Green Options

Al Gore and Dr. R.K. Pachauri (IPCC) under the Mahatma’s words!

Today is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi - regarded as ‘Father of the Nation’ by the Republic of India and a ‘Global Peacemaker’ by the United Nations; so much so that this day is also celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. The Mahatma has also been the inspiration for US President Obama who believes that America has its roots in Gandhi’s India because the teachings he shared with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped change U.S. society through the civil rights movement.

Now, with the world facing a climate crisis and already on the crossroads of equity and/in development, it is time to resurrect and revive the Gandhian principles of simple living-high thinking, participatory governance, etc. at the global level.

I’ve always been attracted to the lotus blossom, and I used to embroider it often on the clothes I made and sold. Lotus Blossom Style shares my affinity for this flower, because it represents their mission as a company.  The lotus flower is a “sacred plant which symbolizes coming into your potential” and “represents the journey from unconscious to the conscious.”  One of my goals as an eco-parent is to raise conscious children, just like Lotus Blossom Style wishes to inspire their customers to be all that they can be.

The Baby Buddha Love Onesie is made from organic cotton. Organic cotton is healthier for baby and the planet.

We all absorb chemicals through our skin and through our environment.  Babies and young children’s skin is thinner than adults and therefore more sensitive to these chemicals.  Choosing organic cotton safeguards your child from the pesticides, insecticides and other toxins used to grow and manufacture conventional cotton products and helps transform the marketplace into a healthier and more conscious one for ALL.

This article is part of EcoWorldly’s week-long spotlight on Politicians You Can Believe In. To read more, subscribe to our RSS feed, or view our posts about politics.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”

- Mahatma Gandhi (1869 to 1948)

More popularly known for his non-violent struggle for India’s independence, so much so that his birth anniversary is now also the International Day for Non-Violence, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi - who led India to her freedom, was also an environmentalist. And such was his passion, vision and understanding of the environment - back in the days when nationalism overruled any global thinking - that his writings and thoughts are punchlines for almost all present day environmental organizations and campaigns.

Be the change you want to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

A man of words and action, who always believed in leading by example, Gandhi was not just a great political and spiritual leader, he was also a thinker and one of the first who thought on the lines of sustainable development. His teachings of simple living and high thinking and considerable portions of his writings reveal his thought process in the direction of sustainable development.

Mahatma Gandhi believed that the spinning wheel, or charkha, was a sign of self-reliance and independence. Now that belief is being taken to a new level with the e-charkha, a hand-driven spinning wheel that generates electricity.

As going green becomes more and more popular, it seems that everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Consumers want more sustainable options for all their needs, and companies are beginning to listen. Or are they?

Maybe I’m just a little paranoid, but I don’t tend to trust the megalithic corporations that have so much power and wealth today. So while I see many ad campaigns touting green promises and hear of many large corporations changing their ways, as much as I want to believe them, I have my doubts that many of these companies are truly committed to sustainability. The very nature of our economy leads companies to focus solely on profit and their own growth, at the expense of people and the environment.

80,000 in Seoul, South Korea protest U.S. beef over mad cow disease: Would boycott work better?

What burgers are to the United States, a good marinade of galbi (barbecued beef) is to South Korea. (And man, does it taste good!)

Mad Cow Disease Scare

However, according to United Press International, the South Korean market closed its doors to U.S. beef imports after mad cow disease hit the U.S. in 2003. After a four year ban on imports, the cautious reopening of the South Korean market in 2007 to beef from the U.S. met reservations from the public. These reservations turned to outrage, however, after Lee Myung-bak agreed to resume U.S. beef imports without restriction during his golfing trip and fireside chat, er, “diplomatic” visit to Camp David in April.