How You Can Save The World: Sustainable Living and Social Activism

Listen to the podcast, How You Can Save The World and you, YES YOU! can improve the current environmental and political situation!

Episode 24 You Have The Power!!! 12/09/2017

YOUR GREEN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE!!! 11/18/2017

TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 23 Green Holiday Gift Guide 11/17/2017

TRANSCRIPT EPISODE 23 Green Holiday Gift Guide Welcome to How You Can Save The World My name is Barbara Edelman And this is Episode 23 Your Green Guide to Holiday Gift Giving Oh dear heavens it’s fast approaching. You know what i mean, the happiest time of the year. As we round the horn on the first year of Trump’s Presidency, spirits are flagging. BUT….none the less, I think we need to put the pep back in our step and what better way then….making a list checking it twice and then throwing up and laying down on the sofa with a damp rag on our brow. Oh lord. The holidays. The ha ha ha holidays. Actually. I am saying to myself, self, snap out of it. This is the time to actually put some joy back into our world. If all we do is fret and check our phones and exist within the parameters of our screens well..what exactly IS the point of it all? My contribution to the season is to have compiled a source of all sites that will make your holiday gift giving easy as well as good for the planet. Since my last holiday episode (nearly 2 years ago!) the amount of possible environmentally beneficial yet totally delightful gift sites has exploded! There are so many wonderful choices of things to get for your loved ones as well as the planet. Now, the downfall of this podcast is it is always so information dense and one can listen to it, and not be able to specifically recall the info we discussed. THAT IS WHY…drumroll maestro? In addition to all links being on the show notes to every site ever mentioned, I am also including a transcript of each episode that I will release on the website at the same time I upload the episode. I will also put a link to the website on the show notes so you can hop over to it even from your smart phone. The transcript is just that, the entire show, in writing. I will try to embed the website links into the transcript for your convenience as well. Now..here we go. Close your eyes. Imagine that instead of sitting at our computers and looking at a list of websites, or scrolling through Amazon on our phones…. imagine that we are going back in time….(time travel Sound effect) to a lovely late November Day. The year is…oh…somewhere in the late imaginary 1950’s. As we finish our morning cup of coffee we out the window to discover that… its snowing! A beautiful light dusting of glimmering soft white flakes are floating down and making every inch of our backyard sparkle. Looks like this year we will really have a white christmas! Well, you and I have big plans! Today we are going to tackle our holiday shopping list, and honestly on such a lovely winter day what better thing COULD we be doing! We hasten to the downstairs coat closet, tug on our boots and slip into our warm winter coat. As we go out the front door we pull on our gloves and snuggle into our warmest muffler, because, baby its cold outside! Off we go, through the snow to catch the train into center city. Its so lovely outside. Waiting for the train, we even thought we might have heard the soft jingle of distant sleigh bells. Soon we arrive in town, just in time to join a throng of smartly dressed city shoppers all bustling about with their own Holiday lists. The smell of street vendors roasting chestnuts just makes us swoon with happiness. Ahh, and here we are! At our destination, the department store of our dreams, every window dressed with holiday sparkle and delight. In we go, unwinding our mufflers, tucking our gloves into our pockets and readying ourselves for a day of shopping. We know we want to start with clothing so we force ourselves past the counters stocked with cut glass bottles of intoxicating fragrances, we meander past the line of mothers holding the hands of awe-struck children waiting in line to sit on the lap of the fattest and jolliest of all Santa Claus’! We zoom through the mezzanine, where the lights on the giant tree twinkle, filling the air wit h the scent of pine and the memory of distant forests. Everyone is excited and happy. The biggest problem we are going to have today is deciding what wonderful beautiful hand made trinket to get for each person on our lists. Lets first head over to the clothing department. Because everyone wears and loves beautiful clothes. AND Mrs. Claus has made it clear that sustainable fashion doesn’t mean ugly anymore! Pact () Website is the first clothing counter in our sights. The sign above the stacks of soft organic cotton merchandise states, “Pact began with a lofty goal: to create the comfiest clothes in the world without destroying the earth, or harming people. We believe that what we wear, matters. By using the best sustainable ingredients, and Fair Trade Certified™ factories, we create clothes that don’t just feel good, you can feel good about wearing them.” Well. How neat is that. As one holiday shopper to another I feel compelled to tell you that I love love love their 30 dollar black drawstring yoga/lounge pants. There isn’t a better deal out there for you or the planet. They also make great underwear, socks and yoga clothes. But holidays are not made up of yoga clothes! So, after tucking a pair of lounge pants and socks into your cart, you head directly to the beauteous AmourVert. Counter. Seriously this company makes gorgeous clothes. The sign above their glorious display of silks and cotton and jewelry informs us that “Amour Vert was founded on the belief that great fashion and social responsibility can coexist. Their name means Green Love in French, but it also means American manufacturing, non-toxic dyes, sustainable fabrics, a zero-waste philosophy, and above all, enduring style. Amour Vert believes they can make the world a greener, more beautiful place – one garment at a time.” And again, as one human wearing clothes to another, you can’t find more lovely clothes anywhere. People actually compliment me whenever I am wearing one of their silk tops, or simple tee shirts (and they plant a tree for every single tee shirt they