Orange Roses - Every Mother Counts

Photo Credit: Greetings Express

   Every Mother Counts (EMC), an organization committed to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, has partnered up with some fun labels (hello, Toms and Claire V.) to produce some great gifts for Mother’s Day.  This collaboration, known as the Orange Rose collection, is part of a larger campaign aimed at bringing awareness to the fact that over 300,000 mothers die every year from childbirth and pregnancy complications.  Proceeds from the Orange Rose collection will go toward helping EMC’s efforts that connect women with critical care services.  If you choose to buy something for that special mother in your world, perhaps you will consider selecting a gift that will also help save lives.  Now, that’s making your money work!  Your mom would be proud.

Photo Credit: EMC Founder, Christy Turlington Burns (Every Mother Counts)

Fighting Food Waste - Imperfect Produce

A recently delivered box of produce from Imperfect Produce.  (Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal)

   Guilty of not buying completely edible produce because it does not look a certain way?  Turns out, you are not alone - we do it too!  Each year tons (think billions) of great tasting produce goes to landfills in part because stores will not sell cosmetically challenged fruits and vegetables.  Fortunately, the Emeryville based company, Imperfect Produce, seeks to change this reality.

   Imperfect works directly with growers to sell their oversupply and odd looking produce. These fruits and vegetables taste the same and have all the nutrients as their grocery store counterparts, but sometimes look a little different.  The seasonal produce is sold at 30-50% below store prices and each order is fully customizable before it arrives on your doorstep.  Delivery is currently available in certain parts of California, although founders Ben Simon and Ben Chasler plan to expand across the country.

   Who knew reducing food waste, supporting local farmers and being thrifty could be so easy?  Something tells us we’ll never be able to look at store produce in the same way.   

Fava beans deemed imperfect due to some external scars.  (Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal)

A sampling of the most imperfect looking produce in our box.  (Photo Credit: Hermosa Journal)

Cesar Chavez Day

Credit: February 2, 1979: Cesar Chavez speaking at a United Farm Workers rally in the Imperial Valley. (Steve Fontanini/Los Angeles Times)

   Today we celebrate the amazing civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez.  Born in Yuma, Arizona on March 31, 1927, his birthday is a holiday in several states.  Chavez worked tirelessly to help farm workers obtain better working and living conditions.  Throughout his lifetime Chavez co-founded the United Farm Workers union, led successful boycotts using nonviolent tactics and supported other civil rights causes.  As we remember his legacy on Cesar Chavez Day we are also thinking about all the men, women and children who continue to endure harsh conditions so we can enjoy delicious produce.  In observance of this holiday, every time we eat fruits and vegetables today we’ll be giving thanks for all those hardworking laborers.

Spring Thoughts

Credit: Hermosa Journal

   As the first day of spring rolls in, we are reminded of how special this time of year is for many people around the world.  The Persian New Year festival, Norooz, is in full swing and several other spring celebrations are quickly approaching.  In the spirit of celebration, growth and renewal, we want to share some inspiring words:

stay strong through your pain

grow flowers from it

you have helped me

grow flowers out of mine so

bloom beautifully

dangerously

loudly

bloom softly

however you need

just bloom

- rupi kaur

The Science of Support - Anjelica L. Gonzalez

Credit: Hartwell Foundation

   Support.  Everyone needs it, regardless of what you do for a living.  When it comes to academia and science there is now a much needed voice that seeks to help others by sharing insight and knowledge.  This narrative comes from Anjelica L. Gonzalez who is a scientist and a Yale University professor. She is also an African-American and Mexican-American woman, raised by a single mom who worked as a blackjack dealer in Vegas.  Curious to know why she is talking about her journey and how she ended up as a scientist?  

   Gonzalez is sharing her story in an attempt to answer questions she routinely gets asked: how she got to where she is now and why there aren’t more people like her in the science world.  In answering the first question, some of the factors she cites for her achievements in the field are humor, ingenuity, tenacity and wit (skills she learned from her mother).  Another important factor has been the presence of advocates who encouraged and endorsed Gonzalez at critical times in her career.  As it turns out, support is also key in answering the second question she is commonly asked.  

   By articulating her experience, Gonzalez also highlights why there is a dearth of women and people of color in the sciences.  While established obstacles like cultural norms and implicit biases persist, Gonzalez exposes the lack of institutional support as yet another hurdle in the path to success.  One way Gonzalez is trying to change this situation is by suggesting professors and peers be taught how to become better mentors.

   Advocacy and mentorship have been vital to Gonzalez’s trajectory.  Perhaps reading about her will remind us to lend a helping hand when the time is right, because ultimately, we all rise together.