I love gifts :)

Following up Anila's post below, I wanted to share two good resources for those planning to buy presents when visiting family and friends for the upcoming holiday weekend or 'Eid or birthdays or whenever.

From Treehugger - How to Green Your Gifts (here). The top 10 tips:

1. Be sure your material gift will get used
2. Give a consumable gift
3. Share a piece of yourself
4. Make a gift of a green service
5. Make a gift of any service
6. Give a gift where it is needed on behalf of someone better off
7. Creative gifts show you care
8. Buy a local gift
9. Buy high-quality goods
10. 10. Think about your packaging

They also publish a yearly green holiday guide (here), for those of you that can't get away with just baking cookies, like me ;)

Not dead

Don't fear, the Ramadan Compact is still alive. We have some great posts in the works. And some of us are even trying to continue our compacting until the next Ramadan. Check back to see all the new stuff.

In the meanwhile, some (electronic) food for thought:

GUARDIAN: Face to Faith
By Hamza Yusuf

This article originally appeared in the Guardian Unlimited.

Hunger can bring out the worst in us. In a wonderful scene in Shakespeare's As You Like It, a desperate and hungry Orlando comes upon Duke Senior and his exiled court in the forest, who are about to start dinner. Assuming the law of the jungle presides in Arden, Orlando brandishes his sword and demands food upon pain of death. Duke Senior rebukes him for his lack of civility, and wisely adds: "Your gentleness shall force, more than your force move us to gentleness." Orlando responds: "I almost die for food, and let me have it." Unfazed, the duke says: "Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table." Orlando is shamed by the duke's gallantry and explains that hunger had bred violence in him.

Almost four centuries later another bard, Bob Marley, melodically reminded us: "Them belly full, but we hungry / A hungry mob is an angry mob." We all know the primal nature of hunger; we have experienced the irritability that comes from missing breakfast or skipping our cup of morning coffee or tea. We hyperbolically talk of "starving" when a mealtime draws near. Our food trysts are now frequent every day in what sociologists refer to as "repeated food contacts" and farmers simply call grazing. At the drop of a hat, we indulge in lattes and biscotti. Many people no longer eat three "square" meals but rather graze all day, with Starbucks troughs sprouting up everywhere to ensure none suffer the pangs of hunger or the pain of caffeine withdrawal. In the lands of plenty in the west, we tend to forget that the abundance and easy accessibility of food was not always so and is not as widespread even now.

Few of us who have the luxury of reading the daily paper over a cup of coffee and a piece of toast slathered with rich butter and marmalade have ever gone hungry intentionally, unless we succumbed to some ridiculous crash diet. But there was a time in the west when Lent, which commemorates Christ's 40-day fast in the desert, meant fasting all day and eating one meal at night. As time passed that tradition devolved into a semi-fast and now means merely giving up something one really likes, such as chocolate.

Even our portions of food and drink are much greater than what our grandparents had. In the midst of this cornucopia of consumption, millions of Muslims voluntarily abstain from food, drink and sex during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. They watch their co-workers eat and drink throughout the day, and occasionally have to apologise for not joining in due to their religious observance. Fasting for a month makes them aware of hunger as a palpable physical sensation, not a remote occurrence they read about in the newspaper. When the UN tells us that almost a billion people suffer from hunger and malnutrition and 25,000 people a day die from hunger, a faster appreciates these statistics in ways that remain distant to others.

But fasting is not just about giving up food and drink. It's about tending to "the better angels of our nature". The prophet Muhammad said, "If one is not willing to give up bad behaviour during his fast, God has no need for him to give up his food and drink." Muslims are encouraged during this time to be better people, to treat others with more deference. If enticed to argue, the faster is advised to respond: "I am fasting."

There are many ways to be hungry. One can hunger for love, or fame or social justice, but hunger for food seems to curb all other cravings. In being aware of others' hunger, we contribute to a more empathic world. Perhaps, if, like Duke Senior, we responded to the cries of the myriad desperate Orlandos foraging in the forests of famine out there with hospitality and help, they might be coaxed into civility themselves. Certainly, hunger can bring out the worst in us. But it can also bring out the best.

Guardian Unlimited (c) Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

Where Are All the Green Toys At?

The Ramadan Compact seems to have trickled into my every shopping experience.

I went to Target (my most favorite shopping venue) yesterday to buy a gift for my nephew and a few friends who have young children.

As I walked down the toy aisles looking at the selection I had second thoughts about purchasing anything. I looked at all that packaging for just one toy and could not stomach having it go into the landfill.

More importantly, and I have been having this on-again off-again conversation with my sister, what am I teaching the children around me. As an adult I have had to struggle with realizing that happiness and fulfillment do not come from things. I often wonder if I learned this lesson as a child and if I am, inadvertently, teaching the young children in my life this lesson?

Here’s another dilemma. I like giving gifts to kids. It’s just so much and fun and they get such joy out of it.

