~ Barack Obama 8/28/08
Friday, August 29, 2008
America, we cannot turn back.
Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise -- that American promise -- and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Standing Up and Speaking Out
There is something wrong. Seriously wrong.
There is something wrong when 38.8 million people stand up in solidarity against poverty across the world in one day, and it's nowhere prominent in the major U.S. press. It's wrong that of those 38.8 million, yes 38.8 MILLION, North America only contributed 109.828 to that number (www.standagainstpoverty.org)
I don't claim to be a political activist, in fact, far from it. I have my views, but don't ask me to stand up and be able to eloquently and convincingly debate them. I also don't claim to have the answers...did I contact the press and try to get the word out? No. (To my defense, I had only heard about the Stand Up world-wide event less than 2 weeks before it was to happen, and did, on short notice, organize a small 14 person event in my community.) That again, to me means something is wrong. How come I hadn't heard about it? Moreover, how did I not hear that last year 23.5 Million people stood up for this same cause and broke a world record? I watch the news, read the newspaper every day. I may not be an "activist" but I do consider myself pretty well informed on world events, and a strong advocate of social justice.
I probably sound like a broken record you've all heard before. But if something's broken, shouldn't it be fixed? All too often we on the nightly news and in the newspaper of the casualties of war, the killing of kids, by kids, in our own neighborhoods. It leads a person to want to turn off their television and tune it all out. There is too much violence, too much hurt, too many crooked politicians. The list goes on and on. But you know what? There are also a hell of a lot of people out there combating every one of those issues and trying in their own way to make this world a little better. And the more we hear these stories, the more hope there is that one day we'll overcome these issues.
So why is it, when 38.8 Million people Stand Up and Speak Out for something as important as extreme poverty - something 189 world leaders pledged to eradicate by 2015, including our very own United States, it's not a MAJOR story?
The point of Stand Up and Speak Out was to show how many people DO care, and hold the governments responsible for the promise they made. But if 38.8 MILLION people stand up , and it's not deemed newsworthy, then something is wrong. Something is wrong when you go to Google News and type in "stand up against poverty" and you have to dig 4 pages deep before you come to an article published by a U.S. news source.
I don't believe in the "Ugly American" any more than I believe in the "Islamic terrorist" or the "lazy illegal immigrant." Individuals are terrorists, individuals are lazy, and yes, some American's behave very ugly. What I DO believe is that humans are generally good people. 38.3 Million of them proved that yesterday. But unfortunately millions more don't know that because apparently it's not newsworthy.
*****************
The above is a letter I wrote (and sent) to every major local and national news agency I could think of on October 17th of last year. And no, I did not receive any kind of response from any of them.
As I mentioned in this post, meeting Greg Mortenson profoundly changed my life. When he came last September to speak on Bainbridge Island, he mentioned the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): 8 goals for improving the lives of the world's poorest people that 189 world leaders promised to accomplish by 2015. The goals are:
ø eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
ø achieve universal primary education
ø promote gender equality and empower women
ø reduce child mortality
ø improve maternal health
ø combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
ø ensure environmental sustainability
ø develop a global partnership for development
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that prior to hearing Greg speak, I had never heard of the MDGs. But, I was so in awe and inspired by the things he spoke about and his desire to educate girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan that the next day I immediately googled "Millennium Development Goals" in hopes of learning more and seeing what I might be able to do. That is how I learned of the world-wide Stand Up event which was taking place in just two weeks. As I did with the penny drive I said to myself "heck, I could plan one of these, why not?!" And so I emailed a handful of people who had been involved with the penny drive asking if they would like to participate. I immediately ordered white wrist bands, printed out a bit of information to hand out about the MDGs, and hoped for the best. 2 weeks later, at a local coffee shop 14 people showed up to Stand Up and Speak Out. Not an earth shattering number by any means. But 14 people more than would have stood up had I not been inspired by Greg's words and learned about the MDGs myself.