sell). I only mention this because in the past, my sustainable wardrobe didn’t garner compliments so much as comparison to what was being worn at the good will. But Amour Vert has changed all that. They have flagships in San Francisco, Los Angeles and NewPort beach. They make stunning clothes. Not cheap. But it is the holidays after all. One tip, if you fall in love with a style on the website or in the catalogue buy it quickly. When you are working with sustainably produced textiles and garments only manufacturing in the US with well paid workers, you do small runs so sizes run out quickly. Also, check out their sale section. Summer and another heatwave will be here before you know it. AmourVert () As for athletic wear. Sometimes a person doesn’t wish to wear cotton. And then that person, who is an athlete, and needs all sorts of togs that make me weary to consider donning, should get a gift from the Girlfriend Collective () As you reach out to touch one of the beautiful insanely soft feeling apricot colored pairs of leggings, you read the sign above…about how these leggings came from a chip of plastic from a discarded water bottle in Taiwan. There is tons of info on the Girlfriends website, about how the plastic bottle goes from being another ocean killing hunk of garbage to being the soft apricot crave able object in your hands….but we just don’t have time to learn about all this because we have SO MANY OTHER THINGS ON OUR LIST, and it is getting close to twilight, so into your shopping bag go the leggings and a jogging bra, and you mosey over to the accessory department.. to find the most comfortable, most fashionable shoes you have ever tried on made from….oh my! Recycled plastic bottles. Rothy’s shoes are the only shoes I will ever wear again. In fact my happy little toes curl in delight inside my faux leopard printed Rothy ballet flats, as I ooh and ahh over each new pattern in the display. Again..these shoes are pricey. BUT here’s the amazing thing about them. THEY NEVER WEAR OUT. I mean, plastic never decomposes, right? And shoes made from yarn spun from plastic bottles…they don’t wear out either .AND you can throw them in the washing machine. And you can wear them to the opera, or to the supermarket. They are utterly fashionable, and totally comfortable. Did I mention they were comfortable? So check your list, see if you have your daughter-in-laws shoe size on it, and buy her a pair. I guarantee she will never wear anything else again. Next to the shoe department is the handbag department and oh oh oh, there is the most luscious looking brown leather backpack you just wish you could buy it but you have sworn off cruelty things like leather…but WAIT, OH! LOOOK. The sign above the intoxicating display of all kinds of handbags says Evas Cork Bags are made from sustainably harvested cork! “You shouldn't have to sacrifice quality to have something that's cruelty-free. Vas take pride in creating beautiful cork products that you can feel great about. In addition, cork makes our entire collection. Cork, if you didn’t know, is the bark of the cork oak tree. Eva’s Cork Bags’ farmers only harvest the cork off a tree every 9-10 years, which allows their trees to grow faster and live longer. The colors are created by dying our cork fabric with organic vegetable dye. no harmful chemicals or glues in the creation of their products.” Well, my niece is going back to Vermont in her first year of college and so…my hand reaches out, and snags that gorgeous backpack. Its expensive. But….I do love my niece! Eva’s Cork Bags () Ok. You shake your head. You have spent a fortune on a few items and you have made a few notations of what you deeply hope you will get from a loving relative. So..onto the actual real reason you had to go shopping in the city today. The department store has the most magical toy department outside of the north pole, why, the salespeople are all elves. All very proud of their handiwork. You knew Santa employed fair labor practices, and you knew that he would never make a toy that would harm a child or the environment. Santa is so cool that way. So You hustle back down stairs past the jolly old elf ho ho ho ing at the scared little toddler perched on his lap. As you fly by, Santa gives you an approving wink and you feel as if you have won the lottery, which, lets face it, you might need to do if you buy more than one cork backpack. Into the toy department you go, twinkling lights are everywhere, sleigh bells are jingling, and candy canes sparkle next to mountains of magically created glistening snow. Heaped up on the back of a shiny red santa sleigh are brightly colored wooden toys made by…PlanToys () Oh my goodness. You just can’t stop putting different toys in your basket! The sign above the display informs you that they are all sustainably made our of rubber trees that no longer produce latex. Every single thing about these toys has been thought out to be good for the kid and great for the earth. Even a tricycle! Seriously, whatever you think you would get made out of plastic that is just so manifestly terrible for the environment, buy the Green Toy or Plan Toy version, Why not buy a toy made from what would otherwise be something else we discard, transformed into something great for your child. There is a darling set of woodland animals complete with a little hill and tree for them to hide behind. A tray of wooden food for the budding cook. Balancing game sets for little ones which are not so easy to find, mind you, a cactus, a boat, a tree full of monkeys. If you have a toddler you MUST race to their website. There are farm sets, and a build a robot set, trucks, doll houses, a build a castle set…there just is something for every child on your list. I would stay at this display for the rest of the afternoon, but just beyond, in a magical forest display, are the toys from the Magic Cabin Website…….Oh My! Fairies, elves, woodland creatures, cooking, costumes, dolls,—whatEVER your little elf requires for the HaHaHolidays…you can get at Magic Cabin. They have an entire page of 64 sustainably made toys for you to check out, and honestly the things on the rest of the site are adorable too. Dress up clothes, kits for older kids, books, just a magical cornucopia of gifts. ( Your basket is so heavy, it is so laden with beautiful desirable wonderful things…how ever shall