I know some of you may not receive the Santa Rosa mothers group newsletter so I just wanted to pass a long this information about The Living Room's Gift and Clothing drive going on during the month of November.

The Living Room is a wonderful local agency that supports women and children in homeless situations. If you are able to donate gift items (for women or children), clothing or food items (particularly those listed below) or if you can donate some of your time at the organization during the week of Dec 14 while they are setting up for the holidays and making it a really special time for their participants, anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or the Living Room coordinator Caroline Banuelos at 321-0976 or cbanuelos@thelivingroomsc.org

Thank you very much in advance if you can help in any way. - Emily Vincent


Here (below) is a copy of an article written in this months newsletter with more detailed info.....

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The Living Room Clothing and Gift Drive

By Mary Hortin & Emily Vincent – Community Service Coordinators

 For the last several years, the Santa Rosa Mothers’ Club has collected donations for The Living Room’s Holiday Store. We are proud to be continuing this tradition again this year. The Living Room is very concerned about receiving enough items this year.

 The Living Room is a daytime, drop-in center providing safe haven for women and their children who are homeless in Santa Rosa. Throughout the year, women who utilize The Living Room earn “points” which they use at the “store” to purchase donated goods for themselves and their children for the holidays.They serve people from 0-80 years old.

Don’t be intimidated by this long list, whatever you can do to help is greatly appreciated.

Please only NEW, unused items.

For their Christmas store and Santa’s visit: new children’s toys (no plush toys please) and adult gifts.

 High need items are:

• Pajamas (two piece sets sizes 4-14)
• Blanket sleepers (toddler sizes)
• Slippers for mothers and children (all sizes)
• Pocket calendars
• New underwear (kids to adult, especially ladies’ sizes 8 and up)
• Diapers (especially sizes 5 and 6)
• Sanitary pads and tampons
• Anything for cold and rainy weather (especially socks, gloves, scarves, hats, blankets, coats, sleeping bags and umbrellas)
• Stocking stuffer items
• Gift cards for teenagers (movies and clothes)
• Handheld games
• Arts and craft supplies
• Cosmetic bags
• Large shampoos
• Hair accessories (brushes, combs, clips, scrunchies)

The Living Room feeds 60-80 people two meals a day.

They frequently run out of items like :

• oatmeal packets,
• packets of hot chocolate,
• tea (especially herbal)
• dry cereal.

 Items need to be turned in to The Living Room by December 10 becasue the store and dinner party are the next week.

The Living Room is seeking volunteers for the week of December 14^th.Even a small amount of your time would be greatly appreciated. 

Duties would range from

• setting up the store for the women and children,
• assisting them in selecting items  
• wrapping gifts

If you are interested in helping please contact Caroline Banuelos at 321-0976 or cbanuelos@thelivingroomsc.org

Drop off sites all through November / Deadline Dec 9th:

 The Living Room

636 Cherry St

Santa Rosa 95404

cbanuelos@thelivingroomsc.org

Monday through Friday OPEN 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

       or) Emily Vincent

579-3566 or emilyvincent@hotmail.com

(I can pick up your items if you are unable to deliver to one of the drop off sites)

Mary Hortin

570-1621 or morthort@sonic.net

On December 7, we are hosting a Amnesty International Write A Thon at our house from 10 - 1 where we will try to write as many letters as possible in the name of human rights around the world. I hope you can join us.

This will be an adult event so either Cam or I will take the kids out while one of us stays here to write letters. 

December 10--International Human Rights Day--marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You can honor this important day by participating in Amnesty International's Global Write-a-thon--the world's largest letter writing event. Write letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders at risk of severe human rights violations. Join thousands of people across the United States and around the world for this monumental event.

CAn you imagine?? Could it get ANY better?!

 http://www.thewhofarm.org/

PRESIDENT ELECT BARACK OBAMA (I love saying that) has a new website now.

Now that we have probably all had a moment to breathe a big sigh of relief after Tuesdays results, we as a country still have tremendous issues we have to deal with. I have been thinking about the promises made to change our health care system, the war in Iraq ending (hopefully soon), national energy changes and the environment.....

Here is a website that outlines the Obama administration's ( I really love saying that) focus and plan to deal with all these issues and more.  I like this website because it gives you the sense at least  of transparency in our government and also makes you feel like your voice and opinion matter to our leaders.

