I had the pleasure of attending the Go Green Expo in NYC this past weekend, and during what are such unarguably challenging times, it is heartening and impressive to see how many entrepreneurial people and innovative new products are flooding the market supporting the effort towards to sustainability. It was like a breath of fresh air—literally and figuratively considering how much we can lower our carbon footprint and promote health and well being by choosing eco-friendly alternatives—to see that so many companies are emerging to support responsibility . . . tough times notwithstanding . . . because it’s the right thing to do.

Despite whatever setbacks our administration is experiencing pushing through their cleaner energy plans, it’s amazing to see how much progress is being made on the grass roots level, and walking the aisles of this show you could literally feel the momentum building. The energy and excitement, and the broad spectrum of products and services—including food and beverage, health and beauty, fashion, automotive, building, gardening, decorating, travel, education, jobs, toys, and even services such as dry cleaning, printing, and limos—was inspiring. I left the expo feeling upbeat and optimistic for the first time in many months, realizing that progress is truly being made and that more and more people and companies are joining the effort.

It’s been a long time coming, but the eco-trickle is finally starting to flow full force. What are some of the great new eco-friendly products and services you’ve seen lately? We’d love to know, so leave your comments below.

—Diana Murphy, canvas editor in chief

I was speaking with a writer named Gabrielle Selz this week about covering a really interesting upcoming conference called Women’s Initiative for a Sustainable Earth, which will be held at the Southampton campus of Stony Brook University on March 27 to 29, 2009. The conference is being planned by a group of women who are deeply concerned about climate change. According to the press release, the purpose of the event is “to educate themselves and attendees about the effects of weather patterns, learn grassroots leadership practices, understand how change happens, and move toward action and advocacy for resilient and sustainable communities.”

Per Gabrielle, “At first a three-day event may seem like a lot of time to devote—we all have busy schedules—but there is a process of learning, absorption, processing, and connection that has to take place. We’re trying to get up to speed fast, on a problem that is snowballing—no pun intended. In order to do that we need to make the commitment of time to engage with one another and build community . . . one conversation at a time . . . so that we almost have a cathartic experience and come away transformed and ready to take action, even in the smallest way.”

The conference will host an impressive panel of speakers and performers, and invite attendees to actively participate. Find out more details at http://www.sowise.org/

This is just the sort of grass-roots effort I deeply admire and am so happy to see is happening in a time when it seems like there are so many social and environmental causes to be concerned about, though so many of us—myself included—are often apathetic, or even paralyzed, about doing anything about. As our apathy and stagnation is likely due to simply not knowing how to participate, this conference seems like a great platform to learn about what’s going on and how to become involved.

I encourage you all to attend, and please visit back to this site to let us know what you learned and how others can get in on the action, or feel free to weigh in on your thoughts by posting your comments below!

—Diana Murphy, canvas editor in chief

Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard you try to change old habits, they sometimes have a way of sneaking back when you least expect it? I caught myself automatically reaching for a paper towel the other day amidst simultaneously washing dishes, cooking dinner, talking on the phone, and answering a text message, and it wasn’t until I was throwing the dirty towel away that I suddenly realized I should have used a sponge or a cotton dish towel to mop up the mess. In all likelihood, multi-tasking is to blame, as most women I know are just like me, often juggling too many tasks at once.

I’ve cut my use of paper towels down to the bare minimum–and feel a wave of eco-guilt every time I do use them on those occasions when there is no better alternative (spilled bacon grease ring a bell? or stepping in the stinky surprise my friend’s dog left outside my back door last time he came over?). So I was particularly disappointed in myself that when I wasn’t paying enough attention, out of old habit I reverted to bad uber-consumer behavior. And once it’s done, you can’t take it back, just wallow in self-disgust and hope that next time that mindless wasteful action won’t inadvertently repeat itself.

Perhaps part of my commitment to living more sustainably should include slowing down and trying not to do so many things at once, which is admittedly  increasingly difficult in our time-stretched, overly techno-intrusive 21st Century society. Simplifying, slowing down, stripping away . . . just saying these words has a calming effect. Perhaps it’s something we should all consider as a priority, so we are more aware of being in the moment and are less apt to let those old bad habits rear their ugly heads.

What are some of the bad old habits you’ve caught yourself reverting to now and again? And what are some ways you’ve tried to combat them? We’d love to know . . . leave your comments below.

Ok, you may find the subject of this blog completely gross, and my husband can’t believe I’m even writing about it, but here’s one more dilemma that wannabe eco chics (and dudes) face every time that leftover pot of meat sauce lingers too long in the fridge.

Is it better to toss it in the garbage, or flush it down the toilet? My husband and I argued over this point recently (in fact, he was aghast when I said  I would blog about it) one night when he saw me scraping too-old meat sauce into the garbage and told me to just flush it down the toilet. “Down the toilet?!?” I exclaimed? Isn’t that polluting? Though, given what else gets flushed, his argument may hold merit. My technique of tossing in the trash isn’t any better—the meat will rot in the landfill—which is just as polluting . . . or is it more?

What is the right way to handle this daily past-its-prime dinner dilemma? Meat cannot be composted. I wouldn’t serve bad meat to my dog (and the garlic and spices might not be the best thing for his digestion). I’m not about to set it outside for the raccoons or other animals to scavenge in my suburban backyard.

You are probably thinking “this girl’s got to get a life,” which may be true, but that doesn’t mitigate the fact that every single day we face life’s little challenges and need to decide what the right thing to do is. Sometimes those answers aren’t so easy, even if the task at hand is a simple one. So, what do you think? The trash or the toilet?

–Diana Murphy, editor in chief of canvas

I did it again–succumbed to the tantalizing, delicious-looking blueberries from Chile that were 99 cents a pack at the local grocery store. For one thing, 99 cents is a great deal–especially in this economy–not to mention yogurt (my usual breakfast) is so much better with fresh berries mixed in (ok, even better with granola on top, too). And this batch of berries tastes even better than they look–fresh picked and dewy. Though how could they be fresh-picked and dewy if they come from Chile? And how can they get away with selling them for 99 cents when they’ve been shipped so far? And why did I buy them, knowing they were grown on a farm I know nothing about and burned who-know’s how much carbon dioxide getting here to Long Island from South America?

Well, the fact that blueberries are one of the healthiest foods, rich in anti-oxidants–and as if that weren’t a good enough excuse, just plain yummy–takes a little bit of sting out of the purchase. But no matter how good they are, or healthy to eat, does that mitigate the fact that they arrived in a polluting manner from many miles away, and for all I know could come from a farm that could be taking advantage of workers and/or harming the earth?

These are just the sort of things that run through my head while I’m shopping. Should I or shouldn’t I? Which is the better choice, depriving myself of inexpensive, nutritious fruit or saving the environment by not purchasing it. Conflicting thoughts keep whacking at my conscience…if I didn’t buy it someone else would, or worse, it will get thrown out; or, maybe voting with my pocketbook (and saving a buck) by passing on the berries will potentially be the better choice for the greater good. These are the kinds of thoughts every eco-conscious person grapples with every day; even the smallest choices–like whether to go for a pack of berries for a buck–have an impact. In this case, better health: get the berries; better earth: don’t buy them until they are in season from a local source. Which is right? Will we ever really know?

Diana Murphy, editor in chief of canvas