Greenpeace

Whow, it's been a while.. Family + work + studies (and exams approaching next week), makes me really, really busy. But today I feel inspired to post on something else..

Even though I love my job, I feel really frustrated by the very, very slow progress and slow bureaucratic processes there. And while I believe in what I do and I wish to have more impact, I can also become really tired of that. Sitting here, in the wonderful city of Stockholm at the IPCC event and discussing the newest data of Climate Change in also a quite slow process, makes me think of what else I could to to speed things up in terms of slowing the Climate Change and saving our Planet from various non-environmentally friendly practices?
Join the activities of Greenpeace!
I've "run into them" virtually several times before, but now I've been also moved a lot by what their Arctic Sunrise crew is going through in Russia. And I am very inspired by international action! So I checked, what else we - me and you all - could do:

 

Raw dinner

For a while now there has been a constant debate on green carpet about maybe going raw or at least trying to add more raw to our daily food consumption and we tried some recipes several times..

With all the wonderful berries and fruits available now in season it has been fairly easy and pleasant to keep our raw food levels up on daily basis. However, during our National XXV Song and XV Dance Festival week where I had to dance all day and sometimes night long, and during the "recovery week" I managed to indulge in more of those foods I'd never eat otherwise. Looking for excuses? Maybe.. But as much as I tried to keep a healthy diet (bringing health snacks and smoothies to the stadium, carrying almonds in all my pockets), the "other" foods kept creeping up on me..
So this week I felt already fully recovered from the amazing experience of dancing, and decided- time to get back to proper moonphase detox days and add more raw. After trying some soups and smoothies mostly a while ago, this time I dared myself into "cooking" raw dinner maincourse.
I have to say- it was fantastic!!!
So here's the recipe I used:



Picture from www.asimplyrawlife.blogspot.com whose recipe I used for with little alteration

Cauliflower rice with raw pesto

For rice:
2small heads of cauliflower
1 red bell pepper
4 stalks of celery
2 handfuls of mushrooms
1/2 large courgette

For pesto:

2 handfuls of basil leaves (from my windowsill)
pine nuts and walnuts as much as you prefer
2-3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
pinch of pink himalaya salt


Chop the cauliflower in a food processor until rice-like consistence (small grains). I used a tip to pulse 10times and do it by small portions not to turn it into a paste.
Dice the bell pepper, celery and courgette, chop the mushrooms. Mix it all in the cauliflower rice.

Blend basil leaves, garlic and nuts all in a thick paste, add a pinch of salt and drizzle in olive oil to gain the perfect substance. My suggestion is to 'stretch' it a little with more olive oil to make it really a sauce for the 'rice'.

And voila! Enjoy your healthy raw meal!

Life that amazes you

There are so many things in this world that can amaze you.. let them!

Live your life to the fullest and love!

There is no meantime, there is only the real time. The only time that truly exists is now. We don't own the past to return to it and relive it. We can never live in the future, as it is always in tomorrow. All we have is now, this day, this moment. And only we can fill it with light, love and life. Love and true connections are all around us.

The love that we share and build in our families is sacred and not to be shared further. But only having this sacred love within me I can be open to the world around me and love every bit of it and have the honoring love for human beings I meet on my way. And that's sacred too.

Be true to yourself, to what you cherish, and as open you are to the world, as open arms it will take you in to share the blissfulness of the unity of being all and one at the same time. Let the world amaze you!

Every heart is a string that brings the sound of joy to the world around it. Find the strings you can sound with in harmony to play the music of life!

Namaste

 

Decluttering, cleaning and making our home

My dear husband has been asking if there's something itching in me in last few days or what? I've been using every free second to clean, shrub, unpack old boxes and take empty ones away, even tidying up my little ones toy shelves.. So what's about cleaning, reorganizing and decluttering on green carpet?






Well, it started probably with three major motivators:

• Since I have been away from our apartment for almost a week (and last I was there I was busy with my daughter after work, so I paid no attention to surroundings), I just noticed that our wonderful 4week cleaning schedule has not been ticked for.. emm.. not gonna even say how long.. and with that I also noticed that my bathroom sink looks like it needs more washing than my face or feet..
• We bought a blender with two 750ml take away 'cups' so we could take our juices, smoothies and raw soups to work too.. so I had to place it somewhere in our kitchen..and I realised that I have way too much stuff in there, some of which I hardly use, so it really was the time for rearranging our appliances, getting rid of what's unneccessary (too many boxes, glass jars, packaging to reuse someday) and putting deep in kitchen cupboards appliances that I use very, very rarely, but still want to keep for occasions (like an electric sandwich maker)..
• Psychological need for some order and prioritizing (reorganizing stuff and things in my mind) and clearing away unnecessary thoughts (cleaning and decluttering our home from stuff and chatoic things in my mind)..

 

Of course, one has to keep in mind the greenness of cleaning processes too. Ruleas are simple as always:

• Use only health and environment friendly cleaning materials and substances (soda, vinegar, lemons, microfiber cloths, upcycled torn rugs, eco-friendly liquids if really necessary). Clean your home keeping the planet clean too!
• Donate or re-gift all unneccessary stuff you're not gonna need (sometimes also broken things can be given to people who can fix them..)
• Repurpose or keep for reusing or repurposing later (like cardboard boxes for Christmas gift packaging etc.)

