Speaking of heroes, athletes seem to be naturals at it. And many of them continue to shine long after they leave the winner’s circle.

Tennis now steps up to the plate net with the announcement of GreenSlam, a organization promoting socially and environmentally responsible change through the power of sports. Founder, Billie Jean King, tennis legend and social activist, is no stranger to using her voice for good. She has teamed up with llana Kloss, CEO and Commissioner of World Team Tennis, to move professionals, along with the entire tennis industry, towards GreenSlam standards.

With programs that include global ecologically supportive athletic events, “green-collar” work/study opportunities and cleaning up roadways, GreenSlam reaches into all aspects of the sports world, including its fans.

Prince Sports stepped into the ring court as sponsor, along with the Tennis Industry Association and Firm Green Energy Inc, a leader in renewable energy initiatives, big names that go right to the source.

“If the billions of people who live and love sports take just one single step, we can win back our planet.”
- Billie Jean King.

Love. Set. Match.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, has announced plans for opening a bike shop and commuting center in downtown Austin, TX, in May of this year. It will include bicycle/gear sales, bicycle storage and showers for commuters, a training facility and a cafe. Now you can ride in to work, grab a shower, breakfast and a chat with other riders before continuing to the office (by foot, bus, or pedicab).

Mellow Johnny’s, named for the yellow jersey, is making good-sense use of an existing 1950’s building and it is not just about the bike. Lance acknowledges the importance of encouraging and supporting a cycling culture in growing cities like Austin, “We have to promote (bike) commuting. This can be a hub for that.” Armstrong also promotes the addition of safe roadways for cyclists, positioning the new shop in close proximity to the the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a path conceived of by a local cycling activist and subsequently funded by the city of Austin, that loops approximately 6 miles through the center of the downtown area.

With the revitalization of urban areas and the move towards mixed-use communities, an accessible mass transit system combined with a commuter bike center and safe bicycle lanes is what every city needs and what an eco-motivated population deserves. And I think many of us are motivated and inspired by new ideas and hope for a liveable and happy future.

And, I’m motivated by heroes like Lance, who, instead of resting on his laurels, is doing what he knows best and doing it for Change. Now I know that I’m riding with the best of them.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

What do Bill Maher, David Letterman and Bob Barker have in common besides television? When it comes to how we treat animals, they get it.

In the Ecorazzi news, Bob Barker donates 1 million dollars to his Missouri alma mater to establish a undergraduate animal-ethics program that will teach about animal advocacy. Mr. Barker closed every telecast of his long-standing game show, The Price is Right, by urging people to spay and neuter their pets. He doesn’t feel it was enough. At age 84 and recently retired from his day job, he plans to commit even more time to his activist work for the animals.

Bill Maher, in response to criticism that PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, sometimes “crosses the line” in their activist efforts - Says Bill, “It’s not the worst thing in the world to cross the line. To me, a much worse thing is to never even approach the line. ”

David Letterman, late night TV host, on the circus - “What is more American than eating cotton candy and watching animal abuse? Am I right?”

My closing reminders: Adopt from shelters and rescues, don’t buy from breeders. Spay and neuter. Train don’t restrain. Don’t visit the circus or urban zoos. Don’t eat animals raised in feed lots. Support animal advocacy with your words, your actions and your wallet. Animals have a lot to teach and share with us. Let’s pay attention.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’m happy to be this week’s host of Tree Hugger’s Carnival of the Green, a kind of green-love link-fest where blogs collect stand-out posts from green cyber-space and give them a shout-out on their home page. Tree Hugger manages the carnival of bloggers who submit posts that they’d like to see included and they are mentioned and linked on different sites each Monday. The Evangelical Ecologist hosted last week and next week’s carnival will be at Made Eejits.

Lots of talk out there about the practice of Hypermiling - the art optimizing your car’s fuel efficiency. Brave New Leaf - an inspiring read from a “normal American guy” who recently “woke up” to the ways of green, introduces us to the techniques and to a hypermiling expert who can push a Prius up to 120 mpg. Mindful Momma, a going-green mom of 2 in Minneapolis (my hometown!) who hopes to inspire lively conversation while sharing her trials, tributes and “crazy ideas”, also sounds enthusiastic about the possibilities of the sport of hypermiling, though cautions over some of the extreme techniques. (All this explains why I consistently get an average mileage in the 50’s in my Pruis. With my dogs often riding in the back seat, I use my gas pedal and brakes sparingly and carefully, making me a budding hypermiler!)

Of course, Veggie Revolution folks are getting by and getting vibrantly fit on two wheels with a little mass transit on the side. And, since I’m working on taking my own bicycling commitment to something a step beyond fair weather, I was hanging onto every word in this rainy day commute story.

