Restrictions Foster Innovation

April 24, 2012
Environment
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October 2011: This drought is bad. It is ranch/cattle industry crushing, soul whithering bad. Wildlife is dying all across the state. Soil is compacting. Trees are dying. The state literally burst into flames it is so hot and dry here.

Photos from the Statesman

Yet I can turn this little dial and out comes, of all things at this time, water. It’s clean and cold and I can leave the faucet running for long periods of time without it stopping or even decreasing flow rates. There is a disconnect here. All around me I am seeing scenes that look like they are strait out of upper New York State but while it is Autumn (happy fall y’all), these trees aren’t brown because of colder weather. The grass is not greener anywhere except for shady patches that can sometimes be found under the larger trees’ shade. “Except for that guys lawn. That guy is an asshole. How could he possibly run his sprinkler system when don’t have enough water?”

It’s because there is still water coming out. He doesn’t realize the severity. Either he isn’t paying attention or really can’t make the connection between the drought and his lawn. ‘I should go talk to him. No, that would probably be a bad idea…’

In times of forced resource restriction, many people come up with different ways to deal, usually leading to very innovative solutions. I could do more with my water use. I should, before I go criticizing other people. Portia, my roommate, had a point about the dishwater that we use when handwashing our dishes being a huge waste of water as we let the water just run down the drain. I need to start taking responsibility for the water I use (averaging 17,000 gallons annually for just me) instead of hiding behind the excuses of renting a place instead of owning it, and living in a city.

I can’t make permanent changes to my duplex apartment but I can use temporary things, like buckets, sheets, etc, in order to craft solutions. I had learned about greywater as an unused resource when I was studying in Arizona (a desert with very little water to actually use). Greywater is the term used to describe any used water that doesn’t contain human wastes like feces. Dishwater, hand-wash water and shower water are all sources of greywater that myself and my roommate generate, so I started there. The idea behind a greywater system is that this is a source of water that we could use multiple times to get the most out of it, instead of using drinking grade water only once and deeming it unfit.

Many greywater systems start with a pre- or redesign of piping so that this water goes directly into a patch of plants, often growing food. Since I don’t own the house I live in I had to take this idea and go a little closer to the source. Instead of redirecting the pipe, we decided to introduce a bucket to our dishwashing habits, which catches the water before it goes into the drain. Another option we thought about was to place the bucket under the sink and disconnect the piping, which would be a bit more hidden and conventional but with a higher chance of damage to the property.

This bucket method is very similar to methods that can be applied to the bathroom sink and the shower if we had wanted to go that far. We might after a few more weeks of testing out our dishwash bucket. (UPDATE: Please use biodegradable dish soap and add some vinegar to the dishwater before you drop in on trees or shrubs to neutralize the detergent’s effects)  For more resources on greywater system design and use in urban areas check out Oasis Design’s website which will direct you to common mistakes, preferred practices, books, system examples, regulations, and also the research that has been done around this source of water conservation.

In the process of thinking about our sinks, we also realized that we are not using very water efficient spigots and could replace them for under $10 each. We already had a low flow shower head and I use it on the maximum water pressure so that I don’t have to use much water to feel like I am getting a strong shower. While they sell switches to keep the water temperature the same but turn off the water that you can attach to your shower head, we both decided this wouldn’t really be necessary for us because we don’t mind turning the water completely off and then back on again to suds and then rinse. I use a cup of water to rinse my razor when I shave. A bucket for the shower would be a similar idea to the kitchen bucket but we haven’t quite gotten there yet.

I started thinking about the other ways we use water and remembered that generating electricity uses water at about two gallons a kilowatt hour.  We use too much electricity too. Realizing that there is a connection between water and energy got me to start turning off my lights more often. We also decided to invest in the City’s Clean Energy Program because investing in clean energy means that there will be more of it faster, and renewable energy production uses almost no water compared with coal, natural gas, and especially nuclear (I will go into this much more in later post).

The good news is that it will rain again. (UPDATE: it has rained again! Sadly we are still in a horrible drought so I am still hoping for more) Knowing that more rain is on the way is getting me to prepare the small yard that I have, now. Quick and easy things that you can do is to make a berm of mulch around the trees that you have in your yard, after you do some weeding of course. Mulch can extend all the way to the drip line for younger trees. The mulch helps to keep the soil moist so that the tree roots can access this water for longer. It also helps to keep topsoil in place so that nutrients don’t wash away and keeps weeds from growing back as fast so there isn’t as much competition for water. If you don’t have trees but still want to benefit your local watershed, you can do so by planting trees. Yes even in times of drought. Trees help to keep water in the soil by shading the soil. They keep water in the local watershed by letting rain soak into the soil instead of running off.

