Resourcing the Revolution

environment

#noKXL (or: why Keystone XL’s got to go)

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nokxl_640I don’t usually get into politics on this blog, but after spending three days in jail this summer for the cause, I have a personal tie to what is going on right now in Washington.

Whatever side you may take on this issue, my real goal in this post is to make sure that everyone becomes educated.

The very briefest of summaries is this: there is a fight in Washington about building a proposed pipeline that will originate in Canada and snake its way across the US, ending up in Texas. This pipe would carry caustic tar sands (mined out of the boreal forests of Alberta) across the Ogallala aquifer (which provides clean water for about 2 million people in the US) and to a refinery in Texas. This project is being proposed by a Canadian company, who are threatening US land owners with eminent domain, and the oil is slated for export.

What does this mean for the US?

  • This project will not reduce dependence on foreign oil.
  • Chances are, it will actually raise gas prices.
  • All the job creation that is being touted? The figures are vastly inflated, and only include temporary work.
  • A bad deal for our planet, any way you hack it.

The past few days have seen a flurry of activity, as legislation has again been introduced to try to force the issue through the Senate. In response, a number of environmental organizations stood together to organize a 24 hour media blast, garnering almost 800,000 signatures against the pipeline.

So what does this have to do with you?

My request to you is simple: pay attention. Government by the people, for the people only works when the people aren’t asleep at the wheel. Vote. Contact your representatives. Take an active part in your democracy.

Like I said, it’s not which side you choose – it’s about taking an active and educated stand for what you believe in.

If you’re intrigued (and I hope you are), here are some resources for additional fact-gathering:

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/spread-the-word/key-facts-keystone-xl/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-redford/joe-nocera-keystone-pipeline_b_1263231.html
http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/keystone-xl-pipeline-just-the-facts-20111208
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/18/six-reasons-keystone-xl-was-bad-deal-all-along/

Sayonara, Sucker (or: looking back, moving forward)

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sayonara_640Goodbye, 2011!

Sayonara. See you… well, I won’t see you again.

I don’t know about you, dear readers, but 2011 was quite a year for yours truly.

It was a year that held some of the darkest days of my life, but my intent is not to wallow in the past. Life is too short, and there is way too much going on to focus on the bad.

Instead, looking back, I want to focus on some highlights of this past year.

  • Joined Writer House and met the awesome folks who comprise the  SciFi/Fantasy writer’s group.
  • Traveled 8 hours and across many state lines not once, but twice, to see my favorite band perform live. I also saw them locally, but the road trips were a blast.
  • Took over the webmaster position for Charlottesville Earth Week and then subsequently redesigned the site.
  • Started a transition to veganism, after being vegetarian for 9 years.
  • Attended the World Domination Summit in Portland. Met some incredible movers and shakers, including my friend Brandon from Atlanta – a fellow environmentalist and social do-gooder.
  • Took my first steps towards living a location independent lifestyle.
  • Hit the one year mark of owning my own business.
  • Moved to Asheville, NC for the summer.
  • Got arrested (and subsequently spent three days in jail) for civil disobedience, protesting the Keystone XL pipeline, with Bill McKibben, Lt. Dan Choi and my Tar Sands Sisters.
  • Experienced my first earthquake while picking up my stuff from the Park Service property office (upon release from jail).
  • Went back to DC two weeks later for the final day of arrests. Got to see my friend Brandon again, and to meet the incredible miss Devon Haas.
  • Was part of the Asheville350 planning team for the city’s Moving Planet day of events.
  • Moved back to Charlottesville to become the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Earth Week organization.
  • Won my 4th National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
  • Surrounded the White House with Tar Sands Action, Brandon, Devon, Bill, Dan, Matt, Duncan, Charis, Virginia, Kristy and 12,000 other people in support of the president denying the Keystone XL pipeline.
  • Finally sold my car at the very end of the year. I’m officially car-free for 2012!
  • And, just a couple of days ago, I found out that I was selected to be a part of the leadership team for WeArePowershift.org!

I didn’t realize quite how many cool things I did this past year until I was looking back to put together my list. Wow. What a year!

And… hello, 2012!

I know that the year ahead holds just as many amazing opportunities, and I’m looking forward to every one of them.

I’m standing here at the dawn of the year, facing into the rising sun.

Let’s do this!

Intention (or: telling the universe how this thing is going down)

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intention_640I’ll be the first to admit that there are certain ways of looking at life that seem a bit… well, over the top. I don’t believe that you can pray to a deity for a new car, wish your way to success or otherwise get things without putting in the work.

However, I do believe that the way you approach things, and the way that you set your attitude, can have an amazing impact on the outcome of anything you attempt.

