Feminism: It's Not the F-Word - Part 1

Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna in her iconic
 "Feminist" sweater.

...  but obviously, many people think it is.


The past few weeks, there's been a war on women and our right to self-determination. It's all wrapped up in politics and religion and ... politics.


Here are a few things that have gone down recently:

• When Chris Brown, who violently assaulted then- (and now-?) girlfriend Rihanna, performed on the Grammys (an event which offended many women, including survivors of domestic violence), several women tweeted that Brown could beat them.
• The Susan G. Komen Foundation withdrew funding from Planned Parenthood and then reinstated it after there was an outcry.
• Republican candidates have spoken out against a mandate that employers provide health care that includes birth control. In a debate, Newt Gingrich said that Obama supports "infanticide" and Rick Santorum said that we need stronger families, rather than birth control.
• Rick Santorum (again!) said that women in combat will cause problems because men will have "emotions."
• Michelle Duggar, the mother featured on 19 Kids and Counting,  is publishing pamphlets that advocate the key to a happy marriage is wifely submission.
• The Girl Scouts were accused by conservatives of having a radical lesbian agenda and one California Scout called for a cookie boycott because Girl Scouts allow transgender boys who identify as girls to be Scouts. In other news, Samoas were accused of having an agenda of liberally spreading deliciousness.
• Susan B. Anthony had a birthday! She's 192! If you listen closely, you might hear her say, "We've still got a lot of work to do!"

Obviously, in this political season, one party has decided that attacking the freedom of women is a way to be successful. And although there's been a great deal of uproar in response to each of the events described above, there're also way too many people who take these attacks seriously. Not only are they serious, they believe that suppressing women is MORAL, even the will of God.


And even though it's clear that the fight for equal rights, regardless of gender (and regardless of a whole bunch of other factors - such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability... ) is still going on, only about a quarter of women say they are feminists.


 This makes me sad. It makes me sad because in a world in which our country's political leaders actively and openly belittle women and their rights, women don't identify with the movement that has allowed us to:

• vote
• get educations and jobs
• own our own property
• choose who we want to marry -- or if we marry -- regardless of whether our fathers agree
• divorce husbands who commit adultery or violence
• maintain custody of children after those divorces
• write, act, and produce art under our own names
• decide how many children (if any) we want to have
• speak out if we are harassed in the workplace
• and that's just the beginning...

I know that this is a blog about the environment -- and some other stuff -- but I want to devote a few posts over the next week or two to the continuing battle for equal rights for all humans in our country. Because that's what feminism is all about -- equal rights. Not about hairy legs, not about hating men. It's about equality.

And in the end, many of the people (especially politicians) who do not support the rights of all humans are the same ones who don't support the movement to make our lifestyle more sustainable. It's pretty amazing -- when it comes to a philosophy of caring - for people, for the planet -- one side is curiously silent. They advocate for a Darwinian vision of survival of the fittest.

Oh wait. They don't actually believe Darwin knew what he was talking about...

Light Green Summer Wedding (No... Not Mine!)

For months now, I've been meaning to write a post about a wedding I attended this summer that was a light greenie's dream. So why now? Well, I figure that summer is the time to attend weddings, but winter is the time when people plan weddings. Plus, I'm sure a few engagements happened last Valentine's week, and lots of brides are thinking about their visions for this important ceremony. Weddings are a big deal, but they don't have to destroy the planet or your bank account.

Half a lifetime ago (almost literally) I had the good fortune to be adopted as a family member into my best friend's family. There's nothing better than having a spare family around. I'm that maudlin person who thinks about the children who have no families, and can't believe her luck to be granted an extra one!


So when the little sister got married this summer, I was psyched. Not only was it a great celebration, but there was a (green) simplicity and a sense of fun that made it a glorious day all around. My blog friend, Sara of 2000dollarwedding,   is all about weddings that stress community, commitment, and connection, and I feel  like this was a day that focused on all of those things.

So what made this wedding a green-friendly experience that linked friends and family? And how might you create the same kind of experience?

The Setting

The wedding was held on a working farm that belonged to friends of the couple. Many of the flowers and veggies came from the farm. While the bridal party was being photographed, the kiddos were communing with the cows and turkeys. The ceremony itself was held in a clearing in the woods. The tables were laid out on the lawn. It was all beautiful because nature is beautiful. Lots of expensive and ungreen additions weren't necessary.


OK, you might be thinking. That's great, but I don't know anyone with a farm.

