How Green do I really have to Bee??

Subtitle: Part II of the Fire Pit Story

First, let it be known to all that I sometimes have a hard time making decisions. (those who know me well might mock my "sometimes" qualifier)

Second, let it be said there is a very happy ending ... in my yard sits a lovely fire pit awaiting this evening's gathering (weather permitting). But this fairy tale ending was not without its green judgmental dragons to be slain.

As per my last post, my search for a gently used fire pit included pinging a few folks on Craig's list, an email to my town list, and joining Freecycle!

It took about 12 hours for my Freecycle membership to become active, and when it did I posted a "WANTED" email. I got one response from someone suggesting I use cement bricks and build something fireproof. Ya right..."Thanks for your suggestion" was my reply.

From my town list I received one offer for a loaner (which I shared in my last post), one suggesting that I check with the fire department to see if they're legal ("thank you for your suggestion"), and another letting me know Walgreen's had them for 50% off.. around $14. ("Thanks for the info!"). A fourth neighborly email said she thought she had what I was looking for, and she'd send a photo if I'd like. ("Yes, I'd like! And how much are you asking??")

Before I heard back from my local option, a phone call came in from my most desired Craig's list option. I really liked the design of this one and had already imagined me and my friends gathered around it... 'Yes, it is still available, and you can come by tonight or tomorrow" $50 - non negotiable, and a 45 minute drive.. without traffic. "Great, I'll call you back with when I'll come by, just working out my schedule"

Only 20 minutes later, an email with a picture of a barely used, clean and simple fire pit popped into my email box. "Is $25 too much?" and only 5 minutes away.

So, do you see where I'm going with this story??

Do I make the "greener" choice.. save gas, money, time and buy locally OR buy the one I have coveted from the moment I saw it? And if I choose the less green choice, what do I tell the bloggisphere? Should I make a decision based on what THEY might think of me? How much does what it looks like really matter? What if I travel all that way and I don't really like it? Will one of them be upset if I buy from the other? Should I try to see the local one first? You can see, my mind is not a pretty place sometimes.

But herein lies a true dilemma if one chooses to really think about it: How much influence should the "green-ness" of our options affect our purchase decisions?

Ok, sometimes it's obvious: Do I buy the Hummer or the Hybrid? Buy compact florescent or incandescent? Wash in hot or cold water? Turn off my computer for the night or leave it running? (Please, turn it off ;)

But other times, not so much: Locally grown or Organic? Take the train or the bus? Spend $150 on a pair of Organic cotton jeans or $30 on sale at the Gap? Travel 10x the distance to get what I want, or pick up what's right around the corner?

I guess it's a matter of scale and differential that takes me from the no brainer decisions to the mental gymnastics I went through for this. It's exhausting to weigh every decision from this perspective, but the more I involved I get in the green movement (and the more this blog holds me accountable) the more clear it is that every choice, even the smallest ones, are an expression of my values.






And yes, making the greenest choice possible is one of my values... and pretty high on the list at that.


But this time, aesthetics won out.

And by the way, if you or anyone you know is looking for a barely used, well cared for fire pit for $25, I know where there's still one for sale.

Happy Friday!

Going greener... it's all in the mind shift

So, when it comes to living greener, I've found that most changes happen from small shifts in perspective. That is, what is it that I am doing, wanting, needing, eating, buying that I can do in a greener, more conscious way? Once you start looking at one part of your life that way, you begin to see all the other impacts and possibilities... a cascading domino effect...



A case in point.



Friday night I am having some friends over... a group of women I went to overnight camp with on Martha's Vineyard when I was a teenager. I've decided that to really put us in the mood I want to get a fire pit so that we can have a campfire in the backyard, roast some marshmallows, make s'mores.... only this time we'll be drinking gin and tonics instead of bug juice! :)



So, I'm on the prowl for a fire pit... the ones I've liked on line won't get here in time (ok, I'm a procrastinator!) So last night on the way home from work I did a little shopping. I'm in Lowes looking at firepits... What are they made of? Where are they made? Will this be a good investment or just a seasonal throw away of money? Do I really even like the options? There are plenty here, I'll think about it and come back... let's check out Target.



Here's where the first mind shift comes in... Target is the next mall over... I instinctively go to get into my car and drive over and am struck by own laziness! WALK OVER! (And then you can blog about what a good doobie you are! ) So, with just a few intermittent raindrops falling on my head, I walk over, find NO firepits, and walk back to my car feeling very full of myself for getting a little exercise and keeping my car where it is.



But when I get home I think, this is really not that blogworthy, especially so early in my blogdom when I am trying to give a good impression of who I am.... I mean, walking 5 extra minutes so I don't have to move my car is a good idea, but really, who would be impressed with this?



So tonight, I'm on the phone with my sister (the same one who helped me put my composter together) and I'm telling her about my firepit odyssey and she asks: Have you looked on Craig's List???



OMG, I hadn't even THOUGHT of Craig's list... how could I have been so shortsighted??? I LOVE buying things second hand... I'm on Craigslist every week looking for yardsales (where I did see a fire pit a few weeks ago, but unfortunately did not buy it!!!) So I zoom on over, search firepits, find a few options out there, make a couple calls and send out a couple of emails. Someone emails me back.. her pit is already taken, but have I tried FREECYCLE?



