Least Footprint

Sorry Readers

2008-12-13T06:27:00.001-08:00

Until now I have left the comment section open to all. It seems I had a very unsavory comment advertising an adult site last night. So...to comment now one must first log in. My apologies.

Playing Chicken

2008-12-12T19:54:00.001-08:00

Years ago I made a rather selfish decision to eat a strictly plant-based diet. I say selfish because I was in ill health at the time and changed my diet to become healthy again. It worked and I have never gone back to eating animal foods. My diet now actually remains quite simple and I eat low on the food chain.

My choice to not consume animal foods had nothing to do with animal cruelty and I am not completely opposed to animal foods, as such, I shun the term "vegan", even though in all respects I am one and I suppose, the only thing that separates me from being a true vegan is that my shoes are made of leather and I once had a leather wallet. Oh, and I eat honey sometimes.

Don't get me wrong...I abhor factory farming for it's cruelty I just don't join in raids to overturn cages or man tables handing out pictures of dead chickens or sick cows being slaughter inhumanely. (Even though I am totally appalled at the practices on these "farms".)

No...my biggest concern about these factory farms is what they are doing to every creature who lives and breathes on this earth not just the ones being slaughtered at an alarming rate. I still come to the same question too the more I read about how we are essentially raping the earth to fulfill our greed and pleasure seeking. When we have totally consumed and destroyed the earth in our relentless pursuit of "growing a sound economy" by acquiring even more small green papers which we conveniently convert to blips of electrons in a computer, where do we expect we will live? Have you checked out the other planets? They make Arizona look downright cool.

So..back to the chickens. The links to the three articles below, I hope, will give you some pause the next time you hanker for some hot wings or nuggets. As you read ask yourself; Are we growing chickens or are we playing chicken with nature? You decide.

Chickens more toxic than Delaware factories--Ammonia outweighs all other pollutants

And if polluting the air is not bad enough

Poultry Waste in River Still Health Danger

Here is our nation's response:

Poultry pollution
Industry seeks EPA exemption from reporting emissions

I'm sticking with my beans and rice.

I gave my electronics to these guys recently

2008-12-07T08:07:00.001-08:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

I want it NAU!

2008-05-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

Please forgive my up front comments here. I promise I will redeem myself by the time I am done. You see, it seems that the new sustainable apparel store labeled "Nau" (that is pronounced now) is closing. (Collective aaaahhhh here).

I guess the problem is that they wanted to create a store with a smaller physical footprint selling upscale clothes. However,this meant when you bought something there you often had to wait for it. (GASP!) That didn't sit well with most of us Americans and so we just stayed away and went to Nordstrom. After all, if we want something we don't want it Nau; we want it NOW! Anyway, it is rather ironic that at a store pronounced "now" you had to ummm..."wait". Maybe the name wasn't the best idea they had.

Now here is where I redeem myself. What is wrong with waiting? I hate the big box stores and stay away unless I'm forced to go there. I mean there is all that space to heat, clean....fill. I say let's go back to the small neighborhood store with mom and dad running it and junior at the register when things got busy or maybe manning a broom. If that means paying a little more and waiting a little longer...good. You can spend that time getting to know the shopkeeper. Maybe become a friend.

So...I'll keep it short since I know all you Americans out there like short blirpy things...like commercials...and this is nearly the end. Are you happy Nau.

Oh, and Nau...it was a great idea really but most of us are broke out here and probably couldn't afford your clothes anyhow. And the rich dudes that would frequent your store? Well, they drive gas guzzlers and think sustainability is what you accomplish with a facelift. Maybe your demographic was just a little off. Try again though. It's a good concept.

Spike Lee in the bayou

2008-04-26T16:51:00.001-07:00

If you haven't watched Spike Lee's multi-act video dissertation on the Katrina disaster called "When the Levees Broke", I highly recommend you do. It should be available for viewing at your local video store or at NetFlix or may show up again on HBO if you subscribe. It won't make you cry, but it will make you angry. It will also make you smile.

We cannot blame Katrina. Katrina was just the natural; it is mankind that was the disaster. Follow this link below for a short video about "Paradise Faded". It runs just two minutes, twenty seconds and is quite well done.

"Paradise Faded"

April Film Offer

2008-04-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Least Footprint Reader,

Would you like to learn more about simple living? I have negotiated a special arrangement with the Ironweed Film Club for you to receive this month's disc for FREE! I recently signed up for this club and enjoyed it so much I contacted them to see if I could bring it to my readers. It took them a while to get back to me but once they did they came through in a big way.

The Ironweed Film Club will deliver 3 inspiring films on DVD in April 2008:

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (53 min.)

Learn how we can curb our ever-increasing oil dependency through a return to sustainable, organic living and community support.

Escape from Affluenza (56 min.)

Tired of 'keeping up with the Jones' family? Before you surrender to consumerism, watch others trade in stress, debt and consumption for happier, simpler, stress-free lives.

Radically Simple (35 min.)

Engineer and author Jim Merkel demonstrates that a simple lifestyle - while at times intimidating - is not only possible but extremely satisfying.

If you Join Ironweed Films in April you'll receive these 3 films on 1 DVD--to keep not rent! If you enjoy the membership, you'll continue to receive 2-3 films each month on socially-conscious, political and environmental topics. If not, you can cancel at any time without a hassle.

Just CLICK HERE to take advantage of their offer.

How many parts does a View-Master have

2008-03-29T09:57:00.001-07:00

Remember the View-Master? Well, they are still around, made by Fisher-Price, but they are in cartoon shapes now and not so boxy. The original View-Master, like the ones I used to get every Christmas as a kid, were made right here where I live, in Beaverton OR, at a plant on Hall Boulevard. The plant is gone now, but it's toxic legacy remains and has yet to be cleaned up.

You see, it seems as though the water well on the site; the same one that everyone drank from that worked there; has 1600 parts per billion of Trichloroethylene (TCE) in it. TCE was a byproduct of the manufacture of the View-Master toy. The legal limit for TCE in water is only 5 parts per billion. Yes, 5 parts per billion and this water has 1600 parts per billion in it. That is a lot and after just five parts per billion, TCE starts doing some very nasty things to your internal organs.

Many of the people poisoned worked at this plant for twenty years or so drinking this water. They are now the focus of an advisory group that is tracking their health and looking for answers. I hope they find some.

It kind of makes you think though. That, seemingly innocuous, fun toy under the tree was not so innocuous after all. And it is certainly not so fun for the workers poisoned in its making who may develop cancer or some other ailment. And I have to ask myself. Who is ultimately responsible for this? Is it the company, ViewMaster Corporation, that made them and in doing so poisoned the well? Or, is it we who, through mindless consumerism, bought them and developed a market for this product. That is a question I can't answer. I do know we need not worry about the well being poisoned any further though. I'm sure they're made in China now.

The mighty electron

2008-03-28T11:32:00.001-07:00

Below is a question and answer found on www.physlink.com Unless you are a math dweeb, or a glutton for punishment, I suggest reading only the question and the bold highlight. The rest is relatively irrelevant to the rest of my post. But in the interest of putting lots of huge numbers on my site (huge numbers are cool) I put the rest in too.

Question
If an electron were increased to the size of an apple, how big, proportionately, would a human being be?

Asked by: Lou Spadaccini

Answer

Well, the classical radius of an electron (this is the 'electo-magnetic field' type of radius - nobody has actually measured the exact radius of an electron.) is about 2.82 x 10^-15 m. An average size of an apple is about 4 cm or 0.04 m in radius (at least the apples I just got today from the supermarket:-).

So the scaling factor is just: radius of the apple / radius of the electron which is: 4 x 10^-2 m / 2.82 x 10^-15 m = 1.42 x 10¹³

This means that in the universe where the electron is as big as an apple in ours everything will be bigger by a factor of 1.42 x 10¹³ or 14,200,000,000,000 (fourteen trillion and two hundred billion times bigger.)

So now you can calculate how big would the human be: for example I am 6 ft (1.83 m) tall so in your apple-sized-electron universe I would be: 1.83 m x 1.42 x 10¹³ = 2.6 x 10¹³ m tall! Just to give you an idea how tall I would be: it would take light a full day to travel from my toes to my nose! (and it only takes about 8 minutes for light to travel from the Sun to the Earth.) Also, I would be about 3.5 times taller than the diameter of our Solar System (farthest reaches of the Pluto orbit are at about 7.37 x 10¹² m.)

Answered by: Anton Skorucak, M.S. Physics, PhysLink.com Creator

As I was leaving the movie theatre last night I suddenly noticed that all around me were electronic devices. They were on the wall, on the ceiling, inside the projection room, in the lobby, by the front door, outside the theatre, behind the ticket booth glass, on the walls of banks, in peoples hands...everywhere! It was then I suddenly realized that the harnessing of something none of us will ever see, the electron, has completely transformed our world.

Forget about the harnessing of fossil fuel energy for cars. When the fuel runs out, the cars will disappear anyhow,horses will begin to sell for a premium ,horse thieves will take the place of car thieves and those things they stick down the window to get in your car will start going cheap on e-bay.

No, it is the way we have harnessed the electron that has changed our world. And these little buggers can do everything. Cameras, computers,ATM's,scanners, infra-red sensors, weather detectors, alien life form detectors (yes, that's true...sort of). Well, there I go with a list again. Just make a mental list. Every word I type uses electrons and I should probably conserve.

Now before you swear off electrons altogether, or set up a website devoted to their conservation, I should point out that it is not the electron that is the problem. It is the harnesses we build. Chips! Gazillions and gazillions of chips containing transistors, capacitors, resistors and many other things most of us just don't really understand. We attach these chips to hunks of metal and bits of plastic, and as long as the TV turns on when we push the button all is well with the world right?. Well, not exactly.

I could go on a while longer about this but, just follow the links below for a refresher course on e-waste and what harnessing all those mighty, yet oh so tiny, electrons is doing to our world. Worse yet, electron harnesses are made mostly of purified silica sand, with a few other metals attached. And unlike our depleting supply of oil, we have tons of sand and no end in sight for making these things. Of course, we may need to get them to market in buggies, but that's a topic for another post.

E-Waste...it's our problem

E-waste Video

Epidemic!! Yeah, I copy that...over!

2008-03-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

April 17th is a national day of action to stop global warming. Give your sick photocopier a break. Click on the picture to learn more.

Put on your walking shoes, get out your change

2008-03-06T23:45:00.001-08:00

"I think a trading range between $80 and $120 a barrel this year is about right, but with the softness of the dollar, and the occasional interruptions that you have because of politics, I think we could see $120 oil.'' So says Peter Barker-Homek, head of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Co. in an interview with Bloomberg.com.(Bloomberg)

Wouldn't you know it, right after I started this post, in pops an article from the Seattle Times which begins

OPEC said today it will not put more oil on the global market despite record-high prices for crude, blaming the U.S. for economic "mismanagement" that it said was having a worldwide effect.

Oil soared past $104 for the first time after the OPEC announcement and the release of a government report showing a surprise drop in crude-oil stockpiles.

Light, sweet crude for April delivery jumped $5 to settle at a record $104.52 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier rising to $104.64, a new trading record. Earlier this week, oil prices broke the previous inflation-adjusted price record of $103.76, set in 1980 during the Iran hostage crisis.

The U.S. dollar sunk to record lows today, with the euro fetching $1.53 for the first time ever in Europe.

So. let's see. The $100.00 per barrel oil we're seeing right now gives us a gas price at the pump of about $3.60 per gallon in my area. An increase of 20% would push it to about $4.32 per gallon at the pump. That's a pretty big jump.

It wasn't actually that many years ago I could fill my tank for about a buck a gallon. It cost me about $20.00 if the tank was nearly empty. If gas jumps to $4.32 per gallon that same tank will cost me $86.40. For one tank! Not that I am complaining mind you. I never complain about the price of gas because every dollar bump in the price is another "tax" imposed on frivolous driving and Hummers. Take that Frieda!

Eighty-six bucks will almost buy me a decent pair of boots or walking shoes unless I want some really nice ones then that might set me back two tankful's. I've never really personally kept track, but a good pair of hiking boots will probably get me a couple thousand miles or so before the Yellow Plug Vibrams wear out. (I base this on the experience of those who have through-hiked the Appalachian Trail, which is 2200 miles long. A fresh pair of good boots usually wears out about the end of that hike. Cheap boots are a different story. Moral: Don't buy cheap boots. They're expensive.)

So let us say I spend $134.95 on my boots; Rocky Boots has a nice pair for that amount; and I walk two thousand-two-hundred miles in them. That equates to about six cents per mile. My car gets about eighteen miles to the gallon so if I multiply the per mile cost of the boots by eighteen and that will equate the cost of my boot soles to the price of fuel. Are you still with me here? The end result is this. One gallon of fuel will carry me eighteen miles for $4.32 (projected). The boot soles will cost me about $1.10 to travel the same distance, albeit much slower. (Hey, I figure if Frieda can liken light rail to freight trains, well I can pull a little latitude between boots and gas.)

But wait, I can get a Tri-Met bus pass for just $76.00 and go anywhere I want in the entire Portland Metro area all month for less than the cost of just one tankful of gas. I even get there much quicker than I do with my boots. Although you still might consider wearing shoes when you get off the bus. It's just the polite thing to do unless you're at Collins Beach or something. So anyhow back to the math. If you travel 2200 miles on a bus in one month (could happen but probably not) it ends up costing you only about three and half cents per mile. So multiply that out by the eighteen mpg of my car and it costs only sixty cents to travel the same distance as my $4.32 did in the car. A savings of about $3.72 cents.

Ok, I know the math is a bit fuzzy and questionable but the point I make is this. Gas is no longer cheap, it probably won't be ever cheap again. That means a frivolous trip is no longer frivolous, it's downright expensive. So, why not walk, or ride the bus, or take the train, or just play at the park instead of having to park. If you can't bring yourself to do that to stay green, why not do it to save some green. It just adds up. Oh, and Frieda, no offense...I was just having a little fun. Enjoy your Hummer. There may be more room on the road for you real soon.

How to Inoculate Your Children Against Advertising ∞ Get Rich Slowly

2008-03-05T21:53:00.001-08:00

I subscribe to many blogs, scan most of them, read some of them, and save posts from a few. This post (link below) is on a blog called "Get Rich Slowly", an excellent blog. This post is one of the best I have seen...ever, and I wanted to refer all two of my readers I'm joking, I think) to this post...especially if you have children.

How to Inoculate Your Children Against Advertising ∞ Get Rich Slowly

Holding my feet to the fire

2008-03-05T08:04:00.001-08:00

There are still a great number of things I need to change to win any sort of green award so here are seven things I plan to start with:

1. I really need to take shorter showers. For some reason the warm water in the morning just feels so good I lose all track of time. I'm thinking of setting a timer for five minutes and hope that helps. Actually I went to a campground one time with coin showers. At the end of the five minutes only the hot water turned off. That got me out of the shower REALLY fast.
2. I've changed every possible light to fluorescent already but I need to be better at turning off lights when I leave the room.
3. Drive even less. I think $4.00 gas will probably help that a little.
4. Grow a garden. However that is not easy when there is so little room and very little sun. I have plans for a container garden that can be moved to any location. I need to get building it.
5. Plant more trees and clean up more. I have been on one volunteer tree planting excursion. In less than two hours we planted four-hundred trees and stripped English Ivy off some of the existing trees. It was a lot of fun and I want to do it again.
6. Use less disposable items. I no longer buy paper napkins and towels but when we eat out I use them. I need to follow No Impact Man's method and carry a rag with me. Maybe some pocket silverware as well.
7. Attend seminars. Portland is stuffed with free, or very cheap, seminars on living green or simply. It's just a matter of going.

That's my bad list. Next time I will try and post a few of my accomplishments. Big and small.

I like the Olympics...but...

2008-03-03T22:31:00.001-08:00

Beijing is currently facing a huge dilemma. It needs more water. The population of the city has exploded and since the citizens have become much wealthier they now demand flushing toilets, more landscaping, more parks and ever more luxuries. All of that takes ever increasing amounts of water.

On August 8th, the Summer Olympics will begin in Beijing. Millions of people are expected to flood the city and so the whole area has been given a facelift, including building the worlds largest airport terminal and a stadium that looks like an irradiated birds nest.

The Chinese government is also tapping water resources from neighboring provinces and aquifers beneath the city to meet the huge demand for water the Olympics will bring. A few examples; an entire dry riverbed has been refilled with water for the rowing competitions, a huge canal has been dug to divert the Yangtze river, and clouds are being seeded with silver iodine to promote rain. The result is that water is being diverted away from provinces which become less arid each year as a massive drought widens and in the case of the cloud seeding that has the potential of changing weather patterns around the world.

So, I live here in the Pacific Northwest and I wonder why I should care about China's water problem. After all China is a long ways away. Well I refer you to a previous post for that answer. Imported from China It is truly a small planet we live on, we are all connected by the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Politics may have formed national boundaries, but nature knows no boundary or country and the earths problems affect us all, regardless where we live.

Want to read more:

Provinces pay price for green Olympics | World news | The Guardian

And if you still think this is just a water problem across the Pacific pond, read this from the Seattle Times:

Seattle's Water Supplies Dwindling

And if you still think water is not an issue that will someday affect you, or perhaps even send some in your family to war go to:

Water In Conflict

If you live in the US, here are one-hundred tips on how to save water in your region.

100 Ways to save water

In the immortal words of Jerry Brown, former governor of the great State of California; If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down. Wise words from a very different California governor. I mean, except for the current one. And that will be the terminator of this blog for today.

Toilet Paper Cubes

2008-03-01T10:26:00.001-08:00

We returned from the grocery store the other day and the last thing I pulled from the trunk was a huge cube of twenty-four rolls of recycled toilet paper. My first thought as I looked at all those rolls was, "What would No Impact Man" do? But then my next thought was "Oh my, this whole thing is wrapped in a whole bunch of plastic. What would Fake Plastic Fish think?"

In 2004, for some odd reason, I began to realize I was completely dependent on a system of grids for my life. Electricity, water, cable, telephone, Internet.... But then I started thinking about how I use all these things and wondered what impact it had on the planet. I had never really thought about it too much before. I just bought things, used them, then threw them away. Once I did, it was someone else's problem, my problem was solved and I didn't even have to think about it anymore.

I started reading about living greener and I began to realize that, out of respect for the backwoods, I had always used the "Least Footprint" method when I backpacked. Meaning that after I left camp there would be no trace I had even been there. Why, I thought, shouldn't I try to live Least Footprint all the time, not just when I am out backpacking? So, on September 29,2004 I registered the domain name "Least Footprint". It was a small start and I pretty much continued living the the same way and just recycled a little more. To be honest, my original intent was to start an online store filled with technological super cool "green" gadgets and gizmos which I would then ship around the world on diesel belching trucks and high flying jets so others could save electricity and take dribbly showers. Buying local and less was not in my vocabulary yet.

The "Least Footprint" thoughts stayed with me though, but it wasn't until I heard about "No Impact Man" and started following his blog I really got serious. On April 10, 2007 I stood at the podium and disclaimed to the world, "Hi my name is Scott and I am a resource pig" as I started this blog. Every day since I have followed No Impact man on his journey,wondered how he got by without toilet paper, and even threw a few comments his way from time to time. I've let my own blog meander wherever it went...sometimes good, sometimes boring, perhaps sometimes even off subject but I have no real project like No Impact Man or Fake Plastic Fish to report on so I just write what I think or what disturbs me that day. There is a little behind the scenes self flogging that happens too that you can only read by looking between the lines.

Reading other blogs and writing this one keeps me thinking about this stuff on a continuous basis and I've changed a lot of the ways I do things, or at least feel guilty when I don't think. I've discovered a few things about living "Least Footprint" though.

1. It is not easy in the real world we've created.
2. Not buying plastic is next to impossible.
3. Being green takes time. I don't always have time.
4. Being green is more expensive. Why is that?
5. It is tough not to drive in a suburban world.
6. Garbage is literally everywhere and as a people we should all be ashamed. Recycling, buying bulk and using less is not that hard. It just requires change.
7. As a planet, we are in serious trouble and we must all accept responsibility for that trouble or write an apology in our wills to all of our heirs who follow in our huge footsteps.

So, No Impact Man finished his one year deal successfully and it's all over but the book. I realize now I never formally congratulated or thanked him for what he did so, Colin, great job. You truly made a huge impact on many people. Waiting for your book.

And last, but not least, Fake Plastic Fish has been awarded the prestigious honor of being a "Blog of Note". You'll find her on the list not far above "Food Mayhem" and if you don't follow her project yet, check it out. She is the wiz when it comes to fighting the evil plastic menace and even though she is just one small voice in a sea swirling with plastic she is making quite a splash. So anyway, congratulations Beth, you have a great blog, a worthwhile project you attack with passion and it is certainly worth the honor you received. Now I have a bunch of TP to unwrap.

Take Back My TV | Tell TV Manufacturers: Take Back My TV

2008-02-26T20:25:00.001-08:00

This is a between posts...post.