Now, after my bathroom sink is now shining with all bottles nicely organized, my daughters toy shelf looking like a toddlers toy shelf instead of a colourful mess, more clear space in our small kitchen with easy access to the appliances we actually use everyday, and many other tasks, my head has become clearer, my mind more peaceful and I now again I can feel a little restless and happy, but also energized to do a little more every now and then.

But what I was also reminded of by this "cleaning spree" was that home is not just a space to live in. It is like a living organism, you have to take attentive care of it for you it to take care of you. Your daily tasks should not be put behind just because you are busy and getting rid of old boxes is not on your priority list right now. Your daily care of your house is what actually creates the feeling of home, not just a house.

I know that most of the people were doing all the decluttering in spring cleaning, we did some too, but apparently it's something we, people and our homes, need once in a while, not just once a year.
I am not gonna share the decluttering tips here on green carpet, just because there are like millions of those on the web and blogosphere, and everyone has their own approach to that. I just go with my guts.. Take a look around and see what you can do today to make your home feel lighter, airier, giving your family and your home a clean and fresh space to breath and space to fill with warmth of a family home.

I might be mis-quoting the actual Chinese proverb, but I love the idea of it:
No matter how tired you are, always find a minute in the evening to tidy up your home.
Added value to a nice place to wake up in the morning? You will go to bed with your head tidied up too, will have better sleep and refreshed mind in the morning!

 

What more added value could you get? Maybe try to involve rest of the family members too and make cleaning and decluttering fun? It may take longer if your toddler is jumping in the boxes you are trying to put away, or squashing the bubble wrappers, but if it is also your family quality time together? I'm looking forward to our next shared attempts of making our home.

World Environment Day

Today is the World Environment Day, and we are going to celebrate it on green carpet too!

I was thinking of what activity would be the best for our family and our planet..
And I realized that I just simply have to address the two concepts of what UNEP has also suggested- Sustainable consumption and Food waste!

So this is what I registered at UNEP as my activity:

The change starts at the grassroots level right? So I am starting there- with myself and my family. I am discussing how food production impacts the Environment and what we can do, especially discussing food waste. Even though my mom assures we don't have much food waste since we have pets and grandmom nearby has also hens and ducks, and my mom has a worm compost "farm" too.. but still- I am on the path of finding the ways to show my family how every scrap of food can be used and how leftowers can be incorporated in further meals.. In addition I am talking with them about reducing store bought produce, reducing bread, meat and ready made items, and even reducing cooking and benefits of eating more raw food! It might not help saving hungry children in developing countries, but what we must change is the overall eating patterns of our whole planet, especially "the West".. 

Copyrights BERAS

Additional motivation for this I also found in Tallinn last week where I attended Policy forum on BaltAdapt project, and one of the participants was presenting the BERAS- Baltic Ecologycal Recycling Agriculture and Society and the concept of a Diet for a Clean Baltic:

As a consumer changing what you eat is the most important action you can take to save the environment. The following criteria can guide your choice of food weather you are an individual consumer, a professional responsible for purchases in the public sector, or running a restaurant.

First of all the food should taste good and be healthy. Organic food is good both for us and the environment. Local food and food according to season minimise transports and support our local producers. Most likely seasonal food will also cost less and give us the opportunity to stay more connected with our natural environment. Leftover food is a waste of energy and we should try to reduce it. Producing vegetables and grains is much more energy efficient than producing meat. Therefore reducing our meat consumption is the most important thing we do.

We call it Diet for a Clean Baltic.

In short, Diet for a Clean Baltic means choosing food that is produced within the natural boundaries of our ecosystem.

I'm in!!!
So- eat organic, eat local, eat seasonal, eat vegetarian and I would also like to add- eat raw!
I don't mean that you have to go 100% on any of these at once, but just start replacing step by step, introduce the good things and you'll see how the bad ones fall away real quick ;)

Let's eat food that's good for yourself, your family and your planet!

Ups and downs of a green working mom..

Sorry for leaving the blogspace for so long, during this time I've had millions of ideas of what should appear on green carpet.. but in the end they somehow got buried under the workload, delayed study load and trying to have the best quality family time one can have at the moment.


So to finish later on a positive note, I'll probably start with downs..

