You say Potato, I say Radical

No one says, “When I grow up, I want to be a radical tuber!” or a radical potato or a radical yam. Although, if I were a potato, I’d be a radical potato. I’d fight against the dangers of overindulging in potato chips and the bad rap potatoes get for being a bad, starchy food, when they are indeed packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals. I’d be a cool cat potato, perhaps even sporting a top hat and a walking stick—a potato with style, rad for sure.

To be radical means to grow from the root. While, obviously, I’m not a potato I do grow from many roots.  That makes me a radical human, I suppose. This is one way to define a radical, someone who grows from the roots– someone who is so intimate with the root (of a social problem) that s/he can grow right from it, improving existence. And coming from a social justice perspective, it is important to distinguish between a person who grows from roots and tumbleweeds broken off from the roots.

I had the heartbreaking misfortune of coming head to head, recently, with an insane girl in a radical’s clothing, a tumbleweed whose roots are planted somewhere, everywhere, but with her. When I was a kid, I would’ve said, “When I grow up, I want to be a radical social worker,” had I known how to define myself in those terms. And now I have grown up, and I am learning and then learning and then learning what this means exactly. And I thank the insane girl for teaching me some of these important lessons:

1. Being radical means that instead of having to be right about everything for the sake of being right, you find ways to be humble enough to admit where you need room for your own improvement and learning even if you are part of change efforts and even if the suggestions come from “the enemy.”

2. Being radical means knowing your stuff. Don’t assume that you know everything about a given situation or population because you have read a lot on a given topic or have had a few experiences with it. Learn all sides of the story. Talk to the experts to gain an understanding of their experience if you can’t have a direct, prolonged, experience yourself. This is a major problem with policy makers and certain types of activists, in my opinion.

3. Being radical means to peacefully and respectfully collaborate with the people who you feel need to initiate and maintain change in a given system.

4. Being radical continues to mean working to change the status quo in order to fight oppression. But the how is as important as the what. Don’t add to the cycle of oppression and hatred by approaching others with accusations and threats. Not only is this unhelpful, it creates an atmosphere of distrust, ultimately closing the doors for communication, collaboration, and positive change (good job).

5. Being radical means behaving in such a way where open communication can take place between all parties involved. If you are hostile toward others, they are unlikely to sit down in collaboration with you in openness and honesty.

6. And finally, being radical means not losing sight of what is right because you want to be right or because you have become extreme to the point of unhelpfulness (e.g., animal rights activists who throw red paint on fur-wearers; pro-life activists who murder abortion doctors).

I recently learned from a very wise Buddhist nun that true compassion is a very radical practice.

And to the tumbleweed, thanks for burning the bridges we needed to collaborate on critical change efforts. Hopefully soon I can have enough compassion, humility, and forgiveness to work with you.

(c) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009

Vegan in Furs (2009)

Hi my name is Jessica and I’m not the new centerfold for PETA, bare-breasted save a crudités bikini bottom, fortunately or unfortunately for you. You might be familiar with Venus in Furs (1969/70) the nauseatingly elitist movie, which left me with a disturbing memory of endless nipples, fleshy stars that I could’ve spent a lifetime counting had I cared enough. My hope is that I am neither as boring or obnoxious as the film.

But I’m being tangential on purpose. I’m hesitant to point out the obvious tension in the title of this blog, the juxtaposition of nouns–nouns at war. A title that may leave you wondering and hoping that I will get on with my point already. Well, ok. In a very 12-step sort of way, I will make my announcement.

Hi, my name is Jessica and I wear fur.

There, I said it. It’s out now. The ceramic plaque hanging from my purse that reads vegan would probably be more accurate if it said vegan hypocrite. I’m self-centered enough to believe that strangers stare at me wondering how in the world I could be such a proud vegan while prancing around in my cute little down-feather, rabbit-fur lined, winter coat. Well, I am a proud vegan, and an ashamed fur wearer.

My name is Jessica and I wear fur.

I wear down feathers.

I wear leather.

And I wear wool.

Have I no shame?!

I even have these kickass bright-red leather Dr. Martin’s, and while the outside is vinyl, the inside is as leather as leather can be.

You can’t see me now but trust that I am sitting at my laptop typing this, driveling and drooling, wiping my snot away with my sleeve (not really). And my sleeve is so saturated that it’s sticking to my arm (again, not true, but go with it).

Look, my winter coat is incredibly warm… and probably the most fashionable thing I own. I never ever bought fur before this in my entire life and for just as long was strongly opposed to such a thing. But I had a moment when all I could think about was my own stress within the bubble that is my little life and within that moment I was as far away from my values as you are in purchasing a ticket to mars. What can I say?

