OK, he sang to the group of us who were at the studio of his show, but he definitely looked at me at least once as he rapped to the tune of ‘Sexy Back’ – but changed the lyrics to ones about recycling bottles. Be still my (dorky, green) heart! Anyway, turns out he wasn’t just pulling lyrics out of his recycled Conan O’Brien (aw!) coffee mug first thing in the morning while wearing a grey grandpa sweater to charm ME. He actually had this all planned and had parodied a bunch of songs, from Timberlake to Winehouse to Rihanna. And recorded them for all to see. Check Jimmy rocking out the punny eco covers!

And yeah, I think the guy is pretty cool so obvs I’m not exactly an objective reporter here, but he seemed to really care about the stuff he was talking about as he detailed how he made his new late-night studio all eco friendly (looked great too), which were mostly the same things we can all do around our homes and offices for our health and the planet’s.

Ways that Jimmy Fallon is Awesome/Green

● Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints -reduced off gassing from paint substances

● Bamboo floors throughout the interview area—bamboo is highly sustainable due to its quick growth

● The desk that will be used by Fallon is formerly the desk of set designer Leo Yoshimori.

● Set décor (doors) reclaimed from local salvage stores.

● Metal Platforms for the band, instead of wood.

● Rather than ordering new seating, the former seats from Radio City Music Hall were reclaimed and refurbished.

● Carpeting on the audience risers and band platform is made from recycled materials.

Fallon’s not the only one covering enviro stuff this week on NBC. Plenty of shows, from Bravo’s Millionaire Matchmaker to the news shows on MSNBC and CNBC, to Tori and Dean on Oxygen and Access Hollywood are covering eco issues, events and themes.

Fallon’s Studio, 6B

The Ten Gorgeous (and Green to the Core!) Finalists Photo by Courtney Dailey.

Judging Project Green Search was lots of fun; I got a chance to go to most of the activities with the finalists and got to know them; what an impressive group of young women! From an Indy racecar driver to a natural nutritional counselor, to a college activist and an environmental educator, this was a talented and driven group of contenders. And as you can see, all of them were gorgeous too! The judging crew and I (see below) had our work cut out for us.

The judges! From left to right: Michael Zaliski, CEO of Omniquest Media, Anna Griffin, editor-in-chief of Coco Eco Magazine, Starre Vartan, author and publisher of Eco-Chick.com (I’m wearing an organic cotton dress by Doie), Remy Chevalier, Co-founder of Project Green Search, Deborah Lindquist, ecofashion designer, Josie Maran, former model and force behind Josie Maran Cosmetics, and Darren Moore, host of AlterEco and founder of Ecovations.

Day One: I got a chance to meet all the girls at a breakfast at our hotel, The Standard on Sunset Boulevard. Everyone was so excited to be there, and Taryn from EcoDivasTV started filming right away, and off we went!

Vanessa Meier even looks gorgeous in curlers! At Shades salon in LA. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

After the girls (and I, luckily enough) got our hair done at Shades Salon in Los Angeles (with nontoxic, natural hair color created by the owner of the salon herself!), we headed over to Environment Furniture, where the contestants changed into beautiful ecofashion outfits provided by Stewart + Brown, Mountains of the Moon, EcoSkin and Deborah Lindquist. Then it was time for pictures! After getting their shots done, I interviewed the hopefuls; this competition was about a lot more than just looks, after all.

That’s Taryn from EcoDivasTV shooting Rachel Avalon and me (Starre Vartan) while I’m interviewing her. Rachel is wearing an organic cotton Stewart + Brown dress and Charmone heels; I’m in a Covet bamboo tunic and Levi’s E Collection organic denims .

Juliana Tran (in Stewart + Brown cashmere dress) and Vanessa Meier (in Mountains of the Moon hemp dress) relax after their photo shoot with Courtney Dailey. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

During the 7-hour photo shoot at Environment Furniture, the contestants got a chance to know eachother; networking and building community was a big part of what PGS is all about. All of our top ten finalists displayed their dedication to the environment (and class) by keeping all traces of cattiness out of the competition and really bonded. Very cool.

Leilani Munter, an Indy racecar driver and PGS finalist, was right at home in an all-electric Tesla sports coupe. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

Rachel Joy in Stewart + Brown dress and Charmone shoes. Image by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

That night the girls did some guerilla gardening, planting trees in an abandoned lot. In stilettos no less! It made quite the photo shoot, echoing Vogue’s recent coverage on the subject. Then we all retired to the House of Blues for some relaxation and chill-time.