Worldwide, over 45 million televisions will be purchased in 2007. America lags behind the rest of the world with no standards for responsible electronics recycling. With the 2009 conversion to digital millions of useless TV's will be hitting the landfills.

Help pressure leading TV manufacturers to establish "Take-Back" programs across the country.

Click below to go to this website, sign the petition, make the pledge and learn more. If you are able, write a letter to the editor.

Take Back My TV | Tell TV Manufacturers: Take Back My TV

What a pit

2008-02-25T07:51:00.001-08:00

When I was a young teen I had the opportunity to enter Hanford Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington and see the birthplace of "the bombs". Surprisingly the buildings that processed the uranium for the bombs that ended World War II are rather nondescript square gray structures. Being a fan of too many sci-fi movies as a kid I had really expected them to be rather modern structures with tubes, stacks and glass domes rising into the sky. It was a bit of a let down.

Few not directly connected with Hanford in some way have actually been to these places and I was fortunate to have seen them only because my dad's business took him there and I got to tag along for the day. The most memorable part of that trip was the impossibly hot chili that seemed to have a delayed fuse. It had us looking for an ice cream shop about five minutes after leaving the cafe but it sure tasted good.

I was fortunate I could visit the Hanford Reservation for the day and then return safe and snug to my home in Mountlake Terrace that same night. Others are not as fortunate and live out their lives next to its legacy. For some that has caused a huge impact on their health.

Just north of the Hanford reservation, and carved deep into the earth and tons of uranium were withdrawn from an open pit mine. The Seattle Times, yesterday, ran a very good article on this subject and here is a small sample:

"The mine itself haunts people with a question: Are we being poisoned by what was done to our land?

The story of what happened, and continues to happen, on the reservation is a cautionary tale at a time of renewed interest in nuclear energy and the toxic uranium needed to fuel it."

The full article can be viewed at the link below.

Radioactive Remains | The forgotten story of the Northwest's only uranium mines

For a little over two-hundred years we have been a nation of action. It is time we change that mode and become a nation of thought instead. Thought of what our actions mean to the generations that follow us. Thought of what our actions have done to others less fortunate. Thought about what our actions mean for every single one of us. Then we should return to action and try, I mean really try, to clean up what our thoughtlessness has left behind. If that's possible.

When the last tree is finally gone

2008-02-24T08:02:00.001-08:00

"Only when the last tree has died and
The last river has been poisoned and
The last fish has been caught,
Will we realize that
We cannot eat money"

19th Century Cree Proverb

The first European setters to arrive, not knowing how to live in harmony with the land, died in large numbers of disease and starvation. After the first year in the new land had passed more than half the population lay breathless six feet under the soil. The rest, by sheer brute force, took control of the land, tamed it, and began to forge a new continent in the image of the one they left behind. Most had come with the goal not of starting again in a new way but to plunder the unclaimed riches that lay beneath their feet and in the streams. The cry in their heart was to spoil the riches, sell them for money then live out their life in wealth. A few were successful. What they did not realize though is that the indigenous peoples knew where the true wealth existed and it need not be stripped from the earth in huge quantity to be converted to machines which would then create ever more modern technology.

For thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, the indigenous peoples of America took trees from the forest, bathed in the rivers, fished salmon from the streams, killed bison on the plains, hunted deer, harvested shellfish and even cultivated crops. Yet, because they took only what they needed, the continent flourished under their care. The earth itself was their wealth, the soil, the waters and the pure air their savings account.

If a picture is worth a thousand words I will save you reading three thousand more words about this subject. This map illustrates the amount of forest that existed when the first waves of European settlers hit our shores.

This next map shows how much forest we had remaining three-hundred and thirty years later.

Today, after just fifty-seven additional years, the map below shows the forest that remain. Less than five percent of the original forests remain now and each day another one-hundred and eighty five acres disappear.

When the last one is gone, then what?

If you want to read three thousand more words on this subject simply click on any map above and you will be taken to the website of the "The Native Forest Council". They put out an excellent publication called "Forest Voice" on the subject.

Inn Ore E Gun Oui' Dew Ever E Thing Rite-Whale Most Lee

2008-02-19T23:37:00.001-08:00

Perhaps you haven't heard but Portland Oregon was just named the nations "greenest" city by Popular Science magazine. But, well, ummm, according to Forbes magazine, that honor actually belong to Ames-Boone, Iowa. Portland didn't even make their list. Not even in last place. But cheer up Portland, MSN city guides thinks we are one of the ten greenest cities in America. They weren't specific on whether we were number one though.

If you believe David Owen, of The New Yorker, well, he thinks good old NYC is the greenest place to be, not Portland. Now I've never been to NYC personally, but I have watched Cash Cab, and I think that might be a real stretch. Are you sure Dave?

Yahoo thinks that Hastings, NE is the greenest place to be, even though Nebraska is actually kind of brown.

Sacramento is the one I truly feel bad for though. According to the Sacramento Bee, they aspire to be the greenest city in America but always kind of find themselves stuck in the middle. Mediocre. Well, duh, I mean what do they expect would happen if their governator drives around their fair town in a Hummer all day. Personally I think Sacramento is a great place to be, even if they aren't the greenest. I mean after all, they do have a killer train museum that is well worth a visit even if you are not into trains.

The out guy in all of this green contest stuff though is Boulder Colorado. They claim to be fiercely progressive in managing their greenhouse gasses and expressed shock they weren't on the Popular Science list. Better luck next time Boulder but, hey, cheer up, Forbes magazine considers you to be the "Smartest City in America" and that has to count for a lot...right? You'll get it all figured out.

Well, to be honest I don't really pay serious attention to these lists but my first thought when I read that Portland was "the greenest" is that the rest of the world is in some serious trouble. Oh, it's true, we are pedestrian and bike friendly, organic and local produce is easy to come by, and if all else fails, the rain keeps everything green without us doing a single thing, even if it is just moss. I mean moss is green and natural. It counts. No argument. It counts.

On a serious note, Portland is on a better track than most cities I think. Not that that is really saying much. Despite my sometimes very vocal complaints about Tri-Met Transit's management and their grumpy bus drivers, we do have a really great system for getting around that saves oodles of gallons of petroleum. Or would I should say, if we could get more people out of their cars and onto the busses. Tri-Met can get you lots of places in a decent amount of time for less than the cost of a gallon of gas and that is a real bargain. Plus they have a new commuter rail line that opens soon and a couple new light rail lines in the works. Bigger and better things all the time.

Another big accomplishment for Portland is that our largest hospital system Providence, just recently began diverting all of their food waste out of the landfill to a company that transforms it into humus. (Not hummus...one M...humus.) A big green kiss their way since that is seriously a huge accomplishment. Honest. Food waste in the landfill is really, really, really bad.

Another accomplishment that makes me smile quite a bit is that one of my favorite places to eat is now collecting the used foil wrappers from their burritos and recycling it. And they even bring your food out on a real washable plate, despite the fact that it is essentially fast food. And very much unlike so many places that do a small green deed, and then trumpet it all over town, these guys just do it because they really care and don't need to advertise their greenness. They just do it because it's the right. It's why they see a lot of the green from my wallet.

Well, those are just a few examples I notice. On the whole I think we in Portland are still doing a good share to mess up the planet and fill the landfills but...well, we're trying to be better. Honest. And that counts for something doesn't it? I mean just little.

There is probably a contingent in Portland that numbers at least ten percent of our local population that really gives this stuff some serious thought and takes action. You can see them flying across the Hawthorne bridge on their Cannondale bundled against the sub freezing temperature with a messenger bag slung over their shoulder. The rest of us, self included, have a long way to go to be truly green. From my travels around the country though, Portland is doing a much better job than most other large cities. For that we can still be proud so, I guess we can honestly keep that number one spot. At least until the next magazine list comes out, or Boulder Colorado figures out how to beat us. They probably will too since they're smarter than everyone else and mom always liked them best. They may, in fact, be getting on a roll real soon and it is never a good idea to stand in the way of a rolling Boulder. Ouch.

Forgive Me Frieda

2008-02-16T09:08:00.001-08:00

I read with great interest a letter to the editor of the Portland Tribune by one Frieda Campbell in Milwaukie Oregon. The tag line was "Rail steals resources needed for highways". Her letter reads in part "The reason I am concerned over the irrational national fascination and rush to make this fascination a reality is that it diverts critically necessary resources away from the building and maintenance of the highways systems--upon which we rely to transport our commercial freight."

OK, I have to pause here for a moment and interject a few things. Frieda is commenting about Portland's move to light rail usage since there has been much ballyhoo lately about the cost. None of the arguments hold a lot of weight when you consider the amount of money spent each year laying oil-based asphalt to build or maintain roadways. A cost that rises each time oil ticks up a penny. A few years ago Vancouver, across the river from Portland, was making the same kind of noise about light rail. That's when fuel was still eighty-nine cents a gallon. Light rail lost. Vancouver regrets their decision now since each day they become more and more isolated by traffic jamming at the Columbia River bridge.

But back to Frieda. Frieda, I have no irrational fascination with light rail personally and riding has never made me downright giddy. I just sit down and read my book or talk to the person near me content that I don't have to grip the wheel and curse the traffic. Think about it, if more of us rode the light rail we wouldn't need to build new roadways for diesel belching trucks. Less cars, more room for trucks...right?

Frieda writes, "(How much freight --with the very possible exception of illegal drug freight---have you observed being transported on the Max system?)"

Wait, Frieda, the MAX light rail is a people mover not a freight train. The big choo-choos are for the freight, not the little electric choo-choo. That's why they call it LIGHT rail as compared to the big choo choos which are HEAVY rail. And guess what, according the the US Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration trucks use TEN TIMES more fuel to transport goods than rail anyhow.

Frieda continues,

"Think of it this way: without highways, massive reductions in freight.

Without freight, massive reductions in commerce.

Without commerce, massive reduction in economic activity and no economic growth.

Without economic growth, economic stagnation.

With economic stagnation, all the other economic-related social problems based on it.

Got it folks? Get it! And hopefully before it's too late."

Frieda, YES, yes, I got it. I got it. It sounds great! Less roads, less trucks. Less trucks, less stuff. Less stuff, less stress. Less stress, more community. More community, less crime. Less crime... Are these the social problems you refer to?

Frieda, I've been to those big boxes full of "freight" which you say drive our economy. And I've been to the landfills where all that "freight" ends up no longer wanted, having served a very short useful life, and having been hauled by yet another truck. We need not consume for consumption sake just to make sure our economy "grows". And how does Wal-Mart opening another store, thus "driving" economic "growth" and putting another hundred mobile warehouse trucks on the road really benefit me or my community? Cheaper toilet paper does not keep me warm at night or keep my kids fed.

In my lifetime I have seen huge "economic growth" in this country. Huge! But the park near my house is now full of homeless families sleeping in their car, abandoned by a system of "growth" that sent their jobs overseas or phased them out by mechanization. The streets of our cities are filled with mentally ill citizens turned away from care by a system that rewards only those who have enough money to be counted worthy of health care The average citizen can no longer afford to buy a place to live as we convert to an economy that serves only large corporate interests. I am quite certain Frieda that if you made eight dollars an hour for your labor, or even ten, you would find it difficult to appreciate our "economic growth". Frankly Frieda, I think a little economic stagnation might do us all a little good. Perhaps, by necessity, we would once again find a sense of community. I'll see you on the bus Frieda...I'll wave to you as I pass you in your Hummer.

Who would have known Daryl Hannah could make such a splash?

2008-02-12T08:26:00.001-08:00

Daryl Hannah is probably best known for being the mermaid who fell in love with Tom Hanks. Or was she the unreachable conquest of Dudley Moore? No, I think she was actually a cave dweller. Alright, alright, I know that's not her real life.

In real life Daryl Hannah is quite an activist for sustainable practices. Albeit one with a much larger budget than my own. She was even arrested a couple years ago when she chained herself to a walnut tree--for three weeks!!--in protest of the bulldozing of the largest urban farm left in America, which just happened to be in South Central Los Angeles. This farm sprouted in 1992 right after the LA riots and allowed the citizens to grow their own fruits and vegetables. That, of course, would be a direct assault on corporate food and could not be tolerated. Why, that chunk of land would be much better off with a warehouse of frozen peas imported from Mexico sitting on it. Don't you think? I mean in South Central LA most of the grocery stores sell vegetables in crinkly bags from Frito-Lay. And the spelling of Frito is real close to fruit so who needs some fresh stuff out of the ground...right? Well, the new owner, having purchased the land for five-million dollars, refused to sell it back for the sixteen million dollars raised by Hannah and others. Sad, very sad. Daryl, you're a ten in my book for trying.

Take a click over to Ms. Hannah's website and poke around a bit. It's a very good site which contains some well done sustainability videos, and a super cool store. Be sure to check out the "Everyday Essential" section of her store for things like the Comfy Food Carrier, or the Best Water Bottle. Or if you have a few thousand rumbling around you don't know what to do with then check out her Fantasy Play Things section for a fifteen thousand dollar bio-diesel hay hauler and a thirty-thousand dollar solar boat. I told you she had a richer budget than mine.

I'm disgusted--Are you?

2008-02-08T06:58:00.001-08:00

Please read this article. I previously reported that the trash dump swirling in a never ending vortex in the middle of Pacific was the size of Texas. Well, it's grown now. A lot. In fact it is huge now. Really huge.

The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan

Products Made from Oil

2008-01-04T08:21:00.001-08:00

Oil at $100.00 per barrel? Why should I care? Well..here's a few reasons and this is just a very small list of the products made from oil. Many may surprise you.

Ink, Dishwashing liquids, Paint brushes, Telephones, Toys, Unbreakable dishes, Insecticides, Antiseptics, Dolls, Car sound insulation, Fishing lures, Deodorant,,Tires, Motorcycle helmets, Linoleum, Sweaters, Tents, Refrigerator linings, Paint rollers, Floor wax, Shoes, Electrician's tape, plastic wood, Model cars, Glue, Roller-skate wheels, Trash bags, Soap dishes, Skis, Permanent press clothes, Hand lotion, Clothesline, Dyes, Soft contact lenses, Shampoo, Panty hose, Cameras, Food preservatives, Fishing rods, Oil filters, Combs, Transparent tape, Anesthetics, Upholstery, Dice, Disposable diapers, TV cabinets, Cassettes, Mops, Sports car bodies, Salad bowls, House paint, Purses, Electric blankets, Awnings, Ammonia, Dresses,Car battery cases, Safety glass, Hair curlers, Pajamas, Synthetic rubber, VCR tapes, Eyeglasses, Pillows, Vitamin capsules, Movie film, Ice chests, Candles, Rubbing alcohol, Loudspeakers, Ice buckets, Boats, Ice cube trays, Credit cards, Fertilizers, Crayons, Insect repellent, Water pipes, Toilet seats, Caulking, Roofing shingles, Fishing boots, Life jackets, Balloons, Shower curtains, Garden hose, Golf balls, Curtains, Plywood adhesive, Umbrellas, Detergents, Milk jugs, Beach umbrellas, Rubber cement, Sun glasses, Putty, Faucet washers, Cold cream, Bandages, Tool racks, Antihistamines, Hair coloring, Nail polish, Slacks, Drinking cups, Guitar strings, False teeth, Yarn, Petroleum jelly, Toothpaste, Golf bags, Roofing, Tennis rackets, Toothbrushes, Perfume, Luggage, Wire, insulation, Folding doors, Shoe polish, Fan belts, Ballpoint pens, Shower doors, Cortisone, Carpeting, Artificial turf, Heart valves, LP records, Lipstick, Artificial limbs Hearing aids, Vaporizers, Aspirin, Shaving cream, Wading pools, Parachutes

OK, so now it's time to have a little fun. Print this list then mark off everything you have in your house, or on your person, that is petroleum based. How many were you not able to cross off? For me, it was very few. Still think you are conserving oil by just driving less?

FRONTLINE/World . Uganda - A Little Goes A Long Way . Video | PBS

2008-01-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

Here in the U.S. we are very well fed people who live in bloated houses, drive immense gas-hog vehicles (usually two or three), worry over our investments, pine for that latest this and that and ache when "the good life" is just out of our reach. We have lots of spare time and complain when the cable goes down or the toaster doesn't work quite right. Meanwhile the rest of the world would be happy with just a little more food, some warmer clothes, a real house and perhaps a blanket to stay warm at night.

A fairly new website called KIVA specializes in micro-loans to individuals in poorer countries and helps them start or build a micro business so they can afford what we in the U.S. take for granted. These micro businesses usually revolve around food, clothing, shelter, firewood, recycling, and such and are formed by people that do not live in a buy it-trash it society like the U.S. They treasure every little thing life brings them and are happy with it. Despite their poverty a smile still comes quick as they ask only for a tiny bit of help so they can lead a decent life.

A twenty-five dollar loan to a micro business may sound like a small amount but in another country it is the same as a thousand to you and I. It can mean the difference between eating or not or having clothes or a blanket. On KIVA an individual, along with thousands of other like-minded individuals, makes small twenty-five dollar, or larger, loans to help start or build a micro-business. Unlike a charity this is money you lend and is not permanently given away. Eventually, in a year or two, you will see all of your money back. You can withdraw it of course but the best course of action is to put it right back into another business. There is no interest paid but the reward of seeing a positive result from your money is much greater than a dollar could ever provide.

If you want to lean more about KIVA simply follow this link to a PBS documentary. It is about twenty minutes long.

FRONTLINE/World . Uganda - A Little Goes A Long Way . Video | PBS

My New Years Resolutions

2007-12-31T00:01:00.000-08:00

Here is my list of New Years Resolutions.

Well, that's the short list. The long list is actually not any longer. The truth is, I make resolutions to myself all year long, with absolutely the best intentions, but soon the real me emerges, I forget and then just go about life the same as before. So why worry about resolutions. Duguet once said "The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention." To be honest, I have no idea who Duguet even is, but he sure made up a great quote.

Most of us are programmed from birth and childhood to live life in a certain way. I am currently reading a book called "Upside Down, A Primer for the Looking Glass World". It is an excellent book so far about this issue--reality. I am only a few chapters into it ; but I highly recommend it from what I have read so far. Here is a brief excerpt:

"Fast food, fast cars, fast life: from birth, rich kids are trained for consumption and speed, and their voyage through childhood confirms that machines are more trustworthy than people. When the day arrives for the rite of passage, they will be handed the keys to their first four-wheel-drive all-terrain corsair. In the meantime they construct identities by driving full speed down cybernetic highways, devouring images and merchandise, zapping and shopping. They feel at home navigating cyberspace the way homeless children do wandering city streets."

I began my life in the fifties and now I am once again in the fifties, but this time the age is a little more personal. My natural inclination, when I am not thinking consciously, is to fall back on the way things have always been for me. I simply do what I know and not necessarily what is right. What seems perfectly natural, my reality, is not necessarily what is perfectly natural and may even be harmful for me. But it is what I learned in my early life and is what I know. Unless, of course I seek a better way. As a late baby boomer, I grew up in the "disposable" decades. I learned to buy things, use them, then just throw them away and let them become someone else's problem. Out of sight, out of mind. That is, unless, for example, I travel to the middle of the Pacific where a vast swirl of floating plastic twice the size of Texas exists and will never go away. Oops. Oh well, someone else will fix that...right? I mean they always do...right? You know like the landlord or the maintenance guy or...

So anyhow back to my resolutions. This year, no more resolutions. Not on the first day of the year or even on the three-hundred-sixty-fifth. This year I hope to unlearn a few more of my basic learned instincts from childhood and then do a few small good deeds instead. Just like Duguet said. I hope you will too.

I do plan some change this year to my blog. Hours and hours sitting and staring at a computer for quite a few years has exacerbated an eye condition I have so, by necessity, I have been scaling back my screen time. That is not very easy for me since I love to Google and research lots of things. Input...need input. My goal this year for the blog is to post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Three times per week instead of the five or six, or sometimes more I was doing. Some have commented to me, and they are right, that my blogs sometimes tend to be long. We live in an abbrev. world now and so I will strive to be more succinct and less enamored at my own verbosity.

Have a Happy New Year!

MY CHRISTMAS GIFT TO MY READERS-2007

2007-12-23T23:02:00.001-08:00

Below is a story I wrote last year for Christmas. I first set out to write a story about the passage of time and, with no specific plot in mind, this is the story that developed. It has gone through numerous tweakings and revisions but the story that unfolded on the page in the first draft was essentially the same story as the last.

Some feel this is a very sad story, and there certainly are some very sad elements, but I did not write this to be a sad story and feel the essence is actually one of happiness and is indicative that a true gift is not measured by its monetary value but rather by the amount of wealth it draws from the heart. I hope you enjoy it.

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CHRISTMAS IN WEMBLEY WOODS

On the morn before Thanksgiving, on a hill just south of the Wembley woods, a little boy stood playing on a drum made from an old barrel, a piece of cloth, and a faded rope with two matchsticks. The sound the drum made was very soft but, being very poor, his parents could afford to give him nothing better. His parents loved him dearly and he, not realizing he was soon to be orphaned, thought all of life was well. Each day, just before dawn, he would rise from his bed, get dressed, then walk to the top of the hill where he would play his drum with his matchsticks, just like a soldier, as the sun marched its way across in time. Made by his father, the drum had been given to him as a gift on the Christmas just passed, and he loved it more than anything else.

