It was a dark and stormy night...

...when I rode into work this morning. It's still so dark outside, I can't see anything out of my office window. As many people know, I've launched a car-free lifestyle since July. Granted, my husband still owns a car, and I do ride in it sometimes, but in general, I'm getting around on foot, by bike or on the bus. Sometimes, I even get my husband and my daughter to do the same. It's been fun in the late summer, warm, light out. Often, I have take more scenic routes to or from work just to enjoy being out in the sun. This month, of course, the days started getting shorter. I had to steal my husband's headband work light to use as a headlight for my bike. That solved the darkness issue. Then, it got very cold, so I had to get some fingerless glove/mitten things. And now, the ultimate challenge - the rain. It's pretty intimidating at first. The idea of getting to work wet and cold in the morning doesn't appeal. I rode the bus the first half of this week, glad for the shelter and warm friendly faces on the bus.

(On an aside: there's a sweet old man on the bus who it turns out just rides it around and around all day to have someone to talk to).

But, I had to strengthen my resolve, get my act together and brave the storm on my bike. I went to Fred Meyer and got some super cozy rain clothes (50% off!). The pants are lined and padded and they have lots of zipped pockets to keep stuff dry. This morning, I put my work clothes in a water-proofed reusable bag my husband scored when he did some work at an eco-construction company (http://glumac.com/), and I headed off into the stormy darkness. It had occurred to me that I might want to ride without my glasses, but a blog I read from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (http://www.bta4bikes.org/), said that glasses help keep the raindrops out of your eyes. And, well, yes that is true.

I have to say that it was a much more aerobic workout this morning, because I was in a hurry to get out of the wet and dark. I felt pretty studly walking into work with my slick biking clothes that went "squick, squick" when I walked. Then, I ducked into a bathroom stall like Superman to emerge in my jeans and "Save a tree for a better future" t-shirt. Of course, when I walked into the bathroom, I saw that someone had left the faucet on, which prompted an exhasperated, "Oh, who would do that?" But, so far, it's been an invigorating morning. The rain and the night have been conquered, at least for today. Hopefully, my bike chain won't rust in the many hours while I'm at work. It would be great if the bike chain fairy would stop by and squirt it with a shot of W-D 40. If it gets some rust, and my ride home is difficult, I'm sure I won't forget that part again.

It's been about a month since I've posted. Have I had writer's block? Did I run out of interesting things to say? On the contrary. I've had so many interesting experiences, I couldn't even keep up with them all.

First, we moved into Corvallis from Albany, OR. I had been riding the bus or working from home, since I sold my car in July. Now, I live just 3.6 miles from work. It's a five minute bus ride with a 15 minute walk or a 20 minute bike ride. My husband still has his car, which is new, small and gets great gas mileage. He feels like he almost never has to get gas unless we take a trip to Portland or something.

The really awesome thing is that there is a co-op grocery store within biking distance of my house, and another within walking distance from my office! I can ride or walk to get local organic and bulk foods. I keep reusable containers in my backpack and mesh produce bags in my purse, and I can stop by the co-op on my way home from work, or just take a ride there with my husband or kid and get whatever we need - without buying any plastic! People often come up and ask me how to use the bulk foods and reusable container system and whether or not they should invest in the mesh bags for their produce. I show them how to get cheese, tofu, peanut butter, cereal, frozen fruit - just about everything all in reusable containers.

So, the thing is that I'm feeling in a little bit of a bubble now. I can sort of tune out the rest of the community who doesn't shop local, organic and non-plastic. Until I go to Albertson's or K-Mart or something. Then, I get a little depressed. It's in places like that where I think, "This is what it's like in the rest of the country, or even the rest of my town. People are clueless - just buying up crap, because it's what's there." It's not even cheaper. We've been shocked how much money we save now that we don't pay for packaging. And, my idea of buying reusable bags from each store and passing them out to customers has developed a hitch, because the only store with a reasonably-sized reusable bag is Fred Meyer. Theirs are awesome, and many of their customers are using them. Safeway, Albertson's and K-mart just have wimpy little bags that are like a vague nod at being environmentally friendly. I'm contemplating buying Fred Meyer bags and handing them out at the other stores. I didn't want to do that, because I wanted the stores to feel like I was advertising for them, but they're making it pretty impossible to get behind any of their choices. I don't think people would accept home-made bags, but I might try that. I'm going to have to start writing letters to the stores, I guess.

Advocating for a cleaner life is becoming a second - oh wait third, oh wait fourth job. I feel like so many people in Corvallis are conscientious and "green" that it's almost harder to get things done for those who aren't.

Cereal Killer

So, the point of contention in our household with the no plastic thing is cereal. My husband and daughter live on cereal. My husband is trying to point out that his brand of cereal comes in a mostly recycled box. Another brand, claims to be saving packaging, by making the box bigger and giving you more cereal. Please, can't we be smarter than that? LOL

For the record, I never tell my family, "No, you can't buy that, it's packaged in plastic." They just feel guilty if they do, because they know too much about it. My husband is wrestling with adjusting his diet to a point where his stomach and insomnia issues disappear, so packaging isn't the biggest worry of his right now. However, if his gluten free, dairy free coconut ice cream comes in a total plastic free container, everyone is happy.

Anyway, down to the point - cereal. As No Impact Man points out, you want what's in the box, but you have to buy the box and the plastic bag in the box to get it. Even then, you don't get very much of it, so you have to do it at least once a week, if not more, depending on your family's cereal addiction. So, our new solution: homemade granola. It takes me back to my wilderness girl days when cereal was a nutty crunchy adventure concocted by my earth-mama grandmother and "cookies" were the clumps that formed in the granola jar. Yumm-ee!

We have to use gluten free oats, but for those who don't, oats can be found in the bulk section, so you can bring your own reusable container for them. Yay! All of the other ingredients can be gotten in bulk too. It's so earth-friendly and more economic! It gives new meaning to the term "granola girl." The recipe is below, starting with the simplest basics and then leading to some extra wild and wonderful suggestions. Beware, that this is really good cereal, and pretty packed with good stuff as well as some calories, so enjoy in moderation.

Basic granola:

4 cups oats

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

Mix all the stuff together until the oats are coated with sticky goo, spread on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about 25 min. Everything will be shiny, but the oats should feel dry, and the nuts should be roasted to your taste. Let cool, but not all the way (or your cereal will never come off the sheet), and put into a reusable container, preferably a glass jar.

Other ideas: sesame seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds (the best granola has them all at the same time!)

