Archived News of the Week

January Newsletter 2020

I think we can all agree (at least those of you who are reading my newsletters and don't live in Trump-country) that climate change is real and not something made up by the crazy democratic lefties. I have struggled with my part in climate change and over the years have made some lifestyle changes believing strongly that it all starts with ONE person and that person is ME.

So what do I do now - this very minute - and how do I amp up my participation? So far, I have, in the last few years managed to modify my plastic intake by saving every bit of soft plastic (bread wrappers, etc.) and garbage bagging them up for a trip to CHARM on Arapaho in Boulder. I, of course, recycle the easy stuff with my garbage pick-up company (OneWay Trash) like a maniac. I also complain mightily to supplement companies that send me my orders over-wrapped in unnecessary plastic. Sometimes my harpy-like complaining is effective and sometimes not. But as I have already mentioned, how can I RIGHT NOW amp up my support for our precious earth, animals, and plants, children and grandchildren? I know that I won't be around for the worst of what seems to be coming our way, but my loved ones will be, so I'd better do something, no matter how minuscule that is. It all counts.

The Huff Post Morning News of January 20 had ten pretty good suggestions on how to be more pro-active on climate change.

1. Cut back on air travel - entirely if you can: That one is easy for me. I don't have the travel gene, so I am not pining to adventure travel abroad but I do travel to visit family and I'm not going to stop that. How about you?
2. Avoid single use disposable items: Recycling plastic alone won't cut it, you have to stop buying it too. I already take a container to restaurants for leftovers and I am happy (and smug) about that, but I have to do more, like stop buying those big plastic containers of lettuce, for one and complain to Whole Foods about their packaging policies. My suggestion to you and myself: Just be super AWARE of plastic from now on and see what you can do about not supporting the plastic industry.
3. Eat local and go vegetarian or vegan: A meat heavy diet is not good for the environment, especially beef. My resolution of 2020 is to have at least 2 (3 is better) vegetarian dinners per week. So far, so good.
4. Cancel your Amazon Prime subscription and cut back on online purchases overall: What? No way. I've been a Prime member since 2004 and the convenience has changed my life. But, what I will try to do is do less ordering and wait until I have a cart full, not just a quick order of one pair of socks.
5. Ditch the Car: Again, not possible, because I live 40 minutes from my office. However, I don't do random, fun drives to Costco or go "down the hill" unless I absolutely have to. I guess my advice to me and you is just be mindful about your driving.
6. Reconsider the number of kids you'd like to have: Well, that's a done deal for me. I had two. "Population is the number one environmental crisis that no one is addressing." Ideally, it would be best to adopt, but that's not for everyone, although I know at least two young couples who have had one child and adopted the second.
7. Give composting a chance: I know many of you are already doing this and hooray for you! Those of us in the boonies have a hard time composting because of the pesky, nosy, perpetually hungry wildlife. I suppose I could dig a trench at least 1 foot deep and dump food scraps in there... but don't count on that happening.
8. Buy secondhand whenever you can: Finally, a place where I can excel. I always shop at thrift stores first and have found lovely things in my size and for cheap. I have always felt good about this not only because I am saving money on quality bargains, but because of the fact that by buying gently used clothing I am helping the planet.
9. Hold more meetings online: Not applicable to me, but maybe to you? And lastly #10 is Talk about this stuff regularly with your friends and family and get involved politically. And that's exactly what I am doing here. Spread the word.

Soy Bean Oil: This is one of the biggest reasons fast food is so bad for you. Soy bean oil is Satan's oil: It's a leading cause of obesity and diabetes and can also affect neurological conditions like autism, anxiety, depression and Alzheimer's. (UC Riverside, 2019). I for one will be asking from now on what kind of oil my sweet potato fries are being fried in. And not necessarily just at McDonalds (I don't care what kind of oil they use because I haven't darkened their doors in many years), but I will definitely ask the St. Julien about their delicious truffle fries.

Regarding Boron: Listen up, ladies. Boron is so very important for your bones, I want you to look at the ingredient label of the supplement you are taking for prevention of osteoporosis and if it doesn't have boron in it, get a bottle from me to add to your bone routine. It also helps with arthritis, as boron levels have been found to be lower in those of us with arthritis. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Unless you are eating the actual bones of the animals whose meat you are eating, then you won't get enough boron and bone meal supplements generally aren't clean enough to take. So just take 6 mgs of boron glycinate per day from Pure Encapsulations. I have it on my shelves.

Why I try to eat right: A quote from one of my favorite people, Dave Asprey, from his newest book, Super Human. He did a survey of 500 people who had done ". . . big things in the world. I wanted to find out what made them tick, what qualities these superstars had in common. The results showed that high-performing people know that getting their food right is the number one human upgrade, even though different people found that different foods worked best for their individual biology. Nutrition is essential not only for Super Human biology but also for Super Human success.

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