you continue…but…you have a grandchild, and nieces and nephews and neighbors…and well…its the holiday season and everyone must just help spread the magic. So moving on, next to a pretend pond, we find the display of toys from The Green Toys Website (http://www.greentoys.com/our-passion) This is another company trying to make good use out of all the discarded plastic in our universe. Their toys are made out of recycled milk jugs. In front of you are great little gardening sets, jump ropes, tons of bath toys, and pool toys, a toy farm, dump trucks, think an eco version of all the basic toys out there. They have a new line of non toxic play dough with all sorts of neat kits to transform it into stuff—as well as all kinds of fake food/cooking kits. Into my bag go the play dough kits. Why would I buy the chemically made stuff when I don’t have to? Yes, the devoted savvy eco parent knows how to make play dough at home, but this stuff won’t spoil. Also..they have all the neat kits to make that play dough into something swell. I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. So it is time to take a break. I offload my stacks of merchandise to a lovely woodland creature who swoops by and offers to take it all to get wrapped up for me. I am so relieved, one last chore from my list. The elves at the store will happily wrap up my choices in sustainable sparkly paper. So, relieved of all my burdens, both physical and mental, I walk through this beautiful snow globe of a department store into the cafe. It is time to take a break. Happily I take a seat at a little gilded table, and order a cup of Nigella Lawsons intoxicating and by that I mean intoxicating because every hot chocolatey sip is spiked with rum. (don’t despair, I shall include a copy of the recipe in the show notes. Every adult truly needs to have a cup of this fragrant holiday elixir to fortify themselves for the holiday season. As I sip my restorative decadent warming cup of cocoa, I look out the window at the snow still gently drifting down, and scan through the rest of my shopping list. Time is passing, and I have a lot of people and sites to get through. So chop chop time to hustle. Reluctantly I drain my cup of magic and head back out into the store, to focus on gifts for the kitchen and the home. The home section is laid out in a giant wood paneled farmhouse area of the store. There is even a big fireplace replete with crackling logs in the grate. The first counter I arrive at is Rodales ….what a great website. They were the first people who started to beat the drum about organic farming, and the need to care for the earth, and honestly they have stayed true to their mission. Also, the gifts I’ve gotten people from this site have been beloved. Most of the time I didn’t want to actually give them away..() Sadly they have a little less merchandise this year, then last. But I still think this is the go-to place for buying something nice for the environmentalist on your list say a stunning apron made of linen…or even if you decide that you want to make lets say my homemade fabulous REALLY GREAT granola to give away to friends and family for a little home made hahaholiday gift that will truly be appreciated vs. more cookies which will be eaten but dreaded…..you can package the granola in their gorgeous little reusable glass terrine jars. they aren’t the screw tip lids, they have the clamp down rubber gasket attached lid, and are beautifully shaped and great for beautiful food storage. If you doubt their adorableness, take note, they are made by french company Le Parfait. They will add a little je ne said quoi to your humble yet delicious granola. (which did I say comes to gather in 10 mins, with an hour plus baking time that really requires zero attention from you—I shall of course include a link to that recipe in the show notes as well) Onward from Rodales to the upscale very elegant display from Bambeco. Their prices are a little high, but for something special check this site out. In addition to them going the extra mile sustainability wise, Every purchase plants a tree. A sign above their farmhouse table stocked display reads “At Bambeco, we strive to inspire sustainable living. We design, create and provide responsible home goods that inspire sustainable design and enhance the way people connect with our planet.” I especially like all their do it yourself oddball kits…beer making, cheese making, moose head making out of cardboard…I tuck a few of these kits into my basket as gifts for my adult sons. VivaTerra is right next to Bambeco, and stacked high upon the counter is a luscious array of beautiful sustainably created gifts. The prices of the crave-able gifts at Viva Terra are a wee bit more reasonable, they run the gamut from () a pretty glass vase for 12.00 to a Recycled Glass Beehive Drink Dispenser for 77.00 you can find something beautiful or manly or womanly, or college studently for every grown up on your list. AND DON”T FORGET to tuck in a roll of Give a Crap bamboo toilet paper for each lucky human you know. The elves must have a sense of humor or they read the email from friend of the show and beekeeper Jessica Lamden about how everyone will get a laugh out of unwrapping a roll of toilet paper this year! Made from bamboo, utterly sustainable and not packaged in one shred of plastic. () These rolls of toilet paper are festively packaged, truly in adorable wrapping. From the kitchen display I mosey into the fake outdoor porch display where I come upon a raft of Gifts for the Garden Even if the folks on your list are not huge gardeners, everyone likes a houseplant. Well, almost everyone. And if you do have any gardeners on your list, please check out the website () () they have 64 organic gardening gifts …beautiful items, from a do it yourself Succulent Container Garden to la little book called making liqueurs for gifts which…come on, if you only gave people your homage granola in a weck canning jar, or a le Parfait french terrine, along with a small bottle of your home made limoncello, you’d be beloved forevermore. I now turn a corner and find myself in the huge Something for Everyone display that takes up the entire center of the second floor of the store. Here are tables stacked sky high with all kinds of gifts. From the Life Without... /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5953775

