“Oooohh…” Flintstone exclaimed in awe, “it’s bootiful.” 

      The little Tussock Moth caterpillar was taking a break on the side of my car, Hedwig, and Flintstone was absolutely right, it was bootiful.  I reminded him not to touch it, and gestured him into the car.

      “I want to look at it more, Mommy, pleeeeeaase.”  So we took a moment to simply watch and appreciate the tiny, lovely, interesting creature. 

      Once Flintstone was buckled into his car seat with some snap peas to munch on, I gently moved* the caterpillar off Hedwig to the base of some nearby foliage. 

      It was a lovely start to the day.  And an odd counterpoint to one of the stories I heard on NPR on the drive:

“New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was hosting a group of school children in his office when the spider appeared. Christie did not grant it a pardon. He joked it was one of the perks of being governor — you can kill critters on your desk without getting into trouble.”

      The article also mentioned that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals had issued a statement opposed to the Governor’s action.  And I cringed.  The whole story – from the spider slaughter to the PETA statement – made me cringe because I immediately knew where it would go.

      And already, it’s happening.  People are getting all wacky and polarized over something and it is making that something seem stupid and minor – or more major than it really is.

      When I was growing up, PETA was vilified in my neighborhood.  There were all these stories of the “crazy” things. I remember being told that PETA was trying to stop children from seeing chicks hatch from eggs and that PETA would capture wild deer and starve them to death to “protect” them from hunters.  As an adult who is more skeptical of such asinine stories as these, I did my research and discovered, lo and behold, PETA was actually not as “crazy” as they had been made out to be.  Yes, they oppose hunting (I haven’t found anything about the alleged baby chicks story), but they do so based on rational and scientific bases and through logical legal channels.  Actually, after my research I was left thinking those spreading the lies about PETA were the ones who had the real “issues.”

      But even with all that said, it is easy – especially in areas like the one where I grew up – for people to spin stories like this in order to discredit PETA.  And this effort to discredit PETA isn’t about spiders, deer, or chicks.  It’s about money and politics.  The main slanderers of PETA’s anti-hunting stance are unregulated gun lobbyists.  Those spreading BS about PETA’s stance on farm animals?  You guessed it, the factory farmers and corporations who benefit from torturing animals, wrecking the environment and public health, and keeping the greater society in the dark about it.

      So I cringed, because I foresaw the slew of headlines making PETA sound ridiculous for taking a stance on a person squashing a spider.  

       Before we buy in to the spin, let’s take a look at what PETA really said.  PETA President Ingrid Newkirk issued a statement saying:

” Christie probably killed it without thinking.  Some people put the spider outside, but spiders are often scary to some people, and that can prevent people from pondering their worth.”

      Not a particularly extreme statement in my mind.

      Now on to the other end of the over-polarization I was worried about: This getting turned into something about the benefits of killing spiders, or the personal liberty to kill spiders, or how horribly dangerous spiders are, or some other related malarkey.  People are actually rallying to justify squashing a spider as if it were to justify civil disobedience to end oppression.  Now who’s getting extreme?  (I’ll give you a hint, it’s not PETA).

      For my part, I was disgusted by the Governor’s actions.  Not because I am an outspoken spider’s rights activist, but because I am a human being who believes in compassion.  And because I am a mother who would be pissed as hell (for lack of a more eloquent way to put it) if this had happened in front of my kids.  Especially given what Mr. Christie chose to say after the incident.

      I live in a “put it outside” household.  We don’t kill things without reason.  We respect life and living creatures.  We follow the guidance of the sage Dr. Seuss in many issues.  In this particular area, we subscribe to his proverb:

“A person’s a person no matter how small.”

      If something is causing us harm – like fleas on the dogs or other parasites – we will kill those creatures, but we do not do it with joy or flourish, and we do not do it for entertainment.  We do it because it is necessary.  We very rarely eat meat (and NEVER dairy – horrible), but when we do, we take a moment to recognize that the meat came from a living being and to give thanks and respect to that being.

       Much of this we do out of a reverence for life and for nature, but it is much more than that.  We do this for our children.  We do this to teach them compassion and to teach them to embrace life. 

      It has been proven over, and over, and over again that people who are violent to animals are violent to humans.  Violence begets violence, and a desensitization to the infliction of harm will be as easily applied to animals as to humans.

      Further, it is a well established fact that children raised to be compassionate and peaceful are happier and healthier.  Compassion is a true gift to the self and to the world, and there is nothing I would rather teach my children.  The greatest wisdom, the greatest health, and the greatest happiness all start with compassion.

      So we teach our children compassion for all living things.  We teach them about the interdependent web of life and how we are all a part of it.  We teach them how even the “scary” or dangerous creatures fit into the web and serve important functions.  And we are rewarded as parents with the awe and reverence on our children’s faces when they spot a fuzzy caterpillar or a crawling ant.

      Then there was the statement of Governor Christie:

“that’s also another fun part of being Governor.  Any bugs that are on your desk, you’re allowed to kill them and not get in trouble.”

      This is why I would be really ticked if one of my kids had been in that class.  One of the perks of being in charge is getting away with stuff?  Killing things is fun?  Getting away with stuff is fun?  Doing things that are morally wrong but not getting in trouble is what makes a job fun?

W.T.F??

      Punky went to kindergarten in New Jersey.  She is now in 4th grade, and I’m now pretty darn glad she’s not there anymore.  I don’t want my kids taught that getting away with things is a perk of working in government and I really don’t want them to think that killing – even bugs – is fun.  I especially don’t want respected authority figures perpetrating such a negative message.

      I’m starting to wonder why we ever let politicians talk to school children…

*I used a piece of cloth to move the caterpillar – you don’t need a background in entomology to pick up on this animal’s cues, bright colors and long hairs say “don’t touch me;” and if you do happen to have a background in entomology and an affinity for arthropods like me, you’ll know that touching a tussock moth’s hairs can cause a negative reaction in some people.

The post Chris Christie Kills Spider – Everyone Misses the Issue appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      There are are no shortage of possibilities for gifts for Mom that are also good for Mother Earth.  I always start with gifts of experience.  I know my mom doesn’t need any more stuff.  Her well known affinities for moose and Jimmy Buffett memorabilia have resulted in a house filled to the brim with parrots, palm trees, and moose figurines.

      Experience is the perfect gift for the mom who has too much.  Does she need a break?  A popular gift for moms of school aged kids is simply TIME.  An uninteruppted hot bath with a good book and a glass of wine.  A day out shopping by herself or with friends.  An empty house for a few hours.  It really depends on her individual personality, but for many moms, time is a very precious commodity indeed.

       Other great gifts of experience for mom include concert tickets; spa treatments (at a green spa, of course!); an outing to a museum, park, theatre, or beach; cleaning the house, doing the laundry, or doing some other housework she would normally do; visiting her, cooking her dinner, and cleaning up afterward.  If your mom is crafty, find a great craft to do (Pinterest is a good resource for ideas), and do it with her.