I’m sorry Dylan, the bull! I have torn off the skin of your ancestors and tied them around my brittle and calloused, undeserving, feet! How will you ever forgive me?

Half of my winter wardrobe is wool; Louise, the sheep, do you think we could ever be friends?? I am eternally sorry! I know how abusive those sheep shearers can be!!

>>Insert overly dramatic heaving breaths. Insert snot and drool that run rivers down my neck.<<

And… cut.

I’m not really that dramatic.

First, let me explain my hypocrisy. I have only been vegan about 6-8 weeks this time around. It takes a while to transition out all of the old clothing. It’s silly to just throw them away. But that’s actually an aside.

I writing to tell you that you’re not perfect, and neither am I. I’m writing to tell you that things take time, sometimes lots of time. Living a lifestyle of having respect for all living things doesn’t require terrorism or self-deprecation.

And I’m writing to tell you that just because I made the choice to be vegan, doesn’t mean that I expect you to or that I am judging you down to your leather shoe strings.

Borrowed from http://www.greenisthenewred.com

Everyone has their own story, and for me, there were five years between the last vegan chapter and this one. I needed to take that time to figure out who I was, to figure out who from the inner world of my childhood and adolescence I was going to bring with me into my adulthood.

So many people tell me, “Oh, I can’t be vegan,” or “I’m sorry I’m eating chicken in front of you,” or “I just can’t afford organic food no matter how much I try.” And I say, “It’s OK.”

It’s OK.

That’s all I wanted to tell you, really. It’s OK.

There are ways to improve health and protect the environment, animals, and people for all, even without shopping organic, and even if you eat meat. There are ways to do the best that you can do with what you have (time, money, or emotions). And I swear I will get to all the practical tips relating to this in another blog entry, soon enough!

A wise friend recently reminded me (ehem, Kelley) that it doesn’t take the entire world to agree on something to make change. And it’s true. Usually it takes about 2-5% of the population. No one is going to agree on everything, all at once. As a social worker, I believe that real change comes from community- and broad-based organizing: real democracy that’s directed by the people. But creating change is definitely not about becoming a vegan prophet, trying to force everyone I meet into a lifestyle change while disregarding their interest or ability to do so.

Bottom line is that we can’t all be passionate about every single cause that’s out there because then passion would be arbitrary, and we’d all be exhausted to the point of apathy. But I urge you to find your passion. Remember the golden rule. Be the person you wanted to be before responsibilities talked you out of it. Stop letting your life revolve around you and think about the bigger picture, which inevitably involves others. Love your life no matter what. I think this is a good place to start.

The finest pleasure in life is kindness to others. -Jean de La Bruyere

Do Something (a site technically for teens, but psht, who cares)

Ordinary People Change the World

The Artist’s Way (find the creative person you forgot about, or improve the one you remember)

29-Day Giving Challenge

Change.org

(c) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009

How to Eat Fried Worms, Part I

How to eat fried worms?? Eew. I image that the Thomas Rockwell book thrust the sport of worm-eating into the limelight of backyard Olympics. The book happens to be a childhood favorite of mine, but I never had the urge to eat worms after reading it. Personally, I always thought they were sweet (in character), and now I know why. Although they get no respect, worms are leaders of the Green movement, saving the world one gulp and one poop at a time. Despite worms, technically, being edible and a good source of protein, I’m more interested in what worms, themselves, eat and what that means for our revolution. That’s why I went to a worm composting workshop at Hilltop Hanover Farm .

Look at the pretty compost!

I knew little about composting other than worms eating our garbage is a really good thing and left the workshop with the skills to build composts, which is extremely easy to do. Yes, you can keep them in your home. No, it’s not gross because you won’t even know they are there. No, they don’t smell. Yes, they are an integral part of saving the earth, and thus ourselves, from centuries of human destruction.

What’s composting?

In general, composting is a way for us to take recycling into our own hands by turning organic waste (vegetable peels, egg shells, pizza boxes, etc.) into usable, rich, soil. We can do this with or without worms. If you ever see a mound of leaves and grass clippings in the corner of someone’s yard, that’s composting. Eventually, that large pile will decompose and turn into soil. When worms are involved with this purposeful decomposing process, that’s worm composting, formally known as vermicomposting. Worms loves to eat our garbage and when they do they create a soil that is 4-13 times richer than regular (already quite devitalized) soil, fertilizer, or regular compost. Essentially, vermicompost is worm poop, a cherished black gold.

