Hike for Greens

My awesome pal Priya is hiking all 2,175 miles (Georgia to Maine) of the Appalacian Trail this year. Not only am I infinitely jealous, I'm also proud of her for for supporting a great cause along the way.

Priya and I both just completed the LBJ School graduate program in public affairs and also both taught with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley. There is a small family of charter schools in the Valley called IDEA, which was started by other former Teach For America teachers. IDEA schools have implemented Outdoor Classrooms in the Valley where children are raise and harvesting their own food. Priya is supporting this effort on her walkabout.

This is a cause that is dear to my heart as I also started an Outdoor Classroom of my own while teaching in the Valley. I received my Master Gardener certification, started a Gardening Club, and implemented the gardening process into the fifth grade science curriculum. While the actual food production process was definitely challenging, the program was a success. In the years that I taught at Trevino Elementary, the fifth grade science TAKS (state assessment) passing rate jumped from 33% when I started to 87% when I left. And of course, the students also gained a more valuable understanding of the connectedness of living things, importance of resource conservation and patience, and sheer enjoyment of harvesting something they contributed to the Earth. I am a firm believer in Outdoor Classrooms and know from experience that they work.

One of my former students with a new friend from the garden
(this is one of most favorite pictures ever)

So if you also share a love of outdoor education, take a look at Priya's Hike for Greens blog. She's got information about how to contribute to IDEA through her site. Hike on, lady!

Central Park was Not Always a Park

I had the pleasure of attending the Texas Trails Network conference last month in Waco as a City of Austin representative. I love getting paid to do things I would have liked to do anyway :) The conference had a little more focus on urban (read: paved) trails than my co-worker and I were hoping, but still, I learned a lot and had a great day.

Some of the things I scribbled down and thought others would also find interesting:

• Americans work 163 hours more each month than they did twenty years ago. That's four additional weeks of work each year!
• The Lady Bird Lake Trail is now the number one tourism destination in Austin (surpassing the Capitol)! 3,000 to 15,000 people use it every day.

The keynote address was given by Enrique Penalosa, the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia.
Penalosa was a radical and controversial mayor. Here are some of the things he accomplished in his three years as mayor:

• Reduced murder rate by 2/3
• Created a BRT system (bus rapid transit)
  
• Planted over 100,000 trees
• Created/refurbished over 12,000 parks
• Built 50 new schools
• Increased children's enrollment in school by 34%
• Built over 300 kms of bike paths and greenways
• Created a referendum (passed by the public) that created a yearly car free day and decided that from the year 2015 onwards, there would be no cars in Bogota during rush hours (6 AM to 9 AM and 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM).

Penalosa is very focused on equity and the notion that cities should maximize happiness for ALL of their citizens. In the context of our conference, Penalosa talked about parks and greenways. Here is one of this thoughts on parks:

Higher income groups always have access to nature at beach houses, lake cabins, mountain chalets, on vacations - or in urban settings at golf courses or large gardens. Parks allow the rest of society that contact as well.

He spoke of his experience building bike lanes that connected poorer areas of the city to downtown areas where many people worked. One point that resonated with me and I'm still ruminating on is the concept of sidewalks/pedestrian crossings at intersections. Think about a major intersection with many pedestrians. Pedestrians must enter the space of the cars by stepping down as they enter the intersection. Penalosa spoke of a different model - so simple, but quite a new one to me at least. Cars must enter the space of the pedestrians. How is that done? It's simple. The sidewalk simply continues at its same height through the intersection. In effect, this makes a speed bump for the cars and forces them to enter the pedestrian space. I wish I could find a picture of this. Imagine what a change this would be for handicapped people, children, bikers.

The only example I have found in the Austin area is in the South Park Meadows shopping center, which unfortunately is EXTREMELY car-dominated. However, the pedestrian crossings are made in this way, so that is a start.