Some of the most fun, most connected weddings I've been to have been in backyards. Dancing in the garage often beats a ballroom.


Take-away: When planning a wedding (or other events, for those of us who are not bridally-inclined) think about non-traditional spaces that you might have access to - backyards, garages, farms, businesses, etc.

The Guest List
I know that many folks don't want the kiddos at their special day - kids cry and are noisy, they spill stuff, they have needs and schedules and require a truckload stuff like toys and diapers and bottles and blankies. Nevertheless, personally, I love it when life's passages include little ones. It just seems appropriate. I mean - moments like the ones below are absolutely precious and emphasize the connection between generations.

The picture at left is one of my favorites from the day. This is me and my friend John during the ceremony - we were on kid duty and just hung out in the back chatting. I didn't mind hanging out with my little buddy during the vows. It kept the chill, casual vibe going.


Take-away: When entertaining (especially for important and memorable life events) include the guests that YOU want close to you, rather than feeling obligated to include everyone you've ever met or to exclude people (like youngsters) just because your mom doesn't want crying babies around. Yes, this can cause some drama, but there's enough written about how to navigate the sensitive subject of the guest list that you should be able to prepare yourself. And, you can just blame Mama Earth as necessary ("Mom, I'm sorry, I can't invite your yoga classmates. It will make our carbon footprint way too large!")




Decorations

Mostly, the outdoors were the decorations. There were some simple wildflower bouquets here and there, and the centerpieces were natural wood rounds and mason jars. 


Take-away: Nature is the best decoration. And the cheapest.

Apparel:
This is the bride, my friend Caitlin. Isn't she gorgeous? 


Everyone in the "bridal party" found their own dresses at regular stores (gasp!). I know that many ladies have a Cinderella fantasy that's been sold to us by a whole industry that wants us to spend a lot of money and use a lot of resources so they can profit. I mean, tulle is often made from petroleum products. I don't think anyone who wants a fancy gown should be judged, but there are lots of options these days for eco-friendly gals to wear non-traditional duds or to recycle or repurpose a dress someone else wore. If you want your own new gown, you might think of ways to offset the environmental toll. Planting a tree with your sweetie would be one special way.


Take-away: Cinderella's just a story.  A girl or guy should be able to wear whatever they want!


What have been the best green touches at weddings or parties you've attended?

Getting Cheeky!

My friend Ren, the author of Transitioning, wanted to share something with you lovely Greenies!


Ren is the mom of sweet baby Bea and participated in the same Mondo Beyondo class that I did. One thing that is great about the blog world -- you get to meet friends all over the world. Ren and family live in England, and although we've never met in person, I love reading about the progress they are making in trying to make big dreams into realities.


As a mom who is concerned about not introducing too many chemicals into Bea's life (or creating a world for Bea where resources are used up) Ren discovered Cheeky Wipes. They are reusable baby wipes.


Ugh! You might be thinking. That's gross. That's like... reusing toilet paper!


The people who make Cheeky Wipes knew you would think that. So they didn't just create reusable wipes (I mean, after all, the other name for that would be "wash cloth"). They created a whole system so that you don't even have to touch the used wipes.Here's what Ren has to say about it: The Cheeky Wipe creators even thought of how to organize the wipes and keep them tidy at home, and they supply you with bags to take the wipes with you for when you are out and about. Ah - so impressively, thoughtfully clever!


I think it's especially important for green products to be well-designed and to really WORK. There are so many mental barriers to green living in our mainstream society. If something is inconvenient or doesn't work as well as the "ungreen" product, people just aren't going to believe that green living can be convenient. So cheers to the creators of Cheeky Wipes, and cheers to Ren for sharing this product with us!


(And I checked -- you can order them shipped to the U.S.)

Light Green Retro: DIY Valentine's - It's Not Too Late

Thought I'd share a post from the Ghost of Light Green Past. I basically expressed my thoughts on Valentine's Day in the following post, so it seemed weird to write a new one when I believe all the same things. Enjoy!


And to all my readers (gosh, I think there may be close to 100 of you!), on this day of love, I'm sending much love to you!


So, Valentine's Day is not my favorite holiday, being, as it is, a commercial-fest of consumerism, blah-blah ... you know all the arguments about how the greeting card companies make us feel bad if we're not part of the celebration in order to amp up our holiday spending. I felt a little discouraged seeing the last-minute shoppers cruising Kroger, trying to find something - FAST - for that special someone. They were even selling plates of cheese pre-cut into hearts. I might find myself questioning someone who doesn't have time to cut heart-shaped cheese themselves (there's a joke in there somewhere, but I just can't get it.)