Starre Vartan (in Hairy Mary’s vintage reconstructed dress) and Remy Chevalier, co-founder of Project Green Search relaxing at the House of Blues.

Day Two: After I sat on the Ecostiletto-organized green bloggers panel, the PGS contestants model sustainable style in a vegan fashion show at the same event.

Rachel Sarnoff, founder of Ecostiletto, looks on as Ecoskin founder and designer Sandy Skinner describes the dresses worn by Rachel Avalon, Karen Panocchia, and Vanessa Meier.

After the fashion show (where I was totally distracted by the gorgeous clothes, but fellow judge and ecofashion designer Deborah Lindquist made notes about how each girl worked it on the runway), we all had a bit of time to relax before the big party (and reveal) later on.

Zion Francis, actress, civil engineer, knitter and model gets glam at a photo shoot.

I was nervous about figuring out who were my top choices, but in the end I narrowed it down to four girls who I thought would make the best representative to be the new green ‘It’ model.

Judge Michael Zaliski and Project Green Search cofounder Aysia Wright of The Greenloop. Image by Starre Vartan.

Zion Francis and Ariel Clay relax at The Standard before the Big Night! Photo by Remy Chevalier for Lu Magazine.

Upon arrival at ECCO ultralounge, each contestant got one final chance to make her case, telling the crowd who she was and why she was the right woman for the PGS job. Supporters and family members cheered on their favorites which made it all really fun. Then the other judges and I went upstairs to deliberate among ourselves and make our final decision!

Jessica Williamson, Zion Francis, Leilani Munter and Rachel Avalon, waiting to see who will be announced the winner of PGS.

MC and judge Darren Moore played the reveal reality-show style, eliminating contestants and building suspense until there were just four ladies left. It was pretty painful to stand there and watch, I must admit! And then, Rachel Avalon was named the winner of Project Green Search! Congratulations Rachel, and to all the other contestants, thank you for making the first PGS an amazing, inspiring event!

Watch the Fun Wrap-Up Video by EcoDivasTV and Rachel’s acceptance speech!

Congratulations Rachel Avalon! You can read more about Project Green Search’s winner here.

And there are plenty of more great image from PGS on The Daily Green’s fun flipbook.

Last summer, I was walking up from the beach at Gay’s Head on Martha’s Vineyard. (They’ve renamed the place Aquinnah, but I’m sticking with the original name, thank you very much) and then headed up the steep dunes, and over the top. When I got to where the sand meets the more rocky soil, I stopped to put my Chakos back on, but then decided to go barefoot instead.

As I walked up the path, seagrasses waving in the setting sun all around me, I could feel what was beneath my feet change. It started more sandy, and warmed from the sun, then small pebbles cropped up, and as I went around a bend, I felt the ground cool and dampen and the pebbles recede into the soft, more claylike walkway. As I headed up another rise, warmth again seeped between my toes, and as I reached the road to wait for the bus, the concrete burned my feet and I put my shoes on.

On that ten minute walk, I remembered something I knew as a child, which is that you miss tons of information from the earth when constantly wear shoes. I used to spend entire summers essentially barefoot (I grew up at the end of a dirt road in the Hudson Valley) and when I was 8 I could have told you how long it had been since rain from the viscosity of the mud that pushed between my toes since I spent hours I playing in the wetland next to my house. I don’t know if I could tell you that now, though I’m certain I could learn again.

Men’s Vivo Barefoots at the Terra Plana store.

So when a couple months ago I heard about the barefoot running movement, and the new book, Born to Run, I was intrigued. The premise is that our fancy $200 uberpadded sneakers are actually BAD for our bodies when running, and can actually cause or exacerbate injury. Which makes sense if you think about the fact that we have only been wearing such contraptions for about 20 years (flat, unpadded Converse All Stars were the sneaker of choice for basketball players for years). So I went hiking with a friend in Connecticut and took off my sandals and did a bit of trailrunning with naked feet, which was fun as long as I was careful (and this forces one to focus on each step, which is interesting). And then…

The Vivo Barefoots and these maryjane versions all have removable inserts made from recycled materials.