Penalosa really is inspirational and motivating. He did things in his city that no one has been able to accomplish in America in such a short time, let alone Latin America. Here's a short excerpt of an interview with Penalosa talking about possibilities in NYC:

The Chemical Crusade

I've always got my causes. You know this about me. So this post will not surprise you. When it comes to my passions, my challenge is always to walk the line of education, when solicited, rather than being preachy. So oftentimes, I may learn about something that affects me on a certain level and not even really share it with many people. As I've gotten older, I think I've gotten better at filtering out environmental discoveries and knowledge to friends who have an interest. But the beauty of keeping a blog is that the message receiver can self-filter. What I'm saying is, if you're not interested in this topic, move on.

I've been thinking about chemicals a lot lately. Not that I didn't before, but they've been cramping my style lately. I was recommended a book this summer called Our Stolen Future by Theo Colborn.



This book blew me away. The main discussion surrounds chemical buildup in our bodies and the chemical transfer from mother to baby including its effect on sexual development. Basically, man-made chemicals build up in our bodies, and when a woman gets pregnant, much of the store of chemicals is transferred to the fetus.

On a personal level, I found myself evaluating health conditions of myself and my relatives in light of what I read. After living in the New Orleans area for a number of years, my grandmother, cousin, and mother all contracted various forms of cancer. I've always wondered what role environment played in their diseases given that none of our relatives had documented incidences of cancer in the past. As for myself, I found out a few years ago that I have a pituitary tumor, which affects my endocrine system. The cases of these tumors have grown exponentially in recent decades, puzzling doctors. The cause is unknown, but endocrine and reproductive disorders have been linked to chemical exposure. And of course the human species is not the only one experiencing this rise in endocrine and reproductive disorders. The book details the gamut of species that have been studied and are experiencing similar issues. The incidence of hermaphroditism has been found to be rising in some species, which makes me wonder about Mr. Hermie, my vet-tested "possible hermaphrodite."

This book was very educational for me. I've also found Environmental Working Group's website and findings to be a valuable source of information. As I've tried to understand the current situation, these are the conclusions I've made:

1. The FDA can't keep up with number of new chemicals being produced.
2. Trade secrets allow companies to keep harmful ingredients secret.
3. Consumers really do shoulder the responsibility of educating themselves about product safety.

So with these conclusions in mind, I've been taking baby steps to make more informed choices when it comes to my health. EWG sure does make this easier. Here are some things I've learned through my research:


Did You Know?
* Some mascaras contain mercury
* Some conditioners and moisturizers contain extracts from human and cow placenta
* Dental sealants contain Bisphenol A, which is linked to endocrine disorders. I've got 4 in my mouth. Coincidence?
* Lead is found in some hair dyes.
* Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna.
* Traditional tampons and pads are bleached with chlorine, producing dioxin, which is linked to cancer and everything else bad in this world.

Some of the EWG tools that have made my life easier
Skin Deep database. I have come to love this database over the past few years and have gotten in the habit of consulting it before I purchase any health or beauty products. You can search by brand name or see a list of products arranged by toxicity ranking. The site is very easy to use and has comprehensive data on hair, skin, fragrance, and hygiene products.

Human Toxome Project. This study outlines levels of pollution found in humans around the world. Scary, but very informative.

2008 Sunscreen Study. 4 out of 5 sunscreens were found to contain toxic ingredients or not protect skin as claimed. This database tells you what ingredients to avoid and which sunscreens are most effective AND safe.

Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce. Outlines the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Cleanest 12" of produce (and everything in between) so you can decide which fruits and veggies are worth paying a little more for organic and which are fine conventionally grown.

Timeline: BPA from Invention to Phase-Out. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical found in baby bottles, nalgene-type bottles, many other "hard plastics", and as a lining on metal cans. After many decades of research and proven negative effects, manufacturers and retails are finally heeding the warnings. A few months ago, some companies began phasing out products that are make with BPA, but the mainstream public is probably still unaware. BPA exposure has been shown to lead to prostate problems, breast cancer, early puberty, and behavioral problems. Infants are most at risk, and tragically, most baby bottles and formulas stored in metal cans have been found to contain BPA. Better days ahead, though.