At exactly three days prior Christmas, and to the hour, a serious fate befell the boy’s parents, making him an orphan. The boy, upon hearing of his parents’ demise, did not cry as he wanted to look very brave, but a smile left his heart that day and would not appear again for a very long time. On the next morning, exactly two days prior Christmas, the boy did not climb the hill as he usually did and he would never climb that hill again. The sun still rose on all the days that came after, but without his drumming it did not seem to shine as bright as before and moved just a bit slower on its journey across the sky.

It was at the stroke of noon, by the constable’s watch, exactly on Christmas day, the boy was told he was to go live in a village close to the town of Southaven far beyond sight of the Wembley woods and the hill where he loved to play his drum. Told he would leave on that same Christmas day he was allowed only one small sack for his things and the drum he loved remained behind with his toys made of old spindles and threaded yarn. It now sat lonesome in a box on the hearth of the empty house that was once his home. For three long days, and by carriage, the boy journeyed to the other side of the Wembley woods. As he passed through his beloved woods, he spoke his quiet goodbyes to the trees and the hill where he once played his drum. The hill and the trees bid him a goodbye as well but silently as they disappeared from his view, but never from his memory.

On the fourth days after this same Christmas, and at precisely one after midnight, by the carriage driver’s watch, the wheels stopped turning in the village far from the Wembley woods but close to the town of Southaven. In this village lived a man with a great tall hat and an ivory pipe who, as it was understood, was the brother of the boy’s father. The man, who cared for his brother deeply, and upon hearing of his untimely demise, pledged to care for his brother’s son forever and for always.

At the point of six hours passing, by the clock on the table in the hall, and on this fourth day after Christmas, the boy first met the man who was to care for him forever and for always. Placing his hand firmly on the boys head, the man gave it a gentle twist from side to side, smiled, and then without a word simply walked away. However, the boy found a welcome entrance into his home, was shown to a very large room, and was told it was to be his own forever and for always.

The morning of the fifth day after this same Christmas was like any other. The sun still rose outside the bedroom window but to the boy it still seemed to shine less brightly and still marched a little slower across the sky above that village close to the town of Southaven. The boy did not rise early on this day, remaining instead in bed; head under the covers, until a maid and two menservants brought him breakfast, drew a bath and presented him with new silk clothes. Sitting up slowly in the bed the boy ate his breakfast silently and then rising from the bed, took his bath, dressed and sat quietly the whole day at the window looking toward the Wembley woods. With a tear in his eye, and an ache in his heart, he wished only for the drum and matchsticks his father had so lovingly given him one Christmas ago and for nearly three long years he spoke not a word.

It was on the eve of Thanksgiving, and after nearly three years passed, the man who was the brother of the boy’s father, taking the boy on his knee for the very first time, gave him a hug. For just a slight moment, a smile appeared on the boy’s heart but disappeared long before it could be brought to his lips. As he looked across the shoulder of the man and out the window, he could see that a light snow had begun to fall. The man, having spoken very little to the boy, on this day inquired what he wanted from the tree on Christmas morn. With a tear in his eye, the boy spoke only one word as he still rested on the man’s shoulder. “Drum”.

It was exactly one week, six hours and seven minutes after the boy spoke this one word, the man found a drum at a mercantile in the town of Southaven which was close to the village in which he lived. He purchased the drum for the boy and paid a very large sum. Bringing it to the maid and two menservants he gave instructions they should polish it, wrap it in fine satin and place it in the closet beneath the stairs. Here the drum would sit, secure, protected, and finely wrapped, until the eve of Christmas when, as the boy still slept, it would be placed under the tree with three other packages containing a pair of socks, two shirts and one wooden horse.

On this third Christmas after his parent’s demise and at precisely six o’clock, by the clock on the dresser in the corner of his room, the boy woke and watched from his window as the sun marched slowly across the sky. The maid and two menservants brought him a special breakfast of gingerbread cookies, eggnog and a tall glass of apple cider which the boy ate quickly then removed himself to his bath. Returning to his room a short time later, he put on a new shirt made from red and green silk, some brown woolen britches and a pair of heavy warm socks then descended the stairs to sit very still in the parlor, in front of the tree, and wait for the man to rise from his sleep so he could open his presents.

At the stroke of ten on that Christmas morn, by the chime of the clock in the entryway, the man entered the parlor, sat in his chair, placed his pipe in his mouth and gave permission to the boy to open his gifts. One by one, the boy opened his presents of a pair of socks, two shirts, and one wooden horse; which for a moment or two he galloped across the floor; then placed it again under the tree and sat on the man’s lap.

The man, at fifteen past that same hour, gave instructions to the manservant to bring the finely wrapped drum and place it on the boy’s lap. The boy loosened the bow letting the silk wrapping fall from his lap onto the floor. Inside he saw the drum, which shone very, very bright and without a word turned and kissed the man on the cheek, then set the drum on the floor, under the tree, and went to his room to sit in the window and look out toward the Wembley woods. As he watched, the snow continued to fall and after one hour, and with a tear in his eye, he retired to bed and dreamed he was a soldier standing on a lonesome hill without a drum.

On the morn after this third Christmas, the boy did not rise from the bed or eat his breakfast as outside the window the snow continued to fall. At precisely noon, by the watch in his pocket, the man, being worried about the boy, called to him. The boy, still in his pajamas and heavy warm socks, descended the stairs, sat on the man’s lap, then began to cry. Holding him close, the man inquired what made him so sad. The boy, who had not spoken a word in nearly three years, save one word “drum”, began to speak.

“On one Christmas past, I do not know which; my father made me a drum from an old barrel, a piece of cloth, and a faded rope. My mother wrapped the drum in her favorite apron and she gave it to me on the eve of Christmas as we ate our bread and soup. Every morning, in the Wembley woods, I played this drum on the hill, just like a soldier, while the sun marched quickly across the sky and shined bright. The drum you have given me is bright and beautiful but belongs to another little boy, not me. My drum is in a box on a hearth in a house that was once my home by the Wembley woods.” Then after he had spoken these words, the boy would speak no more and went to his bed to sleep.

On the evening of hearing these words, the man did not sleep and in his heart and in his thoughts knew he must recover the boys drum from the Wembley Woods. At six a.m. precisely, by the clock on the mantle in his bedroom, he called for the two menservants instructing them to make ready his carriage, as he would make the long and perilous winter journey to the Wembley woods. There he would find the drum on the hearth in the house that was once the home of his brother’s son and bring it to the boy whose heart no longer smiled.

At precisely seven minutes past nine o’clock on the morning of New Years day, by the carriage driver’s watch, the man found the house that was once the home of his brother’s son and on the hearth in a box sat the drum and a few toys made from old spindles and threaded yarn. Next to the box were two matchsticks. The man picked up the box with the drum and the toys and placed them safely in the back of his carriage for the long journey home. For ten perilous days, he traveled back through the snow arriving precisely at four minutes past noon by the clock in the entry hall. Weary from his long journey he gave the drum to the little boy then set the box with the toys made from old spindles and yarn on the table by the chair and retired to his bed to sleep. The boy, hugging his drum tightly in his arms, and leaving the toys of old spindles and yarn on the table next to the chair, walked up the stairs to his room to sit by his window and watch the trees in the yard as the snow no longer fell.

Upon rising early from his bed the next morning the boy went to the pantry to find two new matchsticks, then stood in the garden behind his home, next to a trellis, and played his drum like a soldier as the sun marched into the sky. The sound he made was very soft but, having been poor and not yet knowing he was very rich, his parents could have afforded him nothing better. The sun marching across the sky that day cast its rays a little brighter on the village close to the town of Southaven and a smile appeared on the boy’s heart and soon found its way to his lips. He remembered now the hugs of his father, the kisses of his mother and the hill where he once stood in the Wembley woods to play his drum. Then holding his drum tightly in his arms, the boy ran to find his father’s brother. Upon finding him he spoke only four small words “I love you papa.” and then he never spoke another word again for as long as he lived. However, in his heart, and on that day, he pledged he would someday care for the brother of his father forever and for always.

After exactly fifty-one years, seven months and sixteen days passed the man who had cared for the boy forever and for always became very ill, and the same day died. The boy, now long grown, had done all he pledged in his heart to do and had cared for the man who was the brother of his father forever and for always. The sun, having already risen on that day, marched slowly overhead and shone just a little less bright. The boy, now long grown, at the tide of evening on that same day, went with his drum to the garden next to the trellis, and just like a soldier, with two old matchsticks drummed to the sun as it finished its march across the sky and then disappeared.

For exactly three days, four hours and twenty-five minutes, after learning of the man’s demise, a smile did not find its way to the lips of the boy, now long grown, but it still remained on his heart. Having lived a rich life, and upon learning the man who had cared for him so deeply forever and for always had left him all his worldly possessions, the boy, now long grown, went to the mans grave, placed his drum on top, then simply walked away. For the rest of his days, which were precisely twenty one years, eleven days, twelve and a half minutes, the boy, now long grown, lived as a wealthy man who had also in his life been very rich.

p.s. I received a very kind e-mail recently asking where my posts have been. There is a long answer to that... but...the short answer is that I needed a break, I took it, and I will be back in the New Year with new vigor. I hope to approach this blog from more of a correspondent view in the new year, with a few interviews scattered about and most likely a few field trips as well. Have a Merry Christmas, a joyous Kwanzaa and a belated Hanukkah blessing. And for the rest of you, Happy Festivus if you please. Oh yeah, Happy New Year too! See you then in a weird net blog sort of way.

Imported from China

2007-10-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

In nearly every major port along the Pacific Coast you will find a container terminal. Each day huge container ships dock at these terminals and twenty-four hours per day computerized cranes rapidly offload an average of 71,000 containers of goods, most from China. This flow of goods is regulated by the government, mostly, but there is another import from China slipping past our borders which has become impossible to regulate and it is making people sick. I'm talking about dust.

China is rapidly becoming a desert. Each year 950 square miles of China's heartland is converting from fertile farmland to desert. This is due to overgrazing of cattle, deforestation through clear cutting, urban sprawl as factory cities are built practically overnight and drought. The sand has become so pervasive in some areas of China entire villages have disappeared beneath the sand. And now this sand is being exported to the world. Here are a few links:

China's Dust Storms Raise Fears of Impending Catastrophe

China Dust Storm

The Pacific Dust Express

China Losing War With Advancing Deserts

There is another side to this coin as well. Many of the electronic products purchased from China and used here in the U.S. are soon discarded. If it is recycled, many times it ends up right back in China to be "recycled" in open-air dumps. The toxins and heavy metals become mixed with the soil, which then becomes dust and is then exported as toxic dust as the winds carry it back to the U.S. I could fill up pages of this blog with links on this problem but simply Google "China Toxic Dust" for one-million two-hundred-ten thousand links on the subject.

World Bicycle Free Day?

2007-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Note: This post has been "Censored". Apparently my attempt at humor was misunderstood by some and so my dry wit has been doused with water and the post edited. My apologies if anyone was offended by my previous humor. It was only intended as humor and nothing else.

Last Saturday, September 22, 2007 was "World Car Free Day". The intent was that everyone celebrate by leaving their car home for the day and get around some other way; transit, bicycle, on foot, roller skates, wheelie shoes, perhaps even by horseback. Judging by the number of cars on the road though, this day of celebration didn't have quite the same appeal as Christmas. Perhaps next year.

I, on the other hand, being fully in the mood to celebrate, put together, at the very last minute, a small spontaneous bike ride down the Springwater Corridor Rails to Trails from Portland to Gresham. I posted the ride on Craigslist for less than a week, but didn't really expect much of a response but I did receive one endearing e-mail though from R. L., who is obviously one of my greatest fans. It read, in it's entirety:

what i would prefer is a "World Bicycle Free Day," particularly the
Peter Pan dorks in spandex like they're in the Tour De France,
retarded Lance Armstrong wannabees. let me know when that happens.
P.S. I used to ride a bike, WHEN I WAS A KID. then i grew up.

R.L., if you read this in my blog, which I doubt, I did actually enjoy your e-mail, it gave me a very good laugh and there's no hard feelings. Really! Oh, and about the kid part...thanks! I love being a kid still and the last time I flew like Peter Pan on my bike was just quickly over my handlebars when I hit a deep patch of mud in Port Angeles. It wasn't that much fun. Oh, and I do in fact wear Spandex but only when it's hot. Not because I look cool, but rather because I stay cool and it has a little extra padding on the posterior where I am, ahem, a little lacking now. That is always helpful on a long ride. Most of the time I just wear pants and a t-shirt though and no one has yet confused me with Lance and asked for my autograph when I wear the spandex. I'll set them straight though, if they do, and let them know I'm just a wannabee and not really him. Honest.

There was a magnificent crowd that showed for my ride and I documented the occasion with a picture. As you can see it was just me, and uhhh, me. It was a great ride anyhow though. How can you not love a trail which takes you through a place called "Beggars Ti ck Wildlife Refuge"? I'm sure there's a history behind that name but I'm not sure I really want to know.

The highlight of the ride was a stop at the marsh just before you reach Gresham. I was greeted by a French-fry chomping nutria--essentially a huge amphibious rat with a long thick tail---who was looking for an additional handout from me. He looked very well fed by other passersby and certainly didn't need my help on his way to a rodent coronary. He flirted with my "Gorge Delight Just Fruit Bar" for a few minutes, but headed for the water when he discovered I don't feed wildlife and was just pulling out my camera for a quick shot instead of more food.

I hope to be a little better organized for this ride next year. I didn't find out about "World Car Free Day" until less than a week prior and jumped on it the best I could. China actually closed some of their roads to traffic in honor of the day and Portland, being alternative transportation friendly, I feel should follow suit next year. I'll see what I can do. Hmmm, another thing to feed my polyphasic mania.

Note: I traveled roughly thirty-five miles by bike and roughly the same by light rail. Total fuel expenditure: an unknown amount of electricity for the light rail train, one and one-half cups of oatmeal, a small handful of raisins, a generous splash of "Pacific Foods Oat Beverage (Plain)", about a cup of rice, a cup of beans, some plantains, a few slices of yam,Pico de Gallo, salsa and one "Just Fruit" Bar. Had I traveled in my automobile I would have consumed about 4.5 gallons of petroleum plus the above mentioned food items as well.

Nature deficit disorder in children

2007-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of going on a backpacking trip with a friend and two of his boys. It was the first time the boys had ever been out in the woods, even just to camp, much less backpack, and they had a great time. The older of the two was a natural and was very disappointed to leave. So many kids now are simply into TV and video games, I can't tell you how good that made me feel.

Our pack trip took us to the Indian Heaven Wilderness in Washington State where we spent nearly three whole days. I had never been packing in this area before and discovered one of the most beautiful places on earth, right in my own backyard. The whole area was dotted with small lakes right next to giant meadows. There were several rock spires; one of which we climbed and peeked over the top into the meadow below; and surprising little wildlife. Based on the huge amount of steaming, bright blue, berry laden, bear scat we saw my assumption is the other wildlife were hiding out until the huckleberries disappear along with the bear. Never actually saw a bear, just the tell-tale signs they were not far away.

I believe each of us is programmed to love nature and the lives we live among the hustle bustle of the freeways and shopping malls disrupts that programming, or even turns it off. Time spent with nature though has a way of reprogramming us again if we let it. I also believe if we introduce kids at a young age to the wonders of nature, let them experience it close up, perhaps even get a little grimy, pick up toads and throw some rocks they will be less inclined to take nature for granted later and thoughtlessly destroy it. Having grown up myself in the era of John Denver, and others who sang of the earth, I learned a deep respect for walking in nature with a light footstep. On this trip we left no scar on the ground that would give away our presence except the small bit of dirt we took away on our boots.

I just discovered a new book titled "Last Child in the Woods, Nature Deficit in Childr en " which some are likening to "Silent Spring". Silent Spring is the book most credit with being the impetus behind the ecological movement of the 70's. The light of that movement has never truly died, even though the candle has definitely dimmed. I have not yet had an opportunity to read this book but it is high on my "read list" now; currently about twenty books long; and when I do I will post my comments and feelings about it. If you want to help in this effort, please send "Powell's Books" gift cards to... Just kidding, but if you do want to help, and you have kids, and have not taken them into the backwoods, even for a day hike, please do so now. Nature shows as much love to us, as we show to her. It is best to learn that love at an early age.

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Spread the word! September 22 is "World Car Free Day". "WORLD CAR-FREE DAY" started in the 70's and 80's in different forms but is now a regular planned event, and each year just gets bigger. "Car-Free Day 2007" may end up being the biggest yet. Even the government of China is planning official events in more than 100 cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. They even plan to close some of their roads to private cars.

Our cities, towns and streets don't have to be dominated by cars. It was not long ago they weren't. We can convert our cities and streets into avenues for people-powered transportation once again, it just takes enough voices to make change. Cities can easily be traversed by foot, bike or,for longer distances, bus, light rail, subway or train.

Let's all make "Car Free" day a special event.

Note: Have a blog? Please cut and paste this text into your blog, including this note. Think viral!

Cars, cars and more cars

2007-09-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

In the U.S. there are 239 million cars and light trucks on the road. All these vehicles log roughly 2.7 trillion miles every year. That is a 160% increase in miles driven just since 1970 and the amount increases every year. It costs all of us, in the form of taxes, 66.3 billion dollars every year to build and maintain the roadways for all these cars. Public transit sees about one-tenth that amount of funding and Amtrak sees even much less than that.

In the U.S. we account for just 5% of the worlds population, yet we contribute 45% of the global pollution from vehicles. Some states, like California, have decided to get tough on this pollution, but only fifteen other states have decided to follow their lead. The rest have lax, or no standards at all. And here is something that may actually surprise you. The big three automakers, GM, Ford and Chrysler, have actually called for a cap on global warming emissions yet, despite their call for a cap, there have been no federal bills passed to cap, or even reduce, pollution from ANY source. Hmmm...

Source: The Environmental Defense Fund

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Let's all make "Car Free" day a special event.

Note: Have a blog? Please cut and paste this text into your blog, including this note. Think viral!

Car Free Day is coming!-September 22

2007-09-18T13:55:00.001-07:00

Our cities, towns and streets don't have to be dominated by cars. It was not that long ago they weren't. We can convert our cities and streets again into avenues for people-powered transportation, it just takes enough voices to make change. Cities can easily be traversed by foot, bike or,for longer distances, bus, light rail, subway or train.

Let's all make "Car Free" day a special event.

Note: Have a blog? Please cut and paste this text into your blog, including this note. Think viral!

Bike to the Future

2007-09-18T08:04:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I participated in a 28-mile bike ride called "Bike to the Future". It was initiated by the "Coalition for a Livable Future (CLF)", which I had never heard of before this ride, but they seem to be doing some pretty good stuff. CLF coordinates the efforts of over ninety sustainability organizations in the Portland Metro area plus does some major research on sustainability practices. One of the greatest things they are doing right now is a program they call "Shift the Balance". Even if you don't live in Portland, click on the link and read the list of ideas. It's a great list. It really is a forward thinking agency and the stuff they advocate doesn't necessarily requires solar panels on the roof or a wind farm in the back yard.

The ride itself was great and the hills were always perfectly timed with the areas I wanted to spend more time looking at, or vice versa. It was also a great introduction to some really nice neighborhoods I never knew existed in North Portland. That's actually one of the great things about bike travel is that you see and experience what is around you, rather than just view it out your window like a dull movie with an NPR soundtrack. Just keep an eye out for the cars because some of them are not keeping an eye out for you. Bright yellow clothing and flashing lights on your bike don't make you less cool, and they just might make you less dead someday. <<<<Safety message to some of my fellow bikers who equate "think safety" with wimpiness. And to the guy who told me my bike looked like a Christmas tree, (I have one flashing light on the back end) I forgive you and wish you maximum visibility when you most need it. OK, repeat after me. Lights...cool! Dead...not cool! Lights...cool! Dead...not cool!

There were three slightly interactive rest stops on this ride but the one I enjoyed the most was a brand new neighborhood called "New Columbia Housing". It is a project of the Housing Authority of Portland and is a superb example of thoughtful planning. Essentially what they have done is bulldoze what was once a crime-ridden community of ticky-tacky, industrially painted, drab, low-income only housing and replaced it with a genuine neighborhood of great looking low income, middle income and luxury homes, along with low-income senior housing and apartments. To this they added parks, a recreation center, play fountain, play yards, lots of trees and grass, a brand new school and the most humongous upside down tree you ever saw. CHECK OUT THE PICTURES! They even bulldozed AROUND the old trees, left them standing where they were and designed around them. Great thinking...really!

By realigning the roadways the housing authority was able to add more units in the process and serve more people. The entire project was also specifically designed to bring people together by the addition of walk-throughs and adding open spaces and trees making it feel more like a true community than a development. It was all built with sustainable practices in mind and I was quite impressed. CLICK HERE to read more about how this development was built sustainably. If other cities are not studying this as a model of housing done right, they should.