It’s all about your intention.

Think about it: if you walk out the door prepared for it to be a crappy day, chances are that it’s going to be a crappy day.

What if, instead of setting yourself up for failure, you take a deep breath and set your intention for the day before you walk out that door? If you plan for things to go well, you start the day with a positive attitude. I’m not sure how much it will actually change the way that things go, but you’re sure as heck starting out with a much better chance.

I looked around to try to find a quote that I love, but couldn’t find the exact quote or attribution. It goes something like “it’s not about what you have in life, it’s what you think about it that makes the difference.”

It’s kind of like the old adage, when life hands you lemons…

When I was out at WDS earlier this year, we had an amazing session with Andrea Scher and Jen Lemen that was a mini- Mondo Beyondo session. They had us write down our craziest, wildest, biggest dreams – and then put our intent out to the universe.

What was my biggest dream? To save the planet. And, I put that intent out – stated it, loud and clear for the universe to hear.

Since then, I’ve become the chair of the board for an environmental nonprofit, been arrested for environmental civil disobedience, been part of planning some amazing environmental action, and met some amazing people who are trying to do the exact same thing.

Do I think that the universe just magically caused these things to happen? Not so much.

But… I do think that by putting my intention out, I was suddenly more open to the opportunities that would arise, more positive in my thinking, more likely to go ahead and do the things that would lead to starting to reach my goal.

So, what do I want you to do, dear readers?

I want you to stop before the next time you walk out the door. I want you to reset your attitude, throw some intention out to the universe, and then go kick some ass.

Ditch My Ride (or: how losing the car can set you free)

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ditch-my-ride_640Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I will be car free for the first time in my life.

Yup, you heard that right. Car free.

I don’t actually consider it “losing” a car, so much as a conscious decision to move away from my dependence on the automotive lifestyle and my subsequent use of fossil fuels. It’s my next step in “walking the walk” of being an environmental activist. Literally.

“But”, I can hear you saying, “you don’t live in New York City, or Portland, or any major city… How in the world are you going to sell your car and still get where you need to go?”

Well, here’s how. I am fortunate in that I do live in a city, small as it may be. We have some pretty cool advantages, and I plan to take advantage of them all.

The How:

1. Walking and biking:

I live a little under a mile from the heart of downtown, and biking distance from most everything in the city. By walking a mile or so, I can get to at least one small grocery store, the farmer’s market, the library, banks, shops, government offices, several pharmacies, a plethora of amazing restaurants, and… the central transit station.

2. Public Transit:

Charlottesville has a small but functional public bus system. Charlottesville Area Transit covers the city, the University of Virginia campus and a small piece of the county just outside city limits. A bus pass will get me to my part time job and pretty much everywhere I want to go within the city. There is also a free trolley that runs from downtown to the University, where there is… a ZipCar program.

3. ZipCar:

There is a ZipCar program associated with the University. There are a number of different paid plans that you can sign up for, a great phone application that you can use to reserve a car, and a program that has cars in cities across the US. I haven’t decided quite yet whether to sign up, but it’s nice knowing that there’s another option besides renting a car or taking a taxi, if necessary. Hopping back on the free trolley, I pass by… the train station.

4. Amtrak:

I am a huge fan of the rail system in Europe, and have started utilizing Amtrak here in the states. (There is also a Greyhound station close to downtown.) I can walk to the transit station, hop on the free trolley, get off at the Charlottesville Amtrak station (CVS) , and six hours later find myself in the center of Manhattan. How cool is that?? Since when I visit New York City, I spend most of my time eating, that brings me (somewhat clumsily) around to… food.

5. Relay Foods:

One of the absolute coolest things about living in Charlottesville is a growing service called Relay Foods – I can shop from my computer (in my pajamas if I so choose) any time during the week, day or night. With over 50 farms and vendors (and growing), I have no reason to brave the aisles of the grocery store. I simply place my order online by midnight of the day before and go get my groceries the next day at a convenient pickup spot. How much easier does it get? (And, if you click on that link above and place an order, you’ll get a coupon and I’ll get $5. Sweet.)

The Added Benefits:

1. Financial:

Approximately a quarter of my spending this past year was car-related. Between the car payment, insurance, gas, taxes, upkeep and the like, it takes a huge chunk out of my income to just keep the car sitting in my driveway. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to start paying off some debt with the money that was going to feed the beast.

2. Health:

By walking and biking instead of sitting in a car, I am improving my overall health and wellness. Charlottesville is a fairly temperate city (except for the occasional Snowpocalypse that brings 2 or so feet of snow), so walking around shouldn’t ever be too difficult.