No Impact Man

The other night, my family and I watched the film "No Impact Man." We thought it was going to be a spoof about a guy who is over the edge with trying to be eco-positive to the point of driving away his family. It turned out to be a documentary about a writer who challenges himself to one year with zero environmental impact from his family, living in New York City. They gave up all motorized transportation and started walking and riding bikes, stopped using plastic of any kind, bought only local, fresh, organic foods, became vegetarian and starting a worm, composting bin in their apartment. Ok, that's mostly stuff I already do. Many people in Corvallis and Portland are on that track. After being on this path for a few months, he decided they should also give up television, toilet paper and electricity. Life became like camping in a tiny New York apartment. People got angry at them for being "unsanitary." But, they made it through the year without getting sick or losing their jobs or endangering their child. You can read more about this experiment at: http://noimpactman.typepad.com/. The movie is also pretty fun and inspiring to watch. For me, it was great, because now I can say to my family, "at least I let you use toilet paper."

Our big challenge right now is getting rid of stuff. We've massively downsized from our big historic house in Albany to a little house in Corvallis. Wow, moving is wasteful! Plastic abstinence went out the window for the weekend of moving, that's for sure! I had to make a trade-off, because my green bamboo flooring I chose to install in our new home office was wrapped in plastic. Oh what a wonderful treat, when you unwrap it though! I had no idea bamboo had such an amazing smell. It's like a cedar forest - or maybe a bamboo forest? And it looks great too.

What I've learned through this move is that despite the fact that we have been living simply, buying used clothes and furniture or making our own, we've still accumulated too much stuff! Of the three R's, we've got the "reuse" and "recycle" down, but the reduce part is what we have to work on now. Freecycle, Craiglist, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, watch out, here we come!

On a positive note, I was able to ride my bike to work today. We've moved to Corvallis, 3.6 miles from my work just in time for national bike commute to work week. Yes! It feels great! High five, No Impact Man!

Today, I was the bag lady. I got dragged a little begrudgingly to the store this morning, because we were out of cereal. I perked up walking through the door though, because there was a big rack of nice reusable bags for 99 cents each. I bought ten, got some cereal and dog food, and went to stand outside the door to hand out the bags. The responses were so interesting! The first guy was so shocked and happy. He had a plastic bag partially full of groceries and his other arm was awkwardly juggling some sort of small appliance in a box. He immediately stopped and tried to wrestle the appliance into the bag, so I helped him, and then he had long, handy straps to help him carry it more comfortably. He was very happy. Most of the people were really happy to get a nice free bag. Some of the people also asked for the mesh produce bags I was holding. Some people said no. Some were very suspicious. It's funny how jaded people get by the fact that everything in our society is supposedly for a profit or a scam. A few people had their own bags, and I thanked and praised them for remembering them. When I gave one guy a bag, he said, "Why?" I said, "Because I want you to use it." He held up his plastic bags and said, "At least I saved a tree." I spared him the lecture.

After giving away my last bag at the Albany store, I went home, got dressed and drove into Corvallis to do the same thing there. I bought twenty bags this time. My poor husband is sure this is going to break us, but I have to admit that it makes me feel great, and the more people rain on my parade, the more likely I am to need to do it some more.

Corvallis was more open to the bags, and many people there were walking in with their reusable bags and boxes. People were so excited to get reusable bags. They couldn't believe they were free. Several people said, "You're giving me something free? Sure, I'll take anything that's free!" One lady said, "Well, what's the catch?" No catch. "I mean, what's the gimmick?" No gimmick. Just next time you come to the store, please use it. A few people said, "No thank you," going into the store, but when they came out of the store, they said, "You're really just giving these to people for free?" Yes. "Okay, then, thanks, I do want one." Awesome. One lady thought the bag was so nice, she wanted to use it to carry things to her classroom at school, not for groceries. That's not really the point, but oh well. At least she won't be using plastic bags for that I guess.

The last bag is always the hardest for me, because I really feel like just this random lady standing there with a bag, suddenly offering it to an unsuspecting shopper. Who knows where it came from? Luckily, it feels stranger to me than it does to them. The last bag I gave in Corvallis was to a teenaged boy. I was worried he wouldn't take it, because a couple of young guys had been cheeky about not taking bags and intentionally coming back out carrying arms full of plastic bags to "show" me. But, he looked amazed, like I had given him a hug or something. When I was done, I just started walking down the street with that giddy happy feeling of randomly brightening the day of thirty total strangers (and the people who watched from their cars and cafe tables). It's a good way to bounce back from the things that weigh a person down.

Today is the second day of a company retreat at my new work. It's been really interesting and inspiring to see where the founders started, how they grew their dreams and how the other people in the organization have come here from higher paying but less fulfilling jobs. I felt lucky. I'm in good company. It was nice to get to talk soil a little bit to a plant biologist who is having a problem with an invasive grass on a protected hillside.

Listening to my boss talk about the values and goals of the company, I got a couple of gems to think about and pass on. He said that it's so strange that people think that pro environment means anti people, but that most of the conservationists he know are just as passionate about people as they are about all of the other species. That's the point! All species are interconnected. People are ruining the planet not just for other species, but for themselves. The massive extinctions we're seeing are an indication of what we're doing to our own survivability on the planet. It's so hard to get people to understand or care. Why?

The other thing he said that I'm thinking about a lot is "It's one thing to pretend to be sustainable and another to be truly striving for sustainability." Corvallis came to my mind. Sometimes I feel like there's a touchy-feely, "let's act like we're pushing green technology and building and no growth, while we're really expanding, tearing up soil and selling out like crazy" thing going on in Corvallis. I know a lot of individuals who are amazing at conserving/recycling resources, growing their own food, using alternative fuels etc, but the city itself seems to be talking out of one side of its mouth and then doing something else entirely.

The plastic bag issue is case and point. Why are people so attached to a little thing that is so obviously bad for everyone? Last night, my husband offered to carry a woman's three tiny items to her car for her if she would forgo the plastic bag she was taking from the cashier. She said, "Oh no, but don't worry, I use it to clean up my dog poop. It won't go to waste." The cashier promptly came up with another great use for the plastic bag at his house - using it to line his garbage. I said, "Wow. Both great ways to ensure that biodegradable wastes never degrade." They laughed and said, "Yeah!" Like I had made a joke.