Safe & Natural Products I Really Enjoy
* Doc Bronner's peppermint soap.

I've been hooked on this stuff for about five years now. I'm a peppermint fiend. This soap really wakes me up during my morning shower and also clears out my sinuses. I've also used it to wash my hair and clothes on long hiking excursions.

* Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottles.
These bottles keep your drinks C-O-L-D cold! And they are made of stainless steel, so there's no need to worry about leaching plastic chemicals making their way into your body. I'm also on the hunt for some steel drinking cups. My friend Deana has some great ones she found at a thrift store, but I'm having a hard time finding some myself.

* Natracare Feminine Products

According to their website, the average woman uses up to 11,000 tampons in her life. Natracare tampons are totally organic, and I like knowing that I'm not injecting pesticides into my body every month.










* Earth Friendly Products Ecos Laundry Detergent.

This detergent is totally plant-based and biodegradable, unlike many mainstream detergents, which are petroleum-based. I like the very light scent and the fact that I have to use a very small amount to get the clothes clean.













* Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely.

I recently purchased this book and it seems to be a comprehensive guide for educated consumption.
















All in all, I urge you to educate yourself about the products with which you surround yourselves...no one else will do it for you!

Noble Savages

I first head about the Moken people of Burma and Thailand (also called Sea Gypsies or Amphibious People) after the Southeast Asian tsunami of 2004. This primitive group lived in ground-zero of the tsunami destruction, but they all managed to avoid the storm. Just like the many animals in India, Burma, and other countries, they knew the storm was coming well before it hit and moved to higher ground. It’s been almost four years since the tsunami, but I frequently find myself thinking about the Moken culture and instincts of animals that prevented their demise. I know for a fact that I am not in tune to my surroundings in this regard, although it’s an ability that interests me greatly.

Moken children learn to swim before they learn to walk. Given their location and lifestyle, swimming is just more important. They are pescatarians, like me :), and dive in the sea to catch their food (adults can go up to 200 feet!). They also are a nomadic group and travel from island to island throughout their lives. They live on simple boats for a portion of each year and homes built in the intertidal zone the rest of the year. I definitely think the Moken would be categorized as “noble savages,” which is probably one of the reasons I find them so fascinating. My trip to Vanuatu in 1999 introduced me to a more modern version of the noble savage, with which I fell in love and sometimes daydream about assimilating with.

Back to the Mokens. They obviously KNOW the ocean. So before the tsunami hit, the Mokens either travelled to higher ground or went out to deeper water. What is fascinating is that Burmese fisherman working in the same area were not in tune to the strange clues the ocean gave them, and ended up suffering through the tsunami. In contrast, I’ve read that large land mammals stampeded to higher ground and ocean mammals swam to deeper water. On the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, no dead animals were found, but there were tens of thousands of human fatalities. Elsewhere in Asia, tribal groups were also reported as seeking higher ground after observing the fleeting animals.

Animals have of course been known to act strangely before earthquakes, avalanches, and other disasters. It amazes me that even the most domesticated dogs and cats can pick up on the warning signs and react, but unfortunately many humans don’t even pick up on their pets’ strange behavior. I’ve read that most of us non-savage humans have completely lost a part of our hearing spectrum due to the overabundance of constant noise in our surroundings. As we continue to spend hours with headphones in our ears and loud entertainment media surrounding us, it seems plausible that each generation could lose a little more of its hearing ability. But I digress.

If you like the Moken photos above, check out the rest of the Mother Jones Photo Essay:
Mother Jones' Sea Change

A Raft of Plastic Bottles

Check out this blog - http://www.junkraft.blogspot.com/. One of Cori's friends is sailing from SoCal to Hawaii on a raft made entirely of plastic bottles!!!