Sunday, February 15, 2015
Change
My husband made almond milk for the first time. I have never made almond milk. He is very focused on our transition away from animal products which is very helpful to me since he has more time at home than I do. It was really pretty easy. 1 cup almonds soaked overnight in 3 cups of water. Drain. Put in the blender with 4 cups of water. (half at a time since the almond milk foams up nicely) and then strain through cheese cloth or use a press. Worked really well. I think I could do it myself if needed!
Yesterday I went to see my daughter who just brought her son home from the hospital after 8 weeks in the neonatal unit. He was born early at three pounds. My daughter was very distressed to discover that the enhanced breast milk that her son was given while in the hospital contained bovine milk. It had not occurred to her that the hospital would add bovine milk to her milk along with nutrients. She was so conscientious about pumping milk so he would get breast milk instead of formula. She cried. No one asked her about it they just did it. There is a company that makes the enhanced milk for preemies with breast milk. It costs a lot more money and they don't sell it except to hospitals on a doctor's request. As a society we probably have no idea how often our foods are not what we think.
It is almost Lent. For people in Christian communities that celebrate Lent, it is a time of prayer and reflection, a time to examine one's life and renew the commitment to be disciples. I do not like the idea of giving things up only to go back to them at Easter. If I give something up, it should be with the idea of long term change for the better. This Lent a number of people in my community are working to cut down on the consumption of animal products of all kinds now that we understand its connection to environmental degradation and climate change. It is going to be an interesting journey of discovery. So far I have had many conversations with people about how to cook tempeh, how to season tofu, what to eat in place of eggs or dairy yogurt and so on and Lent hasn't even started yet. I am not feeling somber. I have a renewed sense of purpose and it feels good.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Eating as a Spiritual Practice
When I eat I connect with creation in an intimate way. It has become important to me to know where my food comes from, how it was grown, transported, processed and how producing it might have affected other life. Is it local? Is it in season? Does eating it cause harm to my body, the human community, or any of my fellow inhabitants of Earth? These questions slow me down. I also ask myself if I am really hungry especially if it is between meals or I find myself thinking about grazing through the kitchen.
To stop and think before I eat has made eating a spiritual practice. There is not only the satisfying of bodily hungry, there is the deep connection to all that is. I was at the Earth Care Summit put on by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon last month and one of the speakers made the comment that We are only temporarily not soil. That comment speaks to me and my own journey of faith. I remember a time when I thought that soil made vegetables dirty. I no longer think that and I no longer get excited by a little soil on my lettuce or celery. After all that soil is a remnant of the nourishing substance that allows the vegetables to grow. In the soil are the remains of other beings, plants and creatures that once lived and now assist after their death by nourishing seedlings that feed another generation. It is really quite profound. Soon it will be Lent and on Ash Wednesday when I hear, "Remember you are dust and to dust you will return", I will think, "Remember you are of the Earth and to the Earth you will return" because I believe that would be closer to the original meaning of the phrase dust to dust. (Dust makes me think of billowing dust bunnies under the bed!) The bodies we live in are of the stuff of the Earth. From the Earth comes the food that nourishes us. The Earth is where our bodies find a final resting place.
This thought of the final resting place has led me to desire a green burial at death. At one time I believed that cremation was a better choice for the Earth but after doing some research I realized that is not true. Conventional burial - in a casket with cement grave liner - is anything but green or natural, but using fossil fuels to burn a body puts all sorts of noxious fumes into the air and does not return carbon to the ground... the carbon of the body. So natural burial is now my desire. There are several places near my home where this can happen. Some use biodegradable caskets while others lower the body to the ground in a shroud. There are places that make burial shrouds or a family can provide their own natural fiber blanket wrap. I like the idea of being wrapped and placed directly in the Earth. The idea of a casket with nails or locks always gave me nightmares as did cremation which I know is crazy, but somehow being placed in the Earth is comforting.
