Recipes

For those who enjoy their veggies, I just wanted to share this blog that I follow: http://di-wineanddine.blogspot.com/

Their recipes are amazing and they always include photos that make your mouth water. I am especially looking forward to making a pot pie from the most recent recipe they listed once we get a cool streak again...(and I can afford groceries.) I spent all of my money on fruit at the farmers market and failed to buy substantial food. It's no good for me when peaches, cherries, and watermelon are all in season at the same time. I forget I need more than fruit to live. :)

Once I have a bit more time, I will post some of my favorite recipes on here.

Wal Mart

So Wal Mart has been tooting it's own green horn for a while now, spending millions to remake their image and introduce greener products. You may have seen the signs telling you to buy fluorescent lightbulbs and canvas grocery bags (I won't even start with the fluorescent light bulbs, that is another post.)

But I was talking to two of my co-workers the other day, and we were discussing what we personally do that is eco-friendly. I was amazed at the effort one of my co-workers puts into it, far outdoing me in many categories. I can only hope to catch up to her soon. But she mentioned that when she gets married in September, she is banning her new husband from bringing plastic bags into their house. I thought this was interesting.

I hate plastic bags, they are such a waste. And the fact that there is an aggregate of trash the size of Texas floating around the Pacific that comes from American waste makes me sick. But beyond that, China has managed to ban plastic bags entirely in their country. Did everyone perish from their inability to get their groceries home? No. Why can't we do that too? It seems like such a simple step, and in China, the only people who suffered from this were the plastic bag manufacturers. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

As much as Wal Mart claims to be green, it's simple things like banning plastic sacks altogether that would make a real impression. Until actual effort that creates change in consumer behavior is in place, I am going to judge the Wal Mart greening efforts as nothing more than a marketing ruse. I wish I could be optimistic like the great environmentalist Paul Hawkens, when he said, "If corporations say they are green long enough, eventually they will start to believe their own lies, and then maybe we will see real change."

However, I believe that money talks, and until it is unprofitable for corporations to be wasteful, we will not see any changes. And how do you enforce environmental penalties for wasteful companies when you are already in trouble with the lagging economy? Most environmental changes will require some capital up front to get them moving, but at the same time, we can't afford not to care anymore.

Drought in Texas

Drought in Texas has caused water rationing laws to be put in place. Anyone caught illegally watering their lawn and gardens are being fined.

http://www.kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-ap-texas-drought-story,0,3608438.story

Article on Voices of Oklahoma

Hi Everyone, I wrote this article on public transportation in Oklahoma, and it was published at voicesofok.org. It is an important issue in Oklahoma, and I've written about it before. I hope you all enjoy the article.

http://www.voicesofok.org/2009/07/how-we-move-oklahoma-looks-at-public-transit/

Alaska Defends Itself

A twelve mile organic gelatinous blob attacked the coast of Alaska this week, devouring wildlife and messing up shorelines, in what some people believe was an attack formulated to hit while the Alaskan defense system is weak.

Alaska Governor and former Vice Presidential Contender Sarah Palin recently announced that she would be resigning from her post as governor, and turning over the position to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, according to cnn.com. Without Palin's intimidating defense strategies, the state of Alaska is left wide open to attacks from sea monsters.

"We just have been watching what is going on with, like the pipeline, and now the logging stuff, and we thought we would pre-emptively strike to defend ourselves," said Neptune, god of the ocean.

If overfishing and pollution don't decrease in the next year, and if Alaska doesn't provide a detailed plan to improve marine life, Neptune says they may have to release the Kraken.

Top Ten Green Websites

Hello all,

Sorry for the delays in posting this summer, one of the classes I have taken on has proven to be a major usurper of free time. Anyways, I saw this today on Twitter, and thought I'd share the link. It's the top ten green blogs: http://www.murraynewlands.com/index.php/2009/07/top-10-green-blogs-the-most-popular-top-10-green-blogs-review/

Hope you all enjoy it, I will be posting intermittently until I finish this class at the first of August.