That is just how I feel about it...

I drive WAY too much!

On NPR last night during the news I heard that there is a proposal in IL to charge strip club patrons an additional tax which would be used to fund rape-crisis centers. A great idea to be sure - not that the money will probably end up there...

But as one who grew up on the 'East side' and have driven by many of these establishments daily - my concern has shifted a bit from - 'why do these exist?' to 'How much electricity do they use to power all of that neon and the nightly search lights?!'

One example would be the new pink and blue neon dream off of Interstate 64... Almost every surface is covered in some sort of neon and the parking lot is lit up like daylight (so, yes, I can see your car in the parking lot)

Maybe I shouldn't judge - perhaps they are purchasing renewable energy from Ameren! That would have to be a moral good, right? Let's do the math:

(Strip club + excessive energy usage) - (purchasing renewable energy + bringing income to blighted areas) = still morally dubious

I was never any good at math.

Davo y Benny 16

That's my friend David and the Pope - David is the one in white. And Black. He is trying to hide behind the candle. Valiant attempt, but you are not that skinny, my friend.

David doesn't usually glare at the Pope like that - it must be all of the papa-ratzzi. (get it - what a clever pun!) David also is usually not clean shaven - as a Puerto Rican - American he is usually not without a mustache. (MASH reference - anyone?)

I should stop before I turn into Orin.

Git 'er done!

Sometimes when 'm driving and see a large 4 X 4 truck with camouflage detailing I think about driving into it with my car. Then I can say...

"sorry I didn't see you there!"

Many that are better than I

I've decided that I am not a good enviro-blogger. There are many others doing a much better job at saving the world. So I've decided to switch formats - there will still be blogging about how I'm saving the earth, but I'd like this to be more "personal"... And more fun.

So - welcome to Erin Saves the World - in her own special way.

The End.

Ramblings on 'my little failures'...

This summer I went to the local big box lawn and garden center to help me out in the garden. I needed some tools, some seeds, and some plants to pretty up the front yard (at the moment I won't get into how the plants weren't organically grown, and were probably grown by people in a foreign land that were paid squat to grow and tend my new azaleas). I was armed with my new knowledge about saving the earth - I had watched the SOS Concert for the Earth (I wanted to see the Police perform!) and let's face it - you know everything when you watch tv!

I really needed to get rid of some pesky weeds that would not go away no matter how many times I tried to pull their roots from the earth (or rather parking pad). But I did what I had to do. What would you have done in my place?

So, I bought - gasp - Roundup... I literally hid it in my cart and tried not to make eye contact with the cashier. Then to add insult to injury - the cashier place the gallon of Roundup - which had a handle, mind you, into a plastic bag!

This summer I also committed the following offenses:

I traveled over 6500 miles - mostly by car and one long plane ride

I cleaned out the fridge (using a baking soda paste - good)
but I had to throw away a few glass and recyclable plastic containers (bad)... I really couldn't handle trying to tame the black/blue/green/white stuff out of various and sundry containers. Besides - the stuff growing in there was probably toxic. Would you have wanted that in your drinking water?

I used the air conditioner unapologetically! (It's still on!)
I like to pretend that my allergies are the main reason - but let's face it - I LOVE air conditioning. The room should be at a nice comfortable 65 degrees for me to sleep. I think it is the 8th deadly sin: fridgid-ity? Coolness? I'll stop.

I watered the lawn
Really not the most responsible use of water - especially after visiting areas seriously affected by drought. Ed Begley Jr got rid of his lawn altogether - I do like him...

I'm sure I could tell you more about why I'm an Earth-Failure - but then who would you turn to for guidance and support... Besides, we are all bound to mess up once in a while, that's why I am extra-militant about the things that I can do. (I bought Seventh Generation toilet paper - sacrificing comfort for the greater good. Isn't that almost the Jesuit motto?)

Well - Good night - I may be going to go to bed now in my 65 degree bedroom but tomorrow - I... shall... ride my bike... once again!!!