So, did my event, with a mere 14 people make a difference? I like to think so. The 14 of us became more aware, and if each of those 14 people told just one person about the event and the MDGs that means others are becoming aware and possibly taking action, and that I think is making a difference. One guy who attended was someone who walked up to me at the grocery store a week earlier (I had never met him before) and said "I think what you did with the penny drive was very cool!" and so I told him about the Stand Up event. Today I consider him a friend, and he has already volunteered to help with this year's event. A woman who was a tremendous help with the penny drive brought her two children to the event and they read the pledge to all of us. I still will often see a gentleman who attended on the ferry and he is still wearing his white wristband, as am I. In fact, the other day I had someone ask me what my white band symbolized and I enthusiastically told the person about the MDGs!
So sure, we didn't save the world that night, we didn't achieve any of the goals, and we didn't even write any letters to world leaders that night but we did come together for a common cause and became more aware. That is important. It may not be huge, but important nonetheless.
This year I have a bit more time to plan the Stand Up event (Oct. 17-19) and I hope to get more people involved, hopefully help out some local organizations who are fighting poverty and see more press coverage. If you live on Bainbridge Island and would like to get involved, please email me and leave a comment. And, if you are in another part of the country/world and want to organize your own Stand Up event please leave a comment and let me know. I think it would be wonderful if we had a whole list of bloggers out there Standing Up! I'd love to list them on here as well. Please don't think "oh, I couldn't possibly organize such an event, that's too big" because really, the size of the event doesn't matter. If just one person shows up, that is one more person aware and making a difference.
I hope to hear from you, and hope you too consider Standing Up and Speaking Out.
To learn more, and see pictures from last years event around the world please visit Stand Up Against Poverty.
There is something wrong when 38.8 million people stand up in solidarity against poverty across the world in one day, and it's nowhere prominent in the major U.S. press. It's wrong that of those 38.8 million, yes 38.8 MILLION, North America only contributed 109.828 to that number (www.standagainstpoverty.org)
I don't claim to be a political activist, in fact, far from it. I have my views, but don't ask me to stand up and be able to eloquently and convincingly debate them. I also don't claim to have the answers...did I contact the press and try to get the word out? No. (To my defense, I had only heard about the Stand Up world-wide event less than 2 weeks before it was to happen, and did, on short notice, organize a small 14 person event in my community.) That again, to me means something is wrong. How come I hadn't heard about it? Moreover, how did I not hear that last year 23.5 Million people stood up for this same cause and broke a world record? I watch the news, read the newspaper every day. I may not be an "activist" but I do consider myself pretty well informed on world events, and a strong advocate of social justice.
I probably sound like a broken record you've all heard before. But if something's broken, shouldn't it be fixed? All too often we on the nightly news and in the newspaper of the casualties of war, the killing of kids, by kids, in our own neighborhoods. It leads a person to want to turn off their television and tune it all out. There is too much violence, too much hurt, too many crooked politicians. The list goes on and on. But you know what? There are also a hell of a lot of people out there combating every one of those issues and trying in their own way to make this world a little better. And the more we hear these stories, the more hope there is that one day we'll overcome these issues.
So why is it, when 38.8 Million people Stand Up and Speak Out for something as important as extreme poverty - something 189 world leaders pledged to eradicate by 2015, including our very own United States, it's not a MAJOR story?
The point of Stand Up and Speak Out was to show how many people DO care, and hold the governments responsible for the promise they made. But if 38.8 MILLION people stand up , and it's not deemed newsworthy, then something is wrong. Something is wrong when you go to Google News and type in "stand up against poverty" and you have to dig 4 pages deep before you come to an article published by a U.S. news source.
I don't believe in the "Ugly American" any more than I believe in the "Islamic terrorist" or the "lazy illegal immigrant." Individuals are terrorists, individuals are lazy, and yes, some American's behave very ugly. What I DO believe is that humans are generally good people. 38.3 Million of them proved that yesterday. But unfortunately millions more don't know that because apparently it's not newsworthy.
*****************
The above is a letter I wrote (and sent) to every major local and national news agency I could think of on October 17th of last year. And no, I did not receive any kind of response from any of them.
