Without a Car

At 21 years of age I am proud to say that I have not ever owned a car.

This in of itself is not necessarily mind boggling. There are lots of students that do not have cars. In a rural small town however this can be very challenging. My favorite store to shop for food is a about 8 miles away. It is out of walking distance and could be biked to but the road is dagerous. See here is the problem with being car-less in a rural area:

1) Public transport systems are underdeveloped. Their hours are not always convenient and the buses are not always frequent enough.
2) Motorists are not always aware of bikers and do not know how to drive around them. I have been waiting to turn at an intersection and on coming traffic will stop for me. I have also been honked at for biking in the street, which is legal. Rural motorists are just unaware of the protocol. Plus there are rarely designated bike lanes.
3) Walking is great but often in the winter sidwalks are not kept up and become slippery and dangerous. When the weather is less than ideal being outside can be an absolute pain and usually small town suburbs are not well lit at night. On top of this I cannot count the times that I have been crossing the street and have nearly been hit by someone who was not paying attention.

Cars are such status symbols in our society and in a rural culture they are especially important. If you do not have one you are pitied or snubbed. Everything is geared for cars. But I still refuse to buy one just yet and thankfully there are many more like myself who are in the same boat. Relying on public transit and riding our bikes makes us somewhat freer than people think. We do not have to worry about gas prices. We do not have to worry about engine trouble or getting snow tires. We don't need to stress about car payments. That makes all of the other things worth it!

The video below is rather inspiring to me. It makes me not so ashamed for not having a car. I hope you will enjoy.


Diane Meyer — “Without a Car” slide show from Orion Magazine on Vimeo.

Sick...and Tired

I have to apologize. I have not posted in a while. I have been sick and working on midterms all week. It has been exhausting. I have a few links to share with you. Maybe this weekend I can write a real blog.

zenhabits: Breaking Free From Consumerist Chains
RowdyKittens: How to Change the World by Doing Yoga
Civil Eats: Grow! A Film
Civil Eats: Our Deadly, Daily Chemical Cocktail

TGIF

CCosner

New Links

You might have noticed that my list of links has gotten really long within the last week. This is because I realized that I wanted to expand the resources that I was offering on this blog and connect readers to other websites that might be of interest. I will continue to add more as time goes on. Expect the list to grow!

Also, I want to share another tiny living space with you. I have become fascinated by small house movement. This woman built her own! Enjoy!

Vaction Plans? Consider a farm stay.

Thank you Edible Portland.

Awaiting My Exodus

Some may call it "senioritis" but I call it "the call of the wild" or maybe just my "exodus." I think there marks a time in all our lives when we consciously decide its time to stop going to school and put all of what we have learned over the past 17 plus years to good use. I have worked hard for a long time. I have always enjoyed learning but I feel the constant pressure of society to conform to what other people want. I'm not a fan.

Before I go into this I would like to say that my teachers and professors are good people and that I love my parents dearly. But at some point we have to say, "Sorry, no, I am adult. I need to figure this one out myself." But how hard this can be when you respect the people that have given you so much guidance over the years.

I must say that my parents are pretty awesome. I will call up my mom with some new and wild idea (selling herbs to local chefs has been the latest one) and she says, "That's wonderful honey. Do what you want to do." I am pretty sure at this point she trusts me to make the right choice. I am not stupid. I know what is going on in the world and what it takes to survive.

My professors and some of my peers do not share this faith. It is possible that this is the case because they do not know my upbringing or maybe it is because they want to impose their ideas/dreams/wants on me. Irritating. I have been pursuing a major in Theatre for three years and will be finishing it this spring. I am a year ahead of most of the people in the department and am equally talented. I feel that with every adviser meeting I go to that I am being ridiculed for the fact that I am not high on going to graduate school for my MFA or that I am not jumping right into summer stock theater. I just want to tell these people, "I do not want to become a professional actor!" But my grades are at stake because the same professor who regards me in this manner is consequently the professor of three of my classes this term.

Next year I will be finishing my communications degree. I am excited for this because I feel that every class I take is full of such practical information that I can apply to a job tomorrow. Besides there is not forceful person standing over me, demanding that I sell myself into slavery for the rest of my life or otherwise I will be a "bad artist" and a fool.

So then I come to the exciting part, my exodus. I am thrilled to say that I look forward to 2-3 years of a part-time job or two, travel, volunteering, and all around enjoyment of life. Because I live simply and I am not married, I am free to go wherever I may please and incidentally live happily. Then, if I feel the need, I will return to school and get my Masters in whatever. But I will not go in to debt for the sake of someone else nor will I live a life that others think I should simply because it is their idea of the status quo. How backwards and limiting!

So someday, almost a year from now, I will leave this silly town and its little school. I will go with a sense of satisfaction knowing that it taught me to grow and to love and how to be who I am.

P.s. This is my 100th blog post! Hooray!

