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