(Triumphant exit music)

I rode my bike to school yesterday...

which also happened to be the hottest day of the week! (way to think ahead)

The whole trek is 4.2 miles (roundtrip) - and I - the coward that I am (or klutz) rode illegally on the sidewalks. Not that anyone was using them to walk on, in fact I'm lucky I didn't bite it a few times due to the sidewalk's lack of upkeep.

This is my new bike: a Schwinn cruiser - Jag - u - ar... oh yeah, the klassy-est of bikes - almost like the Jaguar of bicycles???

Not a classic Schwinn - but still cool none the less.

I hope to use it to run errands, do grocery shopping etc... I wish St Louis didn't have so many slight inclines. Maybe I should see a doctor!

My husband bought the Men's bike - now we match... awww...

Okay - now I'm ready to save the world again.

Sorry for the summer of silence! I've been a busy girl - I've traveled over 6500 miles - not in a hybrid car, I've thrown away many things that could have been recylcled - mostly out of laziness. (I was cleaning out my fridge, sometimes you just don't want to waste the water needed to clean out the 4 year old jar of green/blue/white fuzzy stuff.)

I'd like to tell you all a bit more about my summer and what I've experienced in trying to save the world - but I'll leave that until I'm bored in class one day!

Instead - here is a really great practical thing that you can do - but only if you live in the City of St Louis:

The City is conducting a survey on opinions about recycling which might impact services. Go to link below if you would like to provide your input.

https://data.grapevinesurveys.com/survey.asp?sid=2007834326311

It took me about 15 minutes to take the survey... Just enough time to get you ready to sit at your computer all week long.

Thanks for your patience this summer -

apologies...

School is out and I have given up on blogging - it is too pretty to be inside stuck at a desk...
I've also been super busy and will leave for Canada in about ten minutes - where I hope to be out of touch with civilization at least until Monday!

I have decided to try and make this road trip as green as possible! It is hard to be on the road - and far from your recycling box... Fast Food, gas stations, rest areas - all have their un-green (brown?) aspects. Not to mention the gas that we will use driving two mini-vans to Canada!

I'll let you know what our group figures out!

In the meanwhile I've found this site - www.thegreenguide.com
It is from National Geographic - and pretty helpful... I recommend the Product Report on Paper.

Ciao!

Was there ever any doubt...

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

Thanks to my friend - Erin (one of many Erins) for the site...

I'm baaack...

The semester is over!
And there was great rejoicing...

I still have to go to class this week, but no more papers are due!

I recently finished a paper for my Catholic Social Teaching class titled "The Integrity of Creation: Catholic Social Teaching's Best Kept Secret" It was a great paper to write, a little painful, but it made me realize the lack of understanding of so many, of how poverty, lack of human dignity and the destruction of our environment are so connected! The Church seems to "understand" this, yet it often doesn't explicitly say so... harumph!

So - I have found a cool site or two that I found while procrastinating! If you are intersted in CST and what the Church teaches try these sites, they are great starting places!

www.osjspm.org - St Paul Archdiocese Office of Social Justice

www.usccb.org - Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops - search the site for CST and then find Integrity of Creation under the topics... Good stuff there, too.


OK - that is as political or religious as it is gonna get here! If you wish to discuss CST further, contact me and we can talk!

Thanks for asking...

I love that when I to to Jimmy John's (among other places) they ASK ME if I would like my receipt. Why do I need that receipt? I'll ask if I need one, ok?

Mitch Hedberg (one of the funniest people ever!) summed it up perfectly:

I bought a doughnut, and they gave me a receipt.
There is no need for that, man.
I'll just give you the money, you give me the doughnut. End of transaction.
We do not need to bring ink and paper into this.
I cannot imagine a situation in which I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut.
Some skeptical friend: "Hey man! Don't even act like I didn't buy that doughnut! I got the documentation right here...damn...I forgot it at home... it's in the filing cabinet...under D...for doughnut."

I think I'm going Kosher...

