Hole in the Fence

How do you build a movement?

March 6, 2009 by samsonblackwell

Today I went down to volunteer for a committee. I love being on committees: I feel so…official and important. Like I’m in charge. After all, I was the president of my 4-H chapter. I know Robert’s Rules of Order and everything. And I have a special fondness for officialspeak: “WHEREAS the party of the first part, blah blah blah…”

Sorry, got a little sidetracked…. Where was I? Oh yes, the group I’m volunteering with is planning to hold a summit. It’ll be their 8th. And I can already tell that it’s not my slice of cake. Seriously. I want to build movements, not piddle around and watch a bunch of eco-insiders pat each other on the back. Did I tell you this summit is invitation-only?

Maybe I’m being too critical…?

Maybe. But I can already see that the group is missing out on some serious marketing and outreach opportunities, here.

For outreach, in addition to the local non-profits, I would invite local for-profit companies that are geared toward sustainability. In my opinion, not including select members of the business community ignores an important part of the “change” equation. I think back to the triple bottom line philosophy (People, Planet, Profit), and it seems pivotal that we not ignore any of those bottom lines. After all, people have to make a living, so why not encourage those who already do so sustainably and compassionately? And the continued alignment of business and environmental needs can only be good.

As far as marketing is concerned, what an opportunity this presents to broaden the audience! Even if the organization can only manage logistics for a handful of people, it can utilize the event to generate enormous interest in their organization. The best way I can think of would be by filming the event and putting interesting snippets on Youtube or even the organization’s homepage.

And, in addition to inviting people it has had on its list for years, it could be proactive in finding and inviting new movers and shakers in the local community. C’mon guys, don’t make them find you, go find them.

This organization holds other, more inclusive events, and it does some great things for the community. But I think the way the summit is structured is indicative of an old-school us/them mindset that is no longer necessary or beneficial. There is an astonishing amount of consensus about sustainability now, and that consensus needs to be leveraged before it’s lost.

In my opinion, any organization that rests on its laurels and continues to engage select groups risks insularity and, ultimately, irrelevancy.

But that’s my opinion.

So…I have a poll for you. Check it out and let me know what you think. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m crazy smart. You decide.

Posted in community, philosophy | Tagged activism, exclusivity, goals, inclusivity, mission, movements, personality conflicts, poll, volunteering | 1 Comment »

Saving energy (and money)

March 3, 2009 by samsonblackwell

So…we have electric central heating. Dumbest thing ever. You should see the meter spin when the heater is running. In the winter it drives our electric bill from $60/month to $360. Last January our bill was $626. Yep. Innnnnn-sane.

Something had to change.

So I went on an energy-saving crusade:

I started unplugging appliances (like the coffee pot) and electronics (like the entertainment center) at night
I bought a space heater that uses as much juice as a toaster
We put on a sweatshirt before we turn on the heater
Denette made draft dodgers (She’s writing a how-to post)

Our electric bill dropped from $343 to $141 in the first month.

Then our electric dryer broke. Now I’m keenly awaiting our next bill to see how much that has managed to knock off.

You know what’s cool? Realizing just how much control I have over my conditions. I can, if I choose, save significant amounts of money by making small lifestyle changes. Okay, the dryer/clothesline switch is a BIG lifestyle change. But the others are not. The others are simple and straightforward. And an immediate boost to the budget.

Now, what to do with the extra $? Debt reduction or Hawai’i? Hmmmmmm…

Posted in money | Tagged clothesline, draft dodgers, efficiency, energy, lifestyle changes, saving money, space heater, winter gardening | 2 Comments »

An easy one

February 18, 2009 by samsonblackwell

This was blooming beside the road. I HAD to stop and capture the orangelisiousness.

California Poppy! (Ooops, did I give it away?)

Can you tell me what it is?

C’mon, this is totally a gimme!

Posted in plant identification | Tagged contest, flowers, local beauty, photography, roadside treasures | 5 Comments »

Invention is the mother of necessity

February 18, 2009 by samsonblackwell

Okay, this is what invention looks like when you decide not to buy a new dryer and use a clothesline exclusively. And it’s raining outside. And you need clean clothes.

