Plastic, plastic, and a couple wine bottles.

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in posting to this journal. Lots has been going on in the past couple months, so I hope you will excuse us from our absence.

The purpose of this post is mainly to let you all know that we are still alive, and pretty much always thinking and talking about our environmental situation. As it turns out, I will (hopefully) be doing my dissertation on environmental issues and activism under the GDR (former communist East Germany). As a result, I will be able to translate my interest in environmental issues into historical research. Yes, that is good news. I'm not sure where this will lead me, but wish me luck!

In other news, I've been thinking a lot about recycling. I just get a little worried when we can "recycle" just about anything, even though I'm fairly certain most plastics would require a separate processing procedure. Just putting it out there.

Also, I guess most people who read this blog won't know about it, but OPG (Ontario Power Generation) has put out these pro-nuclear ads recently that have me a little upset. One, for instance, features a worker holding a pellet of nuclear fuel, below which it reads that this pellet can power the average home for about 6 months. Ok, great. But isn't it disturbing that every six months, then, we have one of those pellets for EVERY home in Canada? Hmm? Where do people think this nuclear waste goes? I HAVE looked into what happens to it, and it is actually fairly troubling how we don't actually have a long term plan other than BURY IT AS DEEP AS POSSIBLE AND HOPE NOBODY ATTACKS IT. Phew, I'm glad to hear we've got things under control. Thanks Government of Canada. Crisis obviously averted.

Hello, September!

I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of tomorrow, the 4th, because that's the day Andrew is returning from his two and a half month 'stint' in Germany. I'm glad for him to have had the opportunity to travel overseas. He's told me so much about Europe and in a lot of ways, they've really got it right. Environmentalism is much more integrated into the lifestyle, and sometimes out of necessity rather than just because it's the "right thing to do". Everything is recyclable, and everyone recycles. People walk to the store, or take transit across town, and get this -- it's regular people doing this, not just the "poor" people!

It's things like this that really drives me to write a book about how everyone can find the environmentalist within themselves. It won't be a book of tips -- there are lots of those out there. I want to write a motivational book to get people thinking about environmentalism. Al Gore has turned his passion towards global warming and reducing emissions. That's great! And he's shown how people can do so many simple things to help. But at the same time, he's also alienated people in doing so. Many people refuse to look past the "global warming" aspect of it, meaning, they won't change because they don't believe it's happening.

My argument is, you shouldn't have to choose a side. You should try and reduce your impact on the environment because it's our children that will have to pay the price. If everyone started believing that what they flush down the drain or toss into the landfill will have a direct impact on their children's health, or their grandchildren's health, wouldn't they try and make a difference? If you really sat and thought about what your kids will have to breathe in on their way to school, wouldn't you want to try and encourage greater carpooling, or transit use, or just walking and biking?

I am 'typing' out loud but I think that's what I will try to tap into with the writing of my book. If being impassioned for the sake of the planet isn't enough to get someone motivated, maybe convincing them that their actions are not separated from an impact on the environment will do it. If I can convince my parents that buying organic, and biodegradable, is for the sake of their future grandkids, maybe they can see past the initial monetary cost and try to do something good for the sake of all of us, including them.

It'll be a tough, long, and possibly dark road, but I gotta try.

-Jessica

My Commitment to a Better Canada

Well, this is my final week here in Germany, and the impending departure has got me thinking. Have I changed after being in another country with different values for two and a half months? Will this change translate into a different me back at home? When I get thinking about this kind of stuff, it inevitably causes me to consider how my environmental attitudes have changed.
Before I left Canada, I did go out of my way to effect change in my surroundings and on the largest scale I could access. That is, I did my best to recycle, pick up trash when possible, cut down on waste, save water, etc. In this position I was quite comfortable. As are many Canadians, I think. But now that I have been exposed to German environmental culture, I may never be the same.
While here, I have become committed, as everyone else here is, to sorting all my trash, buying things with minimal packaging, using public transport/biking, and being open to further efficiencies and environmental protections measures. So, the question remains, what will my life be like when I get back to Canada? Will I forget some of the things that I liked about Germany and move back to my old lifestyle? Or will I start making changes to my lifestyle and work for change in my community?
Here is my committment. I will do my best to make both my personal life and the world around me more efficient, environmentally-friendly, and friendly to the human scale of life. This means a lot of things to me, so I will try and elaborate.
Firstly, I will continue to work with Jessi and cut out harmful products, lower energy/resource use, and change our harmful behaviour in our personal spheres.
Secondly, I will write more letters, be more publicly active, and get involved in making change for my local community.
Thirdly, I really am committed to working for larger change. Not only does this cover awareness of environmental issues, but also in addressing global inequities to the best of my individual ability. This my seem a lofty aim, but when you shoot for the moon....
In the end, I do want to learn from this experience. I have gained an entirely different perspective on global living and the human condition on a larger scale, so hopefully I can translate that into meaningful change at home too :)