I know I jumped pretty quickly from eating to dying but the two are closely connected. We eat to live and when we stop we die. How we eat determines the health of our bodies and contributes to the quality of our lives. The more spiritually connected to how I eat the more aware of connections I have become. Years ago I became a vegetarian after discovering how meat eating in the wealthy countries created famine in the poorer countries. One author suggested that if every person in the wealthy nations would give up eating meat just two days a week it would have a large impact on the poorer nations. So I gave up meat for myself and two+ others who would not do so though I still ate fish and diary products. I called myself a political vegetarian. Then when my youngest daughter became a vegan after learning about animal cruelty, I identified with that aspect - although as I have said before, I did not stop eating dairy because somehow I thought that industry was not so bad. (Little did I know.) After some time when I became involved in environmental issues I also discovered that animal farms were terribly hard on the land and water supplies. So I had an added reason for being vegetarian. About the same time, I stopped eating fish because of the effect that overfishing was having on the ocean. After the Tsunami and the Fukishima nuclear disaster I heard a talk by Helen Caldicott from the Physicians for Social Responsibility and part of the message called into question the safety of Pacific Coast fish. Again, there was that connection between food supply and all that happens. Now I have come to the conviction that eating foods that come from animal agriculture contributes more to global climate change than driving a car. And at the same time my fundamental aversion to killing anything has risen to the surface of my soul where it should have been all along. How could I eat animals or eat products that contribute to the abuse and death of animals when I go to great lengths to save and release a spider or fly or wasp that gets trapped inside a building? Some advocates for animals say that to participate in the animal agricultural industry by consuming its products requires a person to deny the innate human desire to live with compassion toward all other life. I believe that is true.
I am working on compassionate living.
Monday, February 9, 2015
It has been a long time since I was here writing and much has happened. For a long time I was pretty down about the lack of response to Climate Change on the national and global levels and after a while I just couldn't write. Now it seems there is a movement in the air that I can feel hopeful about even though carbon levels in the atmosphere have gone over the 350 mark. Growing anticipation for the coming encyclical from Pope Francis regarding ecology is a part of the movement, but other reasons come from my own community experience and ever growing recognition of my own part in the climate crisis. This recognition of personal participation grieves me but at the same time energizes me to do something about it. In my work to change on the very personal level I have found many companions along the way and they inspire me. As we work and dialogue together, faith that real change is possible is once again taking root in my heart.
I had a major reorientation of my thinking after watching "Cowspiracy" - a documentary that revealed the connection between animal agriculture, methane gas, and Climate Change. Although I have been a vegetarian for more than twenty years, I still consumed diary products. In fact, I relied on cheese for a significant part of my protein intake. I was really horrified to discover that eating dairy not only contributes to the accumulation of green house gases in the atmosphere, but the diary industry is more cruel than the beef industry. I was so sad one Saturday afternoon about 3 weeks ago that I sat down and cried. I cried for the unwanted calves that were brought into the world only as a means for their mothers to produce milk. I cried that the mother cows who wanted their calves cried when their calves were taken away. I cried because so many of those calves ended up as veal and never had a chance at life. I cried because I had eaten cheese that was made with rennet which comes from those dead baby calves. I cried because the mother cows are inseminated every year to keep their milk fresh for humans who don't need it. I cried because dairy cows only live about 6 years because of their harsh treatment. I cried because the connection between what humans eat and the changing climate is so strong and I just didn't get it. And after crying I made a decision to change. Once I didn't know, but now I know. No more dairy; not from cows or sheep or goats or any animal. All of the animals are treated the same when living in a modern industrial society and all ruminants produce methane.
I will still eat the eggs that come from the chickens my husband and I keep, but no other eggs. We have six chickens. The oldest is over seven years old. We never eat our chickens nor do we give them away when they stop laying. They have the free run of our yard and we shut their coop at night only to protect them from the racoons who live near by. We don't use light or any other means to force them to lay eggs. We are happy for what they give us and they seem happy enough. I am sure that someone reading this may have a different perspective and I am more than willing to listen. It would seem harsh to get rid of them knowing how they could be treated somewhere else! They are our pets and they all have names. (Princess, Jackie, Rosie, April, Susie and Penny)
I am learning to eat as a vegan and discovering amazing websites, books and blogs in the vegan world. I am very happy that so many of the websites that I have found present vegan living as a spiritual choice. That is the reason that fits best for me.
A few weeks ago someone asked me what my spiritual practice was. I knew at the time that eating is my spiritual practice. Becoming a vegan has only intensified the practice. However can eating be a spiritual practice?
Well that is for another blog. Maybe tomorrow.
Peace. Valerie
Monday, July 11, 2011
Transition with compassion and grace
The news regarding climate change is disheartening. A large majority of people in the United States don't think, or choose not to believe, that global warming is real. This, in contrast to the vast majority of scientists who say that a new global warming and climate change episode for earth is underway.
The July issue of Scientific American features and article by Lee Kump, titled The Last Great Global Warming. Kump not only offers technical evidence regarding global warming cycles of the past, but makes the case that the current global warming is heating up much more quickly than those of past ages. The cause of the rapid pace is human activity related to the use of fossil fuels. What the rapid pace means is that there will be much less time for species to adapt. That in turn means more species will die off.
