MOM’s Organic Market’s ER Blog

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Please see first comment for the listings for this week.  As always, please feel free to list your green event if you like.

Please see first comment for the blog….

Please click on comments to see post and to respond…

Feel free to add any events you have coming up by posting a response / comment. For the moment, I don’t think it is a problem if there is a fee or not as long as the theme of the event has something to do with betting our environment.

As for MOM’s, we have a couple things coming up on our radar screen. I will be posting these weekly if you are looking for things to do that are good for our earth..
#1

On Saturday, Oct 20th, some of our employees are going up to Shepherdstown, WV to help a bio-dynamic farm(er) with a Garlic planting. We are also inviting anyone else who wants to go. Why should you go? Exercise, a chance for fresh air, an opportunity to see a working farm in action. We will be leaving our Frederick location at 9 in the morning on Saturday, and should be back by 1. It’s not very long. You will need to bring water to drink, clothes that can get messy, closes toed shoes, and a good attitude. Please e-mail me at gregk@myorganicmarket.com if you are interested in details, or even coming to the next event.

#2
GREEN-IN
Saturday, October 20, 2007
3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church is holding its first-ever Green-IN, an educational and awareness event designed to help people learn how to reduce global warming through the presentation of practical information in a free, fun, family-oriented way. People of all ages from both the church and the larger community are invited and welcome.
This fun family event will comprise of:
•
Entertainment, including:
The Hokum Martini Jazz Band, Pete Moss & The Bog Band
Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance
Chris Mauro Drum Ensemble, Karen Ashbrook, hammered dulcimer

Children’s Activities, including:
Scavenger Hunt,Nature Collage,Storytelling, music, and dance

Keynote Speaker

Lise van Susteren. Dr. van Susteren was chosen as one of the first fifty persons to be trained in Nashville by Al Gore to give a global-warming slide show based on the Academy Award-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.  Dr. van Susteren is on the board of the National Wildlife Foundation and is Eastern Regional Director of The Climate Project.

50 Exhibitors

Products & services to reduce global warming (Exhibitors include: The Low Carbon Diet, The Carbon Fund, Calculating Your Carbon Footprint, Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light, Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Maryland, Elysian Energy, Simplicity Matters, and Montgomery County programs on energy efficiency, renewable energy credits, rain gardens and rain barrels)

Promoting sustainable practices & organic living (Exhibitors include: A Plus Cleaners and Town and Country Cleaners–organic dry cleaning; Eco-Coach, Crest Design, Helicon Works, Sustainable Design Group, Rachel Carson Council, Olsson’s Books & Records, EverGreen Home, Amicus Green Building, MiEssence/The One Group, Malaleuca, Nature-by-Design, Audubon Bookshop, Co-Op America, Green Line Paper, My Organic Market (MOM), Whole Foods Market, Green Earth Goods, West Wind Farms, Heyser Farms, Ashram CSA, The Worm Lady)
*Organic or locally-sourced meal to share with others
*Hybrid car demonstrations
*Play about the Chesapeake Bay, performed by Cedar Laners
*A themed art exhibition

ADMISSION: FREE
Bring organic or locally sourced meal to share.
Meal served 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

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#3

Ok, so I might be a bit biased on this one. I heard about this site on the radio, and I think it is a great idea. It counts down the days that dogs have at shelters, and you can search by zip code. If you are going to get a dog, PLEASE try a shelter first.

How does this help the earth? We save the animals currently on it by not encouraging breeders to make more that we can’t take care of. Uses resources, labor, and time needlessly.

http://www.dogsindanger.com/

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That’s it for this week folks. I hope all of you are well, and enjoying the sunshine while we have it.

greg

Hi everyone,

My name is Greg Keyser, and I am the new Environmental Coordinator for MOM’s. For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis, you probably feel like you knew Jen so I want to let you know that she moved to the West Coast to be closer to her family. She was a very kind person, and a friend of mine. In addition, she genuinely cared about our planet and the people who live on it. We can’t have enough people like that, and I’m going to miss her very much.
It’s going to be a month or so before I am able to really kick into gear, but I am very excited to working in this position. Please give me time to get acclamated to everything, and then you should see some changes made to the site and how it is organized.

I wanted to just give a little background about myself so you all can get know me a little better. I am 35, and I have three kids. My son is 11 and his name is Wylie. I have two daughters, Sage who just turned 10, and Grace who is 4. You will probably hear some about them via the blog as they join me in many of my green adventures, and share a love of life with me.

I have believed since a very young age in the power of small steps equaling big changes. Instead of trying to get everyone else to bend, I’ve felt the trick is to start with yourself and then hopefully set a good example.

When I went to George Mason University, I did individualized research on volunteering. I wanted to know why people volunteer, who they are, when they start, why they stop, what makes people choose not too, why they continue too, etc.

I ended up founding a volunteer group called HOPE which stood for Helping Other People Everyday, and we focused on short term projects available to all people. My goal was to provide opportunities to people who did not have a lot of time or money to pay dues. Big commitments scare people off, and I found that by keeping it simple, I was able to get more people involved.

That is what I plan to focus on here on the Daily Compost. I think by now, most people reading this blog know they need to do all they can, and it is just a matter of working it into our daily routine. It’s give and take, and I’m just hoping to learn some myself.