This sounds kind of depressing, but never fear. The fun, wacky thing I'm going to do to make myself and hopefully others feel better is to buy a bunch of reusable bags from each local grocery store and walk around passing them out to the shoppers. There's nothing like a whimsical random act of kindness to make a girl feel better about the world. I highly recommend trying it.

The discussion about a plastic bag ordinance in Corvallis, Oregon is now under way. Several people from differing political backgrounds were inspired to write letter to the city manager and councilors in support of a ban on single use plastic bags in stores and pharmacies. People who wrote forwarded letters to me from their councilors with very positive responses, saying that there has been discussion of such an ordinance, but they were awaiting citizen interest. It was all very hopeful. Then, yesterday, I got a succinct email from the mayor, who is in his last term. He drives and electric car, and has tried very hard to promote a "sustainable" agenda for Corvallis, so I was sure he'd be in favor of phasing out plastic bags. I was pretty surprised that his response was very negative, ensuring me that there is strong opposition to a bag ordinance and it is definitely not on the horizon, so I shouldn't get my hopes up. That was a big contrast to what we had heard so far. When I posted this new information on my facebook page, with a query about whether people though the "opposition" of which he spoke might be coming from stores themselves, many people chimed in saying they have heard positive reactions from stores about doing away with plastic bags, and several people requested a grass roots movement/organization to get a broader discussion going about the subject. So, I started a Facebook group: Corvallis Plastic Bag Ordinance to invite the greater community to weigh in with the pros and cons and possible solutions to the issue. Maybe after some discussion with the various interest groups and research into how other cities are implementing their bans, we can come to a rational conclusion that works for all sides. Maybe there aren't "sides," and we just need a common starting point from which to move forward. In any case, I'm putting it out there to get the ball rolling, explore the possibilities, and see where we can go from there. Come on and join the discussion!

Wow! What a week of interesting connections and conversations! My friend Alicia posted the link to the Corvallis City Council and asked people to write in about the plastic bag ordinance. She got so much feedback both for and against! It was so interesting to see the range of differing opinions out there. That kind of feedback doesn't really happen on my page. People are usually in accordance with sustainability issues. She had people complaining about everything from socialism to botulism. All because of the suggestion that one little town would like to disallow plastic bag companies from invading our homes, lawns and waterways.

My friend Joanie did post some really great suggestions for recycling plastic bags that you have or find by taking them to the local recycling center or the Corvallis co-op. Putting them in the commingled recycling isn't good, because the machines aren't made to process them, and they just get tangled. Very few people even try to recycle them though.

What was also amazing is the number of stories people had about plastic bags showing up in their yards. Where do those pesky things come from? If we're angry about that, imagine how Japan feels about the hundreds of thousands of tons that wash up on their shores every year!

Several people were excited about the ban, but lamented the animal poo disposal issue. I recommend biobags (http://www.cleanairgardening.com/dogpoopbag.html), which are compostable. Their site insists that you put them in your compost and not the landfill, because as they point out, nothing really decomposes in airtight, sealed landfills, even things that are made to. I have a friend who won't use these, because he's sure the poop can permeate the bags and get on him. It doesn't and really, you should be washing your hands thoroughly after handling poop anyway. Another cool thing at this site, speaking of compost, is this ceramic compost bucket (http://www.cleanairgardening.com/ceramic-compost-crock.html). They also have stainless steal. These have a carbon filter in them to keep the smell down, and they look really cute.

At the co-op the other day (where I have finally been enjoying a little plastic free shopping), I saw recycled, recyclable paper bags with soy inks. Hmmm...I wonder how much those cost to make and how many paper products are out there to make them. I don't think it would be a long term solution, but for awhile, it might be a useful alternative to plastic bags. I really think reusable bags are the ticket. When Trader Joe's first opened in Corvallis, they gave one to each customer. I have so many at this point, I could probably supply one to every family on my street. If people had the option of bringing their own bags or having to buy a $3 reusable one from the store, I think they would invest in and remember their bags.

My friend Kathy emailed the city and got a good response. She also directed me to the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, where I signed up for the "No Car Day Pledge," taking place September 22 (http://www.sustainablecorvallis.org/home)

Not just other citizens but the city council members I emailed had really great responses to the plastic bag ban in Corvallis. Three city councilors responded to me and to others that it has been on the agenda, they were just waiting for some community support. On the contrary, Albany officials didn't even acknowledge that I emailed them. I will email them about this lack of response to my email and their seeming overall lack of interest in sustainability. The only time I've seen them mention it, is in their encouragement of people to buy old houses downtown rather than building new ones. While I love my old house, I wouldn't call it the most sustainable investment I've ever made. Sorry, Albany.

So, we're excited about a ban on plastic bags at least in Corvallis. Maybe we can lead the state in this sustainable move. I always think that acting locally is the most efficient, least costly and least beaureaucratic way to go. Hopefully that thought rings true.

response from local officials

As I said I would, I contacted all of the elected officials in Corvallis, Albany, Linn County, Benton County and the state of Oregon regarding a ban on plastic bags in stores. A Corvallis official said that there has been some conversation about this among the city council, but they have been waiting for requests from citizens for such a proposal. So, now they have one. Hopefully, the idea that someone is waiting and hoping to hear our voices will inspire others to let them know that a plastic bag ban would be supported in Corvallis. There is a choice between a ban or a charge. I don't think a charge will do much other than make someone richer. It won't deter pollution.

Anyway, I was nervous to contact them. I'm shy, don't like confrontation, and I didn't think they would listen or want to hear from me anyway, but they did. They are waiting for people to say this is important so they can move on it. If you have any inclination to get something done about this at all, please send a brief note to your city council person (or all of the city council people) found at:http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=54. It really isn't that crazy of an idea.

Plastic bag ban - sample letter

Hello, Sara:

I'm spending some time today to contact all of my state and local elected officials to express my support of a ban on single-use grocery bags in stores, shops and pharmacies in Oregon. San Francisco has implemented such a ban, and I'm sure you know Portland has one in the works as well. I've read that Oregon had such a bill last year, but it didn't come to fruition, so it's up for consideration again in January. It's very very very important that we stop contributing to the pollution of our waterways with plastics, especially plastic bags. We're choking our aquatic and marine wildlife. Many people won't be able to make this change of their own choice. Plastics are too pervasive and perceived as cheap and easy. Saying no to them takes great will-power, work and sacrifice, and most people are trying too hard just to get by in life right now. The only way the change can really be made is if the government puts a foot down and says, "Oregon isn't going to give in to the plastic companies anymore." A 5 cent bag charge isn't enough to deter people. A $3 charge for a reusable bag is far more likely to get peoples' attention and encourage them to bring their own bags. Please help by lending your voice to this legislation.

