Genius Gypsy gives you the facts about glass recycling.

Glass recycling is good for the environment

A glass bottle that is sent to a landfill can take up to a million years to break down. By contrast, it takes as little as 30 days for a recycled glass bottle to leave your kitchen recycling bin and appear on a store shelf as a new glass container.

Glass recycling is sustainable

Glass containers are 100-percent recyclable, which means they can be recycled repeatedly, again and again, with no loss of purity or quality in the glass.

Glass recycling is efficient

Recovered glass from glass recycling is the primary ingredient in all new glass containers. A typical glass container is made of as much as 70 percent recycled glass. According to industry estimates, 80 percent of all recycled glass eventually ends up as new glass containers.

Glass recycling conserves natural resources

Every ton of glass that is recycled saves more than a ton of the raw materials needed to create new glass, including: 1,300 pounds of sand; 410 pounds of soda ash; and 380 pounds of limestone.

Glass recycling saves energy

Making new glass means heating sand and other substances to a temperature of 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit, which requires a lot of energy and creates a lot of industrial pollution. One of the first steps in glass recycling is to crush the glass and create a product called “cullet.” Making recycled glass products from cullet consumes 40 percent less energy than making new glass from raw materials, because cullet melts at a much lower temperature.

Recycled glass is useful

Because glass is made from natural materials such as sand and limestone, it glass containers have a low rate of chemical interaction with their contents. As a result, glass can be safely reused. Besides serving as the primary ingredient in new glass containers, recycled glass also has many other commercial uses—from creating decorative tiles and landscaping material to rebuilding eroded beaches.

Glass recycling is simple

It’s simple because glass is one of the easiest materials to recycle and is accepted by all the municipal recycling centers.

To recycle glass bottles and jars, we just have to to carry them to our doors and hand over to the people involved in the recycling process, namely ‘raddi-wala’  and can also get some money for selling them.

Happy Recycling!

Most people like to talk about the benefits of sustainable mining.  Seldom, however, do we see a concrete report on successful sustainable mining.  By way of quick admission: I am a sceptic of the concept and have frequently written critical blog postings on the abuse and mis-use of the term.  Let me, then, take a different approach in what follows.

What is say here is bolstered by what I and a number of friends wrote in papers presented at the Banff Conference Tailings and Mine Waste ‘09.  At this link are the PowerPoint presentations.  At the following links are copies of some of the actual papers:

• Vertical “Wick” Drains and Accelerated Dewatering of Fine Tailings in Oil Sands by Wells & Caldwell
• Design, Performance, and Sustainability of Engineered Covers for Uranium Mill Tailings by Jody Waugh
• Sustainability of Conventional and Alternative Landfill Covers by Jody Waugh
• Revisit to Old South African Slimes Dams & Where We Are Today by Caldwell & McPhail
• Uranium Mill Tailings Impoundment Closure: A Retrospective  by Caldwell & Strachan
• The Cannon Mine Tailings Impoundment: A Case History  by Caldwell, Freshette, and Hutchinson
• Water Balance Management Approach to Mine Closure at the Royal Mountain King Mine, Copperopolis, CA by Whitman & Hutchinson

In summary, these papers tell of some old slimes dams (in South Africa), reclaimed uranium mill tailings piles (in the western US), and in Washington State (old gold mines),and of how these impoundments have performed in the long term since they were constructed.  For good measure we throw in a paper on new activities associated with closing an oil sand tailings impoundment in Alberta. 

The fun part about two of them is their successful closure and the use to which they are now put.  In one instance (Cannon Mine in Washington) the tailings impoundment is now an exclusive riding club where the horse set recreates.  In the second instance, from what I can tell, the impoundment at Richards Bay, South Africa is the site of the yacht club–although I cannot confirm this and would love to hear from more folk nearer the site that I will ever get.  Maybe soon enough, the oil sands tailings impoundment will be a forest where only the rich and healthy can walk to admire nature. 

Of more general interest to the sustainability-minded, I recommend you take a look at the papers on the UMTRA Project–particularly those by Jody Waugh who has done such a magnificent job telling us how these piles have performed in the decades since they were closed.  I address this issue in a joint paper with Clint Strachan where we compare the performance of those piles closed by private industry with those closed by the Federal government.   [The comparison in this paper has no bearing on whether we should encourage the government to control the US health system.] 