Andrew

Step 1: Admitting that I'm NOT Perfect

I've said many times to Andrew that, when my Master's is completed and I have some spare time (ever), I'm dedicated to writing a book. The premise is based upon my personal conviction that everyone is an environmentalist, and everyone can change ONE thing to help reduce emissions, conserve energy, keep the water clean, etc. And I think the first chapter will be devoted to acknowledging that as humans, we're imperfect, and making changes is difficult.

Is this coming from atop a pedestal? Hardly.

I was born in the early 80's, and right from elementary school we were taught about why trees are beneficial, the Three R's, the issue of endangered species, and so on. But it wouldn't be until university that I truly realized the importance of environmentalism, and to think much more about the bigger picture. Part of this stemmed from having taken a mandatory "environmental issues" course, and it made me realize that not one of us on Earth lives in a bubble. MY shampoo, MY soaps, MY dish liquids, MY drinks and foods I buy in individual packaging all ends up somewhere -- and most often, it's the water, the land, and the air.

But even then, I figured that change was something I could do "later". I couldn't "afford" to buy better products, and as a student, in many cases WalMart is a savior. Well, the reality is I still can't truly "afford" anything, but I realized that when I finally have children, they're not going to care. How could I tell them, "sorry the water you're drinking is dirty, but mommy couldn't afford to buy organic."

I made a pledge to start making ethical purchases, even if it means buying less.

But what did I do? For starters, a few weeks ago I went to a hair salon and had my hair washed with goodness knows what kind of product. Then, I was so enthralled, and so vain, that I left with a shiny new $150 straightening iron. Do I buy a straightening iron every month? No. Nor do I visit the salon often, either. But the point is, despite having made a promise to myself and the environment to "do better", I went and purchased an appliance that consumes energy for no other use than to make myself "look nice."

I want to say it stopped there, but clearly I wasn't thinking very environmentally when, during the week last week, I bought not one but TWO different spray-products to "protect" my hair while flat ironing it. Reading the ingredients of the "lower cost" label one is enough to make me feel embarrassed. Sure it smells fruity-sweet, but it's packed full of chemicals, many of them artificial, that will just end up washed out of my locks and into the drain while I shower tonight.

But I did just buy a set of solid shampoo and conditioner from LUSH, which not only feature environmentally-friendly chemicals, the store is also generally anti-packaging, which helps me to kill two birds with one stone. I can have my hair fetish and make sure less energy is used in getting it to my hair, too.

So, in writing this, I want people to be more encouraged than anything. No, we're not perfect. Yes, sometimes human nature (in my case, vanity!) will overpower your better senses. But don't take it as a sign to give up. The moment I see an organic flat-iron spray I'll be sure to mend the mistake I made this past week. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to lathering up with my solid shampoo and conditioner, currently residing in containers I refused to toss out when they were empty (cream cheese and cottage cheese, respectively)!

-Jessica...an aspiring enviro-beauty queen~

On the Merits of General Environmental Education

This won´t likely be a long post, but here it is nonetheless.

In Germany, there seems to be an entirely (ganz anderes) different culture of public environmental knowledge. I think that people generally know more about what happens to what type of garbage, what is recycled and how to sort properly. This is all good, and from what I can see, Canada is moving in this direction. But here comes the inevitable however.

I think that the world has a lot to learn from a fellow like Barry Commoner. Aside from being a major figure in American environmentalism, Commoner promoted the spread of scientific information to the public in terms they could understand. He believe that only when properly informed could the public make, well, INFORMED decisions about their environment and major issues therein. We still have a public that even when trying their best to "help the environment" is dreadfully underinformed on even the simplest of recycling practices. For instance, does anyone know how a tetra pack is actually recycled once it gets sorted? Is it possible that this process is entirely inefficient and hurts the environment more than it helps? I´m not saying these statements are true, but rather that most people honestly don´t know. So how can people even do one of the things that is perceived generally as being unequivocally "good" with an entirely clean conscience?

Herein lies a problem that I can see with general environmentalism and the environmental ethos. In my previous post, I maintained that people need to change their actions and take personal responsibility. However, I think this personal initiative needs to be tempered by some even handed critical thinking and a small amount of research. But that is why people blindly (even when meaning well) believe in environmentalism or anything else. They simply don´t know what they are talking about. If they do, then it isn´t blind and they have honestly thought through the pros and cons of their actions. However, for the most part, it is my opinion that most people see their own lives as "too busy" to actually look into the intricacies and minute details of their day to day actions. Admittedly, it takes a hell of a lot of energy to determine how best to make your lifestyle a low footprint one.