If you want to catch water from your roof it is easy to calculate the size of your tank by multiplying the square feet of the catchment area by the average annual rainfall for your area (in feet) which gives you the cubic feet of rainfall annually. Multiply that by 7.48 (gallons/cubic foot) and you get the gallons of rainwater you can be expected to catch in a year.

55ft * 80ft = 4,400 sq.ft.

4,400 sq.ft catchment area * 1ft annual rainfall * 7.48 gal/cu.ft. = 32,912 gallons of rain per year.

You can see why some of the systems even in very dry areas are rather large. We don’t have gutters on our house but we do have a point where the roof creases together, concentrating the water flow for at least 1/4th of the roof to one point. We put a large bucket here to catch water when it does rain. We need to get a screen and a top for it to screen out leaves and keep out the mosquitoes. We usually can’t use the water fast enough and fill two or three five gallon buckets quickly.

Another way to keep water on the property is to landscape with water in mind. If you live on a slope, a series of berms and swales can slow the water. The three books from Brad Lancaster’s series, Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, are a great place to start and I highly recommend them.

This drought has effects on our soil, air, and water. This drought has effects on me. Last summer (2011) I found myself very irritable and tired. People didn’t help this situation because, well, people suck. I found my solace in trees though. The greenbelt creek had completely dried up and most of the trees had lost their leaves prematurely to attempt to stay alive. it wasn’t green then but TreeFolks was still planting trees, and counting trees, and giving them away. As soon as it rained, and kept raining, things began to spring to life again, just in time for the actual spring the following year (when I am writing this).

April 2012: Sadly, the return of the foliage and cooler temps has made most of the people around me, including myself sometimes, forget that we are still in a drought with level 2 water restrictions. The crazy part is, I don’t think the city’s water restrictions are cutting it when it comes down to actual conservation. I know that you can’t force people to conserve, believe me that is the last thing I want to do. But I do wan’t people to understand that we are in a serious situation and that watering your grass is not a priority. Yes some restrictions can foster innovation but only if there is a visible or tangible connection between your actions and what is happening around you. For those who see the water coming out of their sprinklers, that is all that matters to tell them there is enough water. It is one of the main advantages of living in a city where we get water all the time at the turn of a tap. Rural counties aren’t so lucky and generally it is the city folks who are using it all up on superfluous things like watering ornamental grass. Hence the crops dying but my neighbor having a lush lawn. Should the city turn off the water at certain times of the day? No probably not, but I am starting to doubt the competence of most of the people around me, the City staff and council included. I should go talk to my neighbor though. I won’t lecture him, yet. Just get to know him for a while so that when the rains stop, he will know he can lean on his neighbor who also has a lawn that is as brown as the dirt underneath it.

We Don’t Deserve to Celebrate

April 24, 2012
Environment, Twenty-Something
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Yesterday was Earth Day which Austin, like most places, celebrated with many different vendors and speakers all vying for the attention of festival goers. Some were selling things to you so you could “green your lifestyle” and others were asking you to sign a petition or five. All was well and good despite my fatigue at being up so early and severe hunger until I came across a sign at a Car Oil Vendor Booth that read “Go Green Without Sacrificing Anything”. And that, my dear friends, was when I just about lost my “Hello, you want to sign up for this newsletter” cool smile that I am always wearing to these events for the company I work for.

The sheer naivety of this statement sent me off. And then I realized that no, people probably think you CAN actually make a “difference” and not have to change your lifestyle at all. That is what we are fed to believe at least by lovely politicians and most politically minded people arguing over policy, who think that our government will come swooping in and do all the work for us. My truth? That isn’t the way this has worked. To those still gripping to the hope that some magical government policy will change the way businesses and cities behave, I hate to say that is a bit of microwave era thinking in my humble opinion. Even if we could get the policies to pass, corporations have been getting around policies like this FOR DECADES. That isn’t about to change sometime soon because every scientist in the world tells them they are being selfish. Of course they are being selfish. They didn’t get to be big corporations by thinking about other people.

My worldview has been derived from me trying to change policy but realizing VERY quickly that we don’t have time for that because the world was already warming, and that even if we could get the policy passed in one session it could very easily be reversed and altered and watered down time and time again. Out with that old paradigm. With that realization, I lost my idealization of our government as anything that could ever help me again.

This all lead to me deciding that We the People, need to take our individualized culture and accept the personal responsibility that comes from it. Once you start to take responsibility for all of the things that you are doing, chances are you will start to make some changes. I have nearly stopped driving except for the occasional trip carry things or running stacked errands with a few other people. My roommate and I don’t use our AC or heat, which in Texas is a feat in and of itself. We both try to eat as much organic and local food as possible. And yet, it still doesn’t seem like enough.

