I never really get into blogging about politics here on PPnG. I leave that topic to many other news sources out there, both on and offline where anyone can get their fill.

Yet today I felt compelled to blog about a comment Sarah Palin–Republican Vice Presidential candidate–made yesterday at a California rally (now spiraling in cyberspace) that just pissed me off.

“There’s a place in Hell reserved for women who don’t support other women,” the Alaska Governor said, claiming she was quoting former Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Actually, what Madeleine Albright really said was, “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” and it had nothing to do with politics. Albright went on to say,

This campaign is not about gender, it is about which candidate has an agenda that will improve the lives of all Americans, including women. The truth is, if you care about the status of women in our society and in our troubled economy, the best choice by far is Obama-Biden.”

I agree. And Sarah, if you want us women to vote for you, threatening us with hell (like we don’t already know what that is) or simply spewing nonsense won’t get you anywhere. I know you’re just trying to create buzz, but please try and tame that ego.

In my line of work (Planet Pink n’ Green) I get to see (on a daily basis) how women really do support one another and it’s a breathe of fresh air. We do it through caring about each other, coming together to create community and with a collective commitment to better the world.

So Sarah, I know we share the same gender but that’s all we share. Please stop trying to manipulate us. We’re smarter than that.

My dear friend Elsa just called me from Denver, CO where her friends at Meditation 08 are offering silent refuge to residents and visitors of the city who are absorbing all the festivities of the DNC (Democratic National Convention). That’s about 50,000 or so people a day around the area and the collective energy (as she confirmed) is chaotic. That’s a lot of stress and what better way to calm the environment and help heal the planet. That gives me peace of mind and I’m all the way here in Portland, OR. I can only imagine what benefits the people of Denver are receiving. It’s a ten minute walk from the convention to the park where you can feel your heart and listen to your breath. Here’s what Meditation 08 had to say:

We’ve invited forty nationally recognized meditation and yoga teachers from the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Native American traditions to guide us in our practice. Come join us, take refuge in the silence, and listen to your heart.

Hearing that makes my heart sing. Thank-you Meditation 08 for your service. And thank-you NPR (National Public Radio) for recognizing and reporting on this beautiful event. I love you Elsa.

I came across a post recently written by Clark Williams-Derry of World Changing reflecting on a recent NY Times article on suicide rates that really moved me. According to the NY Times article, impulse suicide attempts in England were reduced when the government replaced deadly coal gas with non-toxic natural gas in homes. The point, according to Williams Derry, was,”removing an instrument of self-harm from people’s homes made fleeting self-destructive impulses far less deadly. He goes on to say, “I think there’s a more general point to be made here: our physical environment — the objects we surround ourselves with, and the places we make for ourselves — can have a potent influence both on what we do, and on how we think.”

As a Feng Shui consultant and interior designer conscious of the environment and humanity, I agree. I’ve experienced over and over again in my work and in my life that the physical environment when shifted positively (always) affects the human(s) living or working in the space. Feng Shui - the study of energy in a space, can really be a powerful tool to help not only with manifesting goals but also to shift the mood in a room. Color, for example is known to have psychological properties that can affect humans. McDonalds fast food chain, for example, color-combined red and yellow to induce hunger in its patrons and move them through quickly. Their decor with its unmovable hard tables and chairs and bright lights contribute to the fast energy. Starbucks Coffee on the other hand chose warmer colors in its decor, softer and more comfortable seating and music to sooth the soul. The idea is to keep people drinking coffee for longer and hang out and it works. If the commercial industry uses space to induce mood, then the same can be applied to our private spaces. The point: Let’s make sure that part of our self-care and well being practices include aligning who we are and where we want to be with a healthy external environment.

Oh you Europeans, you are so ahead of us in so many ways. Fair trade travel? Uh, duh. Well, actually what does that mean? Well, to begin with, it’s making sure that employees in the industry are not overworked and are paid a living wage. It takes the same standards that have been used in fair trade organic coffee and goods and applying it to the travel industry. And guess what? A fair trade travel label (now being used in some countries) will allow the traveler to support high ethics in tourism. Europeans are all over it and as in the fashion industry, the U.S. will soon follow.

What can we do? The next time we plan our vacation, let’s do some research and ask some important questions. I know I will.

Check out an example of responsible tourism by clicking here.

I just saw this posting on TreeHugger and it made my heart sing. After all the devastation from the Chinese earthquake in the Sichuan Province last month, I’m happy to share that consciousness around sustainable re-building has begun. The idea is to support sustainability by getting people used to greener lifestyles. Bamboo modular home (shown at right) was constructed as temporary housing for earthquake survivors in China.

According to TreeHugger, “As relief crews fan out across the affected region, providing temporary housing and preparing to build more permanent structures , leaders of green NGOs say they have begun to look for ways they can fill in the gaps. For instance, Xiao Yan, a professor at USC, and a group called INBAR have each designed an instant modular home made of bamboo, which is both strong and easily renewable ; at least 100 houses have been sent to the region.” That’s wonderful news.

To read the complete article, click here.