"Hammer And A Nail" by the Indigo Girls
Clearing webs from the hovel
a blistered hand on the handle of a shovel
I've been digging too deep, I always do.
I see my face on the surface
I look a lot like Narcissus
A dark abyss of an emptiness
Standing on the edge of a drowning blue.
I look behind my ears for the green
Even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed get a hammer and a nail
Learn how to use my hands, not just my head
I think myself into jail
Now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.
I had a lot of good intentions
Sit around for fifty years and then collect a pension,
Started seeing the road to hell and just where it starts.
But my life is more than a vision
The sweetest part is acting after making a decision
I started seeing the whole as a sum of its parts.
I look behind my ears for the green
Even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed get a hammer and a nail
Learn how to use my hands, not just my head
I think myself into jail
Now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.
My life is part of the global life
I'd found myself becoming more immobile
When I'd think a little girl in the world can't do anything.
A distant nation my community
A street person my responsibility
If I have a care in the world I have a gift to bring.
I look behind my ears for the green
Even my sweat smells clean
Glare off the white hurts my eyes
Gotta get out of bed get a hammer and a nail
Learn how to use my hands, not just my head
I think myself into jail
Now I know a refuge never grows
From a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose
Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.
sustainable living blog
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
This is my garden.
Hello, imaginary friends! This is my potential garden space. I have been feeling the gardening vibe ever since learning how to worm farm. That sense of the richness in the soil... And experimenting in the land at our first rental place, which was by a forest. But now, after having a shared yard, where I couldn't dig anything up randomly, I have been giving a "ready, set, garden" home, with raised plant beds in the back, and a storage cupboard for storing later jars of preserves. No, I don't have any idea of what I am doing, but I did grow up in a veggie gardening family (albeit on the other side of the Earth, in Canada). But my instincts are pretty strong. I spent a day clearing the place out, and this is what my garden looks like.
The area to the right by the compost bin is just not really soil yet. I am going to have to hack it up with a pick, and introduce alot of biological matter (dead stuff).
The other night, I did buy alot of seedlings and plant the beds which were ready. In the approaching dark, with my little girl already planting the carrots randomly in a circle around her, there was no time to read up on which plants should neighbour which plants. I just had to follow my senses, and will learn from my mistakes for next time. But the moon was full, and I think that it was a great planting time. Rain began to fall, my husband thought I was crazy to still be out in the dark and mud. And so it begins...
Watch this land
We have done it. We've moved out of the city, to a place which is nearer to nature, more inaccessible but worth it when you get there. This place still has native skinks running around (small lizards) from under leaves or decaying matter whenever it is disturbed (they are considered rare, but their numbers been depleted here). The house we bought has raised garden beds in the back, and a great storage cupboard for storing food preserves. It has fruit trees as well. And room for an actual compost heap. I do have to travel further to work, but it will be on mass public transport. My children will not grow up stunted. Watch this space. (Or shall I say "land".)
I did it - I took my own containers to the supermarket
Mince (ground beef), chicken pieces, lunchmeat straight from the counterI had SUCH an exciting experience about a month ago. It was the first time I implemented my plan. I had been buying good quality reusable containers, yes plastic - but durable. Then I brought them all to the supermarket and got my meat put straight into them at the deli counter, walking gleefully past the entire wall of meat cuts packaged in styrofoam and plastic wrap.
It was cool because it worked, they just shrugged slapped their sticker on the container - and I avoided the plastic waste and guilt like you avoid a middleman. It was also a great experience because they were alot more supportive than I had expected.
By now I am accustomed to people finding deviation in the normal pattern of things to be, well, insane, so I shyly said that I didn't mind if they had to include the weight of the container if they would just please use it, as strange as it was. Each person who helped me that day opened up to me as their individual selves, confiding to me that they thought it was a great idea.
Recently, when I again brought the containers for meats and also lunchmeat, my husband surprised me by commenting to the checkout lady supportively, "it's just a clever way to avoid the plastic bags".
You've got to try it! No guilt, and no middleman.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Clean Bin Project movie (funny)
The Clean Bin Project - Trailer from Grant Baldwin Videography on Vimeo.
I so love this!
From Mother Nature Network (mnn.com)
link:
http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/9-bloggers-yearlong-green-journeys/no-waste-no-new-stuff
No waste, no new stuff
Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin cycled the Pacific Coast in 2007 and noticed two things: There was lots of garbage, and they didn’t miss their “stuff” back home. Thus was born The Clean Bin Project, their competition to see who could buy no new “stuff” and create the least amount of waste in a year.
Rustemeyer says giving up chips and crackers was the hardest part of the project for her — think of all that packaging — but there were definitely humorous moments. “We had some funny interactions with waiters trying to explain why we didn’t want plastic. Eventually, Grant said he had a plastic allergy.” Although they buy stuff now (the project ended July 1, 2009), their waste is still low: just a small trashcan’s worth every few months.
Today, Baldwin and Rustemeyer are inspiring people with their comedic eco-documentary. “We’d seen so many environmental films that left us feeling hopeless, so we wanted to show that living zero waste can actually be fun.” Rustemeyer says that anyone can dramatically reduce their waste and help the planet. “Just start with one change, and when that becomes a habit, you can move on to the next one.”
FITE organization, make a microloan and help correct the world imbalance
Fromhttp://joinfite.org/about-fite/
"FITE is a global empowerment platform powered by Kiva.org, the nonprofit leader in microfinance, that is designed to foster Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship for women in the developing world. Our mission is to provide women entrepreneurs access to small loans that will help them start or grow a business; and to help educate the public at large about the benefits of empowering women entrepreneurs so that they “can hold up their half of the sky.” In just the first 2 years, we aim to help at least 25,000 women in this capacity. Leading thinkers in social development, including the World Bank, hail investing in women as “smart economics,” an untapped resource that can help solve many of the problems we see in our world today. Indeed, lending to women produces a positive ripple effect of improved health, education, and welfare for all household members.
"And yet, investments in women are not being made. Women are traditionally more likely to be denied a loan by a bank, and often face high levels of financial discrimination. More than 70% of people who live below the poverty line are women.
"FITE aims to change that, and is recruiting partners who are invested in creating change for women and communities around the globe.
"Dermalogica, the world’s preeminent professional skin care brand, is the founding partner for FITE, and has invested all the research and development to make FITE possible. From supporting creation of the platform, to being the first partner to create a retail connection with its FITE products, to rallying its tribe of over 100,000 successful women entrepreneurs worldwide to join FITE, Dermalogica has helped make the vision of FITE a reality.
"We hope more brands will join us! FITE is an open platform, where any company, organization or individual who wants to activate change for women and communities can get involved, make a measureable impact, and be recognized for their work.
"FITE promotes gender equality, stimulates local economies and empowers women to become active, involved and powerful change makers.
"For more information on one of our inspirations to launch the FITE program, see Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn’s informative book, Half the Sky. You can also watch Sheryl WuDunn’s talk at the TED Conference. (TOP)
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