Of course, these findings are deemed “not yet conclusive” because there’s no way they can ethically test these chemicals on pregnant human women. Of course, women are already using these chemicals, but to purposefully create conditions in the lab involving pregnant women is considered to be decidedly unethical by the scientific community. So they can’t conclusively, positively say that using cosmetics containing chemicals such as _ are bad for pregnant women and their babies’ future health, but why would women even take a risk when there are such wonderful alternatives on the market? And, going further, if there are chemicals in cosmetics and perfumes that are questionable in terms of safety, then why would even non-pregnant women (or men, for that matter) use these products?

I guess that decision depends on your perspective. After all, many of these same chemicals are in the fabrics and materials in our homes, and they’re even in the air. While that’s a damn shame, it does raise the question of whether or not those chemicals are avoidable in today’s world. Ted and I will eventually have children, and while I’m pregnant I’ll know that modern babies are born with synthetic chemicals already in their little bodies. So, does the use of chemical-laden cosmetic products like perfume become a moot point?

I don’t believe so. My thinking is, if babies already have so many unnatural chemicals for their immune systems to process, why add to that load? What’s surprising to me is how many women react to being told not to use these products while pregnant. In this post on Jezebel, the comments section is teeming with comments from women who are sick of what they call the “pregnancy police” telling what they can and can’t do. I think their ire has less to do with the restrictions placed on pregnant women, and more to do with the judgments passed by those both within and outside of the medical community on women who make choices they don’t agree with. I’ve had friends and family who, both while pregnant and then once they have children, are approached by random strangers who make judgey comments about what they’re eating, what their kids are eating, what they put in their shopping cart, and so forth. I agree that these passing (and unsolicited) judgments are frustrating and hurtful, and I know that if anyone ever does that to me I’ll be the first to stand up for my choices. And by “stand up for,” I mean that I’ll whip out by bitchface before the offending party has tie to blink.

Still, I think that when it comes to avoidable, unnecessary things like perfume and unsafe cosmetics, why take a risk? And, while we’re at it, why is the medical field stopping short of saying that ALL women shouldn’t use these products? As I like to say, if something’s good enough for a pregnant woman, then it’s good enough for me. As Prof. Sharpe says in the BBC article, “If women planning on becoming pregnant [are] anxious about such issues they [can] avoid putting any cosmetic products on their skin which could then be absorbed into their bodies.” If pregnant women may choose not to use potentially harmful products, then that’s a choice I’m going to make, too.

To provide a starting point for those of you who may not know which products to use instead of chemically ones, here’s a list of products from companies I’ve written about before. I know there are lots of other good companies out there too, so consider this a starting point. You can also refer to the previous Roll Call posts about skin care and cosmetics, which asked readers to share what they like to use. If you can think of any other good products, leave your recommendations in the comments!

MAKEUP
Suki Color
Aubrey Organics
Dr. Hauschka
Jane Iredale

FRAGRANCE
Aubrey Organics

HAIRCARE
Aubrey Organics
Hugo Naturals
J.R. Liggett
Uncle Harry’s

Also, I’m going to be focusing a lot more on gardening and cooking. I do like doing the product reviews, I think they’re important and integral to why I started this site; but my concept of sustainability has changed a lot in two years. Growing and preparing your own food is a big part of what’s really sustainable, so you guys will probably notice my posts shift a bit towards those topics. Like I said, I’ll still do product reviews and other features of the site will stay, but I will be simplifying some.

I’m excited about where the site will go, though it will definitely take me a while to get around to doing it all. I’m thinking October, probably… I’d love to get it done sooner than that, but I guess the good news is that my design work is keeping my really busy. Yay for work! And now that I have a clearer idea of what to do with this site, I’m feeling more capable of posting. Hopefully there will be more here for you all to read, I know it’s been slow ’round these parts lately. So, yay for posting! I’ll keep you all in the loop as everything goes forward.

After about a year, people started asking me, But what will you DO with the site? What is its purpose? The implication was that a site like this should have a greater plan, a means of supporting itself. Prompted by such questions, I hatched grand ideas of an online store in which I could sell the products that mattered to the people who cared. I polled, I announced the results, and I opened the store with one lone item: an organic cotton tote bag. This wasn’t meant to be the only product for sale, of course; I had been busy gathering wholesale prices from retailers, compiling a spreadsheet to help me figure out my margins, and finishing my business plan. As far as the site went, I decided that the design (and the content management system) needed an overhaul. I spent hours finding just the right solution, and hours more on its implementation and design. The result was a polished, commerce-ready site with a simple store, ready to serve the world. What I didn’t know at the time was that this new site would lose some of the soul that made the original inception of The Sustainable Scoop so full of life.