Dr. Bronners's 18-in-1

I have become quite intrigued by the idea of an 18-in-1 soap. What better way to save space and cut down on waste? So I was able to purchase some yesterday while out on my weekly shopping trip. I decided to purchase the Lavender scented one because of its pleasing aroma. I am excited to see how it works. I think I will most likely start off by making some of the things that I listed in my How to Make post. I am about to run out of dish soap. That will be my first experiment. I will let you know the results.

Happy Sunday!

Tiny Houses

I mentioned in an earlier blog how I would love to live in a tiny space. Many people own huge houses and don't even use half of it for living. In fact all of that wasted space usually just harbors stuff to fill it. So when I found this website about tiny houses I was stoked. I would love to build one and live in it some day. Now obviously this is not something that I would do just this moment in my life. I feel the need to be a gypsy for a while. But hopefully in the future, I will have the money and the time to purchase my own land and build my own tiny house.

The Manifesto Of Encouragement

The Manifesto of Encouragement
by Danielle LaPorte

People, right now, all over the world, are doing something to instill change.

Right now:

There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

Someone you haven’t met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God’s children.

A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, “nourish them.”

Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favorite food is, and treat you to a movie.

Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

The next great song is being rehearsed.

Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now, intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they’ll be thriving like never before. They just can’t see it from where they’re at.

Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want , and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it’s reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all “So worth the wait.”

Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.

Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to.

Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.

You. Me. Some. One. Now.

Editors note: I really needed this right now Thank you universe. 

eBay Selling Attempts

Trying to get rid of things can be a real bugger for those of us who are environmentally conscious. I mean, I can hardly bare the thought of throwing away packaging and peelings let alone perfectly good stuff. Since my pay is being debilitated this month I have to get more creative.

So I am embarking on a magnificent journey into eBay land. I borrowed a friend's eBay account and have listed one childhood toy, a My Little Pony. Two days are left till the end of the auction. I know that the bidding wars usually start nearing the last few hours and with 5 watches I should be pretty set.

(Oh God, please make it sell for enough to pay my phone bill. Please, please, please!)

On that note, I now am making a pile of stuff to list. Maybe I can pay my internet too. Now wouldn't that be nice.

I love being a student.

Glamour's Toxic Threat Report

This surfaced in one of my feeds and so I thought I would share. It looks the fashion magazine Glamour has boldly stepped out of bounds and decided to inform the public about the toxins in our homes and in our personal care products. The article is well written and informative. You can read it here.

Visit http://notjustaprettyface.org/ for more news related to this topic.

Saturday Afternoon Fun

I had heard of the no-poo (No Shampoo) fad that is going on lately. I read about it on this blog. It really intrigued me so I decided to give it a try. The results were pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised. According to the plan, you stop using shampoo and instead wash your hair with  baking soda and vinegar. At first your scalp will rebel and continue it hyper-active oil production, but over time it will even out and your hair will be healthy and clean minus the toxic chemicals. From what I have read it can take up to three weeks to get things to stabilize. I am not sure that I can ride that out right now but maybe this summer I will give it a go.

I did try one no-poo washing and was happy with how my hair looked and felt. I do not wash my hair super often, once every other or every third day so maybe the transition might not be as bad. I think it is pretty cool to be able to use these simple ingredients for hair cleaning.

Of course, these things prompted me to take a look at the chemicals in many of my personal care product. This is a topic that never ceases to depress me. Even the most benign of products can have a raft of nasty chemicals in them. You can check your personal care products at the Cosmetics Database. They have lists of good and bad products so that you can make a different choice. I have slowly began to weed out my old products and will be replacing them with something better soon. Dr. Bonner's All in One might be the answer to my prayers.

I found another minimalist blog. Happy happy happy. I find them so inspiring.

I also will have to post pictures of dinner. I have been working on it all day. :)

Happy Saturday!
-C

Breakfast

Organic yogurt with homemade blueberry jam and flax seeds.

On the to do list: Learn to make yogurt. Yum!

Local organic insiders watching closely as Monsanto sued

We can only hope that they will win.

GuelphMercury - Local organic insiders watching closely as Monsanto...

Local organic insiders watching closely as Monsanto sued over seed patents

Seed patents: Monsanto, the world's largest seed and biotechnology company, is being sued by American and Canadian organic farmers, seed businesses and agricultural organizations in an effort to protect farmers from being accused of patent infringement.

C. RICHARD COTTON/The Associated Press

GUELPH — Monsanto, the world’s largest seed and biotechnology company, is being jointly sued by American and Canadian organic farmers, seed businesses and agricultural organizations.

The lawsuit, filed by the Public Patent Foundation in the federal district court of Manhattan, is an effort to protect organic and conventional farmers from being accused by Monsanto of patent infringement when crops come to be influenced by the company’s genetically modified seed. The legal action is expected to take years to reach a conclusion.

In a Reuters report, Monsanto called the lawsuit misleading and a “publicity stunt.” The company said it has never sued and has committed to never suing farmers over the inadvertent presence of biotechnology traits in their fields. Speaking of the lawsuit, Monsanto said such efforts “seek to reduce private and public investment in the development of new higher-yielding seed technologies.”