Thank you very much,

Wendy Peterman

Environmental Scientist

2357 NW Green Circle

Corvallis, OR 97333

Life without plastic - Taking Action

So, my week without plastic generated some interesting thoughts and discussion among readers. While last week, I was getting emails and messages with support and ideas for overcoming my own plastic challenges, this week, I'm getting the question:"Now what?" What can we do to change this? How can we keep from putting plastic in our waterways? How is my behavior as one person going to change anything? Answer: it won't. My biggest observation while abstaining from plastic is the mindlessness with which other people buy it, use and throw it away. The only way to stop them from doing that is to make it illegal. Illegal? Yipes. Plastic companies will get mad. They'll guilt us for using paper bags. Yes, well, we should also feel guilty about that. Here's an idea: buy and use re-usable bags. They're very handy.

I've just read that Ikea stopped using plastic bags and went to only reusable bags due to a 92% vote from customers. So you don't think you have a voice? You do! Use it.

This is what I'm going to do this week, and I invite all of you to join me. I'm going to contact all of the elected officials of Corvallis and Albany, Benton County and Linn County and Governor Kulongoski (contact info below) to say it isn't OK for stores in our community to continue to use plastic bags, and I want them banned now and replaced with reusable bags. Oregon was trying this year to be the first state to ban plastic bags in stores and pharmacies. They didn't get the bill together in time for last year, so it's going to come up again in January. They got some nasty pressure from plastic bag companies as well. I'm sure the people who work in plastic bag companies can work in reusable bag companies. Portland is trying to make it's own ban in the meantime. Why can't Corvallis and Albany do it too? We banned smoking in restaurants, we can ban plastic bags in stores. We don't want a 5 cent tax like Washington DC. We already have that fee, and it doesn't deter. What's five cents? (Well, actually, 5 cents a day is $18.25 per year, which is enough to buy several reusable grocery bags that can fit in your purse or on your key chain. (http://www.chicobag.com/)) Come on, we can do it! We have a tiny little town with elected officials who post their home phone numbers on their website as if they really want to hear from us. Even if you don't live in Corvallis or Albany, you have local officials in your area who are real people, in every one of us has the power within our own town to make this change. San Francisco is doing it for goodness sake!

Corvallis City government:

http://www.ci.corvallis.or.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=121&Itemid=87

Mayor: Charlie Thomlinson 541-766-6901

Ward 1: Mark O’Brien 541-766-6491

Ward 2: Patricia Daniels 541-766-6492

Ward 3: Richard Hervey 541-766-6985

Ward 4: Dan Brown 541-766-6494

Ward 5: Mike Beilstein 541-766-6495

Ward 6: Joel Hirsch 541-766-6496

Ward 7: Jeanne Raymond (541) 766-6497

Ward 8: David Hamby 541-766-6498

Ward 9: Hal Brauner 541-766-6499

Albany City government:

http://cityofalbany.net/council/

Sharon Konopa, Mayor 926-6812

Dick Olsen, Ward I(a) 926-7348

Floyd Collins, Ward I(b) 928-2961

Ralph Reid, Jr., Ward II(a) 928-7382

Bill Coburn, Ward II(b) 928-0649

Bessie Johnson, Ward III(a) 791-2494

Jeff Christman, Ward III(b) 926-0528

Benton county:

Benton County Board of Commissioners
408 SW Monroe Avenue

Suite 111 (located on the mezzanine)

PO Box 3020
Corvallis, OR 97339-3020

Phone: 541-766-6800
Fax: 541-766-689

Linn county:

Linn County Courthouse, Room 201

Hours: 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. Mon - Fri

Phone: 541-967-3825

Oregon government:

Governor:

Governor Kulongoski 160 State Capitol 900 Court Street Salem, Oregon 97301-4047

PHONE Governor’s Citizens’ Representative Message Line 503.378.4582

Senate Bill 1009, introduced by Senators Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) and Mark Hass (D-Beaverton), represents a significant first step in addressing the problems created by the proliferation of single-use bags. It would go a long way toward reducing Oregon’s annual use of 39 million plastic bags which require 150,000 barrels of oil to produce, unnecessarily fill our landfills where they don’t biodegrade, and cause significant litter along roadways, waterways and beaches where they harm wildlife. Jurisdictions around the world, including China, Ireland, Bangladesh, Mexico City, San Francisco and even Washington DC, have laws in place designed to limit their use. Oregon would become a leader in the U.S. by establishing the first statewide ban.

Oregon Legislature convenes in January 2011, state lawmakers may be considering outlawing the use of plastic bags to carry groceries across the entire state.

No Plastic Vow - Day 7

Well, there we go - one week. Not so bad. Pretty darn good actually. And I didn't starve. I found that I could go without a printer cartridge, wash my cell phone and still use it (and someday replace it with a recycled plastic phone), get tacos to go in my own reusable container, buy fish in a paper wrapper, make yummy cheeses at home, save money on groceries by getting them unpackaged, shop at the Wednesday farmers market next to my work, get a university to have online forms rather than printable ones, and make friends in the process. All good motivators to make permanent lifestyle changes.

Some thoughts this idea has brought up for me - what will I do when I need new shoes or a new shower curtain? Vinyl shower curtains are shown to emit over 100 toxic chemicals in the first few days after purchase. Whoa. I started researching vinyl, because it's one of the few substances to which I don't get an allergic reaction. I personally am allergic to latex. So, even though latex is organic and comes from natural sources, my body can't handle it. Crazy. It emits dioxins and chlorine gases. The vinyl industry says it has those things under control and has made vinyl totally sustainable, non-toxic, recyclable and enviro-safe. Apparently, they've removed the cancer-causing substances they used to use in it, which is good, but as the second most used plastic, there is some cause for caution. Also, they claim it's only 50% petrolelum-based and 50% salt. Hmmm...

My daughter sent me this awesome site for a shoe company that uses all natural, organic and recycled materials to make eco-friendly and vegan shoes. The funny thing is that my totally synthetic shoes I have to wear to keep my feet from getting rashy are vegan. They just aren't natural in any way. In any case, simpleshoes.com uses bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, cork, recycled plastics, recycled carpet padding, recycled paper and recycled tires in their shoes. Very cool. They also have some shoes with silk and eco-certified leather, so they sell both vegan and non-vegan shoes. Their latex is sustainably harvested straight from trees, which is lovely for the trees and totally evil for my feet. So, I guess I'll wear the heck out of my synthetic shoes and keep researching sustainable footwear that doesn't give me hives. As for the shower curtains, I'll have to keep looking into that.