Now, two years after the site’s beginning, I’m feeling a little burned out, and a lot wiser. The reality of online retail is that the added shipping costs (and lower volumes) make it impossible to sell products to customers for a price anywhere near what can be found in stores like Whole Foods and Wegman’s. Even after switching my plan to include only those products that are hard to find in stores, the price points just weren’t lining up with what I thought customers would pay. So, the store idea slowly got put on the shelf, perhaps more slowly than it should have. But I wasn’t wiling to let go of the plan, so it took me a while to come to the realization that it just wasn’t going to be worth it.

Also, my design work began to pick up. The store was forgotten in order to pursue paying work. During this time, I realized that I had been trying to combine two distinct and separate ideas: in one hand, I wanted to continue sharing my knowledge of products and companies within the natural products industry and beyond; and in the other, I had wanted to sell products I believed in. I hadn’t given enough thought to the fact that it’s hard to be impartial about products you’re selling yourself, or those products’ competitors. How could my product reviews and recommendations be believed when I was supposed to be selling those goods?

All in all, I’m glad that the store never came to fruition for all of the reasons already listed. But now I have a site that has been designed and crafted for commercial viability, and I’m finding that to be incredibly limiting and uninspiring. Indeed, these last six months have been incredibly predictable here at The Scoop. For a while, it was a post every weekday, with the biggest stories on Monday, a tip on Tuesday, a review on Wednesday, a guest post on Thursday, and something different every Friday. For a site that began out of so much inspiration, this formula-based posting is disappointing, and I’ve become aware of how little I enjoy it.

I’m sure you’ve all noticed how infrequently I’ve been writing here this summer. My Scoop slump started because of burnout, but that ended shortly; I still believe that this site has a lot to offer both its readers and myself. I’ve had to take some time away, to figure out just exactly how I want to proceed with it, what it means to me and all of you. I’m currently on vacation, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about these things. Though I don’t have a concrete plan yet, I do have some ideas about how to return to a format that’s as exciting as it is fulfilling.

For one, I’d like to simplify. I wrote a post a while ago about how I want to return to simplicity in many ways, ad you guys were incredibly supportive. I believe that the way to rekindle my love for this site is to do the same here, though how I go about that is important to me. There are lots of things about this site’s second inception that I’ve grown to like, and there are a few things that I’d like to jettison. I’m still feeling out how I want to revise this site on the level of ideas, and once I have that sorted out I’ll be able to have a clearer vision about how to go about making those changes.

As always, if you guys have any thoughts on what this site has become and where it needs to go, I would love to hear them. I think I need a little while longer to think about and reflect upon the Scoop’s future, and I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on any progress I make. The most important thing for me to do right now is to refresh the part of me that this site nourishes and inspires. What is depleted can be replenished, and that’s what I’m going to work on for now.

As for those pesky styrofoam peanuts, sure, you could reuse those, but there’s no guarantee that the person on the other end will pay it forward and either reuse them or recycle them properly. Chances are, most people will toss packing peanuts into the trash. Do the planet a favor and find the nearest peanut recycling facility and take them there. Use old newspapers or paper strips from your paper shredder as padding instead.

One day last week Ted brought home a box of Eneloop batteries. These batteries are made by Sanyo, and they are supposed to last for 514 digital photo shots as opposed to 117 shots with standard batteries (in a Sanyo test, of course). I’m using the batteries for the first time today in my camera, so we’ll see if they live up to their expectations. I’ve read some of the reviews for Eneloop products on Amazon, and so far, everyone seems to be really satisfied with the battery life and performance.

Ted bought a multi-pack which included a charging base, eight rechargeable AA batteries, two AAAs, four C battery adapters, and four D adapters. The adapters are used by inserting the AA batteries into the adapter cases, which are then placed in whatever gadget you’re using. All in all, the pack is pretty complete, but I do wish that they’d included two more AAA batteries. With that small complaint aside, I’m excited to try these out and see how they work. I’ll be sure to try them out in various gadgets, and I’ll let you guys know how they work.