Woolovers takes a close look at the eco-mindedness of wool, comparing it with the sad state of most of our toxic cotton textiles industry. I love wool of all textures and I’m glad to know more about how it is produced. And thanks for giving me a new word, “hygroscopic” to describe one of its many benefits.

Beth at Fake Plastic Fish has been making plastic-free changes in CA since June 2007 and shares her list of 34 changes to date. I can bet you have not seen all of these yet. Here’s your chance to be audience to the dedicated research she has done to reveal the truth about a plastic called DW2, being manufactured with additives making it into a “chemo-degradable” product.

Plastic and kids have seemed to merge into a huge mess over the decades - almost every toy, diaper, diaper bag, sippy cup, pacifier and other kid things are filled with this petroleum-based toxic stuff. David at The Good Human, wants to encourage everyone to be a better human in environmental and other ways. Here he shares a parent-friendly list of the Top Ten Ways To Green Your Children.

I’ve always felt that making stuff was far more fun than playing with any toy I ever had. My Recycled Bags shares her own Valentine’s project for all ages using recycled denim. The instructions are specific and step by step, making it a nice partner project between parents and kids.

I’ve previously revealed my admiring fondness for No Impact Man and it looks like Healthy and Green by the Day is equally enamored with the idea of a family finding ways to reduce consumption and get back to the simple and fun parts about being together. Never mind hypermiling, this blogger reminds us that the greenest car in the world is no car.

Cars, airplanes, trains, bicycles…there’s so much to consider in the way we move about the place. My favorite bumper sticker goes way back and it says, “My other car is a pair of hiking boots.” I rarely take mine off, meaning that I’ve managed to wear out some of the most rugged, making this post from Green Deals Daily of special interest to me. Timberland’s Earthkeepers have hit all the eco-angles with these mountain-friendly hikers.

GP at Etched In Stone runs an Inn in Montana showing good horse sense - literally and of the green variety. Her submission has sound, detailed and motivating advice for de-cluttering your space for the new year as well as reminders about keeping perspective on what we really need to acquire in the first place.

Melanie at Bean Sprouts shares a very small ex-coucil house in the UK with 5 people, grows food, keeps chickens and bees - co-housing life at its finest. She is already planning a green and leafy garden for spring and gives some good insight on how best to do it.

Giving Hands is a great place to increase your awareness of matters pertaining to charity, environment and volunteerism. January of this year kicked off his “Save The Ocean Month” and you can go here to learn about our oceans at risk and explore the many ways to help turn the tide.

Oceans and fish are both in peril and it’s becoming more and more clear that fish farms are not an answer to helping either one. Why Travel France tells us about the increasingly popular - meaning cheap - farmed Pangas fish who is being injected with hormones, subjected to unnatural food and pesticides and showing up with high levels of toxins - mad fish disease anyone?

That wraps up this week’s Carnival. Thanks for joining us, for your thoughts and ideas and for being part of the Way of Change! Tao

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Carol Moseley Braun learned a thing or two from her political career - much of it in regards to the problems with with farm policy. As a former Senator, Ambassador and presidential candidate, Braun calls the current farm subsidies, “hideous” and advocated more practical assistance for farmers wanting to transition to organic growing and other programs that would put healthier foods in communities and schools. An advocate of the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Adelle Davis, Braun is still walking the talk.

In a recent interview in Grist, Braun’s post-political endeavors supports biodynamic farming - “the most sustainable farming model in the world.” Biodynamics is more than “organic”. It uses methods which optimize the health value of food and the land it comes from. “Bios” means life and “dynamis” means energy - meaning biodynamic farming refers to working with the energies which create and maintain life.

In 2002, Braun founded Good Food Organics, a parent company to Ambassador Organics, a line of coffees, teas and spices now being carried in Whole Foods Markets and other health food stores. As the first company to market the benefits of biodynamic farming, she hopes it build a constituency and serve as a “point of reference” for people in choosing best quality for best health. Braun hopes to expand her product to “real food” and to make it more accessible to lower income communities.

For more on the methods and benefits of biodynamic farming, enjoy this contribution from friend and nutrition counselor, Greg, below:

by Greg Gillette, Asheville, NC

Biodynamic farming is the most comprehensive, holistic approach to working with the land. It encompasses the Earth, stars, planets, animals and humans working together to bring forth a truly self-sustaining living farm. It is far more than organic farming. Biodynamic agriculture is an ongoing, living path of knowledge rather than an assemblage of methods and techniques.

