you develop a food-efficient diet. In the weeks to come, I’ll elaborate on those principles as well as all three paths to follow. I intend to provide tips and strategies so you can s-t-r-e-t-c-h your food dollars while enriching your diet.

In the meantime, this might be a good week to take a look at your past spending. Remember to separate food at home from outside dining. Be sure to also include those little extras, such as drive-through coffee or stops for an after-school ice cream or smoothie.

Good luck!

Saturday, March 26th at 8:30 PM local time is Earth Hour. Sixty minutes of lights out circling the globe. A worldwide collective display of commitment to protect the one thing that unites us all–the planet!

The following comes from earthhour.org. “Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries/territories, it’s one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.”

Will you join in this worldwide celebration this year? Here are some ideas for participating: A candlelit evening (this year our 28th wedding anniversary falls on Earth Hour so now we have two reasons for a romantic candlelit evening). A time to share spooky stories in the dark. Maybe a time to go outside and share a community bonfire. How might you enjoy the evening and join the world in sharing our oneness?

And then at 9:30 PM and beyond, how might you continue to help the Earth? One action we’ve taken in our family is to keep outside lights off unless we’re expecting guests. We also make sure appliances not in use are unplugged. This year, I plan to use only my electric tea kettle to heat water. The water warms up quicker and less energy is expended than when we heat water on the stove. What might you change in your daily life that will benefit the planet? Share your ideas here and at WWF.

Every small action counts. And our actions do add up. By working together we can create a better future.

My friend, Sue Scudder, author of “The Voice Across the Veil,” sent this video out today. Please take a few minutes to watch it. Namaste.

Tuesday, March 8th, was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. During Women’s History Month, we continue to celebrate and acknowledge women–past, present, and future–and our power to make a difference in our world. One way we have the opportunity to have an impact is as conscious consumers. Did you know that more than 80% of what is purchased in the U.S. is done by women and the remaining 20% is also influenced by us? We have the power to effect where our dollars are spent and what we support.

Here are two ways we women can make a difference and/or influence others in our lives:

1. Protest products.

Sharon Cummings stated in a recent care2.com article, “The duty of deciding what goes down in the kitchen is often times held by women in our families; therefore, women have the opportunity to choose healthy foods and make conscious dietary decisions. Although many markets deliberately overwhelm you with tempting choices, the products you bring home to your house deserve more reflection than their convenience factor, and even what their label reads. Pay attention to where your food is coming from–the process that it took to get to your grocery store, the factory that likely produced it, the animals that may have been harmed in making it, the company’s values, the environmental footprint it leaves in its wake.

Although we have immense choice in our food products, we should focus on buying foods that are karmically clean, choosing local and organic products and produce, and steering away from meat and dairy when possible. As you educate yourself to make the best decision for the health of your family and the planet, do not be afraid to protest products and encourage your friends to do so too. Many successful boycotts and protests are driven by women; such as the original environmentalista, Rachel Carson’s call to action in Silent Spring; or, more recently, Stacy Malkan leading the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. It is up to us to make the most educated decisions that feed our families and nurture our homes and our bodies.

2. Support Local.

Small farms have been dwindling and more are joining those ranks each day. We have the power to turn the tides by supporting local farms and helping them thrive once again. It’s a win-win for everyone since we consumers benefit from eating freshly picked, local produce filled with all the original vitamins and nutrients that otherwise get lost in the process of early picking and lengthy transporting around our nation or even internationally. This cuts down on gas emissions, especially food that is transported by air, which releases tons of global warming emissions. Whenever possible, eat fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season in your area or region and support sustainable agriculture.

What is sustainable agriculture? The University of California’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program states: “Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals–-environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.” For local farmers and growers, this means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations, along with responsible stewardship of natural and human resources.

One source for locating local farmers and growers, community supported agriculture (CSA) programs or local farmers’ markets is Local Harvest. Through this website, you can identify growers and local farmers’ markets in your area. March is a great time to contact local farms or CSAs as they are preparing for the upcoming planting season. Many offer the opportunity to buy in, which provides you with food throughout the upcoming spring/summer/fall season while providing them with “seed money” to plant their crops.