The current issue of Rolling Stone features an article by Al Gore titled "A Climate of Denial" that addresses some of the reasons why people are skeptical or choose to ignore the 97% of the world's scientists who speak of global warming with some degree of urgency. In particular, Gore addresses the misinformation and outright lies that are used to "balance" the truth of global warming on the public airways. TV news in particular is very misleading. All of this is of course to allow those who benefit from the world as it is to keep on benefiting even though many people and species will suffer.
Of the people who accept that Climate Change is reality, there are a few people who have been able to decrease their private use of fossil fuels in ways that are innovative and successful. However, as long as they live in the USA and use the public roads with street lights and traffic signals or tap into the internet or listen to the radio, or access energy from solar panels or use goods that were produced using fossil fuels these same people continue to benefit from the energy provided by fossil fuel. It is painful to be aware of how much of these carbon producing energy sources are part of our collective way of life.
Recently I have noticed that among those who are actively pursuing life beyond fossil fuels it is very easy to become judgmental towards people who continue to use -- much like a recently-in-recovery addict can become pretty seriously condemning of those who are still addicted. It is as if the one in recovery is trying to put as much distance as possible between him or herself and those others and that lifestyle that is still seductive. Yet judging others is no more helpful within the transitioning community than it is with addicts. Kindness, love and compassion are needed if our communities as a whole are going to make the changes necessary for energy descent.
In the midst of our work we need kindness, for the situation is tough enough without the added pressure of difficult relationships. Our society, our cities, schools, and workplaces are all dependent on cheap energy. Our life in family and community and even our religious or spiritual centers are dependent as well. Traveling to the next state, or city, or neighborhood for day to day activity is often mandatory if you want to keep a job, see or support the people you love, visit the doctor, or go to school. Walkable neighborhoods that include all that a person needs are not yet available for everyone. Many extended families rely on quick access by car in order to help one another. Public transportation is generally scheduled around day jobs not off-hours-emergencies or middle-of-the-night service sector jobs.
It seems like the people who can most easily practice energy descent no longer need to work, have already raised their children with as many energy saving devices as were available, taken that exotic vacation, accumulated savings or retirement benefits and have a comfortable home. These people cannot be compared for energy efficiency against young families or working people of today since they already went through those heavy use stages of life. A better comparison would be to look at others of the same life circumstances.
Our culture has not changed. The systems that need to change have not yet changed yet even so, what was good once is no longer good - and we all need help in transitioning.
"One of the best illustrations of this new reversal of what is "good" and "bad" is aviation travel. A single return flight between New York and London produces 1.2 tons of greenhouse gases per passenger, the equivalent of a year's allowable emissions if emissions were rationed fairly among all of the planet's human beings...The distance we must travel to visit friends and partners and relatives on the other side of the planet..may be our undoing: The world could be destroyed by love." (Quote from A New Climate for Theology by Sallie McFague, Minneapolis; Fortress Press, 2008.) And yet, good people find themselves trapped by love, and culture, and systems that they have no control over. If the only job one can find or daycare facility that has an opening is too far to walk to with the baby and all that the baby needs and public transportation or the schedule is not available when needed then driving may be all that a person can do.
It seems to me that those of us who less often find ourselves in such situations need to practice love and compassion and at the same time work for the systemic changes that will make life beyond fossil fuel possible for everyone, not just the comfortably situated.
Joanna Macy in her book World as Lover World as Self suggests that while the human species may not make it this time, it matters a lot how we go. Love, kindness and compassion; gentle encouragement, acceptance and trust that our friends and those other people will make the best choices they can given as much real information as they have access to and the freedom to decide. We can only change ourselves and even then, only according to the wisdom and access we have at any given moment. We cannot change others, but with grace, we might be able to influence one another with love.
The July issue of Scientific American features and article by Lee Kump, titled The Last Great Global Warming. Kump not only offers technical evidence regarding global warming cycles of the past, but makes the case that the current global warming is heating up much more quickly than those of past ages. The cause of the rapid pace is human activity related to the use of fossil fuels. What the rapid pace means is that there will be much less time for species to adapt. That in turn means more species will die off.
The current issue of Rolling Stone features an article by Al Gore titled "A Climate of Denial" that addresses some of the reasons why people are skeptical or choose to ignore the 97% of the world's scientists who speak of global warming with some degree of urgency. In particular, Gore addresses the misinformation and outright lies that are used to "balance" the truth of global warming on the public airways. TV news in particular is very misleading. All of this is of course to allow those who benefit from the world as it is to keep on benefiting even though many people and species will suffer.
