Green Options

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In my talks, I have talked a lot about reinventing normal life and in particular our notions of mobility (among other things)…
Part and parcel is this idea that it’s a small world. We get this small world idea from Disneyland as kids (recall hearing mechanical children swaying to the refrain “Its a small world after all”) as well as from seemingly serendipitous encounters that are probably statistically ordinary in a world were people jet and motor around the country. It is easy to think that the world is small when one can get from point A anywhere in the global economy to point B anywhere in the global economy within a matter of hours (rather than days or months). It makes it easy for us spread out families and friends as people chase paychecks and jobs across the country if not the planet.

I admit that I am not the most rational person in the world. When faced with big choices, weighing the pros and cons is not how I behave.

My decisions - whether to have a baby, where to live, who to marry - are not based solely on logic. They are also based on my heart, or some intuitive notion. Perhaps because I’m a scientist, I sometimes feel this is a weakness. But every now and then, logic and emotion converge. The heart and the head agree, and this is a blessed thing.

That’s how it is, for me, with joining the local foods movement. I have read books, attended meetings, visited farms, and analyzed endless facts about the astounding benefits of re-building vibrant local and regional food systems. I have discovered many reasons to buy food grown nearby, and to support the local food economy however I can.

These reasons include protecting farms, promoting sustainable agriculture, getting in touch with the seasons, reducing carbon emissions, supporting your local economy, knowing where your food comes from, eating food that tastes better and is more nutritious, and improving the safety and security of your food.

Having taken no 1 spot in the world wide environmental performance rankings, Switzerland may also lay claim to being home of the world’s greenest family.

Dario and Sabine Schworer together with their two children are at the half way point of an epic round the world journey on which they aim to cross seven seas and climb seven of the world’s highest mountains, travelling only by foot, bicycle and wind power.

The family are currently in Sydney, Australia on year 7 of a 14 year expedition in which they expect to sail 70’000 nautical miles, cycle 18’000 kilometres and climb a total of 400’000 meters. They hope the expedition will “prove that great achievements can be done in harmony with nature" and have taken the opportunity to share their message with more than 21,000 school children whilst visiting schools on their route. Their own Children, Salina and Andri, were born during the expedition and continue to travel alongside their parents.

At a time in history that is so fraught with emotional, environmental and overall psychological stress, it only seems proper to wish everyone who reads this column the very best during these days of celebration.

My wife’s oldest son, Dave Mason, sent this greeting, in hopes of covering all the ideological and generational bases in one fell swoop. With his permission, Sally and I, and the whole family would like to join Dave in celebrating the season:

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a weekly guest spot by children’s media consultant Ashley. Ashley is a television and online producer and Executive Editor of Children’s Media Consultant.com. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. concentrating in children’s educational media and preschool ecology from New York University. She resides with her family in downtown New York City. You can visit her blog at childrensmediaconsultant.com.

But that’s just one show. ONE show amidst hundreds of others that cater to young viewers. In a time in our world where everyone — from Wal-Mart to Chevrolet — sees sustainability as an important issue for our economy and culture, it seems amazing to me that the issue is pretty much ignored on children’s television.

So when I received an email from Nickelodeon earlier this week with the subject line “Eco-Friendly Tips From Dora and Boots!,” I have to admit I opened it feeling a bit skeptical.

Since I’ve researched and studied in graduate school how preschoolers think and relate to the natural environment, I’d like to think I know a bit about what an effective, responsible and significant preschool ecology curriculum might entail. And, with the exception of “It’s a Big Big World,” there isn’t much available in the children’s media realm (at least on television — I have yet to review a few new online properties that carry this messaging) that truly deliver on what they promise.

You probably noticed the new look and feel to both Green Options and Eco Child’s Play; it’s a merger we hope is mutually beneficial. For those of you who are daily reader of Eco Child’s Play but new to Green Options, or new to either site, I’m Kelli Best-Oliver. I’ve been writing about sustainability and education for Green Options since its launch in February. I’m a high school teacher in St […]

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Makena Brown, grade 8, has a plan to help keep the planet healthy and make money, too. Makena collects all of her family’s recyclables and stores them in the back yard. About once a month, she and her family load up the car with the many bags of bottles and cans and take them to the local recycling center. Because it’s her project, Makena gets to keep the money paid by the recycling center

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Sustainability is making its way into mainstream periodicals. It seems like almost every magazine in the past year has featured a "green" issue, some credible, some not. My friend just gave me the green issue of a magazine targeted at the marketing industry. So it’s no surprise that Edutopia, an education magazine for teachers and administrators published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, used sustainability as a theme for their

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When a baby is born, it is so pure and natural, yet will soon be exposed to all of the harsh chemicals of the modern world. It is true that babies are exposed to some toxins in utero and through breastmilk, but this exposure is limited and mostly out of the control of parents. What is in the control of new parents are the kind of products they use on their baby,

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