Michael Jackson's Social Legacy

I've been thinking for a while now how and what I would write about Michael Jackson that would convince people that he was a leader in the sustainability movement.

OK, this is not crazy talk. Remember that sustainability is not just about driving less, using non-toxic soap and bringing your own bag to the grocery store. It is equally about community, social responsibility, social equity and social justice.

Right now, millions of people around the world are watching and listening to Jackson's memorial service from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Millions of people with one thing in common, from Europe and Asia and Africa and Kansas and New York City and Seattle, me on my couch.

What are they celebrating? His great music, for sure. But there was a lot more and Rev. Al Sharpton gave the best speech of the afternoon. If you think all this MJ business is a bunch of media hoopla, and you only watch one thing from the insane news coverage of this topic today, make it this one.

Jackson's life went from the beginning of the civil rights movement through the first black president, and Sharpton makes the point that many of the children who saw Jackson break the race barriers in music grew up to be adults who helped break the political barrier and elect the first black president of the United States of America.



I don't think it's stupid to be upset by Jackson's death. It doesn't mean you don't care about Iran, national healthcare or the City of Los Angeles spending $2-4mm to pay for the memorial service. But it would be a community moment bigger than the sum of its parts if everyone mourning the King of Pop could see beyond the celebrity to the major social changes he effected, and perhaps the global awareness of interconnectedness that we're all having right now.

When I first hear that Jackson died and saw the outpouring of global grief, I tweeted that I wish we could move this many people around the world together to solve some of our greatest international challenges. What I didn't realize then is that Jackson already had.

RIP MJ. My pop culture heart and sustainable soul know that your legacy will help Heal the World long after you're gone.

Virtual Energy Forum and Gift Idea

Today begins the Virtual Energy Forum, with speakers like Amory Lovins, John Kerry and Mark Ginsberg (Sr. Director of the Dept. of Energy - DOE). The whole conference is VIRTUAL, which is way cooler that I thought it would be. Attending the conference is free, and feels like playing a video game. The home page of the conference is called the Lobby and gives a user experience like Second Life or Sally's Spa (my new favorite iPhone app!).

Anyway, that's not what this post is about.

In the DOE's virtual booth, you can view a cross-section of a house with pop-up boxes describing really useful information on how to improve energy savings around your home. I clicked around and found out that some outdoor lighting manufacturers now make LED lights for your garden and yard. From there, I could find a list of retailers, chose Amazon, and searched their site for "LED" under "Outdoor Lighting."

That is when I got this awesome product that you see above. It is called the "Solar Bunny Rabbit LED Accent Light WELCOME SIGN."

I'm not sure that the demographic for energy-reducing-solar-powered-outdoor-lighting-products is the same as that for lawn-figurine-in-shape-of-cute-yet-creepy-crouching-bunny-holding-welcome-sign, but maybe it's a great gift idea for a relative or a neighbor who leaves their lights, TV and radio on all night, as a sort of push toward energy efficiency. Or maybe it will just make you feel better knowing that one of their garden gnomes now runs on renewable energy and LEDs.

Whatever it is, this is rad. I think we've come a long way.

San Juan Cabin Built from Reclaimed Materials

My mother owns this cabin on San Juan Island, Wash., which was built in the '70s from materials reclaimed around the island. Some of the sources included a closed Coast Guard station and an inactive lighthouse.


She rents it out to vacationers between approx. March and October of every year, so if you're interested, email her at sungrebes at gmail dot com.

If you're curious about building something from nothing, this place is worth checking out. Even if you're up on the island but not staying there, ask me and I'll tell you where it is so you can go poke around.

Full slideshow available as well.

Is something fishy at Trader Joe's?

What's the deal with the recent report saying that Trader Joe's has some of the most unsustainable seafood choices on the market? I love Trader Joe's, this can't be!

Sustainability life choice of the day - let's do one variable at a time. Is it better to do one-stop shop at TJ's on way home from gym (it's next door - I know gyms aren't sustainable, that'll be a later post) and buy the bad fish, or go to another grocery store just to get the good fish? If I'm walking, probably latter is better. But if I'm driving, is former better? Is latter still better? How far away from first grocery store must second grocery store be, in opposite direction of my house, to offset the pros of buying sustainable seafood with the cons of supporting middle-east petrodictatorships to get there (thanks Thomas Friedman)?

Life's full of tough choices, isn't it?

Definition of Sustainability

Today I ate Joe's O's for breakfast and PB&J on a hotdog bun for lunch. This probably wasn't very good for me. However, I ate the hotdog bun because it's what I had left over from a party, and would feel unsustainable buying a new loaf of bread before using up my existing carbohydrates.

But now I might not live as long, and that's pretty unsustainable for me.

So, did I do better for the world by not wasting a hotdog roll, or worse because now I might die sooner and take away that much happiness from all the people who think I'm awesome? :)

No, seriously...how we each define sustainability determines the actions we make every day (or at least hyper-aware, OCD people like me.) Because sustainability requires social and well as environmental equality and stability, they have to work together. But how do you feed the world's hungry or erradicate malaria without using GMO crops and DDT?

I just started Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, (summary here at NRDC's website) which chronicles the effects of DDT on planet earth in the mid-20th century. Maybe she has an answer, let me know if you do!

A New Blog

Hi internets. This blog is titled Emerald City Green because it's intended to provide information about, spark conversation around and be a spot for my musings on the world of sustainability from where I sit, which is the Emerald City, of course - Seattle. I hope to provide some original content as well as links to and thoughts on currents trends and news in the social, environmental and economic arenas that make up the "three-legged stool" of sustainability. I am a career communicator with a focus on sustainability issues, so I hope to use this tool to continue what I do through an online forum, and also maybe find a job. Hah! There will be some posts about that too. Because what would a blog be good for if one couldn't ramble on about one's own life...?

And away we go!