The Super Coolest Thing Ever

Remember to step back and appreciate the grandeur of what you do.

Recently attending a conference by Textile Exchange in Portland, Oregon, I listened to an amazing Nike bigwig - Adam - talk about the merits of sustainability at Nike. But Adam also brought up a point that was too good to not share.

He told a story where he was on the plane. The guy next to him was reading an article in a magazine about Nike releasing garments made from recycled water bottles. Thrusting the magazine into Adam's face, his eager neighbor exclaimed, "Have you heard about this bro? Water bottles into clothing?? That is the super coolest thing ever!"

At this point, Nike had been working on textiles from recycled water bottles for several years. Adam had been integral in this process, dealing with the growing pains of whether 50% waste or 20% waste was enough of a hurdle - or if zero waste was the only acceptable option. Hours and years of struggles with this a topic inspired less than a "just do it" feeling in the pit of Adam's stomach.

A little put off by his seat-buddy's overzealous introduction and feeling unamused with the subject, Adam leaned forward to respond when words suddenly hit him a little deeper -

That is the super coolest thing ever.

He thought: We make clothing out of water bottles. Something that didn't exist not too long ago. We found a way to recycle something hard on the environment and creating waste in our world. We are making a difference.

"You know what?" Adam conceded happily, "you're right. That is the super coolest thing ever."

This simple anecdote reminded me of how often when we work so hard towards a goal, churning on the problems and obstacles standing in our way for too long, we lose sight of how amazing and important the work we are doing really is. When you are feeling frustrated by minimal progress, staunch opposition, or just being stuck - let's step back and give our journey a chance to speak for itself.

The work we do is important - it will take years, many people, and lots of energy to take the little steps that eventually carry us over the finish line. The work we do is not easy - but the struggle makes us stronger and teaches us lessons for a better future. And, who knows? The work we do, when shown to an outsider - say, an excited dude on a place - might just be the super coolest thing ever.

Find out more about Nike uniforms made from discarded water bottles: http://www.ecouterre.com/nike-outfits-world-cup-teams-in-jerseys-made-from-recycled-bottles/
http://www.ecouterre.com/watch-how-nike-recycles-plastic-water-bottles-into-football-jerseys-video/

Outsourcing the impact on our poor

A couple of days ago two of my girlfriends suggested I come to this talk being put on at the opening of the River Rally in Portland Oregon.
I got the chance to hear from Robert Kennedy Jr. environmental lawyer, activist and President of the Waterkeeper Alliance and Lisa Jackson the EPA's Administrator.

I am embarrassed to say I have never heard either of these leaders speak before, so I was really along for the evening of some food, maybe a glass of wine and a chance to hang out with my friends.

As soon as Mr. Kennedy took the microphone and started talking about the issues going on in this country and the history of the Waterkeeper Alliance my jaw dropped and I was held captivated.
One issue he touched on briefly struck a cord and brought me to tears; as it is something I see continuously in my work. This is the environmental burden we are shifting onto the poor of this country and the world.
Communities of affluence usually have the education, skills and money to push back on environmental pollution.  The poor do not. Places tend to be cheap for a reason, are they near agricultural run off, polluted lands, industrial areas.
I also see the poor of this country being denied access to environmental innovation - I am often told poor people can't buy organic food, solar panels for their homes, cars with good gas mileage. We have a system now that is makes environmentalism elitist.

I wrote about this in a recent blog post on why we need to support organic agriculture as the workers in the fields are being exposed to chemicals in the form of pesticides or insecticides with conventional farming. What are the long term affects of this?  Why should cheap food or clothing be cheap when it is putting people's lives at risk.  And the people who are working in the fields especially here in the United States are doing so out of necessity - most are immigrant labor. And this is where the social piece falls in place - are these people able to defend their rights?

I then was inspired to hear Lisa Jackson speak about the continued need to fight the environmental battle - "just because the lakes aren't on fire, doesn't mean we have saved the environment."  She spoke with such passion and vision for a country that can make the changes we want to see.

The tie of environmental and social justice is so intertwined it speaks to the same battle. I  was inspired and energized to do my part.  Because really it will happen as we each take on a piece and fight the fight for those who do not have the ability to do so - this is our responsibility.
Take one your "I should's" and make it an "I did". You know what to do. This is a values system - all of us living it creates change.