When I first went through the Master Recycler class in 1992, I was so excited to learn all about the Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. I wanted to share with everyone how they, too, could recycle more and reduce their waste (and their expenditures), and help the planet. I mean, wouldn’t everyone want to know how to do that?! Sometimes, it’s hard to know a lot about impacts and not be able to share that knowledge with others. It pains me: To see food wasted at all levels of production and consumption, knowing how many people go without, as well as how much water and fuel is also wasted. …
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Fix it Forward
When we first moved into our home 40 years ago, the front door lock didn’t work quite right. One day I decided to fix it. Ha! I learned that it just wasn’t that simple. In order to fix it, I needed to understand how it worked. If you want to fix something, it is wise to take the time to find out how it works, how all the pieces fit together. It has become evident that many, many things are out of balance and fundamentally needs fixing: the economy, health care, the food system, partisan politics, climate change and environment, social and racial inequities, and education. This long list can…
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The RE-Generation
During our class, Less is More: Getting to One Can of Garbage a Year, we talk about the three familiar Rs – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. After we discuss these three in order of importance, we ask folks to identify more Rs to move their thinking further upstream. Their suggestions include: Repurpose, Resist, Restore, Repair, Refuse, Reconnect, and Reimagine. Practicing any or all of these behaviors can rehabilitate our planet. Choose the actions that appeal to you and work them into your daily habits. We can all be part of the RE-Generation, no matter when we were born! Another R that is getting more attention now is Regenerate. According to Wikipedia, “the term “regenerative” describes processes…
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Green Resolutions for a Green Revolution
I want to be able to look young people in the eye and say that their future was worth making some changes to my personal actions.
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Just Enough
“…..we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. ” — – Dwight D. Eisenhow One beneficial consequence that comes from things getting uncomfortable is that it forces change. That is true whether you get a cramp from sleeping in a funny position, or when the recycling market collapsed after China no longer accepted the world’s discarded plastics. As uncomfortable and distressing as it is not to be able to recycle as we did before, we are now forced to acknowledge all that stuff we bring into our homes.…
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Resilience
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene “SPROING!’ That sound came to mind when I was thinking about Resilience. Resilience means being able to bounce back in the face of a challenge, being able to adapt and make changes, and even to innovate. Whether the power goes out, or your job is eliminated, or there is a glitch in the kitchen, resilience means figuring out how to adjust and reorganize in order to cope with those new conditions. Developing resilience is essential to enjoying well-being. Figuring out a new or different way to solve a problem…
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Urban Homesteading
Many people these days are pursuing the Homesteading lifestyle again. They are doing so partly in response to a hectic, fast-paced life, and partly out of concern for the environment and the natural systems that support life.
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Ready for Anything?
The Latin root of PREPARE means to make ready. I knew that Be Prepared is the motto of the Boy Scouts, but I didn’t know why Robert Baden-Powell chose it so I looked it up. “
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Journey
“So I propose that small cumulative steps do make a difference especially when combined with those of others doing the same thing. Choosing one action to focus on makes it simple. After a while, this becomes a habit and you can move on to the next action.” A few years ago I presented my class “Less is More: Getting to One Can of Garbage a Year” at Northwest Natural Gas over four lunch hours. At the first session, one of the participants said ,“I just don’t know if what I do matters” to which I blurted out, “You’ll feel differently at the end of this class.” Then I thought to myself,…
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Beyond Preserving & Conserving
I get so excited this time of year when I see the amazing bounty our farmers produce for us. The lavish mounds of tomatoes, berries, plums, corn, green beans and more, inspire me to think of ways to preserve at least some of these beauties for winter meals.
