A Place Like This......

One Small Change: Tree Hugger

photo by Larry White Buffalo

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.  Martin Luther

Do you have a favorite tree? I do. It's the rose cypress just off the North end of my house. Throughout the years I've spent countless hours there with my children playing under it's boughs.

I'm joining Suzy again this year for One Small Change and as always it gets me thinking of just one more way we as a family can lessen our footprint on this planet. 

For my first look at changing small in 2012 I've had to revisit something and that is the idea of paper usage. 

I sort of chalked that one of the list because I'm so dutiful in recycling but last week I did an experiment. I wanted to see how much "unwanted" mail we received every week. Usually I grab the mail, pass the recycle bins, drop off what I don't want, and then head into the house. Out of sight, out of mind.

I was astonished to find this many catalogs in my mailbox after 7 days.

These are all catalogs which I love to look at and read when I'm eating my cereal in the morning. I love all those pretty photos which give me ideas of what to craft, cook, sew, etc. I never ever order out of one of these catalogs unless it's Chinaberry. Love Chinaberry. So when thinking about One Small Change I had to ask myself, is my morning entertainment worth killing a tree over?

The answer simply is no.

So I signed up here to remove myself from the catalog and mail lists. 

And for the sake of disclosure, I also sent an email to Chinaberry asking them not to take me off their list. 

What's your one small change?

A Bright Light Remembered

In the past I've mentioned a woman who has inspired me to think about how each and every one of us can contribute. About a year and a half ago I planted 75 trees, 15 trees for each of my immediate family members to contribute to reforesting the planet.

Sadly I bear the news that Wangari Maathai  died of cancer Sunday in a Nairobi hospital. 

Maathai is best known for creating the Green Belt Movement, which has planted tens of millions of trees around Kenya, but she also personified a positive strain of environmentalism that stands out in a world where “woe is me” messages dominate. 

You can have a look at previous posts I've written about her here and here.

Her family, friends, and co-workers ask that you stop by the Green Belt Movement and/or her Facebook page to leave condolences.

In honor of her memory and to perpetuate all that she has taught, I ask you kindly to plant a tree wherever you may live. She shared that it is each of our responsiblities to care for this planet, and so we shall......

Even in death she lives but oh how I will miss her.

 

One Small Change Wrap Up

I can't believe it's the end. Yep, earth day has come and gone and our One Small Change intiative is passing by with it. I love blogland and participating in all of the various activities that blogging friends inspire. I had no idea that the One Small Change experiment of changing one small thing each month to save the planet would become a lifestyle.

I must admit that I've always been a very eco conscious person but One Small Change has taken the veil off of a philosophy and put tools,motion, and reflection in the hearts and minds of my family. It is so easy to assume that because I believe something and live it or my husband believes something and puts into practice does not always mean that our children understand it or have gone through the reasoning to make it their own.

Over the last four months we have:

• Stopped using plastic bags.
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• Established Meet What You Eat. An intro course for our children about where their food comes from.
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• Planted 75 trees to accomodate our oxygen needs for the next year.
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• And converted to cloth napkins
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All in all it's been a wonderful four months. Much thanks to Suzy and her family for starting this. We are continuing on with our monthly One Small Changes. Each person in the family is now forging their own path into global change.

While visiting Kendra's yesterday, I noticed that she has a very important petition going on.

"from food democracy now: labeling laws may prevent gmo foods from being labeled as such worldwide, sign here to voice your concern. we have the right to know what is in our food! see here for just one study on the risks of gmo foods. "

Thank you dear friends for inspiring me and my family over the last four months. Can you believe all of the beautiful changes that have gone on and how our planet is being positively affected? Great Job Everybody!

One Small Change: Trees and Napkins

Everything is starting to come alive. After this very long winter in Tennessee, I was beginning to wonder if Spring was ever going to pay us a visit. It always amazes me how quickly the metamorphose between Winter and Spring happens.

Our March "One Small Change" was to plant trees. This hasn't happened yet because of the very cold,rainy, and muddy weather we've been having. The trees have been purchased and will be going in when the weather clears. Above is the fruit  and nut orchard we planted 5 years ago. 

One of the wise children I live with pointed out the trees we are planning to plant are really just part of an "oxymoron".

"An oxymoron?" I asked

"Yes. Mom, we are planting these trees and then we will come in for a great meal and wipe our mouths with one of the paper napkins you circulate around our table."