Then I was lucky enough to be invited to a great event put on by Terra Plana and tried a pair of their barefoot-like sneakers, the Vivo Barefoots (which are also super ecofriendly). I then went running in the Catskills in the Vivo Barefoots and though my feet were protected, I really felt the ground beneath my toes, which was a really grounding (haha) experience. Barefoot running is really fun, but for a barefoot-like experience, the Vivo Barefoots are a close second. I also got a chance to talk to Galahad Clark, the president of Terra Plana, and Christopher McDougall, who wrote Born to Run (and is a barefoot runner himself- see his video at the bottom).

Eco Chick: What was your impetus for creating a barefoot-like shoe?

Galahad Clark: Millions of years of evolution have shown us that being barefoot is the healthiest way to be for the body. It is only in the past 30 years that running shoes have become laden with padding, arch supports and technical advances that countless studies and medical professionals show are doing more harm than good.

To me it is common sense, if you pad the foot not only do you stop it from working, but you mask if you are doing something wrong. Barefoot running or walking encourages mid foot strike and preventing hard unnatural heel strikes and encourages natural posture and motion.

Based on this simple principle Vivo Barefoot is as close as you can get to the shoe not being there at all and offers this back-to-basics philosophy for modern life. The VivoBarefoot shoe has a uniquely thin and puncture resistant sole (a patented technology) that gives all the protection of normal shoes and the health benefits of walking barefoot.

EC: Why do you think the idea of barefoot or less shoe is appealing to people right now?

GC: There is definitely a tipping point happening right now as people realize that barefoot is really that way to go. In addition to Chris’ book, and the many studies being published and I think people are looking for back-to-basics answers. From roof top organic farms to making more meals at home, I think we are catching on to the idea of simplicity and natural.

This is not about selling a gimmick. That is not what we’re trying to do. It is not just about making your butt tighter or getting a better work out (which barefoot will do) it is also about sensory perception, knowing what is going on in the earth beneath us, and liking it…

EC: What’s your connection with the book, “Born to Run” and the barefoot running movement?

GC: I picked up “Born to Run” and spent all night reading it – I could not put it down. I was actually in Mumbai at the time and was after finshing it, got up at 4am and ran barefoot on the beach. This book is pure inspiration, it is about running and loving to run,. Without competition or ego, just for the fun of it – like kids run. The Tarahumara tribe run up to 150 miles in virtually barefoot with no injuries. The book really tells the barefoot story well and shows exactly why barefoot is better.

These slip-ons are favorites of Gwyneth Paltrow!

In the video below, Christopher McDougall, who wrote the book, Born to Run, talks about the barefoot running movement and how he got to write the book:

I am so honored to have been invited to take part in Glamour Magazine’s 70th Anniversary issue, out this month (look for Katie Holmes on the cover of the April issue). To celebrate, they brought together 70 of the most influential women in green, including me! Standing next to me are Jill Fehrenbacher, design blogger extraordinaire (Inhabitat and Inhabitots), and Laurie David (Larry David’s wife, and more importantly, founder of Stopglobalwarming.org). I also got to chat with Christie Brinkley, Alicia Silverstone and Summer Rayne Oakes who were featured too.

We had our picture taken as a group in Central Park and it’s featured over a three-page spread (along with a great article about how far we have come in terms of environmental awareness, and how important women have been in that area.)

Thanks Glamour, for recognizing all these great green women! Check out Ecorazzi’s coverage here, with behind the scenes photos!

Look for the article in this issue!

Coco Eco Magazine is the brainchild of Anna Griffin, who’s known in the LA scene for keeping tabs on ecotrends, hooking celebs up with green, and has hosted videos for Ecorazzi. She put together a superstar team for her mag:

I have the best and brightest people in the eco-scene working with me. They really are mavericks! My Beauty Director is Emma Pezzack, CEO of Futurenatural.com, our Photo Director is Courtney Dailey who is one of the hottest new photographers in LA, and our Senior Stylist is Robin Garvick who is THE eco-celeb fashion stylist in town. We also have Contributors like the legendary Barbara Kramer of Designers & Agents, Stefanie La Rue, breast cancer survivor and Founder of SLAM.

Read more about the mag (which launches officially this weekend!) on The Greenloop blog.

