Transformational Boost Comes From China On Climate Change

Transformational Boost Comes From China On Climate Change

Glow in the Dark Plants for Sustainable Lighting

Glow in the Dark Plants for Sustainable Lighting Not sure how I feel about this development...What do you think?

Goats And Into Green: O'Hare Airport Contracts for Sustainable Vegetation Grazing Services

O'Hare Airport Contracts for Sustainable Vegetation Grazing Services, A New Term for Goats!

Soul Food Junkie Rehab

 

The Movie "Soul Food Junkie" is being shown this afternoon at the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. See the trailer and director interview above to learn more about the film, but the title is reflective of the message the film conveys. I have to confess, I love soul food as much as the next person (minus the pork, yuck). I also love sweets, Trader Joe's Mango Lemonade, staying up late on work nights and many more things that are not good to indulge in on a frequent basis, but can be fine when enjoyed on a limited basis. The list of things that I love has changed over the years as I've matured, adapted to healthier approaches to having fun, enjoying life and dealing with stress or loss, changed relationships, experienced life threatening illness, read more and the like. One of many benefits of being open to change is the process of investigating, discovering and embracing new, healthier, satisfying and enjoyable things to love. This is something that we need to do as soul food junkies or western diet junkies (white carbs, meat, sugar, fats, salts). With this in mind, I've posted some links to websites that can help you transition from garbage based soul food to garden based soul food. So get on board, join in and enjoy the ride.

1. PETA Vegetarian Soul Food
2. Pinterest - search vegan soul food
3. Vegan Soul Kitchen
4. The Sweetest Vegan
5. VegNews - search soul food
6. Vegan Crunk - more of lifestyle of a Dirty South Vegan 
7. I Eat Grass
8. By Any Greens Necessary
9. Vegetarian Times - Cajun Food

What are your favorite sources for creating healthy soul food?

 

 

 

 

 

Biodiversity, but No Real Diversity in Environmental Organizations

So the GOP wasn't the only entity pursuing a relationship with the students at Howard University this spring. The Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental advocacy group which describes itself as "passionate, pragmatic environmental advocates who believe in prosperity and stewardship", has forged a partnership with Howard University to put sustainability in the curriculum and introduce environmental careers to students. There will be yearlong fellowships and internship positions for the students and sustainability will be integrated into the curriculum of the business school. Like so many environmental groups and political groups, the EDF has seen the maps of 2020 and realizes that in order to survive as a non-profit and meet its goals, it must be more inclusive. Realizing is one thing, doing is another, as evidenced by long time African American advocates in the field like Norris McDonald of the African American Environmentalists Association , quoted in this article on diversity in environmental groups. My observations of environmental groups that are more actively pursuing inclusion are, The Nature Conservancy, the National Park Service,  and the Association of American Geographers. The Natural Resources Defense Council, one of my favorites, says that it is going to try to be more inclusive, but when I type in the words inclusion and diversity in their search engine, all I get is biodiversity and the like. Guess they are just getting started?? There are many more less well known, regional based organizations that are also working towards being more inclusive - Green for All, Center for Diversity and The Environment  to name a few. From my experience in inclusion work, the best ways to start becoming more inclusive are 1)  Be where the diversity is (outreach and listening), 2) Hire a diverse staff and  3) Bring on a diverse board of directors. If anyone from those organizations are reading this post....I know some great green living and environmental bloggers with diverse points of view, that write on the topic and would love to hear from you..from So Fresh and So Green to Outdoor Afro to African American Environmentalists Association and of course there is my blog.

Black and Into Green readers, which environmental organizations have you found to be most inclusive?

Broccoli Pistachio Soup

A Profound Hatred of Meat: Broccoli Pistachio Soup: Even a broccoli lover like me, gets tired of eating it occasionally. I try to eat a lot of it because it is an especially good cancer fighter for black women, it is delicious and so easy to prepare. I like this dish because it also features another one of my favorites - pistachios. MMM! Like peanut butter and chocolate, broccoli and pistachios. We will see. Looks pretty simple to make too! The recipes from this website are always amazing, so add it them to your reading list.

By Any Greens Necessary Talks Vegan Pregnancy

Top 5 Tips for a Fab Vegan Pregnancy | byanygreensnecessary.com

Finally, You Can Buy an Eco Conscious Smartphone

Smartphones: The Latest Products to Get Certified Finally, smartphone manufacturers are thinking green. I can't tell you how often I have Googled "green cellphone" and come up empty. One more way to vote green with your wallet!

Langston Hughes, Poet and Gardener

Langston Hughes' Children's Garden, Harlem, 1955 In honor of National Poetry Month, I share this article from a garden historian, on one of my favorite poets, Langston Hughes. Apparently this great intellectual and poet also shared an appreciation for the greener things in life and children. A black and green poet, nice.