A beauty to behold

2007-09-17T11:02:00.001-07:00

There was quite a difference in our ages but I was still very much in love. She had just come out of a long term relationship with my brother and, even though they had seemed in love and were quite inseparable, that ended suddenly in a big blow-up on the way to the store. My brother just walked away, left her sitting all by herself, and then called someone else to go get her. He didn't ever want to see her again and, looking back, I'm not sure I really blame him. They had been through a lot together. This was not the first time this had happened. In fact, it was actually quite a frequent occurrence. When all the facts were laid out, it was always clearly her fault. But this final incident pushed my brother to the edge, and any love he had for her was gone. That's how I ended up in a relationship with her.

I picked her up at my brothers place and she was there waiting in the parking lot of his apartment complex when I arrived. I drove her home and, despite her tendencies to blow up without warning, I loved everything about her. We would have several similar incidents over the next year or so, and more than once I also left her sitting alone, but I always went back for her. I understood her problems better than my brother did. She had lived quite a fast life, had been quite abused in her early years and was just more sensitive than others. Years later I also found out she had some pretty nasty scars from being hit but she kept them covered very well with make-up.

I am no longer in love with cars. Not like I was with that 1965, bright orange, with black stripes and black interior Opel Kadett Rallye. She had been used for racing and the original owner had modified the engine in a way that dramatically increased oil pressure. This was great for the bearings and camshaft but it also meant changing oil pump gears and pan gaskets on a regular basis. I never knew when the oil pump was going to blow and it always happened in the worst spot. But I had gotten her absolutely free from my brother and so she came cheap. My brother was sick of her problems but I, being eighteen, fairly mechanically inclined, and "needing" wheels didn't care about her frequent blown oil pumps and pan gaskets. She was still a beauty to behold and I just kept a spare oil pump in the glovebox and tools in the trunk. It was a nuisance but wasn't really a problem. After a small fender bender I discovered the entire drivers side quarter panel had been plastered with about three inches of bondo and then repainted. The sight of those huge chunks of bondo on the pavement was hilarious and made a very small accident look like a major collision.

I still think of vehicles as necessities but they are just expensive hunks of moving metal to me now and no longer a love interest. In many ways I have started to hate the automobile. They are troublesome and expensive. I hate driving around town and enjoy riding transit and reading a book much better than driving most times. In truth, I don't think automobiles are quite the necessity we all think they are. Personally I've grown used to having a vehicle I can use at a moments notice because it eliminates the need to plan ahead and leave a little earlier to get places by transit, bike or on foot but I am working to break myself of this bad habit. Perhaps the truth is that while I have fallen out of love with the automobile, I am still in in love with her twin sister, Convenience, and they are quite inseparable.

Junk your Junk Mail

2007-09-12T05:27:00.001-07:00

I want you to pledge. No, this isn't PBS. I'm not asking for money. I just want you to pledge to fight junk mail.

If you have a half-hour, you can print and mail a few free forms which will dramatically reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. I used the site on Monday and it is a piece of cake to use. It will also help you send letters to your state representatives to start a junk-mail opt out list.

So do this, pledge first, then start printing your forms. The trees are waiting.

PLEDGE NOW!

Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry

2007-09-11T07:58:00.001-07:00

A boy, probably no more than twelve, sits at a sewing machine about to be struck by his employer with a club. He sits at this machine for ten hours every single day and earns just $1.00 but the upside is that we in the U.S. can buy T-Shirts for just $5.00 a piece. Isn't that wonderful! This means we can wear it just a few times, then give it to the Goodwill, who will sell it back to a third world country as scrap. Welcome to the world of "Fast Fashion".

I had another post lined up for today on junk mail but I received an article in my Inbox this morning I felt was important enough to share right away. Please read this article. It is long, so you may want to approach it when you have a little extra time, but even if you have just a few moments the pictures speak volumes.

Confession: I have a mountain of T-Shirts in my drawer. I volunteer a lot at bike rides and other events and always end up with a T-Shirt. I certainly don't need it, it's just a reminder I helped out and they usually look pretty classy. I'm going to print this article now give these shirts back in order to raise awareness these cheap clothes come with a terrific human cost.

One recent exception. FlexCar. FlexCar gave me a T-shirt this last weekend that was made in Downtown L.A., USA and is made from 100% Organic Cotton. These were being given free to all members. If they can do it, why can't everyone else? The answer: They can, but probably not at $5.00 a piece.

Please read this article, download the .PDF and hand these cheap T-shirts back with a copy of this article. Most people are not aware.

Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry

Ruminate on this!

2007-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of a farm. There is something pleasing about the aroma of fresh dung in a field coupled with the bellering of cows and the cackling of chickens. Perhaps not all share my view but if you grew up around this smell it holds a particular sentiment and nostalgia. I honestly do love the smell.

But just exactly how much sentiment and nostalgia comes out of the back of a cow. Here are a few statistics that will probably surprise you as much as they did me.

They typical dairy cow produces 120 pounds of sentiment every day. Let's see, 120 times 365, give or take a pound or two, throw in a leap year every four, average for water content differences and divide the result by 2000. There it is, each cow produces 22 tons of sentiment every year. In Oregon alone, according to the Dairy Farmers of Oregon*, there are roughly 122,000 dairy cows creating such nostalgia. That means 2,684,000 TONS of new sentiment are created every year. I think if you are the guy with the shovel, this sentiment may quickly lose it's nostalgia though. Either way that is a lot of sentiment and there are not that many people, like myself, that wax nostalgic about this stuff. So, what to do, what to do?

Here is one idea. NW Natural, (our local natural gas company) has hatched a new plan to pick up all this sentiment, let it decompose in a sealed environment, and create BioGas which will then turn a turbine and generate electricity. There is even a plan that it could be "cleaned" and mixed with the the regular natural gas supply as well. I guess gas doesn't actually come much more natural than that anyhow. I'll ruminate on this a while and get back to you when I find out more.

(*Source: Portland Tribune: Friday September 7, 2007, Page:A 10)

Lighter Footstep - Train Yourself to Give Things Away

2007-09-06T06:34:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm back from my backpacking trip in the Indian Heaven Wilderness in one piece with no sore muscles. I not only had a great time, I was also able to commune with quite a few bears who made their presence known all along the trail but never stopped by to chat. Perhaps that was just as well. I also met a great guy named Rip Caswell, an artist, who shared his campfire and lots of stories with us each night. It was a great trip.

I haven't really gotten back into the swing of things since I returned and so I have missed a few posts. This one today is probably going to be a little light.

I subscribe to another blog called "Lighter Footstep". Sort of like mine but without the occasional rant. Below is a link to a short post about giving things away. It is not long, very well written and it is something I am in the process of doing right now myself, having just moved.

I have been using FreeCycle like crazy, have posted a number of things on e-bay, which I practically gave away, and put a thing or two on Craigslist as well. If you don't belong to your local FreeCycle you should get involved. It is a great way to get rid of stuff and let me tell you, it feels good to get rid of stuff.

Here's the link. Oh, and don't miss the link at the end of the article about "How to give stuff away" You might need it.

Lighter Footstep - Train Yourself to Give Things Away

Mr. Green Jeans

2007-08-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have discovered if I really wanted to be fully green, and self sufficient, it would take a pile of the other green....money. That is something I don't have a lot of right now.

I don't currently have 40 acres and a mule, I don't even have five acres and a riding lawnmower. I just have a condo I rent with a small backyard. I may be able to grow a little of my own food back there but, feed myself...forget it. I am reliant on the local grocer for that.

I have electricity, natural gas, water in the pipes, the drains run into the city sewer, and the landlord takes care of any problems I have. In other words, I am dependent on the community. That is the good part.

The bad part of that equation is that if the community chooses not to be so green, it is difficult for me to be fully green. Portland area is quite green but the manufacturers of the products I buy are not. This, I think is the entire premise behind the title of my blog, "Least Footprint". Could I make a lesser footprint than I do now? Absolutely! Should I? Of course. Then why don't I? The answer is simple. I don't yet know how but I am working on it plus it is also true that there are few products anymore that meet the fully green status. Being fully green is not easy.

I sometimes wonder if someone who reads my blog; I don't think there are too many right now actually; came to my house, would they expect I would be Mr. Green Jeans with solar cells charging batteries in the attic, tubes circling the roof to fill my hot water tank, a large greenhouse in the backyard full of tomatoes, peppers, radishes and zucchini and a couple of chickens running in the yard. To be honest I would welcome that life, but as I said, that takes money. Money I don't have. It is a goal though. However not eating chicken any longer those hens would have a pretty good life.

I pretty much began the whole green thing with eating better and that somehow led to starting recycling. I think it is because I started going to sustainability fairs and my eyes were opened to what my lifestyle was actually doing to the planet. It took a while to get really good at recycling but now my trash cans see very little waste. I'd estimate less than 10% of what we throw away now ends up in the landfill. (Unless the recycle station has dumped it there, which I hear does happen.) I am an avid recycler of everything I can now and when I can't recycle something now, and have to throw it in the trash can, it actually makes me sort of cringe. I have a stack of Styrofoam in the garage waiting for someone to start recycling it. I would think they could just grind it up and make something new out of it but I guess not.

My next step, after learning to recycle better, was to reduce the amount of stuff I actually buy. Less purchase, less waste. I have been partially effective at doing that and I still want, I just don't buy as much. I'm still working on that line between want and need.

I think my next step in this process is to learn to eat with the seasons and locally. That is not going to be easy in the winter. September, as it so happens, is "Eat Local" month and so now is a good time to get started on the local eating program I think. I'll report back how it goes.

Green Tip: It is no longer necessary to make a decision on cloth or disposable diapers. g diapers from Australia have just been introduced in the U.S. and they are made right here in Portland Oregon. Kind of makes me wish I had a baby just so I could see how well these things work.

g diapers can be flushed or even composted. Were you aware that 50 MILLION disposable diapers end up in the landfill EVERY DAY! Average time to decay...about 500 YEARS. g diapers completely ends that problem.

For only $26.99 you can try them out. After that you just buy refills and flush. A case of refills is $52.00 for 128 diapers. You can also use cloth inside the g Pants during the day and use then use the flushable at night.

Want to learn more? Visit the videos.

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life." John Muir, 1898

I am taking John Muir's advice and will be communing with the birds, the bears and the trees in the Mount Adams wilderness for a long weekend. I call it "tree time" and it is a necessity for me to help maintain my sanity from living in the city. My heart lives in the hills and meadows of the backwoods, but my feet are still stuck in the city.

Note: My next post will be on Tuesday, September 4, 2007. Have a happy Labor Day. Get out in nature this weekend and show a tree a little love. You'll breathe better for it.

Oh yeah, check out my new "nature quotes" feed over there to the right. See, something new while I'm gone anyhow.

A trip to Ikea

2007-08-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

When the Ikea store opened in Portland this last July the news harbingered huge traffic jams and the papers displayed diagrams of how to avoid the traffic. However, the biggest story, prior to the grand opening, was of those that camped out in line, some for a week, to be one of the first five-hundred in the door. I knew right away this was a place I wanted to avoid until things cooled off.

As it turned out there was not a single traffic jam, the ones who sat in line for a week, thinking they were going to get a free chair, simply got a coupon for a free hot dog in the cafe, and the doors opened on time to the sounds of Swedish oompah's by a brass band. I think there were a few dignitaries to cut the ribbon.

Well, yesterday, we finally took the light rail down to check the place out. After all, if they build such a large cathedral to shopping it might be worth the time to at least step inside the door and find out what was doing with everything yellow, blue and square. It was dizzying. You are free to shop where you want but if you came with no specific plan they have conveniently put huge arrows on the floor to route you around the mouse maze interior. Ten-thousand different items made from wood, plastic and paper in every form conceivable that is square. They pride themselves on being square. Appropriate for a store that resides in such a big box I guess.

Here is one big kudo to send Ikea's direction though. If you want a plastic bag, they charge you a nickel. They beg you with signs not to use the plastic bags, or if you must they will sell you a large reusable bag for fifty-nine cents instead of the disposable. They cite these facts in their plea:

The amount of plastic shopping bags that we all use once and toss is overwhelming:
-The average family of 4 accumulates 1460 plastic shopping bags a year.
-100-billion are given away each year in the U.S.
-It can take up to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down in the environment!

The nickel they charge for the bags is routed to American Forests, reported to be the oldest non-profit conservation association. Every dollar donated to American Forests plants a tree apparently. I had never heard of this organization until this trip to Ikea but a quick look at what they do made them seem like a worthwhile charity. They will plant trees in your, or another persons name and would make a nice gift.

Ikea also had several displays showing how to live pleasantly in very small spaces. One display showed how a family of three could live quite comfortably in 580 square feet. Quite livable actually.

Well, that was my trip to Ikea for the first time. I'm not in a hurry to go back. In the end we bought six glasses made in Russia for $3.54. The old glasses in the cupboard, the ones we got free at Spaghetti Factory years ago are headed on to Freecycle today to be adopted by a new family.

Shopping Junkie

2007-08-28T07:23:00.001-07:00

Do you ever just wake up and feel like you want to run out and buy something? Do you think it will make you happy? Do you walk into a store and pick up things that are "on sale" knowing you don't really need it but it is "such a good deal" to pass up? Do you grab the Sunday paper and sort the ads out, so you can read them first? Don't want someone else to see the ad first and take them all before they are gone...right!

Hi, my name is Scott and I am a shopping junkie? "Hi, Scott!"

It is commonly thought that "women are the "shop-a-holics" but I have watched and men are just as bad. It's just that we are drawn to the electronics, sporting goods, hardware and expensive things like boats, cars, snowmobiles, etc. Personally my draw is books and camping supplies. I love camping supplies. It used to be electronics too, but I have much better willpower now, although I still look.

No, I am not going to list off a twelve step program in this post. Instead I have a video that is just a few minutes long and gives all the instructions you need better than I ever could. You won't regret watching it. It is so "American".

WATCH THIS VIDEO

What's wrong with reducing?

2007-08-27T08:23:00.001-07:00

There was a day when I was motivated for another kind of green. Cash! Over many years I tried different "get rich quick" schemes and attended real estate seminars looking for the "easy life". You know, the one where I would just sit back on my pile of cash, with little care for what happened around me, as long as I was comfortable and had a good remote for my HDTV. This, I thought, is what would make me happy. It didn't work out too well, I'm still not "rich" and actually I am quite glad.

The "get rich quick" schemes I tried seemed devised to make sure someone else got rich quick, not me. That is, unless I was willing to enslave my friends and family to be my sales minions in my own little army of vitamin salesmen. They would then enslave their friends and families to be minions in their own little army, and so on. Once I got these dollar signs out of my eyes I realized I wouldn't feel right enslaving my friends and family for my own personal gain.

I also tried the real estate thing, attended seminars, and even signed up for two different mentoring programs. I got dumped by both of the mentors because I refused to be slick and dishonest when dealing with homeowners in my quest for a cheap deal I could flip fast for a lot of dough. Selling vitamins through my friends and family was one thing but selling my integrity to buy a cheap flip was something I simply wouldn't do. It didn't take long and those dollar signs faded quite fast for me. The people I spoke with called it "the New Gold Rush." Here is the statistics on the last gold rush, in the Klondike. One-hundred-thousand began the trip to the gold fields. Only thirty-thousand actually made it. Of those thirty-thousand, only about four-thousand actually found any gold. Of those four-thousand, only a small handful found any substantial wealth. (Source:National Park Service, Klondike Gold Rush Museum) Keep those statistics in mind if someone invites you to the next gold rush.

I believe it was these experiences that caused me to re-examine my goals in life, so they were not a complete waste. My search now is for a different kind of life and a different kind of green. I started this blog as a way to hold myself accountable for my actions. I have been schooled my whole life in consumerism and it is a difficult transition to live more simply and desire less stuff. It also requires a lot of reading, research and contemplation. Old habits die hard.

I believe our desire for personal comfort is really just a basic part of human nature and always has been. The problem we have now, in our day and age, is that technology allows us to consume so cheaply, easily and quickly we each have the potential, right at our own fingertips, to inflict great damage to the earth without much effort. Just the flip of a light switch, the push of an accelerator pedal, the spray of a can, the pull of a plastic bag from a roll, the quick purchase of an electronic gizmo is all it takes. Moments of our life that can cause damage that will take thousands of years to repair. When we do that over and over it is deadly to all life, including our own.

Some have devised a way in which we can offset our guilt by just paying money. I have been approached by several of these organizations over the last couple years asking me to "offset my carbon footprint". The plan is that by paying someone to find a technological solution and commit a positive act this would in turn "offset" any negative act I choose to perform and get me off the hook for my overconsumption. This never quite sat well with me when it was presented and while it sounded good on the surface, I kept coming back to the same question; What's wrong with just reducing instead? I'm sure the money generated from the "carbon credit markets" goes to quite a few good projects but if we all reduced what we used instead, would many of these projects even be necessary? Here is an example of one of these projects.

A few days ago I read an article about a plan to dump one-hundred tons of iron filings into the Pacific Ocean off the Galapagos Islands in an attempt to increase the plankton count, which would absorb more carbon, thus slowing global warming. The company responsible, Planktos, is seeking funding through a "carbon offset fund". Here is a quote from their website that states it well.

Our Market

Carbon credit markets are opening up around the world, including in the USA. These markets have been created by new government policies and regulations in response to growing climatic and environmental concerns.

The largest carbon markets are driven by the Kyoto Protocol, which is designed to annually reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere by 600 million - 1 billion tons. As part of the Kyoto Protocol, European nations began trading carbon dioxide emission credits in January 2005. And since emissions of CO2 are so extensive, the trading market is of substantial size and value, and growing quickly.

Because of the fast growth in the market, an increasing number of participants have sprung up to provide liquidity, trade exchanges, and financing. Beyond the public exchange floors, large market players conduct many private direct trades adding substantial volume to the trade. There are now also a significant number of investment funds established for the sole purpose of investing in CO2 credits.

When you read "since emissions of CO2 are so extensive, the trading market is of substantial size and value, and growing quickly.", you begin to realize there is a lot of cash being generated by "offset". I am not condemning offset entirely. I think offset funds are probably a good thing overall but not when they are used to absolve the personal responsibility to reduce. Reduction never seems to play into the goals of the funds.

In this example, the iron they intend to dump, at a cost of millions of dollars, will absorb the annual emissions of about five coal burning power plants. There are roughly four-hundred coal power plants in the United States alone, many more in the rest of the world. What do we do about the other three-hundred-ninety-five plants in the U.S.? How much simpler would it be to just reduce the amount of electricity we use?

Here is the link to the article on dumping iron in the ocean from the Wall Street Journal, no less. It's not very long and well worth reading.

Energy Roundup - WSJ.com : Upset About an Offset

BBC NEWS | Americas | Midwest awash after heavy storms

2007-08-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

Perhaps Global Warming is not really real. Perhaps all of these weather records being broken day after day is just a fluke of nature and it will soon all go back to normal. But then, perhaps not. Do we continue rolling the dice and hope for the best?

BBC NEWS | Americas | Midwest awash after heavy storms

How to recycle your move

2007-08-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

I believe boxes, like cats, should have nine lives. If you've moved recently you probably discovered boxes are just not very easy to come by anymore. In the olden days one went down to the local grocery and there was a bin right up front, just inside the door, where they threw all the empty boxes. The early bird always got the best boxes and most of them disappeared every day. Not anymore. Now the boxes go to the back stockroom, get shoved through a hole in the wall, are crushed, then are sent off to be remanufactured into a brand new box. I am not clear why that makes sense, economically or any other way, but it must because the stores invest major money in these huge crushing machines. Just another example of how our society has become geared toward disposability and not reuse.

Unless you know someone who has a cousin who knows a guy that has a sister with a boyfriend that works in the back of a store you are pretty much out of luck. I am fortunate to be married to someone that knows a guy in the basement of the hospital and if she went first thing in the morning she could get all the boxes we needed. Most I fear are not so fortunate though.

Here is an option some may not have considered. FreeCycle. After my recent move I posted my stash of lightly used boxes on FreeCycle. They were spoken for in literally five minutes after hitting the web. I was life two for the boxes and through Freecycle these boxes are now seeing a third life. Since this person intends to FreeCycle them when she gets to Boston these boxes will then have four lives and still be going strong. So, if you are moving and need boxes, post it on your local FreeCycle site. Have boxes you are done with? Post those too. It is a great way to recycle your move. Oh, you could also pass along any excelsior or bubble wrap you used as well. Reduce, REUSE, Recycle.

Afterthought: Don't stop at boxes. Put everything you don't want on FreeCycle. You would be amazed at what people are looking for out there. It may seem like junk but there may be an artist looking for exactly what you have. Freecycle.

Green Tip: Got a clogged drain? Forget the noxious chemicals. Boil a large pot of water. Add one cup of Baking Soda and once cup of vinegar all at once. Pour down the drain immediately. If your drain was fully clogged then let water flow until it clears completely. Cheap and effective. Try putting this concoction down your drains once a month to keep them cleared too.