On February 17, I posted a recipe from Whole Foods Market, Wild Coho Salmon with Sunshine Rice. Since that date, we’ve enjoyed this recipe as written and with some modifications. Today, I’m sharing with you a modification of the recipe that we especially loved. This is a very affordable dish that easily serves four. It is also high in protein, fiber, and gluten and dairy free. This variation using quinoa is much quicker to cook too.

If using wild-caught coho salmon, the price for one 12 oz. package is $8.99. Whole Foods sells organic roasting chickens for $2.99 per pound. Here is a way to stretch your food budget that we follow weekly. The first night, roast your chicken surrounded with russet and sweet potatoes. Serve alongside a salad. On day 2, I use the leftover chicken and make dishes such as Chicken Chili, Broccoli Chicken Pasta, or the recipe that follows. For less than $10 a meal (when using chicken), we have two great dinners. There are usually enough leftovers for the quinoa dish to be served a second night. So, you have 2-3 nights dinner–depending on whether you started with salmon or the leftover chicken. If your family doesn’t mind leftovers (mine doesn’t), this is a great way to stretch your food budget while giving everyone plenty of nutritious foods. Add salad or other veggie side dish to give everyone plenty of food at each meal.

Here’s how I’ve modified the Salmon-Sunshine dish. I’ve placed in bold my changes to the recipe. I’ve made this recipe using either salmon or chicken. My family loves both. Bon apetito!

WILD COHO SALMON OR ROAST CHICKEN WITH SUNSHINE QUINOA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups of quinoa
2 cups small cauliflower florets
5 cups water
1-2 tbls. grapeseed oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons turmeric
sea salt to taste
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 lemon, halved, divided
12 ounces boneless, skinless wild Coho salmon fillet, cut into large chunks
Instead of salmon, use shredded roast chicken
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Add grapeseed oil and heat in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion.

Stir in cauliflower, water, onion, curry powder, tomatoes, quinoa and juice from the lemon. Cover tightly with foil and the Dutch oven lid and bake until quinoa is almost tender, about 15-20 minutes. Uncover, then arrange salmon or chicken on top of quinoa and continue to bake, uncovered, until salmon is just cooked through or chicken warmed up, about 10 minutes more; garnish with parsley.

TIME Magazine named collaborative consumption one of the top 10 green stories of 2010, calling it “one of the most heartening environmental trends.” This video gives you a quick overview of exactly what collaborative consumption is:

WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS from rachel botsman on Vimeo.

The days of knocking on your neighbor’s door to borrow a cup of sugar may be mostly a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean sharing needs to be out of style. With our modern world and modern technology, borrowing and sharing is taking on a high-tech twist and if you’re not yet using any of these resources, now is a great time to get involved.

Websites that connect people who are interested in sharing, borrowing, trading, and bartering their stuff instead of buying new are on the rise. Collaborative consumption is driven by a few factors: cost (it’s generally cheaper to rent than buy), connecting (sharing is a social activity), and, of course, the environment. If you only need to paint your house every ten years, why waste the earth’s resources (not to mention your own) on a new paint sprayer? Many of us dream of second homes, but is it really necessary to build one? Why not make use of the homes that others already own to take that much-needed time away? By doing so, we’re using and enjoying what already exists rather than creating MORE and we’re helping to support the maintenance of a home that may just be sitting there.

Airbnb: Are you looking for somewhere to stay? Accommodations in more than 8,200 cities in 168 countries are represented at Airbnb, which connects travelers who need a place to crash with residents who have space to offer. Houses and apartments make up the bulk of the selection, but more unusual offerings like yurts and treehouses can also be found.

B-cycle: Bikes are a great (and green) way to get from one place to another, but they can also be inconvenient–what if you only need two wheels for one leg of your journey? B-cycle offers a solution, setting up stations where members can pick up and drop off a bike. The service is currently in Chicago, Denver, Des Moines, Louisville, and San Antonio.

Chegg: Most college students are shocked that first semester when the textbook bill comes in. Instead of having to spend hefty sums of money on those extra-heavy books, Chegg allows students to rent their textbooks and even plants a tree every time a book is checked out.

SnapGoods: Need a tent for a camping trip? A set of tools for a home improvement project? A Kindle to see if reading on a tablet really is as good as picking up a book? If you want to try something out, someone near you probably has it–SnapGoods plays matchmaker for the two of you.