3. Community:

Ever notice how you tend to stop and say hi to more people when you’re walking around? Funny how you can’t really do that in a car. Today, I ran into a good friend as I was on my way to the Clerk’s office – had I been driving, I would have missed that opportunity to catch up with him. By ditching the car, I’ll be more connected to my city.

My Challenge To You:

I realize that not everyone lives in a city, and not everyone has the desire or ability to live without a car. However, if you are feeling up for it, I would like to challenge each of you to find ways to reduce your own dependence on an automotive lifestyle.

Plan your trips so that you can combine errands; make one less trip a week; carpool with a friend or coworker to get to your next destination.

Walk or bike somewhere instead of driving, if it’s an option; check out your local transit options; see if there’s a car sharing program near you.

Create some awareness of how we utilize the fossil fuels we’re consuming. Chances are, you’ll find that making other choices will be healthier for both the planet and for you and your wallet!

I have no idea how this experiment of mine is going to pan out. That being said, just writing this post has made me really excited about the possibilities that it will bring.

Car free, here I come!

Green and Vegan (or: the dichotomy of choice)

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green-vegan_640It would seem to me that there are certain choices in our daily lives that go easily hand in hand. Want to be healthier? Eat healthier (as Michael Pollan says, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”), be more active, make conscious choices, find your balance. Want to lessen your impact on the planet? See above.

So, how is it that there are so many times at which being environmentally conscious is directly at odds with being vegan?

First, a little background. I have been vegetarian for almost ten years now. Growing up on a farm, I gained an appreciation for the sentient beings that share our planet, the food that nourishes our bodies, and the beautiful earth that supports our population. As I got older, I started transitioning to a more plant-based diet for health reasons. Along the way, my reasons for not eating meat evolved to include the (personal) moral implications as well as the health reasons.

Over the past six months or so, a transition to veganism just happened. Along with the other changes in my life, it just made sense to start cutting out other animal products. I’m not completely there yet, but I’m on my way. Healthier me; healthier, happier planet.

However, I wish it were that simple. Here’s where I have run into the dichotomy of my choices. Many environmentally sustainable options involve animal products, leather being a prime example. Want vegan shoes? Most of your options involve petroleum products. Using oil to produce substitutes for leather? Sad planet. *insert sad trombone here*

That being said, veganism has become more of a mainstream lifestyle choice, and our options are increasing. There are more people who have come to the realization that their eating habits are just as important as any other habits when it comes to the environment. Do I have all the answers? No – definitely not. Am I making the most conscious choices I can as I navigate this life, and am I hopeful that this will become less of an issue with the passage of time? Yes – definitely.

I would love to hear about any choices that you have in your life that on the outside appear to be straightforward, but are more difficult upon closer inspection!

Balance (and living with a new “normal”)

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balance_640Unsurprisingly, as I have aged and grown, the definition of what is (my) “normal” has changed. If you are like me and are constantly pushing your boundaries, constantly moving and evolving, this happens. It’s when this process gets unexpectedly accelerated that it becomes tricky to find balance.

Take, for example, being passionate enough about something that you risk getting arrested for the cause (take a look at my last post if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

My last year or so has been a whirlwind of changes, most for the better, some happier than others; I’ll touch on most of these as I continue to write here. The difference with these past four weeks is the speed at which my perceptions changed. It’s been three weeks since my release, and I am still processing what happened. I don’t know how long it will take, or if I will ever completely be able to process the experience.

I’ve had this discussion with many of the other “Tar Sands 65” – my fellow jailbirds – and many of us have found that the experience profoundly changed us. Those 52 hours lie outside the realm of any experience before, and they opened up a whole new level of consciousness for me.

My previous “normal” now feels somehow stale; this is meant in no way to be disrespectful to those who inhabited it with me, but rather as an internal reflection. Now that I have experienced what it means to stand up for something that I am truly passionate about, I don’t want to look back. I have known for some time that I stand outside the social norm, and I’m okay with that. In fact, I love it. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life being normal. Life is too short.

Trouble is – this is where the balance part comes in – there are still “normal” things that have to happen. I have to pay the bills, I have to feed myself and my dog, I have to keep some sort of shelter over our heads… those basic human needs still exist. No matter how much I want to throw caution to the wind, I realize that I have to find the balance that works for me in this moment.

So, for the time being, I’m doing what I can to be involved in smaller ways in the environmental arena, even if it means not getting paid. I’m working toward finding a paying job (or jobs) that allow me to make a substantive impact, and I’m doing what I can to find happiness along the way. I’m finding my balance as I continue to evolve. I’m positive that once another year has passed, I’ll have a whole new “normal”, and I think that’s pretty awesome.

How about you – how do you find balance in this crazy and sometimes overwhelming world? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!