Economy, Ecology, Community, Faith

There are four main areas of concern that I write about and act upon. These are the areas of our lives that I feel we need to integrate, for ourselves, for our communities, for our nation, and for our planet. I haven't written much over the last month. I've been busy living life and working toward that integration through getting more involved in my community and my faith. By participating in our transition committee, our community center building committee local art show, a craft fair, and our holiday celebration. I have also been taking stock of the the economic and ecological choices that I make on a daily basis. 

I saw a cartoon recently that showed three cans labeled "trash", "recycle", and "pretend to recycle". This really got me to thinking. There are some packages that we put in the recycling at our house because we believe that they should be recycled and recyclable. Unfortunately we have found from talking to the employees at our local transfer station that many of these packaging materials are not actually recyclable at this time. So for the last week I have been putting those packaging materials into the trash and paying attention to how much our trash is increased. It wasn't an excessive amount, but it was enough to give me pause and to remind me that there are at least 5 Rs to saving our planet (not just three) and the first of these is refuse. Refuse to purchase products that are packaged in packaging that is not recyclable. In fact, why purchase products in packaging? It is far healthier for us, for our environment and for our economy even, in the long run, if we purchase our foods in the packages nature provided them with, their own skin. We should be eating far more fruits and vegetables and far less processed foods and meats. And as important as this, we should be purchasing our food, as much as possible, directly from the people who are producing it. 

This evening I watched a film that spoke to many of these areas of concern, surrounding our freedoms, the production of our food, our communities, our faiths, and our consumer culture and behavior. I can't say that I agree with every word in this film, but I will say that it definitely gives a great deal of food for thought.  I'll share the link below and I hope that you will take the time to watch it and really give some thought to the concepts that are brought forward. I hope you will also give some thought to how integrating the concepts of economy, ecology, community and faith within our lives can help us to regain a sense of balance and security that has been lacking in American society for at least a quarter of a century and probably more. I feel that over compartmentalizing our lives is part of what has lead to the disconnection of individuals from their communities and also the breakdown of our moral and ethical principals.  I think it is this compartmentalization that has lead to the breaking down of society and the increased willingness of people to support more and more antisocial governmental policies: unprecedented exploitation of natural resources within public lands, unilateral military action against the citizens of our own country without due process, and unfettered interference into the affairs of other nations in direct contravention of international law. 

Here is the link to the movie Ethos. I hope you will find it illuminating. 

I Voted - Now What?

On Tuesday we elected the officials who will determine the course of legislation for our states and our nation over the next 4 to 6 years. In that election just over 1/3 of eligible voters nation wide turned out to make their voice heard and their vote count. Shame! Before the election I heard a lot of people talking about how unhappy they are with our government. I also heard a lot of people talking about "what is the government going to do for me." It is a statistical probability that many of the people who complain about the current state of affairs in our country are the same people who are not turning out to vote. I just want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that, as a citizen of a democratic society, voting is not only your privilege but your duty. It is one way that we can stand up against corporate greed and the power and money they wield to advance their agendas. That said, this is not a post about getting out the vote. It's a post about what we do now that the vote is over, and about what we should have been doing all along rather than sitting around waiting for the government to solve our problems.

Folks we have been far too complacent in our lives. We have been far too willing to hand over the reins of control and responsibility to someone else. We need to start taking responsibility for ourselves, our neighborhoods, our villages, our towns, our counties, our states and finally our nation. In that order. We need to join together in small groups, in medium sized groups and in large movements to create the future that we want to see. We can't wait for someone at the top to do it for us.  They don't have the same goals, and to be honest you can't blame them. They don't come from the same place you do.

We can't wait for Washington politicians to solve our problems. We need to start at home and ask ourselves what can WE do to make our homes a better place?  And we need to do it.  Then we need to go beyond our own doors and look at our neighborhoods and ask ourselves, what can  we do to make them a better place, and who can we involve in the process? And we need to DO IT! If we need affordable day care, access to healthier food, better educational opportunities for our children; then we need to form coops,  community gardens and CSA's and we need to go to school board meetings and vote in our local elections for the people who will sit on those school boards. Perhaps we should even run for local office. I understand that we all work hard, but that does not absolve us of our responsibilities as members of society. If we wonder why our society is broken, we need to stop looking to the people in Washington DC and start looking at ourselves. 

The results of the recent election may be disappointing to many, and there may be many who have given up on exercising their right to vote because they just feel hopeless about the outcome and that it wont matter regardless of how they vote. To both of these groups I say, you now have a unique opportunity to show what you can do when you mobilize on a local grass roots level to bring about the vision that you have for the future of your family, your community, and your nation. As Gandhi once said, we need to be the change we want to see in the world. 