Gifts That Grow

      I am a big fan of plants as gifts.  Bouquets wilt in a matter of days, but plants keep their beauty.  If you’re giving your mom a plant that goes outside, why not plant it for her?  One year, we gave my mom a raspberry plant.  About a month later my brother, Boo, called to say it was still in her diningroom window, and it was growing fruit right there in the window.  She did eventually plant it, and we just found out over Spring Break that she ended up having to tear the whole thing out because it spread so rampantly and was taking over her front yard.  Ha.

      If you are going to give a plant, be sure to take into account the amount of light it requires, whether it’s and indoor or outdoor plant, and the amount of care it requires.  Stay away from genetically modified or hybrid plants.  If at all possible, find heirloom, non-GMO, or organic varieties at your local farmer’s market.  I know our Farmer’s Markets have a wonderful assortment of plants of all kinds.    There is also mail order companies like Organic Bouquet and Organic Style.  They offer plants and wreaths like these:

Herb Wreath

Crabapple Bonsai

Get Creative

      Most 6 year olds can tell you that nothing is more meaningful than a gift from the heart.  If you’re really artistically inclined, what would be more fun that making your mom a gorgeous work of art out of macaroni and glitter like this portrait of Rosie O’Donnell by Jason Mecier:

      Of course, your creative production doesn’t have to involve dried pasta, glue, and construction paper, but kudos to you if it does!  (By the way, don’t feed your mother chocolate sourced from child slavery).  Leverage your own talents for you mom.  I am not a visual person; my realm is words.  I could write my mom a poem or a story or put a limerick devoted to her on a local billboard.

       If you’re an artist, create something for her.  If you’re a photographer, do one of those really fun pictures when you re-take a favorite childhood shot as adults (I sorely regret never having been able to do that with Boo, we often talked about it).  Show your mom that her parenting paid off.

Something Other Than Flowers

      I’ve written several times about the environmental impact and human rights abuses rampant in the commercial bouquet industry.  There are so many other wonderful gifts that can be delivered straight to your mom’s door or office, picked up at a local farmer’s market or craft show, or ordered from charity sites.  If your mom has a favorite cause, check out websites for that cause and get her a tote bag or other fun item that supports it.  Or check out the awesome fair trade shops that support various good causes through the Greater Good network.  That is always my first stop when I want to send someone something but am not 100% sure what they might like.

Better Flowers

      Sometimes, it just has to be flowers.  And if it does, please just put some thought into their source.  Check out local growers and farmer’s markets.  If you’re ordering them, order them from sites like Organic Bouquets and Organic Style (both linked above).  Don’t allow your Mother’s Day gift to contribute to the suffering of mother’s in Kenya or similar places.

And if you still need ideas, leave a comment!  I never know what to get for my own mom (or family in general), but I have a lot of fun trying to guess what other people’s loved one’s might like!

      A Happy, Sustainable, Green Mother’s Day to everyone!

The post Green Mother’s Day Ideas appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

(This quote is actually miscredited, but it’s still very true)

      Cyber bullying and “slut shaming” among teens have been big in the news lately, but these issues are not exclusive to adolescents.  I am stepping away from the green theme for a moment to discuss something that I see affecting the sustainability of our society from a psychological standpoint.

      Cyber bullying is the act of youths harassing other youths online, often ruthlessly, through sites like Facebook and Twitter (though other sites and email can be used as well).  This can involve open insults, public sharing of embarrassing tales (real or fake), or threats.  “Slut shaming” is one particularly vicious and misogynistic version of cyber bullying which involves exposing the real or falsified sexual acts of girls and young women online.  The most vicious cases often involve pictures or videos posted by boys/young men these girls had relationships with.  Many of these cases have resulted in suicide for the harassed person.

      These acts are resulting in the deaths of children.  This is gravely serious and it is an epidemic in our schools.  Correction: It is an epidemic in our society.  Sadly, I have seen a recent influx of adult clients suffering the same bullying our youth are suffering (though, for the record, in adults it is called cyber harassment or cyberstalking).

      This is ridiculous and it is out of hand.  And too many people are simply waiving it off.  Too many people believe this is a problem “other people” have.  MY daughter would never be caught in such a compromising position.  MY child would never say such mean things.  MY friend would never harass someone online.  This sort of thing doesn’t happen to people like ME. 

        And people don’t really want to talk about it.  We’ll talk about the very sad cases that make the news.  We’ll gossip about ridiculous shows like Catfished (which I’m somewhat proud to say I hadn’t even heard of until a couple weeks ago - liberate yourself from you TV!).  But my clients who are being harassed and stalked, who feel like they have nowhere to turn, they’re not talking about this openly.  Because it’s mortifying.  Children who are being cyberbullied are avoiding being the “snitch” or drawing any more attention to whatever embarrassing thing was posted about them online.

       I have written and spoken before about being a survivor of domestic abuse and rape, and hearing the stories of others can be cathartic and empowering.  So I figured maybe opening up the communication on this topic would be a good place to start:

        I am a Marine, a lawyer, a professional.  I am a mother and a wife.  And I have been the intended target of cyber harassment attempts – adult cyber bullying.

      For a period of over two years, there was a person who was on some sort of twisted mission to discredit me and interfere in my marriage.  I am lucky in that I can call this an attempt at cyber harassment since this individual was either fairly incompetent or not particularly devoted to their little vendetta against me and was a complete and total failure, but still the attempt was made and it was very disturbing.

      This person sent “anonymous” emails and postings from several different pseudonyms attempting to convince my husband that I was unfaithful or accusing me or him of very odd and childish acts.  Every single one of the allegations was completely false, and our marriage was probably made stronger for having weathered this silliness.  It didn’t hurt that this person was too ignorant to mask their IP address or come up with a pseudonym that didn’t reflect their personality.

      The emotional trip that this experience took me on started with confusion.  Many people I know who have experienced cyber harassment were being harassed by exes or people they knew personally.  The person who was obsessed with my husband and I was someone I had extremely few ties to and knew very little about.  I have been told by individuals who know this person better than I do that something about my success seemed to infuriate this other person.  I had a personal blog (that I have since discarded) which this person felt was “rubbing my happiness in their face.”  It caused me to look at myself and wonder if I was presenting a false face or bragging about my life. 

      I wasn’t.  I was and am very happy.  I have worked my proverbial butt off to achieve what I have, and I still work very hard.  And not only that, but I work very hard to help others.  I am happy with my life, and I embrace that.  The more information was funneled to me about this other person’s antics and tirades about me, the more confusion turned to disdain.  Who was this person, who knew so very little about me, to try to tear down my reputation?  Who was this person who had “made their own bed” or “dug their own hole,” so to speak, to say anything about me?  And WHY did they care? 