I encourage everyone to take a look around.

Since we are opening the blog discussion to broader issues, I want to voice my opinion regarding Proposition 8. The California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in May of this year, ruling that the state Constitution's promise of equal protection affords gays and lesbians the same right to marry as heterosexual couples. The ruling overturned Proposition 22, passed by voters in 2000, which defined marriage as only between a man and a woman. By amending the Constitution, Proposition 8 would remove the basis for the court's ruling.

I had an acquaintance send me an email (who must not know me very well) a few weeks ago, asking me to vote yes on the proposition. I told her that my family was voting NO on PROP 8 because we believe in equal rights for all people. Her reply was "I agree w/equal rights for everyone, too, in fact, there are people in my own family who are gay- I just don't feel it is needs to be 'taught' as part of curriculum, esp in kindergarten." 

I was surprised by the connection she made between gay marriage and school curriculum so I looked it up on the internet. Of course there are arguments made from both sides of the Proposition on how it would or wouldn't impact school curriculum. Here is what I believe:

Kate Kendell, executive director for the national Center for Lesbian Rights, said it’s a mistake to compare Massachusetts education policy with that of California because of the different education laws and provisions for opting out offered to parents in California.

“The claim that Prop. 8 has anything to do with schools is a lie,” Kendell said. “The way children are taught today won’t change one bit.”

The California Teachers Association, state superintendent O’Connell, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the American Civil Liberties Union, and gay and civil rights groups oppose Prop. 8, saying it is misleading to inject education into the debate over gay marriage.

“Bringing in education as part of the campaign for Prop. 8 is solely designed to scare people into supporting the elimination of rights of people to marry the person they love,” Kendell said.

On Tuesday, supporters of Prop. 8 attempted through blogs and e-mails to encourage parents to keep their kids home from school to protest a decision last week by the California Teachers Association to donate $1 million to the “No on Prop. 8” campaign. But local school districts reported no significant changes in absentee rates.

The thought also crossed my mind that as someone who believes in equal rights for everyone, I want my children to be taught in school that all human beings have (or should have) equal rights when it comes to marriage, voting, job opportunities, or any other human right for that matter.  How sad to think that some people feel so threatened by that notion of human rights for everyone.

We've all heard a lot about The Weather Underground latley with McCain's smear campaign on Obama.  Last night we watched the documentary, it was a good history lesson about the turmoil that took place during the 70's.  

If you've been thinking about donating to the Obama campaign, but haven't yet... now's the time.  Midnight tonight is when they are making decisions about where to fight the hardest.  

 Just go to:

https://donate.barackobama.com/finalfight

Every little bit helps.

I know how I am voting on most of the issues this November. However, there are a few that have been difficult for me to weigh the pros and cons.

One resource for information on voting on the propositions is at the California Democratic Party's website. 

Does anyone else have any good resources for voting information? 

This is a ballot measure that prohibits the cruel confinement of certain farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs. Pigs during pregnancy are confined in metal cages called gestation crates and are unable even to turn around for months on end. Young calves are also kept purposely confined in veal crates so small they are barely able to move for nearly their entire lives. And egg-laying hens are often kept in tiny battery cages, unable even to spread their wings.

Prop 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, will provide more humane treatment of millions of farm animals by phasing out their confinement in small crates and cages where they can barely move for virtually their entire lives. The law would take effect in 2015 and would require that calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens are given enough space to turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs. Similar laws have been passed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, and throughout the European Union’s 27 member countries.

Some of the many supporters of Prop 2 include: 

The Humane Society of the US
California Veterinary Medical Assn
Center for Food Safety
Union of Concerned Scientists

Sierra Club
Consumer Federation of America
California Democratic Party
California Council of Churches IMPACT

Cameron and I are hosting a Call Party for Obama on October 26, Sunday at our house.

11- 2 pm

Bring you cell phones and your charming phone voices!

We will feed you : ) 

This weekend I volunteered my time for the Obama campaign and went to a Obama calling party.  (Along with a fellow Green Daddy I might add!)  The last time I did anything slightly political (other than voting of course) was when I was taking a political science class in college and needed extra credit, so I stood in front of a store getting signitures on some petitions.  Oh, and a few months back I gatherd all of two signitures and sent them in for the Animal Rights Bill.  

