yesterday i read through the no impact week how-to manual and realized there's probably a little pre-work i could get done ahead of time to make things go a little more smoothly.
sunday: consumption
- make sign for computer that says "amazon" with a big red strike through it
monday: trash
- get reusable produce bags (done)
- make hankies from old dish towels
tuesday: transportation
- research train and shuttle schedules and prices
wednesday: food
- find local farmer's markets (done)
- research CSAs
thursday: energy
- plug computer power strip into light switch outlet for easy on/off
friday: water
- buy, borrow or otherwise acquire a five-gallon bucket to put under the tub spigot
- get my hands on an empty plastic water bottle to fill and put in toilet tank
saturday: giving back
- look into local volunteer opportunities
sunday: eco-sabbath
- share my plans to unplug with interested parties
- make sure i have matches (or lighters that work)
Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
walking the walk
i keep writing and thinking about the life i want to live and the things i need to do before i can start living that life. the events of the last month or two have forced me to face an important truth: if you wait for your life to be just right before beginning, you very well may wind up waiting forever. i'll be writing more soon about just what that might entail, but in the interim, i have signed up for two events that should help get me re-inspired:
1. no impact experiment: i talk a lot about wanting to make a difference for the planet. what better place to start than in my own life and home. and having the support of like-minded people who are doing the same thing at the same time doesn't hurt either.
2. writing and mindfulness retreat: it's always surprising how the first habits many people lose in a crisis are those that can best help them get through. writing and mindfulness are two of the top three on my peak emotional health list.
and let me add one more quick note: there was an inspiring article in the paper last about the radical homemaking trend that's sweeping the land. especially cool: one of the featured homemakers is someone i know (okay, the wife of someone i know, but close enough).
1. no impact experiment: i talk a lot about wanting to make a difference for the planet. what better place to start than in my own life and home. and having the support of like-minded people who are doing the same thing at the same time doesn't hurt either.
2. writing and mindfulness retreat: it's always surprising how the first habits many people lose in a crisis are those that can best help them get through. writing and mindfulness are two of the top three on my peak emotional health list.
and let me add one more quick note: there was an inspiring article in the paper last about the radical homemaking trend that's sweeping the land. especially cool: one of the featured homemakers is someone i know (okay, the wife of someone i know, but close enough).
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
defining values
i have to admit, i've had some trouble writing this post. i've started it over and over and keep coming up confused. but i think i've been making it harder than it needs to be. it's probably the word "values" that's throwing me, so i'm just going to go ahead and make a list of what's important to me instead:
. what i extrapolated from that book is this: creation, in the form of art, writing or any other creative expression (including, for me, the creation of food from plant from seed) is the most powerful antidote to the pain and destruction in our would today. a life for a life just robs us twice. the only lessons taught are negative ones. but a poem for a life, a memorial quilt for a life, a song for a life, that helps preserve and remember what was lost. it gives back something new and meaningful in the void that was left. it can even transform loss into a learning experience. into a community building experience. into rebirth. art is creation. growing food is creation. building community is creation. harvesting power from the air is creation.
the job i do now actually does align with many of the values i have listed above. the problem is the distance. i can reach a million faceless people and hope what we have done helps them in some way, but i cannot look them in the eye or hold their child's hand, helping to guide the shovel as he plants his first seed. there is no connection. and without that, i can only guess at whether i really made a difference or not.
- education
- creative expression (including photography, poetry, painting, novel writing, drawing, textile crafts, performance art, dance, landscape design and just about anything with a tangible or recordable outcome that engages the creativity centers of the brain)
- growing things (this relates to both the point above and the one below)
- equal access to high-quality, organic, whole, natural foods (i started to say healthy, but given what advertisers tout as healthy these days, that word has pretty much become meaningless)
- sustainability and environmental health (preservation of natural resources, alternatives to toxic chemicals that make us sick)
- interpersonal connection
- making a positive difference in the lives of others
. what i extrapolated from that book is this: creation, in the form of art, writing or any other creative expression (including, for me, the creation of food from plant from seed) is the most powerful antidote to the pain and destruction in our would today. a life for a life just robs us twice. the only lessons taught are negative ones. but a poem for a life, a memorial quilt for a life, a song for a life, that helps preserve and remember what was lost. it gives back something new and meaningful in the void that was left. it can even transform loss into a learning experience. into a community building experience. into rebirth. art is creation. growing food is creation. building community is creation. harvesting power from the air is creation.the job i do now actually does align with many of the values i have listed above. the problem is the distance. i can reach a million faceless people and hope what we have done helps them in some way, but i cannot look them in the eye or hold their child's hand, helping to guide the shovel as he plants his first seed. there is no connection. and without that, i can only guess at whether i really made a difference or not.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
defining fabulous
dictionary.com defines fabulous as follows:
1. almost impossible to believe; incredible.
2. Informal. exceptionally good or unusual; marvelous; superb: a fabulous bargain; a fabulous new house.
3. told about in fables; purely imaginary: the fabulous exploits of Hercules.
4. known about only through myths or legends.
pretty much everyone i know, myself included, uses the word along the lines of definition number 2, but it seems to have certain conotations not included in any of the definitions above. something that is best exemplified by billy crystal's song you look marvelous. in my mind, fabulous has always been about how you look, what you wear, how decadent the food is, how opulent the decor. no matter what the price or cost.
that just doesn't work for me anymore.
if i'm going to re-fab, i'm going to re-define fabulous to something that actually works for me. because let's face it, you have to pay the piper some time and at that point, how much it costs -- whether it be money, time, energy, stress, or ecological impact -- may be one of, if not the thing that matters most.
to twist mr. crystal's words to my own ends: it's better to look good and to feel good, darling. in other words, i'll take definition two without the subtext, please.
1. almost impossible to believe; incredible.
2. Informal. exceptionally good or unusual; marvelous; superb: a fabulous bargain; a fabulous new house.
3. told about in fables; purely imaginary: the fabulous exploits of Hercules.
4. known about only through myths or legends.
pretty much everyone i know, myself included, uses the word along the lines of definition number 2, but it seems to have certain conotations not included in any of the definitions above. something that is best exemplified by billy crystal's song you look marvelous. in my mind, fabulous has always been about how you look, what you wear, how decadent the food is, how opulent the decor. no matter what the price or cost.
that just doesn't work for me anymore.
if i'm going to re-fab, i'm going to re-define fabulous to something that actually works for me. because let's face it, you have to pay the piper some time and at that point, how much it costs -- whether it be money, time, energy, stress, or ecological impact -- may be one of, if not the thing that matters most.
to twist mr. crystal's words to my own ends: it's better to look good and to feel good, darling. in other words, i'll take definition two without the subtext, please.
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