So, one week down, an unknown number to go. Living without plastic is possible, interesting, challenging, inexpensive, and a worthwhile goal.

No Plastic Vow - Day 6

Day 6 has come and gone. It was a great day for not buying plastic. I worked from home the first half of they, so my meals were covered, then went to work for the afternoon. My husband picked me up, and we walked out to the parking lot where the Wednesday farmers' market was happening. It was great to see all the vendors out there with their compostable berry containers. Only a few people had items wrapped in plastic. One person even had some cheeses in glass jars. We bought fresh strawberries and munched them until we found a vendor selling gluten free crepes. That was awesome! We shared one with basil, tomatoes and brie. Nice.

Next, we went to the co-op with our stash of Gladware containers from home and bought peanut butter out of the grinder, white vinegar out of a spicket and fresh mozarella out of a tub. My husband was sure it was going to be expensive, because the prices per pound of each thing sounded high. We were pleasantly surprised that our trip only cost us $8. Sean said, "Wow. I guess packaging is expensive."

Outside the co-op was a girl pitching memberships to Environment Oregon. She started by asking if we wanted to help ban plastic bags in all stores and shops in Oregon. Why yes, we do! She was giving a spiel about the huge island of plastic garbage in the Pacific gyre, which I had just written about the other day. This isn't such an uncommon wavelength I'm on.

At home that evening, I used my buttermilk and a quart of regular milk with my white vinegar to make farmers' cheese, pictured above. What a fun and relaxing task that was! I used the whey to make a little bit of ricotta, which I ate with some blackberried from my backyard for breakfast this morning. I'm going to use the leftover water to water my garden. So, Day 6 was a day of transformation, hope and coming out the other side of this journey. New perspectives and ways of doing things are emerging and showing a light at the end of the tunnel. My week is complete after today, and I feel like it's just the beginning.

No Plastic Vow - Day 5

Day 5 was very simple. I worked from home all day, ate food I made from scratch or picked from the garden, and had a wonderful car ride with my daughter to see her horse in Newberg, OR. While I don't love the idea of burning the gas to drive that far, I do love that time alone with my girl. I get to enjoy her questions, opinions, thoughts, quirky sense of humor and edgy taste in music.

On my way home from the barn, I did have to make a stop at the grocery store. As I lamented yesterday, we still live far from the co-op, so I decided to see what I could get away with in the Albany Fred Meyers. I checked the deli department for bulk cheeses. I basically found that they have the standard brands of cheese, wrapped in the same vacuumed-sealed plastic as the refrigerator case. They're bigger, so you can buy a chunk without taking home plastic, but in the end, they'll end up wasting almost as much plastic as I would if I bought large blocks of cheese myself.

Walking from the deli through the bakery to the produce section I saw plastic cake covers, plastic bread bags, plastic gloves, plastic berry containers, plastic-wrapped melons, plastic fruit and veggie trays and plastic bags of salad. I used my own handy dandy recycled plastic mesh bags to get a few apples, broccoli and bulk peanuts. I couldn't buy carrots, because they were in plastic bags or peanut butter, because the jars all have plastic seals around the lids to show they haven't been opened, and the bulk peanut butter machine had plastic containers to hold the peanut butter. I bought non-organic milk in cardboard cartons, because all of the organic milk containers have handy plastic nozzles and caps on the sides. At least the organic, free-range, veggie-fed eggs don't have any plastic on the containers. Another really cheap visit to the super market - $20.

When I got home, my husband said, "I got us Thai food." I said, "Ummm...To go?" He said, "Uh-oh. I forgot." At least this Thai place uses reusable, recyclable plastic to-go containers rather than styrofoam, but I would have preferred to actually eat at the restaurant and avoid the plastic altogether. It's amazing how normal and convenient plastic has become. We don't even think about it. I can't blame him. I'm making a conscious choice to be very focused and mindful not to buy any plastic right now, and just the other day, I realized I bought an inexpensive 100% cotton t-shirt that was nice enough for work, without even noticing that it had 6 plastic buttons on it. There goes the "no plastic" part of my vow. I'm still trying though. Growing into an almost no plastic kind of girl.

I'm through Day 4. My cell phone works. The sound is a little tinny, but I'm not complaining. This is its second time through the laundry in two years. It recovered much more quickly this time. Maybe it's getting used to it. Yesterday was a low-stress day on the no plastic front. I took a Glad container to work (one I'd bought as a permanent to-go container months ago). I brought it with me to La Rockita, the Mexican restaurant near my work. They were very sweet about putting my two veggie tacos in the sandwich section of the container, and pouring some salsa in one of the smaller wells. I put on the lid and carried it to work. This experiment has been fun. Yesterday, I was thinking, why would I stop after one week of this? I'm finding teamwork, creativity, laughter and thoughtfulness from everyone I interact with on this journey. Well, everyone but my daughter. I can see the "oh goodness, please don't let my mom get even more eccentric" look on her face. But, as my friend Shelly says, I should be pretty used to people thinking I'm odd by now.

Today, however, as I embark on Day 5, I'm waxing philosophical. My refrigerator is nearly empty. I need to go to the store. I want to use the containers I have already to go to the co-op and have them filled with fresh or bulk items. I want to ride my bike there and save gas and reduce my plastic usage, but I still live far from the co-op in Corvallis, and I need to work at home all day, so I can take my daughter to her really far horse lesson. The mindfulness aspect is kicking in. My intention needs to be strong today. I read several articles about the plastic garbage dumps collecting in the ocean, and that certainly gave me the willpower. It's no wonder oceanographers tend to be vegans who use only biodegradable plastics. Check out: http://ecology.com/ecology-today/2008/08/14/pacific-plastic-waste-dump/ for more information about the massive collections of plastic in slow-moving ocean gyres. Another article I read on Discovery network (http://news.discovery.com/earth/how-much-plastic-is-in-the-ocean.html) said that a scientist has estimated that there are at least 315 billion pounds of plastic in the ocean right now. That's too much to even clean up. It's not only giving me a passion for not consuming plastic and continuing to recycle what I do use, but also for keeping and using the heck out of every plastic item I already own. Who ever though I'd end up loving and cherishing my plastic objects through this experience? It's not that they're so great, but that I don't want them turned loose in the world. So, goals for Day 5 - buy enough food for my family to make it through the day, and plan Day 6 so I can ride my bike from work to the co-op with my reusable containers to buy things in bulk. I can see this growing into a month-long vow. Wouldn't it be great, if it could grow into a lifestyle?

