Is that a Feather in your Hair?

Ahhh, those feathers!  They look so cool, so rock-and-roll!  But did you know there is another side to those feathers; one that not many folks around the water cooler are talking about:
Where did those ultra-hip feathers come from?  Not many of us stop for a second to ponder where our fashion originated so let me do the work for you on this one: Roosters.  "Duh!", you may be saying.  No kidding they come from roosters.  Let's go a step further:
Here's how they do not come from roosters:
They do not "pet" the feathers off.
They do not "just fall out".
They are not living happy little rooster lives waiting to give us feathers for our hair.
From all accounts that I've investigated, these cocks-of-the-rock star world (bird joke) are living in crowded, dirty, inhumane conditions for about one year until they are killed just for their feathers.  By one estimate, one of the largest factory farms in the U.S. is killing 1,500 roosters per week.  My understanding is that this is only for feather production, so let's not fantasize that we're utilizing these birds for any other grand purpose, like feeding the hungry.
Why be a kill-joy?  Because being a B.A.B.E means going that extra step & considering what effects our purchases have.  In this case, there are alternatives to the standard feather, many companies & salons offer faux feathers that are every bit as cool, every bit as fun.  You can curl & straighten them, all the things that you can do with your hair.  This bit of info has nothing to do with being a vegetarian (which I'm not), but rather an issue of what is right, compassionate and earth-friendly.  Aside from the animal cruelty issue, this kind of agriculture is dirty, dirty, dirty, spewing all kinds of crap in the surrounding waterways.
My daughter asked me once why I have to be so particular all the time.  My response?  "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything".  To truly Be A Better Earthling, my hope is that we stand up for the actions we know to be wrong and open the door for educating our friends so we can all be B.A.B.Es & keep our world headed in the right direction.

The Green Thing—what a crock.

This was sent to me by a couple of friends...how true it is!  We should all stop & think about our day-to-day activities; interesting:

The Green Thing

 In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.  Your generation did not care enough to save our environment."He was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.
Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled.
But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.
We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind.  We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry the clothes.  Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana.  
In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us.  
When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.  

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power.  
We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water.
We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.
We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances.  And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?

What it means to be Green

Being Green.  What does that really mean?  That phrase has really become quite the piece of marketing bait, catch-all phrase.  But what does it really mean?
Simply, being green means that you consider the impact on the environment before you act/spend/do.  
Now, there are several shades of green, to be sure.  Our light-hearted take: Light green: maybe all you do right now is recycle.  That's fine - every step forward is a step in the right direction.  Kelly green: You recycle, buy organic, you've switched out all your light bulbs and you're thinking about composting.  Tree-hugger: you do all of the above, buy shade grown- coffee, do Meatless Mondays, use a reel lawnmower, shop local, landscape for the local wildlife and on and on and on.

Is one any better than the other?  Depends on your point of view, but is the winner of a marathon any healthier or better than the 2nd or 3rd place runner?  She may be a little faster, but they all ran the race well.  We are of the very firm belief that every person can make a difference and that small steps made by each one of us can lead to big changes.  We all may be at a different point in the race, but we will all finish winners.

Eco Chic Beauty Tips

How fun to be asked to talk about stuff that you like to talk about!  Example:  I was asked to be interviewed by Columbus Alive  and Jackie Mantey.  She wanted my thoughts on eco-friendly style & beauty tips.  Fun!  Because newspapers have limited space & I do not, here is the complete list of tips I threw out:

1. Do not use any bath or beauty product with Palm Oil in the ingredient list.  This is the single most damaging environmental product out there.  Seriously.  Burning down forests, loss of life, greenhouse gases; the list is extensive.  Check it out:  www.theproblemwithpalmoil.org
2. Go with the organic seal.  Then you know that no pesticides were used to grow the ingredients used in your product.  Pesticides = Poisons.
3. Use one nice razor, like the Mach 3 (love it!) instead of a gazillion disposable ones.  The better razors need only the head replaced. Come on, you have the cash to pony up the money for one nice razor.  Skip Starbucks for 2 days & you'll be fine.  Over 2 billion disposable razors are dumped into our landfills each year?  
4. Get a low-flow shower head.  Do you know that even a low-flow uses 2.5 gallons a minute?  In many city slums in other countries, they only have about 8 gallons of water a day for everything they need.  Makes ya think about that 20 minute shower.
5. Look for "Not Tested on Animals" & the "Cruelty Free" seal.  That's the best you can do to ensure you're not contributing to cruel & inhumane practices.  Not necessary in today's world.  Boo.
6. Use the same washcloth for a few days instead of facial wipes and use the same towel for a few days...you are clean, right?
7. Use organic cotton cotton balls.  25% of pesticides used are used for growing cotton.  Someone lives downstream from all that poisonous waste.  
8. Take stock.  Organize your stuff, donate what you don't need (shampoos/conditioners to local shelters) and you'll save time & money!  When you are disorganized, you end up buying more stuff and making more stuff is not eco-friendly.  
9. Do the best you can!  Don't get overwhelmed and think you can't possibly do it all!  Maybe just change one thing a month and you'll be on your way to becoming a B.A.B.E!

Thanks to Jackie & Jodi Miller (photographer) for taking time to spread some eco-love and helping us all to be Better Earthlings!