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I'm a Garden, Not a Building

I really fretted about this newsletter - big time. Never is the fretting about finding a topic but rather about which seed to plant; which really important scoop to share. 

 
On the one hand, I wanted to write the entire newsletter about the state I am personally in over eating meat. On the other hand, I wanted to share with everyone my latest "deep green thoughts" on "Who is Mrs. Green?" For example, I don't see myself as "press" and hopefully I'll get some feedback from some of you as to how you view Mrs. Green. And on the OTHER hand, I wanted to do one of my rants about why the heck people can't stop using plastic bottles because they are so damn toxic and unnecessary and blah, blah, blah. Argh...the ever-present green conundrum.

 
Enter one of my true heroes, Seth Godin, who once again magically appeared to save the day and remind me who I am: a passionate gardener.

Gardens, not buildings
By Seth Godin

Great projects start out feeling like buildings. There are architects, materials, staff, rigid timelines, permits, engineers, a structure. 

It works or it doesn't.

 
Build something that doesn't fall down. On time.

But in fact, great projects, like great careers and relationships that last, are gardens. They are tended, they shift, they grow. They endure over time, gaining a personality and reflecting their environment. When something dies or fades away, we prune, replant and grow again.

Perfection and polish aren't nearly as important as good light, good drainage and a passionate gardener.

By all means, build. But don't finish. Don't walk away.

Here we grow.

Great, right? Here we grow indeed. 

Not to worry, it's about my journey and not about judging anyone else. I find myself eating less meat, reading more about the heinous (and yes I mean heinous) atrocities involving the treatment of animals being raised for our eating pleasure and I'm trying to find the upside of eating as much meat as we do in this country. I admit to being fixated on the cruelty piece and can barely handle the information I am processing. I am trying to figure out how and when we got so disconnected from farm to fork. I may never figure that piece out but for now, what I can do is eat less meat, continue my education and continue to be thankful for being on this journey.

 
Here are the questions I am asking myself: Am I ready to open my eyes? Am I ready to trust my heart? Am I ready to take the journey? Here is a trailer from the movie Peaceable Kingdom. Please trust me when I say this trailer will not upset you and I hope you will watch it.

 
And, also please trust me when I say there will be more chapters to share on this journey to my becoming sustainable me. For now, no more bacon and lots more spinach salad. Thank you, Amber Rowden Adil, for holding my hand during this personally challenging time. 

Someone asked me a question last week that stopped me dead in my tracks. "Well, if you are not the press, who are you?" AND, she wanted an answer in writing to present to a Steering Committee so they could decide, within reason, in which category to put me for an event. Am I press? Am I media? Am I an expert on green? Am I a radio talk show host? A blogger? An environmental educator? An author? A movement? Or, all of the above? 

Here goes..

I see myself as being a strong, powerful voice for creating a larger, more intentional and therefore more powerful, community of people who care about the planet. One of the ways in which I do that is through my national radio show. And then there's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogging, YouTube videos, public speaking, writing a newsletter (and a book to be published some day) all while continuing my education. I fully realize that there is just one planet and we are rapidly depleting Mother Earth's resources - on land and on sea. Now my soul/sole purpose in life, pretty much during every waking moment, is to help raise awareness for what shape our planet is in and how critical it is for people to wake up, live consciously and help create the massive shift that has to occur in our behavior albeit quickly. I see myself as a big green dot connector adding my voice to the many voices for change out there. I see everyone who is a part of Mrs. Green's World as a movement of people working diligently to take small steps in their own lives to collectively make a big difference. Is this a sustainable, eco-friendly movement? What do you think? 

Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world: 29 billion water bottles a year; 1,500 per second. To make all these bottles, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil. That's enough oil to keep a million cars going for twelve months. Next time you are having a drink out of one, imagine it filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That's about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle. Not that I want anyone to choke on their bottle, but it might give you pause and might even inspire you to change this one habit. How about purchasing an eco-friendly reusable bottle? That's sustainable.

Mrs. Green Goes to the Big (Green) Apple

As previously reported, Mrs. Green is going to New York City in September. We are a media sponsor for the Go Green NYC Conference on September 26th as part of Climate Week. The conference tagline? Get Empowered. Get Inspired. Get Connected. And Mrs. Green says: Get ready!

Two more exciting details. Mrs. Green will be hosting a small, intimate reception for the wonderful East coast friends we have made along this journey. Drum roll please - the reception is at the new headquarters for S'well Bottle near Union Square. Have I died and gone to green heaven? Or did Sarah Kauss really make this wonderful offer? And, exciting detail number two. For my August 31st show, I will have the pleasure of interviewing Marissa Feinberg, an over-the-top, out-of-the-box, watch-me-make-it-happen speaker at the conference. She starts and grows movements yet makes it appear effortless.