No Plastic Vow - Day 3

Day three started with overcoming the anticipated hurdle of getting a lease agreement form printed without replacing my printer cartridge. My husband also needed to have a movie script scanned, so he called the local Staples to find out if they do that service. They said they could scan it for $0.25 per page, which is definitely worth not having me wrestle with the scanner over 119 pages. While he had them on the phone, he asked if they had rental forms, and if they were sold as individual pages or if they were packaged. The girl responded that they were packaged. He figured the week was over then, but instead we went online, purchased a downloadable lease agreement from a law firm, saved it on his handy-dandy thumb drive, and took it with us to Staples.

The girl there turned out to be a former student of his at OSU. There was kind of an odd energy about that for a moment, and then she started asking questions about what we wanted done with our scanning. After that was squared away, Sean asked her if she could print our forms, to which she said, "yes." Then he proclaimed, "And we need not to have any plastic!" The girl positively got the giggles. He might as well have told her she needed to paint herself blue and hop on one foot while scanning our pages. I have no idea what struck her so funny. She looked at me for the first time, and I nodded assent. When all the scanning and printing was done, we went to the cash register to pay, and she said, "So....do you want a...pa-per bag?" "No bag, thanks," we said, and cheerfully took our papers out the door. That was kind of fun.

The real issue came when we got home, and I started to wonder when my daughter was going to call and ask to come home from her sleep over. That led to wondering where on Earth I had left my cell phone, which led to my husband calling it to help me locate it. His call went directly to voice mail. Uh oh. I had just charged it the night before, so it wasn't turned off. I immediately began to wonder if it had gone through the laundry. We looked in all of the usual hiding places to no avail. Then, yes, it was at the bottom of a very wet load of clothes in the washing machine. I had just turned down an offer for a new phone with renewal of my Verizon contract. I told the guy, "I like my phone, and I think it would be wasteful to get a new one just to make you guys feel better. I'll tell you what, I've been your customer for years, and I fully intend to renew, without you bribing me with a new phone. Does that make you feel good enough?" He said thanks, it did. And now, I've put the phone through the laundry for the second time in it's two year lifespan. And, it still works.

Going through our drawers and piles of craft supplies this weekend, I found five old phones waiting to be recycled. They aren't all mine, but it did bring a bewildered laugh to look at the pile. Actually, now that I think of it, there is one more in my husband's car. So, I looked up places to recycle them. There are all kinds of cell phone recycling opportunities, and some even support charities. Just type in "cell phone donation" to Google, and you're off. I also found this article about a cell phone made entirely of recycled plastic. The phone company also trades Carbon credits for some extra enviro feel-good marketing. Check it out at:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/ces-2009-motorola-launches-the-first-carbon-neutral-cell-phone.php.

Now, on to Day 4. The big challenges: making it through the work day without plastic wrappers and to go-containers and beginning to learn to make our own cheese - the one thing we really can't buy without plastic.

No Plastic Vow - Day 2

It' s really easy not to buy plastic, if you don't go to the store. Staying at home, eating from my garden, doing my chores, I feel like it's a piece of cake. Then, the daughter and the husband make a deal that he'll work on her hula hooping video if she makes dinner. They agree on a menu, and get their appetites all worked up over the wonderful things she wants to cook. She calls her aunt to get the recipe, then says the fateful words, "Mom, I need you to take me to the store for ingredients." I try to no avail to talk her into making something with the things we have, and end up driving her to the store. We don't have a co-op in Albany, so even the idea of bringing our own glass containers and buying bulk food won't work. Walking in the doorway of the store I blurt, "No plastic." My daughter says, "Oh no, Mom! Can't you fudge and say that technically you're buying it for me?" "No," I say. She thinks of the first thing on her list, and decides to ask the fish guy if he can sell her fish without any plastic wrap. He says that's no problem, and wraps it in butcher paper. Whew! My daughter walks through the produce aisle, carefully choosing exactly the items and amounts she needs, so she doesn't have to put them in plastic bags. So far, so good. We go to the spice aisle, and she finds a brand of spices that is in glass bottles with metal lids. They're even organic, but the only spice they don't seem to have is ground mustard seed. The only brand that turns out to have it has plastic containers and plastic lids all wrapped in a plastic seal. I have a brilliant idea to try the bulk section of the store. They have it! But all they have available to carry it in is plastic bags. We walk away from the ground mustard. The really great thing is that we get out of the store with all fresh ingredients, and we only pay $12 for everything.

We manage not to buy ice cream, because it has a plastic seal around the lid, and we pass by the gelato store, because they use plastic bowls and spoons. Wow. I could lose some weight and save some money with this adventure! On the way home, my daughter notices that our neighborhood cafe now serves ice cream, and she says, "We should go there sometime. I bet they would let you bring your own bowl." Later in the evening, the reward comes when we drive her to stay the night at a friend's house. We venture to the local Yogurt Extreme shop and get fat free, sugar free, gluten free, kosher yogurt in a paper cup and eat it with the wooden spoon they supply. Yes, I do also want to save the trees, but today, the battle is plastic, so it's a small victory.

The big question for Day 3 will be, "Can we manage to print/buy a lease agreement for renting out our house without either buying a plastic printer cartridge or buying paperwork wrapped in plastic?" Tune in tomorrow to find out.

No Plastic Vow - Day 1

I've taken a vow not to buy any plastic between 7/30/2010 and 8/06/2010. Why have I taken this vow? I'll explain below. Why didn't I take it for a year or forever? Maybe when I get the hang of it, I will, but at the moment, given the prevalence of the substance, I might starve to death if I take that vow.

So, I get very depressed every day when I take a piece of bread out of a bag to make French toast, open a pill container to take my allergy medicine, or peel back the wrapper from the block of cheese to make my omelette. Plastics aren't just in grocery bags, which I can avoid most of the time. They're in food wrappers, diapers, hair care, appliances, toys, computers, writing utensils, art supplies, pet supplies, eyeglasses, feminine hygiene products, business envelopes, you name it. No matter how much I try to recycle, it still overwhelms me to observe how much plastic is in my life, and how much still gets thrown away. The other day, I was in a gas station convenience store, and I looked at all of the products on sale. Not only do they not have any nutritional value, they are all wrapped in plastic. It's as if they want to make sure that not only the gas, but every other thing that gets purchased on their property is a petroleum product.