I particularly like the paper on the Copperopolis site in California.  It is so beautiful and so well reclaimed that I would build my retirement cabin there in a heart-beat if they would let me.  Certainly I would be surrounded by the very rich who live in the two-acres estates that surround the mine. 

Now I am sure that those who preach sustainable mining do not mean or intend that all closed mine sites should become the playgrounds of the rich and privileged; but that is the outcome of these stories of successful sustainable mining.  Which of course raises the tough question of for whom is the site to be made into a “sustained” entity?  

Of course, I partly joke, although the questions are serious enough.  The point is you can enjoy these papers without giving the issue of sustainability a second thought.  You can enjoy the papers for their technical details.  I suspect you could even use the papers to prove we should not mine, as we cannot benefit those who do not own horses or yachts after mining–see what people do in using the Bible to support their arguments!

I would prefer to believe that these papers establish that if you plan and do it right, you can reclaim mines and tailings impoundment for any purpose you select. 

As the vegetarian mom in a vegetarian family, thanksgiving is not associated with roasted turkey around here.

We all look forward to our traditional feast, which features a big, round, crispy-crusted, golden-brown dome of polenta marbled with savory beans and tangy cheeses.

..The simple ingredients of a our Thanksgiving Polenta Dome

And we ladle rich, flavorful vegetarian gravy over our locally-grown potatoes.

Side dishes?  Don’t get me started!  The Dane County Farmers’ Market moved indoors two weeks ago and is still in full swing.   I am thankful for my farmers market!  I almost hurt myself carrying home its bounty last Saturday.

Gathering and Gratitude –

Two of the sensations that make life worth living.  I suspect humans have been throwing feasts of thanksgiving as long as there have been successful hunts and harvests.

Let me urge you to give your thanks without a factory-farmed animal as centerpiece.  Many organizations including Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club are asking us to go green by skipping the white meat.

I base my vegetarian lifestyle and Thanksgiving on three “E”s

Take your pick

1. ETHICS

There really is no way to pretty it up.  If you eat factory-farmed meat, you are supporting an industry that manufactures misery.

Ask yourself if you really like your body to be made of the suffering of helpless animals and the greed of agribusiness.  This soulless industry has worked hard to convince us that we need meat and lots of it to live the good life. I do fine without.

And then stop and think about the dehumanized existence of the underpaid workers who labor in that hell to bring us our plentiful and cheap meat.  Once you start thinking about it, it’s hard to find a plus side to that slice of white meat on your plate.

On the lighter side (but not really), the President has been “pardoning” a turkey each year since 1947.  He actually pardons two.  These “lucky” birds get to retire to a place called Frying Pan Farm, but because they have been bred to sport those ever-popular but physically unsupportable massive turkey breasts, they evidently die within a year of “natural” causes.

2. ENVIRONMENT

The United Nations, among so many others, has identified factory farming of meat as more damaging to the environment than the entire transportation sector.  I have read so many damning facts about environmental degradation caused by factory farming all over our country and around the world.  Every time I go to my land, I drive past the damage being done to our little valley by my neighbor, who is trying to keep more cows than his land can support.  What are our children going to have to give thanks for if we keep this up?  They won’t be thanking us.

3.  ECONOMICS

What caused me to cross meat off my grocery list in the first place was reading Diet for a Small Planet and realizing that more people could be well fed from the same amount of earth if we stopped running the sun’s energy through cows, pigs and chickens first.  It has been estimated that the amount of protein lost to humans in this way is equivalent to 90% of the annual world protein deficit.  I know there are some places where producing meat may be the most efficient way to live off a particular piece of land, but in most cases it is far from the best choice.

And personally, my meatless food budget goes farther for the things I really care about like eggs from free-range birds raised by a farmer I trust and family-farmed dairy products, and locally grown potatoes and greens. You can fill in the blanks with your own favorites.

I am thankful to live in a time and place where I have the option of nourishing myself and those I love without meat.  Here and now in the U.S. it is actually cheaper and often easier to be vegetarian.  I never worry about food poisoning, or have to keep my germy meat cutting board separate.  My garbage (with vegetable waste composted) doesn’t stink even on the morning of garbage day.

