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Environmental Quote
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One Man's Green Journey
(And Some Other Good Green News)
Sometimes I feel so blessed that I actually have to pinch myself. I am blessed with family, friends and people I have never met supporting me on the Mrs. Green journey. One very special friend, Scott Caddow from Legendary World, continues to make major changes in his life from the point at which he chose to join me on this journey. He has, in fact, made changes in his life that are still on my "to do" list and is truly living a greener, healthier, more sustainable life than I am.
When I received Scott's email, it wowed me and I believe its content to be quite appropriate for this newsletter. Please enjoy this delightful story about one man's very personal journey.
Project 2013 - Green Journey
By Scott Caddow
Hello Mrs. Green! I thought I would share with you an update on my grand adventure and on my going "green journey."
It has now been three months (WOW!) since my move to the beautiful San Juan Islands and I love every minute of it. When I started contemplating the possibility of doing something outrageous like picking up and moving to another part of the world for a year, I also decided to make changes in my habits and behavior as well. I decided to call this PROJECT 2013! I made two bold statements to myself. One, I would get rid of all packaged, processed, synthesized and other un-natural foods from my home and eat only real food. Secondly, I would get really serious about removing plastics, zip lock bags and grocery bags from my routine. This has actually grown into taking a hard look at ALL single use items and making changes in how I use these - and there are MANY!
I have had so much fun learning about food, farming, gardening, seafood, seeds and all aspects of eating more naturally. My first step was to look at what I had in the house and how to replace it with better alternatives. First to go was all the bottled garbage in my pantry: dressings, sauces, condiments and salsas, all filled with unpronounceable chemicals, sugars and dyes. I got into canning (for the first time!) and made my own catsup, mustard, salsa, tomato sauce and dressings! I had a blast, my stuff was better tasting and much healthier. As my confidence grew in this area I started canning meats, stews and soups, and YUM! I have now shared my canning knowledge and experience with a few others and have enjoyed watching them get into it. We even trade canned goods among our group!
When I arrived in the San Juan Islands I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was surrounded by small farms, greenhouses, dairies, ranches and other producers of local foods. I go out every week now and buy meat and poultry from the local ranches and hit the dairy and bakery twice per month, I buy vegetables around town twice per week and usually end up at the grocery store about once per month for the few odds and ends I need.
I love not having boxes and bags and cans filling my cupboard and having a kitchen full of real food to prepare whenever I need it. The unexpected by-product of all this is no trash! I had no real idea how much trash is produced in packaging food. After recycling, I take out a 13 gallon trash bag to the curb every other week. Only two per month! My food waste goes to my neighbor who has an amazing composting system and when I need it for my plants she shares it back with me, a true win-win.
What I have really learned is that none of this is hard, I really enjoy cooking and canning and sharing with my friends and neighbors. My trips to the farm, bakery and dairy are always great opportunities to learn and meet new and interesting people. I'll tell you about my education in plastics and single use waste in a future update! Have a Great Green Day and thanks for letting me share my adventures!"
Mrs. Green's note? Scott's update made it a great, green day for me on so many levels I need to just leave it at that.
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Plugging In Your Own Charger
I spent this past weekend with an amazing group of women on a girlfriends' getaway in Flagstaff, Arizona- just because. They came from all over the country to simply gather and have some down time. It was organized by none other than the amazing Kelly King - show producer and future CEO of Mrs. Green's World. I am sharing this as a reminder to all of us to plug in our OWN charger - just like we do with our cell phones, iOS devices (all things Apple), and our computers. It's kind of a play on words because to charge ourselves, we need to unplug and I mean totally unplug in whatever that looks like for you. It seems to me that we all run at full speed these days and frequently forget the importance of taking care of ourselves, getting off the grid and simply spending time being present. Sustainability is an inside job and there are times when that is hard to remember let alone scheduling time to just "be."
Let me end with this appropriate quote from a true thought leader of our time, Michael Bernard Beckwith, Founder and Spiritual Director of Agape International Spiritual Center: "We now spend more time strengthening our thumbs texting and tweeting information rather than acquiring true wisdom, embodying and sharing what matters in real face-time because we have become impatient-it simply 'takes too long.' Our texts and tweets now travel faster than our cars!"
FYI - I took some time, I acquired some true wisdom and I spent real face-time being fully present with some amazing human beings this weekend. In other words, I am fully charged. Take care of yourself. You matter.
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Mindful Living
There could not be a more perfect segue. Got 15 minutes to learn about Mindful Living with Miraval? We have partnered with Miraval Resort and Spa to bring you an amazing six-part series on Mindful Living. This past week I interviewed their Executive Chef Justin Macy. His simple tips about healthy eating, portion control, and easy to follow cooking tips will delight and inform. And here's another treat! If you read this far down and are the first person to email [email protected], we will send you a copy of Miraval's amazing new book - Mindful Living!
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UPCOMING SHOWS
June 8
Everyday Chemicals Could Trigger Autism
Jay Gordon, M.D., Preventing Autism
More than 2 million people in the United States have autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and it has been reported that one in 88 children suffer from autism. What's wrong? What do parents need to know about that can be done to stop exposing their children to chemicals, fumes, and other factors that poison their brain cells? Dr. Gordon is a pediatrician who has practiced medicine in Santa Monica, CA., will offer us a step-by-step guide for reducing our toxic loads when he shares with us highlights from his new book, Preventing Autism: What You Can Do to Protect Your Children before and after Birth. I, for one, am extremely troubled by the growing number of kids with all kinds of diseases we never even talked about 20 years ago yet are so prevalent today. Please join us because to know better is to do better. This show sponsored by The Fairfax Companies.