Episode 23 11/16/2017

TRANSCRIPT Episode 22 10/14/2017

TRANSCRIPT Episode 22 Welcome to How You Can Save The World My name is Barbara Edelman and this is THE TRANSCRIPT!!! of Episode 22 Disaster Preparations for the disorganized Environmentalist Hello Everyone. I have been missing in action. No two ways about it. I had two family crisis hit —thankfully the major one resolved well, while the other one, well..it resolved. Lets leave it at that! But…here I am. AND while I HAVE THE FIRST CHEST COLD OF THE PRE-SCHOOL YEAR. I may sound a little bit odd….but if you can stand my croaking I shall proceed. Because, while I was fully absorbed in my crisis the world’s crises moved into high gear. Since we’ve last talked, three category 4 hurricane have slammed into the united states. (one of which I actually, unfortunately, got to experience a little of along with tornado warnings and much hiding in Tennessee basements)there was a horrific life shattering earthquake in Mexico, Puerto Rico is still both under sea water as well as without drinking water, and there have been dozens of forest and brush fires burning millions of acres across eight western states, just this past few days two new fires broke out in California spewing enormous volumes of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, devastating communities and creating hazardous breathing conditions all over the Pacific Northwest. I don’t want to start to predict the end of times, but at least as far as the environment goes, we are in a terrible transitional state of affairs. I suspect the increased earthquakes have less to do with the climate crisis, and more to do with all the nuclear testing and fracking going on. But….I digress, from the point I was making about the big picture. The big picture is that coming soon to a neighborhood near you…will definitely be..a crisis. The point of this episode is about how to prepare yourself and your family for when disaster strikes. Because, make no mistake, if you are a human living on the planet, a climate crisis event will effect you. If you are a human living on the planet, you might also experience a cyber related act of hostility. (Power grids knocked out, along with banks and all other cellular data). And if you are a human living on the planet, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. NOW, I have not turned into a total prepper——though as I was researching this episode my husband has begun to look at me funny. Perhaps thats because of the huge amounts of supplies suddenly taking up residence in the bedroom closet. Because, lesson one. It doesn’t do you any good to have —- wait. Hold the phone. I need to tell you that in addition to the copious show notes this episode will generate, with links to every product I have deemed useful, i am going to try to get the show transcribed, so you can actually print out the text for reference purposes. So make sure to check today’s episode’s show notes. Otherwise, you will listen to the show, think oh yes, I should do that…and if you are like me….forget ALL about it till the next catastrophe. Back to our previously scheduled disaster prep conversation….. It doesn’t do you any good to have stuff scattered around your house. Meaning. I had tons of bottled and what turned out to be expired, packets of Coast Guard approved water on a shelf in the laundry room. I had my emergency radio in the battery drawer of the coffee table. I had my solar lights in the bedroom on a bookcase, because I use one of them to let the dogs in and out the bedroom door at night. And canned food? Well, obviously cans are in the kitchen cabinets. My point is, it does you no good in a real emergency to have to go hunting all over the house to find and assemble your supplies. Because during that 7.1 earthquake, the folks in Mexico didn’t have time to remember that they left the kids sleeping bags under the suitcase in the downstairs hallway. So. Fear not. We are going to start at the beginning, and get you organized. If I did it. Anyone can do it. Being prepared won’t prevent the disaster, but it will make you calmer about facing it. So. Here we go. Declare the dining room table your assembly area for your kit. Or a corner. I don’t care, just designate a place to put all this stuff before packing it up. You will eventually need a duffle bag, or a big clear plastic wheeled tub to put this stuff in. But first, lets get it all together. Here is a list of what FEMA says every disaster prep kit should have: () And the link to that list will along with everything else I’m referencing be on the show notes. Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both Flashlight and extra batteries First aid kit Whistle to signal for help Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation Wrench, pliers, crowbar Info about how to turn off utilities Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food) Local maps FEMA adds that you might wish to include supplemental items of: prescription drugs spare pair of glasses pet food and water if you have a pet cash and change emergency reference material (you can download this and print it from if Trump hasn’t wiped that site clean yet) a sleeping bag for each person. a complete change of clothing for each person Clorox and a medicine dropper. When diluted 9 parts water to one part bleach you can use this as a disinfectant,. I think in case of dire emergency, such as what is occurring in Puerto Rico, you can actually disinfect dirty drinking water 16 drops to a gallon of dirty water. Fire Extinguisher cooking stove mess kits feminine hygiene products (good to pack wounds in case of emergency catastrophes as well as for their actual purpose) Now, I personally have added the following items to my list: I add to this, duct tape a plastic tarp a cell phone charger extra medications a roll of kitchen sized trashcan plastic bags for pooping purposes I will provide link to a much more comprehensive poop situation. It is called the two bucket bathroom system. You will need to purchase 2 buckets and ideally two toilet seats to make this work. I am not doing this. But…depending on where you live, you might want to at least read up on the thinking behind it. Apparently the worst problems, odor and germ wise, come in mingling poop and pee. So you have one bucket for pee, and one for poop. Pee is sterile, and can be disposed of with less concerns. You can use it as nitrogen rich fertilizer, if it comes to that. But…poop is another matter. After The poop bucket is used, you are advised to toss into the bucket a handful of leaves and or dirt to cover the offending offering. Once your bucket is full of poop. (OH GOD is the emergency going to go on long enough to require me to dispose of an entire huge bucket of poop?) you can bury it someplace far from water supplies or, from food sources. Anyway. I say, toss a box of white kitchen trash can size plastic bags in your kit, use them to line a toilet in your house. Dispose of it as needed. Lets hope we none of us need to think about this. Back to my personal additional list of supplies: 3 or 4 solar powered lights (I like Luci Mpowered brand.) solar battery rechargers rechargeable batteries in different appropriate sizes a bag of individually wrapped milky way bars (I feel that I will need one to sustain my mental health during the crisis, especially as I deal with those poop buckets) Purchase a life straw from Earth () The LifeStraw personal water filter, a "Best Invention of the Year" (Time magazine) winner, enables users to drink water safely from most contaminated water sources. Basically you can use it to filter out 99 percent of anything horrible from any water source. a solar oven Ok, JUST LOOKING AT THOSE LISTS MAKES YOU NOT WANT TO DO THIS CHORE. Its easier then it seems. I dutifully started putting all this stuff on my dining room table, and as the mountain of supplies grew, I started to wonder where the hell I was going to put it all. If and when the big earthquake comes, and my barely functional 1958 house comes tumbling down in a stack of twigs and a flurry of broken glass, I’m not sure what rooms will still be standing, and/or if I will have the time to be able to lug 500 pounds of emergency supplies out the door as my husband and I, screeching at each other hurtle into the abyss. Thus, I did what any sensible and/or lazy person might do. I ordered 2 72 hour emergency backpacks from the Red Cross. I keep one in my car, and one by the front door. Each of these backpacks has in it the basic supplies one person will need to survive any emergency for three solid days. In each back pack is: 1 Waterproof AM/FM radio with batteries 1 Battery powered flashlight (2D cell batteries included) 4 AA cell batteries 1 Emergency blanket, 4.5′×7′ Moist towelettes (individually wrapped) 1 Pen light Food packets, 2,400 calories total, 5 year shelf life (ingredients include wheat flour, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, salt, water and coconut flavoring) Water pouches, total of 16 ounces, 5 year shelf life Procedural breathing mask Rain poncho (adult sized) 1 Roll of duct tape, 2" × 30 yds 1 Water container, holds 3.5 