I am thankful for the great reserves of energy I have as a vegetarian.  I look forward to any physical task and relish doing things under my own steam.  My vegetarian daughters are long-distance runners.  My vegetarian husband bikes 8 miles to work in good weather.

If you want to give thanks without the animal sacrifice in the center of your table, let me share my Thanksgiving recipes with you.

MY POLENTA DOME OF THANKSGIVING

½ c dried beans (you can also use a can of your favorite beans)

6 garlic cloves

5 large sage leaves

1-1/2 c coarse polenta

4-1/2 c water

1-1/2 c grated cheese (your choice – I’m using a local 6-year cheddar)

1 tbs plus 1 tsp oil (I’m using sunflower because I found a local source)

Soak the beans overnight.  Drain and cover with 3 inches water and simmer with garlic and sage till just tender.—should take about an hour.  Add ½ tsp salt after first 30 minutes.  Drain and discard seasonings.  Or, as I said, just open a can.

In a large, heavy pot combine polenta, water and 1-1/2 stp salt.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Then turn down the heat but not the stirring, until thick and pulling away from the sides of the pot.

Stir in the grated cheese, pepper to taste and gently fold in the beans without breaking them.

Spoon it into a round bowl and cool to room temperature.

Turn it out onto a baking sheet and brush with oil you have heated with garlic.

Pop it in the oven and roast it at 375 until it has a crispy, golden-brown surface.  I think that takes about half an hour.

Then slide it onto a platter , slice and serve.

At our house, we turn the lights down before slicing.  Doug heats some brandy in the microwave, then pours it over the dome and lights it with a match.  (I know I don’t have to tell you to be careful not to cause a conflagration with this step.  We don’t want the oohs and ahhs to turn into screams of terror, now do we?)

WHEATLAND YEASTY GRAVY

½ c oil (I used to use olive oil, but now I use sunflower oil because I can get it locally)

½ c chopped onions

1/3 c flour

2 cloves garlic

¼ c chopped parsley

½ c nutritional yeast

¼ c tamari sauce

2 c milk

1+ c water

This is basically a roux with attitude.  Heat oil; add onions and garlic and cook till tender.  Stir in flour and continue stirring for several minutes.  Add yeast, tamari and chopped parsley.

Heat milk in microwave and add slowly while stirring.  Adjust consistency with water till you get the kind of gravy you like best, then blend the whole thing creamy in the food processor.

You can make this the day before and keep it in the fridge.  Reheat just before serving.

Everyone raves about this gravy.  I call it Wheatland Gravy because I first enjoyed it on pan-tried potatoes served up by the Happy Farmer Food Coop at a traditional music festival held every spring in Michigan.  (If you are a Wheatie – Happy Wheatland!)

I am thankful for many wonderful experiences – not the least of which is this mouthwatering gravy.

...Turkeys in the wild enjoying their vitality --just like we enjoy ours. (photo credit: Beaker on Flickr)

A few weekends ago I visited the annual Ethical Fashion Show, an event hosted in the heart of Paris at the Tapis Rouge (one of Paris’ oldest department stores). Whilst there I attended a workshop facilitated by Fashioning an Ethical Industry.

The workshop invited a series of speakers to explore ethics within fashion, the presentations alternated between French and English (headsets were given out to tune into translations). The workshop was action packed and covered a range of topics for example:

Social responsibility  - highlighting the role of the consumer and what alternatives are available. How do we engage with industry to promote ethical production strategies? 

Student awareness – what is the role of Universities and students? 

The workshop was designed to promote ethical literacy and practice and the audience was comprised of students, tutors, designers and industry. The speakers introduced a variety of past and present projects tailored to address these issues. 

The Univeristy of Delamore ran a practical workshop connecting their students directly to industry. Their objective was to demonstrate considerations for the design and development of “sustainable garments”. The students were divided into groups focusing on different areas such as social, use and concept. The students were linked directly to IPC, a Factory School in Honduras and worked collaboratively to deliver end outputs which was a series of garments. Visit their blog for further information. Ethicalfashionproject.wordpress.com

I liked that their project was a tangible example of design interventions that were both functional and deliverable… there was also end outputs so the theories were met with practice.

