To Be Announced

08 July 2018

Top Ten Ways To Make A Positive Difference Through Lifestyle Changes

This Top Ten was originally published in Recipe For A Green Life as 10 steps. The following is an edited and adapted version, from and by the author (me), C.S. Sherin.

"....Depending on where you live, the resources available to you will determine how and how much you are able to do. Don't let that stop you. Each of us can make a positive difference starting now. Every positive choice and change in habit that you make today and each day, adds up and makes a big difference. Don't stop with a handful of actions. Keep going. Keep investing in healthier resources, ecosystems, and communities.

The approach is inclusive and truly grassroots. It starts with each of us, right where we are, with what we have, and what we are capable of, and grows from there. It embraces unique, creative, ethical, and transparent daily habits and choices. It rejects greenwashing, consumerism, corruption, and destructive, harmful practices. These steps can help you to amplify your personal power in positive and impactful ways. Are you ready to make a big difference for the environment and your loved ones? Let's get started right now!

Refuse to be a consumer. Consumerism means gross waste and misuse of materials and resources. Convenience, waste, single-use items, cheap-and-fast come at a huge price to our health, ecosystems, resources, and quality of life. Buy less. Fix, reuse, repurpose, refurbish, trade, and renew as much as possible. Find reusable items for drinks, bags, and any items you use daily. Avoid buying items that you waste, use once, and don’t really need. Refuse to trash, misuse, and consume resources mindlessly.
Aim for zero waste. Aim to be less and less wasteful. Start by taking two weeks to observe what you use and throw away each day. Read labels. Notice packaging. Go through drawers, cupboards and cabinets and notice what is there--what you have invested in. Is there unnecessary chemicals, toxins, packaging? Are there products and appliances that set you up to needlessly waste via single-use items? Continue observing what you throw away and what you put in recycling. After a week or two of this practice you will gain insight into many things that you take for granted or dismiss as unimportant, when that is far from true. As you move forward, plan how to slowly and surely change what isn't sustainable. Create new habits and choices to replace the wasteful and toxic ones you observed. Avoid wasteful and unnecessary packaging. Avoid single-use disposable items. Use items and materials that are healthy in the long-term, and that you can safely reuse, refill, renew, repair, and up-cycle. Trade, donate, and simplify. Choose reusable items like stainless steel, ceramic, bamboo, hemp, glass, sustainably sourced wood, and cloth.
Decrease your daily meat and dairy intake. The amount of meat and dairy being consumed is grossly unsustainable, unethical, and unhealthy for people, animals, resources, and the environment. At the rate we are going now, the United Nations University has estimated that without changes, greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 80%! Multiple extensive and major scientific studies agree that a worldwide move to a plant-based diet could instead reduce emissions by 63% (vegetarian) to 70% (vegan). The American diet takes too much, wastes too much, and shows little to no concern for the dire crises we face that impact future health and survival. Also, the American diet puts unbearable strain on health and subsequently health care systems, as well as environment, animals, and resources. Even the most die-hard meat and dairy fan can recognize the benefit for health and the pocketbook in easing up on meat and dairy intake each day. Ready to get started, and make a life-affirming change? Explore fun, balanced, easy sustainable plant-based recipes. Hint: there are many recipes and guides that set you up for success for this adventure in Recipe For A Green Life.
Aim to eliminate single-use plastics. Aside from emergency and medical situations, we need to move away from single-use plastics ASAP. Disposable plastics are made with non-renewable resources--petroleum and natural gas, mixed with chemicals. Each year, 12 million barrels of oil are used in the US for SINGLE USE DISPOSABLE plastic bags alone (Source: SPREP, Fact Sheet # PF-004). This statistic doesn't even include ALL single-use disposable plastics. The choice for relentless and widespread single-use plastics is suffocating the ocean, killing wildlife, and finding its way into the food chain and our bodies. (The majority of all plastics ever made were never recycled. Most plastics made today are not recycled, and many cannot be recycled or have a very limited ability to be recycled.) Break the mindless habit. We need to hold producers of single-use plastics accountable. And we, must divest from their destructive choices as much as possible. Use stainless steel, heat-resistant glass, organic cotton, hemp, refillable, washable, and reusable containers and items instead.