SwapBabyGoods.com: Babies are expensive. They also grow fast. An outfit may only get one wear, toys may be outgrown after a short time, and sometimes well-meaning family and friends load you up on something you already have plenty of. One parent’s trash is another parent’s treasure–see what you can swap at this niche site.

VRBO: This is another great site for sharing the wealth! People who own or manage rental properties share their properties in many places around the world. Over 150,000 homes are listed on this site in more than 100 countries worldwide.

These are just a few of the growing number of online resources out there. Start browsing the web and become a collaborative consumer! It’s a win-win for everyone including Mother Earth!

For more information on collaborative consumption, read “What’s Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption,” by Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers.

Joan Borysenko states, “The knowledge that all things are interconnected is a first step toward spiritual awakening. A second step is putting that knowledge into action through good stewardship of personal and planetary resources. When the Lakota medicine man Wallace Black Elk was asked how we might heal the earth, he answered that the earth can heal herself; all we have to do is stop making her sick.”

We can stop making Mother Earth sick by changing our perspective. When we are able to see what we receive from the material world as gifts rather than resources at our disposal, we can begin to have a different relationship with all we have. When we begin to see our food, clothing, and shelter as gifts rather than resources, we are able to connect with a sense of gratitude for the way in which Mother Earth provides for our basic needs. Through that gratitude, we can begin to truly appreciate all we have and not take it for granted. From this perspective of being grateful, we will naturally want to use less rather than more. This awareness shifts us from an assumption that resources can be exploited to a perspective that the gifts of our world must be protected by us–to see ourselves as stewards of Mother Earth’s gifts. When we’re able to see ourselves as stewards–rather than “conquistadors”–we begin to see that these gifts must also be preserved by us for future generations. Lastly, we begin to understand that when we exploit resources, not only do we make the earth sick, but we make ourselves sick as well.

Today, what actions can you take that reflect your understanding of our interconnectedness with the web of life? What steps can you take that promote preservation and health of our planet rather than exploitation and sickness?

Here are a few ideas:
*Compost your kitchen waste.
*Donate to charity clothes you no longer wear or your children have outgrown.
*Find a new way to reuse an item that has outgrown its original use. (e.g., Turn old drapery fabric into a retro jacket. If you don’t sew, find someone who could make it for you. Spread the wealth!)
*Organize a neighborhood swap party this spring to promote reuse of items rather than the need to buy more.
*If you don’t have your own garden, donate your compost to someone who does.
*Propose to your town or city that a piece of unused land be used to start a community garden.
*Download music instead of buying a CD.
*Support your local library by checking out books rather than buying them.
*Elicit the ideas of your family to come up with other ways to see everything we have as gifts.

What additional ideas can you and your family create that move you and the planet towards a healthier life?

Here is Part 3 of Chief Seattle’s message of 1854:

“So we will consider your offer to buy our land. If we decide to accept, I will make one condition – the white man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers.

The end of living and the beginning of survival.”

Chief Seattle gave his famous speech in December 1854 in downtown Seattle, when he was in his late fifties or early sixties. The only known version of this speech came from Dr. David Smith, a settler and amateur writer who was present and took notes at the time, and who waited 30 years to transcribe his notes. Smith didn’t speak coastal Salish, the language of Chief Seattle, so no one knows whether someone present during the speech translated Chief Seattle’s words into Chinook, a Northwest Coast trade language, which Smith did speak a little. Smith’s transcription of “Chief Seattle’s” speech does sound more like Smith’s native 19th-century English-language. It’s possible Smith even made up part of the speech.

No matter how this speech came to be recorded, these words are still a beautiful plea to treat the earth with love and respect. May they touch your heart and speak to you in profound ways.

Here is Part 2 of Chief Seattle’s message:

“The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children, that the rivers are our brothers and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.

The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. And if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred as a place where even the white man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow’s flowers.”

Do you see nature as precious or something to be conquered? Do you notice the air you breathe? Do you see it as the sustainer of life? Do you see the relevance of Chief Seattle’s message of 1854 in our lives today? If you were able to embrace Chief Seattle’s message, how might you experience and live life differently?