       For a period of time, this person’s obsession became so strong and antics became so persistent and ridiculous that an element of fear appeared.  I consulted with a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and several other attorneys and was strongly advised to take legal and protective action against this person.  I didn’t want to escalate the situation, though.  It seemed so stupid and childish.  This little immature person banging on the glass of my life trying to get my attention, trying to get my husband’s attention.  They had caused me no actual harm, and I just wanted to be the bigger person and move on.  The contacts continued, though.

      And my anger started to build into an unflattering cattiness.  I wanted to strike back and tell this person I knew exactly what they were doing and that everyone around them found their little psychotic obsession rather pathetic.  I wanted to sling insults.  I wanted to slut shame.  I did cave on occasion and respond in negative ways (though I did not engage in slut shaming or any cyber bullying – my comments were verbal and nearly always to people who didn’t know the guilty party).

      The book Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong brought be back to maturity.  This person who could not seem to leave me alone;  this person who devoted so much time to picking at my happiness; this person who had so many skeletons in their own closet – was obviously suffering.  Obsession and anger of this kind clearly stem from insecurity and unhappiness.  My anger shifted to compassion.  I felt sorry for this person, for the pain they must feel, for their inability to move on with their life, for their inability to let go of a ruined past.  I have many faults and hangups but I have never had a problem moving forward.  I can’t imagine how maddening it must be to be stuck, immobile and insignificant, in the past.  And just as I let go of my anger, the problem began to dissolve.  The picking was still there, but it no longer registered with me at all, and for quite a while now I’ve considered it over.  I have changed many of my accounts and don’t even know if that person is still trying their antics.  I haven’t even spoken to any of the third parties who witnessed this person’s antics in a very long time.

       My story and my experience with cyber bullying/cyber harassment is not dramatic.  In the story of my life, it’s barely even a blip.  It was like a papercut that persisted for a while.  But I know that I am lucky in that.  Because I counsel people very often whose experiences are much worse.  People whose lives have been measurably impacted by their bullies.  People who feel powerless to defend themselves, to fight back, or to move on because their bullies are causing real harm and real shame.

       And it makes me worry about our society.  It makes me sad to know that there are that many grown adults hiding behind the false anonymity of a computer screen sending such real and devastating negativity into the world as easily as they would play a computer game.  It makes me sad that these people don’t feel what they are doing.  One can hide behind a computer and not feel the violence that they are perpetrating.  One can try to tear down another person and still remove themselves from the act.  There are so many grown adults too cowardly to confront those they take issue with face-to-face who instead contribute to a society that accepts slander as a norm and the spreading of lies and shame as a non-issue.

       I, for one, choose to be a grown up.  I choose to set an example of compassion and dignity for my children, and for anyone else who cares to look.  Because the cyber bullying atrocities that are taking place in the schools will never stop so long as we adults are letting this go on between us.

       Watch out for your children.  Set an example for them and own your life.  And if you are a victim of this most cowardly kind of bullying, know that you are not alone.

Please read this very insightful article on “Shaming” in our schools.

For more information on Cyber Bullying, check out Stop Cyber Bullying.

The post Cyber Bullying appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

     

       Today is a very special treat: a guest post by the amazing Hilda Forss.  Hilda Forss is a freelance graphic designer currently based in Sweden. In her spare time, she runs the website Hildablue.com, a blog on natural homemade skin and hair care products with simple tips on how to lead a more eco-conscious beauty life.  Her blog is amazing.  If there is ANY beauty or self-care product you want to know how to make naturally, odds are Hilda Blue has it.  It is from her site that I got most of the information to start using Henna on my hair.  Not all of these recipes are strictly vegan, as one uses beeswax, but they are all strictly awesome.

      Thank you again, Hilda, for this amazing post!:

A few years ago, when I first started making my own homemade skin care products and cutting chemicals from my beauty routine, the first product I made was a homemade lip balm. And to this day, lip balms are among my absolute favorite beauty products to make at home. In this post, I will share a few of my own favorite recipe blends for making your own personal lip balms for soft and shiny lips.

So why should I make my own lip balms, you might ask, when I can buy them super cheap from the closest grocery store? Well, if you ask me, there are several benefits of making them yourself. First and foremost, you’re in complete charge of what the product contains. More often than not, the lip balms on the market contain ingredients that you really shouldn’t want on your lips. The main thing to look out for is mineral oils, which can be listed in the ingredient description as a variety of things (petrolatum, vaselin, petroleum jelly, anything with “paraffin” in it etc.). When applying a lip balm with mineral oil, the lips are coated with an oily surface, that strips your lips from their natural oils. The result is lips that seem soft at first, but the quickly go dry again, making you put on more lip balms, which soon again will make your lips dry, leading to a vicious circle where you need to add more and more lip balm. Sound familiar? This is a pretty darn good deal for the companies who make the lip balm, less so for you…

Another reason for making your own lip balms is that they are very customizable. You can make personalized gifts for your friends just by adding a few drops of their favorite scent, you can use a specific vegetable oil that is especially well suited for your skin, or pick ingredients based on what you happen to have in your cupboards. 

Add to this the face that homemade lip balms are cheap, easy to make and so much fun!

The key ingredients in a homemade lip balm is a vegetable oil and something to make the oil solid. Commonly, beeswax is used. The vegetable oil can be any vegetable oil you have at hand. Some of my favorite oils to use are: olive, almond, jojoba, avocado or grapeseed oil.

Beeswax can be found online, or, preferably, by contacting a local beekeeper. Look for beekepers in farmers markets or try looking them up online and contact them directly. if you go through a personal beekeper, the beeswax will probably be cheaper than online – some even hand it out for free! At the same time you support a local entrepreneur, and you can be sure where your wax comes from. If you are vegan, or don’t want to use beeswax for other reasons, you can substitute the beeswax with a vegetable wax, such as carnauba, candelilla, jojoba or soy wax. You can also use cocoa butter or shea butter, which will make the lip balm a bit softer than with beeswax. 

With these just an oil and a wax you’ve got everything you need for making a super easy lip balm. Melt 1 teaspoon of beeswax in a double boiler, add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, pour into a glass or metal jar and you’re done! It’s not harder than that. 

These are three recipes to get you stated. The essential oils mentioned are suggestions, and you are more than welcome to change them to anything you like or have at hand (or leave them out). Happy experimenting!

Ginger lime

2 tsp grated beeswax or vegetable wax

2 tsp shea butter

2 tsp olive oil, jojoba oil or almond oil

3 drops ginger essential oil

7 drops lime essential oil

If your wax comes in a block, grate it coarsely to make the measuring easier. In a double boiler on low heat, melt the beeswax together with the she butter and olive oil, stir with a wooden spoon and leave it to cool. Before the mixture has solidified, try dipping your finger into the mixture, when it’s lukewarm it’s ok to add the essential oils. Stir well and pour the mixture into a small, clean container. 