Give up harmful products and habits. For example, give up cigarettes with butts, plastic lighters, plastic drinking straws, chewing gum, lead ammunition, balloons, glow sticks, and polystyrene foam. These are all insidious forms of damaging pollution to our health and environment. Good news! There are toxin and waste free alternatives for all of these. What are some of the better alternatives? Quit smoking. Or, roll your organic tobacco in hemp papers. Instead of plastic lighter, use a hemp wick dispenser or a stainless steel lighter. Instead of plastic drinking straws, invest in stainless steel, titanium, silicone, paper, or bamboo drinking straws. Buy lead-free ammunition for your hunting gun. Instead of balloons find reusable and unique decor for celebrations like ribbon dancers, paper kites, and scrap fabric streamers. Instead of glow sticks, use the flashlight on your phone, or a paper lantern with a reusable warm-colored LED light inside. And finally, there are many alternatives to polystyrene foam, which is often used for packaging, hot beverages, and deli and other carryout containers. There are reusable stainless steel or heat-resistant glass containers or biodegradable recycled paper and cardboard containers that can be used instead.
Buy local, organic, humane, and Fair Trade products. Buying local cuts on cost, emissions, and supports local businesses and local farms. Buying organic eliminates pesticides and GMOs while maintaining a more ethical, natural, and healthy approach to food, resources, and health. Supporting local organic farms and gardens lessens food waste and helps communities to unite and thrive. While organic labeling can be tricky, it is worth learning about in order to make the best choices for you and your family in the long run. When you buy a product, textile, or food from another country, it is best to buy Fair Trade. This certification ensures basic standards and protections for health, human/animal rights, and habitats, as well as workers' rights, fair pay, and the ability to form unions. Otherwise, too often we unwittingly fund human and animal rights abuses, habitat and species loss, sweatshops, slavery, and serious degradation of our biodiversity and natural resources. Invest in ethical and transparent sourcing, businesses, practices, and products. Divest from what is toxic, unsustainable, harmful and wasteful without conscience. Support communities, health, kindness, and equity.
Conserve, preserve, and protect resources and habitats from pollution, toxins, and other threats. Stop using pesticides. Grow an organic garden in containers or on land. Compost. Support and protect pollinators. Learn about and practice permaculture gardening--it conserves space and grows more food. Conserve and protect water. Make a stand for the health and future health of water, air, soil, habitats, and communities. Network with others, invest in sustainability in your daily life through your awareness, choices, and actions.
Recycle everything possible. Recycle your hazardous waste responsibly at a local recycling center. All electronic devices, appliances, many kinds of batteries, and CFL light bulbs are some of the potentially dangerous and toxic items--they contain heavy toxic metals, are flammable, can explode and pose a negative threat to health. Make sure you keep hazardous waste out of landfills. Find and contact your local hazardous waste site to find out what they take and when.
Drive less. Transportation in the US is still largely dependent on non-renewable fossil fuels. Besides serious pollution from derailment, exhaust, and toxic batteries and tires, greenhouse gas emissions is another concern. Driving is a significant source of pollution. Even if you have a hybrid car, likely the battery production was brutal on resources and habitats, and so, degrades quality of life for communities. Bike, walk, carpool, and use public transit as much as possible. Get creative, network with others interested in healthier communities, and find solutions for your region, perhaps via improving transportation routes, modes, and choices.
Make your own toxin, waste, and cruelty free Green products like deodorant, toothpaste, laundry detergent, dish detergent, hand sanitizer, cleaning, and plant-based meals. Choose the most sustainable and ethical sources as much as possible as you buy ingredients for recipes. Research, practice, and commit to ongoing learning. This way, the products you use daily become less costly, both literally and in relation to health and the environment. (If you can't do this, look for local small businesses who do it for you and/or support local businesses and businesses owned by people who deserve and need more equity and equality.) Read Recipe For A Green Life: A Holistic Sustainable Living Handbook & Recipe Book for practical and helpful recipes and guides for every step of the way in nearly every area of life. This way, we take back our power through our daily choices and habits, and act upon our ethics and compassion in practical, easy and tangible ways that make a real difference...."
CS Sherin, Recipe For A Green Life 2018© Please feel free to share this article--in its entirety with author, source credit, and this copyright notice--on social media and for non-commercial educational purposes only.