Of the people who accept that Climate Change is reality, there are a few people who have been able to decrease their private use of fossil fuels in ways that are innovative and successful. However, as long as they live in the USA and use the public roads with street lights and traffic signals or tap into the internet or listen to the radio, or access energy from solar panels or use goods that were produced using fossil fuels these same people continue to benefit from the energy provided by fossil fuel. It is painful to be aware of how much of these carbon producing energy sources are part of our collective way of life.
Recently I have noticed that among those who are actively pursuing life beyond fossil fuels it is very easy to become judgmental towards people who continue to use -- much like a recently-in-recovery addict can become pretty seriously condemning of those who are still addicted. It is as if the one in recovery is trying to put as much distance as possible between him or herself and those others and that lifestyle that is still seductive. Yet judging others is no more helpful within the transitioning community than it is with addicts. Kindness, love and compassion are needed if our communities as a whole are going to make the changes necessary for energy descent.
In the midst of our work we need kindness, for the situation is tough enough without the added pressure of difficult relationships. Our society, our cities, schools, and workplaces are all dependent on cheap energy. Our life in family and community and even our religious or spiritual centers are dependent as well. Traveling to the next state, or city, or neighborhood for day to day activity is often mandatory if you want to keep a job, see or support the people you love, visit the doctor, or go to school. Walkable neighborhoods that include all that a person needs are not yet available for everyone. Many extended families rely on quick access by car in order to help one another. Public transportation is generally scheduled around day jobs not off-hours-emergencies or middle-of-the-night service sector jobs.
It seems like the people who can most easily practice energy descent no longer need to work, have already raised their children with as many energy saving devices as were available, taken that exotic vacation, accumulated savings or retirement benefits and have a comfortable home. These people cannot be compared for energy efficiency against young families or working people of today since they already went through those heavy use stages of life. A better comparison would be to look at others of the same life circumstances.
Our culture has not changed. The systems that need to change have not yet changed yet even so, what was good once is no longer good - and we all need help in transitioning.
"One of the best illustrations of this new reversal of what is "good" and "bad" is aviation travel. A single return flight between New York and London produces 1.2 tons of greenhouse gases per passenger, the equivalent of a year's allowable emissions if emissions were rationed fairly among all of the planet's human beings...The distance we must travel to visit friends and partners and relatives on the other side of the planet..may be our undoing: The world could be destroyed by love." (Quote from A New Climate for Theology by Sallie McFague, Minneapolis; Fortress Press, 2008.) And yet, good people find themselves trapped by love, and culture, and systems that they have no control over. If the only job one can find or daycare facility that has an opening is too far to walk to with the baby and all that the baby needs and public transportation or the schedule is not available when needed then driving may be all that a person can do.
It seems to me that those of us who less often find ourselves in such situations need to practice love and compassion and at the same time work for the systemic changes that will make life beyond fossil fuel possible for everyone, not just the comfortably situated.
Joanna Macy in her book World as Lover World as Self suggests that while the human species may not make it this time, it matters a lot how we go. Love, kindness and compassion; gentle encouragement, acceptance and trust that our friends and those other people will make the best choices they can given as much real information as they have access to and the freedom to decide. We can only change ourselves and even then, only according to the wisdom and access we have at any given moment. We cannot change others, but with grace, we might be able to influence one another with love.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Moving forward slowly as fast as I can.
Transitioning to a way of life that is not dependent on fossil fuel is a conversation that seems to be finding its way into the mainstream at long last. In the local county planning organization meetings comments can be heard like "maybe people won't be driving cars so much" and "restore the natural habitat in lieu of a new road" or "we should have a committee for emergency preparedness that considers energy depletion." These may not yet be the dominant planning concerns, but at least they can now be voiced without laughter, sarcasm or argumentative disagreement.
More than three years ago I went to a Transition Town presentation and shortly after attended a training followed by a small committee meeting where we talked about the need to strengthen community especially in our own neighborhoods. I felt rather embarrassed at that meeting when I realized that I only knew the names of one or two of my neighbors. Mind you, I had been living in the same neighborhood for 25 years. Many of the people who lived nearby were recent arrivals, although some had moved in 10 or 15 years before and I still did not know them by name. I thought at the time that I needed to do something about my lack of connection to the people who were closest to me in proximity. It was clear in the conversation that most of the people in the committee meeting were as disconnected as I was. At the end of the meeting we agreed to take steps to reach out in our local areas. We hoped to hold one another accountable as a way of motivating change.