Chocolate kiss

1 tbsp cocoa butter

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp beeswax (optional)

3 drops peppermint or orange essential oil (optional)

Grate the beeswax, and combine with cocoa butter, cocoa powder, coconut oil and vegetable oil. Melt in a double boiler on low heat. Stir well for a few minutes, then turn down the heat and allow to cool, then add the essential oils (if you want to add any). Stir well and pour into a container. Let the beeswax cool in the fridge for about an hour. 

In this recipe, the beeswax is optional. Without the beeswax, the lip balm will be a lot softer, but still solid. 

Blood mandarin

This recipe uses an old lipstick to add a very light tint to it. You can try using beetroot powder or iron oxides instead, if you want to make sure it’s completely natural.

1 tbsp beeswax or vegetable wax

4 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil

1 tsp lipstick

1/4 tsp (or about 2 capsules) vitamin E oil

5 drops mandarin (or other citrusy) essential oil

Grate the beeswax, melt the beeswax together with the vegetable oil in a double boiler on low heat. Stir well. Turn off the heat, add lipstick, keep stirring. When the lipstick has completely melted into the mixture, allow to cool. When the mixture is lukewarm, add the essential oil and vitamin E. Pour into glass or metal container.

The post Make Your Own Homemade Lip Balms appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      We spent last week on an utterly exhausting house hunting trip in Detroit.  We looked at dozens of homes and were ultimately faced with the very difficult decision of size versus schools.  So many of the houses were huge and utterly gorgeous – nearly mansions (or manors, as MacGyver liked to call them), but the schools in these areas were questionable at best.  Ultimately, we made the grown up decision (which was more painful for me than I’d like to admit), and put an offer on a normal sized house in the very best school district. 

      It is not the Tudor style manor I had been fantasizing about, but I am absolutely happy with our choice.  It may not have 6 bedrooms and a maid’s quarters (as most of the other homes we looked at had), but it is still bigger than our current house, more than big enough for our family with room to spare.  And even though one of the biggest perks of this house was that it needs no work at all (most of the others we looked at needed at least one major repair – my favorite needed a complete roof overhaul), we are already hatching huge plans for additions and renovations (see some of our anticipated schemes here).

      First scheme on the list: fencing the whole thing so that the dogs, kids, and gardens can have free run of both front and back yards at once.  Then we’ll start planting.  The bigger renovations will have to wait a year or two.

      This is all, of course, so long as I get a job.  Prospects are looking very good on that front, but I don’t want to say too much until I know for sure.  One thing I will say though, is that I have never felt more grown-up or fancy than when a prospective employer wants to pay for my flight and lodging for an interview.  I am very good at my job, but when I think about myself from others’ perspectives, I still feel like a pretend adult a lot of the time.  I am confident in my work when I’m doing it, but when I hear praises of said work I chuckle inside because deep down I’m still a 19 year old waitress from a small town.

      So wish me luck on the job front.  It is the next big step.  Actually, as huge as it is, it is only one part of an entire life change for our family.

      One summer 5 years ago I graduated from Law School, took the New York Bar exam, MacGyver and I were married in a torrential downpour, I came on active duty with the Marine Corps, and we moved to Virginia.  The whole summer was one major life change, and the beginning of a whirlwind of training and travel, growing and learning for our family.  Three years ago, we finally reached my permanent duty station (permanent is Marine for “three years”), and actually got to “settle down” a bit – though we never really slowed down.

      This summer is the next big change: Leaving the Marine Corps, moving to Detroit, embarking on a new career, becoming a civilian (a much more challenging and intimidating prospect than one might think), and – with any luck – adding to our family (though that won’t happen until I’m stable at a new job).  Our wedding 5 years ago was essentially a kick off for that stage of our lives, and as such I think that it’s only appropriate that this summer include such a kick-off, too.

      Even when planning our first wedding, I was already plotting having another.  Limits in time, distance, and finances had me set on doing a bigger and better renewal somewhere down the road.  When our outdoor wedding turned into a monsoon (which sounds bad but was actually amazingly awesome), it cinched my resolve on the matter.  There would be a vow renewal, probably at 5 years.

       As our 5 year anniversary races up to us, my thoughts on the event have evolved:  Faced with the purchase of a new home, a relocation, and a career change we’re in very much the same position as we were five years ago (and one completely different all at the same time).  I still plan to do a vow renewal.  I still plan to wear my wedding dress again – how could I not?  But this will now be in the context of a 5 year anniversary party/Next big step party/possible housewarming.  It will probably be a smaller event than our first wedding, and it won’t be a wedding since the vow renewal will be a very small part of it (maybe even a private part before the party part), but I would like to see some of the fun touches that come with a wedding or formalish party.  And the theme, of course, will be something Green or Sustainable.  And the food, of course, will be Ethical.

      Of course, I should probably get on the planning for that…

      Just like I should probably be posting to this blog at least once a week…

      But I’m also working furiously to finish up three major projects at work that will substantially change the functioning of our office and will be my “legacy” as I step down – on top of all my regular responsibilities, clients, and cases, and an article for publication.  Oh, and I have to stay in top physical shape and get out to the ranges to qualify (expert again, of course) on rifle and pistol.  Then all my non-working hours are carefully divided between family time (we still sit down to family dinners cooked from scratch, mostly vegan, 5 nights a week) and our myriad community involvements.  At this particular moment, I am on the Board of Directors for our church, President of the Parental Advisory Board (similar to a PTA) at Flintstone’s school – both positions I was elected to even though I made it known I would be leaving before the terms were up; leader and founder of the Lowcountry Ethical Eaters; co-organizer (with MacGyver) of Lowcountry Vegan Love; an active and founding member of the Ancient Sea Island Continuum, our local UU Pagan worship group; and the organizer and coordinator for the Northwest Earth Institute Menu for the Future Discussion Group.  On top of that, we continue to volunteer as often as possible with Family Promise as well as various events like highway cleanups and river sweeps.  MacGyver is the Project Manager for a massive Earth Day event bringing together the community (an event he also came up with and designed) – in addition to his countless committee memberships and presidencies and his Master course.

      We. Are. Busy. 

       I am not bragging.  I do not support the glorification of busy.  I think over-extending oneself is counterproductive (that doesn’t mean I don’t do it, but that’s not the point).  I am simply making excuses for why I’m a sub-par blogger – ha.  The point is we have a whole lot going on.  This is our life at the moment, and it is wonderful.  It is full and fulfilling, but it is not really sustainable.  Everything is sort of building to a head as we approach the next step.

       I felt I should provide an explaination to you, my wonderful readers, so there you have it.  I’m still here.  I’m super busy, but I have every intention of getting more posts up when I have the opportunity.  And once we move, we will have more time by default because we will not have had the opportunity to volunteer for six dozen things yet.  (Ok, that’s not true since I’ve already volunteered for a couple things in anticipation of the move…)

      If you’re really missing me, you can keep up with me and my green blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram – all accounts that see more posts from me than the blog because 140 character quips are a little more time effective than informative and researched blog posts.

