Laura Palumbo was one of the most open people I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. To start off, her face was open — her wide smile, her eyes — they invited you to share with her in the joy of life. Also, her ears were open — Laura always wanted to know more, to hear more, to learn more.
One of the topics Laura wanted to learn more about in recent years was lower-waste living and awareness of our ecological footprints on Earth. She was a big proponent of buying in bulk and storing items in glass jars saved from the recycle bin. As a Texas farm girl and a daughter of Arizona, she knew how not just how to “make do” but how to make things better.
For Marcus’s graduation party in 2022, Laura made a massive effort to throw a big, celebratory bash with the smallest environmental footprint possible. Her strategy involved working with many friends, who helped in party planning and lower-waste options; contributed reusable dishware, glassware, cutlery, and linens; brought drinks in recyclable containers (aluminum is better than plastic!); and — so importantly — hand-washed all the dirty dishes and cutlery between the main course and dessert so that guests would have items back again for use.
Outside the party tent, there were basins for guests to put used plates, cutlery, and glassware in, hampers to collect dirty napkins, containers to hold recyclable items, a compost bin to collect uneaten food (shrimp shells!), and — the pièce de resistance — the tiniest possible trash can (I think it was only a foot tall…!). In making these efforts, even through illness, Laura was showing us the importance of celebrating Marcus’s educational achievements and her family’s educational model, in addition to the importance of reducing our environmental footprint for the sake of future generations, such as for Marcus and Jared and beyond.
I loved talking to Laura about important sustainability goals, in addition to so many other, meaningful topics, but one of our particularly fun points in recent conversation was…penguins. Early in Laura’s cancer battle, she made an offhand comment about liking penguins, and well, that just opened the door for Laurel and me to shower Laura with penguins and for her to do the same for us. Not only was there a near-constant stream of penguin GIFs in our threesome’s text thread, but there were stuffed penguin toys, penguin socks, a penguin snuggle blanket, a penguin kitchen timer, and even a photo of penguins on the coast of Argentina, personally signed by nature photographer Keith Ellenbogen to us three — the PLT, the Penguin Love Trio.
Laura, I’m grateful for your love and for your guidance, for your ear and for your words. Your love is in my heart, and each day, signs of you pop up all over my kitchen: the utensil crock, the kitty tea towel, the flannel “non-paper towel” roll, the beautiful mug, and of course, the penguin timer. You inspired so many of us in countless ways, and I love you always. #PLT4ever