Associate, Climate Policy Practice, Climate Advisers

Associate, Climate Policy Practice, Climate Advisers

Meatless Monday Sandwich

Compliments of K.blog.lunchboxlunch.com via Pinterest

I have been sidelined this Monday evening due to a defective windshield wiper bladehield - if you have ever driven with a broken windshield wiper in the rain or snow, you know why I'm at home. The ole Prius is spending the night at the dealership. So what to do? Experiment with Meatless Monday in the kitchen of course! I'm going to make this delicious looking vegan sandwich recipe that I found on Pinterest, compliments of the website, Lunch Box Lunch. I love the juxtaposition of BBQ and vegan along with sauerkraut and arugula, especially on MLK Day! Sounds fun right? I did have to pay a little more for the organic sauerkraut, because the cheaper brands had some strange preservatives. I'm not trying to eat anything that has sulfites. I'm replacing the white sourdough bread with toasted whole wheat ciabatta. Bon Appetit mes amies!

MLK Day/Life of Service Ideas

Hello Friends! Happy Marting Luther King, Jr. Birthday! I hope that you have amazing plans to celebrate Dr. King's birthday and achievements in some manner today or this week - though I know that Black and Into Green readers are celebrating his legacy everyday through your actions. I was evaluating today's activities on the basis of what I thought would be Dr. King approved. While there are many offerings scheduled for today, most were just not that deep - in my humble opinion. The opportunities seemed to be more family centered entertainment activities with some educational offerings in the mix - which is great if you have young children, but my young child is a freshman in college and many of you don't even have kids!! So now what? Fortunately, I found some MLK Day of service activities through the All For Good and MLK Day websites, which provides information on a variety of service projects itemized by, your local area, statewide, virtual, micro and my favorite category - self-directed. I found a local area project cleaning, organizing and sorting items for the Kids In Need Resource Center. Serving meals, coat donation and a poverty simulation were some of the other options, but what really caught my eye were the self-directed projects. These projects are attractive for a number of reasons, 1) Variety 2) Action plan templates 3) Flexible 4) Environment and Community Garden Options and 5) Control. Some projects  (planting a community garden) require more planning than others (letter writing), but there is enough variety and flexibility for you to create something that fits your resource availability and constraints. I love the idea of the self-directed projects because it gives an individual or an organization an opportunity to extend the spirit of  MLK Day beyond a day or week  and I think Dr. King would approve. In fact, I love this idea so much that I am thinking about making a small contribution towards a project that I like in the form of a contest. Get back to you later this week on that one!

Green Your Diet with this Raw Sweet Treat: Pistachio Balls

Three simple, raw ingredients for Pistachio Balls

It's that time of year again, when we start to seriously think about our diets and health. If you are an aspiring raw foodist, you may have fallen off of the wagon ane are trying to get back on. I have a sweet, nutty and green way for you to kick-off your efforts. Pistachio Balls. This wonderful and simple recipe was discovered on a website I learned about today on NPR's "Travel with Rick Steves" show. Sasha Martin created the blog, Global Table Adventure with a wonderful goal, travel the world to appreciate other cultures, without leaving your own dinner table. How is this possible? Follow the blog to learn more. Now, back to the Pistachio Balls. This wonderful, green nut (red back in the day) has always been my favorite nut treat. I used to derive such pleasure in picking open the pryable shells and popping its contents into my mouth - red fingers and all. I recently discovered the amazing taste and aroma of pistachio oil, which tastes as great on salads as it does on organic Yukon Gold potatoes. Ground pistachios, pistachio oil, lime juice, salt and chopped parsley, makes an amazing and super healthy and green raw treat. Now through this wonderful blog, I have discovered a raw treat which uses only three ingredients, pistachios, dates and coconut (optional). Now for the piece de resistance - pistachios are really good and healthy for you aaaannnd they actually block the absorption of bad fats in other foods you may consume...you know like those leftover treats. Pistachios contain phytonutrients, which are substances which help to fight cancer. So here is the recipe for your enjoyment...love the pics. I'm going to make these this weekend. Can't wait to pop some of these green goodies in my mouth!

Silver Lining to Bad Economy: Move Toward Local, Employee-Owned, Green Businesses Again

Silver Lining to Bad Economy: Move Toward Local, Employee-Owned, Green Businesses Again Cleeeevelaaand!

Sierra Club's Outdoor Adventure for Urban Youth

Groups - Inner City Outings - Sierra Club I was doing some research on environmental groups outreach and diversity programs and came across the Inner City Outings or ICO programs run by the Sierra Club. To my surprise, I discovered that there are some 50 volunteer run groups around the country that develop outdoor programming for inner city or urban youth. This program has been up and running since 1971. Someone needs to call the Sierra Club and have them give a contract to my girl, Rue at Outdoor Afro, because I have never heard of any of the programs. Apparently, the challenge has been that it requires a tremendous amount of time, energy and volunteer resources to run a successful program. Kudos to those programs that are up and running. I do think that there is room for the Sierra club, through strategic partnerships with church groups, Girls and Boys Scouts troops, community centers, urban farmers and school districts to raise awareness and increase participation in these programs. Studies have shown that 30 minutes of gardening per day does more to relieve stress than most activities that our youth engage in to chill, this probably extends to any form of connecting with nature. Anyone got any ideas? To learn more, click on the link here.

I planted this weeping redbud about 4 years ago. Neighborhood kids adore it!

Oh and Happy New Year!