The mean green machine...

Last week for our "Going Green: Endangered Marin" issue, I wrote about some nearby sea creatures in trouble and I did a Q&A with Hunter Lovins, a woman whose company, Natural Capitalism Solutions, helps big businesses authentically "go green." I enjoyed talking with her about the marketing side of "environmentalism," how green technology can save our economy, and what consumers, corporations and the government needs to be doing--and surprisingly, what Wal-mart is already doing--to take a more proactive approach to sustainability.

It was a solid interview, I thought. However, my editor was disappointed I didn't ask Hunter how she got such a cool porn name.

[PHOTOS: Steller sea lions c/o The Marine Mammal Center; Leatherback sea turtle c/o Turtle Island Restoration Network]

Book-woofs

Serious journalists sometimes have to sacrifice life and limb in the pursuit of a story. And that's how I found myself in the middle of the children's section in the San Anselmo Library a couple Fridays ago, surrounded by a pack of bloodthirsty canines and their teeth-baring, pint-sized, vicious cohorts...

Yeah, OK...not really.

My latest story is about a program for children's literacy run by the Marin Humane Society, in which kids practice their skills by reading out loud to adorable pups who're trained for this sort of thing. My editor fully intended it to be a mere "fluff" piece, with the goal of me embarrassing myself by giving the concept a go--except that, instead of the usual happy-doggie children's books, he wanted me to read Old Yeller or Where the Red Fern Grows. He's a nice man--a family man, even--but he can be a rather twisted so-and-so when he wants to be.

When it came time for my turn--and believe me, hordes of cute kids had to be mowed down for the chance--I opted for Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. I figured the dog would appreciate a little over-wrought intellectualism and mind-twisting philosophizing. As it turns out, she did not. Her trainer had to ply the poor pooch with treats to make her--politely--feign interest.

[PICTURED: Top--"Mitzy"; the rest--"Tigger"]

In blogs we trust...

If I spent half as much time here as I do on @#$*! Twitter, we might actually be getting somewhere.

Dammit.

Where the beef is...

Here's my latest story about mmm...the meat industry. For it, I was instructed to watch a screener of this year's limited release documentary about the industrialization of food, Food, Inc. And then I was to read Righteous Porkchop: Finding a good life and good food beyond factory farms by Nicolette Hahn Niman. Surprisingly, after experiencing both the film and book, I was still hungry... but my options for WHAT to eat--with my conscience, appetite and health intact--had significantly dwindled.

I went to interview Nicolette at her home in Bolinas. Nicolette, a badass environmental attorney who worked for Bobby Kennedy, Jr. on his Waterkeeper Alliance organization in Manhattan, ended up marrying Bill Niman, founder of Niman Ranch (a natural meat company collective of over 600 farmers and ranchers) and now lives on their 1,000-acre, seaside BN Niman Ranch.

The property, needless to say, was awesome. And Nicolette--who, just 5 weeks prior (and at the age of 41--or 42?), had popped out a beautiful baby boy named Miles--was totally cool and at ease in her ranch-y surroundings. While we talked about her book and subsequent articles (here's one) in the New York Times and the column she shares with her husband in the Huffington Post, she happily led me around to the turkeys and cows and gi-normous farmhounds...

I was envious. But yeah, she was very inspiring on many levels.

At the very least, I'm a bit more enthusiastic about eating meat (and food, in general) that's been tended to properly--healthfully, ecologically and as humanely as possible. So... no more late-night, drunken ventures to Jack-in-the-Box. Oh, yes, it has come to this, my friends!

And if you live in the Bay Area, here's a list of where to find local, organic meats.

Dude, where's my tsar?

PHOTOS BY JAMES HALL

A couple weeks ago, I drove out to Gallery Route One in Pt. Reyes for an interview. I love making that drive--it's basically a winding one-laner through Marin countryside out past quirky little towns with various random coffeehouses, vintage shops and saloon-ish bars I always mean to stop at some other time when I'm able to be more leisurely--with oceanside Pt. Reyes, the quirkiest and coolest of all, as my endpoint. It kinda reminds me of the road to Hana or driving around Upcountry Maui trying to get lost before you realize that eventually you WILL come full circle. Yes, that's meant to be profound.

But so...I had never been to Gallery Route One but was enthralled immediately, especially by their mission statement: "We believe that art is an intellectual and spiritual necessity that belongs in every community." It's a small space but they managed to utilize it well, with a few very interesting exhibits going on: "Six New Paintings" by Will Thoms, Mardi Burnham's "Nature's Pharmacopia" and "Usual and Unusual Sightings" by Pauline Greenfield and Andrew Romanoff--the subject of my Q&A.

I was also immediately captivated and charmed by Andrew, who makes his art using Shrinky Dinks and, as it turns out, is a direct descendant of the Romanov royal family in Russia (before they were overthrown by the Bolsheviks), thereby making him officially "His Serene Highness Andrew Romanoff." And really, he was rather princely. I mean, check out that ascot! He was quite stylish and smiley--and very sweet--with a lovely British/Russian accent that I could've listened to for hours.

He has this awesome book, too, called The Boy Who Would Be Tsar, that features some of his artwork and history. It's pretty great, actually.

Plus, he had this slightly mischievous or playful twinkle in his eye... and I do believe he patted my ass when we hugged goodbye. Well, whatever...He was so cute and charming I totally didn't mind it.

Anyway, here's the article I wrote about him. I'm pretty sure my editor wanted this story written partly because of the plethora of headline possibilities. Among them, "Shrinky Dinky Little Tsar," "Tsar Trek" and yes, "Dude, where's my Tsar?!" We inevitably went with "A Tsar is Born." Thank goodness.

If you plant it, they will come...

Happy Earth Day!

More photos of Jack Gescheidt's TreeSpirit Project (see link to article below) are here...

Going...going...gone green

Just finished putting the Pacific Sun's latest special "Green Issue" up--meaning, spreading it out over the Website, e-newsletter, Twitter and Facebook pages. Which means, also, that I'm now totally sick of it. But it is a good issue, seriously. You should check it out...

I did two-and-a-half stories in it this time: one's about this photographer, Jack Gescheidt, who is doing a series of photos of, well, basically, naked people in trees. I interviewed him at his big house down a long and windy road in the middle of some lush, yummy-smelling woods. He was really cool, and I totally got his whole vibe--which, of course, heightens the pressure for me of trying to express what he's trying to do... and I made the mistake of reading too many other articles on him so that kinda fucked me all up, too. But what're you gonna do?? I got it done.

I also interviewed (by phone) this 90-year-old reporter/book author named Harold Gilliam. After doing some initial research on the guy, I sort of intimidated myself with all of his great accomplishments. I mean, he was reporting on the environment waaaay before it was this pervasive movement it is today. And he has this cool writing style--I read a couple of his columns (like "Sleepless in Seattle" for example) in the SF Chronicle, where he worked for over 30 years--that was personal and informative and and relevant, and just a great read. But during the research, I got a little bummed because...here's this guy who was a pioneer in environmental journalism in the late-'50s-thru-'90s, somebody who paved the way for all the green reporters today, but because he was doing it pre-Internet, most of his columns, articles and books are not as easily accessible as those of his successors. So hardly anybody knows about him. And they should, you know, out of respect. Anyway, I was honored to talk to him, he was very nice, surprisingly modest and a bit... I dunno...disarmingly old. But inspiring, for sure.