I found out about the volunteer opportunity from an email i recieved from MoveOn.org.  Ok, actually I did not take any action on that email until Emily sent me a follow-up email suggesting that her husband and I go to the event! :)  I'm so glad she gave me the nudge, because honistly I don't think I would have actually made it to the calling party totally on my own.  

I was very nervous.  I was pretty sure that Move On would provide good training, and they did.  I was pretty sure they would provide a phone script, and they did.  But I think it was that idea of putting my beliefs out there feeling a little vulnerable.  I'm a pretty tollerant person.  I know what I believe, but I don't tell others what to think and I don't like others telling me what to think.  So making these phone calls was stepping out of my comfprt zone, big time.  

I'm so glad I did it.  We were calling progressives in Washington state, to help get people in place to help with a major campaign effort there.   Following is an excerpt from the email I received from the coordinator after the calling party.

Hi Everybody,
 
Thank you for coming yesterday.  We made over 170 calls and recruited a dozen volunteers.  That means we started with  6 active volunteers and now we have 18!  Really good work.  I hope to see you all again soon.
 
Mary
A proud MoveOn.org volunteer

Getting Obama in the White House is an important issue to me.  I have spoken with my dollars and now I can say that I have spoken with my voice too.  After a well deserved glass of wine to sooth my nerves, I said I'd gladly do it again.

This may or may not be an issue that is near and dear to you.  But I urge you, to consider becoming politically active in a way that works for you.

Tonight Barack Obama will give his acceptance speech as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States at the  Democratic National Convention .  The  convention has been  going on since  Monday night, some very  run of the mill speeches and some excellent. If you haven't had a chance to watch, Michelle Obama, Hillary and  Bill Clinton's speeches were particularly impressive.  I am sure you can check them all out here on Obama's website.  The  DNC is being  televised on most major news networks from 5 - 8 pm PT.  I am sure Obamas speech will be  inspiring as usual so if you can, check it out.

About 6-8 months ago, I wrote a post about how I noticed some pretty tremendous water wasting happening ay the YMCA showers (where I shower every morning). Some women would turn on and leave showers to "heat up" that need no heating up, some women would shower in one and let their bathing suit "shower" under another head.....just stuff where I thought "I can't keep watching this happen and not do something about it". So I asked a woman (very nicely, I thought) if she would turn off the shower she was using for her bathing suit because we were in a drought and it was wasting water. She looked at me funny, then laughed and kept the 2 showers going. I thought sarcastically "that went well" and then thought "I really don't want to get into any more of a confrontation while naked with another naked woman in the community shower area".

So I wrote a letter to the Director of Operations at the Y and asked if they could post signs requesting that people conserve water. Within a few days, nice big lamenated signs were up in every  corner of the shower area. I was so impressed with the YMCA for taking my request and acting so quickly. As the months have gone by, the signs began to fall off the shower walls (or maybe the 2-shower-head-lady took them down one by one : ) Either way, I asked the Operations Director a few weeks ago if she could put up those signs again and she did one better...she ordered permanent acryllic signs for the shower areas and they are up today. They look great!!!

All of this is just to say that if you ever feel like you should speak up about something but think you won't be listened to or you may get laughed at, I am saying that ...well , you may get laughed at (lady in the shower) but you may also be surprised to find that (especially on a local level) people are very responsive in general to ideas and positive changes.

I get lazy though and see things that need changing and think about them and think about them and never end up saying something.

So here is my challenge to myself  for local things I have thought about for a long time that need changing and haven't acted on them but will now.  

#1 Ask Trader Joes to look at alternatives to their double bagging system. I know they say that they do it because the handles fall off but then they should purchase bags  with handles that don't fall off or bags with no handles (like they had in the "old" days...TJ's is so good about rewarding people who bring their own bags and reminding shoppers before they enter the store "Did you remember your bags?"....The double bagging system seems to me to be counter to their otherwise eco-minded, anti-bag-ness (is that a word?)

 #2 Ask Safeway to display their reusable bags that are for sale by the check out lanes (seems logical right?). The last  ten times I have been to Safeway, the reusable bag display has been hidden in obscure back corners of the store where people either won't see it at all or will see it AFTER they have realized they forgot their bags and so selected plastic/ paper.