What's so bad about plastic? Well, it takes a darn long time for it to decompose in the ground, so it just builds up, taking up space without contributing any energy back into the cycle of life on this planet. Since it's only been in use about 50 years, no one really knows how long it takes to decompose. Some say 10 years to 1,000 years, depending on the hardness and chemical composition of the plastic. In the ocean, however, it decomposes very quickly, giving off harmful chemicals that at the very least cause problems with animal reproductive systems and at the most cause cancer. In Japan alone, I've read that 150,000 tons of plastic a year washes up on the shore. This isn't a nice thing to do to the planet.

My vow (for now) is to go one week without purchasing any plastic. No wrappers, no containers, no bottles, no computer parts, no bags. Yesterday was Day 1. Of course, one wouldn't expect the first day to be too hard. My kitchen is already well-stocked with things in plastic wrappers and containers. I have shampoo, soap and a razor. But, still, it did have it's little inconveniences. Between the hour of 9:41 and 11:30, I was very hungry at work. Usually, I would pop down to the Beanery to get a decaf coffee (in my reusable mug) and a gluten free scone, but then I realized, the scone is wrapped in plastic to protect it from cross-contamination with the other baked goods. The only other things I can eat there are a cheese stick (also wrapped in plastic) and a hard-boiled egg, but I had already eaten eggs in the morning. So, I got the coffee, put extra cream in it, and hoped that would stave off the hunger pangs until lunch-time. The only other inconvenience this first day was that I couldn't buy a printer cartridge to print registration forms for my daughter's classes she wants to take in the Fall. That is going to prompt a letter to Portland State University about having an online form, so they aren't wasting resources.

Now, we're on to Day 2.

Right now, I'm reading the book "Savor" by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung. A chapter in this book pointed me to a US government report called, "Livestock'sLong Shadow " (http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM). This is a comprehensive report on the global effects domestication and consumption of animals, especially beef and pork, have on the environment, and specifically water resources. Water is consumed in massive quantities not only by the animals themselves, but by every process involved in their redistribution as products. Carcass cleaning, leather tanning, processed food production, clothing manufacture - they all require massive amounts of water. Of course, the major consumer of water in domestic animal systems is their food. Huge fields of grains and corn use and transpire large amounts of water. "At present, the US livestock population consumes more than 7 times as much grain as is consumed directly by the entire American population (11). The amount of grains fed to US livestock is sufficient to feed about 840 million people who follow a plant-based diet (7). The meat-based food system requires more energy, land, and water resources than the lactoovovegetarian diet. In this limited sense, the lactoovovegetarian diet is more sustainable than the average American meat-based diet." (Pimentel & Pimentel, 2003) The livestock industry contributes 18% of global greenhouse emissions - more than transportation. 70% of Amazon forests have been cleared for cattle grazing land, releasing huge amounts of Carbon into the atmosphere. Acid rain develops from excess ammonia produced by the meat, dairy and egg industries. "The data suggest that one of the best ways to alleviate the stress on our environment is to consume less meat and eat more plant-based foods, which result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions." Savor

phytoremediation - plants filtering water pollution

In February, the Oregon Society of Soil Scientists annual meeting was focused on the soil/water -waste interface. I don't know how many talks we heard about phyto-remediation, but it's definitely the latest thing. There were people talking about everything from "botanical-burritos" to "Eco-machines" to "floating islands" to fully reconstructed wetlands to filter junk out of water. What is phyto-remediation? Basically, the use of plants to uptake toxins we don't want in our water. Companies and government agencies are hiring these guys to make "green" technologies for cleaning up contaminated water near cities and factories.

Cool examples of phytoremediation projects around the world:

http://www.toddecological.com/files/case-studies/Baima_Case_Study.pdf

http://www.floatingislandes.com/14.html

http://www.sproutoregon.org/sites/default/files/projects/BotanicalBurrito4FlierEnglish2007.pdf

http://www.fungi.com/mycotech/roadrestoration.html

Kilmanjaro ice melt- deforestation more than climate change

"Keipper grabbed his camera just in time to capture a section of Kilimanjaro's massive Furtwängler Glacier spilling onto the same trail his group had ascended the very night before.

Keipper's photos speak for themselves, dramatic proof of a scientific near-certainty: Kilimanjaro's glaciers are disappearing. The ice fields Ernest Hemingway once described as "wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun" have lost 82 percent of their ice since 1912—the year their full extent was first measured.

If current climatic conditions persist, the legendary glaciers, icing the peaks of Africa's highest summit for nearly 12,000 years, could be gone entirely by 2020.

"Just connect the dots," said Ohio State University geologist Lonnie Thompson. "If things remain as they have, in 15 years [Kilimanjaro's glaciers] will be gone."

The Heat Is On

When Thompson's reports of glacial recession on Kilimanjaro first emerged in 2002, the story was quickly picked up and trumpeted as another example of humans destroying nature. It's easy to see why: Ice fields in the tropics—Kilimanjaro lies about 220 miles (350 kilometers) south of the Equator—are particularly susceptible to climate change, and even the slightest temperature fluctuation can have devastating effects.

"There's a tendency for people to take this temperature increase and draw quick conclusions, which is a mistake," said Douglas R. Hardy, a climatologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, who monitored Kilimanjaro's glaciers from mountaintop weather stations since 2000. "The real explanations are much more complex. Global warming plays a part, but a variety of factors are really involved."

According to Hardy, forest reduction in the areas surrounding Kilimanjaro, and not global warming, might be the strongest human influence on glacial recession. "Clearing for agriculture and forest fires—often caused by honey collectors trying to smoke bees out of their hives—have greatly reduced the surrounding forests," he says. The loss of foliage causes less moisture to be pumped into the atmosphere, leading to reduced cloud cover and precipitation and increased solar radiation and glacial evaporation.

Evidence of glacial recession on Kilimanjaro is often dated from 1912, but most scientists believe tropical glaciers began receding as early as the 1850s. Stefan L. Hastenrath, a professor of atmospheric studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has found clues in local reports of a dramatic drop in East African lake levels after 1880. Lake evaporation indicates a decrease in precipitation and cloudiness around Kilimanjaro.