As circumstances would have it, that particular group never met with that same intention again, but as I reflect on my own journey, I realize that the group had a profound effect on me nonetheless. Today I know the names of all of my closest neighbors, a number who are some blocks farther away, and not just those who are in the same stage of life as my partner and I. Years before I had known at least by sight the neighbors who had children the same age as my own though I knew few other neighbors unless they had some kind of complaint. Now my neighbors keep one another apprised of neighborhood developments through email or conversations in the street. Not long ago I even took a flyer I made to my neighbors inviting them to a house meeting and this week another neighbor has invited everyone to a Memorial Day barbecue. The embarrassment of not knowing the people next door has been replaced by a satisfying sense of growing community spirit. It did not happen over night. I had to reach out to people one at a time.
As I pushed myself to reach out I learned that there was an official county neighbor association with elected officers and monthly meetings. For the first 25 years of living in the same place I am embarrassed to say, I did not know that it existed. I remember the first meeting that I went to quite well as I stood up to speak at the wrong moment and was told firmly to sit down by the chair. His behavior was not tolerated by the other members who encouraged my participation so I felt welcomed in spite of the call down.
I was chagrined to learn that I could not vote at the meeting even though I had lived in the neighborhood longer than many of the others. The group expected people to have participated in a minimum of five of the monthly meetings in order to become eligible to vote. I remember thinking that would mean five whole months which seemed like such a long time to have a voice and in the moment it probably was. I have been a voting member for several years now. The time of waiting to become familiar with the organization went by very quickly. I am able to express my opinion and vote on issues with some degree of understanding. I even know the people personally who were on the ballot for the water district and county commissioner positions. I am also able to invite and encourage new participants.
About the same time that I got involved with Transition thinking, I recognized the need to begin gardening again. Many years before I had raised vegetables when my children were young and I was at home with them. As I became involved in the work world I left gardening behind and allowed weeds and natural growth to take over my yard. At first I thought I could just hire some folks who put gardens in to get me on the road to growing food. However, after one look at my overgrown and tree shaded yard they declined stating a need to garden where there was a chance of success. I took a look around and realized with some embarrassment that I let everything grow to an unhealthy density. It was as if I let myself become barricaded from the surrounding community. And perhaps that is what I had done.
With the help of family and friends I began clearing out the overgrowth to let in the light. Down came blackberry vines and sucker trees. The Laurel Trees were trimmed back, thinned out and the resulting branches became a nice stash of firewood. With the help of a neighbor who owned a plow I put in a garden. It was thrilling to reap my first garden bounty although compared with what the garden produces today, it was really meager. Now my partner and I have learned to garden through the winter and there is always something to eat. We have planted many perennial food plants and find that we are asked for advice from others who have begun to take transition steps.
Every new step toward change seems huge at the time. I didn't know my neighbors' names. I didn't know how to use a cloche. Neighborhood meetings were a mystery. But now, looking back I know I have come quite a long ways even as looking forward I know there is a long way to go. Tomorrow the world could change. Energy depletion could catch up with our way of life. Cars and trucks could come to a standstill and the grocery shelves could be bare. But more than likely there is still a bit more time to move forward into a new localized existence. It is important to lay the foundations well; to know the people around us; to know how systems work; to be aware of weather patterns and planning meetings and to be intentional about the way we live. There is no way to hurry up the work that needs to get done if we want it to last, even when predictions of peak oil and peak everything cause anxiety or fear. For a new and sustainable future all any of us can do is to continue moving forward slowly and carefully as fast as we can.
More than three years ago I went to a Transition Town presentation and shortly after attended a training followed by a small committee meeting where we talked about the need to strengthen community especially in our own neighborhoods. I felt rather embarrassed at that meeting when I realized that I only knew the names of one or two of my neighbors. Mind you, I had been living in the same neighborhood for 25 years. Many of the people who lived nearby were recent arrivals, although some had moved in 10 or 15 years before and I still did not know them by name. I thought at the time that I needed to do something about my lack of connection to the people who were closest to me in proximity. It was clear in the conversation that most of the people in the committee meeting were as disconnected as I was. At the end of the meeting we agreed to take steps to reach out in our local areas. We hoped to hold one another accountable as a way of motivating change.