As I mentioned in this post, meeting Greg Mortenson profoundly changed my life. When he came last September to speak on Bainbridge Island, he mentioned the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): 8 goals for improving the lives of the world's poorest people that 189 world leaders promised to accomplish by 2015. The goals are:
ø eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
ø achieve universal primary education
ø promote gender equality and empower women
ø reduce child mortality
ø improve maternal health
ø combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
ø ensure environmental sustainability
ø develop a global partnership for development
I am a bit embarrassed to admit that prior to hearing Greg speak, I had never heard of the MDGs. But, I was so in awe and inspired by the things he spoke about and his desire to educate girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan that the next day I immediately googled "Millennium Development Goals" in hopes of learning more and seeing what I might be able to do. That is how I learned of the world-wide Stand Up event which was taking place in just two weeks. As I did with the penny drive I said to myself "heck, I could plan one of these, why not?!" And so I emailed a handful of people who had been involved with the penny drive asking if they would like to participate. I immediately ordered white wrist bands, printed out a bit of information to hand out about the MDGs, and hoped for the best. 2 weeks later, at a local coffee shop 14 people showed up to Stand Up and Speak Out. Not an earth shattering number by any means. But 14 people more than would have stood up had I not been inspired by Greg's words and learned about the MDGs myself.
So, did my event, with a mere 14 people make a difference? I like to think so. The 14 of us became more aware, and if each of those 14 people told just one person about the event and the MDGs that means others are becoming aware and possibly taking action, and that I think is making a difference. One guy who attended was someone who walked up to me at the grocery store a week earlier (I had never met him before) and said "I think what you did with the penny drive was very cool!" and so I told him about the Stand Up event. Today I consider him a friend, and he has already volunteered to help with this year's event. A woman who was a tremendous help with the penny drive brought her two children to the event and they read the pledge to all of us. I still will often see a gentleman who attended on the ferry and he is still wearing his white wristband, as am I. In fact, the other day I had someone ask me what my white band symbolized and I enthusiastically told the person about the MDGs!
So sure, we didn't save the world that night, we didn't achieve any of the goals, and we didn't even write any letters to world leaders that night but we did come together for a common cause and became more aware. That is important. It may not be huge, but important nonetheless.
This year I have a bit more time to plan the Stand Up event (Oct. 17-19) and I hope to get more people involved, hopefully help out some local organizations who are fighting poverty and see more press coverage. If you live on Bainbridge Island and would like to get involved, please email me and leave a comment. And, if you are in another part of the country/world and want to organize your own Stand Up event please leave a comment and let me know. I think it would be wonderful if we had a whole list of bloggers out there Standing Up! I'd love to list them on here as well. Please don't think "oh, I couldn't possibly organize such an event, that's too big" because really, the size of the event doesn't matter. If just one person shows up, that is one more person aware and making a difference.
I hope to hear from you, and hope you too consider Standing Up and Speaking Out.
To learn more, and see pictures from last years event around the world please visit Stand Up Against Poverty.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
~ Margaret Mead
~ Margaret Mead
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Traffic Update
No, this isn't a post about the state of traffic in Seattle. It's an update on the run I am participating in this Saturday to raise awareness about human trafficking. There was an article in this morning's local paper about how it is increasing worldwide.
Something really struck me in the article. My state, Washington, became the first to pass a law making it illegal...in 2003. This shocked me on a couple of levels. 2003 was only 5 years ago. That means prior to that, human trafficking was legal here. Really? It's one of those things I guess you just take for granted...you assume "of course it's not legal to sell another human being into slavery." What's even scarier is that since Washington passed the law, only 28 other states have followed suit. Hello?? That means that today, in 21 states, it is STILL LEGAL TO SELL ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. I thought this was the United States of America...land of the free. It's heartbreaking. And something I don't think too many people think about on a regular basis.
I haven't had the chance yet to research which states have enacted the law and which ones haven't but plan to do so this weekend. After the run there are booths and live music...I am hoping to gather more information then as well. I will be sure to report back with my findings, and hopefully ways we can work to put an end to this in all 50 states. Stay tuned.