Luckily, the tough economy, according to this NPR story, has led more people to make their own holiday gifts and cards. That seems more meaningful than the plate of heart-shaped brie - unless your sweetie really loves cheese. Even though it's late in the day, there's still time to DIY for your loved ones. Here are a few ideas (and at the end of the post, find an alternative to Valentine's Day)



I absolutely love these Anatomically-correct Hearts from cheekymagpie.com. Just click the link for the template.


I traced the template onto craft paper and cut it out. Then you just fold it in half and you get a lovely, 3-dimensional heart. All-in-all, it takes about 5 minutes and looks gorgeous.


An inspiring quotation makes a nice addition to your card. You can find some great quotations about love here, at Wisdom Quotes. These are great because they aren't the same ol', same ol'. Gotta love any site that includes Albert Einstein in its page on love.


Now, I haven't tried Nigella Lawson's Valentine cupcakes, but I listened to her describe them on NPR yesterday, and I definitely mean to. Make them for a sweetie with a sweettooth. The chocolate cherry ones sound especially tasty, and quick to make. I also like the way Nigella describes how the competitive world of boarding school produced in her a "lofty detachment" toward the holiday. You go, Nigella!


Mix-tapes are a traditional gift from one disturbed teen to another. For you music lovers, check out the iTunes store. The "Essentials - Crazy Love" mix contains all the stories of whacked out romance you can handle, including "Stan" by Eminem, "Ben" by Michael Jackson, and "Under My Thumb" by the Rolling Stones. Get it for someone you stalk.


Finally, for those of you singletons who are perfectly content to be single, check out International Quirkyalone Day. This holiday, to quote the website, is: "a do-it-yourself celebration of romance, friendship, and independent spirit. It's a celebration of all kinds of love: romantic, platonic, familial, and yes, self-love. International Quirkyalone Day is not anti-Valentine's Day. It's NOT a pity party for single people. It's an alternative--a feel-good alternative to the marketing barrage of Valentine's Day and an antidote to the silicone version of love presented in shows such as Hooking Up and The Bachelor."


And who can't find the love for that?

Meatless Monday*: Tamales!

When I was teaching, most of my students were of Mexican heritage. Sharing food is a big part of Mexican culture, I learned. When you share food, you share part of yourself.


Whenever one of my students brought me food (which was often), my heart sang. I was so happy to be included in the life of the community. There were bunuelos (like cinnamon-sugar-coated doughnuts for Christmas); tres leches (or "three milk cake") with strawberry or peach filling between the layers; breakfast tacos (egg and potato) on homemade tortillas; bean tacos and jello molds and dulce de cacahuate (a very sweet peanut candy that the kiddos brought me from holiday trips to Mexico). And best of all: bean tamales.


It's possible (but sad) that you aren't familiar with tamales. Tamales are a version of a steamed dumpling. They consist of a filling, wrapped in corn dough, and held together by a wrapper made from a corn husk or banana leaf. Usually, tamales have a pork filling. Sometimes chicken, sometimes beef. 

My students knew that I didn't eat red meat or pork. Their mothers went out of their way to share food with me that fit my dietary preferences. I remember little Genesis bringing me a bundle wrapped in tinfoil - bean tamales!


The word tamales should always be followed by an exclamation point. In our family cookbook, there is the following sentence: Nanny (our great-grandmother, who was Russian and married a Spaniard who moved the whole family to Guatemala) would bring fruitcake to Southern California on Christmas Day along with tins of Christmas cookies, and sometimes tamales! I feel like the exclamation point says everything you need to know about tamales: a treat of the highest order, a reason to rejoice. TAMALES!


And I find bean tamales to be the most wonderful tamales of all. It's something about the humble combination of bean and corn - that through the magic of love and steam, they are elevated to a new level of delightfulness. These simple ingredients are good for the earth, good for you, and good for your taste buds.



The bean tamales made by Genesis's mother set the standard for what I expect from tamales: a thin layer of masa (the cornmeal part), a filling that is rich and creamy, a beautiful presentation.


Recently, while researching a post, I came across a recipe for Squash, Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tamales. (Click here to find the recipe). That's pretty much all of my favorite things, wrapped in a cornhusk. I had to try it.


So I gathered up my veg-cooking friends and we set (and rescheduled) a date. While the rest of America was watching the SuperBowl, we were cooking.