Here is the bad news: It isn’t. All of it is too little too late for our great mother earth. Happy Earth Day indeed. Scientists predicted that if we didn’t make massive changes by 2012 we were all cooked (source). It’s 2012 and we are still spinning our wheels getting no where with policy changes that have been pushed since the 80′s.

So what do we do? Buy a bunch of new stuff that is “green” but allows us to really just go about our business the way we always have? Revert all of our technology and start living like the indigenous people of yesteryear that white western environmentalist progressives always seem to idealize? Or do we sit with all the guilt of failure, despair and fear of eminent death, and the sadness and anger at ourselves and our species at being too stupid and stubborn to listen? Please, please, please if you say buy your way to a greener lifestyle go read more because you aren’t quite there yet. Truth is, buying more stuff is the last way to “green” our lifestyle.

Try to truly listen. I mean it. Don’t listen to me or any other human because the chances of us being full of steaming BS is high. Instead, listen to your anger, your sadness, and your guilt. Where does it come from? What does it sound like? The true challenge is not to figure out how to make it go away but to let it be and really feel it. Focus on your breath but allow yourself to feel. I was able to do this for about 40 minutes yesterday during the meditation mob at the festival and again tonight. It taught me a bit about my motivations and to acknowledge my emotional response to these things.

I am scared. I am more scared than I think anyone but those truly closest to me know. I have been told for literally my whole life that if humans don’t change their output of greenhouse gasses then everything on this earth will probably die. I have been told that even if this isn’t the case, most of humanity will definitely perish in famines, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and the wars that will be sparked by the dwindling conditions we caused. To be honest, I don’t want to die. It is my greatest fear. In times of great sadness and grief at the state of the world this can be a blessing. When others would not risk failed suicides the fear is still there and I have let it have far too much power over my life. I have often said, “without this fear, I would do nothing” and I meant it. My fear of death is my main motivation for anything that I deem worthy to work for. Empathy at other’s suffering plays a role in there too but it is sparked by an awareness that I am not immune from that suffering at all.

For most, this isn’t really something that motivates them though. The assumption that “A motivates X because A motivates me” is usually wrong. People’s motivations range greatly. Most of the people who are intelligent and motivated by a fear of some sort of demise and empathy for suffering are already on board to make lifestyle changes. The rest of the population who has heard of global warming and gives two hoots about it are motivated maybe partly by that but also by fashion trends, savings, and have some form of intelligence to believe science. Most of these people fall in the conscious consumer category and continue to try to buy their way out of having to sit with their fear, constantly calmed by the thought that they are doing something.

Then there are those who haven’t heard about global warming, or if they have they don’t really understand it and don’t care. This is the majority of people and they are usually motivated by a fear very different from my own. Their world view seems to be dominated by an idea of success and failure that is tied in with business models, religion, and/or government systems, which have failed them time and time again but for whatever fear they have, they don’t recognize the failures. For some of them, these systems do truly work.

I went to an Earth Day celebration held by the Property Management Staff at an Office Park in Far North Austin the other day. A few people rolled in, intrigued by the free Tiny Pie and raffle drawing. There were five or so vendors there covering the basics of how you actually could make a difference through pest control, A/C screen, lighting, and attic insulation choices for your home or office. I was representing something a bit more abstract that required a level of commitment to environmental topics that most of these people had no interest in. I found myself judging these business people for not caring about these issues. Then I found myself feeling very deep despair for the future of things. I had a preconceived notion of how we could solve this massive crisis that our over consumption and over development had caused, which these business people weren’t fitting into. As I stood at the City’s Earth Day festival and the City’s green washing, development oriented mayor got up to kick off the event, I realized that the progressive environmentalists that surrounded me, touting how green everyone else should be, didn’t fit that notion either. Myself included in that judgement.