As circumstances would have it, that particular group never met with that same intention again, but as I reflect on my own journey, I realize that the group had a profound effect on me nonetheless. Today I know the names of all of my closest neighbors, a number who are some blocks farther away, and not just those who are in the same stage of life as my partner and I. Years before I had known at least by sight the neighbors who had children the same age as my own though I knew few other neighbors unless they had some kind of complaint. Now my neighbors keep one another apprised of neighborhood developments through email or conversations in the street. Not long ago I even took a flyer I made to my neighbors inviting them to a house meeting and this week another neighbor has invited everyone to a Memorial Day barbecue. The embarrassment of not knowing the people next door has been replaced by a satisfying sense of growing community spirit. It did not happen over night. I had to reach out to people one at a time.
As I pushed myself to reach out I learned that there was an official county neighbor association with elected officers and monthly meetings. For the first 25 years of living in the same place I am embarrassed to say, I did not know that it existed. I remember the first meeting that I went to quite well as I stood up to speak at the wrong moment and was told firmly to sit down by the chair. His behavior was not tolerated by the other members who encouraged my participation so I felt welcomed in spite of the call down.
I was chagrined to learn that I could not vote at the meeting even though I had lived in the neighborhood longer than many of the others. The group expected people to have participated in a minimum of five of the monthly meetings in order to become eligible to vote. I remember thinking that would mean five whole months which seemed like such a long time to have a voice and in the moment it probably was. I have been a voting member for several years now. The time of waiting to become familiar with the organization went by very quickly. I am able to express my opinion and vote on issues with some degree of understanding. I even know the people personally who were on the ballot for the water district and county commissioner positions. I am also able to invite and encourage new participants.
About the same time that I got involved with Transition thinking, I recognized the need to begin gardening again. Many years before I had raised vegetables when my children were young and I was at home with them. As I became involved in the work world I left gardening behind and allowed weeds and natural growth to take over my yard. At first I thought I could just hire some folks who put gardens in to get me on the road to growing food. However, after one look at my overgrown and tree shaded yard they declined stating a need to garden where there was a chance of success. I took a look around and realized with some embarrassment that I let everything grow to an unhealthy density. It was as if I let myself become barricaded from the surrounding community. And perhaps that is what I had done.
With the help of family and friends I began clearing out the overgrowth to let in the light. Down came blackberry vines and sucker trees. The Laurel Trees were trimmed back, thinned out and the resulting branches became a nice stash of firewood. With the help of a neighbor who owned a plow I put in a garden. It was thrilling to reap my first garden bounty although compared with what the garden produces today, it was really meager. Now my partner and I have learned to garden through the winter and there is always something to eat. We have planted many perennial food plants and find that we are asked for advice from others who have begun to take transition steps.
Every new step toward change seems huge at the time. I didn't know my neighbors' names. I didn't know how to use a cloche. Neighborhood meetings were a mystery. But now, looking back I know I have come quite a long ways even as looking forward I know there is a long way to go. Tomorrow the world could change. Energy depletion could catch up with our way of life. Cars and trucks could come to a standstill and the grocery shelves could be bare. But more than likely there is still a bit more time to move forward into a new localized existence. It is important to lay the foundations well; to know the people around us; to know how systems work; to be aware of weather patterns and planning meetings and to be intentional about the way we live. There is no way to hurry up the work that needs to get done if we want it to last, even when predictions of peak oil and peak everything cause anxiety or fear. For a new and sustainable future all any of us can do is to continue moving forward slowly and carefully as fast as we can.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Always something new to learn
We are building a new chicken coop. Well, to be honest, my son is building the coop and my partner and I are moving wood from the old wood shed to make room. The new chicken coop will be cozier for the chickens when it is wet which is most of the year, and it will have an attached woodshed to replace the old, leaking one.
We need a new chicken coop because I did not know about the attraction that chicken food is for rats. I thought that a secure, closed shed/coop with chicken wire over the large windows and along the outside walls for a few inches would be enough. But rats are willing to dig down much farther than a few inches in order to access tasty chicken pellets while the hens are sleeping. After a couple of years of chasing rats, covering new holes, pouring patches of cement, and finally covering up all food at night and rising VERY early to put it back out for the ladies, we are ready to build a new coop.
The Brussels Sprouts that overwintered are blooming now and still delicious. We pick the leaves and steam them like any green and pluck off the ready to bloom heads that look like thin broccoli to steam as well. In the past I remember pulling Brussels Sprouts out of the ground at the end of the fall season having no idea that they could over winter or that they would still produce food to eat. What a waste that was!
My oldest granddaughter was over yesterday after school. I fixed her some eggs with some leftover potatoes to eat. I forgot that there were some burdock slices mixed in with the potatoes or I probably would have given her something else since strange new foods can be difficult. When she asked, "Grammy what are these little round slices?" I fully expected her to pick them out. But in spite of her persnickety junior high taste buds she surprised me with "they're good."
