To Till and to Tend

        I have just returned from a month long study abroad in Costa Rica.  (Great tidbit: Costa Rica is the size of West Virginia but has 4% of the world’s biodiversity, the same amount as the entire United States). Besides being one of the most memorable experiences, I learned more than I have in the past two and a half years at college. 

      One of the classes was Debates in Conservation of Tropical Biodiversity. We read various controversial articles on such topics as ecosystem degradation, resource scarcity, over population, and loss of biodiversity. These articles were from prestigious sources and well known authors such as Lester Brown and Jeffery Sachs, as well as from skeptics like Bjorn Lomborg. One concept that struck my interest was ecologic economics – how do you put a price on biodiversity?

      Ecosystems provide $33 trillion/ year in services such as preventing soil erosion, carbon sequestration, providing materials and resources, maintaining water sources, and basically everything else that the entire global population relies on every single day. However, ecosystem services and their degradation are not factored into the cost of our goods and services in the standard economy. We presume that these ecosystem goods and services should be free because they are natural. As long as there is water in our faucet, and paper plates on our tables, most people will never understand the true value and price of these scarce resources. Maybe, if water was more expensive, we would take shorter showers. Maybe if paper wasn’t so cheap, people would use both sides.

      I found this great quote from the Organization of Tropical Studies in La Selva, Costa Rica, “Only when the last tree has died & the last river has been poisoned & the last fish has been caught will we realize that WE CANNOT EAT MONEY.”

I’m sure we have all been invited to those holiday parties in which we are asked to give a gift for a grab bag of Hanukkah Harry (aka Secret Santa). The gift grab bag idea is a good one, as every person gets a gift without having to buy more than one. However, this good idea has been made great. Meet the White Elephant. A White Elephant gift is an item that the gifter already owns. Though I know this is not a new concept, last week was my first experience with the idea.

This past holiday season, I went to a holiday party in which guests were asked to bring a wrapped present for a White Elephant gift bag. I spent the days prior searching around my apartment for something that I don’t need and would still make a great gift. I tend to hold onto things…so there were lots of options. Picture frames, random memorabilia from travels and school and good old chatchkas.  I narrowed down the options by asking myself, what can I give to both a boy and a girl that I have not used in at least a month? I looked in my fridge and found my gift – wine that I had yet to drink.  After all, what’s more appropriate for a White Elephant gift than a re-gift? That night I went to my party with jelly donuts and white elephant gift in hand. We all exchanged our gift and got a good laugh out of them. Humorously I actually received a stuffed white elephant!  

I left the party with a stuffed white elephant and an inspiring lesson.  I really liked that idea and kept the theme going when I was trying to think of a gift to give to my best friend. She has always expressed a love for these Under Armor pants that I owned. I hadn’t worn them in nearly a year and decided they would be perfect for her. After a good laugh, she was thrilled by the gift.  This Chanukah I learned a good lesson about gift-giving.  Besides for the fact that it may be a perfect gift, a white elephant/re-gift is a great way to reduce consumption and increase happiness.

I saw the first snowfall of the season yesterday. It lasted 10 minutes and melted before it hit the ground, but to me, that still counts. Winter is here and with it comes the winter blues. Scientists have blamed the bummer in moods on the decreased light exposure due to shorter days. These bad moods do not mean it is ok to turn up the thermostat and leave on the lights as these activities cannot make the sun stay up longer. Staying green when there is a chill in the air is a great way to help embrace the winter season.

If you haven’t noticed a trend in my blogs by now, the fastest way to feed my soul is through my belly! Don’t forget about your farmers’ markets. Many are still open. Squash and pumpkins are not only for decoration, but they’re delicious, nutritious, and in season. It is extremely easy to buy squash, pumpkins, and other produce like apples locally, even in a conventional food store. Nothing perfumes the home as well as fresh baked apple pie right from the oven. (To make the fruits of the season even warmer, invite friends and family over to share in a slice of the pie.)

When there’s a chill in the air even the best Jewish Environmentalist is tempted to turn up that thermostat… DON’T! Warm blankets, fair trade teas and coffees, and soy based candles are great ways to stay green and cozy. But, my all time favorite way to warm up is to snuggle! Snuggling can be done with friends, family members, puppies, and significant others, so turn on your favorite movie and get cozy.