IFM in Paris were also working directly with industry through a global collaboration project linking Paris, FIT New York and China. This live one year project allowed the students to meet at each location once and work to experience every aspect of the supply chain. This offers the students a real time perspective through a hands on learning strategy. It looked like this really informed their decision making process and promoted a sustainable actions.
Fashioning an Ethical Industry delivered an inspirational presentation with an introduction to what they do and their resources . Visit FEI website to access these resources there is an educational handbook available and lots of papers and pod casts available to download.

They advised delegates to engage with others via social networks this can help build a dialogue around “sustainable fashion” but also link up institutions, students, designers and industry. I think identifying opportunities to connect and promote global conversations which can lead to exciting collaborations through thinking and practice.
The Ethical Fashion show itself was a fantastic showcase of ethical fashion that was both functional and desirable. The designers were on hand to introduce the thinking behind their collections, explain the production process and answer any questions. 

A video competition is now being organised by the NGO We Love Mauritius with a focus on the question: How do we develop an ecologically sustainable society in Mauritius?

Details of the project from the website:
The objective of the Voice of Youth project is to raise awareness about threats to such a society (such as climate change, scarcity of natural resources, degradation of ecosystems, perturbation of global trade and financial systems, dislocation within fragile societies due to inequalities) and initiate channels of peer-to-peer communication to enable collective responses.

The competition is targeted at media students, themed around Maurice Ile Durable and is intended to permit our youth to voice concerns they have, especially about the future. It is a pilot and the main competition will be open to all youth next year with the involvement of the private sector to enable children from deprived backgrounds to participate.

The closing deadline for submission is 22nd January 2010. Pre-selection of the finalists will be done by the public based on the popularity of the videos on YouTube, hence the sooner they are uploaded the better.

Details of the competition can be found at http://welovemauritius.org/voy/11

1st Prize worth Rs 20 000
2nd Prize worth Rs 10 000
3rd Prize worth Rs 5 000
Best overall contribution from educational institution: HD camera worth Rs 30 000

If you are interested in forming part of a team under the banner of UOM, please let me know by email (chanssc@uom.ac.mu).

In order to create an intentional beginning to the New Year, we must evaluate the road that we have just traveled. Where have we been in the past year? What in the past year has served us? And what in the past year needs to be different going forward? What standards do you want to create in your life in 2010 that will bring your life to a whole new level? How do we redesign our life in a way that serves us in our highest vision of ourselves.

Incorporating life’s lessons of the past is central. Updating our beliefs, reassessing our values, and understanding what we truly need today—are all foundational. Beginning to understand what passion means to us and how to best use life’s challenges and opportunities form the second layer of inquiry that we must explore. Moving into the world with purpose allows us to link with higher will. And then there are the practical housekeeping pieces of how we work with time and rhythm and cycles of life. How we create balance informs how sustainable our blueprint will be. Our trust in manifestation and our ability to co-create with teams, colleagues and a higher power all allow us to design a blueprint that is sustainable, reflective, and deeply connected to our higher purpose here.

What is your higher purpose here? What needs to be different in 2010 for you to align and live in deeper connection with that purpose? What is one commitment that you are willing to make between now and December 31 that will move you towards a greater vision?

To register for our upcoming webinar where you can create your blueprint for 2010, please go to http://tinyurl.com/Register4InfluenceAndSuccess

This year several billion pounds of kitty litter will end up in landfills. Most of this clay based product is strip mined and has been found to contain silica dust, a known carcinogen. If that doesn’t make you want to look for a greener alternative than nothing will. Switching to an eco-friendly alternative such as reclaimed pine wood shavings and concentrated sawdust is the socially responsible choice. Not only is pine kitty litter biodegradable, but it can be sustainably harvested from trees killed by pine beetles which are devastating the Western U.S.

Think Green In Gwinnett!

The days of doing business as we have been doing in the past are gone. We can no longer afford to continue using traditional approaches in managing our companies. Executives or organizations that insist on clinging to outmoded ways of thinking will find themselves standing on the sidelines as new traditions are being established by forward thinking business visionaries. The business leaders of the future are awakening, sensitive to the personal responsibility the public now demands from the business community.