My friend, Jan, gave me some horseradish root to plant a couple of years ago when she discovered how much I like horseradish sauce. I lost the plant in the garden the first year as it got mowed down when mistaken for a weed. It came back the next year since horseradish takes some effort to kill but not before I asked my friend for another root. She was surprised since she knew all about horseradish but accommodated my request. Now I have two established roots. I was out looking at the plants today and I thought that another plant had somehow sprouted in the same spot since there is clearly a sprout with buds forming. I didn't know that horse radish produces flowers! Now I am looking forward to what my gardening encyclopedia says will be "large white blooms".
Several years ago my oldest daughter planted Lemon Balm in the garden. Lemon Balm as I discovered, is very prolific. After a few years it became clear that I would have to be very aggressive or nothing else would survive in the herb garden. I have had a running battle trying to keep it under control, often pulling out whole clumps and dumping them in the compost. It just seemed to spring up everywhere. Last week my husband was reading about Lemon Balm in Michael Moore's Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Santa Fe, NM; Red Crane Books, 1993, pg 163. I was having a down day and he made me a cup of Lemon Balm tea. It was really pleasant! Seems that while "Lemon Balm is not a potent medicine," it "works predictably, has no side effects, and can be combined with other herbs in a beneficial way. It is a simple sedative and a surprisingly effective mood elevator and antidepressant." There are other uses as well. How did I know? Now I am grateful that the plant survived my ignorance.
Moving toward a renewed, earth based lifestyle can be fear driven or wonder based. Some days feel dark and heavy, especially when news on the environment or economy are particularly bleak. Then I allow myself to brood with my chickens for a little while as I sip Lemon Balm Tea from the garden. Most days I choose to enjoy the adventure of transitioning even if I have no idea where it will take me or the people I love. There is always something new to learn, so many surprises to encounter, that I am constantly amazed and forever grateful for the wonder and goodness of life.
We need a new chicken coop because I did not know about the attraction that chicken food is for rats. I thought that a secure, closed shed/coop with chicken wire over the large windows and along the outside walls for a few inches would be enough. But rats are willing to dig down much farther than a few inches in order to access tasty chicken pellets while the hens are sleeping. After a couple of years of chasing rats, covering new holes, pouring patches of cement, and finally covering up all food at night and rising VERY early to put it back out for the ladies, we are ready to build a new coop.
The Brussels Sprouts that overwintered are blooming now and still delicious. We pick the leaves and steam them like any green and pluck off the ready to bloom heads that look like thin broccoli to steam as well. In the past I remember pulling Brussels Sprouts out of the ground at the end of the fall season having no idea that they could over winter or that they would still produce food to eat. What a waste that was!
My oldest granddaughter was over yesterday after school. I fixed her some eggs with some leftover potatoes to eat. I forgot that there were some burdock slices mixed in with the potatoes or I probably would have given her something else since strange new foods can be difficult. When she asked, "Grammy what are these little round slices?" I fully expected her to pick them out. But in spite of her persnickety junior high taste buds she surprised me with "they're good."
My friend, Jan, gave me some horseradish root to plant a couple of years ago when she discovered how much I like horseradish sauce. I lost the plant in the garden the first year as it got mowed down when mistaken for a weed. It came back the next year since horseradish takes some effort to kill but not before I asked my friend for another root. She was surprised since she knew all about horseradish but accommodated my request. Now I have two established roots. I was out looking at the plants today and I thought that another plant had somehow sprouted in the same spot since there is clearly a sprout with buds forming. I didn't know that horse radish produces flowers! Now I am looking forward to what my gardening encyclopedia says will be "large white blooms".
Several years ago my oldest daughter planted Lemon Balm in the garden. Lemon Balm as I discovered, is very prolific. After a few years it became clear that I would have to be very aggressive or nothing else would survive in the herb garden. I have had a running battle trying to keep it under control, often pulling out whole clumps and dumping them in the compost. It just seemed to spring up everywhere. Last week my husband was reading about Lemon Balm in Michael Moore's Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Santa Fe, NM; Red Crane Books, 1993, pg 163. I was having a down day and he made me a cup of Lemon Balm tea. It was really pleasant! Seems that while "Lemon Balm is not a potent medicine," it "works predictably, has no side effects, and can be combined with other herbs in a beneficial way. It is a simple sedative and a surprisingly effective mood elevator and antidepressant." There are other uses as well. How did I know? Now I am grateful that the plant survived my ignorance.