This month marks the second anniversary of The Sustainable Scoop’s creation, which was two years and five days ago. I’m always one to celebrate with music, so in honor of the site’s two-year-old birthday, I’ve created a summer playlist for you guys to listen to. I tried to include a good cross-section of what I like to listen to in the summer: a mixture of classic & modern rock, a little electronic, and (of course) some good funk. I’ve also given away my late-80’s/mid-90’s adolescence by including songs from groups like the Chili Peppers and the Violent Femmes. Also: make sure you check out the drums on the Tower of Power song, David Garibaldi kicks some serious ass. (Ted noted that the song I used isn’t nearly as good of an example of Garibaldi’s drumming, and suggested I use “Squib Cakes” instead. While he had a point, I already own “Down to the Nightclub,” and I would have to pay to buy “Squib Cakes.” That’s an easy decision.)

You can check it out in iTunes if you’d like to buy any of the songs. I’ll update this post once I work it all out. Happy birthday, Scoop!

SCOOP MIX: iTunes

I’ve been learning quite a bit from this experience, such as the proper way to double-dig a bed, and the difference between a border spade and a digging spade. Actually, it’s my knowledge of, and appreciation for, gardening tools that has expanded the most. For instance, I read in a book that I would need a spade and a fork to double-dig a garden bed, so I nabbed an old unwanted set from my brother-in-law’s house when he moved out. I figured that I was good to go, and I got started double-digging an old bed under our kitchen window as practice for the new big garden in our side yard. I quickly discovered that those tools were not going to work. the prongs of the fork were bending every which way when I tried to loosen soil, and the spade wasn’t strong enough to handle even the smallest of obstacles. In fact, the handle of the spade snapped in two about halfway through the job. I didn’t know where I had gone wrong, and I determined to find out. As I learned, I had unknowingly grabbed a border spade and a manure fork from my brother-in-law’s garage.

What does it matter, you say? I’ll use the fork as an example. A manure fork is used for mucking stalls and managing hay and compost. Those jobs require lighter prongs than digging does, so the fork I had been using was woefully unequipped for loosening soil that contained rocks, roots, and countless other things. A digging fork, in contrast, has strong square-edged prongs that are thick and heavy, appropriate for a digging job. A good fork will be made of heavy stainless steel, and it should have a good ash wood handle.

If this is sounding nerdy to you, you’re right: I’m an official gardening geek, and I’m not quite sure how to feel about it yet. I will say, though, that my newfound love of gardening has fueled my design work in an unexpected way: I race through my work as reasonably quickly as I can in the hopes that I’ll have an hour or two at the end of the day for, say, digging out a stump, or building a manure stall or two. It’s sad, really, but at least I’m being productive.

I’ll keep you all updated on my progress, both through writing and photos. I’m currently stuck trying to hack out an old, rotten cherry stump, and it’s become my nemesis. It’s sitting out there right now, mocking me. Actually, I’m going to go work on it right now. Be back tomorrow!

We have had a satellite TV subscription for a while now, and we decided to nix it for several reasons. It’s been hard, because I haven’t been able to watch my beloved So You Think You Can Dance, and the new season of Project Runway starts tomorrow. Not having access to TV left a time void in my life, and though it was hard to get past missing some of my favorite shows, I have been so much more productive in other areas. I’ve started to turn the side yard at our house into a garden, a yard that was previously inhabited by ivy and invasive blackberry plants. It’s been a lot of work, and I honestly think that I never would have taken it on had we not banished TV for the summer. Who wants to dig for four hours straight on a Sunday when you could be watching an ANTM marathon instead? And I have plans to take up playing piano again, especially now that Ted bought me a piano bench for our anniversary last month. And, the reading! I have read an average of two books a week for the last month. And they’re not small books, either.

Are any of you Simpsons fans? Remember when Barney and Homer were training with NASA to become astronauts, and Barney quit beer and became a super-human? That’s how I feel right now.