What do I do with my compost?

You can use it to enrich the soil in your garden or potted plants. You can also use it to heal the soil, which is heavily depleted of nutrients. Literally dumping it on top of all the earth you can find would be an incredible gift to the earth; this is particularly true in urban areas where the soil is particularly poor. Just don’t pile it all in one spot. That would be a waste of nutrients. It doesn’t take tons of compost to enrich anything since it is so potent.

Why composting?

The Short Version: By composting, we replenish the soil. We reduce waste. By doing these two things, we increase the quality of our produce. More nutritious soil means more nutritious food. Less toxins make food safer to eat. We also reduce the amount of toxins we put into the earth and our bodies because we reduce the hazards associated with agri-business, waste, and landfills. Toxins in our environment and bodies are very bad things that cause many modern chronic and terminal diseases.

Our bodies echo the earth. If our earth is sick, then so are we.

[If you are an animal-eater, remember that animals are heavy consumers of plant life, so if what they eat is polluted or nutrient-poor, so are you.]

The Long Version: Due to our parasitic nature and centuries upon centuries of overusing land for agriculture without replenishing the soil; due to throwing oceans of chemically-based fertilizers into the soil to “replenish” nutrients lost from overuse; due to a greed-filled dousing of the land in infinite mountain ranges of pesticides, our soil has turned into a toxic crumbly mass, a uselessness. Our soil needs therapy because it finds its own existence meaningless and empty, and by eating the products of its loins, we inherent its toxic and sorry existence, an existence that we created and perpetuate.

And if you think mountain ranges of pesticides are awful, how about even bigger and more literal ones made from our garbage. Contrary to popular belief, our garbage is not whisked away by magical sanitation men who deliver it all to a marvelous, earth-friendly, garbage heaven in the sky. Actually, it turns into a disgusting and very hazardous elementary school project, an ever-evolving diorama of crap. A wicked game of Jenga. It has evolved to the point that we actually have to move it around on trucks or barges from one state to the next because we are running out of space.  And this crap contaminates our water supply (yes, the one from which we drink) with hazardous sludge that slithers in and around our manmade fossils that will never decompose, but pile high, striving to reach heaven in a modern Tower of Babel. But its legacy, like the classic Babel, will never amount to more than an example of hubris and subsequent failure. Moreover, this same sludge also gets into our soil (as if our soil hasn’t been through enough), and the organic matter that decomposes in a landfill creates a toxic flatulence that pollutes our air, which we ever so kindly take into our lungs and pores. And no, organic matter doesn’t turn into black gold in a landfill. It decomposes unnaturally slowly because there isn’t enough air for the natural process to take place.

Let’s do simple math. If over 25% of our garbage consists of organic waste, and we can easily turn organic matter into black gold, then we can make a huge positive impact on our earth and our bodies by composting. Not only would we be reducing our garbage mountains, we would be replenishing our soil, which we sucked the life from but never bothered renewing.

SO?

So, this means that worms eating our garbage does amazing and positive things for our bodies and our earth.  Creating black gold can help alleviate major waste-control problems and helps us control the quality of our food supply, a very serious issue as it pertains to our health and well being. Personally, I can’t stand it that people are malnourished, even in developed countries. I can’t stand that we are dying off because of our food supply and poor eating habits.

Now What?

An upcoming blog will document our composting efforts to help guide you in your efforts. For now, please utilize the resources and embedded links I have posted here. Plus, there is a wealth of information on the internet about how to compost.

I don’t, however, suggest taking this approach to composting:

Resources

Cornell University- Composting

Cornell University- Home Composting

Composting Puts Life into Action (scroll down)

Consider Composting (scroll down)

The Scoop on Dirt (scroll down)

Cornell Waste Management Institute- Sources and Impact of Contaminants in Soil

Cornell Waste Management Institute- Soil Contaminants and Best Practices for Healthy Gardens

Cornell Waste Management Institute -Links of Interest

Air and Waste Management Association- Q & A’s About Landfills

Air and Waste Management Associaton- Fact Sheets

Talking Trash: The World’s Waste Management Problem

EPA- Yard and Food Waste

Do Biodegradable Items Really Breakdown in Landfills?

(c) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009

Can I get an Oh Hell No!

I keep intending to write about simple things like the food choices I made today, or giving a brief timeline of the transformation of my eating habits; however, other thoughts and events keep trumping these intentions. Recently, I went to a social work conference that in every way reaffirmed my love for the social work profession, just when the faded light in my head was about to die out for good, short-circuiting in the cesspools of drool hanging (and dripping heavily) from the edges of my lips. Yuck.
The conference was called RISE: Social Work in an Era of Change .