FREECYCLE??? Wow, what a great idea! So first I had to join, and now my "membership is awaiting approval by the group owner" so I have not had a chance to search yet, but but I am excited to be entering a new world of used products. I will keep you posted on my success!



And finally, once on freecycle I remembered that I had one more option: my local community email group. I have seen so many people use it to promote their businesses, ask for help/apartments/resources, give away products.... why not put the word out there and see what's right in my own back yard?



So, to recap:

1. Walk instead of drive whenever you can.

2. Really consider your purchases: Do you need it? Is there a locally or sustainably made option? And can you buy it second hand? (http://www.craigslist.com/ )

3. Is there anything you don't want anymore that you can give away for free instead of adding to the landfill? (http://www.freecycle.org/ )

4. Are there resources right in your own community that you can access?



PS: I just heard back from a friend who's on my town email list offering to let me borrow hers for the night if I'd like. How great is that? My first choice is to find one to keep through the above resources, but if not, the girls and I will still be washing down s'mores by a campfire with our G&T's!!

Who Am I, and What's this blog about anyway??

So, who am I and why am I writing this blog?

Well, up until about 3 years ago, I was what I would call an "armchair" environmentalist... yes I recycled, and was one of the first people to buy a Prius in 2001 (Almost 100,000 miles and still going strong), AND since 1994 have worked for a magazine that includes green/sustainable living as one of its core content areas (Body+Soul Magazine, previously New Age Journal) http://www.wholeliving.com/

But then, in the late summer 2006 I met my friend Chelsea for dinner at a nearby mall. We ran into a couple of her friends who said they were going to see "An Inconvenient Truth". We decided that if we got through with dinner in time we'd go see it.

That night my perspective on life, and my role in it, changed forever. I sat there with tears streaming down my face as the credits rolled. I had had no idea how dire the situation was, and was pretty sure that most people in my life had no idea either.... I had to let everyone know they HAD to see this movie... AND I had to play a more active roll in making the world a cleaner place.

I emailed everyone in my work database and told them about the movie, how it had moved me, and that I urged them to see it. A colleague on the other side of the country emailed me back and told me that Al Gore was going to train 1000 people to give the slide show from the movie to help spread the word. I knew that I wanted to be one of those 1000 people.

And I was! In January of 2007, I was one of 200 people in the third training of The Climate Project (http://www.theclimateproject.org/). I committed to doing at least 10 presentations in the coming year, and had high hopes for really changing the world. Since that time I have given dozens of presentations everywhere from churches and schools, to conferences and businesses. I have had people tell me that my talk has changed their life, and I've had others argue the "theory" of global warming with me with all their heart and soul. Although the jury is still out how much this work is really changing the world, it's been a tremendous experience.

Now, I am actively involved in trying to bring awareness to ACES, the energy/environmental bill that just barely passed in the house in june, and will be before the senate sometime this fall. As this blog goes on I will talk more about that, and what everyone can do to help support (and strengthen) this legislation.

Meanwhile, I want to focus more on how I want to live a more sustainable life. What am I already doing that I want to urge others to do? What do I want to do more of in my life? What do I need to do to get there? Can I help, encourage and inspire others while I'm on my way?

Today was a hot, windy, and partly sunny day. A perfect day for drying clothes out on my clothes line. When I bought the umbrella like contraption a couple of years ago, my daughter and boyfriend laughed at me... "you're not gonna use that!"

Boy, were they wrong! I love it! Not only do my clothes smell awesome (nothing like climbing into a freshly washed, air dried set of bamboo sheets!), but with every article of clothing I pin up on the line, I feel like I am really making a difference.

Today, I took one more step in a greener direction. I've been wanting to compost for a couple of years, but just never took action. A couple of months ago I order one through "Sustainable Sudbury" (previously known as Earth Decade Committee, http://sudburyedc.org/), and finally picked it up today!!

Luckily my sister and nieces were visiting, so I got some help putting it together... Mary gave me some tips.... turn it upside down AND get someone to help to snap the two pieces together. THAT was a good tip.. couldn't have done it without you Harri, thank you! I've placed it in a sunny spot, close enough to the house so that I'll use it, and lined the bottom with twigs to increase air flow, as Mary suggested. I will keep you all posted as I venture into this completely new experience!

Well, that's it for now. Going to go make some dinner and pay my bills!

Some Sunday images of the Green Bee!

I really do hang my clothes on the line.


Here's the composter... very simple design with 4 pieces.


THANKS HARRI!! I couldn't have snapped those two pieces together without you!!


Securing the composter to its base, and to the ground as Mocha stands guard!




TADA!!

Welcome

So, my first post on my first blog. Never thought of doing this before tonight, but was encouraged, as in many significant events in my life, by my daughter. (Not sure how significant this will be, but my sense is that looking back Iwill find that it was). I was espousing my passionate views about the current state of the environment when she said "Hey mom, you should start a blog. Write about this stuff. "

Here it is, my first entry... like that first time I really started to write in a journal back when I was 16. I do anticipate the content will be somewhat different from those high school days :)

So, what will the content be? Not sure exactly. I guess it will be about my journey... my journey of blending my passion for a cleaner earth, with my passions for healing, communicating, and connecting.

So, welcome to my journey....