Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Book Review: "This Moment on Earth"

Just finished John & Tereza Kerry's latest book "This Moment on Earth" and was pleasantly surprised. When researching global warming and other environmental crises, it gets kind of depressing after reading the umpteenth statistic on melting glaciers or rising sea levels or dying polar bears. It's enough to just throw your hands up and say, "what's the point?" The Kerry's book instead is very accessible, filled with productive examples of people who are making a change in their communities. The gloomy statistics are there, but they don't beat the reader over the head with them. I'm also thankful for them introducing me to this great quote based on an African adage: "The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today." That one sentiment sums up the tone of the book perfectly. :)

Monday, August 27, 2007

Back on the Bus Y'all

So Labor Day is fast approaching, and truth be told, I will fall short of my 1,000 miles by bike between Memorial Day & Labor Day... final numbers are still out—I do have 6 days left to try and catch up. I knew it was an ambitious goal to set, and though there were a few weeks I could have ridden more, I am most excited about the fact that I've mapped out a bike/subway/bus route to my latest day job. I am most excited about how easy it is, and the fact that at peak hours, it really is fast than driving!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Power Flexing

Had to comment on these new provocative billboards we've got up here in Los Angeles, courtesy of Flex Your Power, the California statewide marketing campaign for energy conservation. The tagline says it all: "Global Warming isn't just a fact. It is a choice." I couldn't have said it better myself. The ads play at parents: what kind of legacy will you be leaving your children in terms of the environment? Drought? Floods? Extreme heat or cold? Commercials can be watched here.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Staying Simple in Times of Banana-Sandwich-Craziness

Ah yes, I am back finally...been a busy couple weeks with the cat accident and finishing up the big show. Now I'm back and ready to rumble. These are one the most difficult times to remain true to one's beliefs of simplicity. When there's no time to think about getting your plastic dishes to eat your lunch on, when it's just easier to throw the aluminum can in the trash, when it's just easier to print on white paper just to get the job done quickly, when sleep has to take precedence over eating healthy and getting enough exercise. It is most important to remain mindful in these times but also to not beat ones' self up too much. If you're simple year-round, a few days of slipping here and there, won't undo all the good we've done all along.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

It's been a pretty random and traumatic week here both personally and nationally—adventure kitty got attacked by a big dog on Monday, necessitating many stitches and the entire country is dealing with watching the recovery of the freeway bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Both incidents in their own way probably could have been prevented, but in the grand scheme, pointing the finger of blame after the fact probably won't help with coping with the trauma. It's always a struggle for me to face up to reality, I'm much more content to stick my head in the sand and ignore it until it stabilizes. I think a simple lifestyle requires finding that balance between being informed (NPR) and not being a blatant voyeur (Fox News). So that's this week's simple challenge.