Fun for hide and seek!

The kids love it. I’m glad Denette and I are flexible, because we do a LOT of ducking from the kitchen to the living room.

Um...anyone seen my family?

Yes, I’m STILL working on a solution. I’m thinking we should just wear less clothing. Problem solved.

Posted in diy | Tagged clothesline project update, family, flexibility, fun, How-To, kids | 4 Comments »

A different mindset

February 17, 2009 by samsonblackwell

So, you know when you go to the store for milk, you can never get just milk? After the gym last night I ran in to New Frontiers for…milk. But the apples were calling to me. They were local, See Canyon apples, and they looked DELICIOUS; they also looked different. Different than the typical apples I see in most stores. Oddly, the small, mottled, blemished organic apples appealed to me more than the large, shiny, symmetrical apples. (Yes, I think about this kind of stuff all the time. It drives Denette crazy.)

And here’s where I started getting philosophical. (Denette is rolling her eyes right now).

Until recently the mindset has been shiny = new = good. There is some logic in this. After all, bruised = old = good doesn’t sound very reasonable. (Sounds pretty gross, actually). However, the little red orbs of waxed perfection represent something completely different to me: shiny = commercial = bad. shiny, conventional apples

The main issue here is not that perfection is bad, or even that striving for perfection is bad—those are both goods in my book—but that the appearance of perfection is bad. In the case of the commercial apples, the process of making pretty things is actually deceptive: it hides the imperfections that exist and creates a false impression of fresh loveliness. I’ve bitten into the shiny commercial surface before only to be surprised by the woody dryness of an apple well past its prime freshness date. Because the apple had to drive 2,500 miles to get here, it’s bound to be old and tired after a journey like that.

And do I even need to mention the hidden chemical badness? Probably not.

I’m seeing a trend away from the shiny/new/good perspective, and I hope it will continue. Because if more people develop a different mindset about what indicates good food then demand will go up. Then maybe producers and distributors wouldn’t need to spend so much time and money prettifying, packaging, and preserving our foodstuffs. Instead, they could focus on getting us the best tasting, healthiest local products.

Speaking of healthy and local. Check out this new Co-op in SLO. Good things are happening!

Posted in philosophy | Tagged buying local, knowledge, organic, photos, sustainability | 2 Comments »

Controlling the finances

February 15, 2009 by samsonblackwell

I had an astute friend ask me to track expenses on the projects we’re doing. With the economy at the forefront of everyone’s minds, I think that’s a great idea. We can demonstrate in very real terms how much it costs (or saves!) to do the sustainable thing.

I’ve placed the tracker on the TV Episodes page. It’s pretty rough right now, but I’ll refine it as time goes on. One of the things I can already think of is how to demonstrate savings as well. For instance, we haven’t used our electric dryer for three weeks. I’m sure that’s saved us some substantial pocket change.

Let me know if you can think of anything else we should be tracking—financially or otherwise.

Posted in site updates | Tagged clothesline, efficiency, expenses, finances, laundry, sustainability | Leave a Comment »

Name that Flower!

February 14, 2009 by Mom

We are taking an intermission as we prepare to post the next entry in the art contest. So, instead, we’re having a “name that flower” contest! Winner gets a big virtual hug!

Our first entry is the little guys in the banner above. They look like a herd of elephants to me with their huge ears; and look at those expressive eyes. I see a little of the Odie character too from Garfield’s comic strip.

Do you see anything in this picture? Do you know what plant this is? Have some fun with it and share your musings.

Posted in plant identification | Tagged fun, knowledge, learning, logo, winter | Leave a Comment »

Winter Garden Planting Tips

February 9, 2009 by Mom

So, we started our winter garden in December to film it, which was actually a bit late. And it was just pure luck that we are having such a warm winter and and everything is growing like crazy. If you’d like to take advantage of the beautiful weather, too, it’s not too late to throw some “winter” veggies in the ground.

The best way to find out what to plan is to check with local nurseries. They’ll stock up on the veggies that are in season and ready for planting. Farm Supply (who I absolutely love, by the way) is carrying broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, lettuce, bok choy (OMG, Bok Choy is the winter version of zucchini) seed potatoes, onion sets, peas, and lots of other cold-loving plants.