The post Where is the Worm?: The Future of Urban Earthworm appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

“She was kept locked in a small closet and was repeatedly impregnated, only to have her babies torn from her just after birth, wailing.  She cried for days for every baby.  Her daughters often passed into the same slavery she was in.  Her sons were killed.”

It is hard to stomach the thought of such horrors happening to even one mother, let alone hundreds of thousands of mothers every single day. But you probably haven’t seen it in the news, because the mothers in question are cows.  DON’T STOP READING.

I know there are many of you out there groaning, muttering about how “it’s not the same,” and maybe it’s not.  But consider the possibility that there are some major things about the dairy industry you don’t know, and just bear with me for a few paragraphs here.  At the end, you’re entitled to your opinion - an opinion based on facts and your own conscience.  BECAUSE I HAD NO IDEA, and I know I’m not the only one who thought, “well, cows don’t die in milk production, so it can’t be that cruel.”  Once you know the whole truth about dairy cruelty, it’s your decision to make.

I can’t believe how wrong I was thinking dairy was ok compared to the meat industry.  The atrocities of the dairy industry are so extreme that I am actually more comfortable eating meat than I am any form of dairy – especially cow’s milk/cheese/etc.

The Science of Love and Suffering
      Last year, the scientific community came together and “officially” announced that animals are conscious in the same way humans are.  The timing of this announcement came as a surprise to many pet owners, because we’ve known this for decades.  Anyone who has seen a dog mourn for a missing human companion or dance happily at the prospect of going for a run could easily tell you that animals are conscious.  Consciousness is not a phenomenon unique to dogs or to “pet” animals; it is just something we notice more easily in them because we live with them.

It has likewise been proven that most mammals experience a nearly identical mother-child bond to what we humans experience.  The feeling is caused by the same primary hormone, oxytocin, and floods the same brain centers.  Meaning cow mothers feel the same way about their babies as human mothers do, and calves feel the same need for their mothers that human babies do.

      That was enough for me.  I don’t know how I had never once thought about the fact that dairy cows had to be impregnated to create dairy products.  It’s rather obvious, but we are so separated from our food production in this culture that it literally never even crossed my mind until I saw it mentioned in an article one day.  And my immediate pondrance was, “then what happens to the calves?”

And a day of research later, I was off dairy hard.  When I started on my ethical eating path, I thought cheese was the one animal product I would never give up.  Now, that thought is nothing more than a testament to how clueless I was about our food production systems.

The Source of Most Dairy
      According to the EPA, the “vast majority” of milk and milk products in the US come from “intensive production” operations, meaning factory farms.  Other sources cite the exact number at 99%.  Factory farms are not the cows you see grazing in the pasture when you drive through the midwest.  Those are the other 1% (or, more often, those are grass fed beef).  If you pick up any dairy product in the grocery store, you’re picking up the product of a factory farm (with very, very rare exceptions).

The blurb at the beginning of this article, while it may seem sensational, is exactly what is faced by hundreds of thousands of dairy cows in factory farms across the US every single day.  This is not a little problem.  In addition to the nearly incomprehensible numbers of living, feeling beings suffering in these conditions every day; in addition to the grotesque, cruel treatment they are subjected to, there is also the fact that these farms are destroying the environment.

Environmental Degradation
      Factory farming, and dairy farming in particular, produces astounding amounts of pollution – air, land, and water pollution.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that confined animals generate three times more raw waste than humans in the United States and a 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) found that animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of all human-induced greenhouse gas emissions – 37% of methane emissions and 65% of nitrous oxide emissions.  The use of fossil fuels on farms to grow feed and to intensively raise land animals for food emits 90 million tons of CO2 worldwide every year.  In the US alone, methane emissions from pig and dairy cow manure increased by 45% and 94% respectively between 1990 and 2009.

That doesn’t even touch on the effects of feed grown to support factory farming, which has devastating effects not only on the environment, but on the global economy contributing to human starvation worldwide.

The environmental hazards are also closely tied in with public health hazards.  Here are a few examples from the Natural Resources Defense Council:

• California officials identify agriculture, especially cows, as the major source of nitrate pollution in more than 100,000 square miles of polluted groundwater.
• In 1996 the Centers for Disease Control established a link between spontaneous abortions and high nitrate levels in Indiana drinking water wells located close to factory farms.
• High levels of nitrates in drinking water also increase the risk of methemoglobinemia, or “blue-baby syndrome,” which can kill infants.
• In May 2000, 1,300 cases of gastroenteritis were reported and six people died as the result of E. coli contaminating drinking water in Walkerton, Ontario. Health authorities determined that the most likely source was cattle manure runoff.
• Manure from dairy cows is thought to have contributed to the disastrous Cryptosporidium contamination of Milwaukee’s drinking water in 1993, which killed more than 100 people, made 400,000 sick and resulted in $37 million in lost wages and productivity.
• In this country, roughly 29 million pounds of antibiotics — about 80 percent of the nation’s antibiotics use in total — are added to animal feed every year to speed livestock growth. This widespread use of antibiotics on animals has been proven to directly contribute to the rise of resistant bacteria, making it harder to treat human illnesses.

And there is a heck of a lot more where that came from.  Check out the NRDC website for more on these hazards.  For more information about the environmental consequences of factory farming and the dairy industry, check here and here.

But I love cheese!
      As I mentioned, I really thought there was no chance I would ever give up cheese.  We gave up drinking milk pretty easily the second we found out about the negative health effects associated with drinking cows milk – including increased risk of osteoporosis (because, contrary to what the dairy industry has claimed, drinking cow’s milk actually weakens your bones) – increased risk of cancer and disease (have you watched Forks Over Knives yet?) – and likely causing earlier onset of puberty (which, as the mother of a 10 year old, would be 16 year old, is more than enough reason to toss the milk).

So cow’s milk was out, and it was easy and painless.  There are so many excellent alternatives that are so much better for you – Almond milk, Flax milk, Hemp milk, Soy milk, Coconut milk, Rice milk – and they are widely and easily available.  These days we usually have one carton of unsweetened regular and one carton of unsweetened vanilla almond milk in our fridge most of the time.  When making the switch, keep in mind that it takes the human tongue an average of 14 tries to become accustomed to a new flavor.  Even if you prefer the taste of cow’s milk to begin with, if you stick with a plant based milk for at least 3 weeks, you will likely find that you come to prefer it.

Plus, once I started breastfeeding I became very aware of how specially designed human milk is for human babies, and the thought of drinking cows’ breastmilk started to creep me out.

But cheese!  Oh, cheese!  I still thought cheese and I would never part ways.

Until I was confronted with the image of a mother cow wailing and fighting to reach her baby as the baby was torn from her.  Until I found out that the baby will cry for its mother, alone in confinement, for days until its throat is completely raw or until it is slaughtered.  There is no chance in the world that I will take the product of that suffering into my body.  There is no chance that I will allow a single cent of mine tell those companies that that torture is profitable.

