Getting Ready

Content by guest blogger Sol Rosales

I called TexasElectricityProviders today after I got my new dryer dropped off. I got one of those great industrial dryers. The ones that have a huge drum and literally will dry an entire load in under thirty minutes. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t bought “white glove delivery” so the dryer was just dropped off in the room that it needed to be in. It wasn’t actually hooked up. Then, I realized that the plug didn’t look anything like any of the outlets that were in my laundry room. When I got in touch with our electricity provider they were so helpful. They said that it was probably a higher voltage plug and gave me some more information. They even suggested that I get in touch with one of their suggested electricians to have a new outlet put it. Later that day, the electrician made it over and now I have a fabulous new dryer ready for use. It is going to make my life so much easier. Now, I won’t have to spend ninety minutes waiting for my clothes to dry!

Green Romance

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-romance-think-eco-healthy-for-valentines-day.html

From the Care2.com website:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-romance-think-eco-healthy-for-valentines-day.html

The scene is set for romance…perfume, candles, flowers, chocolate, and champagne. But wait…some of these products might contain toxic chemicals! Remember that what goes on your body also goes in your body and into your bloodstream, so be sure to choose products without a lot of added chemicals. A spritz of most department store perfumes, for example, can contain over 100 different synthetic chemicals to make the scent, plus things like phthalates, and parabens.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-romance-think-eco-healthy-for-valentines-day.html#ixzz1mVEr2VvA

DERBY PIE

I appreciate the guest post, Ignacio Phillips

I was watching a movie on Direct TV yesterday and I heard a crash come from the kitchen. I immediately hopped up and ran to the kitchen. I saw my dog standing in the kitchen with a plate that had fallen off of the counter than had a whole Derby Pie. I cooked the pie for a party that we were going to that evening. It is my specialty. Of course, you can guess what my pup was doing. By the time I had gotten in there, he had eaten half of the Derby Pie. I was so upset I popped him. I picked up the rest of the pie and set it on the counter. I was so distraught, I called my husband and told him that he was going to have to pick up a pie on his way home from work so that we could take it to the party. I simply didn’t have enough time to fix another pie. I told him what Henry ( our beagle) had done. He raised a great question that I didn’t even think of because I was so upset with the dog. He reminded me that dogs weren’t allowed to eat chocolate.

Eco-traveling and translations services

One way to learn more about the environment is to travel. Traveling is fun, and a person’s eyes can be opened to new ideas. When you come home you look at your home city with fresh eyes.  If you are going to travel to a land where the people speak a different language than you, you might want to check out translation services first. One service is Rosetta. As I look over their site it seems they are mostly for business. You could check them out for your personal travel. They translate documents and will do something called cuchotage or whispered simultaneous interpreting. (Chuchotage is French.) This type of interpretation is good for groups of four or less.

Eco-travel is something that is growing in popularity. The word eco-travel can mean two things, either traveling to see environmental wonders (or everyday sites), or it can refer to what kind of a carbon footprint you leave on the environment. Do an Internet search for eco-tourism and see what you might find.

Last year my daughter and I went on our first cruise. It was a vegan cruise, meaning all the food was plant-based – no meat, dairy or eggs. We had a great time and we also did some exploring at the ports. It was fun to see different plants and different topography than we have at home. We experience several languages on this cruise: Italian, Bahasa Indonesia, German and Spanish. The ship was an Italian ship and many of the people in charge were Italian. Many staff members doing the menial work were from Bali. Also the passengers were a mix of people from the U.S., Italy and Germany. In Porto Rico we had a tour guide who tried to teach us Spanish with a Porto Rican flare.

All activities were in English so you didn’t have to worry about service. 

Everyday little things like shopping choices make a difference

It’s those little boring things that a person does everyday that can contribute to society. I find that every consumer decision I make is also an reflection of my commitment to the environment. For example, purchasing a shower curtain can be a reflection of your conviction to the environment. I kept the same shower curtain for years, because I didn’t want to throw my old one in the landfill AND because I was worried about off-gassing of PVCs a new plastic curtain would produce. PVC is polyvinyl chloride. It contains phthalates, which is a toxic plastic softener, used in the coating of shower curtains. Phthalates have been linked to hormone disruption, cancer, and liver and kidney disease. You’ve heard about them in plastic baby bottles.

Today I have been asked to blog about shower curtains for www.become.com, you might want to check their links to shower curtains. I will see if they have some environmentally friendly shower curtains.

In looking over their selection at http://www.become.com/splash-home-shower-curtain I don’t see any that specifically advertise that they do not contain PVCs, but one option you have is to pick a cloth curtain.

Another topic I’ve been asked to blog about is a square teak table for 8. If you follow this link to the www.become.com site you will see tables. I would say to choose a table that is made in the United States, close to you. Teak typically is not grown in the United States.

The third topic I’ve been asked to mention is a bedding comforter with a Mario theme. As I look at the link I see most are made of polyester so you will have decide if you want all natural fabric or if your child’s desire for a Super Mario them overrides the environmentalist in you. Sometimes you have to give in to keep peace in the family.

Minnesotans thank the EPA

By Rebecca Bischoff

Environmental reporter/writer

On a sub-zero day in day in Duluth Minnesotans gathered at the Environmental Protection Agency office near Lake Superior to thank the agency for issuing strong new mercury pollution safeguards. They presented a large thank you card signed by local Duluthians and a banner made by Girl Scout Troop 12965. In December, the EPA finalized strong public health safeguards to limit mercury and other toxic pollution from coal power plants.

