Alexandra's Corner

The Power of Us All, One Person at A Time

The Hundredth Monkey is a book that tells of a 1952 scientific experiment on the island of Koshima, Japan, where monkeys were given sweet potatoes that had been dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the sweet potatoes, but not the dirt on them. One day, a young female monkey named "Imo" discovered that she could wash the sweet potatoes in the river to get rid of the sand, and she taught this to her mother and her playmates. By 1958, all the young monkeys in the colony learned to wash the sand off their sweet potatoes. Only the parents who imitated their offspring washed their sweet potatoes the other adults continued to eat the vegetable with sand on it. Then, in the fall of 1958, suddenly almost everyone in this tribe of monkeys washed their sweet potatoes. Furthermore, scientists observed that suddenly monkeys all over the other islands began to wash their sweet potatoes!

The Hundredth Monkey Theory means that when only a limited number of people share an idea, that idea stays with those people, unless they consciously share it with other people. But when the number of people who share an awareness surpasses a certain number say, from 99 to 100 when that hundredth person tunes in to that idea, all of a sudden the awareness is picked up by almost everyone! There is a tipping point (also an excellent book, The Tipping Point) that happens when enough people (or monkeys!) share the same ethic that can change the world.

It is because of the Hundredth Monkey Theory that I never give up fighting to save this planet. Not only do I believe that each of us can make a huge difference just by the little things we do in our own lives to conserve water, to pollute less, to create less waste, I believe that each person who becomes an environmentally aware citizen brings us at one step closer to that tipping point that will bring a collective consciousness to our society of how important it is have a healthy ecosystem. I dream that one day, when enough human beings join in the call for clean air, clean water, clean cars, clean energy and open space and natural habitat for all species, everyone will join in that call, and governments and corporations will be forced to change their priorities from quantity of money for the few, to quality of life for everyone.

--Alexandra

Two Sides to Everything, Especially Me

Maybe it is because I turned 40, and with that came an insecurity about whether I was still attractive. Or maybe it is because the holiday season is upon us, and with that comes the pressure to buy gifts to show that you are loving and thoughtful and that you are not stingy. But in the last month I have been a shopper, and being a shopper is not congruent with my image of myself as an environmentalist, because rampant consumerism means more gunk in our landfills and more natural resources used up. I know deep down that that perfect little black dress I am on a mission to find is not going to really put me at ease with the wrinkles I see appearing on my face, but temporarily it does distract and appease me, and I walk through the malls with a sort of desperation hating myself for being so superficial but sort of enjoying my rebellion. Screw this environmental stuff , I think to myself, I am going to die soon anyway (40 has made me confront my mortality more) I just want to be pretty.

I wrestle regularly with the desire to be fashionable and my value system. I choose not to wear leather, wool or silk because of my animal rights beliefs, which means my shoes are plastic from PayLess, and my clothes are either cotton or some sort of rayon. I covet the fancy outfits I see on movie stars and models, but I am always able to remember the suffering of animals and that tempers the temptation to go out and buy a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. When it comes to shopping in general, I have a harder time. As an actress, I feel pressure to look hip and up to date, and I have an agent that is always nudging me to pay more attention to how I dress. I want to go to a store and buy a ton of clothes that will make me feel sexy and new, but the environmentalist in me is always sitting on my shoulder whispering, There are bigger issues in the world than you feeling fashionable. Think of the trees that are cut down to box those items, the petroleum used to transport them, the poisonous plastics used to make them. Your vanity and insecurity are contributing to the ruination of the earth. And so I, for the most part, don't. Except that since 40 has made me a bit crazy, and the holiday season has swooped me up in its fervent commercialism, I have kicked that environmentalist halfway off my shoulder and have spent about 15 hours shopping in the last 3 weeks. I don't have a ton to show for it (due to that little voice still in my ear, even though it is being mostly drowned out by buy this and you will feel better) 3 books for family; 2 dinosaurs for my godson; boots for my sister; 3 shirts, a skirt, a pair of boots and some underwear for me . is that a lot?

My friend Chuck told me that a father of a friend of his only has 3 pairs of shoes: workboots, regular shoes, and church shoes. Chuck himself has 5 pairs of shoes. I went home and counted twenty eight pairs in my closet: flip flops, heels, sandals, running shoes, sneakers, loafers, snow boots, dress boots, casual boots I was embarrassed and tried to get rid of some, just so I wouldn't have to tell Chuck I owned so many. I could only part with one pair of flip flops and a pair of heels, though. You are a fake environmentalist, I heard that voice say, Look at what a consumer you are!!!

If you do look at the clothes in my closet, you might think I don't have many. Compared to other actresses, definitely. Compared to the average woman, probably. But as compared to a serious environmentalist? Hmmmm, I think I fail.

I wore a new top and a new skirt last week, and I felt good in them. I admit it, I felt better in them than if I had worn a dress I already owned. But I know I also feel bad when the air is polluted and the trees are cut down, although that feeling is less tangible. I also know that I REALLY feel the best when I am eating healthily, exercising hard and at the side of my beloved husband - things that have nothing to do with buying pretty clothes.

There will always be these two sides of me that are hard to reconcile: the actress trying to make a living in a most superficial business, and the environmentalist struggling to do the right thing. Perhaps I should take solace in the evening I was walking down a red carpet at a premiere and a reporter said to me, "Alexandra, I saw you in that dress at an event last week". My first thought was that I was busted and I felt embarrassed, but then something else came up in me and I replied, " I don't buy a lot of clothes. This dress is 10 years old, but I think it looks good on me".

--Alexandra