gallons 1 Whistle 1 Hygiene comfort kit, including toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, soap, deodorant, washcloth, comb, and mesh shower bag 1 45-piece First aid kit The reason I keep one in the trunk of my car, is because I figure, the car is outside. And wherever I go, it will be right with me. I keep one by the front door, because my husband keeps his car in the garage, and if there is a bad earthquake we mightn't be able to get into the garage. Also we will have to take my car as its a hybrid and uses practically no gas. I have added to my backpack, a NOAA hand crank/solar chargeable emergency radio that can charge a cell phone. That radio is also available on the Red Cross site. Two other items….one for each of our backpacks something called an emergency bivvy. Its a rolled up teeny tiny packet that holds basically a sleeping bag. If you're without heat, or if you're forced to spend the unexpected night outdoors, hop in the SOL Emergency Bivvy as soon as the temperature drops and instantly improve the odds in your favor. Ultra-light, ultra-warm, full protection emergency shelter Made from the same heat-reflective polyethylene as AMK's world-famous emergency blankets (reflecting 90% of your body heat back to you) Fully sealed so that no wind, rain or snow can get inside As I said, rolled up it is so tiny it fits in the palm of your hand. Unrolled it might just make wherever you are fleeing to, or even if all the power runs out…habitable. So. Ok. You can just stop right there. I considered it. I mean…its just me and my husband. So…we have our two handy dandy backpacks, oh, and did I mention that you can also get a family of four sized 72 hour emergency pack from Red Cross too? It’s on backorder because of the insane current level of demand, for obvious reasons. But if things calm down for 15 minutes and you are a family of four, you can order one of those. Lets say you choose to follow my path and order your backpacks. You can, cheerfully, call it a day. Or…you can go a step further. I did that. I went a step or two further. Because…. Watching what is happening in Puerto Rico, and living in an Earthquake/fire zone I thought…hmm. Can any of us trust that for the foreseeable future, the current Federal Government is going to rush to my aide, or my city’s aide? So That meant…. Re-examining those original lists. And beginning once again to put together a big duffle bag of supplies for longer term bad situations. One thing you must consider is how you will co ok something, even if its just a cup of tea, or a pot of ramen. A cooking source is critical if you are in a long-haul catastrophe situation. Gas lines will be disrupted. Electrical power will be extremely unlikely. And you are going to get tired of submitting on calorie bars. I think it’s worth considering purchasing a solar oven. You can get an incredible easy to use one from Earth Easy. Now this is a big ticket item. It costs 359.00. But it is completely portable and can cook anything just with sunlight. If people had that in Puerto Rico they would have nothing to worry about in terms of boiling water, or cooking simple food. And you can take it camping if you are so inclined. Which I’m not. () I have several different cooking options that I purchased during previous EarthQuake prep attacks. These are of course short term solutions. meaning, only useful as long as the fuel source for them is available. A solar oven will work as long as there is sunlight. One of the crazy kits I ordered years ago came with teeny tiny little pots and pans for cooking. Additionally I have a candle stove, a few cans of sterno, and a little camping stove. I also have squirreled away sterno heating up set ups from previous thanksgivings. But a solar oven trumps (forgive me) all of them, because unless we are sitting in a storm cloud from Nuclear fallout, the sun will shine and you will have all the energy and fuel you will need to make dinner. Or oatmeal. Here is another item that I think every single house in America should have. A portable solar power generator. You may have read that Elon Musk is going to Puerto Rico to rebuild the power grid using solely solar? The Tesla company has a VERY expensive item called a power wall, which basically is a bank of batteries you have in your garage, attached to solar cells on your rooftop. This provides back up power for you to run your entire house when, as they say, the zombie apocalypse happens. (Translation, Trump triggers North Korea). But, A tesla power wall costs, just for the equipment, 6,200. Were I rebuilding and I lived in a hurricane area, you bet I’d have one of these as part of my new home. But…most of us cannot shell out (installed) between 7-10 thousand dollars just to prepare for a disaster we hope won’t come. Even if you have solar power already on your rooftop, that power is harvested by the power company who comps you the value. It isn’t directly providing the electricity for your home. This is the way the Power companies got to stave off the obvious switch from you buying power created by them burning fossil fuel and them charging you for it, to you simply running your home from free sunlight. So those cells, if you have them, and I do, will not help you during a power outage. Of course. this is so maddening. How many times have I told you that all ALL the solutions to solving the climate crisis exist RIGHT NOW. All the industries are set up to take off and save the day. We don’t have to kill the planet to run our coffeemaker. But…that is a subject for another podcast. BUT today,…you can purchase from () Goal Zero a portable solar charger. Basically. Depending upon the size of the unit you buy, Its a batter pack that will run cell phones, laptops, small televisions, lamps, even a small fridge. The prices range from the smallest model for 600 to the largest one (that they say can run an AC, a Fridge, power tools water boilers etc.) for 1799. You need to purchase in addition the portable solar panels as well. My understanding is that you can charge these portable generators from plugging it into the wall as well as by using the solar cells. The best set of solar cells for the larger station is 300. The panel for the smallest model costs 150. If I lived anywhere I thought power loss was a real and/or dangerous possibility, I’d definitely splash out and buy one of these. Afterall. Even if there is a terrible storm, the sun will come out. And you will have power. If you have the solar oven, you will also have a cup of coffee. All that said, full disclosure….I have not purchased a solar oven or a solar power generator. I know I should. I just haven’t done it yet. But full disclosure, I think if you live in any kind of disaster area and you can afford it…these are important items to own. But back to what I have done. After I got the two 72 hour backpacks, and squirreled them away (Make sure you put your life straw into them as well as your bivvy) I hauled everything out that I had put in various corners of my house. The teeny tiny cook stoves. The mess kits. The lifetime supply of Coast Guard approved drinking packets which as I said I discovered HAD EXPIRED,( I guess the last time I had a disaster prep freak out was five years ago)—my bonus medical supplies, my solar lanterns, (Oh I am partial to Luci mPowered lanterns. They are waterproof, they are fully rechargeable in the sunlight, and they provide enough light to read by, to use as an emergency beacon, or as a flashlight to let the dogs out at night.) I put one of those in each of the backpacks as well. I also keep one in my big kit. And one by the back door. I found two sleeping bags from when the kids were theoretically camping, and put them in the pile. I added my box of plastic kitchen trash bags, and a few bottles of vodka, and vinegar for emergency disinfectant and cleaning supplies. It cant hurt to toss in a bar of soap. And then I packed everything up in a big plastic tupperware container with wheels and stored the whole mess in my bedroom closet. As I suggested before, you need to think through the safest place in your house…and that is usually a hallway, or an easily accessible closet near the core of the house. (away from windows and doors). It is very important to have an emergency stash of cash on hand. When disasters strike and power is out, the ATM machines don’t work. Nor do credit cards. And, fema suggests a copy of all your important documents should be in your backpacks..maybe a copy of your license/passport/bra size—-I mean it is hard to believe that the emergency will be so comprehensive that you will be needing to use a copy of your passport to survive, and if it is, hard to imagine what that kind of documentation will do for you. So. I have not done that. I should have. I guess when I’m done with this episode I will. For some reason I have an inherent reluctance to prepare for the worst case scenarios. But thats what this episode is for, to encourage you and me to get with the program. Now, onto food prep. Boy, this is another thing I dragged my heels on. I mean..house, kitchen,... /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5840401

