Eat paste!

EBC book and meeting number 2 well behind us, club meeting number 3 next week, and just now having a chance to put to cyber-paper the lessons learned from the first two books. Since reading "Silent Spring" and "The Ecology of Commerce", I have been more vigorously trying to live my life according to the "waste equals food" mantra. In wondering what more I could do for the environment, I realize the question, for now, must be what less can I do to the environment, for living in the US in the twenty-first century, even while doing one's best to do no harm, often includes taking actions that injure our natural world in some respect.

And so in my goal to generate only waste that is edible to something, I have surveyed the chemicals I use and, to the extent possible, begun making substitutions that consist of food, which now brings us to the paste-eating portion of our show—toothpaste, that is.

Yes, fluoride-containing toothpaste, something I have been sticking in my mouth, and then down the drain and out into the world, at least a couple of times a day my entire life is toxic in surprisingly small doses. (At least I was surprised.) There is a lot of evidence on both sides of the question as to whether fluoride is harmful to the environment. I am not addressing that question. I have simply decided that if something I stick in my mouth says on its face that I should contact a Poison Control Center immediately if I swallow more than a toothbrush-full, I don't want to stick it in my mouth, or anywhere else, anymore.

And so, I have begun making my own toothpaste from ingredients in my kitchen and have been enjoying the fruits of my efforts, as salty as they are, ever since. The recipe follows, if you care to try it. I am not a dentist or (as clearly evidenced by the previous paragraph) a scientist, so you may want to check with your dentist before doing so.

Either way, I invite you to ask yourself what less you can do to the environment and undertake some action, whether it be as simple as bringing your own non-plastic bags to the store, bringing a travel mug to the coffee shop or hopping on the bus to the next Eco Biblio Chicago meeting!

Toothpaste Recipe

Ingredients:
❀ 3 TABLESPOONS Baking Soda
❀ 1 TABLESPOON Salt
❀ 3 teaspoons of Vegetable Glycerin
❀ 10 - 20 drops of Essential Oil (such as Peppermint, Cinnamon or Anise)
❀ Just enough Water to make the mixture into a paste

Directions:
Mix baking soda, salt, vegetable glycerin and essential oil together. Add water to desired consistency and start brushing!

Me and Rachel Sitting In a Tree...

that, most likely thanks to my tree-mate, Ms. Carson, has not been sprayed with DDT!

One chapter and less than thirty-six hours to go before the inaugural meeting of Eco Biblio Chicago (You can call it EBC.) and so I figured the time is more than ripe to finally put some cyber-structure to this endeavor. As the motto indicates, EBC is intended as a forum for educating oneself on matters of sustainability, environmentalism and various methods and means of verdancy. It's also about having some accompaniment as you undertake this particular brand of book-learning.

The Structure: 

The structure of each EBC meeting (which is subject to change at any time) is currently as follows:

1.         Each month we read a book about environmental matters. The reading list (also subject to change but not without ample warning) is to your right. This month's selection is "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson; next month's book will be "The Ecology of Commerce" by Paul Hawken, and so forth and so on. 

2.         Once a month, we come together and try to answer "The Big Questions" (also to your right!), which are intended as a context within which to discuss each book. I may throw in an extra question or modify one of The Big Questions slightly here or there if I'm feeling all whimsical. We'll start with question 1 and give everyone a chance to respond, then go to questions 2, 3 and 4 in the same how-do-you-eat-an-elephant manner. If you don't want to say anything, you don't have to so don't let that stop you from coming to an EBC meeting. However, if you do want to say something that has nothing to do with the topic at hand, you will not be able to do so until we are finished with The Big Questions and the dance floor has been officially opened. WARNING:  I plan to needle felt one of those big long canes that were so handily used when Vaudevillians overstayed their welcome on the stage, and will use it on anyone who goes off topic. Don't be too afraid, though. It will be brandished as kindly as is possible, and it will be made of wool so, though it might be a little itchy, no lasting damage will likely befall your physical or psychic being at an EBC meeting.

3.         And then we dance—at least eventually we will, once I find a good place to meet to discuss books and then promptly thereafter cut a rug. (If you know of any such place in Chicago, please let me know!) The first meeting place of EBC does not have dance facilities so we will just be talking about dances that may be representative of Rachel Carson's auspicious text, though demonstrations will not be discouraged. At least not by me. I can't make any promises as to how the management of South Water Kitchen will respond.

What Does a Dance Club Have To Do With Sustainability?

As we all know, sustainability is a serious business. The intent of EBC is to facilitate thoughtful discussion using the ideas and information we glean from the books we read and The Big Questions as a launch pad to our discussions, in the hope that together we may gain clarity about environmental problems (on both micro and macro levels), and about how to most capably effect positive responses to those problems. And then we must dance. OK, I guess I should admit here that I do have a bit of a mad scientist bent to me and so somewhere in the future of EBC I foresee the creation of some sort of communal battery—may be actual, may be metaphorical—by which we can capture, store and then later release where needed the energy created by our learning, discussing, sharing and dancing, and, in so doing, make the world a better place. Until that time, it just seems like a good idea to have some fun after having some serious discussion.

But the First Meeting Is Tomorrow and I Haven't Read "Silent Spring"!

Then come to the meeting to chide me about my poor planning skills.  But remember that you can't do that until the dance floor is officially opened! But seriously folks, if you are interested in learning more about sustainability and engaging in meaningful discussion about the environment, I strongly encourage you to come and be a part of the discussion, whether you have read the subject book or not. Also remember that there is no communication without listening. Perhaps you will hear something that plants a seed in your heart or your head, each of which are venerable gardens capable of affecting our environment (or at least your environment) in magnificent ways. So please, come grow with me!