"Less cloud coverage lets more sunlight filter through and hit the glaciers," Hastenrath said. "That increase in sunlight then provides more energy for evaporation of the glacier."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/09/0923_030923_kilimanjaroglaciers.html

Climate change - the innocent reaping the consequences

"Climate change is caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) released from burning fossil fuels and from land use change, particularly the removal of forests which accounts for almost 20% of global emissions (more than the transport industry). The countries that developed first, for example the UK, US and France, have emitted vastly more GHGs then the countries currently called ‘developing’, such as Kenya, Namibia and Bangladesh.

Ironically, scientists say that it is the developing countries that will be hardest hit; African countries in particular. A just response to climate change must therefore include a comprehensive compensation package from the developed countries that have polluted the most to the developing countries whose total historical emissions are very low and are the most affected.. Climate change isn’t just about the ‘environment’. People around the world are suffering the effects of climate change now, and for these people climate change is an issue of justice." http://greenbeltmovement.org/w.php?id=98

Global Warming

Ok, so first of all, I think "Global Warming" is a misnomer, and that is being capitalized right now by nay-sayers. It's more accurate to go with "Climate Change." What I want to know is, why it's so important for people not to believe in it? Does it go against your religion? I don't think so. Is it that you don't think God would do something like that to you? That's like me not believing in cancer, I have to say. I don't really care one way or the other if the theory of global warming is "true." I think humans are very destructive to their world, overuse their resources, and it's biting them in the butt. The arguments between the religious and scientific worlds about it are silly to me. One of them that especially gets me is that the religious contingent is putting it off as a normal warming period that happens over the Earth's history. What history? The one that scientists have mapped as being billions of years old? But how's that possible if the Earth is only 6000 years old? So silly. The point is that regardless of what has happened in the past, no matter how long anyone thinks that is - since the 1950's the amount of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere has reached huge heights. It's from cutting trees, which use the carbon from the air, tilling soil, which stores carbon under the surface and burning fossil fuels for energy and plastic products. The main evidence and concern is sea level rise and glacial melt. Have these things happened before? Of course. Is it a natural course of the world? Yes. Does that mean we should ignore it? No. Whether or not we can stop it or slow it down at this point, we need to keep our eyes open and realize that we aren't immune to the powers of nature. We can't just waste our resources when it is very clear that we are rapidly approaching a state of major limitations. Most of the world has already gotten there, and the US is just starting to experience what it means to have the world say, "No, I'm sorry, you can't have everything you want." Maybe the world doesn't care so much about us. Maybe it's just a place, like our houses. Maybe it will go on living or being whatever it is even after we make it inhospitible for ourselves.

I used to think that the Creation/Evolution argument was there so that one side could have an excuse not to learn anything new, and the other side could go on creating technology without a conscience. When taken together, the two sides never seemed mutually exclusive to me. Now, I feel like "Climate Change" and most environmental issues are the same with reversed roles. The science side is seeing the results of their behavior and wanting to correct the mistakes their technology has produced, and the religious side is saying, "No, we want to keep using that technology without a conscience." Why?

I love this picture, because it has so many levels of thought and understanding to it. At first glance, it's this totally awesome picture of blue and white, ocean and sky, awe and power. Looking closer, there's an iceberg poking it's head out of the water's surface. Looking closer, there's the rest of the iceberg, huge and massive lingering below the ocean's surface. I've heard it said that only half of the iceberg is visible above the water, and that people don't realize there is just as much mass sitting below the surface as well. That's what got the Titanic - the mass of iceberg under the water that couldn't be seen. Imagine how cold the water must be to maintain so much ice in it's depths. How quickly might that iceberg disappear if the water heats up even a degree or two? Where will the mass of all that frozen water go when it thaws? Will our descendants ever see this amazing sight?

water inspired art

Pabloe Neruda - water poetry

The Sea

I need the sea, because it touches me.

I don't know if I learn music or awareness,

if it's a single wave or its vast existence,

or only its harsh voice or its shining

suggestion of fishes and ships,

in some magnetic way I move in

the university of waves.

It's not simply the shells crunched

as if some shivering planet

were giving signs of its gradual death;

no, I reconstruct the day out of a fragment,

the stalactite from a sliver of salt,

and the great god out of a spoonful.

What it taught me before, I keep. It's air

ceaseless wind, water and sand.

It seems a small thing for a young man,

to have come here to live with his own fire;

nevertheless, the pulse that rose

and fell in its abyss,

the crackling of the blue cold,

the gradual wearing away of the star,

the soft unfolding of the wave

squandering snow with its foam,

the quiet power out there, sure

as a stone shrine in the depths,

replaced my world in which were growing

stubborn sorrow, gathering oblivion,

and my life changed suddenly:

as I became part of its movement.

A reforestation project in Colombia

"In the early 1980's Gaviotas began planting a Caribbean pine tree in the otherwise barren llanos of eastern Colombia. These trees were able to survive in the highly acidic soil with the help of mycorrhizal fungus applied to their roots. Over the years, this forest has expanded to approximately 8,000 hectares, or 20,000 acres. The presence of the forest has altered the local climate by generating an additional 10 percent rainfall, which also supports Gaviotas' water bottling initiative.

Over the years the pine trees have provided a shady understory for other plants and animals to thrive. Some of these species may be dormant seeds of ancient rainforest that once covered the region. The pines are slowly being crowded out by the regeneration of indigenous species. The community is generating power with turbine engines fueled by the aging pines in their forest."

http://www.friendsofgaviotas.org/Friends_of_Gaviotas/Gaviotas_Forest/Gaviotas_Forest.html

Why a rainforest can't be replanted

Rainforests as we know are in very wet areas. The temperature and humidity are just right here for water to be constantly cycling through the ecosystem. Since water is the major chemical weatherer of soil, this means that these soils get "old" really fast. An old soil means that most of the minerals have been leached out or used up, and all that is left is the skeleton of the minerals that stick around forever. These aren't especially useful to plants, in fact some of them are totally useless to plants. So, this means that the trees that are there are well-established and adapted to living off of the nutrients that are cycling in the their ecosystem. The moisture level and temperature are perfect for supporting so many kinds of life, that they thrive on one another. Unlike most places, the plants and animals that die don't contribute their organic matter (Carbon) to the soil, they contribute it right back into the other plants and animals that come along and instantly consume it. The long and short of it is that planting a new tree in this environment is a pretty fruitless effort. And, since these forests have enormous carbon cycling capabilities, destroying them is like removing the Earth's lungs. People destroy them to make roads, convert land to agriculture and to burn as fuel, because they can't afford another source.

For more extensive information on raiforest issues and how our consumer choices affect them see: http://ran.org/issues/forests/