All of us share certain values and beliefs. We value the human spirit and believe that modern society must change in a deep and fundamental way the way it thinks, if we are to have a sustainable future. We also believe that the most effective leverage in achieving such a global transformation is through the business community.

It is doubtful that the business community would take this leadership role out of altruism. However, we believe that if business leaders recognize a need to operate responsibly, and feel that their personal values are in accord with organizational values, they will begin doing business in a new way—establishing new traditions in business communities around the world.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

Agraria • 3000 K Street, NW • (202) 298-0003

Her Perspective

Scott said he had heard good things about Agraria, and we hadn’t reviewed a Georgetown spot yet, so we decided to check it out. Plus it was a beautiful night for the walk over after work! Our friend Fred joined us for this outing, so he’ll be guest-blogging.

It was a little cold to sit outside, but I could see how that would provide for a very pleasant experience with the waterfall in front and everything. We were seated in these colorful, patterned high-backed booths. The restaurant has interesting character. When you walk in it feels very spacious; not like a cozy, fancy restaurant but a more casual, open and homey restaurant. The tablecloth was checkered green and white. They have a bright green-blue theme (in the decor and in the logo, menu, etc.) which is a somewhat quirky contrast with all the wood since the colors kind of evoke modernity while the wood is very grounded and traditional.

The waiter was extremely amicable and explained that everything was very fresh and grown/harvested through sustainable agriculture. He said that we’d really be able to taste the difference, especially if we opted for fish or beef. I ordered the Spicy Tuna Farm Salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Not sure I could really tell that the tuna was superior quality, but it was very good, and I enjoyed the avocado and the tangy sesame vinaigrette. My mouth is watering thinking about it, actually. The dessert didn’t live up to expectations quite as much– we got brownies, which I was really excited about, but they were too sweet. (I think I’m learning I’m pretty picky about my dessert.) I did also order a cup of coffee, which helped.

The bill came out to be a bit pricey, but considering we ordered entree, dessert, drinks and coffee, I guess it’s understandable.

______________________________

His Perspective

The burger was good (see below) but the fish-cow on the walls was even better. Unfortunately we only got a picture of the food so you’ll have to go to the restaurant for a glimpse of the animal mash-up.

______________________________

And Another Perspective

Agraria’s proximity to Georgetown with is sophisticated charm and the natural beauty of the Waterfront is a large part of what made my visit so enjoyable. It simply is one the most beautiful parts of the city. Even if the food was disappointing, which it wasn’t, at least we were by the Waterfront.

Unfortunately, it was crisp fall night so we couldn’t sit outside, but the inside was spacious and inviting. I loved their use of wood, from the hard wood floors to some wood paneling. The space was modern with a few tasteful slightly rustic touches, like the large stone fireplace we were seated near.

Our server was knowledgeable and helpful. I was really in the mood for comfort food, and I ordered State Fair Burger, a fresh ground sirloin mixed with their housemade Bulldog Steak Sauce and dressed with seasoned mayo, cooked medium rare ($11). I paired it with Stone IPA ($6). The burger arrived cooked perfectly, and the seasoned mayo added some interesting flavors. Overall, it was one the best burgers I’ve had in DC. It’s was my first time trying the Stone IPA, and it had crisp and refreshing taste but a little too bitter for my taste. We all shared a dessert and ordered the brownies. They were good but very sweet, but it’s hard to mess up brownies.

I would go again, but I’ll wait till spring so I could eat outside and really take in the beauty of the harbor.

______________________________

So, on a scale of 1-5, 5 being best:

Taste: 3
Ambience: 3.5
Service: 5
Value: 3.5
Rachna’s overall rating: 3.5
Scott’s overall rating: 3
Fred’s overall rating:3.5

The garden please and NOT the back porch.

After a summer where I had to tear out the blighted tomatoes (who didn’t?) and my 18″ zinnias topped four feet, I was ready to end this weird gardening year.  I moved dirt around, poured on coffee grounds, dried leaves and wet newspaper and covered with black plastic to mulch for the winter. 