As I stood among the selection of toys contemplating what to do, a few choice thoughts crossed my mind.

1. I could go ahead and purchase toys. I mean who at the Ramadan Compact would know that I was living out of integrity with my core values.

2. I could not purchase anything and explain the environmental and socio-political impact of purchasing toys to the kiddies. I just have a feeling that would not work.

3. I could give each kid a little certificate that says “A donation was made on your behalf to plant trees” or “save the whales”. That would go over really well with a five year old, don’t you think?

What is the middle of the road answer to wanting to be a responsible global environmental citizen and spoil a few kids with stuff they will play with for a few hours and then forget?

I did buy a few toys. Actually I bought kids craft kits packed in cloth bags with minimal packaging. As a bonus I will stuff the bags with candy. I figure the parents will really enjoy having their kids hyped up on sugar.

With the marvel of the internet I found a great activity. Having the kids hunt for treasure…Argh! I am creating a treasure map and inviting all the kiddies (about five very loud kids) over to my parents place to go treasure hunting. At the end of the treasure hunt they get their treasure (or craft kits).

Sure it’s not gold, or Sponge Bob, or Dora the Explorer paraphernalia. But isn’t the fun in searching for the treasure, sharing the fun, and getting doped up on sugar than the actual treasure. Something like…”it’s the journey not the destination that’s important”.

I’ll let you all know how it goes.

P.S. Some Companies that Make Ethical Eco-Friendly Toys (just found this in an internet search after I purchased the craft kits).
GreenToys.com
Peaceful Company.com
Think Button.com

Random Thoughts

While I wait for my macarona bechamel to cook:

1. This morning, I attended an interfaith breakfast, "Caring for Creation: How to Build a Sustainable Future," organized by GWIPL. Really inspirational (there were 7 muslims in a room of about 40! Muslims do care about the environment :). The keynote speaker - Rev. James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool - has been a leader in the UK in climate activism. Part of his concluding remarks emphasized a something I've learned from my teachers and found to be so true in my life, that is the reformative nature of khidma (serving others). "Create change by linking with other faith communities to act for the environment [and the common good] and not just for the self."
   
2. (Related to an earlier concern of mine) Rev. James mentioned that he purchases carbon offsets for his air travel from the Rainforest Concern - an organization dedicated to preserving rainforest areas and the livelihood of the people that live in them.
3. The second speaker, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, emphasized the importance of the shabbat, where you take 1/7th of your life of your life to rest, reflect, and renew. The shabbat is a time to refrain from work, economic activity, take yourself out of the rat race. And invest instead in spiritual wealth. "Realize that we live in a world of spiritual abundance but material scarcity." Although the concept is somewhat different from Muslims, I loved his approach to this Judeo-Christian concept. The shabbat is something to keep ourselves in check, so we only we use what is necessary.
   
4. The third speaker, Imam Yahya Hendi, chaplain at Georgetown University, made an interesting calculation of how much water is saved by Muslims fasting during Ramadan, something like 1 billion gallons a day. Wow. I mean, I never really thought about fasting like that...but it does show you the impact of small changes across a large groups.
   
5. They handed out copies of this fun book: How Many Lightbulbs Does It Take to Change a Christian (available here). It would be great to have a Muslim version
6. And why I love trees, from a friend in Qatar: "I remember watching a Survivorman episode on the Discovery Channel where Survivorman lies under the shade of a tree and says that shade can provide up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit worth of temperature reduction." Reminds me of how the clouds would shade the Prophet as he traveled in the desert sun and when he would stop, the trees would shift their branches to shade him. Allah, may God bless and grant him peace.

Ok, the macarona is finished baking. Now I should try this.

Is vegetarianism better for the environment?

Following up my previous post, Tanz sent me this article. Seems to go well with my plan of being a moderate vegetarian (oh no, no KP!! [kabob palace]).

Vegans vs. Vegetarians: What kind of diet is best for the environment?
By Brendan I. Koerner
Posted Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007, at 7:43 AM ET

Some excerpts -

"According to a 2005 University of Chicago study, a lacto-ovo vegetarian emits far less greenhouse gas than a counterpart adhering to the standard, meat-rich American diet—the difference is equivalent to around 1.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, assuming the same daily caloric intake. (The study's authors thus claim that going vegetarian has the same effect on carbon dioxide emissions as switching from a Chevrolet Suburban to a Toyota Camry.)"

"In fact, a recent Cornell University study concluded that modest carnivorousness may actually be better for the environment than outright vegetarianism, since cattle can graze on inferior land not suitable for crops."

"And it wouldn't hurt if people got wise to the fact that meat needn't be the focus of every breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Debt is Normal. Be Weird

Coming in to work this morning I saw a car with a bumper sticker that read “Debt is Normal. Be Weird”. Ha! That made me laugh. I used to be one of those people in debt. I understand what it can be like to want stuff and unconsciously rack up a nice credit card balance.

