Spare in the Trunk

We ordered Chinese food tonight. Not something we do often...order out or eat Chinese food. But recently the kids have developed a taste for it and I am grateful for the variety this offers in terms flavor, texture and nutrition...when I sneak in a spring role here and there. They are certainly more experimental these days!! Perhaps they are also trying to deal with the monotony of the dark days of winter.

I opened up my son's fortune cookie and it was the standard, one-size-fits-all, generic two line message. Nothing to ruminate on, but the flip side offered the Chinese to English translation of the word "Christmas"! I'm keeping it, you never know when that may come in handy.

My daughter's fortune was a lot heavier in both text and meaning. I was so impressed that it has become the inspiration for this blog post:

The cookie told me: "We treat this world of ours as though we had a spare in the trunk"

Bam! Right on the nose. Much like the quiet, unassuming, slightly aging Kung-Fu master from the show "Kung-Fu", the Chinese have once again delivered a powerful insight in the simplest of delivery vehicles, a humble cookie.

So what does it mean when your cookie wags a proverbial finger in your face (I didn't take it personally, it wasn't exactly addressed to me) provoking me to take issue with the assumption that I, myself, am treating the world like I have a spare in my trunk? Despite all my great efforts, I had to agree...and temporarily hang my head in exhaustion. But I'm just one person, I thought, "\I can only do so much.

Small changes...incremental ones, that's where I try to make a difference. For example, I just bought the coolest, most sustainable coffee maker I have ever had the pleasure to know. And, last weekend we installed a reverse-osmosis water purification system, cutting down on our consumption of plastic bottles and arsenic. And I'm proud to say that all of us, even the little ones, have been extremely disciplined about using or recycling every bit of fresh produce and non-meat products that come into this house. Personally I have also reduced my intake of red meat and other such animal products to a point where I can't even think about a T-Bone anymore without feeling completely awful.

I think I'm doing my share, but I'm not really sure. It makes me wonder whether there may be some sort of a "sustainability consultant" that I could hire to "audit" my house and my lifestyle, then tell me exactly what I can and should do to further reduce my carbon-footprint. Wouldn't that be great? Do these people exist? If so, please let me know.

We are in the midst of cleaning up our act, but we need a lot more time and resources before we pronounce a new green world order. These past few years are just the beginning, and once again, the US is way behind almost every other advanced nation relative to alternative/renewable energy resources. I predict that the term "green-field" will become one of the most popular terms in 2011. Sustainability Officers will be the most sought-after person and position over the next three years. Obama (if given the opportunity) will continue to make alternative/renewable energy and sustainability his passion projects for the remainder of his tenure in office...and he's doing a lot right in that respect. We all need to become more mindful, flexible and responsive to opportunities to "green-up" our lives, our homes, our workplaces and our bodies, too. I'm not on a soap-box, I'm trying to figure all this out as I go along too, and make realistic changes where I can.

Some things need changing and there are issues too large, complex or cumbersome for one person, a small group of people or a whole nation to figure out. Globalization is our best shot at finding large-scale solutions that can help our world realize a much needed balance between growing the economy and re-greening the environment. Many of our earthly pleasures are killing our earth, and it's time for all of us to consider the impact of each purchase we make, and everyday items we use, from every aspect.

If the biblical saying "And the meek shall inherit the earth" has any truth to it, then I'd venture a guess that modern day interpretation of this particular prophecy may not be about the individual "meek", but more so the non-profit, boot-strapping, struggling young companies and entrepreneurs who are waging the ultimate battle against bureaucratic red tape, regulatory issues, utility and gas companies, lack of both financial and physical resources and a whole host of other complicated hurtles designed to discourage them from pursuing their vision of a more environmentally just and verdant world. If this philosophy is true, then it's just a matter of time before these young stewards of environmental hope and transformation will plant their flag on the green-topped mountain of bullshit they had to climb to claim their place in the green race.

I have never received so much meaning or inspiration from any of this cookie's contemporaries (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, or snickerdoodle), so I wasn't expecting the moral and ethical challenge presented between these layers of golden crunchiness. Sofia read the message aloud, smiled at me, handed me the paper and popped the cookie in her mouth. As she turned her attention back to her favorite television show, I realized she didn't offer to share her cookie with me. Normally, I would give a gentle "sharing" reminder, but frankly, I think I got the best part of the cookie.

I wanted to share my cookie with you...and might I recommend a soy milk chaser?


(After thought: For those of you who are in the market for a new coffee maker and want something easy, stylish and incredibly sustainable, take a look at Cuisinart's one-cup-at-a-time coffee maker. No need to buy paper coffee filters, a reusable gold mesh filter comes standard. The coffee is brewed and held in the storage compartment keeping the coffee hot and fresh for over two hours. No carafe necessary, no burnt coffee or fragile glass coffee pots to wash or break. And I love that this is an easy to use, easy to clean, good looking yet durable black/stainless steel counter-top coffee-maker. I don't like Keurig right now, I think they did us a disservice. I think the K-cup is one of the least sustainable inventions in recent years. Any idea how much plastic is involved in the processing and usage of these single-serve suckers? A lot! Get rid of it, get your green on and go for something really smart...Cuisinart!)

Love & peace,

K-