Planet Pink n’ Green’s ‘What Makes You Earth Friendly?’ contest is now officially at an end. Thank-you for all of your wonderful submissions. The second prize winner will be posted in the next few days.

The follow is the first place prize winner of an eco-beautiful EWF Modern side table made of sustainable Mahogany and re-purposed wood from a Brazilian barn, which retails at: $795.  It’s absolutely fabulous and I’ll just mention again that EWF Modern happens to be one of my favorite furniture showrooms in Portland. Check out the ppng contest page for a photo of the table.

Philip Morgan from Portland, Oregon is the winner. His eloquent essay and beautiful photograph (yes, he took it himself) clearly reflect his heart’s intention to heal the planet. See for yourself. Congratulations Philip.

‘How I Am Earth Friendly” by Philip Morgan

I am eco-conscious. When I think about how I am eco-conscious, it seems that there are several levels at which I am living eco-consciously. There is the physical level, of course, but there is also the mental and emotional-spiritual level.

I believe that everything is made of one unified substance but when things come into existence, they appear different from each other. It’s like the way you can take water and freeze it into ice cubes or boil it into vapors. It’s the same substance, but it looks different. So I believe that people, animals, plants, rocks and dirt, houses, and even things like electricity and emotions and ideas are fundamentally linked together because they are made of the same underlying substance.

This idea of “One Substance” (which, by the way is not my idea at all but an ancient idea that shows up in many spiritual traditions) sets the backdrop for how I live my life. For example, I am troubled when I think about the wars between people that are going on right now. I want those who are oppressed and dominated by this war-making to be free from the domination. But if I really believe that everything is one substance, then I have to realize that there might be a war-maker in myself. And my first responsibility is to heal that internal war-maker.

I believe it is possible to live in harmony with other forms of life most if not all of the time. So at the level of thought and emotion, I am trying to take responsibility for that which is within me that is out of harmony with the world. In other words, when I see waste and war, I try to see if there is any seed of that within me. And if there is, I try to work on it. My method of choice is to create a field of love, which I believe perfects the imperfect and heals the broken.

I believe that thoughts and emotions have a quality that makes them act like radio waves. If they act like radio waves, then my “internal” experience of love or harmony can be transmitted outside of my body to others, who may receive these thoughts or emotions. And so my “internal” work of trying to live in harmony with others might actually be a community activity, even without words or “external” actions! And my “internal” work of trying to transform my “internal” war-making and waste into peace and economy might have a beneficial effect on the people who are pulling the physical trigger of a gun or running the physical company that decides to be wasteful.

I’m not trying to let myself off the hook on the physical level, but I do believe, at least for me, that the mental and emotional levels are an important part of being eco-conscious. So that’s where I begin. On the physical level, I believe that there is a lot of important work to be done to bring our physical reality into greater harmony with the earth. In my life, there are several things I consciously do to help bring “peace on earth,” which is another way you could describe being eco-conscious.

In the act of eating I try to be eco-conscious. I believe that humans can thrive on a vegetarian diet, and so that is how I eat. I choose plants that have been grown without chemicals wherever possible. I think eating this way reduces waste and suffering for my animal neighbors on this planet. Life has been a little topsy-turvy for me this year, so I didn’t plant a home garden, but I plan to plant one next season. One of my ideas is to have a food garden in my back yard for me and my friends, and another garden in my front yard for passers-by to pick what they want. I’ll probably have to put up a sign in the front garden so that strangers know that it’s OK to pick freely from it, and I’ll need to plant things that are easily eaten while walking. Wendell Berry is one of my favorite authors, and he reminds us that our eating choices are one of the most powerful choices that most people can make.

I’m blessed with a work situation that allows me to work from home, so I don’t have to use up any physical resources getting to and from work (but now the need for me to exercise is greater than ever!). I’m also blessed to live 2 blocks from Portland’s MAX train, which allows me to easily ride public transportation when I’m going downtown. I frequently use the MAX for trips like this. I also ride a bicycle for transportation some times. I love this way of getting around, because it allows a more intimate experience of the scenery that is passing by, and also provides some nice built-in exercise.

I do own and operate a car. I really admire and support those who live their lives without owning a car. I think these folks are really making a valuable contribution to our common task of caring for the earth. I think I’ve been a little more successful in combining errands and reducing car trips lately. But I still could make progress in this area! I look forward to seeing more electric cars on the road in the coming years, and hopefully having one available for my use as well. If nothing else, the city where I live could be a more peaceful place if it had less noise from internal combustion engines.

I do all the normal recycling that anyone else in my city is easily able to do. Along with the garden this season, I want to resume composting kitchen scraps, hopefully this time using one of those rotating drum composters.

When I buy things, I try to choose things that are made to last a long time and have been made with little waste and even made with love (Kahil Gibran reminds us that “Work is love made visible.). I also try to buy things that are beautifully made, because I will want to keep them longer or if I need to give them away or sell them I will have an easier time finding a new home for them. I am using at least one camera that is as old as I am! I would like manufacturers of things to make it easier for customers to know how much waste is involved in the manufacturing process and whether that waste is cared for after it is produced. I would like manufacturers to stop packing things using packaging that is wasteful. I bet I’m not the only person who’s sliced the skin of their finger on some of the hard-shell plastic packing that some things are sold in. I often purchase cereal grains and other items in the bulk section of the grocery store, and this helps reduce waste a little bit.

There might be lots of things on the physical level that I am accidentally doing “right” to be eco-friendly, but I’m not as aware of them. For example, I never water the grass in my house’s lawn. Eventually, I want to replace a lot of this grass with bushes, trees, and food plants. But for now, a brown lawn is beautiful because it is a water-saving lawn.

Anyway, that’s probably enough about me for now. I’m doing my best to combine eco-conscious thinking, feeling, and acting to live in harmony with the world. I know it’s the right thing to do, and I hope I only become more capable of doing it well!