Green Mockery

The green community is a passionate one, and for all the advocacy run amock, it is good to gain a little perspective. Lewis Black does just this in a recent Daily Show airing creating a humbled frenzy within the green blogosphere Check out the post from our friends at Ecorazzi for the full satirical commentary. And of course you can always count on Bill Maher to give a unique recap of Earth Day from the bees buzzing to plastics pandering. Check out his Earth Day show featured on GreenThinkers.

Austin Joins the "Ban The Plastic Bags" Bandwagon

While some may not consider Texas to be the home of environmental awareness, Austin, Texas is home to some environmentally and socially aware celebs like the Dixie Chicks, Sandra Bullock and of course Lance Armstrong. Hailed as the #1 city of cleantech (”clean technology”) by SustainLane Government (home of the infamous Unsustainables), Austin is setting the bar for other cities to follow when it comes to creating opportunities for regional sustainable growth boom in response to recent climate change news and energy price instability.

Jumping on the “ban the plastic bags” bandwagon with San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Austin City Council will consider a resolution this week that could lead to new strategies for reducing waste from non-biodegradable, petroleum-based plastic bags by stores located in the city. Sponsored by City Council Member Lee Leffingwell, City Council Member Mike Martinez and Mayor Will Wynn, the resolution directs city management to analyze and recommend strategies for addressing the environmental impacts of hundreds of thousands of plastic bags that are discarded in Austin each year.

“In Austin, we care about protecting our environment, both locally and globally,” said Council Member Leffingwell, who authored the resolution. “If we can find ways to significantly reduce the use of non-biodegradable, petroleum-based plastic bags in Austin stores, we’ll not only be doing our own community a big favor, but we’ll also be setting an example that could make a meaningful difference for the future of our global environment if it were followed by other cities and states around the country.”

While it is no longer a rare occasion to see stars cruising the flagship Whole Foods, Matthew McConaughey and his reusable bag can’t be far behind:-) Clearly Austin is proving its own “green” star power.

Crosspost with ecorazzi.

Skip yourself to Health

As I took my morning run around town lake this morning I saw a man skipping. Literally skipping, listening to his ipod, hands waving in the air. He was clearly in the moment having a ball and getting a pretty rockin' cardio workout in the meantime. So as I read this article from the Organic Consumers Association and how easily it is to place our societal problem of obesity on various parties including the government and the food industry, I realized that as much as these parties are to blame, it is also about personal accountability.

We live in a time where we look for quick fixes and others expecations as an indicator of what we should be doing when it comes to health and losing weight. When what we really should be doing is taking all of the information, filtering it through our thought process, holding on to what resonates and letting the rest go. It is about being mindful of our bodies and how we treat them. Marc David does an excellent job of explaining this relationship in his book The Slow Down Diet. So next time you feel the angst of what you "should" be doing or catch yourself "blaming" third parties, take a moment of pause and listen to your body. And if nothing else, go for a quick skip to put things in perspective:-)