I got an email about a new event this year, the Spring of Sustainability, that was a bit of a nail in the coffin of my week. During this event, there will be multiple virtual interviews and Q&A sessions with leaders in sustainability,

coming together to find solutions to the most pressing problems of our time.
It was a test for me not to laugh audibly at work. I want you to think about this really quickly and tell me what’s wrong with this.
If you guessed that it was humorous to me because they would be “finding solutions” then you are correct! The solutions exist. You have to care enough to make the lifestyle shifts which embrace the solutions. No webinar or phone session will do that for you or me. The sad truth of the matter is, most of us know these solutions but are still spinning are wheels and looking for something that maybe we don’t know so that we can placate ourselves with the thought that our lack of motivation has a logic behind it.
Do I have the ultimate answer? Of course not. Not for you. You might though, if you choose to sit for a moment and feel whatever it is you are feeling about these issues. You may find what it is that motivates you. You may realize that anger causes your chest to feel tight or your stomach to turn to mush. Both are extremely helpful on this Earth, even if we are “out of time” to reverse or stop global warming. Do we deserve a Festival that Celebrates how awesome we are as progressive environmentalists that don’t actually do anything to change how we live? No. However, we could use a party every now and then to celebrate the little victories because even the most shallow back current in the environmental pool of thought can really set you off course if you aren’t persistent. It can be exhausting.

My Annual Holiday/Christmas Post

November 20, 2011
Environment
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Folks I know it isn’t Thanksgiving for another four days but this is more of a Holiday Season post than Christmas so bear with me.

Why, oh why do you think it is necessary to purchase that? Yes, that.

That hormone/ chemical laden animal, oppressed and abused up until it’s last hours of life before slaughter in which it was hopefully lucky enough to die a quick death instead of a drawn out torture because they at the giant slaughterhouse are in a hurry to turn a profit, too.

That toy, “Made in China” simplifying a manufacturing process that has destroyed ecosystems and caused the death of a few people, animals and countless other life. You can almost see the fingerprints of the little girl who made it on it’s side. She has worked full days for longer than she can remember but still can’t afford even one toy.

That piece of clothing, brand new on the rack that your family member just has to have because the magazine told them they would be perfect if they just looked like that.

That gadget, shiny with the look of the future but still stuck in the past. Walmart has it on sale today so you should buy it for your spouse now while it is cheap. They want it. It is on sale after all and the sale might end any minute! It will probably end up in the trash when it breaks, as per manufacturers design, but this is not what you care about when you are trampling over others still too low on  Tryptophan to move out of your way fast enough.

Do they really need it? Is it the most important thing? Are there really no alternatives to this blind consumerism in the name of mindless religious rituals? If you are Christian, what would Jesus buy? If you aren’t, how are your decisions effecting people, other life and our planet?

How are your decisions keeping you oppressed and unhappy?

You have the power to decide and create the world you want to live in during this Holiday Season. I don’t want anything for Christmas, just love, respect, and mindfulness.

Buy used. Buy local. Buy fair trade. Or don’t buy at all.

Rant done. Go about your shopping again.

Farmer’s Markets (Local, Sustainable Food).

Local and handmade toys.

Used clothing.

Fair trade jewelry, decorations, and home goods.

Gift ideas for a Buy Nothing Christmas.

Solo Travel: Not a Good Way to Celebrate

October 11, 2011
Travel, Twenty-Something
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I feel completely and utterly alone. This was not the trip I had wanted to take.

Harley ready to go at Guadalupe Mountains, Texas

I had started out, three weeks ago, having the time of my life on the back of my Dad’s Harley, thinking about how awesome it would be to get to this mythical land in the Pacific North West. I wanted to meet the people that lived in Portland, see how green the “rainforest” there really was and celebrate my newly found freedom. Probably a common story for a recent college graduate in a pretty crappy economy. Especially one with a BS in Environmental Science.

My dad was great company for the first seven days but after that I wanted to jump off the motorcycle at every exclamation of how pretty a rock or tree was. “Of course it is gorgeous and yes I see it, no I don’t want to ‘OoO’ and ‘Aw’ over it again.” I left him in Reno to take a train to Portland shortly thereafter.

I would kill for a conversation about a tree right now. They are everywhere in Western Washington, you really can’t miss them. Instead I am sitting here on the very edge of this cliff completely alone. I can’t lean over to a friendly face to talk about how neat I think the different colors of moss are on the rocks that I am perched on. There is no one to smile when I gasp at the jelly fish mindlessly floating in the water below. Other people here seem to have gotten the memo to bring their families or lovers. I smile at them, hoping to make some sort of a connection. I don’t want to share this completely unique beauty by myself.

I kept telling myself that I was exactly where I needed to be, and that it was beautiful so I shouldn’t be too upset. I went to the wrong place to celebrate my new found freedom solo. I didn’t know how to explore here and couldn’t afford to pay a proper guide. Couchsurfing was turning into a bust. There weren’t any hostels here. Vasaline covered lenses filled my head with images and movies of my friends enjoying the natural parts of my home town, Austin, TX without me. We had all just graduated and they too were celebrating this freedom of time by being lazy for as long as they could before having to find a job. My very core ached to be with them, no joke.