So, would I be doing all of these things if we still had TV service? I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t. So the idea of being able to watch TV on our Xbox is a little scary, frankly. I’ve really been enjoying my new projects and pursuits, and the idea of giving them up to watch the idiot box seems, well, idiotic. Sure, my heart hurt when those first few weeks of So You Think You Can Dance came and went, but now I just don’t really care that much. Being committed to watching entire seasons of several shows, as those with a DVR are wont to be, takes a lot of time. Removing those time-sucking hours from my life has been really freeing. But, you know, TV is fun. Though I’m enjoying a TV-free summer, I am a little worried about missing out on the fall TV shows. I can feel myself getting sucked back in, mentally preparing myself for the new seasons of shows to begin. I’m not sure if that’s out of habit, or if I really will decide that TV is worth it. This is why I’m conflicted by the future ability to watch TV downloads on our Xbox, and I’m not sure what I will eventually choose.

What I’m NOT conflicted about, however, is the Netflix part of the deal. I love watching movies, but the excitement of receiving the next movie on my queue is always accompanied by a little pang of guilt. That little silver DVD and its paper packaging were mailed to me, which requires gasoline and other resources. And when I ship the DVD back, I feel the same guilty pang. That’s why this deal is so brilliant: I can download that movie instead, thereby saving the effort and expense of shipping me a DVD. And Lord knows how many CDs and DVDs end up in landfills every year. (Actually, the CD Recycling Center of America knows: it’s millions.) So, yay for Netflix. And, boo on behalf of the Netflix subscribers who don’t have an Xbox. I’d love to eventually see Netflix allow owners of other consoles the ability to watch movies, but I don’t think the licensing deals work that way. And, for what it’s worth, Netflix currently only has the download rights for a tenth of the movies they have to offer in the mail, so maybe those of you who want to watch a more obscure title like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari won’t be able to use the download service that often anyway.

Regardless of whether or not I use the coming Netflix deal to watch TV or not, and even if I can’t get all the titles I want to see via download, one thing is for sure: Being able to press a button and watch the Bourne movies any time I want is going to be AWESOME.

In stead of a Mexican meal (which I’m still hoping for next month), I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes with you all. It’s for a dish called massaged kale, sometimes known as CHUD amongst the millennial hippie set. Basically, you take a bunch of kale, add a bunch of stuff, and massage the whole lot until it’s finished. It’s a vegan raw dish, though I choose to serve it with quinoa on the side. If you’d prefer to go gung-ho and eat an entire raw meal, you can always soak the quinoa for a few days rather than cooking it. But this requires planning, which is why I haven’t tried it yet.

I know this recipe sounds a little but strange, but I promise to you guys that it’s amazing. AMAZING. Chud is what I like to eat when I’m feeling run down and tired, or when I really want a detoxifying and filling meal. Plus, chud keeps well and is great for a packed lunch situation. Once I carried some with me in a To-Go Ware tiffin box. I put the chud in the top shelf and some quinoa salad on the bottom shelf along with some avocado, and it worked really well. But I can’t imagine a further departure from the American brown-bagged PB&J than toting some massaged kale and an ancient grain around in a tiffin, can you?

I hope you guys enjoy chud as much as I do. Keep in mind that making chud is very flexible; every single ingredient is to taste. Some people make it with just salt and oil, and some add things like brewer’s yeast or feta cheese. Try it and experiment, and you’ll be sure to find a mixture that suits your tastes. Enjoy!

MAIN DISH

Massaged Kale (a.k.a. “chud”)

INGREDIENTS
-1 or 2 bunches kale (I’ve used both red kale and dino kale, and I liked them both)
-coconut oil
-red palm oil
-lemon juice
-Celtic sea salt
-chopped parsley
-minced garlic
-apple cider vinegar
-turmeric*
-crushed raw cashews*
-chopped avocado*
-chopped tomato*

*The ingredients you add after the chud has been massaged are up to you; try a few things and see what you like.

DIRECTIONS
Tear kale leaves from stems, saving the hard center stems for your compost pile. In a large bowl add coconut and palm oils, lemon juice, Celtic sea salt, parsley, chopped garlic, and apple cider vinegar. Tear and massage until leaves are translucent-ish. The chud will be ready when it looks sort of like it’s been cooked. Add spices and goodies (turmeric, brewer’s yeast, chopped raw cashews, etc), mix a little more, and let stand in the bowl covered with a clean towel for 20 minutes.

Top with avocado and chopped tomato, and serve with a whole grain. Yum!