Happy New Year Revolutionaries

Happy New Year, and welcome to a new revolution! One year ago today I began One Earth Revolution to see what could be accomplished for our planet in one year along with the help of my family and friends. I will be honest, it has been a slow start. There have been some personal and logistical challenges, but I also have a sense of real progress.  I have seen myself and my family begin to truly live by ethics and principles which we believe will help to sustain our community and our planet well into the future. We have become involved in many groups that are rebuilding the sense of community in our town and are actively working to create a future for our village which is both economically and environmentally sustainable, and not only sustainable but bountiful without being damaging to our ecology. This year has also seen the conversation of sustainability and a post carbon future really making inroads in the mainstream media. While there are still many naysayers and not a few people who staunchly refuse to remove their blinders and see the coming storm, we have begun to see real evidence that people are beginning to awaken  to the real dangers of climate change.  There is so much more to be done!

This weekend Hubby and I have spent two days in contemplation and meditation on our property, on our planet, and on  our personal feelings and goals surrounding both. We spent a day being grateful for the achievements and blessings of the past year and letting go of anything that happened during the past year that we do not want to bring forward with us. We spent today looking forward to the challenges and promises of the coming year. 

This year I finished my permaculture design certification and I'm now saving up for the advanced class. Meanwhile our homestead continues to take shape and we begin to see the real beginnings of the permaculture demonstration sight that we would eventually like to have here. In the coming year we plan to install cold frames, expand the plantings in our fledgling food forest, erect a greenhouse and so much more. Stay tuned for an Indiegogo campaign announcement early in the calendar year. 

And One Earth Revolution? We've got plans for you too. We'll be better than ever with field trips, regular feature pieces on the permaculture ethics and principles, recipe share, farm hacks and so much more. We may even have a podcast in store for you. So stay tuned here and you'll be in the know about everything that's happening on the farm and with The (R)evolution. 

Saving the Environment Starts at Home - Tips for Beating the Take-out Habit

Image from Maple and Spice 

Happy Sunday readers. It's a cloudy October morning here in southern Maine and I'm thinking about breakfast. It's kind of a tradition in our family to have a nice breakfast on Sunday. In the past we have often gone to a favorite restaurant close by our home, and still do occasionally, but lately we've started making that Sunday breakfast at home more often and incorporating things from our own garden and from local farmers into our meal. There are two reasons for this: 1) insuring that we are using local ingredients and 2) reducing the size of our food budget. If you are wondering how these two things tie in to protecting the environment, it is quite simple and comes down to transportation. The more local our food is, the fewer miles it had to be transported using fossil fuel burning planes, boats, trains and trucks. The fewer dollars we spend on food and the more often we eat at home the more we save and the less we commute to earn the money to pay for it. We also save the trip to to restaurant. These reduced trips also reduce wear and tear on our vehicle, further reducing our impact on the planet. 

So as I sat here thinking about breakfast, it reminded me that I had promised you some tips and recipes for beating the eating out and particularly the stopping for takeout habit that is so easy to fall into. 

The first and particularly timely tip is making ahead. Quiet Sundays are a good opportunity to do a little extra cooking that will make meal prep later in the week quicker and easier, reducing the temptation to just pick something up on the way home or hitting the drive through on the way into the office because you rushed out the door without eating breakfast AGAIN. Here are a couple of things that I like to do that are surprisingly helpful. I scramble up a batch of eggs and vegetarian sausage and wrap it up with a bit of cheese in a half dozen burrito wraps and freeze them. A couple of minutes in the microwave in the morning and I have a hot hearty home made breakfast. You could also defrost in the fridge over night and warm it in a skillet if you are not a big fan of the microwave. 

Another thing I like to do on Sunday is making up a pot of rice and a pot of pasta. I divide each into two containers and refrigerate one of each and freeze the others. I then have a base carbohydrate that I can build a meal on with a quick zap in the microwave or two minutes in hot water. You can make mashed potatoes ahead as well, but they are more of a challenge to reheat for those who prefer not to microwave. This generally shaves 5 to 10  minutes off of meal prep which doesn't sound like a lot, but can make a big difference when its late and you are tired and hungry.

One of the most challenging things about making dinner after a long tiring day is deciding what to make. This question taken at the end of the work day can often lead to decisions that we regret later, like the habit of eating a lot of prepackaged frozen food from the super market. This is probably as bad for the environment as the takeout given the damage that industrial agriculture and meat production do.   One way to get around this is plan ahead. While your pasta and rice are cooking, spend a few minutes to jot down a menu for the weeks evening meals. This will save time and frustration later and will allow you to be prepared and be sure that you have all the ingredients you need on hand. 

None of these things are rocket science, and you've probably heard them all before in the context of time management, but perhaps thinking about how these tips can help save the environment is a more compelling argument to get us to start employing them, or employing them more often. 

I also promised you a recipe. Here is one that we found recently that we really enjoyed and was quite simple. Start with leftovers and a recipe of "Quick and easy Pizza Crust". Divide in half and roll into two circles about 7 inches across. On one half of each put some diced leftover veg from your fridge anything like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, etc. works, add some diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning, and sprinkle on some shredded cheese. Now fold the other half of the dough over and pinch it closed. Bake per the dough instructions (you might be able to shave a few minutes off the cook time, so watch them carefully) and voila! you have two tasty filling calzones in just minutes. They are a meal by themselves or pair with a small salad. 