Cliffs in Washington. Too bad you can't see the jellies in this shot

Perspective changes everything though. The trip will always have had a positive impact on how I live in that it has given me the motivation to start learning some of the skills that held me back from exploring the amazing natural area I found myself in. I have come to terms with the loneliness I felt on this graduation trip. I am taking it into strong consideration the next time I decide to go on any trip. There is a time and a place for traveling solo but the same goes for buddy or group trips.

Some distinctions I have made between the two:

Solo trips are good for spiritual experiences where you will be spending lots of time praying, meditating, or getting into touch with yourself. Often if you are on a solo expedition you will have one of these so called spiritual experiences even if that isn’t your main goal. Safety is an issue, as it is with everything, so unless you are skilled at the activities you are going to be doing I don’t recommend doing them solo the first few times. This includes hiking and kayaking. Classes are a great way to learn new things and meet people if you decide you want to travel solo, but they can be costly. Try to make friends that can show you how.

Buddy (2) or Group (3+) trips are perfect if planned around an activity such as kayaking the Puget Sound or site seeing in Seattle. Generally if you are looking to put more emphasis on experiencing the sights of a place, a buddy or group trip might be for you. Celebrations that are shared with friends or family are good times to bring them along on a trip, whether it be an anniversary, graduation, or birthday.

Don’t get me wrong, solo trips have had wonderful effects on me and this one was no different. I am more in touch with myself despite that not being the main goal of the trip. I was able to still see Orca Whales from my kayak group in the water because I splurged on a group trip. I met locals in Portland I probably wouldn’t have talked to while there if I had been with my girlfriends, and I still keep in touch with them.

Still, I urge you to really think about why you are going on the trip in the first place. You might find that celebrating your recent graduation is better done with friends than strangers. I sure as hell did feel free though.

So You Want To Be a Published Writer?

October 11, 2011
Small Business Development, Twenty-Something
2 Comments

I get it. I do too actually. Due to a recent class from Matador U on travel writing, I was prompted to put together a list of publications that I thought would be a good place to get published. They aren’t all about travel but they do all pertain to me. Read on and let me know what you think, where you have been published or where you dream to be read.

Apartment Therapy. I live in a rental and probably always will. On this webzine they understand the highly simplified and mobile life many renters live. One of the ways I want to contribute is by getting people to rethink “environmental” solutions meant for the homeowner, as an apartment dweller in the city. From what I can gather they have a very standardized contact system which consists of this form. I am almost positive that they only have staff writers working for them and they don’t seem to be hiring right now. I will be keeping my eye out though.

TreeHugger.com Again, there should be no surprises here. TreeHugger is often my source of information about new innovations and all things environmental. In many ways it exists as if  Mother Earth News and Wired had a baby blog together, and that is probably one of the many reasons I love it. I came very close to meeting a few of the bloggers at the SXSWeco Conference held in Austin,TX Oct 4th – 6th, 2011 but missed my chance as I couldn’t find them at the happy hour despite many a twitter conversation. They have a whole slew of options to submit tips/stories to but it seems like contacting the editor as well would be beneficial for this publication.

Fourth Genre: While I am not very experienced in the craft of writing, it is my goal to become so. One day I would love to get a creative non-fiction piece published through Fourth Genre or another similar literary magazine. They are a literary journal through Michigan State University Press with two main submission deadlines August 15th – November 30 for general submissions and January 1st – February 28th for their Michael Steinberg Essay Prize competition.  There is an entrance fee of $20 for the Essay Prize competition which is also limited to 6,000 word entries. General Submissions have an 8,000 word limit and no entrance fee.

Lonely Planet is my favorite guidebook producer by far. They seem to always have very “hip” information on where to go while visiting a locale. As is prominently mentioned under their “Become an Author” section, they get hundreds of applications from people wanting to work with them, writing guidebooks. This would be something I would shoot for when I have a MUCH better grip on travel and place based writing, as well as the expertise on a place to be able to advise others on it.

Matador Network. Yes I know, this is a no-brainer. I already follow them on twitter, facebook and through email updates and have taken their photography class. I am now in the Matador U writing class, which is why I am writing this article in the first place. I felt I still needed to include them though as to me they are one of the best places to find quality travel writing and if I were to ever be lucky enough to be deemed worthy I would probably pee on myself. Just saying. Enough of the butt kissing, they really are a great place to read great articles. They have different “channels” of articles ranging from ‘trips’ to ‘change’ and everything in between. Submissions guidelines are made extremely clear and (winner) they actually pay for chosen articles. Submissions cannot exceed 2,000 words.

I hope this helps you to start thinking about potential publications to look into and to look outside the realm of the usual travel or non-fiction outlets for writing about what you are passionate about.