Peppermint is Australia’s first ecofashion magazine, and it’s first issue is chock full of fabulous green resources from Down Under. In an interview with Remy C on The Greenloop blog, the editor of Peppermint, Kelley Sheenan, runs down the list of Aussie and Kiwi ecodesigners and natural beauty products (excerpt below-the whole interview is worth checking out!):

It’s an exciting time as eco fashion is still in it’s infancy in this part of the world, so there are some fabulous new designers emerging now as the ‘green’ consciousness spreads – leading the way would definitely be Gorman, Akira, Bird Textile, Skin & Threads, Bassike, Darling Clementine, Elsom; all of which are world-class designers.

However there are lots of small labels that are appearing too – like Heidi and Seek, Fourth Daughter, Mother Maria, Kara Smith, Moneypenny, Thea & Sami, Rebecca Ward Jewellery… I could go on and on! There are some great green designers in New Zealand too – Untouched World, Starfish, and Kowtow all deserve a mention.

Natural skincare and cosmetics is definitely an area that is well-represented in this part of the world, with beautiful chemical-free products coming from companies like Miessence (the world’s first skin care range certified organic to food standards), Sanctum, Jurlique, Living Nature, and Perfect Potion. Model, photographer and activist Hannah Fraser is someone we hope to work with (known for her trip to Japan with Hayden Panettiere) and of course Isabel Lucas, who you may have seen in Alter Eco on Planet Green.

Read the original entry for links to all the brands listed above!

I haven’t read Sweden’s EcoQueen Magazine- I’ve only heard about it, but from the cover the editors are obviously taking a very light-hearted look into green fashion. Here’s what one Swedish blogger had to say about the first issue’s contents:

EcoQueen, who’s attitude towards ecological aspects could at best be described as more playful. Even Vecko-Revyn is publishing a piece on ecological dresses from several Swedish fashion companies. However, they focus more on H&M than thoroughly ecological clothing company DEMCollective (also based in Göteborg) who act as true societal entrepreneurs using their company to impact the clothing industry.

Spread from EcoQueen Magazine. Courtesy of Remy C.

You can read the review on the Times’ site here, or below. I have to say it certainly IS bizarre to be mentioned alongside Sarah Palin, whose policies I couldn’t object to more (especially her support for the Alaskan wolf-shooting free-for-all that was a program I specifically organized against when I worked for Friends of Animals). Her pro-drilling stance (we need alternative energy, not more oil to exacerbate global warming) and anti-birth control positions (like the world needs MORE people!!) are horrors to this environmentalist’s heart.

But maybe Ms. Palin will pick up a copy of my book after this- who know? Enjoy!

EVERY now and then, someone comes along who shows the rest of us how much we take for granted the freedoms of our daily lives. The eco-journalist, blogger and all-around green genie Starre Vartan is one such person. In “The Eco Chick Guide to Life,” her earth-first program for glamorous but environmentally conscious living, she mines new lodes of guilt, finding gems of awareness and providing detailed eco-wise shopping guides for the body, the closet, the home and the larder.

Not everyone will find it easy to get with her program. Ms. Vartan shares her tips for eschewing wasteful packaging products. For example, did you realize you could make your own toothpaste, dog toys and mildew remover? And turn stained scraps of cloth and tarps into handbags?

Still, she understands that most people prefer to go shopping, and allows for substitutions. For instance, once you’ve sworn off leather and pleather (whose manufacture unleashes “known carcinogens and water polluters”), you can splash out on shoes made of hemp, canvas, car tires, or wood and cork. But if you’d like to hew to her line, she has plenty of recommendations, not only for when you’re up and about, but for when you’re in the bedroom. Shun furniture from old-growth forests, and buy vintage whenever possible. As for the bedroom, “Once you see your bed as a product of the industrial chemical industry” — tainted with formaldehyde and toxic glues, and topped with a mattress “suffused in flame-retardants” — you may want to spring for one of the organic mattresses that Ms. Vartan prefers. “Sexy AND healthy,” she explains.

This all may sound a bit obsessive, despite its upbeat, energetic presentation. But Ms. Vartan argues that nature’s warning signs are so plentiful that “nobody can ignore the fact that there’s an environmental crisis going on.” She cites “wacky” weather, the spread of toxins through the food chain and the extinction of thousands of plant and animal species.

MS. VARTAN’S sensibility may be catching on. Only last week, Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska and the Republican nominee for vice president, backed off somewhat from previous statements that diminished the human role in the environmental crisis commonly called global warming. During an interview with Charles Gibson on ABC, Governor Palin said, “I’m attributing some of man’s activities to potentially causing some of the changes in the climate.”