Episode 22 Disaster Prep for the Worried Environmentalist 10/13/2017

Episode 21 Worry Globally, Act Locally 08/20/2017

How to Stay Cool in the ENDLESS Heat, update! 07/17/2017

How to Stay Cool in the ENDLESS Heat, update! Ok..I have posted previously about my fancy pants eco air cooler purchased on line from Italy, called Suffice it to say, it works like a charm...BUT...I figured out how to make one myself that looks way less beautiful but works just as well. So, ready? Lets build a mini air cooler. This little handy dandy device is wonderful on your desk top, next to your bed, or even just next to an armchair where you might be reading...what? Say an organic gardening magazine! (A MAGAZINE? Who in their right minds reads one of those anymore?) Still. You get my drift. Drift. A nice cool drift of refreshing air coming your way...sounds good right? Ok. Here's what you need. A BIG box of Swiffer wet floor mop pads. I usually don't advise buying anything plastic, or disposable, but after casting around for a suitable box that would EASILY make an air cooler, landed on this. Plus...you can use all those swiffer wet cloths to mop up spills without feeling guilty about adding to the trash in a landfill because YOU WILL BE USING the plastic box AND THE LID that the cloths came in forever! Here is a lovely image for you to appreciate of the Swiffer --you want the 24 cloth size. bigger box. The cost of that is $7.99. Additionally, you need to order from Amazon (another thing I usually never do...but as all the Radio Shacks seem to have gone the way of the gardening magazines....we must waive our anti amazon issues, just this once, for this fabulous air-cooling, low-energy-usage exception) this...a Here is a photo of it. Just to encourage you. See how cute it is? Anyway. Order it. it costs all of $18.99. Whoops you also need to purchase some of those mini refreezable things you stick in lunchboxes. I'd go ahead and buy 6 of them. That way...you can always have some re-freezing in the freezer, while you are cooling off with the additional set. Here is a If you did buy a case...you get 24 re-freezable ice packs for 24.00. But of course, you can get just 2 or three in any market in the land. Now...here is what you do. Use up the swiffer wet mop cloths. Rinse out the container. Take a sharp scissors. Cut out a 3 1/2 inch by 4 inch square in the center of the see through plastic lid of the swiffer box. Open the box your fan came in. Assemble it. (Takes one minute...basically you are just screwing the covers onto the fan, and sticking the plug into the socket). Take your sharp scissors and cut rectangles out of the 2 LONG SIDES of the blue plastic swiffer box. Take three of your frozen refreezable lunch things and lay them next to each other inside your swiffer box. Put lid on box. Lay fan down on top of the hole you cut in the plastic lid. Put box wherever you want it. Plug in fan. Cool off. All of 15 minutes to a nice afternoon of nirvana. Oh...and the little blue ice blocks will sweat, and condensation will collect beneath them in the plastic box. I put a washcloth in the bottom of the plastic box to collect up the moisture. Remember, electricity and water are a BAD combination. So make sure you keep your fan above the blocks and all shall be well in the land. Stay cool!!!! (And really, the axial fan uses barely any energy at all, so think of this...your freezer is already running. So tossing in the blue ice packs doesn't add to energy usage, in fact, a full freezer lowers the energy costs of USING the freezer in the first place. A teeny fan like this one uses practically zero energy....so...honestly....if you use this to cool off you are doing this hot old world a power of good) ONE OTHER COOLING OFF TIP for a hot night! I made rice bags out of brand new clean cotton tube socks. To do this...buy the socks...pour in rice till foot part of sock is nice and full. Tie the top of the tube sock in a knot. Put the sock in the freezer. When it is cold, pull it out, and drape around your neck, or if sleeping over eyes. Rice in the sock will stay cold for about an hour. BUT, if you make two or three, again, you can always rotate them in and out of the freezer as needed. ONE LAST TIP. You know all those other blue ice block lunch things that you got in your case? Take one or two, pop them in a plastic bag (to protect against condensation) and put them in the foot of your bed. In England they used to use hot water bottles on a cold night to warm up the bed--and keep their tootsies warm as they fell asleep. There is no earthly reason not to reverse this...and cool your sheets and your self off with those handy dandy ice packs! Stay cool my friends. Its going to be a long hot summer. Cranking up the whole house AC all the time is going to cost you tons of money and is also going to accelerate global warming. These tips may seem silly, but honestly, my office area is cool from my home made eco cooler....and I find the rice bags friendly and soothing. Oh..you can refreeze the rice bags for a long time. Maybe a year? /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5548361

