Activism

I've been in Portland for a week and a half and I'm all fired up!

I came primarily to give ND time with her grandparents and to get a change of scenery for myself, but after spending time with so many wonderful Portland friends, I feel driven towards my roots again.

I know that I don't have time for ANYTHING during the year, and yet I want to be an activist... even if just subtle things here and there. Through my time in NJ, I've slipped gradually away from some of my environmental awareness as well as other things. I know I can't do it all. A teacher and mother already does a LOT to try and correct the world. But here are things I've done already or seen and want to do more of:

-Just rejoined the mailing list for Momrising.org

-Took the time to actually read an email and click on a link in order to sign a petition inside Change.org

-I want to continue to try to actually read all those emails that come in... at least one a week?

-When I met one friend, it was an insanely record breaking hot day at about 105 Farenheit. We needed a place to go and she took me to an indoor play space that was created by a large group of families. It's like a co-op. Everyone has a role and the place is in beautiful shape, and no one has trouble swapping toys. What cooperation! What commitment! What responsibility! What an alternative to consumerism or spending too much just to get out of the heat! What community! It made me wonder if anything like that is possible where I live, and I unfortunately concluded that it's far more than I can take on, but...

-It got me thinking about recycling and use of materials, sharing rather than everyone buying their own. At our school there is a secretary in charge of supplies. I want to have a chat with her about how we can allow teachers to re-use supplies by having a place we can leave them for one another in some sort of accessible way.

-I want to find one new way to save water.

-I want to find one new way to save energy.

-I want to read one book on food. I'm a little scared to take on The Omnivore's Dilemma. I'm afraid I'll feel helpless for what I can actually do... I already buy into the school meal plan for lunches because it saves me tons of time and gives me more rounded meals even if they're not organic, fair trade, or any of that wonderful stuff, but I think I'll read it anyway and...

-I want to talk to the appropriate administrator at our school about food waste. Is there a way for teachers to take food home at the end of the day?

-I want to keep being mindful about what I buy... really thinking through my clothing purchases and donating to FINCA or Yad Eliezer when I don't buy fair trade or used, to offset my use of products created by exploited workers.

-Most importantly, I want to keep these issues far enough in front of my head to prioritize a dialogue within my classroom and in my everyday interactions. I can lead by example. Particularly in a classroom, when I show the kids, for example, where we wash our hands for lunch, I can also throw in a civics lesson about waste. If I think it through just a little more carefully I can get it across to at least some of the kids without any more time used than I would have already.

This is all about being a responsible citizen.

This is about doing my part.

Some people think I'm "out there" and a little crazy, but it's absolutely necessary if we're going to be responsible citizens in this world, especially in this wealthy part of the world.