Nature

The second day of the event I wrote about yesterday brought more disgust -- this time at lunch. The provided lunch. Nearly everything was packaged. I saw no one suggesting any problem with all the packaging. They also provided unpackaged vegetables and dip, so they could bring unpackaged food. Still, everyone I saw get vegetables and dip put them on single-use disposable plates claimed compostable, but 1) creating them produced most of the waste, 2) they won't likely be composted, and 3) they probably aren't compostable: speakers at the event talked about poisons in many so-called compostable things contain PFASs. The amount of waste is a minor issue. I see leadership as the major issue. People aren't doing what they say needs to be done.…

I attended day one of a food sustainability event today. It was not only about sustainability, but most speakers talked about it. The name of the event isn't important since nearly every other event does the same. Nearly everyone working on sustainability fell into the pattern I call chasing efficiency through recycling, ignoring reducing total waste. They miss the difference between increasing efficiency and decreasing total waste. Companies love this tactic because it sells more of their products while distracting from the waste. A quick glance at the plastic on nearly any beach will tell you the amount of total waste is what's important today. We're more efficient than ever and producing more waste than ever. They mistakenly act and think like people haven't been…

I invited readers to come over for some of my famous no-packaging vegetable stew the other day since I was overloaded with vegetables from my CSAs. The invitation worked. Two weeks ago, I hosted people for six meals. This week so far I've hosted five with two more before the week ends when I pick up my next CSA vegetables Tuesday evening. That will make 13 meals for others in two weeks. All have described the food as delicious. It was all vegetables from nearby farms or bulk bins from a nearby coop. I don't think any landfill trash came from it. Hosting is a blast. I get to catch up with old friends and make new ones. There's nothing special about me here. Over…

My CSAs are overloading me with abundant, delicious vegetables and fruit. I can't eat them all and I've invited all the friends I can. Last week I hosted someone almost every evening (including a journalist from a Japanese magazine -- I'll be huge in Japan!). I still can't finish it all. You've read or heard about my famous no-packaging vegetable stews. If you're near New York, invite yourself over and try some. I'm serious. If you read my blog regularly, email me and schedule coming over. Here are pictures of a fraction of it. I have Broccoli rabeMustard greensLion's mane mushroom, which I'd never heard of beforeCabbageA couple kinds of lettuceArugula,Butternut squashHoney nut squashAsian pearsSome pumpkin looking squashSageAnd more. You'll see in the upper left…

I realized I've never planted a tree. With around 8 million people, I'd at first think New York had too many people for everyone to plant a tree, but maybe not. Have you planted a tree? Can you help me do it, maybe pointing me in a direction to do it? Can I just bury an acorn in a park or is there more to it? I found these pages Milliontreesnyc.orgStreet Tree Planting And some more. I thought I'd post here for two goals: I figure I'd learn more from a person who's done itTo make myself publicly accountable, so later people can point out that I committed in some way The idea got into my head in conversation with a friend working on the…

After the other day's fireside chat between Greta Thunberg and Naomi Klein, Naomi read a statement from UK student activists. They took Exxon and its peers to task for knowing about environmental problems they were causing but doing nothing. A lot of what she said they did, we do ourselves! The overwhelming majority of people I see obfuscate information to keep doing what they're doing, knowing it hurts others. They distract and so on. My point is not to imply Exxon is innocent nor to imply anyone should feel guilty. My point is that if you think Exxon should change and you're acting similarly, can you use that judgment to take responsibility to motivate yourself? https://youtu.be/ATuWtcLODLs

I think I'm doing a good job of bringing my electrical use down. Each year it's lower most months than the year before, though it will be tough to beat last December, when I was out of town and unplugged my fridge. I'm annoyed that for $5.64 worth of power, I have to pay $23. The fixed basic cost is almost three times my actual use. I think my fridge uses the most, probably followed by the pressure cooker. I wonder if my window is big enough for a solar panel that would let me go off the grid. It must be pretty close. If anyone has experience, please let me know.

My comments on Barbados's Prime Minister disavowing responsibility for climate change despite the nation causing and promoting well above the world average in greenhouse gas emissions: "We are on the front line of the consequences of climate change but we don't cause it." You may say I'm untimely, given the devastation they face, but I didn't choose her words and I find her words irresponsible. https://youtu.be/9x1GbgkoPHo Shirking responsibility disempowers us when we need to act. She could have said, "we're feeling the consequences and we contribute more than most. Seeing the consequences of our behavior, we will change. You will face these consequences soon too. We recommend you follow us." She didn't. I believe responsibility and stewardship improves our lives. What improves your life more…

Without a set way to account for my garbage, I've been counting since September 2018 as the last time I emptied my household trash. I also had my floor redone, which produced a bunch of trash and recycling, which I count as nearly trash. Most of the old flooring was still usable. I posted it free on Craig's List. After two guys with vans canceled on their appointments to pick up the flooring, a woman with a bicycle and trailer made her appointment. I was happy that she got it and not surprised that the one who chose her own power over fossil fuel showed up. I helped her carry the stuff downstairs and load the bike, which took a few trips. Anyway, yesterday my…