Massachusetts

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Comment by Janice Eagan on January 11, 2010 at 6:46am

Annie, That is wonderful news! Small steps will get the world to a better place. My daughter wastched a great deal of Playhouse disney and I've noticed their push for "green" thinking and the desire to teach kids to care for our planet. Disney is a pretty powerful organization and I hope they continue to plug "green".

This Christmas we tried to get as many of our gifts used as possible. We also made a wreath from found items. An old lampshade wire ring, pine branches and pine cones recovered from a park after a wind storm. It felt good to hang it up in the family room and know we didn't kill a tree for it.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful new year!

Comment by Annie Shreffler on January 10, 2010 at 2:09pm

(part of a message from Boston Faith & Justice Network's director, Ryan Scott McDonnell):
Boston now boasts significantly greater access to fair trade certified products throughout each of the city's many neighborhoods. In fact, we've recently documented that Boston has over DOUBLE the amount of businesses set by Fair Trade Towns!

Over the next few moths Fair Trade Boston will focus on creating greater institutional use of fair trade certified products in Boston. We're targeting businesses, churches, hospitals, schools and other non-profits who would like to make an ethical commitment. I'm pleased that there are many institutions (like BFJN!) already using fair trade certified products. However, the work is far from done.

Social change doesn't happen without a lot hard work and solid leadership. That's why I'm excited to report that longtime BFJN member Liz Green will be joining the Fair Trade Boston campaign as our lead fair trade organizer. Liz is a long-time BFJN-er with a passion for fair and sustainable food, both locally and globally. Liz grew up in the Boston area and studied political science at Wheaton College in Illinois. After college Liz moved to Washington, DC to do public policy and advocacy with Sojourners. She came back to Boston in the fall of 2006 to organize congregations through the advocacy arm of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. In spring 2008 Liz began working in small-scale organic farming outside of Boston. She'll be working with us until the ground thaws and it's time to begin planting.

If you'd like to get involved in Boston's grassroots fair trade movement I welcome you to contact Liz directly at Liz@fairtradeboston.org.

Comment by Terry Murphy on November 21, 2009 at 10:24pm

Odd tidbit I learned today. Need to buy a new pair of running shoes. Was shopping around, found out that the New Balance style (993) I prefer is the only one manufactured in the U.S. ... and in Massachusetts and Maine at that. Local shoes. Who would have thought.

Then I met with friend. My church is planning an Earth Dinner this winter. Uplifting conversation. Came home and listened to Barbara Kingsolver talk about reducing carbon footprint via local foods. Local shoes, local food ... things are looking up.

Comment by Janice Eagan on November 21, 2009 at 7:22pm

So happy to hear that "Brown Out Sunday" is catching on!! We won't be able to get in a full day tomorrow either but even a few hours makes the day so much more relaxing.

Terry, I'm sorry that your feeling down. It would have sickened me something terrible to have seen what you saw. Perfectly good items thrown away makes me more sick to my stomach than seeing actual trash. I feel horrible using the natural baby wipes. I tried to switch to washcloths but my daughters skin is so sensative she was rashing worse and I had to switch back to the wipes. We ditched the juice boxes so I felt like I made a little progress. Two steps forward one step back still keeps us ahead of the game.

I did get a new pair of shoes this week. I hated to have gotten them at Walmart (big box store) but the soles are made of 70% post consumer waste most of which is plastic bottles. Pretty Cool!

Comment by Terry Murphy on November 21, 2009 at 3:16pm

Anyone in the Cambridge, Boston area who would like to join others on the steps of First Parish Church Cambridge in a candle light vigil for 350.org Copenhagen, we are trying to set up a group for either Dec. 11 or 12. You can also organize your own vigil. If you want to learn more about First Parish's I'll keep you posted.

Click here for details about staging a local vigil and to register one in your community: www.350.org/vigil

Comment by Terry Murphy on November 21, 2009 at 3:08pm

This warm weather makes me uneasy, however, my natural gas bill is about a third of what it normally is this time of year. I still haven't turned on my furnace. Ditto on electric bill being about a half of what it normally is. For that savings, I owe credit to the CFLs I installed in my kitchen's recessed lighting. But Janice's idea of a brownout Sunday is beautiful. Even if I can't do an entire day I would certainly like to mark off chunks of brownout time.

Volunteered as a sorter at the Greater Boston Food Bank on Friday. The waste they are forced to create (due to health regulations, donors not understanding the criteria of needs etc.) is incredible. It sickened me to watch a conveyor belt full of unopened vitamins, packages of TP with a slice in the wrapper, anything that could be contaminated or considered medicinal ... into the trash.

I thought of Colin complaining about the individually wrapped cookies at the farmers market. If all of the seals and wrappers weren't intact on this donated food, it got tossed. The only thing that saved an opened box is if each thing inside was individually wrapped. What a waste either way.

Sorry for the ramble, but I know this is the season for donations and you might make your first one a few hours at a food pantry so you understand how things work. And this is just one food bank in one city. I am not speaking for all. They don't make the food, they just deliver it the soup kitchens that do, so things could be totally different at the receiving end.

I have been letting a lot of the little things get inside my head this week and feeling like a failure when I forget to stay on top of the trash, the takeout, the tone of my voice when I see someone toss a plastic water bottle in the trash can at work and I remind them the recycling bin is three inches to the left. If I can't do it perfectly, what right do I have to chastise someone for not caring at all? Wrong attitude, I know, but it's disheartening to see so many who don't care about something as simple as a plastic bottle landing in the right bin.

Comment by Elizabeth Marcus on November 21, 2009 at 1:53pm

Hi Bill - I've posted it to the Transition Massachusetts website. I'll get a better image for it up when I have a chance. Let me know if there is any info you would like me to add. I'll also send out a message to our local environmental groups.

Comment by Bill Peregoy on November 21, 2009 at 1:22pm

Hi Elizabeth. Please spread the word about the showing in Lawrence. I'm not sure what kind of turnout I can expect since Lawrence isn't the first town you think of when you think "green." I loved the film too and am hoping to expose it to a few more people on the 7th.

Comment by Elizabeth Marcus on November 21, 2009 at 11:14am

Hi Bill -
Thanks for posting the information about your showing of the "No Impact Man" film in Lawrence. The film will not be showing in Newburyport. I was hoping to host it here but it looks like it will not happen this time around. I did see the film at Exeter Academy in October and highly recommend it. I hope to be able to attend your screening and bring some friends.

Comment by Bill Peregoy on November 21, 2009 at 9:53am

I'm not sure where the rest of you Massachusetts folks are, but I'll be hosting a showing of the No Impact Man film in Lawrence on December 7. There is also another showing in Newburyport.

All of the information is here.

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/480818140

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