Local organic insiders say the lawsuit, aimed at challenging Monsanto’s genetically modified seed patents as not in the public interest, has far-reaching ramifications for organic farmers in Ontario and across Canada.

“It’s basically a game changer in genetic modification,” said Jodi Koberinski, executive director of the Guelph-based Organic Council of Ontario.

Laura Telford of Canadian Organic Growers said the Public Patent Foundation will argue that Monsanto has received several patents that the foundation regards as being “contrary to the public’s interest.” The foundation will argue Monsanto patents for GMO technologies are invalid over the plaintiffs’ belief the patents are not beneficial to society, one of the requirements of a patent.

“A good part of the reason why groups like Canadian Organic Growers signed on is we are sick of these companies suing farmers,” Telford said, adding that GM seed is particularly devastating for organic farmers because contamination can force them to lose their organic certification and consequently their livelihood.

Suing Monsanto is a “huge risk,” she added.

Telford said Monsanto is regarded as litigious and financially able to enter into additional litigation even if it proves protracted.

Organic Council of Ontario is not opposed to the registration of seed varieties as a way of protecting the seed developer’s investment, Koberinski added. But it is opposed to patenting seeds or any other form of life.

“Part of what is interesting about this case is, basically it is saying that if we know this product is going to end up anywhere and everywhere, it means that anybody and everybody is potentially in violation of the patent,” he said.

The Public Patent Foundation suit argues the cross-pollination of GM seed with conventional or organic seed is unavoidable.

In a press release, Dan Ravicher, the organization’s executive director, called the situation that a farmer could be sued for having crops with unintended GM components “perverse.”

“It seems quite perverse that an organic farmer’s crops, contaminated by transgenic seed, could be accused of patent infringement ... so we had to act to protect the interests of our clients,” he stated.

Monsanto holds patents on several GM seeds, including ones for corn, canola, alfalfa and soybeans. The company has sued farmers for patent infringements after crops were found to contain the genes of Monsanto’s GM seed.

Canadian Organic Growers, along with several producers on the prairies, are among the Canadian plaintiffs in the case. The suit comes at a time when new Monsanto GM seeds for alfalfa and sugar beets have been authorized for sale in the U.S., but vehemently opposed in Canada by organic producers who assert they fear it will contaminate their crops and destroy their organic certification.

More snow... :(

The snow is still falling outside my window. It has been gray and nasty all week and it really frustrates the hell out of me. All I want is sunshine! How hard is that?

I am still scheming about this summer. I want farmers market time to be here really badly but I am not sure how that will work out considering it is SNOWING! *angry glare skyward*

On the bright side, my lettuces are starting to sprout. My tomatoes are slower but I still have faith. Not sure about the herbs. The seed was kind of old. I am looking forward to a long (and fun) canning season this summer. I also plan to sew a lot more. Awesome thing about being a student, I will have August to do what I want!

Also, another note. I think I am going to start transplanting more house plants. I was reading how they absorb tons of toxins out of the air that tend to exist in houses because of carpet, paints, cleaner residue, etc. Because I live in a rented apartment I cannot remove those items. So my legions of house plants will have the opportunity to do the work. I am sure they won't mind. :)

To cheer me up (or depress me more, not sure which) I have been reading fun blogs/websites. Allow me to share.

I am really in love with the idea of solar cooking. My brother made a solar cooker two years ago. I think I want to try it out this summer for the purpose of drying fruit. There are so many options, I was amazed. Here are some patterns.

Another among us who is rebelling against consumerism. Preach on sister!

All sorts of interesting stuff on this blog.

Lastly, I really like this blog, Little Eco Footprints. There are so many awesome ideas and fun projects. Someday I want my blog to be this cool. *sigh*

I better go do homework or something...9 weeks left...only 9 weeks..

-C

It's a DOG!

This is such a funny "blarg". This post in particular pretty much sums up my life most days.

I'd like cheese on my entire family!: It's a DOG!

90 Square Feet

I would love to live in this apartment. Granted, my current apartment is somewhat larger and I love it to. Plus, I am sure that if my boyfriend stayed over I would want to kick him out in less than an hour. But I just love how cozy it is. It kind of pissed me off when I read the comments people made to this video. "How can you live like that. She must be insane!" were the gist of most of the comments. People can be so greedy and rude. This woman is living in NYC for goodness sake. She loves her life and is clearly very happy despite her small quarters. I would rather be in her shoes that in a huge house with tons of stuff and living a less than rewarding life. Kudos to her!

Portland

This will never cease to entertain me. :)

Wish List Item #2

I really desperately love anything purple including this mixer. Please pretty please?

My Garden

 

I know it looks like a whole bunch of random containers with dirt in it now...but someday soon it will have tomatoes, lettuce, dill and basil. I refrained from buying real pots. It seems like such a waste.