Something really struck me in the article. My state, Washington, became the first to pass a law making it illegal...in 2003. This shocked me on a couple of levels. 2003 was only 5 years ago. That means prior to that, human trafficking was legal here. Really? It's one of those things I guess you just take for granted...you assume "of course it's not legal to sell another human being into slavery." What's even scarier is that since Washington passed the law, only 28 other states have followed suit. Hello?? That means that today, in 21 states, it is STILL LEGAL TO SELL ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. I thought this was the United States of America...land of the free. It's heartbreaking. And something I don't think too many people think about on a regular basis.
I haven't had the chance yet to research which states have enacted the law and which ones haven't but plan to do so this weekend. After the run there are booths and live music...I am hoping to gather more information then as well. I will be sure to report back with my findings, and hopefully ways we can work to put an end to this in all 50 states. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Are you in California?
If so, head on over to Fake Plastic Fish because not only does she have a really cool site about icky plastic and her efforts to rid her life and the world of it, but she's asking for help from fellow Californians (sweetb, I'm talking to you!) to help support plastic bag legislation in her state.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Home Grown: BYOB
I'm happy to announce that as of January 1st, Seattle will be implementing a $0.20 disposable bag tax (both plastic AND paper) at all grocery, drug, and convenience stores. That means, if you don't bring your own and aren't willing to carry your items out of the store in your bare arms (which I have actually done), you'll be charged 20 cents for every bag you need. There are arguments on both sides of the issue. Many say forcing the issue on people isn't the way to get them to comply, and the only member of the City Council to oppose the measure argued that it was unfair to the elderly and low income residents to impose the fee; however she said she would have been ok with an all out ban. Maybe it's just me, but I don't really get that logic. If bags were completely banned (which I would be ok with) wouldn't the elderly and low income residents still be at a disadvantage? Arguments aside, I personally think it is a great idea. The city is planning on giving away one bag to every resident, and these days even Safeway has reusable bags for $.99. A small price to pay for helping the earth, I think.
But that's besides the point. The point is, Seattle is taking a big step towards becoming greener. On a side note, they are also banning plastic foam food and drink containers. Finally.
I've been a convert to BYOB (bring your own bag) for quite some time now. I love my NEITHER canvas bags that are always stashed in the car for my grocery or market runs. One area that was difficult for me however was my produce. I was still using those darn plastic bags for my lettuce, apples, etc. I'd bring them home, wash them out, and reuse them as much as I could, but I still felt guilty using all that unnecessary plastic. I purchased a few mesh bags about a year ago, and have been using those- but we buy a LOT of fresh produce, my 4 little mesh bags weren't cutting it for my weekly grocery runs. I needed more. So, I was extremely happy when I stumbled upon Bag Green produce bags. Of course I could have just ordered more of my mesh bags which were serving me well, but Bag Green is made right in my own back yard on Bainbridge Island! They are super cute, work great, and Heather packages them in newspaper for mailing. She's super green, and I love it! (These pictures I took when they arrived a few weeks ago don't do them justice.)
If you live on Bainbridge, or even if you don't but are in the market for some produce bags, check out Bag Green and know that you are helping make a difference!
But that's besides the point. The point is, Seattle is taking a big step towards becoming greener. On a side note, they are also banning plastic foam food and drink containers. Finally.
I've been a convert to BYOB (bring your own bag) for quite some time now. I love my NEITHER canvas bags that are always stashed in the car for my grocery or market runs. One area that was difficult for me however was my produce. I was still using those darn plastic bags for my lettuce, apples, etc. I'd bring them home, wash them out, and reuse them as much as I could, but I still felt guilty using all that unnecessary plastic. I purchased a few mesh bags about a year ago, and have been using those- but we buy a LOT of fresh produce, my 4 little mesh bags weren't cutting it for my weekly grocery runs. I needed more. So, I was extremely happy when I stumbled upon Bag Green produce bags. Of course I could have just ordered more of my mesh bags which were serving me well, but Bag Green is made right in my own back yard on Bainbridge Island! They are super cute, work great, and Heather packages them in newspaper for mailing. She's super green, and I love it! (These pictures I took when they arrived a few weeks ago don't do them justice.)