*This article was first published on the Recipe For A Green Life blog.

27 February 2018

Eight Principles For Creating A Sustainable Green Lifestyle, Recipe For A Green Life

Within my book, Recipe For A Green Life, there are guiding principles for building your own sustainable, earth-loving lifestyle. Here is an excerpt, so that you may ponder and explore these concepts:

"a. The Earth's ocean is our main source of life. There is no life without healthy water. There is no life without healthy air. We must ensure protection of natural resources. We must set unprecedented global standards and approaches that demonstrate the utmost in responsibility to and for all water, soil, and air—for the sake of all life and future life on Earth. We must ensure long-term protection, conservation, and preservation of health and balance on Earth for the survival of all living beings.
b. Life is a gift. Treat all life with respect and ensure basic rights for all living beings based on equity and kindness. Life and all beings naturally seek wellness. Our human systems, which are geared for corrections and healing, must be structured to support this natural tendency with holistic, organic, restorative, kind, affordable, and preventative approaches.
c. We can live gently and lightly on Mother Earth. We put into action zero-waste approaches, such as: fix, renew, restore, repurpose, reuse, recycle, upcycle, invent, pioneer, trade, share, gift, preserve, simplify, and conserve for health and future generations.
d. We value creativity, adaptability, and diversity. Individual, unique, and contrasting approaches, small groups, and adaptability in times of ongoing change are all strengths of a grassroots movement.
e. Fair Trade principles need to be applied to all work and wage situations—foreign, domestic, and local.
f. Cruelty-free and kind principles need to be applied to all relationships.
g. Commerce, ingredients, products, and practices need to be kind, healthy, ethical, renewable, and sustainable.
h. Everyone's time, energy, space, quality of life, and personal resources are equal in importance at a fundamental level.

A Summary: Green living is renewable, sustainable, and holistic. Green living is rooted in ethics, personal responsibility, and grassroots efforts. We invest in a Green world, and divest from what isn't Green. Green living fosters mutually beneficial and healthy relationships, and is based on core values that are rooted in respecting and honoring health, Nature, and all life.

The Eight Foundational Principles For (Sustainable, Renewable, Holistic) Green Living, in-depth:

GREEN LIVING IS RENEWABLE. Ethical practices are employed and adhered to when using and managing materials and resources in a renewable way. The materials and resources themselves are renewable when they are easily and naturally replaced through natural cycles in and of Nature. These cycles must occur in a time frame that allows for renewal of the material or resource so that it may continue to thrive in Nature. Ethically responsible assessment, standards, and management are essential in maintaining balance. From another perspective, one's own personal life needs to be treated with a renewable approach as well. Our daily choices of what to invest our time, energy, skills, resources, and currency into need to be aligned with renewable practices and standards for self and others. At another level, we make our Green lifestyle renewable through walking our talk and by practicing holistically minded self-care. We must care for ourselves responsibly in order to have enough health and energy for Green actions and values that are transparent and effective. From the personal, to the collective and global, renewable practices and standards are of primary importance.
GREEN LIVING IS SUSTAINABLE. When something is sustainable, a big-picture and long-term perspective is being employed along an ethics-based aim for responsible stewardship of resources, pollution levels, and non-renewable resources, practices, and materials. Successful sustainability means that negative impacts are eliminated and long-term ecological health and balance are maintained. This is the Green living moral code and undertaking. Consumerism, exploitation, factory and other institutional models objectifying life and resources; pollution and toxicity, and materialism are not sustainable, and haven't been sustainable for some time. These root causes take a heavy and destructive toll on all life on Earth. We, who strive in Green living, see this, and seek to embody sustainability in as many ways as possible, maintaining a perspective for the big-picture and long-term with action, education, and networking. This approach to and of sustainability can be applied to every choice that is made in each day: from the smallest decisions to massive operations in cities, countries, and worldwide. From macro to micro, a dedication to sustainability is applicable in multiple ways, and is of primary importance for health and balance.
GREEN LIVING IS HOLISTIC. We cannot talk about health and balance for people without talking about health and balance for Nature, and how all lives are interconnected. A Green life seeks to maintain that interconnected balance—preserving health, habitats, resources, communities, diversity, and biodiversity. Green living isn't one niche, such as "plastic-free" or "zero-waste," "minimalist" or "vegan." Green living encompasses all of Nature, whole communities of living beings, resources, health, ecosystems, and our one essential ocean, as well as all water sources on and under land. Holistic traditionally means that the medical, mental health, or spiritual care provided addresses and takes into account not just the injury/disease/diagnosis, but the person as a whole. Holistic medical care recognizes that everything about a person (background, genetics, family life, work, education, mobility, hobbies, resources, beliefs, stress levels, effective coping tools in one's possession, relationships, habits, strengths, disabilities, traumas, opportunity, and internal components as well—mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical) is all interconnected. A holistic approach, in the traditional context, attempts to ensure that you are not solely identified by or reduced to a diagnosis, which can dehumanize and compartmentalize interrelated issues. Similarly, Green living is best approached holistically. And so, aims for Fair Trade principles for all wages and workers—domestic, foreign, and local. A Green life aims to be toxin-free, single-use plastic-free, cruelty-free, conflict-free, minimalist, and waste-free. A Green life commits to a perpetual aim to be ethically renewable and sustainable in daily choices and actions at home and out in the world. All issues and crises on the planet are symptoms related to the whole. And even though a single person may not be able to directly deal with and address all issues, the holistic mindset and awareness is necessary. Recognizing, facing, learning about, and addressing barriers to Green choices and actions is required in order to effect real and lasting positive change for the better. Barriers to Green living, in general and in broad terms include: organized corruption, abuse, exploitation of life and resources, cruelty, neglect, pollution and waste, lax standards, poor leadership, financial instability, and lack of ethical leadership. In addition, factory, industrial, corporate, and military models for institutions of all kinds, along with discrimination, illness, oppression, and slavery are also contributing barriers and problems. Not all barriers mentioned are directly related to general Green living on a personal and daily level, yet all barriers affect the ability for all to have the freedom and basic rights to a Green life—to healthy water, air, food, relationships, habitats, and homes. A holistic perspective and awareness, as well as a willingness to address any barriers, when there is an opportunity to, are of primary importance.
