Sushi and Sustainability
March 14, 2012 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
I love sushi, and I am an environmentalist, but I never really saw the two as opposing forces. I ordered what I wanted off the menu, and I go to the farmer’s market, carry my tote instead of using plastic bags, and recycle. A recent National Public Radio article made me question the unity between the environmental lifestyle and my sushi habit. It really bothered me, because I love sushi too much to cut out of my life, but I want my life to live in harmony with the environment as much as it can. Ultimately, while overfishing is a huge issue, after a bit of research, I found a middle ground to still enjoy sushi and respect the environment.
The article directed me to a video, “The Story of Sushi,” showing tiny figurines depicting fishermen, fish, processing plants, and sushi restaurants. Corporate fishers on large boats catch the majority of fish using unsustainable practices . For example, they catch marine life indiscriminately and discard what they should not be catching, cannot process, or do not have license for. This discard is given the euphemism “by catch.” For each pound processed for food, five pounds are thrown out as “by catch” . Oh, it’s just a “byproduct,” not a giant environmental concern for the sustainability of the ocean, environment as a whole, food source, and economy. No big!
The worst part is that I don’t think I’m exaggerating the issue. The UN Food and Agriculture scientists found that nearly 80% of the fish worldwide are “exploited” and their populations are or will soon be depleted if fishing methods are not altered, giving the fish a change to repopulate.
The video, made by Bamboo Sushi in Portland, Oregon, advertises sustainable sushi, but adds that many current restaurants advertise as sustainable but aren’t. Bamboo Sushi is the “fist certified” sustainable sushi restaurant certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, and works with partners like the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
While a sustainable sushi restaurant may not be around the corner from the office, the Monterey Bay Aquarium provides an easy to use “Sushi Guide” downloadable from their website at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_sushi.aspx. Using this simple guide, which documents the “best choices,” “good alternatives,” and sushi to “avoid,” I can now eat good sushi and still keep my conscience clean. Do your part! Download the guide and tell friends about it in person or through social media. It’s easy to print out and keep folded in your purse or glove box for when you decide to dine at a sushi restaurant sustainably.
By Emily Friedman
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All Creatures, Great and Small
July 3, 2010 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Canon recently announced the finalists in its Keepers Competition. We love Little Puppy, Big Kiss in the Once in a Lifetime category. Visit this link and register to vote! By voting and answering one simple question you go into the draw to win a PowerShot SX210 IS, so you can capture Keepers of your own.
7 WAYS … TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE
October 14, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
The greatest change happens because of people that are deeply passionate, and have a great love for the work they do. If you want to make a difference in the world, the single most important thing you can do is consciously and deliberately choose to do work that you are passionate about.
No other choice can have a greater impact on the planet, or your life.
The Quiet Mind
October 14, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
I have heard it said that prayer is asking for help and meditation is receiving the answer. If thats the case, we are much better askers than listeners. Everybody has prayed, but few listen. That, however, is beginning to change. Meditation-the process of stilling the mind-has busted out of the closet its been hiding in for the last thirty years.
MOVE YOUR STUFF, CHANGE YOUR LIFE Karen Rauch Carter
August 3, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Why its great: Traditional feng shui guides can be somewhat to downright confusing. Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life is not only a cinch to follow, it presents the ancient Chinese system of creating balance and chi (energy flow) with a sense of humor. It’s Rauch’s ability to bring on a giggle or two that makes this book not only practical, but also entertaining.
7 WAYS … TO LET GO OF FEAR
July 31, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
1. Identify it for what it really is: False Evidence Appearing Real.
As human beings, we are essentially controlled by two emotions: love and fear. We act out of one or the other. The beautiful thing? We have the ability to choose the thoughts we think and the emotion we attach to them. While fear is pre-programmed into us as an instinctual response to potential danger, much of the every day stuff we fear isnt dangerous at all. We have simply convinced ourselves what were fearing is real.
Spirituality is a Map
July 20, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
When I see the word religion I see “realign.” The utmost task of any religion and spiritual thought system is to realign us to Truth or God. Somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn, veered off course, and ended up lost. Now we need help. It only makes sense that in order to get back Home, we turn to those who have found the way.
7 WAYS … TO LEARN FROM MICHAEL JACKSON’S LEGACY
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Love Life, Not Stuff
July 7, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
Were in love with stuff – with shopping, with acquiring, with owning, with collecting.
Lets lust after life instead.
Our obsession with stuff has become unhealthy. When we have a void in our lives, we buy things. When we have problems, we buy things. And these things are becoming more and more expensive, bigger, shinier … more wasteful.
Mother’s Day Inspirations
May 8, 2009 by The Dove · Leave a Comment
As mothers everywhere anticipate a day of pampering this Sunday (May 10), Mother’s Day is also for those who want to remember the remarkable women they once had in their lives.
The Green Dove is a fan of Remembering Mom, a US-based organization that “utilizes the memories and life lessons learned from our mothers to become better women”. Regina Franklin-Basye founded the organization to allow other women to commemorate and celebrate the memory of their mother, specifically around Mother’s Day, in spite of grieving their loss.