At first, we tried a variety of cheese substitutes – fake cheeses, if you will.  None of them really worked for us.  Then I discovered Nutritional Yeast.  The name doesn’t sound particularly tasty, but this stuff is amazing.  I did a whole post on it.  I don’t look at “Nooch” as a substitute for cheese, which is part of the reason I love it.  I don’t compare it to cheese, but I do find that it works amazingly in situations where I would have used cheese before.  And then I found a flavor of Daiya vegan cheese that was amazing mixed into some recipe I was making.

I also discovered that Vegan cream cheese is a near perfect match for the suffering laced “real” stuff.  And as for ice cream and yogurt, I’ll take coconut milk ice cream any day (yogurt, too).  The stuff is amazing.  Ah – mazing.  There is nothing like some So Delicious Vanilla Bean with some Fair Trade Chocolate melted over top.  MacGyver swears by So Delicious Passionate Mango flavor.  They also make flavored coffee creamers.

Not that I’m trying to tout processed foods, but these are excellent treats.  Ultimately, though, the answer to this whole dairy conundrum is to stop worrying about what one “can’t” have and love the amazing foods we get the pleasure of experiencing.

I am a vegetable lover.  The variety and flexibility is astounding.  And not having to worry about fat content or weight gain because so much of what I eat is vegetables is amazing.  Since giving up most meat and all cow dairy products, the variety of foods we eat, and the quality and flavor profiles of those foods has increased drastically.  It’s really amazing to see what can happen when you free yourself from the programming of the factory farm industry and start looking at foods, especially vegetables, as an adventure.

What about “Humane Dairy”?
      I used to be a big proponent of “humane dairy.”  I used to think the worst part of cheese was the rennet from the stomachs of slaughtered baby cows used to make cheese.  I was wrong.  There is no one worst part.  The whole industry is disgusting.  It is killing the environment.  It is killing us.  And it is soullessly torturing mothers and babies that want nothing more than to be together in a pasture somewhere.

I still love cheese, and I am still looking for a humane source.  I know it’s possible.  I know it is possible for a cow to be allowed to keep her calf and to still spare some portion of milk for cheese making.  On a very small scale.  Like an “I want to have one cow of my own some day to make milk and she can keep her calf” sort of scale.

I have contacted many producers who claim to be humane.  Organic Valley, who I used to promote as a humane source, only allows the calves to stay with the cows for 5 days.  I sure as heck wouldn’t want my baby taken away after 5 days, so that’s not good enough for me.  And it was the “best” one I’ve found so far.  So no cow cheese for me.  And really, it’s totally worth it to avoid being part of such an atrocious system.

BUT, I do have a container of some amazing feta in my fridge from a local goat farm which was described to me (by a friend of mine) as a “goat commune.”  I’m told the kids get to stay with their mothers and all goats, male or female get to grow up happy on the farm.  We plan to visit the farm sometime soon to ensure this is true.  But we’re really in no rush, because as it turns out, I don’t miss dairy nearly as much as I thought I would.  It seems I’ve been de-programmed.

Making Informed Decisions
      It is the responsibility of any individual to gather up information and make informed choices about how they will exist in the world.  I have tried to lay out my reasons for swearing off dairy without being too confrontational.  Some people get downright angry when confronted with the very real pictures and videos of what goes on at factory farms every single day.  I’m not sure why someone would get mad when being shown something factual, but my guess is it has to do with guilt.  It is one thing to know there is cruelty and to do nothing.  It is something else to refuse to acknowledge the cruelty even exists and to react with anger at this fact.

I encourage you to do further research on your own.  I especially encourage you to read the two following articles.  They are brief, but they make a very clear and very important point about the dairy industry without the images and videos:

Cow Proves Animals Love

The Natural Lives of Cows

And if you are prepared to know the real and whole truth, arm yourself with the reality of what goes on in Factory Farms:

Farm Sanctuary

Ian Somerhalder Foundation   

Or watch some videos - if you feel like having your heart beaten up today.

Religious Connection
      We are Unitarian Universalists.  I am also Pagan.  MacGyver is also Buddhist.  And both of these tend to overlap, integrate, and basically mush together over the course of our marriage.  So we’re pretty much UU Pagan Buddhists at this point.  But what you call it doesn’t matter because any even when you pull them apart, each of these religions mandates that an individual act to end suffering.

Food and religion go hand-in-hand – communion, fasting, kosher foods, “clean” foods, etc.  What you eat becomes a part of you, and what you choose to eat has effects that ripple out into the world around you.

As such, I refuse to knowingly take the products of cruelty and suffering into my body.  I will not allow that to become a part of me.  I can think of no food more unclean than that which is tainted with torture.  Unitarian Universalism empowers me to respect the interdependant web of life of which we are all a part.  Paganism reminds me that everything I send out into the Universe will come back to me multiplied by three.  Buddhism charges us to strive for the end of suffering.  My Christian upbringing taught me to help those in need and treasure the planet as a gift.

All of that is, of course, simplified.  But the result remains the same:  Every ounce of my religion points me toward compassion, toward responsible stewardship of the Earth, and toward ending suffering.  Keeping the products of suffering out of my body is the very least I can do.

What Can You Do?
      Give up dairy.  Just like that.  Drink water.  Drink plant milks.  Explore the myriad amazing possibilities in the world of plant based foods.  There are plenty of excellent recipes right here on Urban Earthworm, and millions of others just waiting to be discovered (like on Pinterest…).

Know where your food is coming from.  Shop Farmer’s Markets and avoid anything from factory farms.  Buy Fair Trade and Equal Exchange products.  Learn.

Be a voice for those whose voices are unheard.  Write to your Representative and Senator and tell them you are NOT ok with the atrocities allowed in the factory farming industry.

Remember that your wallet also has a voice.  Don’t let any of your hard earned money go to unethical and inhumane corporations.

Show your support.  No matter where you stand on the scale of activism and awareness, there is an organization out there for you.

Check out:

Farm Sanctuary

Animal Legal Defense Fund

Humane Society

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Mercy for Animals

The list is long and varied.  Find an organization that’s right for you.  If you want to really understand these animals, follow Farm Sanctuary on Instagram, or like these organizations on Facebook.

The post Struggles with Cheese and Motherhood: Dairy Cruelty appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

1  DON’T SEND FLOWERS

      Or, if you know someone who truly loves flowers, use a little creativity, and a little conscientiousness.   The vast majority of bouquet flowers in the US are actually grown in other countries – primarily Kenya, where the predominantly female workers are subjected to deplorable conditions and exposed to toxic chemicals that are banned in the U.S. and Europe. 

      Plus, bouquets don’t last.  They are beautiful for a week or two, then they’re compost.  Wouldn’t a small, thoughtful gift be a much more meaningful token?  Consider purchasing a handmade and/or recycled gift from a local shop.  Or, if internet shopping is more your speed, order something from a site that supports a good cause, like The Animal Rescue Site, The Hunger Site, The Rainforest Site, or Global Girlfriend.