GREEN LIVING IS ROOTED IN CRITICAL THINKING, CREATIVITY, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND GRASSROOTS EFFORTS. We (those striving for a Green lifestyle) embrace and encourage critical thinking, adaptability, practicality, simplicity, creativity, and grassroots efforts. We live by and promote ethical standards, transparency, walking the talk, critical thinking, and responsible, ongoing research. We depend on adaptability and creativity in dealing with dynamic and continually changing conditions, situations, and needs. Our unique, individual, and grassroots efforts are the opposite of Greenwashing. Grassroots efforts happen in our personal lives and at home first, and grow from there authentically and transparently. Conversely, Greenwashing is a façade that in someway hides corrupt strategies. The act of Greenwashing attempts to steal away the real grassroots movement for profit, and/or to dissolve it through commercialization. The human role of being on Earth is crucial; we must recognize and stand for equity, respect, independence, and the natural birthrights of healthy air, water, food, quality of life, diversity, and biodiversity. Humans have the responsibility and the ability to take necessary steps to help enforce and maintain ecological balance and health across the various landscapes of the planet. This is our integrity: to act as kind and wise stewards for other living beings with whom we share the planet, as well as for ourselves. We hold true that all living beings feel pain, want to live, survive, thrive, and enjoy their lives. We uphold equity and compassionate action as the foundation of daily practice, action, and decision-making. Ecosystems maintain balance and health with multitudes of integral and interrelated parts that make up the whole. Some humans/corporations have endangered and critically threatened that wisdom. We recognize that there is no real ownership over the water, rain, sun, and air. All living beings share land, air, and water together on one priceless planet. We recognize that creativity, invention, counter-cultural approaches, and grassroots efforts are highly valuable assets and approaches that serve a Green lifestyle well.
WE INVEST IN A GREEN WORLD. Healthy, thriving ecosystems, waterways, biodiversity, and healthy, thriving diverse communities of people and animals are a sign of successful Green values in action. We must invest in infrastructure, actions, sources that are more in harmony with Nature, equity, and health. This is what we envision and work towards. We proactively invest time, energy, space, skills, resources, and currency into activities, projects, products, businesses, and other groups that are also proactively dedicated to Green actions and standards. We aim and strive to make day-to-day habits, choices, and actions conscious and in harmony with health and Nature. These choices and actions have a positive focus and outcome—personally, collectively, and environmentally. Investing in the world we want to co-create, and taking concrete steps towards it each day in as many aspects of our lives as possible is the best and swiftest way forward to a better future. We invest in wellness, responsible action, and kindness.
WE DIVEST FROM WHAT ISN'T GREEN. We aim and strive to remove personal contributions and all forms of support from projects, products, businesses, institutions, and other organizations that fund destructive, toxic, dangerous, cruel, irresponsible, and otherwise harmful actions and practices, which are a threat to and endanger the environment, resources, communities, species, survival, and the ability for future generations to survive. Anyone who puts the short-term profit, violence, exploitation, cruelty, corruption, and abuse of power before health, basic needs, and respect for people and all life goes against the wisdom and balance of Nature, health, and Green living values. We choose to divest from these sources whenever and however possible.
GREEN LIVING SEEKS TO FOSTER AND CHOOSE MUTUAL, BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS. Biologically defined relationships on Earth have been identified in general as symbiotic, parasitic, or predatory. A Green life seeks to develop and maintain symbiotic relationships that are mutual and commensal. A symbiotic relationship is a physical or close and long-term interaction between species (we will add, also within species). Symbiotic mutualism is a relationship where both beings benefit. Symbiotic commensalism is a relationship where one being benefits and the other being is unaffected and unharmed. With a Green lifestyle, we choose to build relationships between humans and between species, and even towards ecosystems that have mutual benefit or at least cause no harm. A Green life refuses to engage in parasitic relationships and strives to refuse predatory relationships as much as possible, and within reason. In parasitic relationships, one being benefits while the other suffers. Since humans have choice and free will, there is no sound reason to ever inflict harm through this kind of relationship. It is unacceptable. In predatory relationships, one being kills and may or may not eat the being they have killed. A predator causes serious harm and/or death to another being for the sake of hunger or for no sound reason. Both predators and parasites are relationships observed as naturally occurring on Earth. Yet they are not, for people with choice and free will, Green, or kind choices. Yet, we must consider the fact that a being that eats a plant is also a type of predator to that living organism. Therefore, we need to realize that at this point on the planet—the reality of life and living are intrinsically tied to a certain level of predatory relationship for the sole reason of survival through satisfying hunger. However, levels of predatory relationships vary from natural hunger to cruel and unnecessary. Predatory behavior between humans, and as a leisure ("sport") activity by humans is not desirable within a Green life, nor is it ethical.... "
To be continued....in the book.

