Monday, April 12, 2010

swirling, swirling

when i read non-fiction i have to read a few at a time. i'm not sure why-although i think its so that i don't read too fast and can actually retain what i am reading. lately, i have been reading three books and its really rocking my world. most of this stuff is information that i already knew but i think because i am reading alot of it together-it is actually taking root. its strange, but i actually feel myself changing. i notice my thoughts are different, my perspective, and my desires. its pretty interesting that its happening slowly enough that i can watch it take shape in my life. my community of friends here are also being shaped by the books they are reading, some of which are the same, and movies they watch. it helps to have encouragement on this path towards betterment.


so whats all this change about? well, let me share the books with you. First off, is a book i fell in love with on page 1. friends from nashville read it last year and i finally got around to checking it out.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle....The author and her family spend a year eating locally and seasonally and this book is her story.

Titleby Barbara Kingsolver.




The second book, by Thomas Kostigen, I picked in honor of Earth day and its been such a great tool to read along side the other books. YOU ARE HERE-

Exposing the Vital Link Between What We Do and What That Does to Our Planet



You Are Here By Thomas M. Kostigen




And finally, a book that has taken me years to read. (i know i am so behind).... Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

OmnivoresDilemma_full.jpg


These books are really helping me get my thoughts in order for whats best= for not only our family but also the Earth. In the book, YOU ARE HERE he reminds us why people began to "go green." He says now we are being sold "green" things and not even knowing why. He travels all over the world to show us how the daily choices we make really do affect the world on a grand scale. He goes to the decaying walls in Jersaleum, the trash heaps in Mumbai, the felled rainforests in Brazil, the melting ice caps in Alaska, and on and on and on.
Even last night I was reading about the largest landfill in the world. You can even see it from space. Its called, ironically, Fresh Kills Landfill and its right outside of Manhattan. I learned that 13% of landfills (which is actually the 3rd largest substance after paper and yard waste) is from food scraps. I just assumed that the food scraps i throw away would decompose. But actually, it doesn't receive enough oxygen so food scraps take decades to decompose and then emit massive amounts of methane gas (which contributes to global warming). By me taking the steps to compost and commit to that, could lessen that amount while nourishing the earth. Again and again throughout the book he says Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and honestly, i think its finally sinking in.

The other books confirm these things and what is swirling around in my head is this: The way that God intended for us to eat (healthy, whole foods) is not only best for our bodies, but also best for the animals that we eat and also for the earth that we live on. It seems we take the short cut and choose foods that are "cheaper" but in the end, more harmful for our bodies and ultimately for the earth. 

I realize that I am like the last person on the planet to begin to make these changes but I figure its better late than never. Buying foods that are local and seasonal not only taste better (& builds excitement much like buying Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks when they were only available in October) but it also uses less fossil fuels and puts less stress on the earth and there is less packaging (from zero shipping) and no chemical additives.

And choosing meats from ethical farmers not only provides meat without hormones and antibiotics to my children-we are also saying to major corporations: Lets care for the animals that we eat. God entrusted us with these rights to tend to the flocks and we have destroyed that honor.

Well, those are my thoughts lately. We are slowly changing around here. And I hope we are changing slowly enough to make it lasting. I leave with you a picture of great irony. My son in a "Love your Planet" shirt from Target, probably made in a sweat shop in china and the person that makes it doesnt make enough to live on, then it was shipped great distances plus he's drinking from a plastic water bottle. ahhh, i'll get there one day, right?



if you have any great tips on things to do around the house to lessen trash accumulation let me know! i'd love to hear! 


11 comments:

Suzanne said...

LOVE this post!

Christine said...

Yay! I love this Sharon! We are far from "green" ourselves but I feel like we've had some good changes. For one, I only drink out of a glass water bottle now. We've changed over to detergents and soap that doesn't have chemicals in it that harm the earth and only use vinegar, orange oil, and water for cleaning supplies. Oh, and baking soda. It's amazing what you can do with just those few items, and it's SO much cheaper. I just use the same old Windex bottle again and again and keep refilling it w/ my own mixture. Let's see...you could stop using plastic as much as possible. Including ziploc bags.

But as for the food, I have to wholeheartedly agree with you that local/seasonal stuff tastes better as does organic food that is grown without chemicals. The pastured chicken we eat actually tastes like CHICKEN and is so tender you could literally cut it with a fork. And I like knowing that the chickens were free to roam around freely. I could go on and on but just wanted to say I'm excited for you!

The Morginskys said...

stine! great tips thank you! i do make my own cleaner and use vinegar and baking soda too. one thing though, is sometimes i'll see Mrs. Meyers or Method and buy it just b/c it smells so good or i like the packaging....ugh! hopefully those are some of the things i can change! i also use 7th generation detergent but i was thinking i could probably use powder instead of liquid b/c it lasts longer and it doesnt use a plastic bottle. but good point about ziploc bags, although we reuse them, its super easy for kids and on the go, etc. i need to find a good cheap alternative.....let me know what you use or what you'll use for your new babe.
thanks for the tips...lets keep brainstorming!!!

Lauren said...

sharon- i'll have to come back later with some links, but you can buy AWESOME handmade, reusable cloth/oilcloth 'baggies' for snacks, sandwiches, etc. also, when we use 'disposable' we use wax paper, instead of plastic. not perfect, but slightly better...

Laura said...

Sharon,

I love this post and I think the pictures at the end make the post, because Abraham is so cute and your comment is so hilarious.

Love you.

Laura

lisa said...

so glad you are reading these! and it really will slowly change the way you live. get some Klean Kanteens instead of the plastic water bottles :) we love ours!

and you are absolutely right about eating organic, local, seasonal foods that aren't processed. SO much better and better for you :)Do you guys belong to a CSA?

and i would love to know an alternative to ziploc bags too. it is pretty much the only plastic we use and even though we try to reuse them i wish we had something else.
good luck with the changes! it's good that we can all help each other! :)

Emily said...

Sharon, thanks for sharing! Trent and I explored/talked about this a lot a year ago as he did a final big paper at Covenant on "Creation Care". We did change some things, but have slipped into many old convenient habits. So thinking through these things are much needed. :)

Something else we did was pick up trash as a family for 1hr/wk. We grabbed a couple garbage bags and walked from Gulf to the park behind the Schnucks bakery. I guess Hudson was in the stroller then, so I'm not sure if having kiddos around Page is safe. There was normally a lot of trash around the playground at Gulf, up Korea & on Crystal. We liked the idea of teaching kids to care for God's creation that way. Just a thought. :)

Thesupermanns said...

i am amazed you have time to read and be such a cool person and mama and wife all at the same time....

Jayme and Genevieve said...

Sharon,

We don't really know each other (except that I was at your wedding, lol --not a stalker--) but I saw your comment on Ruthie's blog and thought there can't be too many Morginskys out there. My family has known Matt for several years and though I don't think I ever formally met you it's so great to see pictures of your BEAUTIFUL family. Your kids are precious! So here's a "nice to meet you" via blog world.

~Genevieve

Jayme and Genevieve said...

Awww yes let's definitely do a play-date when you guys are in town. That would be fun. I just may have to catch one of the Supertones Reunion shows this summer too. I am hopelessly nostalgic and I think it would be so fun!!

Sarah B said...

great! love the irony of the plastic cup and the t-shirt. we are all on the journey! dave just went to whole foods...

s

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Welcome to the Morginskys blog! Our family and friends are spread across the globe and we set up this place for those that want to read about the goings on of the adventures of our family. We have lived in Nashville but are headed to St. Louis for a new chapter in our lives.