SIDE DISH

Quinoa

Quinoa is sometimes called an “ancient grain” because it originated in the Andes 6,000 years ago. The Incas considered quinoa to be sacred, calling it the “mother of all grains.” It’s incredibly high in protein for a grain, and it has an unusually complete set of amino acids, which makes it an ideal food for vegetarians. It has a lot of dietary fiber and minerals, and it’s gluten-free. And it has a nutty flavor and a light, fluffy texture. See why I love it?

Bring one cup of water and two cups of quinoa to a boil in a pot. Once it’s boiling, cover it and let simmer for about fifteen minutes or until done (it’s done when the germ separates from the grain). Serve hot.

DESSERT

Coconut Milk Ice Cream

I’ve included a recipe for Coconut Milk Ice Cream here before, so this month I’m going to share an amazing product with you guys: Turtle Mountain Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream. This ice cream deserves its own post, which I’ll eventually get around to, but for now suffice it to say that this ice cream has earned a permanent place in our freezer. It’s contains no soy or dairy, and because of the coconut milk it’s really rich and creamy. The mouthfeel makes it seem like it’s full of cream, but it’s just coconut milk and oil. Even better, it’s sweetened with agave nectar rather than sugar. I LOVE THIS ICE CREAM. The coconut flavor is coconutty and yummy, but my favorite so far is the Mint Chip. You can’t even tell it’s made with coconut milk, it tastes just like the richest, guiltiest mint chip ice cream you’ve ever had. Suffice it to say that I’m looking forward to trying out their Vanilla and Cookie Dough flavors.

MUSIC

Album: Toots and the Maytals, 20th Century Masters (Best of)

I’ll admit that I’m not a huge fan of reggae music, which has never endeared me to the hippie crowd. I never had Bob Marley posters in my college dorm room, and I don’t share my brother-in-law’s die-hard love of Steel Pulse. With that said, Toots and they Maytals is one of my favorite groups. Their particular brand of reggae music is so… well, musical. My biggest complaint about most reggae is that it’s just the same thing, over and over again, without ever really going anywhere. But with Toots, the music is good, the lyrics are good, and the songs actually go somewhere. I listen to this album all summer long, it’s like my personal hot-weather soundtrack.

I’m not intentionally ignoring The Scoop, lest you think I’ve given up entirely. I’m traveling to a wedding in Mexico tomorrow morning, so these past couple of weeks have been dedicated to finishing up some work before I go. I’ll return to posting regularly sometime next week, once I’m home safe and sound.

Thanks again for all of your support, I’ll be back soon!

While I agree with Kerry that getting back to basics is the most important thing right now, I also think it is important to keep yourself tuned in. Sometimes that takes doing something you wouldn’t normally do - you know - splurging a little. For me, the overall outlook in our country right now is making everyone feel pretty heavy. The economy, energy prices, and politicians only loyal to money and power - make us all feel a little helpless. Sometimes it can feel like all of the efforts you make are for naught, and why bother. When I get like this, I need something to snap me out of it, and remember why we are so committed to actually greening our planet.

Normally for me I will read an article, watch a movie, etc and reconnect to that deep feeling inside of living the values I know to be best for our family and our planet. This month, however, that wasn’t the case. I decided to swim against the greenwash and do something really bad. Something so unsustainable, I would force myself to think about my actions. Here is my story:

A few weeks ago I was in New York City and I had a bagel at H&H Bagels, which if you haven’t had one is almost worth getting on a plane right this second and flying there to have one. While I didn’t do this - I hate humidity - I did the next best thing and ordered a package via overnight shipping so that Kerry and I could have one with our morning Mate. Now, normally I would not approve of this kind of thing - sort of insane to think of all the resources it takes to fly me a bagel all the way across the country - but in this instance, I didn’t care. It was time, and I have been thinking about that bagel ever since I left. The local bagels just aren’t the same. Let me tell you folks, it was fantastic! I even used conventional cream cheese. What a gloriously sinful morning it was. The only bummer was UPS was late - nothing new there - so we had an 11am bagel and an extra cup of mat??.

While I was sitting there enjoying my roughly hand sized ring of dough, I reconnected with the feeling of why we NEED to be sustainable, not just why we should. Everyday, all over the world, we do stuff like this and don’t even think about it. There is no sustainability police - I think Berkeley might be working on - or even anyone to question our actions. As long as you can pay, you can do it. This is how the world goes around. As long as the economics work out, there really isn’t any other factor one needs to consider.