If you want to see an endangered species, get up and look in the mirror.
John Young, Apollo astronaut

OK, that one was cynical but realistic. Here's the positive one.

We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.
Donald Horban

Yeah, I like that one. It's a lesson I am still learning.

A correction

2007-08-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I stood at the sink yesterday rinsing some dishes I noticed that the "Mason" jars I have are not Mason or Ball. They are Kerr. Who knew?

Mason Jars Don't Use a Secret Handshake

2007-08-23T08:31:00.001-07:00

I love Mason Jars. Our pantry used to be full of plastic bins and bags. Now it is full of a standing army of Mason Jars. (Truth: There are still a few plastic bins and bags left but we are using up the contents and they'll be gone soon.) Anyway back to the main story.

We buy bulk now whenever it is available. Flour, beans, lentils, rice, oatmeal, spices, there are hundreds of things you can buy in bulk. It is always much cheaper and there is no packaging to throw away. I also like the fact that my food is in contact with glass and not plastic. Did mention that I hate plastic now?

I know some people are out there washing and reusing plastic bags, and I've tried it, but I could never quite get the hang of it. Mason Jars are so much easier and it's glass!

Some stores ( most stores?) will weigh your jar and note the tare weight on it so it can be deducted after you fill it. I don't bother with that, I just carry cloth reusable bags into the store,fill them up, then transfer the contents when I get home. The cloth bags can be easily washed then line dried and will last for years. Spices are the exception. For spices it is easiest just to buy it once in glass jar and then keep refilling that same jar over and over. No need to label as long as you don't ever run the jar through the dishwasher. (Don't forget to have the tare noted though before you fill the jar!) The bulk price of spices is a lot less than buying prepackaged stuff. Don't be fooled by the label on the big jar at the store that says it costs like $26.99 per pound. The spices weigh so little it usually comes out to only a few dollars when you fill the jar.

Mason Jars can be bought at most groceries, especially during canning season. Often in the off season they are piled on top of the freezer cases and require hunting down an employee with a ladder to get one down. I guess they just don't have the same appeal as candy bars which are always at hand level and everywhere. Here is another way to get jars though. Some products, like spaghetti sauce, come packaged in regular old Mason jars. Just buy the product, eat it, wash the jar, get a lid and you are set. "Free" Mason Jar.

If you decide to convert your pantry to an army of mason jars, here is a tip I learned from experience. I labeled the jars on the front....Wrong! Label the lid instead. It is much easier to find what you are looking for when they are four deep in your pantry. And don't forget, if you drop one and it breaks, don't throw it away, it still recycles. If the lid gets crusty you can recycle the lid in the metal bin. New lids can be bought separate from the jars in a little cardboard box but since you are not using the jars to preserve food (canning), they can get a little crusty or be bent out of shape and still be OK for pantry use.

I read the Fake Plastic Fish blog every day now and, as Beth has found out, it takes a long time to rid your life of plastic. I second that notion. I am on a much smaller campaign than Beth to rid the plastic from my life but so much comes in plastic now, I sometimes scratch my head at how it is really possible to fully eliminate plastic from my environment. Even the computer I write this blog on is made of plastic. Well, a lot of it anyhow. Slowly but surely I am ridding my life of as much plastic as I can. The Mason Jars (OK, sometimes they are Ball Jars) are a very good start and the way they look like an army of glass in the pantry is rather cool looking.

UPDATE: Beth at Fake Plastic Fish has come up with a great way to clean lids from spaghetti sauce jars. Here's the link to her post.

"It is not so important to know everything as to appreciate what we learn." - Hannah More (1745-1833; author, philanthropist,educator )

Green tip:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLFS) are used in shampoo's, toothpaste, dishwashing liquids, soaps and many other products as a sudsing agent. There is evidence they are a carcinogen and also can inhibit eye development in children. These chemicals are absorbed quickly through skin and mucous tissues so ingestion is not necessary to be exposed. SLS is also lethal to fresh water fish and since it does not break down well in the environment any put down the drain stays around for a long time. Don't forget that what goes down the drain goes to the sewage treatment plant. The solids are then removed and are commonly pumped onto the edges of roadways and into fields as a fertilizer. The SLS and SFLS enters the environment again at this stage and can wash into fresh water sources.

The Materials Safety Data Sheets for SLS cautions workers to avoid body contact. But this same chemical is put into most body and hair care products. Is that weird or what?

ALWAYS READ THE LABELS! Avoid products with these ingredients.

Another freebie quote-I love this one

2007-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives."

The Sioux Indigenous Peoples

Moving is a pain

2007-08-22T00:13:00.001-07:00

OK, I know I have harped on the moving thing a bit, but really, it was not my fault. The apartment I lived in went condo and I had to buy or leave. It wasn't that great of an apartment and an even less great condo so...I left. Besides the empty lot next door, full of feral cats, was plowed under and turned into a subdivision of asphalt and concrete. Really sad for the cats and I lost a great view of the natural world.

Well, I am in the new place now and it is very quiet and rather peaceful. Boxes still strew the floor but it is getting there. We sit back in the trees and lots of plant life. I love it. It took a lot of looking to find the right place and being green topped the list. Here are just a few of the green advantages of the new place.

1. We have gas...the natural kind. I mean for heat and water, not the umm other kind of um...natural gas.

2. We are walking distance to the store (1.3 miles), library (1 mile), bus (.3 mile), light rail (1 mile), and lots of other stuff.

3. We have a backyard big enough for some raised beds and a compost bin. Zero garbage, fresh peppers and winter greens, here we come. (One advantage of the Northwest, you can grow lettuce and other greens year round. (sssshhh...keep that quiet though.)

I have been making good use of Freecycle and CraigsList to rid myself of stuff and so this move is taking a little longer as I carefully sift out what I really need. If you live in Portland area and read my blog watch FreeCycle because I plan to make it very busy real soon with stuff large and small.

I do have a personal confession though and I will make it short. No Impact Man had a blog recently about reality and optimism. I find his blog posts, and the comments that follow, fascinating and am usually inspired to write my own comment or two or three, plus the occasional diatribe. However after going back and reading my own comments and then comparing it with others views I was forced to look in the mirror a bit. Staring back at me was (gasp)...a pessimist. That was a little odd to me because I always considered myself an optimist. How strange to find the real me. It woke me up a bit though and I have pledged now to become a realistic optimist, if that is actually possible. I am realistic in knowing I will never change the world alone but I can certainly hold out hope and be positive about changing me and hopefully inspire another to change. After all I was a plastic devouring, can loving, junk food eating, electronic gadget junkie who loved to just get out and drive to nowhere for no reason and threw everything into the same garbage can and dump it into the dumpster with absolutely no thought for where it would end up and I saw the light. I did draw the line at littering though before, there were fines for that after all. See my first confession. In short though, I was a pig.

Well, I am sure I will still be compelled to yell a bit about this and that in my posts because I do still hate what is happening to the earth and it does upset me I can do nothing about it but, for my own sake, I plan now to end each blog with a quote or a positive statement plus a green tip of the day. So here is today's positive statement about mindless consumerism. Oops, was that a pessimistic statement?

Until you make peace with who you are, you will never be content with what you have.

Doris Mortman (No idea who Doris is, but I love her quote)

Here is the green tip for the day. Want to get rid of junk mail? Move...it doesn't follow you! Sure, that is drastic but it works.

A freebie quote

2007-08-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

"Take everything you like seriously, except yourself."
- Rudyard Kipling

Why "the market" alone can't save local agriculture | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 16 Aug 2006

2007-08-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

Why "the market" alone can't save local agriculture | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 16 Aug 2006

Why The Economist's recent assault on "ethical food" missed the mark | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 03 Jan 2007

2007-08-21T07:20:00.001-07:00

Why The Economist's recent assault on "ethical food" missed the mark | By Tom Philpott | Grist | Victual Reality | 03 Jan 2007

Water, Water Everywhere, but Guilt by the Bottleful - New York Times

2007-08-21T07:16:00.003-07:00

Water, Water Everywhere, but Guilt by the Bottleful - New York Times

On the anti-bottled-water bandwagon - Los Angeles Times

2007-08-21T07:16:00.001-07:00

On the anti-bottled-water bandwagon - Los Angeles Times

Co-op America: Summer 2007 CAQ: Corn Ethanol Isn't the Answer (A Co-op America Expose)

2007-08-21T07:13:00.001-07:00

I need another day or two to get situated in my new place and then I will be back with my regular blogs. In the meantime this is a great article on the truth of ethanol. I was not aware it takes seven barrels of oil to produce eight barrels of corn fuel. Interesting article. There are many other reasons this is not a solution as well; pesticides, land usage, food crop converted to energy crop, and much more. In the end, the only solution is to reduce consumption of energy. There is some debate now on whether global warming is even real. Even if it is not, there are many other very good reasons we should all reduce our energy consumption.

Co-op America: Summer 2007 CAQ: Corn Ethanol Isn't the Answer (A Co-op America Expose)

Nano_Sunscreens.pdf (application/pdf Object)

2007-08-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

Nano, nano was funny when Mork said it to Mindy but when it is in your sunscreen and other products it is no laughing matter. This is a sixteen page report but it is an easy read and very valuable information.

Nano_Sunscreens.pdf (application/pdf Object)

ilovemountains » Blog Archive - End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining » Robert F. Kennedy, Jr: King Coal Pillages Beautiful Land

2007-08-15T18:50:00.001-07:00

I grew up in the era of John Denver and one of his most famous songs, Rocky Mountain High, contained the words:

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land

The year he wrote those words was 1972. I don't think he even knew at the time how far we would go as a nation in tearing down the mountains. We literally scrape the tops off and discard the tailings in the valleys and hollows. Below is a link with further details. This is so sad to me it seriously brings a tear to my eye. Read it and weep? Conserving electricity will help more...tons more!

ilovemountains » Blog Archive - End Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining » Robert F. Kennedy, Jr: King Coal Pillages Beautiful Land

An Astronauts Perspective

2007-08-15T06:03:00.001-07:00

Donald Williams, born February 13, 1942 became an astronaut in 1978 and logged over 288 hours in space on two separate flights before retiring in 1990. He had this to say about our planet.

"For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us."

We live together on a big blue marble breathing the same air, drinking the same water, sharing the same resources. Yet we act as if, should we mess this planet up and make it uninhabitable, we have somewhere else to go.

Perhaps we should all step back just a bit and look at our planet as Saturn sees us. We are that tiny speck of light, smaller than a pinpoint at about 11:00 just inside the faint outer ring. Can you see us? Has your perspective now changed as well?

Photo taken of the outer solar system through Cassini's cameras. Cassini is an unmanned deep space exploration craft on a mission to Saturn and Titan. At this time, Cassini was nearly 1.5 billion kilometers (930 million miles) from Earth. The earth and moon in this photo are not more than a few pixels across.

Your thoughts?

My stuff is calling and I'm on Hiatus

2007-08-14T15:33:00.001-07:00

I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOVE OF HOME AND OFFICE. THAT HAS MADE LIFE BUSY. I WILL RETURN ON MONDAY 8/20/2007 WITH REGULAR POSTS. PLEASE ENJOY A FEW ARTICLES I HAVE DISCOVERED WHILE I AM AWAY. OR YOU COULD JUST GO TO THE BOTTOM AND STARE AT THE WORLD CLOCK FOR A WHILE...FASCINATING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING.

Meat is murder on the environment - earth - 18 July 2007 - New Scientist Environment

2007-08-14T09:51:00.001-07:00

I eat a plant-based diet but I do this primarily for my own health benefit more than environmental purposes. Heart disease runs rampant in the men in our family and under the advice of my doctor I eat a low-fat plant-based diet. I am in my 50's now and have normal weight ( I lost 45 pounds), blood pressure (from 135/85 to 110/65), cholesterol (I never checked this before so I have no idea but it is at the bottom of the scale now), blood sugar (I used to be severely hypoglycemic and was on the verge of Type 2 diabetes) so it must be working.

I do share concerns with others about what factory farming and unnatural livestock practices are doing to the environment I live in. This link goes to an article on this problem in the New Scientist magazine. Unlike some of the vegan and vegetarian publications they have no axe to grind, they are just reporting facts. It is short and straight to the point with references to the back-up research. I did find it interesting that a bovine fed naturally (grass-fed), rather than a concentrated feed diet (cattle yards), emits 40 per cent less greenhouse gases (methane) and consumes 85 per cent less energy during its growth cycle. That's a considerable difference. Multiply that by the millions of cows in feed yards and you can see this is a substantial amount of avoidable energy usage.

Meat is murder on the environment - earth - 18 July 2007 - New Scientist Environment

Note: The packing is nearly done and the days have finally arrived to actually move all the crap that owns me from one house to another. I have been filling my blog with articles of interest of late and will do so for the remainder of the week since I will be very busy. I'll get back to normal posts next week.

Suspect in bee die-off: Insecticide Widely used bug spray may be behind deaths of millions of bees- mlive.com

2007-08-11T08:53:00.003-07:00

I do not use insecticide any longer. If I have an insect pest problem I use a combination of Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap and a few essential oils. With this mix I have rid myself of a major ant infestation and kept hornets from building nests under the eaves. Right now we are in the middle of a catastrophic bee die-off and there is evidence it is chemicals that are the culprit. Here is a link to a good article on the subject.

Suspect in bee die-off: Insecticide Widely used bug spray may be behind deaths of millions of bees

For the recipe to get rid of ants follow this link to "The Invisible Gardener" and look for his "Dances with Ants" instructions. Andy is a sheer genius when it comes to pest control and organic gardening. There is a small fee to join his site for a lifetime but well worth it. Look for his Internet only specials.

Climate Change : Yahoo! Green

2007-08-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

Global warming! More oil! Yeaahh?

Climate Change : Yahoo! Green

Effects of Fast Food Branding on Young Children's Taste Preferences -- Robinson et al. 161 (8): 792 -- Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

2007-08-10T07:28:00.001-07:00

This link is for a technical paper which is about six pages long. It is not necessary to read the whole thing to understand it. The beginning of the report explains the methodology while the second half of the report gives the results. Most telling in this report is that young children even thought carrots tasted better if they came in a McDonalds wrapper. There was also a direct relationship between TV watching and the prevalence of eating at McDonalds.

McDonalds was chosen because they are the industry leader however these results, I am certain, cross over to others, such as Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.

Think your kids aren't being manipulated by TV ads? Read these results and you decide.

Effects of Fast Food Branding on Young Children's Taste Preferences -- Robinson et al. 161 (8): 792 -- Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Well, I've finally done it this time!

2007-08-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a shocking statistic. Americans throw away more than 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags EVERY YEAR and only .6 percent are recycled per the WorldWatch Institute. Five of these bags floated by my car window, blown by the wind, the other day on a trip of only five miles. Having previously seen the pictures and information on Reusable Bags.com and the information put out by WorldWatch Institute on how plastic bags can literally float for miles and end up in trees, waterways, etc. it didn't really truly sink in until I saw these bags float past my windshield. I have started seeing them everywhere now and knew I had to do something.

Here are some of the basic facts as reported by Reusable Bags.com.

Top Facts - Environmental Impact

Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
As part of Clean Up Australia Day, in one day nearly 500,000 plastic bags were collected.
Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags. According to the BBC, one group harvests 30,000 per month.
According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone "from being rare in the late 80s and early 90s to being almost everywhere from Spitsbergen 78° North [latitude] to Falklands 51° South [latitude].

Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.

(Source: Reusable Bags.com)

After I watched these bags go by I began to think up solutions to the problem. I was even tempted for a moment to jump out of the car and chase the blasted things but since I am unable to run as fast as the wind I decided it was not the best option. I thought about this for quite some time that day and have come up with an idea that could, if successful, make a large dent in reducing the stray bag population nationwide.

I call it the PUP Brigade. PUP stands for Pick Up Plastic and I'll leave you to your own devices (dictionary) to figure out the brigade part. The PUP Brigade, when in full bloom will help eradicate a considerable amount of the plastic littering our planet. However I cannot do it alone. I need your help.

Here's how it works. Just click here to go to the PUP Brigade site and enroll. There is a welcome statement that will give you a few more details and enrolling doesn't obligate you to anything except noting your desire to pick up plastic when you see it. If you want to be more actively involved you can be an area coordinator. More on that later. If you are simply interested in grabbing and recycling every bit of plastic you see and perhaps weighing it and reporting how many ounces or pounds you have pulled out of the environment and recycled then simply enroll in the group and get started all on your own. By enrolling in the group you will have a chance to converse with others all across the nation who share your same interest in eliminating plastic waste as well as encourage others to Pick Up Plastic. I also envision PUP Parties with large groups, organized by a local coordinator, picking up plastic in a public park, beach, square, road or wherever plastic is a problem. I have established a Google Calendar so these events can be listed in a central location.

If you are interested in being a Coordinator simply e-mail me and I will let you know the details and other contact information. Coordinators will be needed in every city across the nation and would be responsible for finding a location that needs cleanup, then notifying the media as well as performing other general organizational duties such as contacting service groups, schools, scout troops, etc. It would be volunteer work but should only be a few hours every month to accomplish. How much time you spend would be up to you and duties could be shared among several individuals in a large city. As a coordinator you would have access to the calendar to post dates for events and would notify the media of the dates the event would occur. You would not need to be present at every event.

Rather than reinvent the wheel I have set this up for now as a Google group with a web accessible calendar. As time goes by I will move this to a dedicated website but for now this will suffice and there will be no delay waiting for web development.

Please, if you are reading this blog, and have an interest in eradicating plastic from our streets, parks, beaches and waterways...sign up now. If you can be a coordinator simply e-mail me and we can work out the details.

I have mentioned Reusable Bags.com several times and as a nod to the recent Fake Plastic Fish post about reusable bags and Reusable Bags.com I suggest a review of her August 2,2007 post before rushing out and buying reusable bags. She has some very valid points. Ones I hadn't previously thought about.

Please join PUP today even if you can only get out and pick up bags and plastic on your daily travels. The life you save may be a turtle, a seabird or perhaps even that of the the whole planet. I need your help.

EIA Kids Page - Waste to Landfill

2007-08-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is a great site for learning how landfills work. It is geared toward kids but if you are an adult...don't let that stop you. It's good for you too.

A Kids Page - Waste to Landfill

Do plastic bags really take 500 years to break down in a landfill? - By Juliet Lapidos - Slate Magazine

2007-08-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy this article while I take a slight hiatus from my own posts.

Do plastic bags really take 500 years to break down in a landfill? - By Juliet Lapidos - Slate Magazine

Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government

2007-08-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

All the data that is fit to print. Straight from the Federal Government.

Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government

Basel Action Network (BAN) - E-Stewards - Responsible E-cyclers

2007-08-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

Need to get rid of your computer but don't want it to be sent overseas and dumped. Here is a link of responsible E-cyclers.

Basel Action Network (BAN) - E-Stewards - Responsible E-cyclers

The straight scoop

2007-08-08T07:39:00.001-07:00

My post on Monday, August 6, was based on actual facts in my life but I did exercise a touch of poetic license in that I turned three homes into one composite home. Today, I wanted to present the actual facts as they existed then.

Shortly after I was born, our family began to slowly sink into poverty. We were somewhat middle class for a while after I was born but it was before I was truly aware. My very first actual memory is that of a rental home near Noti, Oregon that had once been a stage stop. We lived there until I was four when we moved to a second home near a wildlife preserve. This is when we reached the lowest point of our poverty and this home, and I use the term loosely, is where we had no indoor toilet. Just an outhouse out the back door next to the chicken coop. We did have a small tub in the kitchen surrounded with a cardboard box and there was one spigot in the kitchen sink that put out brackish cold water from a shallow well but the pump on the well was not reliable so water was a real fight sometimes. The house itself was merely a two-room shack with large holes in the walls making it impossible to heat. We did, in fact, huddle together under blankets to stay warm when the weather turned cold. The roof leaked and we had cans on the floor to catch the drips. We lived in this house for about for about two years.

The last of the three homes we lived in was called "The Sailor Farm" and at this point we had clawed our way out of poverty enough to have indoor plumbing, hot water and a nice kitchen. There were also a lot of incredible places at the farm for three boys to run and play. Of all the places I ever lived as a child this one holds the best memories.

In all three homes in Noti we were impoverished to some degree, depending on whether my dad was working or not. My dad found work when he could, usually temporary or day jobs, so we usually had very little money. Some months were better than others and there were days we had no food. One entire month we survived on just a fifty pound bag of potatoes and nothing else. We speak fondly of the unknown person that dropped that bag of potatoes on our porch to this day.

Most of what we ate during our years of poverty came from what we could grow or raise and once a month we picked up government food commodities. For a few years we also had sixteen dairy goats and some chickens. We sold the milk to a large local dairy; they used it for cheese-making; and also had an honor system egg booth on the highway to Florence. People were very honest and just took what they needed and left the money. These endeavors generated a little cash but it was certainly not enough to feed a family of five.

During these years, the 50's, a family living in poverty was left to starve. The Food Stamp program would not exist until much later; 1964. Commodities were the only government help available and those came just once a month and were limited. The community helped us but we were not the only family needing help, the whole area was depressed, so that too was limited. Still, the community felt an obligation to help and it did. Much of this community spirit has been lost in our society now and that is sad.