Episode 20 Jon Ossoff! What I learned, who I saw, who I met Canvassing in Georgia's 6th District 07/03/2017

Episode 19 Fear and Loathing in America 06/14/2017

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!! 05/21/2017

Trees!!! The tale of my Western Redbud 05/12/2017

Episode 18 ALL ABOUT TREES!!!! 05/12/2017

Episode 17--EMERGENCY BROADCAST re: Comey Firing 05/10/2017

WHOOPS -- I forgot to include this link... 04/07/2017

SOCIAL ACTIVISM ONE POSTCARD AT A TIME!!! 04/07/2017

Episode 16--It's STILL up to US!!!!! 04/05/2017

Episode 16--It's STILL up to US!!!!! Episode 16 IT'S STILL UP TO US !!! Please send feedback to [email protected]! I’d love to hear from you Communicate with the show via or This week I talk about ways to stay sane while continuing to be a committed and effective social activist. I was lucky enough to get us an interview with the creator and editor of one of the best Weekly Social Activism To Do sites The down and dirty recap! An interview with Jenn Hofmann of The Weekly Action Checklist for Democrats, Independents, and Republicans of Conscience. George Lakoff, FINALLY we discuss that term thrown about on every news program, ‘the narrative’. It actually means something important…especially if you have Trump Voter friends/foes/relatives in your life! Oh the joys of the Bullet Journal! Time Management and your new extra bonus career as a social activist! If you do this…you will keep on keeping on. My Go-To sources for weekly social actions: Jenn’s Weekly Action Checklist re:act Flippable Spread the Vote 5 Calls a Day Indivisible Go to a meeting a protest, or a townhall for your own sanity’s sake. Swing Left–Adam Green KINDNESS COUNTS How to help an immigrant re-settle into the US International Refugee Assistance Project How to not lose your marbles… Zen and the Art of Activism Who said that? “Never Give Up, Never Surrender” “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” (and yes, I totally got the quote wrong when I was speaking to myself in the episode!! Bonus points if you noticed that! All the links!!! Help us all save the world! If you found this episode helpful, kindly go over to and make sure that you are . If ratings are your thing, a rating would do wonders to help more people learn all about how to save the world! Connect with the show! email: [email protected] /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5240513

An Egloo for you, and you and YOU!! Hey--Egloo's all around! 03/27/2017

An Egloo for you, and you and YOU!! Hey--Egloo's all around! Here it is!! Isn’t it darling? As promised, here is a photo of my very own . As I mentioned in the episode, I love it. We have 2 for our kitchen/family room. They are 7 inches in diameter, and 4 inches tall. All you need to raise the ambient temperature of the room by 3 degrees is 3 tea lights. Which…brings me to this lovely place, -- That's where you can order all the accoutrements for making an endless supply of carbon neutral soy wax tealights. By the way, if this intersests you, Candlescience has tons of how to videos on their website. But…for a quick and dirty version…here is my method. My gear is VERY high tech…an old saucepan for boiing water, and a very inexpensive blue metal pitcher I got from Ikea about 8 years ago. You can see it by clicking It costs 14.99. Worth every penny. Basically, I just put the soy candle wax flakes in the blue pitcher, put the pitcher in the boiling saucepan of water till the wax melts (I need to keep adding flakes as they melt down…you will soon see how much wax you need for how many tea lights you make…its not an exact science. Or I suppose as with anything it COULD be, but honestly, just eyeball it. While the wax is melting, put your little pretabbed cotton wicks in the center of each plastic tealight cup (yes, they are plastic, but as such, you can keep using them over and over again all winter, whereas the recyclable tin ones you can’t, they are too fragile to pop the old wick bases out of and resuse.) As soon as your wax is liquefied, lift the pitcher up by the handle (use a potholder, as the handle gets pretty toasty) and pour in the wax to nearly the top of each tealight. You may need to readjust your wicks into the middle of each cup after they are all filled. I do all this on a tray, because if I dribble wax who cares, and also, I can turn the tray around for ease of pouring.) The whole operation takes about 20 minutes start to finish. Leave your little candles to cool and harden for about a half an hour—then I put them all in the designated ‘candle drawer’ and use them as needed. NOW, here is a photo of a home heater I made myself. My husband is an artist, and he was sent a lot of these odd wooden shadow boxes from Blick Art Supplies as freebies when he bought x amount of pain. I snuck upstairs and liberated one from his cupboard…then I had some old penny tiles in the garage from the bathroom floor project (BUT YOU CAN LINE THE BOX WITH ANY TILES OR EVEN NONE AT ALL! I’m sort of a safety first nut, so I think, when playing with fire..best to be on the safe side and put a fireproof barrier down beneath all the candles…you could put a plate or a saucer) so I glued the tiles down and then grouted them. THEN I got these L brackets from the hardware store, and inverted them, so that they would hold the 2 inverted flower pots upside down over the flames. What I like about this model is, you see the flickering flames in the votives. For this model I use 3 larger votive candles, also made of soy wax. In addition to warming the room, it sort of feels like a tiny mini fireplace, which on a cold day is nice to curl up next to. /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5208760