I learned:
1. I’m not the only social worker who loathes the current role most social workers play in contributing to perpetuating oppressive systems.
2. I, like my peers at the conference, went into the field as radical social workers and are being quickly burnt out and turned into receiving ends.
3. I’m not the only one who thought s/he was alone in this.
4. It’s OK to feel disgruntled about the work I do every day. Actually, it’s really appropriate. It shows that I am pissed at the way things are done.
5. I was burnt out way before I ever entered grad school and have gotten progressively worse.
6. I’m an antiestablishment radical, and envy the radical-sized balls on the girl I met who didn’t remove her mustache hair.
7. I’m in the business of undermining; I’m in the business of subverting things that hurt people and cause needless suffering. I proudly do it every day, and I will do it more and more. I knew I was born with a rebellious streak for a reason.
8. No is my favorite word; it sets boundaries and keeps us safe. But Oh Hell No! works even better.

“Be everyday revolutionaries,” said Irene HongPing Chen, just as I was beginning to wonder if saying that my friend and I are starting a revolution means anything in the context of the larger Green movement. She continued, “See yourself as part of a revolution.” And here is where this all ties into our (tentatively names Roots) mission, “Every time you do something for the environment you are actively making a choice to stand up to oppression and capitalism.” Sit with that and think about what it means.

It really saddens me when I think that simply asking certain folks to buy organic or stop and enjoy nature really puts them in a bind, really echoes taunts from the ruling class that they are on the margins of the Green movement, with fewer opportunities and choices to live well. There is privilege in being able to go to Whole Foods and buy organic food as I please, or breathing clean air from my seaside, suburban Shangri-la. There is privilege in the basic human rights of living a healthy life. Yell, Oh Hell No!, if you think there is something terribly wrong with that.

The truth is that we have yet been unable to come close to an Ayn Randian society where people succeed simply because they have integrity, work hard, and lack abusive, greedy, hoarding intentions because too many people— rich or poor or in between— are living in primal, survival mode, which defenestrates our higher order abilities to live fairly and peacefully in the world together. The type of capitalism that exists in the U.S. today, despite the handful of honest businessmen, breeds oppression and suffering; deep levels of inequity offer some a breadth of choices and a head start that others simply will never see despite their hard work/efforts, and if someone believes otherwise, they have neither truly experienced nor understood poverty, oppression, and marginalization. Granted, poverty is relative—my shelter clients are exceedingly more privileged than impoverished folks in certain war-torn countries, for example—but none of it is acceptable. Think: Basic Human Rights.

I am not a political scientist who can offer a blueprint that maps out how we should run our government and businesses, nor can I pretend to be the brilliant hero who finds solutions to these problems. Really, no one can do it alone. It’s a group effort, an effort from every world citizen to dedicate themselves to finding a way to live in a world where oppression is unacceptable, where it’s not okay to feed people food that kills them because it funds someone else’s gaudy and leisurely lifestyle. It’s not ok. I will shout it again, Oh Hell No!

As Ms. Chen advised (and I will return with some concrete suggestions), “Be every day revolutionaries [and] see yourself as part of the revolution.” We have to do this together.

(C) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009

The Power of Deformities (or- For the Love of Frogs!)

Despite lying puffy-eyed on the couch one Sunday afternoon, I refused to nap but instead decided to use the limp energy in my arm to channel surf and landed on Animal Planet. I barely remember what the show was about, but this blur has defined my new adventure, was what made me decide (again) to eat organic:

I do remember the last segment about the discovery of deformed frogs in ponds across the United States and Canada. Scientists ruled out genetics because the deformities are too wide spread, instead of contained within one pond, or region. Tadpoles, unlike humans or chickens, don’t have the protection of a womb or shell to develop within, so they are susceptible to whatever is in the their environment. Instead of growing within the life-giving nutrients of the pond, it seems they are, instead, bathed in pesticides; and they are growing into frogs who have missing limbs, extra limbs, and malformed jaws.

“Ok, that’s weird and really sad; poor frogs,” I thought, but then I became frightened. Whatever is happening to the frogs is only a warning of what will happen to people, said one of the scientists. Whatever is happening to the frogs is only a warning of what will happen to people.

Farms are a huge source of pesticide runoff that’s getting into these ponds. Farms, where we get our fruits and vegetables. We regularly eat what deforms these frogs. People on the farm are being directly exposed to these detrimental chemicals, in heaping quantities. Animals and the environment are sponges for them.