I’ve noticed there were not a lot of response to these posts in the past, and I hope to change that. I’d like to get some serious discussions going, and get all the green events posted possible. Each week, I’m going to put a post called Green Events this week. Please respond with your event if it revolves around helping the environment in some fashion. Hopefully, this way we can get a little more publicity for each event.

I will tell you that many of the staff from MOM’s are going to take part in a Garlic planting in Sheperdstown, WV on Oct 20th. It is taking place a farm that is a friend of MOM’s, and one that utilizes huge compost piles instead of the alternatives. Basically we are all going to carpool up to the farm, and it only lasts a couple of hours in the morning from 10 till noon. There will be lunch provided (veg and non), and all you need to bring are gloves and drinking water. We are attempting a pot luck dessert too, so bring goodies if you can. If you are interested in going, please e-mail me at gregk@myorganicmarket.com
That’s it for now, as I seem to have written a mini novella here. I hope all of you are well, and please take care of each other. Feel free to write me or post a response with any suggestions or ideas.
greg

No, we’re not talking about Willie Nelson here, but a tale of 4 people and the random things they found on a mile stretch of road they were cleaning up. Now, I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve cleaned up countless roads in my time, but you can never really predict the random things you can find out there. Sure, you have the classic 7-11 chilli dog boxes, or perhaps an empty 40oz beer bottle in a bag, tire shrapnel, articles of clothing, or even the mysterious lone shoe. But, nothing can ever prepare you for the forgotten and tossed Environmental Stewardship textbook! (Of all books to find out there.) or the complete 12 pack of beer, still intact. (No, we didn’t drink it. We recycled the cans.) How about the wrestling trading card that explains “nothing can stop ‘the animal’…”? (a classic)

Normally when we set out on this stretch of road (Rhode Island Ave. between Edgewood and Greenbelt Rds.) we are prepared to see the nasty, the smelly, the random and ridiculous….and a lot of it. We were lucky in a few different ways today. 1) the weather was a bit cooler with a slight breeze. 2) the road wasn’t too nasty or smelly, which could be an indication that we are doing an amazing job OR people who like to throw trash out their windows are on vacation. and finally 3) we found a lot of random and ridiculous surprises, which definitely keeps things interesting.

I highly recommend that if you ever get a chance to participate in a clean-up, jump at the opportunity. Not only are you helping the environment, but chances are that you will come across some random objects that will keep you guessing and talking.

This past weekend was a moderately eventful one filled with a lot of heat, humidity and lessons learned. As learned by my roommate and something I actually wrote about in the MOMs sales flyer article this month; “When you are wading in the water or playing on the shores, no matter where you are, beware of things you cannot see. From rocks and stumps to pollution in our waterways, these things can be buried in the sand and lurking in deep water. Take precautions before diving in. Wear water-friendly sandals to protect the soles of your feet to be extra cautious in murky river bottoms.”

My roommate, who is to remain nameless, made the mistake of wading into Rock Creek in the heart of DC, in efforts to retrieve a ball they saw lodged between a rock and a fallen branch. They took off their tennis shoes and socks and began their voyage into murky water, when BAM, they stepped on something hidden below that caused them to cry out in pain, as it cut the bottom of their foot. With a disgruntled look on their face they reached into the water to find out the cause and found a rusted out soup can with sharp edges. Not only did they now have a cut foot from a rusted can, but they now had a cut foot with contamination ridden Rock Creek water inside of it.

Lesson for the weekend: as said before, beware of things you cannot see, especially when wading into water. It is safer to wear water shoes and respect the safety signs around bodies of water.

…get with the program. Ever since I’ve lived in this area, I’ve been urked about the lack of recycling in and around the DC area. Sure, some businesses and homes recycle, but not all. In fact, a lot of people I’ve talked to who live in apartment or condiminium complexes say that recycling is not available to them. I don’t know if you have ever had the pleasure (?) of walking around downtown or have even attended any of the numerous concert pavilions around the DC area, but you’ll rarely find a recycling bin. On every corner, and in between, you’ll find a street vendor selling hotdogs, sodas, water, etc., and on every street corner you will find a trash can loaded to the brim with the discarded bottles.

I’ve tried to look at the bright side to this, but I don’t see one. What I see is a) perfectly good recyclable materials going into the trash b) overflowing trash cans that spill into the roads and gutters and finally c) DC is home of the EPA and capital to the nation and we don’t know how to recycle?!?!

When will DC and surrounding areas turn this around and lead by example?

Last night I was sitting up on my rooftop watching the fireworks show from DC, and in between the “oooohhhhhs” and “aaaahhhhhhhs”, I thought about the smoke that was filling the air and the debris that will ultimately be left behind. I know… it does take some of the fun out of the watching experience, but really, how can I ignore it? And then I thought about the fact that a similar show is happening in every city throughout the states, with people setting off their own show from their back yard. This happens year after year, and year after year I think the same thing.

Fireworks and their effect on the environment isn’t a widely discussed topic, and I think partially because it is normally a once or twice a year thing. The fact of the matter is that fireworks are typically propelled by the ignition of gunpowder and can produce smoke and dust that contains various heavy metals, sulfur-coal compounds and other noxious chemicals. Different elements are used to produce the magnificent colors that we see bursting before us. Barium = Green. Copper = Blue. etc. All this stuff in the air basically causes a fall out of toxic pollution into the environment, waterways and even our lungs, and is probably in violation of the Clean Air Act.

SO, I suppose the question is: at what point do we change the American way and find a friendlier way to celebrate? Why aren’t fireworks discussed more?