So life in Noti sounded dreadful, right? In my memory, they were the best years of my life. As a family, we were happy then and even though we struggled and starved, were cold and faced the elements, we looked out for each other, worked together and survived. I did not know then of the things a rich life could bring. The toys, the comfort, the worry. I didn't know then we were impoverished and since this was the only life I had ever known, it just seemed normal. You just assume everyone lives that way and not knowing any different you are happy. Once you achieve some richness though, I am sure it is difficult to go back and be as happy.

My oldest brother, seven years older than me, has a very different recollection of these times because he personally witnessed our family's slide into poverty from middle class and was old enough to understand. Being older, he also had more chores which created a great deal of contempt since we, my other brother and I, were too young to chop and carry wood or clean goat pens and chicken cages. He had to do it all.

Our poverty ended when my dad found work in Seattle as a hospital repair technician. He remained with that job for about eight years, then began his own company which was very successful. Even when our situation improved though, we were never what a person would call rich in U.S. terms, but the job in Seattle did give my dad a good living wage with benefits. We began shopping for groceries instead of growing our own food and we no longer picked up commodities. My mom no longer canned or made fresh bread but our pantry remained full of food at all times. We also discovered the TV dinner and many nights, while my parents were out doing other things we would make our own dinner and eat while we watched TV. Life seemed good to all of us...for a while.

It was inevitable that this quick return to "wealth" from such deep poverty would change our family and it was a rather quick decline. The cohesiveness that poverty mandated disappeared and it took only about six years before our family unit completely disintegrated. Our new rich life looked good on the surface, but deep inside it brought with it a great deal of unhappiness which destroyed our family.

I would not want to go back to the abject poverty of Noti and would not wish that on anyone. Part of my happiness then was just a state of unknowing bliss and I had no idea we actually lived in squalor, starved and were so susceptible to weather and disease. Looking back now I can see that life was not that great and my parents and oldest brother, having witnessed the slide into poverty from middle class, have a much less fond outlook than I do on those days. I did in fact spend a good deal of those years sick, had nearly all the childhood diseases know to man plus a few more and twice nearly died with mono and German measles.

My post on Monday may have made poverty sound like a wonderful thing...it is not! Poverty is definitely cruel and heartless and the only good I can see in it is that it does force a family to work together and stay united simply to survive. If done right though, this positive can be carried forward into a better financial standing but it does require work. Our family, however, did not survive the transition and the end was rather ugly.

I am not "rich" now by any stretch of the imagination. By U.S. standards I am probably lower middle class. I am not in any present danger of homelessness, and poverty is a distance away but I do feel poverty's presence at times and wonder if calamity will ever strike and give it a chance to catch up for a visit. Staying rich requires a person to always run faster than poverty and not stumble, regardless of how rich you are. If you stumble, poverty is waiting. It can happen to anyone.

Even though I am not considered truly rich, like Donald Trump, my lifestyle, when compared to most others on the globe, is definitely "Rich". I have tons of stuff, eat well, drive a nice car, have more clothes than I really need and have electronics galore. Books are a true addiction for me and I have enough books to cover nearly an entire wall in my office, even after I recently sold and gave a lot away.

Where I go my stuff goes and I lug all it all here and there, even though it is a lot of work. I am attached and sometimes I think it owns me, rather than the other way around. When I go backpacking I always realize how little I actually need to survive and that the rest of my stuff is truly "wealth". But I soon forget and just keep holding on to my stuff as if I need it for survival.

There is a parable in the Bible about a very rich man who could not find happiness. He came to Jesus who sent him away and told him to sell all he had and give the money to the poor. He was so attached to his stuff though, he couldn't do it. He chose instead to remain sad but wealthy. Sometimes I wonder if I am a little like that rich man. It is difficult to get rid of stuff and I don't really know why. When I do manage to dispose of things it feels as though I have lifted a small burden off myself but...I still hold on. Why?

I did return to Noti to find the old houses where I lived. All of the houses were actually gone, but the flood of memories I spoke about really occurred causing me to be quite emotional, right out of the blue. The memories were both pleasant and painful. Nearly everything else in Noti looked the same as when I was a kid. The elementary school, the barn at the sailor farm except that it had been repainted bright red, the little store that doubled as gas station and was run by a guy named Proctor who was also the barber and our landlord. All of it seems to exist in a time warp because the highway was rerouted and now bypasses Noti completely leaving it isolated and alone.

I enjoy the things I have and there was a time I thought I needed then to be rich and happy. I'm not sure that is true. I no longer desire to be rich but I do hope to avoid poverty. I strive to be content now with just enough to feed me, clothe me, house me and quench my thirst. I want to live more simply with less reliance on fragile technology, and more connection with God, community, family and myself. Success in some of these things still escapes my grasp but I have not lost heart and push on, trying to unlearn the lessons of rich living and find simplicity.

Peace to you all.

There is one that makes himself rich, yet has nothing: there is one that makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Proverbs 13:7

Can technology save us?

2007-08-07T06:18:00.001-07:00

Technology, in my very non-professional opinion, will not be able to save us from ourselves. I have no PhD on the matter, but history, I believe, will bear out my conclusion since it is based not on hope, but on observation of fact and logic. Perhaps too Spock like for some, but it gets the job done.

It is a fact that all technology, no matter how simple, requires upkeep and repair. The recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis highlights this basic problem with technology. While it has not yet been determined exactly what went wrong, undoubtedly, based on previous similar disasters, it will be one of two things. Error in construction/engineering (human error) or lack of proper maintenance (human negligence).

If this were an isolated event a different conclusion could be drawn but, this sort of event; bridge collapses due to faulty engineering or lax maintenance; has a long history dating back as far as even the Roman Empire and beyond. Here are just four examples of bridge failures. A brief look back into history will show there are many many more. I have selected bridge disasters in the U.S., however this is an international problem as well.

In 1876 the Ashtabula Bridge in Ashtabula OH suddenly collapsed, taking with it a train filled with 158 passenger and crew. 92 dead, 48 injured. The cause: A fatigue crack that was not found due to a deficient inspection routine.
On December 15, 1967 the Point Pleasant Silver Bridge in Kanauga OH suddenly collapsed killing 46 people, injuring 9. It was determined years of corrosion had been allowed to build and maintenance was neglected and practically non-existent. Vibrations from rush hour traffic shook the bridge apart after a major component failed due to corrosion. After this disaster the federal government mandated National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) and required all bridges to be frequently inspected. This was nearly forty years ago and it is still being neglected!
On July 17, 1981 the Hyatt Regency hotel walkway collapsed killing 114 people and injuring more than 200. It was determined there was poor engineering of the supports and the engineer that signed off on the final report was convicted of gross negligence and lost his engineering license.

On June 28, 1983 the Mianus River Bridge collapsed sending vehicles into the river 70 feet below. Only three people died but the disaster brought to light that deferred maintenance on bridges was still a major concern. Inspections had not been done on scheduled intervals and not enough money had been budgeted to even pay to inspect the bridges. This was twenty-four years ago and it is still being neglected.

Fast forward to today when a bridge in Minneapolis suddenly fails taking an unknown number of lives and sending dozens to the hospital. It is likely exactly the same problem we had in 1967 and 1983. We have great technology and some very advanced technologic skill, but lack of maintenance reduces that technology to piles of scrap. With technology we can now build higher, span further, go faster, fly higher,communicate farther, drill deeper and harvest more of the earths resources in a shorter period of time than ever before. But should we?

Look out a window right now and also drive around your nearest city or town in your mind. Take note of everything you see. Now go back in time to imagine your surroundings as they were were just one-hundred years ago. Does the world look much different? Is it cleaner and safer now than one-hundred years ago? Has the industrial revolution been kind to the world it seeks to change? Have we advanced or declined in our respect for each other and the world in which we live?

Everything you see around you that is man-made is aging in some way and needs maintenance. Much of it is well past its prime and cannot be refurbished. It can only be removed or replaced. What is it going to cost to maintain all we have built over the last couple hundred years? If we tore it all down, what would it cost to rebuild? Bridges are only a small part of the equation. All technology and innovation must be maintained or replaced, big and small. Our most recent innovations, the computer and cell phone, lead very short lives and must be constantly updated or replaced. Much more frequently than older technology since they are technologically fragile. In fact all technology is fragile though and decays rather quickly. Do we have the resources to sustain all that we have built and manufactured in just the last one-hundred years? If we don't, what will happen to our society, our economy, ourselves?

Nature, given enough time, will repair itself and bring about it's own balance. Technology does not, it simply decays and crumbles leaving us with a mess to clean up. Other advanced civilizations existed before us, there may be others that follow. We find remnants of these advanced civilizations buried under sand in the desert or covered with vines in the jungle, seemingly abandoned without a clue as to why. I often wonder if they discovered the same thing we will soon. It is not possible to harness nature through technology and it is fruitless to try. The end is always a return to the earth and living a more natural and simplistic way.

Right now, in the U.S. we have bridges, dams, tunnels, buildings, rail lines, steam lines, gas pipelines, oil pipelines, water lines, sewer lines, levies and much more, in need of update and repair. Much, if not most, of this technology was built by previous generations and has been maintained with band-aids due to limited budgets and human resources. The bill to fix the bridges alone is estimated to be 190 billion dollars. That is billion with a B. The bill is about the same for dams. But what of the aging steam lines, brittle power grid, leaking pipelines,crumbling dams, failing levies, collapsing tunnels, etc. What is it going to cost to repair or rebuild those? Who is going to pay for it?

In the Appalachians right now we are literally tearing the tops off mountains so we can capture the coal underneath. We then destroy this coal in furnaces and cast it to the sky as particulate matter. This particulate rains down on the surface of the earth spreading pollution. What will be the affect on our world from this? See this previous blog.

I spoke with an engineer a few days ago who told me he will be busy for the next ten years just tearing down aging power plants that are far past their prime. The cleanup of these dirty plant sites, he says, will be massive but will most likely left for another generation. There are very few plans in the works right now to replace these plants since the money is not available. How do we maintain our thirst for electrical power when our electrical power grid cannot keep up? If our electrical generating ability fails us what happens to all the technology based on its power? Is the technology we have constructed to hold nature at bay strong, solid and sound?

Technology comes with three price tags. The cost to build, the cost to maintain, and the cost to tear down. History has shown we are great at building things, lousy at maintaining them, and slow to replace. Tear down and clean-up is generally inherited by a new generation. I am in the generation that has inherited the first wave of clean-up, hence we have Super Fund clean-up sites now with no money or resources to cleanup. The problem is too massive. My children will inherit this bill and problem and my grandchildren will be left with determining how or if we should rebuild. What legacy are we leaving in our wake for these future generations?

What we have wrought on this earth seems new and wonderful. Enjoy it now because it is probably not sustainable. Some experts may say that viewpoint is wrong, that we can overcome any adversity through technology, but the experts have been wrong many times before. History has not proven out that viewpoint. Man has been on this earth for eons of years. Civilizations and empires have come and gone. Nature and the elements has been the only constant. It is much bigger than any of us and is a force to be reckoned with. I dare say there is no manmade technology that can completely control it. Technology is convenient, new, bright and seemingly wonderful but it also has a heavy price tag. Do we have the budget to pay it?

(Note: The continuation of Mondays post will be posted here tomorrow.)

Update: I wrote and published this post before I received my morning newspaper. This mornings front page included a story entitled "Water, sewer lines at risk of failing in New Orleans. "

Fifty-million gallons of water are leaking now from the system every single day. This is a pre-Katrina problem although Katrina did exacerbate the issue. It is worried that soon the sewage lines will fail and leak into the water lines making the water no longer potable.

Quoting from the story, "We don't have the confidence now to say the system won't fail," said Robert Jackson, a Sewage & Water Board Spokesman. "We're basically holding it together by tape, by glue, by spit, whatever you can get ahold of."

The cost to repair the system: $5.7 billion. Ka-ching! Composting toilets are looking cheaper every day.

Infrastructure Report Card 2005

2007-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the Infrastructure report card prepared by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ACSE). Concise and scary.

Infrastructure Report Card 2005

Ugly!

2007-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

I never knew Poverty had such an ugly face, until I met Rich. I had just turned seven when my parents told me about Rich. When they described him he seemed like a cool guy and when they told me we were going to go live with him, I got pretty excited.

It was only a couple weeks later that we moved in with Rich. We never again went back to visit Poverty and I don't even recall we said a proper goodbye. We just packed up the few things we had, moved from Noti to Seattle, and moved in with Rich. We didn't tell Poverty where we were going because we had no intent to ever see him again, and we certainly didn't think we would miss him.

My parents were pretty happy when they first met Rich. I was happy too because he fed us food I'd never tasted before, bought me lots of things, even took us on great vacations and gave us indoor plumbing. It didn't take long before we all learned to love Rich because Rich gave us so many things. I still remember the first Christmas with Rich. He bought us so many things we didn't know what to do with them all. I just took them all to my room and put them under my bed. I'd play with them later.

Sometimes I imagine Poverty is following me, hoping to be friends again. When I look back he's not really there but I start to remember when we used to live with him. I'm not sure Poverty was that bad of a guy, actually. Oh sure, he didn't bring us very many things, and the food he gave us was a little scarce and kind of plain, but I do remember our whole family talked more, and had more fun, when we lived with him. He seemed more real than Rich. I mean Rich bought us lots of things; he still does; but he is just not friendly. He's just Rich, and for some reason when he tries to be personable he just seems so...plastic.

Others have told me I am fortunate to live in the same place as Rich. I guess so. But I don't remember we were all that unfortunate when we lived with Poverty. It's just that things are different now. Before we lived with Rich I never knew you could buy food in little aluminum trays, inside a box, that you just popped in the electric oven and then ate while watching TV. I had no idea toilets could have little handles that sent water shooting through until Rich gave us a house with indoor plumbing. I was completely unaware that vacation is something you did once a year, taking you to places far away, but Rich took us to lots of them. Rich gave me all these things then and he is still giving me things. The only thing he asks in return is that I take good care of things. But even when I don't, or when I've lost what he gave me, he just buys me a new one. My house is stuffed with the things Rich has bought me. Every time I move I realize just how much stuff that really is. Oh, I'm thankful to Rich, and the things are nice, but sometimes it just seems like a lot of work making sure I still have all of it. I often worry that some of my things will end up missing and I think some are. Rich doesn't ever get too upset though, he just buys another one.

Not too long ago I saw Poverty again while on a trip to Mexico. It seems he moved there after we left and I don't even think he recognized me. Rich was with me, and since the two of them don't have much in common, I didn't get a chance to talk with Poverty, or see how he was doing, what he had been up to. Rich was constantly reminding me of the places I had to see and things I was supposed to do. Reminded me that I didn't have time to stop and talk to Poverty or the family he was living with. Part of me wished I had though. Perhaps I could send Poverty some money later, I thought. I don't remember if I ever did.

Poverty's face was much uglier than I remembered as a child. But the family he was with didn't seem to care and, in fact, they were having a small party and seemed to be genuinely having a good time. Everyone was smiling and laughing, the kids were playing in the dirt, the adults were watching them play and talking. It appeared Poverty still didn't give many things but, strangely, none of them seemed to care. I wasn't sure what to make of that since Rich had assured me so many times he was making me happy with the things he was buying me. I think this may have been the first time I began to wonder if Rich was right. I wondered if he really was making me as happy as I thought . These people seemed so much happier than people I know.

I thought about Mexico for a long time afterward and one day I just asked Rich why he didn't make me happy. Rich simply pointed to everything he bought me and looked perplexed. "But what about those people in Mexico living with Poverty", I asked Rich, "why can't you make me happy like that?" Rich merely shrugged his shoulders, scratched his head and then walked away. Didn't say a word; like he didn't care about my question. He seemed cold and distant. He made me feel empty, depressed and lonely inside.

I couldn't get Mexico out of my mind, so I drove to the place where I used to live with Poverty, see if I could remember if I was happy then. It took me a full day to get there and find the old house where I used to live, but it was still there. Even the outhouse and the chicken coop were just as I remembered. The fence that held our goats had rotted away mostly but you could still make out where the posts had stood. I peeked in the windows of the house, a few were broken out and all were dirty, and then I looked through the cracks in the walls. No one lived here anymore, it still slunk to the right just like it used to, but it didn't look much different than when I lived here as a child. Even the porch, still intact, dipped toward the ground the same way. Most of the roof had fallen in and, for just a moment, I even thought I heard Poverty calling me from the kitchen window. It was an illusion but my mind raced with memories and slipped back in time to 1959. I remembered again the cold nights my whole family huddled together under blankets and told stories trying to stay warm before sleep. I remembered waking up in my mothers arms, feeling her warm breath on top of my head, my dad outside already feeding the goats and chickens before hauling their manure to a large pile in the back. As I stood there I almost thought I could smell breakfast cooking; fried corn meal mush. I even thought I saw my brother motioning for me to come play through the hole in the wall.

Something brushed my back and I woke from my daydream. It was Rich. "Come on, we gotta go. This place is ugly. Who'd want to call this place home? We can stop at the mall on the way back. I'll buy you something. Make you feel better. You look depressed."

Rich was right. I was depressed and a few tears had even trickled to my cheeks but it was not because of the ugly place I used to live. It was because, in some small way, I actually missed Poverty. Poverty had taught me a lot about love, family, survival and I never really thanked him for that. Poverty had kept our family together and back then I didn't even know his face was so ugly. I just knew my family was everything and when he lived with us he made family seem so important. Poverty always made sure we needed each other more than him and gave us no choice but to love each other. If our family had not loved and cared for each other we would have frozen, starved or possibly died. Poverty left us no choice in the matter and I thought for a moment how cruel that really was. I realized how truly ugly Poverty is compared to Rich. But while it was clear that Poverty was cruel and ugly, it was also true that Rich never really paid much attention to anything but the things he wanted to buy and, unlike poverty, he never did anything to hold our family together. I looked at Rich's face intently for a long moment. He did have a much better face than Poverty, but perhaps that is because Poverty never cared about his own face, he just made sure we looked good to each other. It left me with a lot to think about.

I knew Rich was right though, I couldn't stay here. I wanted to stay a little longer though, remember just a little more. It felt good to remember those days living with Poverty. I stayed about another hour, walked into the woods where we used to play and looked back towards the road. I realized, as I looked back I had known Rich far too long for this to ever be home again. I knew I probably wouldn't want it to be. When I drove home I would once again be among the things Rich bought me and the luxuries he afforded. I knew I would still enjoy those things but here at the old place where I lived with Poverty there were faded memories that warmed me on the inside. Memories of a tight knit family struggling together for survival. They were good memories filled with love and I didn't fully understand my feelings that day. I missed poverty but I was drawn to the life with Rich. But the things he gave me over the years never made me happy for long, never once gave me warm memories like this. Just a lot of snapshots.

Rich looked impatiently at his watch as he stood by the car waiting to take me back home. His artificial tan, gold showy rings and great looking clothes looked totally out of place here. There was no doubt he had a lot of appeal, but now I felt more distant for some reason. I wondered if he was truly my friend. He barely looked my direction, continued looking impatiently at his watch, wanted to go.

I knew I had no choice but to go with him. My life had become entangled in the Rich way of living and he was part of me now. I turned toward the old house one last time to see if Poverty was really standing out there somewhere. He wasn't and I saw only glimpses of an ancient memory that brought another tear to my eye. I turned to leave. Rich looked very appealing in his fancy clothes and shiny rings but in an odd way he made everything around him look uglier than it really was. Even me.

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I think often about that day I returned to my old home and the life I lived with Poverty. Rich and I have had quite a few discussions about that day and about Poverty. I've suggested they speak to one another, see if they could find some common ground, but he is against it and I don't think they ever will. I know within myself that I would never want to live with Poverty again, he is ugly and cruel, but there is also part of me that is tired of Rich and his self-centered ways. I admire both Poverty and Rich but that, I fear, is an odd admiration since they are so very different. I heard recently of a city not far away where there is a great prophet that long ago resolved this same dilemma and could teach me many things. Someone told me his name was Simplicity. I'm headed there tomorrow to find out what he has to say. I think Simplicity might have the answers I seek.

pov·er·ty (povÆÃr t"), n.
1. the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor; indigence.

rich (rich), adj., -er, -est,n. –adj.
1. having wealth or great possessions; abundantly supplied with resources, means, or funds; wealthy:

sim·plic·i·ty (sim plisÆi t"), n., pl. -ties.
1. the state, quality, or an instance of being simple.
2. freedom from complexity, intricacy, or division into parts.
3. absence of luxury, pretentiousness, ornament, etc.; plainness: a life of simplicity.
4. freedom from deceit or guile; sincerity; artlessness; naturalness: a simplicity of manner.

----to be continued on Wednesday 08/08/07---

So where do I go from here?

2007-08-03T06:19:00.001-07:00

The more I see how my "American way of life" is subsidized by other people's suffering, the more I am offended by the way things are. I know I can't change the world, I can't even change another person, but I can change me. I am not obligated to participate in causing another persons suffering though my actions...or purchases. Even if it is the accepted norm.