       Or a gift from a favorite charity – a t-shirt from the Human Society, a tote from Amnesty International, or a book from Citizens for Midwifery.

      Find more unique ideas for gifts that give back here.

      And if you absolutely must send flowers, there are plenty of resources for sending ethically grown flowers, Green Valentine’s Day gifts, and even bouquets that donate a portion of their profits to different charities!

Or consider giving flowers that won’t die, like this mini organic apple tree!

2.  AVOID PAPER WASTE – RECYCLE, UPCYCLE, AND SEED PAPER  

      Typical Valentine Cards are just a pit of waste – printed on bleached paper, not from recycled materials, with inks that degrade the environment.  How does that show love?

       There are so many wonderful alternatives to boring paper hearts for V-Day.  For a mountain of card alternatives (including my favorite, home made recycled seed paper!), as well as crafty recycling and upcycling ideas, click here. 

      Or, forgo the paper products all together, and: 

3.  GIVE EXPERIENCE  

      Is more stuff really the answer?  People are accustomed to giving and receiving STUFF, tangible, material, stuff. But most of us have more stuff than we know what to do with, and science and religion both tell us that what we really treasure - what truly brings us joy – is experience. 

      Go on a date!  Check out a local, organic winery.  Volunteer together at an animal shelter.  Take kayaks out and clean up some litter.  Have a picnic – have a surprise romantic picnic.  Go to a museum.  Go hiking.  Go to the library.  Go to the planetarium.  Plant something together.  Watch a Roller Derby match or some other local sport.  Find a trivia night at a local Bar (we have been going every two weeks, and it is an awesome date night).  The possibilities are endless, and way better than dead flowers.

4.  KEEP CHOCOLATES SWEET

      Boxes of chocolate are another quintessential Valentine’s Day gift, but please thing twice before you reach for the box of Hershey’s.  Many major chocolate companies source their chocolate from plantations  staffed with child slaves.  Children as young as 8 are taken from their parents, forced to live in deplorable conditions, and given only enough food and shelter to keep them alive, all so we can enjoy cheap sugar filled junk food. 

       But there are ethical chocolate companies out there, and they’re not that hard to find!  Equal Exchange offers a ton of options, including Valentine’s Day candy.  For a long list of ethical candy companies, click here.

5.  SPREAD MORE LOVE

      Valentine’s Day is, in theory, a day about love.  But there is no rule that says it has to be limited to romantic love – especially cheesy, over choreographed B-movie romantic.  Grab those dear to you, and make this day deeply meaningful for a greater population.

      V-Day - Violence against women and girls, intimate violence between any two individuals of any gender, is really the antithesis of love.  So what better day than Valentine’s Day to take a stand against such acts? 

       A lifetime ago, as a budding feminist at Purdue University, I had the great joy of performing in the Vagina Monologues as part of the V-Day movement three years in a row.  It was an amazing experience, and one I miss powerfully every Valentine’s Day.  Perhaps one day, there will be a long post about the amazing experience and personal growth being involved in the movement and the affiliated groups gave me.  For now I will simply say, I can think of few more positive ways to spend Valentine’s Day, regardless of one’s gender.  Check out the V-Day website and find a Monologues performance near you – and don’t forget to pick up some vagina shaped chocolates (but be sure to ask if they used ethically sourced chocolate)!

      30 Days of Love – The interfaith celebration of the power of love to end oppression worldwide also culminated on Valentine’s Day, and there will be powerful and moving events being held all over the U.S. (and other countries) to mark the culmination.  With two weeks left in the campaign, join with your loved ones and integrate making the world a better place into your everyday life.  I will also offer a free guest post to anyone who wants to share how they embraced 30 Days of Love (or any other d0-good Valentine’s Day alternative).

The post Recycled Hearts: Greening Valentine’s Day appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      This kid-friendly comfort food has been known to win over more than one picky eater.  Vegan tater-tot casserole hides an impressive 2 lbs of vegetables beneath its golden crunchy crust.

Ingredients:
- 1 medium to large onion, diced.
- 1lb bag frozen tater tots (read the label – avoid preservatives!)*
- 2lbs chopped veggies**
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (soy or hemp milk will also work, do not use animal milk as it may curdle)
- 4-8 oz diced mushrooms – I like shitakes, but most any mushrooms will work.
- 2 oz dried porcini mushrooms^, diced (optional, but adds great flavor)
- 2 – 4 tbsp flour or starch to make a thickening roux – I use Teff flour, but arrowroot powder, other flours, or corn starch will also work.
- 1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast ^(optional, but delicious)
- garlic powder and pepper to taste

*You could also use shredded potatoes/hashbrowns
**I usually use broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, but any veggie that will stay firm when cooked will work – green beans are a nice addition depending on the season.
 ** 2lbs is approximate; you need enough veggies to fill your casserole dish leaving enough room on top for your tater tots (about 1 inch).
** For easier prep, feel free to use frozen veggies, but thaw them before adding to the casserole.
^ The Nutritional Yeast and Porcinis are both optional, but for maximum flavor, I advise using at least one of the two.  I try to use both.  The garlic may also be a must if you leave out the Nooch or Porcinis.

Directions:
1  Dice onion and set aside to maximize nutrition.
2.  Chop veggies and mushrooms and set aside to maximize nutrition. 
3.  Combine the porcini mushrooms and almond milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
4.  Add the mushrooms.  Simmer for 3 minutes.
5.  Mix the flour/starch with just enough almond milk to form a roux/thickener (should be the consistency of a thin batter).
6.  Slowly pour the roux into the simmering almondmilk, stirring constantly.
7.  Continue to stir while the roux cooks and the mixture thickens.  The almondmilk/mushroom sauce should reach the consistency of gravy.  Add more roux/thickener as necessary to achieve this texture.
8.  Add Nutritional Yeast, Garlic, and pepper as desired and mix well.
9.  Fill a 9X13 casserole dish with the chopped veggies (but not the onion).
10.  Pour the sauce evenly over the veggies.
11.  Spread the diced onion over top of the sauced veggies.
12.  Cover with one layer of Tater Tots or Hash Browns.
13.  Bake according to the package directions for the Tater Tots, or at least 20 minutes and until Tots are golden brown on top.

Serve and enjoy!

If you try it, let me know!  Or post your own picture over on the Facebook page.

The post Tater Tot Casserole appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      Living with Intention, Intentional Living, or Living Intentionally – the many ways one might express a committment to imbue purpose and consciousness into everyday moments.  Intentional Living plays a large role in Ethical Eating.  The act of considering where your food comes from, how your food choices affect the world around you, and putting effort into making better choices for your health and your world with every bite you take is a very intentional way to look at food.

       But the concept of intentional living should not be restricted to any particular area.  Indeed, picking and choosing when to be intentional and what to be intentional about misses the point of the movement.  “Living in the now” should not be restricted to only certain now’s.