Oh my aching gosh she's right. I really have loved my decorative and thematic napkins. Every time I go to IKEA I pick up a horde of them because they are pretty and cheap, but what are they made out of? Trees!

Aprils "One Small Change" is to make fabric napkins. I have so many remnants of fabric and this will be a really fun activity for all of us to do. So I guess you could say that we plant a tree, save a tree. Happy April everyone!

  

One Small Change: One Seed at a Time

Announcements:

• Gardenmama is  hosting an incredible giveaway from Natural Suburbia. It ends today so head on over.
• Yesterday the new edition of The Rhythm of the Home came out. I'm very happy to say that I contributed an article in this edition. There are so many talented women who have written for this.  Please enjoy and be sure to spread the word.

When I think of Suzy and the starting of one small change, it brings to mind an idea of the Kenyan people called "harambee", which means "the spirit of pulling together for the common good. The journey that my family has been on since the beginning of the year with one small change, has led us to believe that our acts are so important. By taking a moment and reflecting on our patterns and habits we have joined a grassroots movement via the blogosphere to preserve our planet for future generations. While at the same time making new friends who are on a similiar journey just like us.

This month's one small change is inspired by the first African woman Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Muta Maathai. Growing up in the foothills of Mount Kenya, Wangari had a deep love of the people and the land around her. Trees make her smile. Wangari planted trees to give her beauty, shade, and the over all refreshment of the spirit.

Being the only female with a Ph.d in Africa at the time, she was held in the highest esteem as a wise woman. People often sought after her for advice. Many women would come to her to solve their problems.

 As each woman would come with their issues, a tree seed would be given as an answer to their inquiry. Always high praise was given to their outer and inner strength, their courage, and how this particular tree seedling could solve their problems.

In 1976 Wangari Maathai started a grass-roots movement of planting trees to establish peace in Kenya.  The trees prevent soil erosion, filter water and air, and provide firewood,food, and timber for shelters.  The women are credited with embracing this movement and reclaiming their rights as "Keepers of the Earth." The Green-Belt Movement has planted more than 30 million trees in Kenya and other African countries.

This months one small change will see us planting trees. Each person on planet earth needs 15 trees per year to be supplied with enough oxygen to live. There are 5 people in our family so we will need to plant 75 trees.

For a little family tree planting fun, please head on over to Jump Into A book, where we are experiencing Wangari Maathai's tree journey by jumping into the book Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli and Kadir Nelson.  This book touches the heart and spirit of this woman leaving us all empowered to make One Small Change.

For more info on Wangari Maathai and the Greenbelt Movement:

The Greenbelt Movement

Wangari Maathai Nobel Laureate 

A lovely video of the country she planted ....10 minutes long but worth it. Presented at the Nobel Peace Prize.

Short trailer to the movie taking root.

Nature Kenya

Today's photos are courtesy of Taking Root Films and The Green Movement.

 

A Circle is Round

We join spokes together in a wheel,

But it is the center hole

That makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,

But it is the emptiness inside

That holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

But it is the inner space

That makes it livable

We work with being,

But non-being is what we use.

(Lao Tzu)

No beginnings, no end just a continuation of friendship, stewardship, and creativity. One Small Change has been an amazing journey so far. What I thought was a very linear project has revealed itself to be a complete community circle.

 Today ends the month of February in One Small Change. This month we were meeting what we were eating. We realized from the early onset that a few of us had to do some research. Many books have been read, many people have been launched into worth while conversations and we ended up the month collectively making changes in our families food habits for the better. It is clear that "meet what you eat" is a journey and so we will not end it with this month but will continue on with it here at "A Place like this".

Also continuing on is our change for the first month of the challenge and that was bringing our own bags to the grocery store. This month I'm joining Emily and Dawn who are hosting a string along of making our own bags to take to the store. Please join us. Today I've cast on the stitches to this bag and am working my way to some beautiful market take alongs.

Tomorrow I will announce the One Small Change for March. Until then take care!

One Small Change: Meet What You Eat

It's time for One Small Change. Every month until Earth Day my family will be making One Small Change that will have a positive impact on the planet. Last month I started bringing my very own bags to the grocery store. This has become a habit which has had a positive effect because I no longer have the dreaded hanging bags on my kitchen cupboards. This week I'll be sewing bags for my children so they can leave them in their cars to use when they go to the store.