While this program is clearly a rip-off of Theology on Tap (which is a really cool, but copyrighted, program started by the Archdiocese of Chicago Young Adult Ministry and recently purchased by Renew, International) it is on a topic near and dear to my heart.

If I just liked vegetables better I would go vegetarian in a heartbeat! I think I'm still on my path there, but it won't be overnight!

Did you know that if everyone limited their consumption of red meat to once or twice a week, it would make a huge impact on the enviroment. Cattle producers use lots of grain and corn for feed and think of all that methane that the cows give off...

But they are pretty cute...

THEOLOGY AT BOTTLEWORKS
Wednesday, April 18
at Bottleworks

This large and lively discussion combines cold beer and hot conversation on important subjects of our times. This month's topic is "Food, Friends or Fodder for Science? Animal Treatment and Ethics." We'll discuss the various ways our society views and uses animals. Animals are viewed as pets and pests, as food and entertainment. Are there ethics and even rights in dealing with animals? Are they over-protected or undervalued? Should people always have priority? Grab a brew, give your view and lend an ear to others. Free and open to anyone. For more information, e-mail midrash@journeyon.net. 7:00 p.m.

I'm also not sure who this group is - what religion or denomination they represent - so go at your own risk!

Earth day is right around the corner

and everything I pick up is a constant reminder.

At first I thought "Hey, people are getting this!" then I realized that it was a clever marketing ploy. "What should we put in the magazine this month?" "Oh just throw in some Earth Day stuff, next month we'll do that spread on what type of diaper Brangelina thinks is best."
"Oh and did we get that shipment of virgin paper to print with horribly toxic ink on?"

I know - I'm speaking hyperbolically - but I really get peeved that the easier it becomes to be "green" the more packaging, wasteful products, etc companies come up with to waste our money on!

OK - I'll step off my soapbox - I'm really not here to complain...
I'm here to make you feel guilty about your choices!


Here are my Earth Day resolutions - things that I have decided to do to help save the world:

Switch to hankies
During allergy season I use many, many, many tissues! I do try to buy the ones made of recycled paper, but that is not always possible.

Get the clothesline out
It is almost warm enough to get our clothesline back out. The only thing I still haven't figured out is how to keep my clothes from drying all wrinkly - any suggestions for easy outdoor drying????

Stop getting lids and straws at restaurants.
Each time I hit Bread Co. I've decided that I definitely do NOT need a lid nor do I need the stupid plastic straw wrapped in plastic. Also at "fancy" restaurants (those where they bring your drinks in real glass, glasses) I am going to stop asking for straws, too.

For ladies only - I'm warning you, men, if you are sensitive, you will not want to read this one:
I'm going to start buying stuff from diaperware.com- check out "mooncare"... I think this is a bit too sensitive/personal to share with you on the blog - so don't expect any reviews!

Finally - after we pay our outrageous tax bill! (I know, no politics) I am investing in some good canvas (organically produced, of course) bags for grocery shopping. Now I wish I had a good corner market where I could walk and shop daily... argh - stupid Regal Foods, stupid gas station people who won't sell to the organic cool market! Just wait, I'll save the neighborhood after I save the world. I can only do one project at a time!


whoo hoo - look out world! I'm comin' to save ya'! I know these don't seem like HUGE changes, but I think that is the point. You can't change your life style in one day/month/year it is going to take many little steps...

Feel free to post your thoughts on drying clothes outside - or on little things you can do that could make a big impact...


(Thanks to www.parks.ashland.or.us/earthday/ for the cool logo - their earth day celebration sounds pretty neat - carbon neutral, zero waste... wow!)

My really cool picture...

On my first trip to visit Orin's (my then boyfriend, now husband) hometown - Tyler, MinnesOta - I discovered my love for windpower. More specifically for the really cool windmills that dot the MinnesOta farm land.

Lake Benton, MinnesOta is Tyler's neighboring town and the Wind Power Capital of the Midwest! It is also home to beautiful Lake Benton - and was where Orin's dad, Doc, lived and taught school.

Little known fact - Orin's grandparents were farmers and then owned a pool hall in Lake Benton.