      There are a million ways to live more intentionally every day.  Refuse to zone out during a meeting.  Truly listen to a person who is talking to you.  Release your own thoughts about yourself and whole heartedly see an issue from someone else’s point of view.  Meditate.  Eat slowly and consciously.  Look around while you’re out walking; notice the patterns in the tree branches, the sound of the birds, the smell of the soil, see the ants scurrying on the path.  Be.  Be where you are.  Be with who you’re with.  Refuse to be on autopilot.

       Perhaps this seem idealistic.  Heaven knows it’s hard not to slip into autopilot from time to time.  Washing the dishes?  Why be intentional about that?  Well, because if you’re not, if you’re just on autopilot, you’re using that time.

      I am not an intentional living purist.  I still believe in multitasking.  If I’m on autopilot doing the dishes, it’s because I am talking to a friend.  Some might argue that I’m not giving that friend 100% of my attention, but it beats never having time to talk to my friends.  I put forth energy to listed carefully and intentionally even if my hands are doing something else.

      The National Thirty Days of Love campaign kicks off on January 19th, recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and culminates on Valentine’s Day.  It is an opportunity to live more intentionally and to direct your energies and intention, in big and small ways, toward making a difference in the world. 

      Over the course of four weeks, I will join thousands of other people across the country to unite in the believe that Compassion and Love are the forces that will change this world for the better.  Not being a very big fan of the shallow pink hearts, toxic bouquets, wasteful greeting cards, and slave produced chocolate of commercial Valentine’s Day, I really embrace this opportunity to make that day a powerful culmination of a month of Compassion and working for better.

      Week One centers around a commitment to sustained action and service, anchored in our commemoration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This is a time to lift up those who paved the trail ahead of us—the change-makers whose leadership and inspiration inform our own worldviews and transformed our society into a more loving place. Join us in redoubling our commitment to honor these heroic legacies through our own justice-making.

      Week Two focuses on Interfaith Action.  While this blog is not really about religion, I believe my path as a Unitarian Universalist Pagan strongly informs my lifestyle and the topics I pursue here.  And having been elected to the Board of Directors for my UU Church, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t promote Unitarian Universalism just a little.  But my faith is only one of many beautiful life paths out there.  This campaign is rooted in Unitarian Universalist principles, but our spirit is interfaith and increasingly we encompass individuals from many faith traditions. We believe that each of us is connected and it takes all to achieve true community.  Let us unite with those from different backgrounds who share our common goal of a more just and loving world.

     Week Three seeks to move beyond boarders.  We live in a society of borders–geographical, sociological, and psychological. Migrants cross borders to build a better life for their families; same-gender couples navigate the boundaries of conventionally accepted love; and transgender individuals challenge the division of societally-defined gender. Some of us must reconcile our overlapping identities, and others must cross borders to embrace those we once considered “other.” Let us explore how we can break down these arbitrary barriers to achieve a more loving society.

      Week Four is the time to go out and share what you have built during these Thirty Days of Love.  Called a “spiritual journey for social justice” Thirty Days of love recognizes that making the world a better place requires centering ourselves, connecting with others, and examining where we have been and would like to go.  Make Valentine’s Day a day of Social Justice.

       If you’re interested in joining me on this wonderful and worthwhile journey, you will find a multitude of resources on the website.  You can pledge your participation in the campaign, find resources to host community events and worship services, and link up with other individuals who are standing on the side of love and compassion in person and on social media.  You’ll also find weekly activity ideas for how to live more intentionally during these thirty days, and for how to make working for Social Justice part of your every day life.

The post Intentional Living: Thirty Days of Love appeared first on Urban Earthworm.

      This recipe made enough for one dinner for our family of four (with Punky taking three big helpings and a tiny third), with enough leftovers for at least 3 lunches.  Also perfect for canning or freezing to have on hand for a quick meal instead of canned soup or something processed from a box.

Ingredients:
The ingredients for chili are quite flexible, which is one of the beauties of this recipe.  Feel free to experiment!

- 2 cups dried beans (This time I used a mixture of dark kidney beans, black beans, and colored butter beans)
- 2 small onions (or one large) – or more!
- 3 bell peppers of various colors (at least one green)
- 28oz can (big can) organic diced tomatoes (or 2 – 3 cups fresh diced toms!)
- 2 cups diced mushrooms (I used a combo of shiitake, oyster, and button)
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced (or the equivalent of garlic powder)
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 1 or 2 bay leaves, whole (remove before serving)
- 1/4 cup organic ketchup (it is important to use organic, no high fructose corn syrup, low sugar ketchup)
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard (use less if using mustard powder)
- minced jalapeno peppers or cayenne powder to taste.

      Throw in any other veggies you have or want!  Zucchini and summer squash are great in chili, along with all kinds of peppers, celery, carrots, even broccoli and cauliflower!  Corn is always a great touch to chili.  Adding greens can really kick up the nutritional value.  For a sweeter chili with a really unique touch, add either mashed or cubed sweet potato, acorn or butternut squash.  I even threw in some leftover spaghetti sauce that we had (chili is a great “dumping ground” for leftovers and odds and ends).

You can also add some vegan crumbles like those from Gardien (MorningStar Farms are NOT cruelty free), but I try to avoid it because the crumbles, while WAY better than animal flesh, are still processed.  And honestly, this chili doesn’t need it. 

Directions:

BEANS
Individual pressure cookers may vary, so check your manual. 

1.  Rinse your beans.
2.  Put in pressure cooker with 3X as much water (2 cups of beans and 6 cups of water, roughly) – or whatever your pressure cooker manual calls for.
3.  My pressure cooker recommends adding a tablespoon of oil to prevent over-foaming.  I used a tbsp of chili pepper infused extra virgin olive oil that we made when our pepper plants went NUTS last year.
4.  Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes (or according to your machine’s directions).
5.  Drain your beans, leaving them in or returning them to the pressure cooker, and start throwing in your veggie ingredients:

CHILI
1.  While the beans are cooking, dice your onion and mince your garlic first and set aside to rest.  Allowing these to rest increases their nutrient value.
2.  Chop up the rest of your ingredients.
3.  Once the beans are ready, throw in all the rest of your ingredients, including the juice from the tomatoes.  Don’t add any extra water.

Before pressure cooking.

4.  Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
5.  Serve and enjoy!

There is an optional thickening step, depending on how you like your chili.  My batch was just a little more watery than I like it, probably because of the leftover spaghetti sauce I added, so I made a roux by mixing 1 – 2 tablespoons of Teff flour with just enough water to make it pourable, like a batter. (you can use any flour or cornstarch; I just love Teff because it is SO much more nutritious than even whole wheat flour – it is also gluten free).  Slowly stir the roux, a little at a time,  into the chili as soon as you’re able to open the pressure cooker.  Mix thoroughly.  The teff did a beautiful job of making my chili the perfect texture I was after.

As always, let me know if you try it!  Small steps make a huge difference!

The post Easy Vegan Chili appeared first on Urban Earthworm.