Muddy boots and Earth charters

On September 10, I went to the Muddy Boot Organic Festival in Portland OR. What fun! Businesses and organizations related to sustainability had set up booths and demonstrations. We saw photovoltaic roof tiles, handbags made of recycled plastic bags, natural furniture and construction materials, and new designs for city buses. And of course, there was food. Everything from an organic catering service (what a great wedding idea!), to fresh ice cream sandwiches, to organic beer and wine. We picked up a few lovely fair-trade brownies also, including one with spicy chili peppers embedded.

One table I stopped by was promoting The Earth Charter, a collaborative document laying out social, environmental, and ethical guidelines that we can use to live and work together in a global world. Perhaps the effort can be charged with a certain idealism, but I felt pleased that these conversations are going on. The people who have worked together to create the drafts of the document have no doubt benefited greatly -- if the rest of us can gain even a fraction of that benefit, we'll be better off.