Here is where the environmental interest groups, or even general science interests (I think) should come in and supply some basic information on things like recycling. By telling people about how such things essentially function, with some reliable statistics on efficiency and alternative options, then maybe the average citizen could reasonably change their actions. I´m not entirely sure how this would be disseminated, but that is another problem altogether.
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I think a lot of the problem and lack of credibility I see in popular environmentalism is the hysteria involved. It may be insanely biased, but see the environmental hyteria episode of Penn & Teller´s Bullshit. People will sign ANY petition, even if it is banning H20. But I digress. I contend that the environmental movement needs to move more and more towards an Al Gore model, which in my opinion, without weighing in on his conclusions specifically, is very well done. By providing practical and credible source material, the public then builds a skillset of critical reasoning in daily life. (Ok, maybe this is a stretch)

My conclusion is really: Give the people a little knowledge and see what they do with it. I may be so lofty in my aims here, but I think following Commoner´s line of thought just a little in today´s massively connected world might do a lot of good.

Andrew aus Deutschland

Behavior vs Cornucopian Worldview

As you may or may not know, I have been travelling in Germany for the past 7 weeks or so. As such, it is only natural that I notice differences between this foreign culture and my own. There are of course the culinary and fashion differences. However, for the purposes of this blog´s subject matter, I would like to explain a major difference in Environmentalism and general efficiency, namely: water.

In North America, we are taught from a very young age that we should not waste water. This was translated early on into turning off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth. This seemed a thoughtful and reasonable consequence of not having an endless supply of freshwater. However, this behavioral approach to water (and resource use in general) savings seems to have ended there. As we age, we learn of the many wonderous and disgustingly expensive gadgets and appliances we can buy to alleviate the guilt of sucking the Great Lakes dry. We have efficient toilets, faucets, showers, and so on. And, so, someone with a house full of these expensive items feels secure in having done their part for the environment.

The European experience, at least for me, was one of behavorial environmentalism, as opposed to our North American cornucopianism. Here, the efficient use of water, electricity and gas by the individual is paramount. Sure they buy more efficient appliances out of necessity, but there are a number of cultural checks on energy and resource use. For one, toilets here have (for the most part) two buttons. One starts the toillett flushing, and the other allows the user to stop it from fully flushing in if not all the water is needed to *ahem* get the job done. Although troubling in its imagery, this is a potent example of the burden of environmental preservation being at least partly imposed on the individual.

Another example is showering. I have heard from Germans, and heard while they shower, that they first wet themselves with water, then turn off the water. This is when they lather themselves up with soaps of various kinds for different parts of the body, and then they turn on the water again to rinse themselves off. To me, this explanation was so foreign to a Canadian. I had never really thought of turning off the water to lather, I had just never heard of such a practice. Although I think this is partly due to a lack of faucets with which you can set a temperature and then just turn on and off, rather than having to fiddle with dials each time. However, I think the seemingly widespread nature of this practice warrants some consideration. I am sure such faucets exist or could easily exist in North America, so the only remaining barrier is the imposition of environmental responsibility on the INDIVIDUAL in North America.

It is my general feeling, and I will elaborate more at a later date on this if you like, that in North American society, we have a distinct lack of environmental burden on the individual. Why should I have to change how I live my life? We live in a FREE country right? I should be able to consume what and how much I like. Right? Well, sadly, this is a destructive and inefficient mentality. I think that a large part of our solution in the coming years to environmental concerns will be converting this governmental responsibility to personal burden for ensuring the future wellbeing of our planet. Too often do we just pass the buck, so to speak, to the government, since hell, we pay our taxes to them right? Why don´t they fix it? But we are going to have to increasingly accept responsibility for our actions, and then follow through and change these actions.

Andrew

Grand Opening the Second

The world really is becoming a better place with people like Jess and others I know joining the environmental cause. I would say that while I don´t subscribe to any "movement" or organization specifically, I am a friend of our planet and want to reduce my footprint as much as possible. I guess I am a true Canadian in that I don´t always define myself by what I AM as much as what I´m AGAINST. I am an opponent of consumer culture, American mainstream culture and economic and political globalization. So there you go.

I didn´t come up with a whole spiel for this beginning, but just wanted to say hi and thanks to Jessi for starting this thing up. Environmentalism is really a community and mindset based on cooperation and mutual contribution I think. So the more ideas we can get out there and recieve ourselves, the better.

Peace,

Andrew