Bumper crop of the year?  Parsley.  eh.

Hi gang,

There have been a lot of songs have been written about Monday, all bad.  I am no fan myself.  Mondays are a recovery day after a marathon Market day where I leisurely wander from room to room in my robe (sorry for the visual) and try to remember why I am in that room to begin with.  Well, today I did not have that luxury, I had to hit the ground running.  Short week with Thanksgiving on Thursday and a lot to be done by Wednesday afternoon so I can take a few days off in the mountains.  First off, an interview with CC times reporter on how to green up your holiday gift giving at the market.  What are green gifts?  Think Reuse and Recycle.  I saw a sign at Masa Organics, Rice and Nuts, “Nothing says I love you like a 20 pound bag of brown rice”. You know, there is a new way of thinking regarding gifts.  Gifts from the heart bought or made with great care and thought show you care.  While talking to this nice reporter, she asked me if I thought the market was a good place to buy gifts and yes I do!  You can buy a reuseable market bag stuff it will market bucks and tell your loved ones “I care about You and the enviroment” Give the gift of reusable, renewable and good for you and the earth gift.  Ahhhh, a tree huggers holiday season. No, not at all.  Even the hard-core Hummer driver will become an earth worshipper soon.  We have to.  Does your gift recipient need to see a famous label for the gift to “valuable”?  Buy you gifts at the Farmers’ Market bring them to the market table and I will certify that they were purchased near Tiffany, Nordstrom, Macys, or any other high-end retail you choose. (Nieman-Marcus will have to wait)  The gift you get at the market will have come from a local source, a local person that cares about the quality and you.

Yeah this sound like a sales pitch and I guess it is in a way.  In this economy with money and resources short you have to give gifts that matter and make sense.  You have to ask yourself when you buy something these days, Is this good for my kids, the earth, me, the person I am buying it for, will it be used or recycled when it does get used, will it benefit my community and will it make the world a better place live?  Thats’ a lot to consider!  Because there’s a lot at stake.  If you can consider even one or two of the above questions, the gift will mean more to the recipient than you will ever know.

You can even buy earth friendly in local stores too. See the latest issue of the Walnut Creek Magazine for shopping tips and suggestions.  www.walnutcreekmagazine.com

Here are a few places I intend to shop for holiday gifts,

Bariani Olive Oil, its’ the new hostess gift, a bottle of wine is so last century.

Deltamoon Soap Works, what can I say, cleanliness is next to ( fill in your favorite) and this is the best soap I have ever used.

Whitehall Candle, I burn these candles for the mood altering scents and the earth friendly process they are made with.

Various farms and farmers for Dried Fruits, Nuts, Honey and even fresh fruit.

What Do all these have in common?  They can all be found at the………….wait for it……………The Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market!

In the past few years I have given gifts of my photos to close friends and felt a little strange about it.  I thought they might not like it or its’ “not them” or they don’t like my work but when I go to their homes and I see it has been framed and its’ hanging proudly on their wall, I don’t care if I never sell another piece of my work.

Give of yourself, whether you make it, buy it, donate it, or volunteer it……….its’ the gift that’ll be remembered for a long time after the holidays are gone.

Buy Local!  Buy Sustainable!

Practice Compassion!

Until next time,
see you at the market!

—————-
Now playing: Monsters of Folk – Baby Boomer

Now playing: Elvis Presley – Viva las Vegas

Now playing: Asleep at the Wheel – My Baby Thinks She’s a Train

Now playing: The Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today

Now playing: The Beatles – While My Guitar Gently Weeps

These Seattle Architects had the opportunity to climb up on the roof of the Ellis Residence to film the installation of the 20 panel, 4 kw photovoltaic system which will supply about 40% of the power to the residence. The system features 200 watt panels from Sanyo. The panels harness the rays of the sun to create DC electricity which is then inverted to usable AC power. Electricity generated by the panel but not used by at the residence, especially during the summer months, will be sent to the power grid to be used elsewhere. The installation was recently featured on a Bainbridge Island Television broadcast.

At Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, one continual complaint by students, faculty and visitors alike is the nightmare of finding parking on campus.  In my Product Development and Launch Business class we conjured up possible solutions to ease the difficulty of finding a parking place.   The main complaints about the parking situation are: the lack of available parking in comparison to the number of students/cars and the distance from the parking lots to the campus core, and a trek lasting about 10 minutes.  Our solution exceeds all others because it tackles both of these issues and rewards people for being environmentally friendly.

Our solution involves creating a multi-level parking structure that would accommodate both compact and larger vehicles.  Special carpool passes can be purchased for $100 per quarter, which closely maintains the current system – except now multiple people will be contributing to that fee rather than forking out the money alone.  Then to ensure that people are not cheating the system, as well as for public safety the structure will be monitored by security guards.

Our process of establishing a solution uses surveys and discussions with students about the current parking situation and evaluating the concepts other institutions use.  The best way to reach a wide variety of students is through online brainstorming sites, like Dialogr, and situational concept tests to establish the best solution to this problem.

By combining a global issue (Global Warming and Carbon Emissions) with a local problem (the lack of parking on campus in general and close to classes, as well) we can create the best solution for all.  By giving incentives for each student to become more eco-friendly we in-turn provide a reason for Cal Poly to consider this solution, to reduce the university’s carbon footprint, hoping the combination of the two would create a seamless transition.  Wouldn’t you want to park in a parking structure called “Sustainable Solutions”?

I am so excited for this upcoming Thanksgiving!  Turkey day is one of my favorite holidays because it is a time for friends and family to reconnect and share a warm, home cooked meal with some delicious wine without the worries of gift-giving.  This year my family has made a collective decision to have a local and sustainable feast.

My mom has been at the forefront of this decision and I fully support her.  She ordered our free range turkey from a local farm and our side dishes will consist of veggies from local growers.  To round out the meal you can be certain that I will be bringing some of Yolo’s finest wine to the table (my mother just recently informed me that I will also be responsible for the dessert this year…does  Chapman Hill Syrah count as dessert??).

Everyone is quite interested to see the bounty of our local community and even more excited to share it with one another.

Bon Appétit!

Patricia

Kiva.org

Team Permaculture We Let You Loan to Low Income Entrepreneurs

Kiva’s mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.

Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

The people you see on Kiva’s site are real individuals. When you browse entrepreneurs’ profiles on Kiva, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence and improve life for themselves, their family, and their community. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates and track repayments. Then, when you get your loan money back, you can relend to someone else.

Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions. In doing so, we gain access to entrepreneurs from communities world-wide. Our partners are experts in choosing qualified entrepreneurs. That said, they are usually short on funds. Through Kiva, our partners upload their entrepreneur profiles directly to the site so you can lend to them. When you do, not only do you get a unique experience connecting to a specific entrepreneur on the other side of the planet, but our microfinance partners can do more of what they do, more efficiently.

Kiva provides a data-rich, transparent lending platform. We are constantly working to make the system more transparent to show how money flows throughout the entire cycle, and what effect it has on the people and institutions lending it, borrowing it, and managing it along the way. To do this, we are using the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive. Kiva creates an interpersonal connection at low costs due to the instant, inexpensive nature of internet delivery.

Team Permaculture

[Kiva.org]

Home Base: (Origin) East Coast, USA

Project Bases: West Virginia, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, California, Montana

Network Bases: USA and various other Countries

Network Communities are not publically exhibited as a list, to protect them from exploitation. SCOD functions to study, archive, and actively communicate with communities; not to make them vulnerable to outside commercial forces.

Network Communities by Location / Type (Public):

West Virginia, Spiritual Education

Virginia, Alternative

North Carolina, Alternative Arts

Maryland, Organic Farm

Virginia, Organic Farm

West Virginia, Organic Farm

Shepherdstown, Alternative

Harpers Ferry, Historic

National Park Service

Shenandoah River, Alternative

Florida, Art Farm

Colorado, Alternative Architecture

Wisconsin, Pagan

Yosemite, Miwok Tribe

Yellowstone, Lakota Tribe

Crater Lake, Klamouth Tribe

Wisconsin, Sword Arts

Georgia, Visual Arts

Texas, Military Pagan

Arizona, Alternative Architecture

Montana, Wolf Ranch

Ohio, Alternative Education

(not a complete list, to be continued…)