Don’t get me wrong, much good has come out of the green movement. In many ways, I think the feelings that live in many of us are actually promoting some of the best change the world has ever seen. Just think about it, a few years ago you would have been laughed out of the Walmart for even asking for an organic product. We just have to keep going - keep living those ideals - and really, actually trying to make a difference even when it doesn’t feel like it matters.

In the meantime, I would encourage you to have your own little moment to reconnect with all of this. I am not saying you have to do something bad - that’s just how I found myself - but in whatever way is appropriate for you.

Now if you excuse me, I am going to eat my sandwich that Kerry just brought me — ON A BAGEL FLOWN IN FROM EFFIN NEW YORK CITY!!!!

Yesterday the NY Times had an article about what’s being called “green noise.” The article points out the landslide of information that consumers have to weed through in order to make the best decision, which may not actually be the best move for the environment. One good example from the article is, should you buy a used car, or get a new Prius? While the hybrid would have been seen as the correct choice a few years ago, information is now being passed around that says that the energy and carbon dioxide required to create the hybrid battery cancel out its gas-saving qualities. So, do you buy a used car instead? Or are the facts about battery manufacturing coming from dubious sources, such as large American car companies who can’t (or won’t) make cars that compete with Japanese imports in terms of fuel efficiency?

Therein lies the problem. While many people from within the “green movement,” myself included, have the best intentions in the recommendations they make, everything gets so clouded when Big Business comes into the picture. I’m a big believer in the power of business to do great things for both people and the environment; I started this site for the very purpose of pointing out the businesses that really do make a difference. So, there are no anti-business sentiments here. But what can’t be ignored are the thousands upon thousands of companies who are trying to capitalize on the so-called “green movement,” rushing to develop and release products that take advantage of consumers’ good intentions without really making much of a difference. I receive countless press releases every month about these products: books about how which celebrities drive a Prius, organic products for dogs and babies, recyclable clothes hangers, green home listings, and tons of natural and organic drinks… You name it, there’s a PR company pushing it. Some of these products are good, it’s true, and I try my best to write about all of the products and companies that I thin you guys will be interested in. But there are SO MANY crappy products out there! Everyone’s got a “green” product for sale these days, and consumers are burdened with the task of figuring out which ones are legit and which ones aren’t. Where the problem a few decades ago was that there weren’t enough alternatives, today’s problem is that there are too many of dubious quality obscuring the viable alternatives. Add to that the hundreds of causes and non-profits out there, and you’ve got that “green noise” the NY Times was talking about.

In this kind of world, I question whether what I’m doing is actually helping, or if I’m just adding to that noise. When The Sustainable Scoop began two years ago, I was so excited to write about things like organic toaster pastries and hair products. But now, when it’s become obvious to me that those kinds of products are just stop-gap measures, band-aids on the wounds of a seriously sick system, that enthusiasm has waned. Organic products are surely a step in the right direction, and I don’t intend to discount their value. But in order to buy those organic products, you still have to buy into a system that involves manufacturing, pacing, shipping, distributing, and consuming. Our consumption hasn’t waned, it’s just shifted.

In response to these thoughts and emotions about our future, I’ve responded by having my own little backlash of sorts. I’ve been trying to stay away from packaged goods when it’s possible, though this has made me realize just how reliant upon packaged goods I am. One recent example from my life is the fruit on our loquat tree. (If you don’t know what a loquat is, just roll with it.) The tree is bursting with fruit, which is delicious raw, spiced, or in preserves. I recently had the idea that we would preserve our loquats so we could enjoy them throughout the year, so I set out to find some canning supplies. But I realized that someone had to manufacture the jar lifters, pan insert, and lidded jars that I was going to buy. The wax that would seal my loquat preserves was made somewhere, and it was distributed to the store where I was going to purchase it. So, making my own preserves suddenly felt a whole lot less “sustainable” than I originally thought.

But I can’t just revert to living in a yurt and growing my own food. Well, I certainly could, but I’m not at all prepared to do that. I make a living by being a graphic designer, creating digital and printed media for my clients. That involves manufactured electronics and software, processed paper goods, and lots of electricity. I’m not willing to give up my profession, so I’m reliant upon modern manufacturing and power systems for my livelihood. I’m also not yet willing to give up other manufactured products I love, and I’m certainly not willing to give up my modern life.