My First Bike Commute

September 16, 2011
Community Building, Environment, Twenty-Something
6 Comments

Sept. 10th, 9:15 pm: ’He said no spandex. Bike shorts are out, oh well, I can’t find mine anyway. What do I wear?! No jeans. The seams kill me, those shorts are not made for a bike. Ugh. I guess these will have to do. It is supposed to be a bike commute to work anyway, I should probably try to wear what I would normally.’

I choose a pair of longer cargo shorts meant for hiking in, you know, the kind with the zip off bottoms that are a horrible shade of army green. Sometimes I can be incredibly stylish. I realize as I buzz back and forth between bathroom, bedroom, and living room trying to get everything together for tomorrows first ever test run of one of my commutes, that I am a bit nervous. I look down at what I had laid out in front of me. It looked as if I were preparing for a marathon ride, Aquaphor and all.

To me it was going to be a marathon ride. I have ridden 15 miles before, and that was huge for me. I was exhausted by the end and in serious need for some water. That ride was a casual ride with my father in “flatter than anything in Austin” Reno, NV along the riverbank. It would be like doing 15 miles along the hike and bike trail. This? This I have been nervous about doing ever since I tried to make it 2 miles to Opal’s to have some happy hour drinks with friends a few months ago. I nearly vomited from the heat and exhaustion. I also never realized exactly how uphill that route was, but now I know. This one? I had images running through my head of tiny hills that I just could not make it up, traffic getting way too close and me on the side of the road: a bike commute failure.

Nervous would be an understatement. ‘If someone had not agreed to do this ride with me I wouldn’t be doing it at all. Hopefully they aren’t too judgmental.’

Sept. 11th, 8:10am: I am still nervous but going through my mental checklist eases my mind for a while. I have been going over the list and other mental preparations since 6am this morning. I rush but try to be calm and confident about this as I frantically run around the house for the second time in the past 24 hours.

8:15am: ‘Bike light (back/red) on. Helmet on. Camel back is filled with enough water for my roommate, me and Minor to ride all day with. Glasses case and bike lock in the bag. Wallet, keys, phone? Check. Alright, we are off!’

Just riding up the driveway I am struggling to push the pedals and think ‘I am in too low a gear I need to shift up’, I change my gears to a ‘higher’ one and am good to go.

8:30am: Myself and my roommate are waiting at the meeting point of East Side Drive and Oltorf, chatting about how I am nervous about the hills and traffic on the ride, but happy she is there with me for moral support. She is happy to do the ride herself. Riding across town has been a bit daunting for both of us. Minor pulls up, quick introductions are made and I decide I am as ready now as I will ever be and I just need to do this. With that we start.

The Ride: It is downhill at first, nice and easy. Minor goes over some basic safety tips about waiting at lights, traffic in neighborhoods, and we come across our first real road hazard: a squirrel that is testing mortality in front of our bike tires. I chuckle and think to myself ‘this isn’t that bad really, where are those hills?’

On the first hill I stop about halfway up to walk the bike the rest of the way. Minor and Portia are both nice about it, waiting at the top. I am horribly embarrassed. I keep going, though, and we make it to our first substantial road. I am a bit nervous waiting at the light. There are cars all around, going pretty fast and I am in no way confident I can cross the intersection in enough time once the light changes. I’m not sure if the cars behind and next to us are going to go slow enough or if they are going to try to run us off the road like I assumed all cars to do.

We make it across just fine and this is one of the first times I start to gain some confidence in riding around cars. They gave us all the room we needed and we were soon past them easily, back onto side streets unfrequented by the car commuters. ‘But wait, we aren’t supposed to ride on the sidewalk as bikes. This bridge is WAY too narrow to fit two bikes passing each other on! Oh crap that group of pedestrians probably doesn’t know I am going to turn in front of them!’ My mind raced with nervous obstacles that would normally keep me off my bike anywhere near the I-35 bridge over the river. We made it though. I could ride my bike on that narrow pedestrian bridge without hitting the passing bike. I could navigate pedestrian traffic, both walking dogs and running. I could ride on the sidewalk without falling into moving car traffic. I could do this.

After passing the river, we make our way to and up Chicon, an incline that I was never so in tune with just driving North before. I had always considered North Austin to be the flatter area of town, living just off of South Congress. While it is flat in comparison, it was turning into a hell of an incline for me. I fully admit that I walked my bike a few times, and at about 12th and Chicon I really really wished I could have kept going. At this point my knees burn and if I try to keep going I know I am going to just fall over.