• Being away from my little one- she's growing so fast and I just wish I could be there all the time to be supportive, available when she needs me and facilitating her learning everything that interests her.. this is the biggest thing, but since she's still happy to give me bye bye kisses in the morning and waving out the windows, I feel that she's ok with that. Even though we are having the very normal "mommy is only mine!" moments in the mornings in bed or evenings when I come home, and during the night with very long extended nursing or just sleeping at the breast. And these moments are actually really important for both of us, so we continue as long as we need..
• My greenies suffer- I have totally failed on the "In and out"  project since I was not prepared technically to do the notes when not at home, but I'll re-make all that starting tomorrow (June) and I since I sense some support in that from my dear husband too, that will give the necessary encouragement.. and I hope I can make a comeback to blogosphere too.. the same goes for all of other green crafts, gardening etc- time is limited there, but I try to get back to it now and then since it is what makes green mom happy.. 
• I totally miss cooking all the meals properly, taking my time, so now we're trying to find quick and healthy solutions, but it's really not the same..great that summer is here and I can rely more on salads..
• Incredible lack of fresh air- I was so used to be a big part of the week at the countryside and going outside a lot, and now I'm stuck in the office. So I try to get as much out of the weekends or evenings that I commute back to countryside as possible.. 
• Health issues- sitting long hours at the computer has its impacts too.. I know yoga helps, but then again- I often feel guilty for thinking of going to another yoga class instead of being home with my family.. That's a difficult decision often.. 
• Stresses- ones at work, ones that come out of you feeling a little guilty for not having enough time for everything, ones that come up just of being tired, ones that come up if someone thinks your child is too needy and high spirited when she finally gets me etc.. breathing, yoga, positive thinking and most of all- prioritizing is what helps, but it's a work on yourself, not a holiday always.. 
• Falling behind at my studies- I miss studying, I so wanted to this properly, but now with job everyday and the natural need to be a mom too, the studies are a little left on the side bench. I'm trying to find a way to do it, but currently quite unsuccessful. Should probably take some vacation from work just to study..
• Business trips- as a greenie, it just makes me cringe to think how much I have to travel, and how big is the slice of air travel there.. umf.. nothing really I can do about it now, except creating my "green business trip rules", which I will share some time hopefully soon.. 

And now, finally - ups!!! 

• Having a job you like is a big thing- a greenie that can work at the Climate Change department with Adaptation issues? You kidding? I'm happy to be able to give an input, to have an opportunity to provide my effort towards saving the planet!
• Financially- even though almost all of my salary goes to nanny and commuting to work and back (since many days I drive my car to countryside), there's some extra flow of money in our family and some times a little left over from my salary too, and that's great!
• Discovering ways to be greener employee- in the office, going to work by bicycle (especially cool if together with my husband!), taking my home made meals to work, putting out some green initiatives at work, exploring options of car pooling when traveling to/from countryside etc. It just enlarges my green vision at times, and also allows to spot the problems in our society..
• Appreciation- of what you have, what you can do, your health, your hobbies, your interests and most of all- family. Prioritization is a key to feeling great about what you are doing, and that only has become that clear since I started working. And that's a fantastic way to have all your cups filled to be in harmony with your true nature..
• New visions for future- every step you take makes you realize what you want to be and how you want to live your life. Some new, some would even say extreme future visions have come up in our family, and I will be happy to share them here too. Not going into detail yet, but I can tell that it's about new levels of our family health, greenness in the lifestyle and family activities, educating our child and ourselves and even business. So I hope for your support when it all comes into light!
• Business trips- they have a bright side too- networking with Climate Change people, seeing new places, meeting also some friends that live on those locations, and learning to use the time wisely (both for work and pursuit of my own interests in "after work hours", doing yoga in the morning when no one is crying for you to stay in bed or climbing on you being at upward dog, etc..), which makes me tired, but also very happy and harmonized when I return!

There are probably some more, but these were the first ones that come in mind when someone asks me whether it's worth to work currently and whether I like my job.. I do, and I will continue working as long as I like my job and as long as my priority list stays in the right order for me and our family to feel in harmony.. 

What are your ups and downs of being a greenie at work and being green working mom? 

New green job

It's been awfully quiet on green carpet lately. I wish I could say that I've been losing myself in my green endeavours or studying hard the sustainable development program. But it's neither.
It's all because (congratulations to myself) I have got a job!
So now I am a Senior Official at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, at the Climate Change and Adaptation Policy Division.
Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?

It's been hard for the first 3 weeks to be at work again and to encounter everything that working mom has to. But my little one is taking it all right at the moment and she's cared for my mom or our long term helper at the family, so she's doing good now. Since I still brestfeed her during days and nights, at least she still gets all the usual goodies.

Since I'm now totally consumed in learning everything that my job requires and getting ready to first business trips that will be a challenge (I've never been away from my baby for the whole day+night), my brain capacity has not been quick enough to build up for continuing studying or writing. I'm hoping I'll do better on my time (and brain) management very soon not to fall behind in any area of my life.

Working with climate change issues and even more, adaptation to climate change, has been kind of a dream job. I am very happy to have this opportunity now and I'll do my best while not compromising my family life.

Even though I'm glad to be in the middle of such significant processes as project to develop national adaptation strategy etc, I'm jaw dropping suprised how low importance is payed to the green lifestyle in between my colleagues. And how the international, European and national bureaucratic systems are contributing to the climate change just in their own business (huge amounts of paper printing, incredibly large amounts of business travel etc.). I aim to change what I can and keep hoping that with time what Europe is planning (low carbon economy by 2050 with emissions reduction by 80-95%, for example) will also change how the system works.

Commuting to the work and back has also increased my personal car use, shared car use and public transport use, I'm scared to think of the numbers. I really do hope that the Spring will soon be here (doesn't look like if I glance through my window) so I can ride my bicycle again!

I hope I get to post some study notes and other info soon again!