I'd heard that tamales were hard to make, but we found that it wasn't difficult, just time consuming. It's not something you can whip up on a Monday night. However, the directions in the recipe were great, and we were able to easily figure out what to do. A few notes:


- The outer layer of tamales consists of masa and some kind of fat to bind it together. Often, tamales are made with lard or Crisco, but this recipe used a small amount of canola and some part-skim ricotta. It might be non-traditional, but it lightens the recipe up.
- I'm extremely particular about the amount of masa on my tamales. Too little, and they fall apart. Too much, and they dry out and all you taste is cornmeal. Genesis' mom, as I said, is the gold standard. We came close. I think we could have spread the masa a little thinner, but for a first try, I felt pretty happy about it.
- My friend Jenn has a dutch oven with a steamer basket, and this was ideal for cooking the tamales. However, we almost burned our second batch because there wasn't enough water. Lesson learned: Remember the water cycle.
- The process takes a couple of hours, but there's a fair amount of down time while you wait for the corn husks to soak or the tamales to steam. It's the perfect cooking adventure to have with friends.


I hope you try this. It's worth the effort and the recipe has amazing directions.


 A few more thoughts on tamales:
There's a famous children's book called Too Many Tamales, by Gary Soto. It's a Christmas story (tamales are a traditional Christmas dish) about some kids who lose a precious heirloom while mixing the masa and eat all the tamales to find it. There's a picture of all the kids looking like they are going to barf that makes me want to barf, so I can't ever read that book.


In Houston, if you are out with friends on a warm night, sitting at a patio cafe, a vendor will often come around selling tamales. At certain time of night, and with a certain number of friends, a dozen tamales is the perfect late night snack.




* Meatless Monday is a movement to increase awareness of greener eating by encouraging people to eat meatless every Monday

Internet Round-up

Hello!

I'm in the throes of either a burgeoning sinus infection or an allergy event, but whatever ... it's resulted in me spending most of Saturday on my couch. And couch means lots of internet time.

What has struck my fancy on the internet?

Fab!
Like most folks, I get daily coupon and sales emails from a variety of sites. But the only one that I always open? My daily update from Fab.com. Fab is a sales site like MyHabit or Plum District, but it's the site for design-minded folk. Every day, I feel inspired by the creations that are presented on Fab.com.  However, I am REALLY good at not buying stuff. After all, consumption makes Mama Earth sad.

I've been needing some new reusable shopping bags, however, so I was super psyched to see that the makers of my favorite reusable bags, Envirosax,  was having a Fab.com sale. I bought two bags from the Nomad collection.  I can't wait for that gorgeous bag to arrive!

Envirosax bags are awesome! They roll up into a cylinder that fits in your purse, and they are durable and washable. The bags hold up to 40 pounds. I have several, and I absolutely love them. Plus, they have tons of great prints.

Roots
I'm loving the blog Back to Her Roots. It's full of the things I love: recipes for clean eating, generosity of spirit, and a concern with health and happiness.

Great Job!
If you're a busy person, the AVClub feature Great Job, Internet! is your one-stop shop for all that's awesome and weird on the internet. If you don't have time to troll YouTube or Facebook for things that are funny, you can just leave that to people who get paid (I hope!) to do that for you.

My recent favorite? This mash-up of Lana del Rey's "Video Games" and the Hunger Games:

Little Talks
One thing I love about the internet era is that music videos have made a comeback (since MTV doesn't show them any more). This video for the song "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men, is just beautiful and basically contains most of my aesthetic loves: owls, monsters, fairy tales, and steampunk-circus imagery. I recommend watching it in full screen for maximum awesome.

Junk mail comes to a good end

Shredded junk mail used as packing material!

Some Pictures and Some Words

A few random pictures and words from my week:

I tried out the "headband no-heat curl" method from the PaperMama's blog. Because it's heat free and uses little or no product, it's a more earth-friendly way to have pretty curls. You go to sleep like this:

And you wake up with nice curls, like this. 

 Here's my kitty hiding under a blankie:

Here's what I eat for breakfast every morning:

It's my own little breakfast sandwich with a Morningstar veggie sausage. My nephew likes them to.

And those are some pictures and words about my life!

Musings on the Way Home

OK, so, I have boldly declared that 2012 will be the year I find a home. Of course, I have a place that I live, but I want to find a more permanent place that meets my vision of the home I want. My vision:

I live in a house in the woods. It's near water. There's a garden for vegetables. Maybe it's a cabin. No dogs, but 1-2 cats. Chickens. There's a porch with a swing and room for nieces and nephews to come visit. They can stay all summer. In the morning, drinking coffee on the porch every day (it NEVER gets cold in this place). Friends live nearby (or on the property). We have a little community.