Hannukah is not too far away ladies and gentlemen. This holiday has a stronger environmental meaning that I am sure we will all blog about as soon as Thanksgiving is over, but for now, embrace the seasonal ambiance of giving. Donate your time, leftovers, and smiles to those in need. Thanksgiving leftovers will be welcomed by local food shelters. It would not be the worst thing to TiVo the football game and spend a couple of hours serving Thanksgiving meal at a soup kitchen. It’s a mitzvah.

Stay in the sun on Shabbat. The cold morning temperatures make it tempting to drive to Synagogue on Shabbat, but like I said, winter blues is the result of not being in the sun. So make it a point to bundle up and walk as a family.

These are just a few ways to beat winter blues … What are some ways you stay green in the winter?

Today in my Politics of Developing Nations course, a young woman from Jordan spoke about women in Islam. She made a particularly interesting statement that caught my attention: once she moved to the U.S. she had to start explaining, and therefore thinking about, all her Islamic and Arabic customs. At home, it was just normal to pray 5 times a day, it was just normal to wear a Hijab (the head scarf), it was just normal to fast on Ramadan. She just did them out of habit, and so did everyone else. By having to think about why she chose to wear the Hijab, and why she fasted, she appreciated her choices and therefore reaffirmed her decisions that much more

I thought this was a great challenge not just for religion, but for all aspects of our lives. I think it is important to remind ourselves and even explain why we do the things we do.

Why do you recycle every day? Yes, we want to save the trees, but what is the deeper meaning for you? What are you trying to accomplish every time you don’t use a plastic water bottle?

Why do we rest on the Sabbath? Is it just a tradition? Is that what you were taught to do growing up? Why do you continue this practice as an adult? Why is the Sabbath special for you and how do you celebrate this day of rest?

Why are we voting for a specific presidential candidate? This is my first presidential election (I am so EXCITED – my absentee ballot is already in) – but with less than 1 week left until election day – the stances and issues supported by each candidate has become seemingly less significant compared to the price of wardrobes, SNL stints, and who can see Russia from their house. I, too, have to over look the hype present in my school (one of the vice presidential candidates is a University of Delaware Alum – he is speaking here on friday) and explain to myself why I voted the way I did.

What were the issues that are important to me? Where does each presidential stand on these issues? I have to make this decision and be able to explain it – if only to justify them to myself.

        It is so easy to fall into routine, mechanically performing our daily tasks.  Though we may not be regularly asked to explain ourselves, sometimes it is necessary to step back and review the things that have become a habit. Each choice you make is a representation of your individual and unique culture, beliefs, and values. So I invite you take time to explain why you do those everyday tasks, and why are they important to you every day.

Wondering where the new, trendy vacation spot of summer 2008 is? Your backyard!

As the end of the summer draws near and kids are home from camp, many families and individuals alike are looking to vacation close to home. There has been a new rise in staycations –vacations in which you stay at or close to home. With so many reasons – rising gas prices, a shaky economy, or plane frustration (pun intended) many are taking advantage of all their local areas have to offer.

Adults take off from work, and relax at home. Kids camp out in the backyard or traverse local campgrounds.  Couples are visiting the regional spas or resort areas. Wherever you live, there are adventures to be found around the corner: go visit museums, historic sites, beaches, forests, parks, zoos and my favorite – the local tourist traps that you try to avoid every other day of the year.

What many Americans don’t realize is their staycation is not only an economical vacation but an eco-friendly one as well. A cross country flight from New York to L.A. can add 8,000 lbs. of CO₂ into the atmosphere – one way! Even with possible extra car-miles, by staying close to home you can dramatically reduce potential carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere.  Eating out is a big part of vacation, by staying close to home you can eat at local restaurants that cook with local ingredients. And with all the money you save from not having to buy a plane ticket you can afford to spend a couple of nights in a local green hotel.

As a proud Long Island resident, I recently staycationed to Orient Point, the most eastern tip of the northern fork. Along the way I saw the beautiful farms and wineries Long Island agriculture had to offer.  The local berries melted in my mouth, and the abundance of wine… (unfortunately not being of age, I could not fully enjoy the latter).  Explore and share with us what your hometown has to offer!

See what others had to say about this and get ideas on what you can do: Consumer Reports, Gristmill, MSNBC travel