I had planned something totally different for this month's small change and then friday night happened. Something so out of the ordinary that I knew I had to jump on and stay for the ride. Friday it started snowing. Little brother went to spend the night at a friends, dad was working late with surgeries,and that left my 17 year old Mimi and I alone. In our solitude emerged and incredible game of Yahtzee and the most incredible conversation. Mimi, it seems, is very inspired by her college Biology teacher. Last week they watched the movie Food Inc and the rose colored glasses came off of Mimi who asked me this question, "Mom, do you know where the food we eat comes from ?" "Yes Mimi , I do." Don't just say "Yes" mom. "Most people are eating plastic, anti-biotics, genetically engineered food etc. Mom don't just say "Yes". Really answer the question, "Do you know where our food comes from?" and again I answered "Yes, Mimi, I do."

After this simple answer the interrogation lamp came out and I was grilled about our dairy,eggs, meat, poultry, vegetables,fruits, jams, peanut butter, grain, and then it hit me that I assumed our children knew that we eat sustainable and local. I thought the huge garden would have been a significant clue. The pantry stocked with jams,jellies,pickles of all varieties, the freezer stocked with tomatoes and blueberries would have been a dead give away but I guess that alluded her. I put my shock at her not knowing where our food came from under the table and completely embraced her moment of discovery as if I had never done all of those above mentioned things.I'm trying to see it from her side and rediscover why I love living this way.

 It's the way I was raised. We didn't have any grand discussions about it we just lived and ate local. My husband was also raised that way in Lebanon, so when our daughter started asking these questions it was such a shock to discover that she didn't know. Can you tell I'm in shock? She has never questioned where her food came from and how we eat consciously local. Mimi is having a bit of a paradigm shift and that's when I realized this month's small change is going to be to introduce my children to their food source.

I invite you friends to come along with my family and I as we meet the people that consciously make our food, the places we buy or exchange it , and the choice to pass on the idea of conscious sustainable living to my little family. This month's small change is "Meet what you Eat."

If you know your food you are more likely to eat food that has been raised ethically and uses less resources such as water. There are many other reasons as well which I will take one at a time as we journey into our food source.Over the weekend I went through my book stacks and pulled out the Michael Pollan books "The Omnivore's Dilemma, "In Defense of Food" and "Food Rules". Michael has a new Young Reader's edition out of Omnivore's Dilemma . So Mimi is off with her arm load of books.  More later.......carrot anyone?

One Small Change: Re-usable grocery bags

It has been a wonderful two weeks filled with eating,friends,visits,crafting,going to the Stuga,watching movies, and staying up way too late. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and I wish everyone the best in the New Year.

The starting of another year, let alone a new decade, is a time of reflection for me. I don't make resolutions but I look at the whole picture. What can I do to help my family, my community,my planet?

The last week in December is a reflection and celebration of all we have accomplished in the past year but the first week of January is my annual tradition of renewing and revitalizing myself. I will speak more of this tradition during the week but today is a promise I made in December to nurture and revitalize the planet.

At the beginning of every month I'll be picking one small thing I can do to make a difference to our planet and blogging about it. One Small Changeis a way for us to come together as a blogging community to share the positive differences we are making towards a better planet. Hosting this event is Suzy at HipMountainMama. All are welcome and it isn't too late to join.

So what small change will I be making in January?

 A really necessary one. Every time I use a plastic grocery bag I'm riddled with guilt. I hate the way they hang on the cupboard door until it's time to go to the store where I recycle them.

 When I bought my hybrid last year, Toyota gave me 7 reusable grocery bags, it sort of hit me as an oxymoron but there we have it.There they sat waiting to go with me to the store. Finally they were put in the car and used one time. I really thought this was nifty and when I was done using them they didn't find there way back to the car for quiet a few weeks.

So here is the plan:

1. Put bags on the passenger seat of my car.
2. Once all groceries are put away the bags go back to the passenger seat of my car.
3. Once bags are in the car,give myself a small piece of chocolate. ;)

I also look forward to buying some laminate fabric to sew my own version of a grocery bag. As simple and mundane as this sounds it's so important to do.

I'll give you an update at the end of the month to let you know how it went. Until that time, however, won't you join us?