I went into debt because I wanted stuff, and I wanted stuff so I could feel good about myself and my life. Now I look back at myself and laugh. At the time when I had debt I was not laughing I was actually experiencing a lot of anxiety and stress. I was a walking paradox. I was buying stuff so I could feel better about myself and my life. Yet the excess purchasing was causing me to feel bad about myself, my life, and my finances.

As the bumper sticker implied (now) I would probably be considered weird. I have no debt, I buy stuff that I need (ok, sometimes I do fall off the wagon), and if I do not have the cash flow I refrain from buying (well, sometimes I do fall off the wagon). I do feel better about myself and my life since I do not have the stress and anxiety which happens with excess debt.

As so many environmental messages imply when we make a decision to genuinely create health in our lives (financial health, economic health, physical health) the planet inadvertently benefits. I would like to say that I got out of debt and stopped unnecessary purchasing to help the planet, but that would be a lie. My primary reason was to reduce financial stress. Inadvertently I helped the planet.

Just to clarify I am not saying purchasing is a bad thing. I am saying that purchasing stuff that I do not need is not helpful. I believe purchasing is an action that can generate good and can benefit people and the planet (in moderation).

From a spiritual perspective the debt mucked up my relationship with God. I was so busying worrying about how to pay off my credit cards that contemplating my relationship with the natural world, with my pets, or with Allah was almost non-existent. Also I was completely absorbed in finding fulfillment through things. Intellectually I understood that things could not fulfill me but breaking the cycle (I will speak about this in another post) was hard.

Finding fulfillment from listening to the wind move through the trees, or hearing a bird sing, or in silent meditation, or watching my cat go crazy for cat marijuana (cat nip), or having tea with a friend is a high that has no comparison. Best part...its all free!!!

I never thought of myself as weird until I read the bumper sticker. I have to say life feels better in this weird place.

What I've done to reduce my environmental impact

Last week, I signed up our blog for Blog Action Day - "an initiative to get blogs around the world to write a post on the environment on that day (and thereby spark a mass discussion on creating a better/more sustainable future...)." But aided by (not) great internet connectivity (thanks Verizon) and being the last minute person I am, I've decided to take the easy route and share some things I've done in the last month to reduce my environmental impact:

1. Found a more eco-friendly dry cleaner. Instead of going to the oh-so-cheap dry cleaners in my office building, I took some time to find a more environmentally friendly one in my area via Green Earth Cleaning. See also this post from Treehugger (the CO2 cleaners are better that the ones that use a silicone-based substances).
2. Shared clothes. What's even better than having sisters? Good friends :) I cleaned out a bunch of clothes from my closet and while the bags were sitting in my room, ready to be donated, I pulled out some nice office clothes that don't fit me and gave them to a friend - they worked perfect for her. In exchange, I'm going shopping at another friend's closet next weekend.
3. Bought used items. I maybe spent a bit more time, but I saved money, protected something from ending up in a landfill, and got some fun stories to share. Spending the extra time searching for what I wanted also made me think twice about whether I really needed it. If you have an active craigslist in your area, it's pretty amazing (and addictive). Check out estate sales too - it's pretty interesting to see what sort of stuff people accumulate over their lifetimes. And if you're like me, you'll find some really cool old skool appliances for real cheap.
4. Carpooled. For real. I even picked up a hitchhiker at the airport yesterday. (Well not really, but it was kinda like that)
5. Used public transport to go to work. Even though the metro doubled my commuting time (but 30min ain't that bad), I stayed comitted to public transit for the month. Well, all except for a couple of days ;)
6. MOST IMPORTANTLY - didn't buy anything new (other than #1 below) for the ENTIRE month of Ramadan. In case you're wondering, it was really hard. I'll write another post about my experiences and where I'd like to go with my personal "Compact" post-Ramadan.

Things I probably should not have done:

1. Buy two amazing metal spatulas - perfect for icing cakes - on the last day of Ramadan. The justification: I really needed them? I make a lot of iced cakes? I can lend them to someone who wants to make an cake?
2. Fly home. I should have hiked the Appalachian Trail (the good 'ol AT) but fasting and walking just does not mesh. Ok so I'm kidding about this one. But airplane travel is grossly carbon intensive. Plus, being the transportation expert that I am, I've heard that the CO2 emitted at higher altitudes has a more significant/faster warming impact than those that come from ground level emissions. (I'll add the link to the research once I find it...) I need to look into the possibility of carbon offsets here.

Things I need to do:

1. Get a bike. The really fast motorized kind is more to my liking, but I think the two-wheeled, low tech bicycle is what I need. It'll be great exercise and totally boost my green creds.
2. Replace the light bulbs in my apartment. We have massively inefficient light fixtures and a electricity system that creates DISincentives to conserve energy (I need to talk to the management about this..).
3. Eat less meat. It's part of the being healthy thing with #1. But its hard when there's a great kabob place (literally) in your backyard. See this article from the LA Times today.

What about you? [For another great post on consumption and the environment, see this.]