By purchasing conventional I inadvertently voiced my opinion that as a consumer I would like to contribute to the destruction of the earth, animals, and people. I knew better than that, and was thus heartbroken due to my poor choices.

As a child all I cared about was animals and the earth (and the arts). Buying products not tested on animals was important to me. Not wearing leather or fur was a value I held. Despite not knowing the environmental impact of agribusiness and conventional eating, I had long periods of vegetarianism. I didn’t want to eat creatures I adored.

After whirling into young adulthood, sideswiped by responsibilities I didn’t know how to handle, I had forgotten all of this until my doctor said, you have ADD. You can either take pills or stop eating refined sugars and processed foods. I chose the latter. I went organic, then vegetarian, then raw. I believed that processed and refined foods cause most modern illnesses (malnutrition) and that living and eating naturally can not only heal the human body but the ecosystem, as well.

It’s different when you are unaware of the impact of conventional eating or you are trying to find the means just to eat every day. And it tickles me that advocates are getting places like farmers’ markets and Costco to accept food stamps. But I had been challenged with nothing but denial, and a dumbing down of the utter importance of unadulterated living. I can’t dwell on my mistakes. It’s better late than never, as the old saying goes.

After watching this show, I called my boyfriend and told him that we were no longer going to buy conventional. We will only be shopping at Whole Foods to buy organic because I don’t want my children to be born with three legs, one eye, four noses, and half a brain. (He was kind enough to oblige.) And that’s the stuff we can see. Imagine how the pesticides impact the organs and the rest of our intricate collection of insides. I’d prefer to minimize that possibility as much as possible.

Check out an article on the deformed frogs .

(C) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009

A new adventure

Jessica & Sara

My dear friend, Sara, and I decided to start a revolution. Well, she did. I just decided to help out. Normally, I’m too tired to start a revolution. And this is probably why U.S. citizens haven’t had a revolution since the 1960s. We are tired. We work too hard. And despite being one of the richest countries in the world, most of us are suffering from malnutrition. We have decided that creating time-saving methods and gadgets is how to get ahead, but instead we end up more frenzied. I believe it is because we are living at a primal level—-survival and panic mode. Deep down we are concerned that we might not make it, so if we can do it the best, the quickest, and the most, then we can rest assured that our survival is not at stake. We are driven to get ahead. When we finally arrive at the place where we don’t have to worry about how we will afford dinner or pay the rent, we worry about how to keep it all and how to prevent other people from taking our goods. If we do have those worries, we are definitely in survival mode because we are in a constant state of figuring out how to make ends meet, survive.

We need to stop, think, breathe.

I understand these concerns. And I think they are valid, but I think there is a better way to deal with the issues of everyday living than sending ourselves spinning.

The United States of America, the curmudgeon nation, needs to learn how to s.l.o.w. d.o.w.n. Life is more savory when you are not rushing past it, pissed. On an evening walk with my dogs a couple of days ago, my chihuahua stopped to smell, lick, and chew the roses. The United State of America, the curmudgeon nation, needs to learn how to do the same.

We are not framing this revolution as one that tries to get people to slow down, necessarily; but nevertheless, upon close examination, this speedy Survival Drive is the root of the issue. Our revolution, tentatively called Roots, focuses on nutrition and the environment—-two inseparable and tightly braided forces:

We are killing ourselves, our earth, and our animals, with food.

I understand that the food industry and agribusiness are not the only culprits. Industrial waste, litter, pollution, and a dependence on chemicals in daily life with things like dish washing detergent or tub and tile cleaner, for instance, are also culprits. Food, however, is an essential part of daily life that we cannot avoid, and we, our earth, and our animals would only benefit and live (survive) more peacefully and plentifully if we used more ethical and healthy methods of food production.

This blog is not a place for me to rant endlessly about my views on food and agribusiness. It is to document the journey that I am taking with my friend on figuring out the ways that we can contribute to alleviating this very human and global problem. This includes what small steps we take and choices we make in our personal lives to adhere to a more healthful and earth-friendly lifestyle, as well as activist and community organizing efforts. The hope is that documenting this will make the process seem accessible, that people will see how human and flawed our efforts are. That amidst the learning process, we can show how doable saving our world is, piece by piece. The intended result is that people will decide that they have the same endeavors, whether its on a personal or macro level. Every single choice is important. And that means that we are important despite how small we might feel up against the grand cosmos. Enjoy.

(C) Jessica Rowshandel, 2009