#3 Ask the YMCA to start using something other than Styrofoam for their complmentary coffee they give out in the a.m. It's really nice they give out coffee (God bless them for that) but the Styrofoam has got to go. I will also ask them to make a little sign that requests that members please bring their own mug.

I will keep you updated on the feedback / changes if any, I find after sending these letters. 

I enjoyed this article alot...here is an excerpt:

For us to wait for legislation or technology to solve the problem of how we're living our lives suggests we're not really serious about changing--something our politicians cannot fail to notice. They will not move until we do. Indeed, to look to leaders and experts, to laws and money and grand schemes, to save us from our predicament represents precisely the sort of thinking--passive, delegated, dependent for solutions on specialists--that helped get us into this mess in the first place. It's hard to believe that the same sort of thinking could now get us out of it.
 

Here is a copy of the email I just sent out.  It made me a little nervous to put my opinion out there like that, but I feel good that I did it.

 Does anyone have an issue or candidate in tomorrows election you feel strongly about? 

Friends & Family,

I usually don't send political emails, but I am a Move On member and one of their recent emails encouraged us to send emails to those we care about if we support Obama.  Well I was trying to decide between Obama and Clinton and after a couple days of reading, listening, and thinking I've decided to put my support behind Obama.  

You can cut and paste this link into your browser if you want to see one of the clips that really helped me decide.  Oh, and I think Move On is a really great organization and is helping me to act on my political beliefs.  You should check out their website if you're interested in learning more.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5h95s0OuEg

www.moveon.org

HAPPY VOTING TOMORROW!

Jennifer
www.greenmommy.org

What do all you GreenMommies know about the 2008 presidential candidates running for office in November and their records on environmental protection?

Do you have an idea of who you will be voting for in November? 

What are the most important issues for you when voting someone into office?

Do you know of any websites that fairly and objectively sum up the presidential candidates past record on environmental issues and/or feelings about protecting the environment?

So, I know it isn't official "turn off TV week" (I think it is in April), but I am planning a little experiment to keep the TV off for a week, and then blog of my experience.

  Anyone want to join me? 

I think you should read this article about what is going to happen as 2009 approaches. The 2nd page of the article talks about how disposing of TV's will effect the landfills and our environment.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22401907/wid/11915829?gt1=10841 

This November, environmentalists, social activists and concerned citizens in as many as 65 countries will hit the streets for a 24-hour consumer fast in celebration of the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day, a global cultural phenomenon that originated in Vancouver, Canada.

A friend of mine in Sacramento invited me over for the day after Thanksgiving to hang out, enjoy each others company and purposely not participate in buying anything on the country's biggest shopping day of the year. I thought that was a great idea. I wanted to pass that idea and this website on to you...... 

Co-op America is offering free membership to those who visit the Green Festival in San Fransisco.

If you enjoy what you read in Co-op America's E-newsletters and have been waiting to become a supporting member—Green Festival™ is the perfect opportunity to cash in on membership!

Buy the Festival Pass for only $15—three days unlimited festivities—and receive a FREE Co-op America membership. All you have to do is sign up!

We have discussed the Green Festival before and this is just another bonus for going. I also read that you receive a free 1 year subscription to Plenty Magazine with paid admission. It should be fun!  

Kiva is a non profit organization that lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. You can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the 6 - 12 month loan, you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

I love the idea of  Kiva  because it is a long term solution for the working poor in developing countries and gives people with creativity and drive an opportunity to have a dream and make it come true. 

Over the summer, the House passed a version of the Farm Bill that's almost identical to the current unfair Farm Bill -- the one that's been paying subsidies to millionaires instead of investing to help organic agriculture grow. Now its up to the Senate to give organic farming support and affirmation. It is important for us to call our Senators and ask them to support the Grow Organics Proposal.

If you do have the chance to call, write or email your Senator to support the Grow Organics Proposal, which will invest an additional $1 billion in organics over the next 5 years, here are a few points you can make about the Grow Organics Proposal.

The Proposal will support local farmers markets and community supported agriculture, assist farmers converting to organic, increase research on organic, chemical-free pest control, boost conservation aid to help organic farmers take good care of our land and environment and put more healthy, U.S.-grown organic food on families tables.