Caption: Dr. Carl Richards, Director of the Duluth EPA laboratory, shakes hands with Sierra Club member John Doberstein as he accepts a thank you card signed by Duluthians in support of stronger mercury emission regulations for coal power plants. To Richards left is a banner made by Girl Scout Troop 12965.

Attendance included members of the Sierra Club, the Duluth faith community, Duluth City Council, Izaak Walter League, and University of Minnesota Duluth students.

Sierra Club member John Doberstein said the new safeguards will slash mercury emissions from coal power plants by up to 90%.

City Councilor Linda Krug said she has heard from citizens concerned about Lake Superior’s water quality. “Toxic levels of mercury in Lake Superior are not what we want for Duluth, Minnesota, or America.”

Pastor David Carlson of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church spoke of the importance of creation care and being a voice for the voiceless. “They [wildlife and future generations] can’t help it, but we can,” he said of environmental issues.

Sportsman Darrel Spencer of the Izaac Walter League said his family’s diet consists of large amount of wild game. “It sickens me that we have to limit our fish intake in [waters as pristine as] the boundary waters.”

Kate Mensing, a member of MPING, a UMD student group that focuses on issues of environmental and social justice, said her group was involved because mercury pollution “affects both wildlife and citizens.”

According to the EPA, these new standards will prevent up to 150 premature deaths in Minnesota annually and create up to $1.2 billion in health benefits each year.

Rebecca Bischoff has a degree in environmental science from Northland College, Ashland Wisc. She lives in Duluth and is interested in fitness and nutrition and all issues relating to environmental protection.

GPS

Contribution by Stevie Kirby

My husband refuses to use a GPS. We got one a few years ago and I thought it was the coolest thing because it would save us so much time by keeping us from having to look up directions. We keep the GPS in my car because that is the car we use more frequently when we are going somewhere with our whole family. Whenever my husband is going to drive somewhere, he always looks up directions online. He says that he wants to use our clear Dallas internet to make sure that we have directions in case something happens to the GPS. However, once he gets in the car, he refuses to look at the GPS and only uses his written directions. I told him that he needs to trust modern technology because it is safer to use the GPS than trying to read a piece of paper while driving. His response was that the GPS does not always go the quickest way and that sometimes the GPS is incorrect. I do remember one time when we were going to a wedding and the GPS told us to turn on a road that did not exist and we ended up being late to the wedding. I still think it is safer to travel with a GPS than reading paper while driving. I guess it does not hurt to have a backup though.

The story of cosmetics

BPA

Fact: Bisphenol A (BPA), which has been associated with diabetes, heart disease and obesity, is found in the blood of 92 percent of all Americans over the age of five.

Tip: Purchase foods packaged in Tetra Paks.

Even if the FDA isn't paying attention, the media is! | Sarah Janssen's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Even if the FDA isn't paying attention, the media is! | Sarah Janssen's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC

Smart Woman: Global Mamas

Smart Woman: Global Mamas

UMW National Seminar 2011 at Linn Park

Esmeralda Brown stands at the Gazebo in Linn Park with United Methodist Women in the background.
Polly Pearson made a sign for clean water.

Transformation UMW National Seminar 2011

Put your fears in the Saturday Cave.
Tell your sister she is transformed and anoint her.


The symbolic Saturday Cave.

Busy Day

We had a busy day today. We visited Pratt City, where a tornado had devasted a neighborhood in Birmingham.
We also visited the McCoy Center.

Another stop we made was at the Southern Environmental Center at Birmingham Southern College


We are also particpating in Meatless Monday.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Last night we toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

It is across the street from the 16th Street Baptist in 1962 church which was bombed. Dozens were hurt. Four girls attending Sunday School were killed.
This man was met outside and gave us a little history. He also said, "No cameras allowed." I took a photo of his back with the Negro League logos.

You can follow some of out lectures and Bible studies here at UMW National Seminar 2011

Snippets of words that touch my heart at the UMW National Seminar 2011 Birmingham Ala.

I have been posting snippets of sentences that speak to me as I listen to our speakers at the National Seminar.

"Poverty is a slap in the face of God."

Why does domestic violence happen? Because it can.

Batterers are made, not born.

Violence happens with the idea that some should have power and others should not.

The reason people don't see human trafficking is because it is a hidden crime.

U.S. immigration laws are confusing and contribute to human trafficking.

If I give you a ride and you are an undocumented immigrant, I've broken the law...or if I've feed you.

People of the Maldives Islands say two degrees hotter on this earth is suicide for them.


Domestic violence, racism, human trafficking . immigration, climate change and poverty are all intertwined.

Visible power is who is calling the shots.

Invisible powers are people and institutions that shape our beliefs. (Food is power and is intertwined in all of this.

Sunday

Well, I plan to keep you posted on what's going on next.
Click on the link to live stream
http://nat-seminar.umwonline.net/

We are treading lightly on the earth by eating local food

Catfish and okra
Pecan pie

UMW National Seminar 2011

Prof. Cricket's mommy is in Birmingham Ala. to attend the UMW National Conference. The theme is Mission Reconciliation: Restoring Justice, building Community.

I will post photos and other information soon. I need to go to a session.