I ran across another blog quite by accident, about a week ago or so, which summarized exactly how I have been feeling for the last few months. I have reprinted one of the posts here, in it's entirety, because it's so well written and I didn't feel a small excerpt would have the same impact. I reprint it here with the authors permission. I have also given the link below in case you want to read the rest of his blog. Most of his blog is not about resource conservation, but it is some really good stuff about life and living compassionately. I recommend it as a must read. Be warned though, it is very powerful and quite an emotional read. Here is the excerpt I promised from Weblog "Spirit Poor".

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Think about the drink

I washed my hair by a mountain stream once. We were backpacking for an entire week and I stunk. So I took an impromptu bath, rinsed my hair in the stream, and watched the bubbles drift downriver.
Didn't give much thought to the hikers who would be collecting water from that same stream down below.
We live our lives with that same thoughtlessness. "I can live any way I darn well please. To hell with the rest of you."
We wouldn't say that out loud, or maybe even think it. But it's how we live.
It's what we do when we buy clothes made in third-world countries at the expense of someone else's near-slave labor.
It's what we do when we sip rich coffee grown and harvested by the sweat of people who will see almost no income for their efforts.
It's what we do when we buy products that can't be easily recycled. When we carry them home in plastic bags. When we toss away the glossy packaging and eventually the item itself with its non-degrading plastic and toxic chemicals.
It's what we do when we treat the waitress that way. Or the co-worker. Former friend. Husband. Wife. Child.
What's your trickle down? What are you dumping in the river for others to drink? What lives are impacted by your actions? Take a long, hard look downstream.

Spirit Poor: Think About the Drink

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I am aware that sometimes my blog or comments probably sound like I have jumped up on a high horse and don't know how to get off. It's really not that way exactly. At least I hope not. I do have a bone dry sense of humor that is sometimes missed or misunderstood and that often gets me in trouble. I also tend to rant about things that are really just hitting me square between the eyes and I would like to change in myself. I am truly a novice when it comes to using resources correctly so I give myself challenges and put my thoughts out there in cyberspace so I have a higher standard to live up to. But in the end, I do believe I have still missed the mark a bit.

So back to my original question, "Where do I go from here?"

I have reasonably determined that if I stay mindful of what is leaving me in the form of trash, garbage, refuse, water, wasted food, hydrocarbons, methane?, recyclables--and anything else I might have forgotten in the list-- then I will be making headway. However, having given this careful thought, I don't think it is enough to just think about my waste stream. I also must think about where what I acquire comes from.

As I look around my house I find things that most likely were made by another man's poorly compensated sweat in a third world country. There are other things too that used an extreme amount of resources to produce or probably created a great amount of pollution in their manufacture. When I buy these goods, do I not perpetuate suffering or extreme pollution and also share in the blame?

There is a hidden price for cheap goods that someone else pays instead of me. I can only live cheaply because the cost to produce my goods is kept low by cheating someone else out of the right to pursue happiness. Is that fair? I have the right to pursue happiness but those in "developing" countries don't? That's arrogant and piggish and I don't want to be that way.

I plan on being more mindful of what I purchase. I am with No Impact Man on buying used but that is not always possible so here are some points I am going to consider on every new purchase. I am sure I will revisit this list later and add to it, but this is the list for now.

In which country was this product made?
Were the persons that manufactured or assembled it paid a decent wage, and did they work decent hours? Is there a chance they were kept locked in their place of employment for long hours with no breaks? Were they forbidden to use the restroom for long periods? Is it Fair Trade?
How far did this product have to travel to reach me? How much oil was consumed in it's manufacture and shipment?
What air /water /soil pollution occurred when this product was made?
How many tons of resources did it actually take to manufacture any metals in the product?
Did anyone die to extract the resources necessary to manufacture the product?
How much plastic is in the product? If there is plastic, is it recyclable or will it end up in the landfill?
Is the packaging excessive? Can the packaging be recycled or will it just end up in the landfill?
How long will this product last? Can it be renewed or repaired? Is it manufactured specifically to be disposable?
Do I really NEED it, or do I just WANT it?
Does my use of this product create any additional pollution?
When I am through with this product will it be difficult or impossible to dispose of?
How long will it take for this product to decompose? Will it ever decompose?
Will this product harm me, or those around me?
Can this product be purchased from a local manufacturer instead of an importer?

Whoa, that's a big list, you might be saying. Well, it should be. I would call it mindful consumption rather than impulsive and it is what I should be practicing. If it takes me a few days or hours to determine if I should buy something...that's good! Stores are set up for impulse purchases. If I must run myself through a checklist before I purchase, I will be less prone to buy on impulse. And I do love to buy on impulse. It makes me downright giddy. Until I leave the store. Then it just makes me less rich.

Peace.

Eating Local

2007-08-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Here is an excellent video that clearly spells out the need to eat local. Following the video is a link to find a CSA in your area. This link has every CSA and farmers market which belongs to "Local Harvest" but there may be other small CSA's or markets in your area as well that are not members. Your community may have a CSA organization that has a list of more.

LOCAL HARVEST

Eating locally for me is one of the biggest challenges I face and is is going to require a major shift in the way my life is organized. That is coming soon. I was once a member of a CSA but they only delivered produce in the summer and I wasn't fully satisfied with the produce they provided. Very little variety and not as fresh as I would have expected. But when I get settled in my new place I may give this a try again. Suggestions are always welcome.

The Big Question

2007-08-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

This is a good video I ran across. It tends to be a little overly simplistic but it does get the gray matter turning just a bit.

clipped from www.youtube.com

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I split from my normal dialogue, and occasional diatribe, on sustainability, consumerism, pollution and the like because August is officially "Happiness Happens" month. So be happy, it's the law...well sort of.

The constitution promises you 1) life---well if you woke up this morning and you are still breathing you got that one nailed, 2)liberty--uh that one is under attack a little and we just won't go there right now, and 3) the pursuit of happiness---hey, it's the pursuit you're promised, not happiness so, get over it.

Anyway, if you live in one of the states shown below, then back in 1999 your governor declared August officially "Happiness Happens" month. So if you live in one of these states you must be happy. It has been officially decreed. The rest of the states couldn't decide if they were happy or not and you citizens of those states will just have to do the best you can. Maybe go see a good movie or something. We'll think happy thoughts about you from time to time and hold out hope for you next year.

Oh, I should also mention that the governor of Texas was happy back in 1999 but I am not sure whether he is happy right now or not. He didn't take my phone call so I wasn't able to find out.

Happy States and the responsible Governor

Alabama - Don Seigelman
Connecticut - John G. Rowland
Idaho - Dirk Kempthorne
Indiana - Frank O'Bannon
Iowa - Tom Vilsack
Maryland - Parris N. Glendening
Massachusetts - Areo Paul Cellucci
Nebraska - Mike Johanns
Nevada - Kenny C. Guinn
New Hampshire - Jeanne Shaheen
New Jersey - Christine T. Whitman
North Carolina - James B. Hunt, Jr.
Oregon - John A. Kitzhaber
Rhode Island - Lincoln Almond
Texas - George W. Bush
Vermont - Howard Dean, M.D.
Washington - Gary Locke
West Virginia - Cecil H. Underwood
Wisconsin - Tommy G. Thompson

Well, I guess I have to tie this into the theme of my blog somehow so, here goes. Here is your project for the month to achieve more sustainable happiness. (Phew, got the tie in accomplished.)

1. Smile at at least ten people you don't know and give them a genuine warm hello this month.

2. Clean out at least one messy closet, cupboard or drawer and give the stuff you don't NEED away. Notice I said NEED not WANT. Meditate on the difference if you must. It has been a hard lesson for me to learn too and I understand completely.

3. Pledge to give away at least twenty one-dollar bills to persons less fortunate than yourself this month. They're all around if you pay attention and a dollar or so means a lot to them. Don't be judgmental, just give it freely and without strings. If you really want to be happy, give them a five.

4. Forgive someone that does not deserve forgiveness. Trust me, that really makes you happy inside.

5. And lastly, do something fun and quit working so hard. When you die, your in box will still be full. Then what are you going to do? Don't worry, be happy.

One last thought. I have been thinking a lot lately about "time pollution". We are all in such a hurry now that our concept of time has been polluted. As a result we are no longer cordial to one another. Society tells us we are expected to go fast. Fast food, fast cars, instant soup, quickie car washes, minute rice, express lanes... (Have you noticed I like lists?) Anyway we get mad at our

"Oh, look at the time, gotta run, I have another blog to attend to. Sorry, we'll do lunch someday. Ciao"

Walk a little!

2007-07-30T11:18:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to determine how walkable your neighborhood is. I gave it a test and plugged in my current address and came up with a score of 51. I am moving to a location which is much more walkable and came up with a score of 43. So, accuracy may not be perfect. However, I did look up Bill Gates and he has a score of 5, so there!

No, in reality this works pretty well and uses Google Maps. If anything it will identify walkable landmarks in your neighborhood or provide at lest a few minutes entertainment in the middle of your day. So, give at a try.

Walk Score - How walkable is your house?

Pardon me, I have gas

2007-07-30T05:19:00.001-07:00

I come across an article recently in the Oregonian reporting that the Federal Government uses 7 million, let me repeat that, 7 million gallons of fuel EVERY SINGLE DAY. Just to fill up one B-52 bomber costs us, the taxpayer, over $100,000. The tank on this baby holds 48,000 gallons and lasts for about one normal flight. I did a quick calculation and that is nearly the amount of petroleum I will use in my car in a lifetime.

When an F-16 fighter jet takes off, it spews $300.00 worth of fuel out the back end in the first one minute of flight. An army Abrams tank gets just one mile per gallon at a cost to the government (ummm...that's really us paying this) of about $2.00 per gallon. Plus, there are ships in the water, transport trucks all over the world, generators, helicopters, other types of aircraft, well I guess there is a pretty big list. All in all, the government spends 7.1 BILLION dollars on fuel every year. That is a lot of fuel.

I work hard at reducing my mileage and fuel consumption. I'm even moving so my car can stay parked most of the time. I have already cut my fuel bill in half and by September I should have that cut in half again. I hope someday to have it to nearly zero.

I have committed myself to not being blatantly political in this blog so I am not going to call on people to write their elected representatives asking that the federal government conserve fuel. However, when I read this article I realized there is a very good reason the government has not been promoting we all conserve fuel. It would make them look like a hypocrite.

I have no intent to go back to my wasteful ways just because they waste and it "wouldn't make a difference anyhow." It will make a difference. It may be smaller than taking one B-52 or F-16 out of the sky but it will make a difference and I will realize an instant reward in my pocketbook as well. And with gas headed who knows where that is a good incentive to me. Keep an eye on the ticker down there to the left if you want to keep up on the price of gas. If you commit yourself to using very little of the stuff, it is no longer an aggravation...it's just a number.

The World Clock

2007-07-29T07:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I added a really cool feature called "The World Clock". Using official sources such as the CIA Factbook, census bureau, and the like it keeps a tally of pretty much everything. Births, deaths, oil produced, cars produced, how people died, species extinct, the list goes on. The clock can be found at the bottom of this page.

The clock has a few radio buttons on top that allow you to change the readout to year, month, week, day, or now. If you click "now" everything starts counting up from the moment you clicked.

Spend a little time playing around with it. Watching the numbers tick by can really give you a lot of insight on the health of our world. Just one thought I had is the fact that terror inundates our news but if you watch watch the death ticker on the bottom of the clock, it is cardiovascular disease that is the real terror since it is nearly totally preventable with a proper diet. But that is a subject for a different blog entirely.

p.s. I have also cleaned up my act a little on this blog and added labels to my posts. They are over there to your left and down just a little. That should make it easier if you want to come back and search for buried treasure...or perhaps toilet paper.

Fake Plastic Fish: Plastic is made from oil. You knew that, right?

2007-07-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have no official post today but the report Fake Plastic Fish has is so compelling I simply want to share the link. If you have a spare fifteen minutes right now pop on over to her blog and take a look. Be sure to watch the video.

Fake Plastic Fish: Plastic is made from oil. You knew that, right?

Ways to conserve

2007-07-26T23:31:00.001-07:00

Packing up for a move has been a little hectic so I haven't really had much time for the usual reading and research I do. I am a bit polyphasic and a compulsive reader so this has been a bit of a withdrawal week for me. Lacking proper research time I thought I would just list seven of my own personal ideas on ways to conserve. You may want to adopt a few yourself.

1. Energy Conservation--There are many ways to conserve energy. One of the best is to move into a single level home. Stairs consume a great deal of energy and can be quite a drain on the system. Another is to buy an all in one multi-function remote control. I know I expend a great deal of energy every day just looking for the right remote especially when it slips into the crack of my lazy boy. What with a VCR, DVD, TV, CD and HD system finding the right remote can be very confusing and energy expending. And those multi-functions are about the size of a laptop so losing them is much more difficult. Having a spouse who loves to cook and clean can also help you save a lot of energy too.

2. Water Conservation--There are several solutions but the best option is just to skip the water and drink beer. Microbrew is the way to go. I've heard the big brewery stuff is pretty watered down and that kind of defeats the whole water conservation thing, don't you think.

3. Buy Less Stuff--This is an easy one. Shoplifting. If you do this right you would never have to buy anything ever again. It is difficult with big screen TV's but just take along your teenage son with the large pants.

4. Gas conservation--Eat less beans.

5. Fuel conservation--You could carpool or take the bus but then you have to put up with strangers. It is a known fact that drafting; driving so close to the vehicle in front you eliminate the wind drag; saves a ton of fuel. Your best option is to follow something large like a city bus. You need to be about six inches off the bus bumper for maximum effect. It may take longer to get where you are going since you have to pull to the curb quite often but at least you can listen to Pink Floyd "The Wall" on your own car stereo instead of having to use earphones on the bus. In your car you can crank up the volume and share your music with the rest of the world. Then you don't look quite as silly bobbing your head to the music when everyone can hear your one-hundred and twenty decibels of sound. One note though, if you already tailgate this may not be as effective.

6. Use less plastic--Just pay cash.

7. Use less paper--Well okay I had to at least do a little research on this one. I am compulsive after all. Here is just a few rather unique ways of using less paper from around the world as listed on www.toiletpaperworld.com .

*Hayballs, Scraper/gompf stick kept in container by the privy in the Middle Ages

*Discarded sheep's wool in the Viking Age, England

*Frayed end of an old anchor cable was used by sailing crews from Spain and Portugal *Medieval Europe- Straw, hay, grass, gompf stick

*Corn cobs, mussel shell, leaves and sand- United States
*Water and your left hand, India

*Coconut shells in early Hawaii

*Lace was used by French Royalty

*Public Restrooms in Ancient Rome- A sponge soaked in salt water, on the end of a stick

*The Wealthy in Ancient Rome-Wool and Rosewater

*French Royalty-lace, hemp

*Hemp & wool were used by the elite citizens of the world

*Defecating in the river was very common internationally

*Bidet, France

*Snow and Tundra Moss were used by early Eskimos

Thanks for listening. One can't always be serious. Have a happy weekend!

Am I just a fuddy-duddy?

2007-07-26T08:06:00.001-07:00

As I post my blog and comment on other blogs like No Impact Man, some have stated that perhaps I and many others like me are just against progress and should lighten up a little. They are entitled to their opinion but I think they are wrong.

For one thing I am far from being a fuddy-duddy I guess I just have a different definition of progress now. I've perhaps seen the light at the end of the tunnel and it is a freight train headed straight for me and I have nowhere to go. It is a little scary what is happening to the world we live in.

Some seem to feel we must continue our inexorable march toward a better freedom through chemicals and technology. Trust me, I was in that camp with you at one point too. I understand. I wanted the best and the latest. I used things up and then just threw them away without a thought. Out of sight, out of mind, not my problem anymore. But we have been betrayed. It is rapidly becoming the problem of all of us. You can only sweep stuff under the rug so long before the rug begins to become lumpy. We clean our houses but pollute the rest of our world. If you just throw your garbage over the fence into your neighbors yard have you truly cleaned up? But this is how we all live. It's just that our neighbor happens to be a third world country with lax e-laws.

I am a child of the fifties. I remember the world that existed then. The world we have now is not better than the one I knew then. Even though we have so many conveniences. There were no PC's, no laptops, no cell phones, no palm pilots, no...oh, another list. Sorry.

I have no quarrel with those that say technology has improved our output and productivity. It has. But that is part of the problem. We can now produce goods so fast, so cheap and so easily they have lost any value. We now have huge piles of waste as the technologically fragile machines we produce wear out quickly. How many cell phones have you gone through? I've been through a bunch. Ever seen a farm using an old Massey-Ferguson built in the forties? That stuff was built to last and money was made on parts, not new machines. Imagine that...parts!

Technology has also reduced a good percentage of the workforce to button pushing slaves. Well, actually forget about the workforce part, I guess I check myself out at the store now. Swipe, swipe, swipe, slide, push, whir, receipt prints "Have a nice day and thank you for shopping at Wal-E-World. Come again soon and help us keep up our bottom line. It's the patriotic thing to do. Made in China." Then we whisk our treasures out the door, which rapidly fade and become new waste.

Is this really the world we want? I don't. I read the book "Better Off" recently about a couple that goes to live with the Amish to learn their simple ways. Great book, there is a link for it over to the left. I must tell you though that is not really my goal, to hitch up a horse to my buggy and ride into town. I do admire their simplicity and simplicity is what it is all about but I don't really need to go back to the stone age to be simple or live like the Amish. All I really need to do is be aware of my own waste stream and be aware how I consume.

The easiest way to become aware of your waste stream is to end the one can system in your house. I have about ten receptacles for garbage now. Paper, recyclable plastic containers, cans, aseptic containers, batteries, plastic bags and film, e-waste, electronic media (tapes, CD's etc.) cardboard, green waste (vege scraps) and then everything else goes in a can that goes to the landfill. My original idea behind this was just to recycle. However it also had the effect of making me realize what I do to produce waste. I can now attack each one of these individually and find solutions to produce less waste, the goal being, no waste at all. It is a challenge but a good challenge can be fun.

Is that being a retroist fuddy-duddy? Call me what you want. To me it is just being responsible and that is something I can be proud of. Reduce, reuse, recycle. In that order.

Move it!

2007-07-25T06:28:00.001-07:00

I woke up early this morning so I have had a bit of a chance to work on a few things. One of them being this blog. I have moved some of the links to a new heading called "Blog Honor Roll" . These are, in my opinion, some of the better blogs out there regarding sustainability. If you only have a chance to look at one right now I highly recommend you peruse "Fake Plastic Fish". Plastic is something I have begun to hate. Not just because we live in such a plastic society, I have seen the damage it does to wildlife and the eyesore it leaves on our roads.

About a month ago I went to the Oregon coast to do some hiking on the Oregon Coastal Trail. The trailhead was not properly marked on the highway and I never found it. I ended up walking 22 miles on the highway. It wasn't the nature experience I had anticipated. By the way I should mention that I did take the bus to the trail. Anyhow, having walked 22 miles of public highway it was quite alarming the amount of crap that lay all over the shoulder of the road. And it wasn't just on the shoulder. It was even blown into the trees and shrubs. Quite ugly. For a visual example of what plastic bags are doing to our environment AND OUR WILDLIFE visit the Photo Gallery at Reusable Bags. com Here is a direct link to the gallery (CLICK HERE)

Another thing that hit me recently, since I am packing, is that I have a lot of crap. Well, I am weeding it out and getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Another thing I am finding too is that I have a huge volume of waste paper that I am hauling to the recycle bins. I think this is going to be one of my projects for self. To reduce my paper consumption drastically. I really haven't paid attention to where this stuff comes from.

Well, that is about all the time I have today to write. Have a great day all.

$100.00 per barrel oil is coming!

2007-07-24T23:13:00.001-07:00

In my hiatus while I pack and move I thought I would throw on a few interesting articles. This one is about the impending jump in the price of a barrel of oil. It is my feeling that the article is correct but may be a little premature. The price of oil is somewhat politically driven, so my feeling is the price will jump dramatically only after November 2008. In the meantime the price we see at the pump will be kept lower than it normally would be. This will be an interesting thing to watch. Remember, the price of nearly everything you buy is affected by the price of oil. I have put a little ticker over to the left side of the blog and near the bottom that shows the current price of gas. You can type in your two-digit state or just watch it tick through all fifty.

On a personal note, I found a place to move that is on the bus lines and walking distance from the grocery we frequent as well as the library. The light rail too is just five minutes away. Very convenient location. This will allow me to park my car except for the most urgent of trips. I hope to reduce my driving to less than one tank per month or less. This would be about one-fifth the fuel I used to consume. I'm getting there.

The house has very little room for a garden (schucks) but I see this move as one more step toward my goal of being off the grid and self sufficient. It is a rental and will afford me the time to find the right piece of property to build least footprint and put in a garden and most likely a greenhouse.

Well, here is the link to that article.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

I'm still here!

2007-07-24T09:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a good article to read in the meantime while I get my life put back together.