That from the leader of a state where 85 percent of the budget depends on oil revenue, where many residents doubt global warming’s impact.

Nonetheless, the biography “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down,” by Kaylene Johnson, shows that Governor Palin’s association with nature is longstanding. In glowing, simple language, evocative of “Little House in the Big Woods,” and illustrated by fresh-faced snapshots of her subject and the Palin family, Ms. Johnson revisits Ms. Palin’s frontier childhood in Alaska’s wilderness, where she fished, hunted rabbit and caribou (the family ate the quarry) and frolicked with her siblings amid “purple violets, Indian paintbrush and wild geraniums” in the Talkeetna Mountains.

After recreating a cinematic “Hoosiers” high school moment (Ms. Palin’s free throw won the state championship for her team), Ms. Johnson advances to Ms. Palin’s college career and her marriage to Todd Palin, then provides the Palin-approved play-by-play of her career.

There was the race for mayor of Wasilla in 1992 (she won and served two terms); then the race for lieutenant governor in 2002 (she lost); and finally, the race for governor, in 2006, which she won handily, despite a no-frills campaign. “The campaign started with nothing, not even a file cabinet,” an aide recalls.

In her inauguration speech, Governor Palin told Alaskans that she would guard their interests like “a nanook defending her cub.” “Our nature resources,” she said, “are our lifeblood and are commonly owned by all of us.” How much her own, private Alaska resonates with the rest of the country will be seen in November — and will have to be recorded by other biographers.

I’m thrilled to announce that the first few weeks have been crazy-successful for my book, based on this very blog right here: The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green. Thanks to everyone for all their support!

So far, the book has been featured in:

The New York Times Style Section

-Plenty Magazine’s blog (read an excerpt of the book about greening your office there!)

-Star Magazine

-E/The Environmental Magazine

-MSN Green

Treehugger

-Inhabitat

-Earth First

-CT GreenScene

-Fashion, Evolved

-The Greenloop Blog

-Ecoble

-The Palm Beach Post

-The Green Girls blog

-lots of local CT radio shows

……and more to come!

And I did (my first ever) book signing at Practically Green, a fabulous new green lifestyle store in Ridgefield, CT. I sold about 35 books, chatted with a local girl scout group, moms and grandmas who were all interested in greening up their lives.

Tonight I’ll be speaking at The Darien Library, in Darien, CT, which should be fun!

My youngest fans! I spoke with these girl scouts about how to look out for corporate greenwashing. They were pretty into it!

Tish, the owner of Practically Green, and Starre Vartan, author of The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green

They were also awesome enough to mention the book on the main page of their website. Thanks!

I’m excited: Boho Magazine, which I’ve been hearing about for a couple of months now, is an ecofashionista’s dream!

With tons of coverage of style from casual (a visual story on t-shirts) to dressy (see below), and including short features on adorable vegan confectionaires, and practical ‘how to’ advice, Boho is a lovely way to spend some time curled up on the couch, or perusing while riding your favorite form of public transportation.

I’m super-impressed with this first issue- the design is fun, modern and welcoming, and I recognized tons of the designers listed in the credits (faves you’ve seen here like Emily Katz and Bahar Shahpar) , so it’s obvious that the editors at Boho know their stuff!

I honestly can’t wait to see the next issue. Cheers Boho!

Thanks to Remy C. for hand-delivering a copy to me!

This past week a local in my town contacted me to see if I would be interested in discussing the issues surrounding a potential cellular tower that would be constructed within one mile of my house. Some of us from the town had the chance to voice our concerns to the Connecticut Siting Council, which is the governing body that determines zoning for these towers in our state.

Having written about microwave energy and electromagnetic fields a few years ago, I remembered interviewing Carl Blackman, a research scientist in the Environmental Carcinogenesis Division of the EPA, and asking him about cell phones and cellular base stations in relation to electromagnetic fields and the possible health impact. Blackman was one among quite a few scientists and researchers I interviewed who reiterated the same sentiment: “We just don’t know yet. The science is not in.” The fact that the jury is still out on this vast topic, in a field (pardon the pun) that is ever-expanding, is enough, for some, to warrant grassroots action.

