michellefrey

The holiday season is upon us. While we all enjoy some time off from work and time spent with family and friends – it may also mean some uncomfortable situations for many. Whether you are vegetarian stuck at a dinner table with a giant turkey in the middle or an environmentalist that ends up sitting next to Uncle Tom – a global warming skeptic – here’s a helpful guide for getting through this holiday season with your sanity intact…

Here are some tips for a peaceful Thanksgiving:

• Bring your own tofurkey to ruffle their feathers. If you don’t have a tofurkey to pass around – don’t sweat it – the best food at Thanksgiving is the sides anyway (sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and rolls)

• Bring a compact fluorescent light bulb to give your host instead of wine or flowers.

• Don’t hide behind the mashed potatoes when asked about your thoughts on global warming. People ask because they want to learn. Share what you know and give others the chance to be informed about the truth.

• As you sit down to eat -- remind grandma that the rolls still in the oven.

• If there is a lull in the dinner chatter, share a story about your environmental activism. For example, the day you dressed up as a blue whale and walked around the city.

• If you can, ride your bike home from Thanksgiving dinner – you’ll save on carbon miles and burn some calories too.

• Avoid the Black Friday Mania! Skip the long lines and avoid all those bargain shoppers who are sure to knock you over for the latest gadget.

• Get outside! Breathe in some fresh air, listen to the birds sing and enjoy the beautiful autumn leaves. Give thanks for what truly is important in life.

Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, is in Washington, DC making the rounds and we wanted to make sure that he knows how Americans feel about Japan’s whaling practices—they totally stink!

Despite an international moratorium on whaling, Japan continues to whale under the guise of “scientific research.” We’re not buying it.

So, a bunch of us suited up in humpback and blue whale costumes and hit the pavement to see if we could find Mr. Fukuda and deliver our message. We were a pod of whales seeking sanctuary from Japan’s relentless whale hunting.

 

While we didn’t find the Prime Minister, we did feel the love from fellow Americans. They wanted to know what more they could do to help us seek sanctuary and had fun taking our pictures and honking their horns in support.

President Bush is meeting with Mr. Fukuda later in the week. Do you think he’ll deliver our message of whale sanctuary or just shake his hand and smile?