Recipe For A Green Life by C.S. Sherin, 2018© Please feel free to share this article--in its entirety with author, source credit, and this copyright notice--on social media and for non-commercial educational purposes only.

*This post was first published on the Recipe For A Green Life blog.

18 October 2017

Hypocritical? It's A Set-Up And I Won't Back Down

Updated: January 2024, C. S. Sherin

Well, let's start right away with the plot. When you seek to change your habits or lifestyle for the better, there are many obstacles to face along the way. One of them is a force of sabotage in the dysfunctional systems that want to keep upholding their dysfunction.

Look at this excerpt from Recipe For A Green Life by CS Sherin (me), "Facing Issues Of Sabotage":

I have it on good authority that we are all, unfortunately, hypocrites. Everyone. All of us. In this human-spun world, it has made us so.

In Recipe For A Green Life, I talk about the favorite contentious accusation often hurled at those aiming to live a life that is more sustainable, more kind, and more conscious or compassionate...."hypocrisy!"

Another favorite is portraying the change or commitment as elite, or backwards and strange.

In general, these are tactics used to disable, neutralize, and otherwise sabotage an urgently needed, healthy and adaptable grassroots movement.

The reality is: any aiming for a counter-cultural, actually sustainable lifestyle contains both forward and backward movement, because the culture is set up against us in countless ways.

We are set up, like salmon who must move upstream in order to fulfill their purpose, but without it being natural for us to continually have to do so. We aren't salmon. But, we have to tap into that kind of energy for it. To put it plainly, corruption is the real problem. Corruption in our systems.

Captain Paul Watson, formerly of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society posted commentary on this glaring issue as well, and as usual, his commentary is some of the most straightforward and honest that I have read.

In the commentary, titled, "We Be Hypocrites Because We Are All Hypocrites," he announces that everyone is a hypocrite because we are set up to be, from the time we get a birth certificate and onward. Captain Watson also indicates that the accusations of hypocrite are meant to sabotage our movements and changing lifestyles. Agreed. And it is so important to realize this, and look it straight in the face as we keep on.

Screenshot from FB, 2018

Captain Watson was commenting on a scientific article (Sarah Knapton, Science Editor for The Telegraph, Oct. 10 2017, "Conservationists Take Nine Flights A Year, Despite Knowing Danger To Environment, Study Says.") shaming conservationists for flying in airplanes.

Along with Captain Watson's entire commentary, I would add that there is most definitely an active concerted effort to shut down those who stand to protect the Earth and her resources, habitats, biodiversity; as well as the birthrights of every living being to clean safe water, air, and soil.

Globally this, year after year, takes the shape of unanswered murders of active conservationists, mainly Indigenous peoples around the world, who risk their lives to protect habitats, species, livelihood, and resources, like water.

We have all been made hypocrites from the start.

I address this in many ways in Recipe For A Green Life.

If sabotage is the starting point for everyone, and the mire we exist in, everything we do to correct the distortion and destruction is important, yes, vital. Not only that, as we wake up to the dire crises and needs before us, and find we are entrapped in some ways, it can feel hopeless.

That is until we realize that there are countless choices and actions we can take every day, which have far-reaching and positive influences on life, on the future, and upone one's own self-worth.

Whenever someone starts pointing the hypocrite finger rather than actually doing something, it is simply a game of power, control, distraction, and dominance. Shrug it off, or call foul, and keep going.

Don't stop. Keep going.

I would say that the obvious and continuous aims for sabotage upon movements of environmentalists, social justice, and movements related (minimalism, plastic-free, cruelty-free, toxin-free, zero-waste, permaculture, organic, Fair Trade, sustainable diets, civil rights, an end to cruelty, conservation, ethical standards and rights like equality and equity, and issues related to race and discrimination, etc), indicate that we have real power to change some things, and we definitely do best to keep going with it, no matter what!

This reminder to "not back down" is in warm memory of recently deceased and beloved musician, Tom Petty:

"Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on
pushin' me around,
But I'll stand my ground

And I won't back down,
I won't back down, No, I won't back down."
~ Tom Petty

CS Sherin, Recipe For A Green Life 2018© Please feel free to share this article--in its entirety with author, source credit, and this copyright notice--on social media and for non-commercial educational purposes only.