The subject is controversial and highly debated, although the issue is one that people are dealing with world-wide. The fear is that without mobile phones and cell towers covering every inch of land, emergency services will be left without connection, leaving us, “with a hole big enough to drive a hearse through…” as I recently read in a concerned citizen’s letter to the NYTimes. One concern is that the proliferation of these towers and devices has gone largely unmonitored, unregulated, and, according to some scientists, could potentially lead to serious health issues.

The World Health Organization has advised that the “precautionary principle” be enacted as a preemptive move before certainty of harm is verified by science. This essentially means that when any new technology is evolving beyond the scope of scientific research, it is advisable to protect oneself through risk management. So, while some still think that those who discuss this topic with seriousness are delusional and should be stuttering through the park, wearing a tinfoil hat, others, including the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and member countries of the European union feel it is worth serious discussion.

In Europe, some governments have set exposure standards below those of the standardizing agencies, in order to try to protect their citizens. In India, towers were recently banned from school and residential areas to protect people following studies that showed potential harm to the brain. The United States Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, Section 704(a) removes environmental considerations from the tower siting process, which denies citizens the opportunity to protest based on ecological concerns (zoning) or health issues.

In 2006, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF,) the largest union of first responders in North America, passed a resolution banning cellular towers from firehouses until more research is done, because firefighters were suffering from ill health. Internationally, the concern regarding the exponential proliferation of wireless devices and base stations to support them has provoked scientific studies and prompted legislators to err on the side of caution when it comes to regulations. Many scientists are discussing the potential impact on DNA, neurological function, and human health while others study migratory birds and the reproduction patterns of all animal populations in the vicinity of strong electromagnetic fields.

In my town, in NW Connecticut, we are currently experiencing the battle. The cellular tower has been proposed to be on Route 7, a scenic highway that runs parallel with the Appalachian Trail. The AT park manager has sent a letter in response to the proposed tower stating that they had no problem with it, so long as Cellco/Verizon makes the tower look like a tree and plants 25 white pines along the trail.

The tower site is also within one mile of two schools and is next door to the largest employer of the town. The site abuts a friend’s property. Both he and his wife are cancer survivors and fear the tower could affect their health. At the public hearing, where town members were allowed to voice their opinions to the siting commission (who ultimately decides whether the tower goes up or not,) people expressed various concerns:

“property values go down,” “endangered animals can be affected by the tower and the electromagnetic fields generated,” “children are more vulnerable, since their bodies are still developing,” “we desperately need this tower for the fire department.”

Members of the fire department were present and there was a tangible tension between those concerned about the environment and those who need the communication, first and foremost. The fire chief didn’t seem overly upset by the whole thing, he just said he needs the tower (I guess being a volunteer, he isn’t part of the union of IAFF who determined the towers to be a sufficient risk.)

There is an undertone to the side for the tower of “If you can’t see or smell or taste anything wrong, what’s the problem?” If you don’t have a geiger counter, you don’t know how much radiation is present. If you don’t have a gaussmeter, you cannot measure electromagnetic fields, so the intangibility of “damage” is palpable to those for the tower. The reality is, however, that some feel the tower would leave the firefighters and first responders as the most vulnerable, since they would be closest to the exposure for longer durations.

We all have cell phones. I don’t use mine unless I have to. I will call someone to let them know I am on my way, or that my car broke down, or that I am lost. But if I really want to talk to someone, a land line works fine. I understand that this technology has changed the way first responders can work and function. Perhaps there is a way for them to maintain their connections without putting up massive electromagnetic “trees,” every few feet, all the way from Jersey to Oakland.

One of the folks in our town (one of the few to want the tower) has a child that suffers from life-threatening allergies. To her, it is a matter of life or death that the tower go up. The thing is, her son is alive and well and in his teens now; she just worries. There is too much worry these days. Maybe the immediacy of all the Wi-Fi, high-tech, “Crackberry,” electro-polluting fog we are inundated with day-in and day-out actually amps us up, generating ‘the worry.’ We are hyper-connected, virtually present, and globally positioned, but there are more people on anti-depressants and other mind-altering drugs than ever.

It is funny how the marketing for cellphones is either totally mindless drivel (insert teenager texting, “omg, like brb”) or fear-based paranoia (insert anxious mom, “do you know where your child is???”) There is always a reason for the latest techno gadget, no matter how preposterous or important it might seem. The synchronized speed is hot and it sells. Then there is the icon of all icons in the iPhone. This uber sexy do-it-all is cool, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t need it.

These days, slowing down has to be a matter of choice. Less might be better than more.