Many wonderful methods are utilized on a biodynamic farm, such as: integration of crops and livestock, crop rotations, comprehensive composting, planting and harvesting to the cycles of the moon, sun, planets, and stars, using livestock manure as fertilizer, feeding the livestock from the crops, careful observations of nature, and the use of special Biodynamic preparations, which consist of naturally occurring plant and animal materials that are combined in specific recipes in certain seasons of the year, and then placed in compost piles. These preparations bear concentrated forces within them and are used to organize the chaotic elements within the compost piles. When the process is complete, the resulting preparations are medicines for the Earth, which draw new life forces from the cosmos.

Biodynamic agriculture is a part of Anthroposophy, which was founded by Rudolf Steiner. Anthroposophy is a spiritual scientific approach to life, which integrates precise observation of natural phenomena, clear thinking, knowledge of the spirit, and our connectedness with each other, the Earth, the Cosmos, and the spiritual world.

Contact Greg Gillette at dancegreg@yahoo.com

One of Jerry’s favorite inspirational quotes from The Reverend, Martin Luther King, Jr.

If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as
Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare
wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the host of heaven and
earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

–The Reverend, Martin Luther King Jr.

Last night, we attended an event, Hoop Liberation Jam, falling on the eve of this day of remembrance of a great man who changed the course of history for all of us. His words illuminated so many aspects of our lives and values that they will serve us well into all eternity. If only we take time to listen.

We gathered in a circle to set and share intentions. We honored the symbol of the circle (hoop) as a symbol of our interconnectedness and Oneness. We wished for the liberation of all people to be free - to be free to be awake, alive and whole.

Then we danced inside of our hoops. The energy of it has lingered into today. I’m listening. Tao

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Winter has been hard to find lately. Skis, snowboards and ice skates stay stowed away for longer periods of time each year. The mountainous snowbanks that used to still be melting far into a MN spring, now rarely reach a foot or two all year. The shortcut I took across one of the city’s lakes on my x-cross country skis is no longer a safe bet. And now, Winter can’t even seem to find Alaska.

Citing a warming climate and urban sprawl (connection noted), Grist reports that Iditarod officials announced permanent logistical changes in the race course this year, shortening the length and moving the start location 30 miles north - in search of colder temps, less asphalt and more snow.

Other professional Winter sports athletes are having to adjust to warming issues as well. Skiers, skaters and snowboarders are heeding the call to save their careers - and their passion for Winter sport. According to EMagazine, Snowboarders, Gretchen Bleiler, Lindsey Jacobellis joined the cause after experiencing significant and disturbing changes in practice and event conditions all over the world. Five of the original 8 World Cup snowboarding events were canceled last year due to lack of snow and warm temps.

Boston Bruins hockey player, Andrew Ference, wants the entire NHL to go carbon Neutral. He worked with the David Suzuki Foundation, calculating an emissions output of 25 tons of carbon per player during the sports season for flights and accommodations. He and other players now purchase Gold Standard carbon offsets and have made significant changes in their own lives as well - like driving less and recycling more. Similar meetings are happening with 20 other NHL teams while Olympic alpine skier, Kjetil Andre Aamott of Norway, has founded an anti-globalwarming campaign for Olympic athletes.

Lack of snow also has motivated recreational ski resorts to take action and move towards greener - or whiter - mountains. They may have to run snow making machines more, but some are switching to biodiesel fuel while others are purchasing wind power. The Natural Ski Areas Association joined with NRDC’s Keep Winter Cool campaign, supported and promoted by snowboarder, Ross Powers and Alpine ski racer, Picabo Street. Read more about ski areas going green here.

“It’s a lifestyle change.” says Street in EMagazine, who is making changes in her lifestyle on and off the road. “You have to focus on it, and really commit to it.”

Spoken like a true athlete.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Morgan Freeman says “Our situation, with global warming and air quality and all of that, has gotten to be catastrophic.” Yet, he also tells us he commutes 1,800 miles in his private 7-seater jet to work in movieland of CA. Nicholas Cage owns 13 homes, Tom Cruise uses and abuses a ton ‘o fuel for 4 jets, while John Travolta travels in his own 5 flying machines, including a Boeing 707 airliner.

None of this is too surprising considering the lifestyles of the in-comprehensively rich and disproportionately famous. But, the denial of reason by many celebrities rarely stops there. Attempt to fathom our own Material Girl, revealed to spend approximately $124,000/year on bottles of water for her family - Kabbalah blessed, of course. At $5/bottle That’s 24,000 bottles annually, or 65 bottles disposed of every day. Recycled or not, that’s a whole lotta plastic.

We can’t complain too much - we’ve fueled the celebrity fire. The good news is that even Hollywooders can grow up and many are joining the green ranks - in style, of course. For better or worse, they have the uncanny ability to influence large numbers of the star-struck masses in endless ways. Thank you, Adrian, Ed and Darryl (and others) who are modeling consciousness as only a movie star can.