Half of US food goes to waste

I'm still here!

2007-07-24T07:08:00.001-07:00

For those visiting my blog please accept my welcome and feel free to poke around a bit. I have been getting a little behind on posts because I am in the middle of packing and looking for a new place to live. That has eaten up a lot of my time. I have a few draft posts I am working on and I hope to have them up in the next few days and get back to daily posts soon but until then please just read through some of my older posts or sit back and watch a film or two. Again, welcome.

Part 2: Teenage affluenza is spreading fast. Can we do

2007-07-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

Part 2 of the teenage Affluenza program. Watch Part 1 first, then come back here.

Teenage affluenza is spreading fast.

2007-07-17T10:47:00.001-07:00

Teenage Affluenza is a horrible disease that is spreading throughout the world. This report is from Australia but is just as true here in the US.

It's only fair--and it's free

2007-07-17T07:32:00.001-07:00

Today is a rather short post because I am in the middle of packing to move. Actually I wasn't even going to do a post today but I was given a Fair Trade Manual just this morning to distribute to anyone I choose. I have put this up on one of my servers and it is free for the taking.

The booklet is 24 pages long and is in a PDF format. So, when you click the link it will open in your Adobe Reader. If you want to keep it for reading later, simply save a copy.

Here is the link: FAIR TRADE MANUAL

New Stuff

2007-07-14T14:20:00.001-07:00

I added a new link today, over there to the left for "Little Blog in the Woods". This is written by a guy that calls himself "greenpa" and seems like a great blog. I must say that if anyone is doing this right it is him. Per his blog he has been thirty years off the grid. I love it. That is my goal. Just not sure how to get there yet.

I have also started a new group of the same name "Least Footprint". The link is also over there to the left. This is intended as a forum to exchange ideas or just to comment back and forth freely. The group will be moderated, by me, and that is just to keep the spammers out. If you post something I don't like or agree with (providing it is family friendly) it still goes through. I have another group I moderate and attempted to keep it free and open but got tons of spammers that way. It did no good to kick them off. They just changed their identity and kept on spamming with the same cheap software ads or dating services.

I should mention that there is no need to become a member of the group to participate. There are a few sections that are open to members only but feel free to drop by and comment even if you don't become a member.

National Memorial for the Mountains

2007-07-13T09:06:00.001-07:00

Mountaintop Removal Movie from iLoveMountains.org

2007-07-13T09:02:00.001-07:00

Video Log 2 - U.S. and Canada stall on eWaste export limits

2007-07-13T07:36:00.001-07:00

Manufactured Landscapes

2007-07-13T07:33:00.001-07:00

Why, mommy, why?

2007-07-12T06:42:00.001-07:00

Some feel that the world is doomed and there is no reason to try and live differently. Others believe we can do whatever we want and the earth will just take care of itself-it always has and it always will. I agree with both sides.

Perhaps it sounds as if I am at odds with myself but really I am not. I do believe the earth is rather doomed because, in order to save it, the global population will have to end it's headlong rush to disaster. The odds of that happening are nearly zilch. But on the other hand, as I have said before, nature has a way of taking care of these things. It's called natural disaster, famine, disease, resource shortages...I probably don't need to go on.

There is no doubt in my mind that as we pull at the earth's resources and go against nature, more than at any time in history, we are going to run out of resources and upset completely the natural balance...eventually. I don't know if that will be in my lifetime or not.

We have manipulated our crops to hybrid them and made them ultimately unstable and non-resistant to mutated diseases. One only need to look back in history to know that crops often fail on a massive scale. We have weakened the human immune system through overuse of antibiotics and by trying to protect ourselves have just made some fairly tame bugs into superbugs that can't be killed. We are pumping the aquifers dry at an alarming rate to grow grain for cattle and now cars. What do we do when they have run out? It is practically an endless list of no-no's we are perpetrating as a species on the earth. We consume resources simply to consume. No finger pointing here. Go back a few days in my blog you'll see that I am a guilty man.

It is only a matter of time before there will be wars over water, oil, minerals and the like as the limited resources become scarce. As the aquifers dry up there will be less food and more famine. The green places will desertify and become less habitable. This will bring about great shifts in the population and wars between nations and people will again result. Diseases will appear that will wipe out huge numbers of people in the form of plagues. Again, I could go on with quite a list but the point is, there is nothing I can personally do to stop it on a global scale.

However, every day on the freeway there are accidents. It is inevitable that people will get hurt and die. Can I stop it? No. I have no control over how people drive. Many people get in their cars and tune out the fact that there are living, breathing people surrounding them. They just want to get where they are going...as fast as they can get there...and disobey the rules of safety. And so...we have lots of accidents on the freeways.

I can change me. If I obey the rules of the road, drive defensively, act courteous and limit the number of miles I drive I limit my exposure to harm. Perhaps even save a life. But most of all I help to solve the problem in my own very small way. Do I change the fact that people die on the freeway? No! People are still going to die but my actions still make a difference, even if it is in a very small way. And that is why I try to act responsibly now in what I consume. I can make a difference to me, I can be pleased that I have acted responsibly. Even if it is in just one very small way for me and my neighbors on this big blue marble.

Banana, nana fofana

2007-07-11T05:45:00.001-07:00

I made a comment about fair trade bananas a couple of days ago in my blog to to which someone responded "I was not aware of the banana farmer/worker experience". I wasn't aware either until a couple years ago when I saw a video of a banana worker holding a huge hand of bananas while another worker sprayed insecticide, dousing both the bananas and the worker. It was reported that this man ended up sterile from being doused with so many chemicals and had other ailments as well. I tried to locate that video on Youtube but was unable. I was certain it would have ended up there. I plan to keep looking for it. Undoubtedly it is floating out there on the web somewhere.

I wanted to give some of the facts about bananas that many people aren't aware. The facts may surprise you.

Fact 1: Bananas are the worlds most popular fruit. Banana are so popular sales amount to ten BILLION dollars per year. Yes that is a lot of bananas. They are the fourth most important crop after rice, wheat and maize and some civilizations still live primarily on bananas. 96% of Americans buy bananas at least weekly.

Fact 2: Bananas do not grow on trees and are really the fruit of the worlds largest herb...the Musa Sapientum. They contain more digestible complex carbohydrates than any other fruit. They are fat free. (Note: freeze bananas and then whip them into delicious smoothies in the blender.) Bananas are very low in allergen potential and make perfect baby food.

Fact 3: In Ecuador, where a great deal of bananas are grown, workers receive about a dollar per day in pay.

Fact 4: If you are a banana farmer, you are paid as little as one and a half cents for every pound of bananas you grow. Often that is less than it costs to produce the bananas.

Fact 5: Bananas are the most profitable item in the grocery store and account for 2% of the profits. Ever wonder why there are huge tables of them. Sometimes even two or three.

Fact 6: Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte control 65% of the worlds banana market. They are now beginning to offer Fair Trade bananas but it is still a very small part of their market. Chiquita and Dole alone control 50% of the worlds bananas. Only 14% of the bananas raised are actually exported. The rest are eaten locally.

Fact 7: Dangerous pesticides are applied to bananas forty times by airplane during the growing cycle. Ninety percent of this insecticide does not reach the bananas but instead drifts through the air onto the workers and nearby residents. The insecticide of choice is usually Paraquat or DBCP, which are highly toxic to humans. Growers wrap the bananas in plastic and cushion and these wrappers are then removed by hand exposing workers again to the insecticide at close range when harvesting.

Fact 8: Workers often develop severe neurological disorders such as muscle pains, nausea, dizziness, organ damage (eyes,liver and lungs, male sterility) from insecticide and fungicide poisoning.

Fair Trade

Fair Trade coffee has been on the market for years. Fair Trade bananas not quite as long. What fair trade does is add a layer of monitoring to the process to improve the quality of life for the growers and workers and puts limits on the pesticides used. It guarantees fair prices, fair wages, and safe working conditions. Personally, I go one step further and pay the ninety-nine cents per pound and buy the Fair Trade organic. Then I know I am not taking advantage of the disadvantaged and I am not exposing workers to dangerous chemicals on my behalf. The difference in cost is usually about forty cents per pound.

For more information just Google or Yahoo fair trade bananas. Here is an excerpt from one report by Human Rights Watch that gives just one small example of the banana travesty.

"Human Rights Watch interviewed forty-five children who had worked or were working on banana plantations in Ecuador. Forty-one of them began in the banana sector between the ages of eight and thirteen, most starting at ages ten or eleven. They described workdays of twelve hours on average and hazardous conditions that violated their human rights, including dangerous tasks detrimental to their physical and psychological well-being. The children reported being exposed to pesticides, using sharp tools, hauling heavy loads of bananas from the fields to the packing plants, lacking potable water and restroom facilities, and experiencing sexual harassment. Children told Human Rights Watch that they handled insecticide-treated plastics used in the fields to cover and protect bananas, directly applied fungicides to bananas being prepared for shipment in packing plants, and continued working while fungicides were sprayed from planes flying overhead. Sometimes the children were provided protective equipment; most often, they were not. These children enumerated the various adverse health effects that they had suffered shortly after pesticide exposure, including headaches, fever, dizziness, red eyes, stomachaches, nausea, vomiting, trembling and shaking, itching, burning nostrils, fatigue, and aching bones. Children also described working with sharp tools, such as knives, machetes, and short curved blades, and three pre-adolescent girls, aged twelve, twelve, and eleven, described the sexual harassment they allegedly had experienced at the hands of the administrator of two packing plants where they worked. In addition, four boys explained that they attached harnesses to themselves, hooked themselves to pulleys on cables from which banana stalks were hung, and used this pulley system to drag approximately twenty banana-laden stalks, weighing between fifty and one hundred pounds each, over one mile from the fields to the packing plants five or six times a day. Two of these boys stated that, on occasion, the iron pulleys came loose and fell on their heads, making them bleed."

Source: Human Rights Watch Report on Bananas

We have become deliberately oblivious people in our country. It is assumed that if the product is on the shelf it must be OK and certainly it was produced by kind loving people. It simply isn't true. We live in a world that finds money more important than people. What is a human life when a dollar is to be earned. I abstain from waxing religious or biblical in my blogs but the best source I can find for the motivation behind this is in the Bible in 1 Ti. 6:10. which reads in part "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." So true.

Rubbish, just plain rubbish!

2007-07-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

As I devote a small part of each day to understanding my own waste problem I find I am actually learning a great deal. If you have been following "No Impact Man's" blog-- which I highly recommend you do-- you are aware of his rants, and a few of my own too in the comments, about e-waste. Yesterday I put a few videos on my blog about e-waste- they are all very short- and collectively they give a good concise picture of the problems e-waste is causing our planet. It is very serious problem. e-waste is a particularly noxious form of garbage since it contains many dangerous pollutants. Many of the pollutants are in a form that is difficult to extract and so they end up buried and pollute the ground and waters.

However I don't really want to continue with e-waste today. I am sure I will come back and revisit it soon since I have a whole drawer full of e-waste I don't know what to do with yet. I'm working on it just like I am working on disposal of my garage full of chemicals I need to get rid of too. That's a topic for another day.

Today I want to take about vegetable waste. Apple cores, potato peels, unusable lettuce leaves, tea bags. Stuff like that. Believe it or not vegetable waste accounts for 29% of the stuff that heads off to the landfills. An additional 46% that gets hauled away for burial is actually materials that can be recycled but just got tossed in the trash can. Only 25% of the stuff that goes to the landfills actually needs to go there. We, as a nation have along way to go. (Source: Office of Sustainable Development, City of Portland)

Vegetable waste is a particular bugaboo because it creates methane gas and methane, a greenhouse gas, is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Hot stuff...yikes!

Landfills, it turns out, are the largest source of methane in the United States but properly composted vegetable matter does not emit methane. Instead, it becomes a useful product for growing more food or even flowers. (Source: Office of Sustainable Development, City of Portland)

e-Waste may be a deadly problem with no easy solution but the vegetable waste problem is remedied by two very simple solutions. Both cost surprisingly little and can actually be personally fulfilling.

COMPOST BINS

The first solution is a compost bin. In my area these compost bins are sold by Metro for just $35.00. The first year they were offered they were only available for one day and there was a line that stretched for about an hour. To use them you open the lid, throw in the stuff and gave it a stir from time to time. Eventually it all turns into nutrient rich compost and you just shovel it out of the bottom.

If you wan to begin composting here is a link for easy instructions on how to do it.

Composting Instructions

A compost bin can also be built for very little as well from wire mesh, old fencing, wooden pallets, cement blocks. Just about anything.

WORM BINS

The second easy solution is to use a worm bin. For those that are handy, there is a link below showing plans for building your own worm bin. Some gardening stores sell these already made as well. Just look for a store that sells worms.

Here's the link courtesy of Spokane Regional Solid Waste System:

Worm Composting Bin

These work great outside but if you live in an apartment, as I do, here is a web source for purchasing indoor worm bins:

Indoor Worm Bins

I recently found a neighbor that has three compost bins and am now delivering my own vegetable waste to her weekly. My kitchen trash can is no longer seeing a lot of business. Previously I was dumping it about once a week, now I can probably go about once a month or more. I plan on weighing it each month (hope I remember) to act as an incentive to continue toward my goal of zero waste. I'll post my results here (if I remember).

The place I live in is being converted to condos and our time here is very short. In other words, I have to buy it or move. It's not a bad apartment but condo? No, it is not a great condo. Anyway, once I get moved I am definitely starting a worm bin to compost my own stuff, (sorry Sally, I know you love my garbage). I'll post the results here once I get it going. Worms actually sound like fun and i understand you can even make pet food out of them. Oooo!

If you want to find someone to take your compost like I did just post a note on Craigslist or join a Yahoo or Google group for gardeners and see if you can find a taker. It only took me one day to find someone to take my garbage for compost. It was a simple solution to a very big problem and it cost me absolutely nothing.

e-waste from greenpeace

2007-07-09T18:14:00.001-07:00

Save a Life E-waste Campaign Mixed Greens Emerson College

2007-07-09T18:13:00.001-07:00

One minute PSA on e-waste

E-Waste-It's Our Problem

2007-07-09T18:07:00.001-07:00

This is a great segment from a news program. Length 6:27.

GOOD Magazine: E-Waste

2007-07-09T17:59:00.001-07:00

Excellent brief video on what happens to e-waste.

I am a guilty man

2007-07-09T07:29:00.001-07:00

I have been taken in by the comments on "No Impact Man" blog and put a considerable amount of time in posting my own comments there rather than writing my blog. Since my blog has not really taken off yet I felt this was a better use of my time since I was communicating with more people. Below is a reprint of comments I left today on the No Impact site. I felt it came out well and decided today I would post it here as well.

___________________________________________

When Columbus sailed to our shores he found an unspoiled land full of a people that lived in harmony with it. There were no shopping malls, freeways, power lines or prisons. But these he felt were a "savage" people that must be "civilized" and they stood in the way of his pursuit of new resources for the king. So he claimed the land for the king with an intent to return and "civilize" it and capture its resources.

In 1492 Columbus also discovered Haiti. The native population when he arrived is estimated to have been at least one million and some estimates run as high as three million. In Columbus own words "I found very many islands filled with people without number, and all of them I have taken possession for their Highnesses...As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information on whatever there is in these parts"

He hauled off much gold for the kingdom, and left a delegation to build a fort built from the remnants of the sunken Santa Maria with the intent to "control" the land. By 1596 there were only 125 individuals remaining of the native population. The rest died by sword, famine and disease.

We assume these stories are ancient history, and in the case of Columbus, who is purported to have "discovered America" we just bury it under the rug and declare a national holiday. We are now a modern civilized people who seek peace for the world...through technology. But our "civilization" is still in pursuit of conquest. We just mask it through wars of ideology which are really wars of conquest and annihilation. The goal of these wars...more comfort for the people of the kingdom through the assumption of more resources.

As I look around my office I see a router, a laser printer, a scanner, two speakers, an LCD monitor, a tungsten lamp, a telephone, a tape recorder, computer, a laptop computer, a TV, a VCR, a DVD, a stereo, a label maker...need I go on? These make life very convenient and, I guess, bring me some happiness; maybe just a little; but these did not spring from the earth as fruit of any plant. They were manufactured from oil and ores from all over the planet. Retrieved through force many times so I, as part of the "kingdom" can enjoy them.

To be fair, I acquired much of this stuff long before I began to wake up to the realities. Indeed, if it were not for my computer, I could not be participating in this forum. I am still rethinking the logic of that and am not sure where my future path will take me when these things wear out. Will I replace them? I really don't know.

I learned years ago that most diamonds sold had a price tag of blood attached to them. I vowed not to buy diamonds. When I learned about fair trade bananas I discovered that many workers died or became ill from being sprayed with pesticides and that the banana farmers did not receive adequate compensation from their bananas to even live. I now buy organic fair trade bananas. The more I learn, the less I want to buy.

We can march, we can protest, we can decry needless wars. Shoot we can even build websites and have public forums to sicken ourselves with the facts then legislate against that which disgusts us. But if the wars are fought and people die simply to bring more goods for our kingdom so we can sustain our convenient and comfortable lives are we not then really an accomplice if we buy?

I am a guilty man.

Talking Trash

2007-06-30T17:54:00.001-07:00

In the morning you stumble out of bed, grab a banana off the table, spill a little cereal in the bowl, slice the banana into the cereal and then pour a little milk over the top. The banana peel gets dumped into the trash can, the empty cereal box and inside bag goes there too. As luck would have it the milk carton is also empty so you dump that in the trash as well. Time for the morning paper as you grab your bowl, wander to the table and, eyes not quite open, sit down.

Leaning back slightly you read the morning headline--"Sending trash across the state may be pricey". Oooo...sounds expensive. You read on scanning through the text. Ten million dollars EVERY YEAR--570,000 tons of garbage--burial in the desert, 137 miles away--70 diesel belching trucks every day--trucks traveling 274 miles round trip just to haul garbage. Could this really be?

Garbage, it seems, is better off in a dry climate. I assume it decays better. But 570,000 tons? That is 1,140,000,000 pounds of garbage yearly. Oh wait, let me make that easier. That is ONE BILLION, ONE-HUNDRED-FORTY MILLION pounds of garbage yearly or three-million-one hundred twenty-three thousand-two-hundred and eighty-seven pounds of garbage EVERY DAY. Holy Toledo, that's a lot of weight!

It all starts with us...err I mean me. We, I mean I, put the stuff in the can and dump it without a single thought. Well, actually I do give it a though now after reading "Garbage Land; On the Secret Trail of Trash" but most don't. Just drop it in the can...not my problem now. Every item we, I mean I, drop in the trash can uses petroleum. Not just in the manufacture but also in the disposal. Imagine if this option were not available and I had to start burying all the stuff I throw away in my backyard. For sure I might just get a little embarrassed. Not to mention the complaints from the neighbors. Not a good option.

We, as a society, have learned to avoid embarrassment by paying someone to take our trash away. It's a lucrative business for the trash company. we pay them millions of dollars every year to take our trash out and hide it in the desert. This way we don't even have to think about it. It is just nice little plastic bundles given up for burial without last rites or eulogy and then simply forgotten.

We ourselves can go from dust to dust but much of our garbage cannot. It goes from plastic to plastic and stays that way for centuries, possibly forever. Even paper, when layered and not exposed to the air, lasts for hundreds,or possibly thousands, of years. If this world lasts long enough we will have left enough trash behind to keep an archaeology team busy and snickering at our piggish folly for a very long time. Ummm..the current system is not sustainable so eventually we will have to figure out a different way. But don't worry that will probably be after we have all have been disposed of ourselves...hopefully with a little more reverence than the trash we left behind.

So what should we do with our trash? Well, the first thing to do is think about trash before it becomes trash. Don't buy as much. Refuse to buy things in containers that cannot be reused or recycled. AVOID PLASTIC. Buy bulk as much as possible. If your store does not have a bulk aisle then switch stores and tell the manager why you left. If there are no bulk stores in your neighborhood then start a co-op. Use reusable bags and containers rather than plastic bags as often as you can. Recycle everything you can...everything! About 80% of what we currently use in our household is recyclable and we sort and haul it away to the proper bins. Be conscious of reducing, reusing and recycling. Start a compost or worm bin. Quit buying so much stuff. I know, I know...its hard to do in our consumerist society.

I won't go into the details about my own trash here because I have covered that in previous blogs but I know I still have a long way to go. My goal is to be as close to zero garbage as possible. I have failed that goal in many regards simply because I haven't been conscious. If I keep my mind on garbage and put pressure on the manufacturers to think this way too I can personally help to make garbage less of an issue, financially and otherwise. I must say the numbers I quoted above came from my hometown paper and shocked me a bit. It actually left me feeling a little soiled because I know I am part of the problem. I even used to own a bunch of stock in Waste Management and rooted for all those tossing their trash because it made the company more profitable. Now I am working toward being a part of the solution by Reducing what I buy, Reusing what I can, and Recycling what I can't. It's a simple statement but agreeably it is very difficult to fully implement. But it makes you feel good when you deposit very little trash in the can or dumpster. Try it...you'll like it.