Photo by Don Hunstein, 1955

Monsanto's Sneaks Into Budget Bill, Faces Farmer in Supreme Court

Monsanto's Sneaks Into Budget Bill, Faces Farmer in Supreme Court

Efficiency Resource Fund to Finance Upgrades in Smaller Buildings Across US

Efficiency Resource Fund to Finance Upgrades in Smaller Buildings Across US

Bloomberg Set To Eliminate Packaging Waste

NYC mayor declares war on packaging waste
Finally, an end to those ghastly styrofoam food containers could be near! So annoying.

Puma Launches First Closed Loop Clothing Line

Puma Launches First Closed Loop Clothing Line

35,000+ March at Forward on Climate Rally

35,000+ March at Forward on Climate Rally Black people and polar bears were representing together at this event. That's probably a first since the day of that great artic explorer, Matthew Henson!

Bad News For Pescatarians In Europe

EC approves animal meal in fish food
Okay so I guess it's not enough that poultry and cows are being fed animal by products, now farmed fish will be expanding their diets. One more reason to consider going fully veg. Also, if you didn't catch the story on NPR's This American Life, you need to be careful about where you buy your calamari. All is not what it seems...

Corporations, investors 'grabbing' land and water overseas — Environmental Health News

Corporations, investors 'grabbing' land and water overseas — Environmental Health News

Spring is Coming

I was greeted by these golden blossoms last week, that reminded me that spring is around the corner. Hang in there! I think this is a witch hazel branch.

REI CEO Selected to Head Department of Interior

REI CEO Selected to Head Department of Interior

Really Green Businesses: Herman Miller Provider of Hiqh Quality Furniture

Herman Miller, Herman Miller Please consider Herman Miller for your next office furniture purchase. This company has been a leader in sustainable business practices for many years. Read more about the company on Sustainable Business and check out the video.

Innovative Startup Tackles US Food Waste

Innovative Startup Tackles US Food Waste Awesome idea!

Activities and Resources to Teach Environmental Health

Activities and Resources to Teach Environmental Health A toolbox for teachers of grades 9-12 to raise awareness of environmental health issues and solutions.

Mayors urge President Obama to Act on Climate Change

Mayors focus on "local warming," urge Obama to act | Yahoo! Health All of climate change is local, but mayors of American cities want President Obama to assume more visible leadership in pushing for real action on the climate. In the interim they are working on their own local solutions to mitigate and manage the effects of a heating climate. Heat waves, floods, drought and infrastructure under pressure, are just some of the issues that mayors must address. Let's hope we hear more about the president's plans on climate change this weekend.

Arab Spring Spawns Middle East Youth Climate Change Movement

Arab Spring Spawns Middle East Youth Climate Change Movement Interesting.

African American Youth Takes The Lead In Growing Her Green Business

Successful 12-Year-Old Entrepreneur’s Advice to Newbies: ‘Know What Your Ideas Are’ | Techyville
I continue to see Maya Penn of Maya's Idea Shop featured in need articles and thought that it was about time for me to give to give her a shout out on Black and Into Green. She is the most productive 12 year old that I know!! Her advice featured in the above Techyville article is inspiration for us to keep  plugging away at our green living, advocacy and business goals for 2013. Love her ideas about keeping a journal of your ideas. I keep a memo on my smart phone of problems that I've identified that need a product or process solution. All great businesses are founded on problems that need to be solved, though there are some problems that we didn't even know we had until someone developed the idea (though, not always guaranteed to be a profitable business). Anyway, let's all show Maya some love and put her site on our blog roll and support her Etsy shop. You go, Maya!!

Paid Green Internships at The Nature Conservancy

Park Ranger Internship

Hello! It's that time of the year again. Internship applications are starting to open up. Thank to my famous friend, Rue Mapp, of Outdoor Afro, I was alerted to some paid green internships for high schoolers and college students that are available at the Nature Conservancy. There are even internships specifically targeted to diverse demographic groups, in recognition of the changing faces of America. These environmental organizations are recognizing the need to nurture a love for nature in what has been a historically ignored demographic - people of color. Need to ensure a future base of volunteers, donors and employees, right? You will need to type "internships" in the keyword search bar in the career section, as internships are not listed. Some internships start as early as February, but most start June 2nd. You should also continue to visit the site to look for new postings.


From my Android phone on T-Mobile. The first nationwide 4G network.

Fiscal Cliff Deal Extends Some Green Programs, Gives Up On Farm Bill

Fiscal Cliff Deal Extends Some Green Programs, Gives Up On Farm Bill. Well, we all survived the fiscal cliff mess, for now. A few environment related programs survived and few did not. The commuter tax break was maintained - this allows you to have money deducted pre-tax from your paycheck to cover a limited amount of public transportation expenses. Tax credits for plug-in motorcycles and energy efficiency home renovations or home purchases, survived. Items in the farm bill that would have supported healthy, sustainable farming practices fell off of the cliff. For more specific details read the article that I shared from Sustainable Business.