I recently too a trip to Ecology Action, a fantastic biointensive garden and research organization in Northern California. The day involved a basic tour of the garden and several short but intense mini-classes on things like compost building, seed propagation, and double-digging. We also got a brief synopsis of garden planning, and I loved the mini-class where we got to listen to John Jeavons talk about crop “personalities,” or the properties of what to grow where and when and how based on his own hard-won experience. But the part of the experience that affected me the most was the first hour of the day. Seated in a small classroom where the walls are covered in things like posters about the caloric outputs of various crops, our small group sat along with the Ecology Action interns and listened to Mr. Jeavons relate several scientific facts about where our world is headed. He didn’t do so to scare us, or to shock us into action. Rather, he presented the information in a calm and assured way, more like a scientist than an activist. I took copious notes while he spoke, and here are a handful of the information presented that morning.

In the United States, only 15% of the chemical nitrogen fertilizer applied to commercial farm fields is absorbed by crops; the rest goes into the air or down into the groundwater.

Per pound of conventionally farmed food consume din the U.S., six pounds of topsoil is lost due to erosion and wind. In California, it’s 24 pounds; and in organic farming, it’s still somewhere between 3.5 and 5 pounds of topsoil lost per pound of food eaten (This is mostly due to the importation of good soil from another site, thus depleting that site.) Topsoil takes 500 years to create in nature.

In just a handful of years, American farmers will be literally farming for nothing, unable to make any money using the current methods.

Across the world, 80% of water use goes toward agriculture. In America, most of our agricultural land is used to grow food for animal feed.

There is an estimated 32 to 56 years left of farmable soil in the world.

These predominantly agricultural facts may not seem connected to the products in your pantry, but they are in fact inextricably connected. Those organic toaster pastries I once loved are made from refined flour, sugar, and fruit, which, though raised organically and without pesticides, still contribute to the loss of topsoil. And, when you take into account the fuel needed to produce those crops and process them into toaster pastries, plus the materials required for the packaging, not to mention the shipping and distribution of those toaster pastries… Suddenly the reality of those organic toaster pastries becomes all too real. We tend to think of being “sustainable” in American terms, meaning that we limit our thinking to include only those things that we can change while still allowing us to live our big, costly American lives. I know I’m guilty of this. So, the question I’ve been asking myself is, how do I respond?

Like I said, I’m not quite ready to give up my modern American life. We live in a house within city limits and use city water, electricity, and gas. We go to the market to buy products and produce shipped using a vast system of trains and trucks, and our trash is removed every week by whichever refuse company has won the contract with our city at any given time. Our life is thoroughly modern, in the broad sense of the word. We do buy recycled paper goods, and organic food, and local produce, and shower with products that don’t contain chemicals that are polluting and damaging our waterways. But, it’s hard to just stop at those measures when I know we could be doing so much more.

I find myself in this conundrum, and my quandary is certainly not being helped by all that “green noise” buzzing in my ears everywhere I go. To alleviate this building pressure, and since I’m not willing to live in a yurt yet, I think my best answer is to consume less and live more simply. We’re canceling our cable TV. I’m going to take up playing the piano again. I’m adding additional square footage to our current garden. I’m waling as much as I possibly can, and simply driving less. I’ve been reading more. We’ve been eating more whole grains, things like pearl barley and amaranth. And we’ve significantly cut back on the amount of meat we consume, which in turn reduces the amount of represented topsoil lost every time we eat. None of these things will change the world, it’s true. One compost pile will not solve the growing water crisis or empty the world’s landfills. But these actions will at least allow me to live a modern life while being less of a hypocrite. Until I’m willing (or forced by necessity) to go live in a yurt and grow all my own food, this is really the best I can do.

I think a return to simplicity is what we really need. Doesn’t sound fun, does it? But the real question is, how happy have our modern lives really made us? I’m much more satisfied after spending a few hours in the garden than I am after watching a few hours of television. I can’t tell if I’m just having a knee-jerk reaction to my experience at Ecology Action, or if I’m starting down the path to something more meaningful. I really don’t know. But I’ll keep you updated on how I progress or regress, because even though I’m not sure what the future will hold, I’m pretty sure that most of you are feeling what I’m feeling. So let’s get started.