Episode 15 HOW TO STAY WARM WITHOUT SETTING FIRE TO THE PLANET!! 03/19/2017

014 It's Up To Us 02/18/2017

014 It's Up To Us It’s Up To Us This episode is all about how to be an effective social activist in the age of Trump. In it I discuss how to move from panic mode and fretting to taking the small actions that will really make a huge difference, politically. Not only is the show full of political activism tips, it also outlines suggestions for how to stay sane while taking those actions. Additionally there are interviews with Alexander Edelman, political campaign consultant, as well as with James Atkinson, social activist. I discuss with both men what the road ahead looks like for those of us who want to take back our Democracy. Links and articles mentioned on this episode Sarah Kendzior’s info: , , . Remember, these are the elected officials in charge of gerrymandering districts! You want to keep your eye on these races, and flip them blue. Here is James Atkinson’s sample list of organizations in Los Angeles that you can volunteer in to make a huge difference: If you’re concerned about politics/social justice, and you want to get involved, there are lots of opportunities in LA. Here’s a list of organizations. I’ll update with more later. AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION civil liberties group volunteer: https://action.aclu.org/secure/volunteer-aclu-socal donate: https://action.aclu.org/donate-aclu?ms=web_horiz_nav_hp contact: 213–977–9500 ANSWER antiwar / antiracism group volunteer: http://www.answercoalition.org/volunteer donate: https://answercoalition.nationbuilder.com/donate contact: 2936 W 8th St Los Angeles, CA 90005 (2nd floor of the First Unitarian Church) COUNSEL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS America’s largest Muslim civil liberties organization donate: https://www.cair.com/donations/general-donation/campaign/… volunteer: https://www.cair.com/about-us/volunteer-with-us.html contact: 2180 W. Crescent Avenue, Suite F Anaheim, CA 92801 714–776–1847 [email protected] DEMOCRATIC PARTY - LOS ANGELES COUNTY LACDP conducts Democratic Party campaigns in Los Angeles County volunteer: http://www.lacdp.org/volunteer/ donate: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/lacdpdonate contact: 3550 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 1203 Los Angeles, CA 90010 213–382–0063 [email protected] DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA multi-issue, non partisan socialist group join: https://dsausa.nationbuilder.com/join donate: https://dsausa.nationbuilder.com/donate event calendar: http://www.dsa-la.org/dsa-la-calendar/ contact: 323–496–6604 [email protected] DIDI HIRSCH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention services volunteer: http://www.didihirsch.org/volunteer donate: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx… contact: 888–807–7250 (M-F 8:30 am - 5:00 pm) DOWNTOWN WOMEN’S CENTER helping women overcome poverty volunteer: http://www.downtownwomenscenter.org/volunteer donate: http://downtownwomenscenter.force.com/…/rc_connect__campaig… contact: 442 S San Pedro St Los Angeles, CA 90013 213–680–0600 LA WORKS calendar of local volunteer opportunities volunteer: http://www.laworks.com/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Calendar_… donate: http://www.laworks.com/donate contact: [email protected] 323–224–6510 LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER LGTB advocacy group volunteer: https://lalgbtcenter.org/how-you-can-help/volunteer donate: https://lalgbtcenter.org/how-you-can-help/donations contact: 1625 N. Schrader Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90028–6213 323–993–7400 LOS ANGELES MUSEUM OF THE HOLOCAUST provides free Holocaust education to the public & houses precious artifacts volunteer: http://www.lamoth.org/…/job-opport…/volunteer-opportunities/ donate: http://www.lamoth.org/support-the-museum/make-a-donation/ contact: Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust 100 S. The Grove Drive Los Angeles, California 90036 323- 651–3704 [email protected] MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE & EDUCATION FUND Latino legal civil rights organization volunteer: [email protected] donate: http://www.maldef.org/ways_to_donate/index.html contact: http://www.maldef.org/contact/index.html 634 S. Spring Street Los Angeles, CA 90014 Phone: 213–629–2512 MIDNIGHT MISSION services for the homeless to reach self-sufficiency volunteer: http://www.midnightmission.org/…/spring–2…/volunteer/step–1/ donate: https://app.mobilecause.com/form/j6Qkhw contact: 601 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014 USA 213–624–9258 NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN multi issue women’s rights group join: http://now.org/membership/ donate: http://now.org/more-ways-to-give/ OPERATION HOPE financial literacy for the poor volunteer: http://www.operationhope.org/getinvolved donate: http://www.operationhope.org/donate contact: Youth Empowerment, Los Angeles 707 Wilshire Boulevard, 30th Floor Los Angeles CA 90017 213–891–2900 PLANNED PARENTHOOD ADVOCACY PROJECT LOS ANGELES COUNTY public policy & advocacy wing of planned parenthood, the reproductive health care provider volunteer: http://www.ppactionca.org/…/los-an…/volunteer-with-ppap.html donate: http://www.ppactionca.org/donateppaplac contact: [email protected] PUBLIC COUNSEL pro bono law firm that serves people at or below the poverty line volunteer: http://www.publiccounsel.org/pages/?id=0048 donate: https://48477.thankyou4caring.org/pag…/donation-welcome-page contact: 610 South Ardmore Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90005 Tel: (213) 385–2977 RAPE, ABUSE & INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK anti-sexual violence organization that helps survivors and advocates policies volunteer: https://www.rainn.org/get-involved donate: https://donate.rainn.org locations: https://volopps.rainn.org SIERRA CLUB environmental organization volunteer: http://clubvolunteer.org/positions?chapter=0400 join: https://sierra.secure.force.com/…/rc_connect__campaign_desi… donate: https://vault.sierraclub.org/ways-to-give/#donate-maintab contact: Sierra Club, Angeles Chapter 3435 Wilshire Blvd, #660 Los Angeles, CA 90010–1904 [email protected] 213–387–4287 TREVOR PROJECT crisis intervention & suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth volunteer: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/volunteer donate: https://give.thetrevorproject.org/ contact: PO Box 69232 West Hollywood, CA 90069 [email protected] 310–271–8845 Thank you To…. Alex Moothart, web design and social media Elsie Escobar, mentor and fairy godmother extraordinaire! /episode/index/show/youcansavetheworld/id/5096863