Moving toward a renewed, earth based lifestyle can be fear driven or wonder based. Some days feel dark and heavy, especially when news on the environment or economy are particularly bleak. Then I allow myself to brood with my chickens for a little while as I sip Lemon Balm Tea from the garden. Most days I choose to enjoy the adventure of transitioning even if I have no idea where it will take me or the people I love. There is always something new to learn, so many surprises to encounter, that I am constantly amazed and forever grateful for the wonder and goodness of life.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Equity
I attended a forum on Environmental Justice at the local university last evening. I was invited to participate as a community member. It was refreshing to be with the university students as they considered equity in terms of the environment. Bright students. Thoughtful questions. Some troubling reminders of days gone by.
Environmental Justice = equity = no - racism/no - classism.
It is true that the poor are effected most by environmental degradation. Their neighborhoods are more likely to have inadequate access to healthcare, good food or parks, and at the same time likely to have toxic waste, brown fields, and poor air quality. Race is the single highest determiner of class and class is what forces people into neighborhoods as described above.
We had some serious discussion last night about the need to help the people trapped into a life of poverty and inadequate resources to ensure that they thrive. But just as in the past, it was the white middle-or upper class males who were most likely to believe that they knew how to fix things for everyone. They spoke of going to those neighborhoods to empower the people. They spoke with passion and real desire to make a difference. But their predecessors are the same ones that got us into the predicament we are in today - where affluent mostly white neighborhoods have Whole Foods, New Seasons and Forest Park, and the lower-class, mostly minority neighborhoods have Sue Bee's resale canned goods and an empty lot filled with trash.
As the students spoke of how to get "those people" to care about the environment, I became increasingly distressed. The environmental movement caters to people who can afford to adapt, buy the newest green innovation, and eat only organic local food. But the poor have much to teach. They have been living on a fraction of the money that the upper classes do. They know how to live in less space and can re-use until there is nothing left or go without. In a world that is rapidly changing the poor can be teachers. Yes, the more affluent have something to bring to the table, but they have much to learn first and they have not yet grasped that reality.
Most environmental groups have never stopped to think about equity. They think they know what everyone needs to do and they are ready to expound. But really, who got the world as we know it into the mess it is in? The poor or the affluent? Why on earth should the poor continue to follow the very class of people who messed things up so badly in the first place? In what way have the affluent changed?
Maybe the affluent need people from the other side of town to organize them; teach them how to live simply; show them how to live without a savings account or a car. Teach them to reduce and reuse and where to find the things that are being given away, and where to leave the things that have encumbered their lives. Perhaps the poor would consider empowering the well to do. But then again, why should they?
Equity. How many poor people or people of color are in your Green/environmental group?
Environmental Justice = equity = no - racism/no - classism.
It is true that the poor are effected most by environmental degradation. Their neighborhoods are more likely to have inadequate access to healthcare, good food or parks, and at the same time likely to have toxic waste, brown fields, and poor air quality. Race is the single highest determiner of class and class is what forces people into neighborhoods as described above.
We had some serious discussion last night about the need to help the people trapped into a life of poverty and inadequate resources to ensure that they thrive. But just as in the past, it was the white middle-or upper class males who were most likely to believe that they knew how to fix things for everyone. They spoke of going to those neighborhoods to empower the people. They spoke with passion and real desire to make a difference. But their predecessors are the same ones that got us into the predicament we are in today - where affluent mostly white neighborhoods have Whole Foods, New Seasons and Forest Park, and the lower-class, mostly minority neighborhoods have Sue Bee's resale canned goods and an empty lot filled with trash.
As the students spoke of how to get "those people" to care about the environment, I became increasingly distressed. The environmental movement caters to people who can afford to adapt, buy the newest green innovation, and eat only organic local food. But the poor have much to teach. They have been living on a fraction of the money that the upper classes do. They know how to live in less space and can re-use until there is nothing left or go without. In a world that is rapidly changing the poor can be teachers. Yes, the more affluent have something to bring to the table, but they have much to learn first and they have not yet grasped that reality.
Most environmental groups have never stopped to think about equity. They think they know what everyone needs to do and they are ready to expound. But really, who got the world as we know it into the mess it is in? The poor or the affluent? Why on earth should the poor continue to follow the very class of people who messed things up so badly in the first place? In what way have the affluent changed?
Maybe the affluent need people from the other side of town to organize them; teach them how to live simply; show them how to live without a savings account or a car. Teach them to reduce and reuse and where to find the things that are being given away, and where to leave the things that have encumbered their lives. Perhaps the poor would consider empowering the well to do. But then again, why should they?
Equity. How many poor people or people of color are in your Green/environmental group?
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