If you have some organic garlic cloves around stick them in the garden, too.

You can start many of the plants—like radishes, carrots, spinach, lettuce—from seeds since they are fast growers. Others you can start from…starts. Hah! Once again, check with your local nursery, they’re the experts.

The Old Farmers Almanac has a time schedule for planting by the moon. So if this is your first or you are going to plant the second round like we are, now is the time.

The time to plant flowers and veggies that bear crops ABOVE ground is during the LIGHT of the moon that is, from the day the moon is new to the day it is full, this is a waxing moon. I like to think of it as wax on, like in Karate Kid. Wax on is a clockwise motion adding to the light of the moon. Waxing. Above ground crops Brussel sprouts, lettuce, Bok Choy (OMG) radishes, spinach, etc.
Flowering bulbs and veggies that bear crops BELOW ground should be planted during the DARK of the moon: that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. This is called the waning moon. Again, in Karate Kid Wax off. So this is a counter clockwise motion decreasing the light of the moon. Waning. Below the ground crops like Potatoes, onions, carrots, garlic, leeks, etc.

The month of February starts out with a waxing moon so plant above ground crops up until 2/9. The full snow moon is 2/9. So plant your below ground crops on the waning or dark of the moon. Or not. Some swear that planting by the moon makes a real difference. Others, who have to get stuff in the ground so they can film it, do it whenever they can. (I’m sure Samson will write a post about how he’s SKEPTICAL about planting by the moon. I say skeptical, schmeptical).

Old Farmer’s Almanac shows the following planting dates according to the moon for:

BEETS 2/10-23
BROCCOLI 2/24-3/10
BRUSSEL SPROUTS AND CABBAGE 2/24-3/10
CARROTS 2/15-23
CAULIFLOWER 2/24-3/7
CELERY 2/24-28
COLLARDS 2/24-3/10
ENDIVE 2/24-3/10
KALE 2/24-3/10
LEEKS 2/15-23
LETTUCE 2/24-3/7
ONION SETS 2/10-23
PARSLEY 2/24-3/10
POTOTOES 2/10-23
SPINACH 2/7-9, 2/24-3/10
SWISS CHARD 2/7-9, 2/24-3/10
WHEAT, SPRING 2/24-28

Plant away! And we’d love to hear how it goes. Oh, and if you have any other questions, leave them in the comments. Oh, and if you have a nursery you really like, let us know about that, too.

Posted in organic gardening | Tagged advice, diy, feedback, How-To, knowledge, winter gardening | Leave a Comment »

Garden Update—Week 10

February 5, 2009 by samsonblackwell

The update is here! (I’m saying this like I’ve POSTED other updates to see if I can fool you. How’s it working?)

Right now we’re getting about 16 oz of leaf lettuce and several radishes a week, and we’re growing enough bok choy to open a small Chinese restaurant. I’m looking forward to harvesting the spinach next!

The bulb onions are taking forever, which we expected. So are the carrots, which we didn’t. I WANT BABY CARROTS!

The nasturtiums and marigolds are coming in nicely, though we haven’t had any real bug problems anyway. Something likes the bok choy, but only a little bit, so I’m okay with sharing. Plus, it’s the bok choy. We have PLENTY.

When we were out watering last week, Logan, my ever-vigilant son, pulled up several of the head lettuce shoots thinking they were weeds. Oh well, they went very nicely in the afternoon salad.

My only concern at the moment is the broccoli. It’s looking a bit stringy and anemic. Waiting to see if broccoli start off as gangly youth before they grow into strapping young stalks.

That’s all for now! Stay tuned for the next in the series! Because I’m going to make it a series! Honest!

Posted in organic gardening | Tagged garden update, kids, knowledge, photos, recipes, winter gardening | Leave a Comment »

Goodwill is great

February 2, 2009 by samsonblackwell

My mom got this gorgeous stainless steel teapot for us.

For $5.

From Goodwill.

If you’re not concerned about “new,” or about where you bought it, then Goodwill is a great place to put on your “check here first” list. Treasures abound.