All this writing about food has made me hungry. I think I'll go get that breakfast I was thinking about. And there is the vegan sausage recipe that I'm wanting to try out....

Unveiling the Seeming Convenience of our Modern Lives

These days, with our fast-paced work-a-day lives, we often do things that seem convenient at the time. That is they SEEM to save us time or money or energy. But often that seeming convenience is only on the surface. When we unpack these habits and look at their hidden cost we find a completely different story. This post is number one in series on revealing these hidden costs.  We'll explore various habits, look at the hidden costs and also look at developing new habits that can set us free to live a truly convenient and content life.

The first seeming convenience that we are going to look at and one that I fell into for a time myself some years ago is stopping for take-out on the way home from work. On the surface it seems to save us time and energy. What could be easier? You make a phone call (perhaps from  your cell, from the car), and you run in and pick up the food and you are off home to eat. But what are the hidden costs?

• Added dollars to your food budget (it's much more costly to eat out than cook at home)
• May take you out of your normal route on the way home adding time to your commute and cost of gas and wear and tear 
• Additional cost to the environment of the extra driving and the packaging of the food
• Negative health impact, as most take-out foods pack far more salt, fat and calories than food made at home.
• More hours at the gym to work off all those extra calories, and the cost of the gym membership
• More hours at work to pay for it all.

That take out meal sounds a lot less convenient now. Doesn't it?

Next time. Tips for breaking the take-out habit. 

Wake Up America! _ No More Time to Snooze on Climate Change

I've heard some very disturbing things over the past few days that have just made me want to shout, Wake up America! We can't keep snoozing when it comes to climate change. We need to spend our carbon resources on replacing the systems that use them so that we can have a carbon free future.

Following are some news stories from recent broadcasts that have me deeply concerned. These do not include the stories which directly refer to climate change and other environmental issues which are associated with and can be linked to climate change, such as exploding tick populations increasing moose mortality, ocean acidification and sea level rise, just to name a few.

Americans are considering lifting the ban on oil exports. Their primary motivation? Money! Of course. I'd like to hear more stories that stem from someone whose primary motivation is looking to the future of our planet and the survival of our species for the long hall, not just how fast and how much people can line their pockets so they can live high off the hog today and Devil may care what happens when they are gone!

Maine's governor, Paul LePage supports a proposed federal law which would increase federal control of natural gas pipeline permitting and could result in private corporations having the ability to take private land by eminent domain. This is yet another example of short sighted profit seeking in my opinion and likely a result of the impact of corporate money on campaigns and politicians. While Governor LePage claims he is supporting this to reduce the cost of heating for Maine families, he ignores the fact that natural gas is not a truly green or sustainable answer for the long haul and has not put resources and energy behind finding clean renewable solutions that Maine will benefit in the future.

A so called right to farm bill passes in Missouri. This amendment to the state constitution protects the "rights" of big agra business and is one more example of corporate greed finding a way to legitimize itself through legislation which favors large corporations over small independent businesses. It is a step in the wrong direction in the fight for a more diverse, distributed, sustainable food system in the United States.

A drought in California which has been exacerbated by climate change keeps the fire danger high. Forest fires blaze in California as the drought continues. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California accounts for nearly half of US grown vegetables, fruits and nuts. This is of grave concern for food security, but also for the environment and for resource management, as with its large population, California is also a top consumer of water resources. In addition to the water woes inherent in having so much of our agricultural capacity concentrated in one corner of the country, this state of affairs also leads to increased transportation costs and a host of other environmental concerns stemming from the construction of infrastructure to the fuel to power the trucks and trains that transport the produce. In addition, there is far more waste in such a system, due to spoilage and damage in transportation; while the food that is produced is not as nutritious as local food because it is picked before it is ripe and then consumed long after it has been harvested. 

I know that this piece sounds like a lot of gloom and doom. And that isn't really what I intend to be. I do believe that there is a lot of hope for our future. We are standing at a cross roads and we have all the tools we need to make a better, brighter more verdant future, if we choose the right path. I had a lot of things to say, but I don't think I can say them any better than Morgan Freeman says them here in this video: (What's Possible) It's more than worth your time.

Local food and Entertainment add Zest to Life

This past Saturday a trip to Wentworth Gardens in Dover, New Hampshire turned into a mini adventure. We went to see the greenhouse and pickup some local produce at the summer market that is held every Saturday from Mid-June to Mid-October. As anyone who regularly attends knows, a trip to the local farmer's market is more than just a grocery run. Our latest market excursion was an educational and entertaining experience.   We spent some time with Karen from Maine Herb Farm, learning about the various healing properties of herbs in her hand-crafted salves and lip balms. while enjoying a concert by Local artist James Gilmore,

Returning home we spent some time in our own garden reaping tomatoes and other tasty treats. A round of canning tomato sauce followed. As we have been harvesting our produce and fruits, putting them up for winter and experimenting with new vegetarian recipes, we have found that meal times are more enjoyable. The fare is more varied and wholesome and there is just a little something extra special about eating food that you grew and prepared yourself. The experience is so far beyond just opening cans or emptying boxes and warming something up. It really does add a bit of extra zest to life.