If you live on Bainbridge, or even if you don't but are in the market for some produce bags, check out Bag Green and know that you are helping make a difference!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Let's Go Shopping!
Actually, I hate shopping. Well, shopping for clothes, mall shopping, that kind. I know, I'm not your typical girl. But grocery shopping is another story. I honestly really enjoy grocery shopping. I've come to love cooking, and my weekly jaunts to Central Market, Pike Place Market, and farmers markets are something I look forward to. It's a little escape for me...I enjoy meandering up and down every aisle and seeing what is fresh and local from one week to the next. I always try to buy local when possible, and organic. And I've tried to replace most of our everyday household products with earth friendly items. These days though, there are so many options out there of products that claim to be "green" from cleaning products to chocolate bars which are helping the world. Is fair trade good enough for my coffee, or should it be fair trade, organic, and shade grown?
I'll often end up standing in the cleaning products aisle just staring at the products not knowing which eco friendly product is actually better. Is Clorox's new green line, really green? Does that brand clean better. I look at the ingredients and try and remember things I've read- reviews, etc. But sometimes that's hard. There have been times when I go to grab a product, be it food, or household, and I think to myself, "wait, didn't I read something about this company?" but I can't remember what it exactly was that I read and why I should or shouldn't buy it. Here's a perfect example. The only flavor of Luna Bar that I eat is Nuts Over Chocolate. But then I read an article about the horrors of palm oil and realized that flavor was one of only two that included palm oil. Bye-bye Nuts Over Chocolate, I won't be buying you anymore. I was discussing this with #4 and he said "you should make a list of all the products like that and the reasons to buy or not buy them so you don't have to wonder everytime you are at the store." Great idea, but haven't gotten around to it.
But guess what? I don't have to anymore because someone already has done something similar! I just heard about this great book The Better World Shopping Guide. It was first published in 2006, but they have a revised edition being released this October (if you order via Amazon, make sure you are pre-ordering the new version...unless of course you want the older version). It ranks items on your grocer's shelf from A to F for social and environmental responsibility. And it doesn't just rate grocery items, there are computers, gasoline, airlines, and other items as well. What's even cooler is that you can download it onto your iPod! There is a lot of the information available for free on their website to tide you over until your book arrives in the mail.
Happy Shopping!
I'll often end up standing in the cleaning products aisle just staring at the products not knowing which eco friendly product is actually better. Is Clorox's new green line, really green? Does that brand clean better. I look at the ingredients and try and remember things I've read- reviews, etc. But sometimes that's hard. There have been times when I go to grab a product, be it food, or household, and I think to myself, "wait, didn't I read something about this company?" but I can't remember what it exactly was that I read and why I should or shouldn't buy it. Here's a perfect example. The only flavor of Luna Bar that I eat is Nuts Over Chocolate. But then I read an article about the horrors of palm oil and realized that flavor was one of only two that included palm oil. Bye-bye Nuts Over Chocolate, I won't be buying you anymore. I was discussing this with #4 and he said "you should make a list of all the products like that and the reasons to buy or not buy them so you don't have to wonder everytime you are at the store." Great idea, but haven't gotten around to it.
But guess what? I don't have to anymore because someone already has done something similar! I just heard about this great book The Better World Shopping Guide. It was first published in 2006, but they have a revised edition being released this October (if you order via Amazon, make sure you are pre-ordering the new version...unless of course you want the older version). It ranks items on your grocer's shelf from A to F for social and environmental responsibility. And it doesn't just rate grocery items, there are computers, gasoline, airlines, and other items as well. What's even cooler is that you can download it onto your iPod! There is a lot of the information available for free on their website to tide you over until your book arrives in the mail.
Happy Shopping!
Monday, July 21, 2008
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