The thing is though, it isn’t the end of the world when I have to stop and walk it. I always catch up with Minor and my roommate, or they stop and walk with me. I am still a bit embarrassed but I will make it though that. Also, it turns out I have had gears backwards for a while, they inform me, which is why it always seemed harder to go up a hill on the ‘lowest’ gear and I would instead choose to go at them from the middle gears.

We got to our destination, two yard gardens being put in by the non-profit organization Urban Patchwork, and I feel great. My knees are sore and I am probably sweatier than anything else on that street but I feel very happy I have made it, despite the hills.

Hills aside, the commute by bike was nice. The air was cooler than it had been all summer and I was able to see more of the neighborhood I have done work in, parts that I miss by taking the larger roads I would normally take in a car. We said hello to residents that were outside of their houses. I felt more connected, not only to the terrain and environment I was riding through but also to the people and community.

‘Ah, this is why people do this.’

The choice is made to wind our way through UT, the capitol and downtown for our ride back. I want to get some more experience with different parts of the city, different street etiquette (bike lane versus none, etc) and to hitch a ride up my Everest: South Congress Ave, with Minor who had strategically placed his car downtown with a bike rack. Manor road is a breeze with it’s wide bike lanes and the painted bike crossings under I-35. UT campus is easy as well and I get a feel for being squished between traffic coming up behind me and front-in parked cars to my right. The capital grounds are of course much more pleasant than a lot of the busy downtown one way streets that we could have taken. One of the most empowering feelings I have that morning is “taking a lane” from the cars going towards the river on Congress Avenue from the capitol.

The End: When we get to Jo’s Coffee to refuel with non-fossil derived energy I am feeling a bit ecstatic about the whole thing. I am also exhausted, look like I had peed myself and am very rubber legged, but I feel amazing. Minor’s question about any reflections on the day spurs a quickly corrected “It was great even though I can’t get up the hills”. I can’t yet. Minor suggests riding every other day and then every day, as well as doing things like the Social Rides and riding my bike for everything within 2-miles to help build the muscles that I need to get up those hills. More importantly I realize the lack of the stressed feeling I would have had after driving the route that we rode. I wasn’t angry or frustrated because everyone else on the road obviously doesn’t know how to drive. I wasn’t feeling that Carbon Guilt I have mentioned previously (akin to Catholic Guilt but for Environmentalists). I took over a lane from cars! I didn’t just zip by the people that make up the community that I live and work in. I didn’t shut myself off from the environment and terrain that I live in. I experienced and was a part of all of it. I felt engaged. I felt incredibly empowered.

And after I am not saddle sore I am going to ride again.

Sept. 15th Update: it has been a few days since the ride. I have now ridden my bike downtown and not had to worry about parking (going home was a bit of a mess though, all uphill). Tonight will be my first social ride and I can’t wait!

Good.is September Challenge: Connect with People – Day 1

September 1, 2011
Community Building
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This is the Good.is website for their September Challenge: Connect with people. I decided to take on the series of 30 mini challenges over one month because I think that human connection is something that is severely lacking and could lead to some big changes if it is increased. Human connection is why I like to listen to and tell people’s stories and why I love to travel.

My first challenge is to send someone a postcard. So I pulled out my stack of postcards that I have acquired over the past few years. As it turns out they are all from my trip to Australia and like Megan points out on the the Good.is website for today’s challenge (linked to above), these post cards were bought with the intent to send to people back home but it never happened. It was hard to sum up everything I had been doing halfway across the world to the people back home in three to five sentences. Now that I am looking back through them I am almost glad I didn’t as it is allowing me to relive my trip as well.

At first, I decided on a postcard that wasn’t of a specific place that we visited so that I could still hold onto those for now. But then I stumbled. I threw the postcards down in a frustrated place between not knowing who to send a postcard to and how to pick the right one to send. There are so many people in my life that are so far away from me now that it is difficult to decide who to send it to. It was much easier once I decided to send multiple cards. And with that they are off. As soon as the postcards arrive and I hear back I will do a follow up email.

Visit the links for more information on the Good.is September challenge and post anything you share with #30DaysofGood so we can all see how this is going for everyone. I would love to hear about your own experiences sending or receiving postcards as well!

Beating the Heat

August 29, 2011
Environment
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It might officially be a bit too hot. Yesterday’s high was 112º F and today it is forecast to be 111º F. That one degree counts but with so many days already in the 100′s and no end in sight the heat is getting a bit oppressive. While most people are locked inside their offices, cars, or homes with their AC blasting at 60º F and complaining about the temperatures, there are much more pleasant ways to deal with the 2011 Texas summer from hell.