My vision includes:

• Family and/or friends are nearby
• I can gradually increase the amount of food that I will produce on my own (just gardening and chickens in the beginning, but maybe moving up to goats -- my mom calls this dream "the farm")
• My house is small and so I have a minimal footprint
• I can work from home comfortably
• Although I'm in the country, I am near enough to a city that I can enjoy the cultural events that I like

I'm not exactly a pro/con list type of girl. I'm more of a "be still and listen for the voice of the universe," kind of girl. Nevertheless, there are a few locations that I'm considering, and they each have definite pros and cons.

Eastern Washington/North Idaho/possibly Western Montana

Pros:

• My sister and nephew live here! (worth about ten bullet points in my mind!)
• This is the country where I spent my formative years and I often find that my heart yearns for it.
• It's some of the most beautiful country you will ever see.
• Real estate = mostly cheap
• Many wonderful friends live here
• Nothing could be better than sitting on your porch with a beer on a September evening in this country

Cons:

• The politics are mostly conservative.
• In both winter and summer, I don't like the weather; the dry air makes one prematurely old.
• Did I mention, it gets COLD?
• The population isn't diverse, and the arts are not as readily available as where I currently live.
• The economy is weak.

Houston, TX

Pros:

• I have a great family of friends here.
• The weather is awesome for several months of the year.
• Arts and culture? You got it.
• The ed reform movement is lively, which means more options for my future employment
• The population is diverse
• In the city, the politics tend to be more liberal than in the rest of the state.
• The economy is relatively vital.
• I already live here, so it's less effort!

Cons:

• For 5 months of the year, the weather is like the mouth of hell.
• Most of the state has very conservative politics.
• The city tends toward sprawl, so if I was to establish a little garden paradise on the outskirts, it's possible it would be swallowed up by gross real estate developments.

Other options:

My friend Sara, from Feeding the Soil, is trying to start a pocket neighborhood in Austin. A pocket neighborhood is a small neighborhood with open space for all and a sense of shared stewardship (Click here to read more about Sara's concept). In many ways, this idea meets my vision. Yet I have lots of questions: is Austin the place for me? (I'm not necessarily a booster like most of the Hipster Nation). What would it be like to form a new community? Am I financially stable enough to make this happen?

There's also California -- my family lives there; North Carolina -- I have a random affinity for the place and know lots of people there; and Utah -- the place where I feel the most connected to the universe.

It's hard, when you love the world, to try to stake your claim to one part of it.

Sustainable Seafood: Smoked Salmon Pizzettes

Friday night I wanted a little end-of-week treat, but I've been eating healthy and sustainable food since the new year, so I didn't want to break my stride.

I decided to make a lightened-up version of a smoked salmon pizza that I've had at restaurants and at a few friends' homes. This mini-pizza is elegant and yet healthy and easy to prepare -- it would make a wonderful Valentine's dinner for you and an ecologically-minded sweetie, or you could slice it up for appetizers for your Quirkyalone Day party.

When I've had this type of pizza before, it usually has a cream cheese topping. To lighten it up, I mixed 1/3-less-fat cream cheese with skyr. Skyr is a very soft cheese that can be eaten like yogurt; the most common brand is called Siggi's. If you can't find skyr, you could just use cream cheese or Greek yogurt.

One last note: to ensure that you're using sustainable salmon, look for Alaskan, rather than Atlantic salmon. I like to use my Seafood Watch app when I'm shopping to make sure I'm making a sustainable choice.

Ingredients:
1 piece of naan or lavash for each pizzette (you could also use a grilled flour tortilla, a mini pre-cooked pizza shell like Boboli, a pita, or any kind of cracker bread -- this also makes an awesome snack when the ingredients are piled on a rye crisp)
Smoked salmon, crumbled into smaller pieces, with a little extra for your cat
Tomato
Capers

For the cream cheese topping, mix the following:
1/4 c. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (or neufchatel)
1/4 c. skyr
1 heaping tablespoon chopped dill
1 heaping tablespoon chopped chives
salt and pepper to taste

To assemble pizzas:
Heat your naan or other bread product according to package instructions. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese topping on the bread, then heap the salmon, tomato, and capers in amounts to your liking.

Couldn't be easier, and it's so delicious!