June 15
Meet the Grandfather of Climate Science
Wally Broecker aka Dr. Wallace Broecker
I actually had the honor of spending time with Wally Broecker during a recent visit to Tucson. He was captivating and the group he spoke with never wanted him to stop. Check out this write up about him and put the date of this show on your calendar. Here is just a snippet: "To his colleagues, peers and admirers he is a genius and a pioneer, the Grandfather of Climate Science. And to his countless friends - most of whom also happen to be colleagues, peers and admirers - he is simply Wally. Broecker is arguably one of the world's greatest living geoscientists. For more than half a century, his major research interest has been the ocean's role in climate change. He was among the pioneers in radiocarbon and isotope dating - the quintessential processes for creating maps of the Earth's past climate fluctuations since as early as the Pleistocene period. He was also the first person ever to recognize the Ocean Conveyor Belt (which he named), arguably the most important discovery in the history of oceanography and its critical relation to climate." Think you are ready? Oh my. This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.
June 22
Hand-Me-Over Fashion Made Cool
Kerstin Block, President and Owner, Buffalo Exchange and Rebecca Block, Vice President, Buffalo Exchange
Trendsetter, thought leader, early adopter and unquestionable leader in the fashion resale industry? Yes to all of them. Kerstin, her late husband and now her daughter Rebecca, has successfully transformed the retail apparel marketplace by leading the resale fashion industry. To the best of my knowledge, Buffalo Exchange was the very first store that bought, sold, traded, and took clothing items and accessories on consignment. I can attest to the fact that when Buffalo Exchange opened in 1974 in Tucson, resale shopping carried a stigma. Hard to believe now. The Blocks have truly been pioneers in reversing this trend leading the charge to Buffalo Exchange taking the country by storm. And we've only just begun. Kerstin is my friend, a person who cares deeply about the environment and who is NEVER afraid to tell you what she thinks. Lots to talk about with Kerstin and her daughter Rebecca. Please join our conversation. This show sponsored by The Fairfax Companies.
June 28
Designing Resilience in a Black Swan World
 Dr. David Orr, Professor and Senior Advisor, Oberlin College
Designing Resilience in a Black Swan World. Dr. Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, also serves as Senior Advisor to the President at Oberlin College. He is an internationally recognized leader in sustainability. Dr. Orr is the visionary creator of The Oberlin Project to transform a rust-belt Ohio town into a thriving, sustainable and environmentally friendly community. He is the author of seven books, including the classic Ecological Literacy and Down to the Wire: Confronting Climate Collapse. I had the pleasure of spending some "alone time" with Dr. Orr and his wife Elaine while attending the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions Sustainable Foods Institute in mid-May. Dr. Orr and his family are on a mission to educate and inspire all of us to action. I cannot wait to share more. This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.
July 6
What to do When All Hell Breaks Loose?
 Cody Lundin
I am honestly at loss on where to start to describe Cody Lundin. Short clip from the bio on his website reads: Lundin is an internationally recognized professional survival instructor with more than 24 years of hands-on teaching experience. Name of his school? Aboriginal Living Skills School. Cody has a love of all things self-reliant which began as a child with the influence of his homesteading grandparents. Their rural South Dakota lifestyle of living close to the land and doing more with less was Cody's first exposure to what the family still calls, "that good ol' pioneer spirit." National shows Cody has been featured on? The Today Show, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Dateline NBC, CBS News, USA Today, The New York Times, Esquire, Playboy, Good Morning America, The Donny and Marie Show, The Weather Channel, Newsweek and CBC Radio One. Two fun facts? Cody has a permit from the Arizona Game and Fish to collect road kill. He is also the only person in Arizona with a license to catch fish with his hands. Could I make any of this up? This show sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona.
July 13
Focus on our Future
 Bruce Wright, President, Arizona Center for Innovation (AzCI), The University of Arizona, and the Office of University Research Parks
To begin with, Bruce is a thought leader, a visionary and a man of action. He helped create AzCI - a high technology business incubator that helps entrepreneurs turn their innovative ideas into successful ventures. Bruce's research interests include regional economic development, international trade and business development, and technology development and commercialization. In addition to his role as President of AzCI, Bruce also serves as an adjunct instructor in the UA Department of Geography and Regional Development. I very much look forward to learning more about AzCI's successes and plans for the future. This show is sponsored by The University of Arizona.
July 20
Actor Ted Danson in his Finest Role
Ted Danson & Andrew Sharpless, Chief Executive Officer - Oceana.org
From the Sam Malone we all loved on Cheers, to the passionate activist, author and co-founder of Oceana.org, Ted Danson's work on behalf of the world's oceans will impress you greatly. Danson helped create the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, which eventually became Oceana in 2001. Andrew Sharpless has led Oceana since 2003 as its Chief Executive Officer. Oceana, founded in late 2001, has grown in that time to be the largest international conservation organization fully dedicated to protecting the oceans. Andrew's new book, The Perfect Protein shares what he has learned while leading Oceana for the last 10 years. He has discovered that policy victories do not only help make our oceans more biodiverse and full of wonderful creatures (like sea turtles and sharks); they can also increase the amount of seafood available for consumption, particularly for the billion people on Earth who already rely on seafood as a primary source of animal protein-many of them in developing countries. Just about as important a topic as any show I have covered. This show sponsored by Chapman Tucson.
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Mrs. Green's World
GREEN TALK RADIO Show
Please remember to tune in to Mrs. Green's World every Saturday at 12:00 pm PST, live streaming on the Internet.
Spread the Green Word!
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Mrs. Green welcomes your comments and feedback:
[email protected]
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