1. Keep it OUT. If you can, cover the outside of your windows that face the evening sun (West). You can do this with trees or tall shrubs/bushes, outdoor window coverings or pergolas with vines. For a quick fix the window coverings are the best option. Only covering the inside of windows with blinds and shades does help reduce the heat gain inside your house but any heat that gets in is air that needs to be cooled. If you can keep the heat out, it will automatically keep your home cooler and you AC running less frequently.

Keeping windows caulked an doors weather stripped also is a cheap fix to keep heat out. Try to make sure there is as little direct heat gain from the outside as possible. This will help during the cooler fall and winter months that (believe it or not) are coming our way.

Consider the fact that your stove and oven produce a lot of heat when you are cooking and baking. Don’t fret, bake those cookies just do it outside where it is already hot enough. All you need is aluminum foil and either a car or other heat box. Car baked cookies are a really fun activity to do with the kids when it is just too hot to do anywhere else. You can also pick up a solar oven from your local green wares store, EcoWise. They are a bit more expensive than aluminum foil though.

2. Evaporative cooling. It is hard to think of using water to cool down when there doesn’t seem to be any left, but it is still possible to use our most important resource to our advantage. Try leaving the hot water knob alone during your next shower, and plan to take it during the hottest part of the day or just after. I do this during the summer months, usually after I have been outside for a good portion of the day and have gotten quite sweaty. Not hard to do since really just stepping outside for a second will cover you in a fine sheen these days.

If you are going to take a shower during the day anyway, why not make it a cold one and take full advantage of the temperature difference. Leave your hair wet afterwards and you will thank yourself as you can stay cooler for hours, if you have long hair, this way. Not only will you stay cool but you will also save money on things you would have normally spent money and resources on, like the electricity for your blow dryer and the gas for your hot water heater.

Jump in Barton Springs! B. Springs is one of the great resources of Austin and one of the primary reasons it was settled. At a constant 65º F I am not sure why I am not there right now. It is the soul of the city and is where people used to go to meet and to stay cool back when there wasn’t air conditioning (and it did used to get this hot back then).

I hope these little tidbits help. My last piece of advice is to make popsicles, ice cream, smoothies and shakes like no bodies business. What do you do to beat the extreme summer heat?

I am not usually one for How-To posts, but thought I would give it a shot. If you love it, hate it, want to see more of it, or just really don’t care, let me know. I do write these for y’all after all. 

Rainy Day, Come Again

August 20, 2011
Uncategorized
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I am  in a lazy, lonely mood today.
A mood for a rainy day that just doesn’t exist here.
I keep wanting to look out of a dark wooden framed window that is next to a river stone fireplace and see those dark shades of green contrasting so well with the light grey of the drizzle.
Instead I fear opening my blinds because it might let more of the heat in, the sun’s death rays working away at penetrating my futile defense against them. It is going to reach 100°F again today, our 70th day over 100°F this year.
There is an odd sensation that silent drizzle gives me. It makes me want to curl up on a couch with a bowl of soup, a basil grilled cheese sandwich, and a cup of cider and just read a book or watch a movie.
The sound of construction vehicles in a constant state of reverse has been going strong since 7am this morning. I wonder how far back they can really go without finally having to go forward a bit and stop that incessant noise. Rocks are breaking. Rocks older than this entire city, shattered at the push of a lever. The guy inside the machine is happy he will be able to continue to feed, house and clothe his family.
I keep going back to the colors of place though. I haven’t really seen anything here like the color of thriving, full of all of space and time, green that I got used to way too fast. It just was. It was no longer amazing.
If I were to see that color here, on a tree taller than most of the buildings in this suburb people call a city and thicker around than those construction vehicles, I am pretty sure I would drop to my knees beneath it and just sit there the entire day. I might even cuddle up to it and take a nap on the soft cool moss and pine needles underneath it’s shade.
The trees here are taller than one story but not much else. They are still beautiful though. They are still trees. They provide shade to their water starved body and ground underneath. Their canopy takes the brunt of the harsh sun, withering a bit more everyday. Fading. It looks like fall here, the streets are littered with brown and yellow leaves that just couldn’t hang on anymore. The crunch under my feet from the leaves reminds me of more saturated times in Australia and the PNW, crunching acacia pods and pine cones.
The only thing remaining green here are the lawns of people who apparently did not get the notice that we are in the worst drought in 100 years. This thought makes me want to flee even faster than when I was in Anacortes, WA, looking out that dark wooden framed window, musing at how there was nothing to do there and I was completely alone.
Instead of fleeing I just sit, waiting, hoping for rain. I don’t know if it will ever come. I can only hope I can find it again.