Lessons in remaining curious and creative

This is from a personal blog of mine from last fall entitled Lessons in remaining curious and creative. I share it tonight because I am reminded of the importance of being there when life happens. Even amidst frantic work on the website (I was working until midnight most nights on my computer course and the website simultaneously after the kids were in bed), I was able to find pause and go back to one simple truth: The only moment you ever have is now. Embrace it. Be present. Find joy...

"Today was one of those dark rainy days that can make you want to stay beneath the covers and pretend you don’t have a reason to get out.

Fortunately, that delusion never entered my mind thanks to my two young boys. My three year old has already woken me up twice with bad dreams about witches chasing him (bless him) and is now sleeping on my forehead, crowding me into the far corner of my bed. (Keep in mind you could have a small dinner party on this thing)

I just get back to sleep when my older son enters at 6am and says loudly, “Oh yeah - I don’t have school today - I could have slept in.” EXACTLY! Insert curse word. Of course this always happens when their dad is out of town.

***

But it’s 8am and we are carving a pumpkin. Rather unorthodox I know, but our first one has long since rotted and, well, they asked so nicely. Also yesterday was our 1/2 share produce pick up and this is our third pumpkin - what else are we going to do with it?

While our spiced pumpkin seeds are roasting, we spy the bag of dried corn for popcorn and chestnuts.

Now I know some people don’t like the whole “you never know what you’re going to get” aspect of buying a share in a local CSA, but for us it’s been a lesson in curiosity and creativity. (How many different ways can you cook green beans and still have your kids not eat them? Can I make a white eggplant taste good?) And this morning, can I pop popcorn without one of those electric poppers?

It turns out all you need is a pot, a cover, and some oil over high heat. After I drizzle butter and salt over the bowlful, the eldest declares, “This is the best popcorn I’ve ever had!” So we move on to the chestnuts (sorry we used the oven, not an open fire). Easy and tasty as well.

By this time the house smells delicious and I feel like the triumphant captain of the Mayflower; I’ve launched this culinary ship into previously unchartered waters and succeeded!

By this time, we decide this is our no-driving day and we hunker down.

We color; we play Star Wars; we rock out to the Romantics “What I Like About You” while we pick up the 30 or so books that are strewn all over Ian’s room; we play hide and seek.

We all agree that a “family bath party” is the perfect ending to a perfect day. With our three-inch layer of bubbles we make beards, snowballs, glaciers and marshmallow cakes! My 6 yr old begins putting “red hot fire cream” on my legs because “your blood is evaporating!” That cannot be good. But after a few douses of “the best cream I’ve ever come across” I seem cured.

Of more than just the dreary day.

Kids have a wonderful way of keeping you in the moment.

I know these days of family baths and pretend potions are disappearing fast. So before I lay my weary head to sleep, I enjoy them, and hope for no mean witches tonight.

Peace"

Are you getting crankie about catalogs? Here's how to say no to all that junk mail

The "green recipe" that people continue to request from Betty is "How can I stop my junkmail?" BWB has made it very easy, by clicking on the link below: www.betterworldbetty.com/nojunkmail.htm
but I've also reprinted below this comprehensive list straight from the Federal Trade Commission's website (www.ftc.gov) of stopping the relentless retail that happens via mail and phone. I love this list on how to "Just Say No" to junk mail and junk solitications by phone.

As a side note: Betty is full of grace and tact when it comes to politely declining plastic bags or junk mail or (just recently) a "free Disney DVD" from Circuit City, but it is not always easy as she battles with Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn direct mail marketing: after FIVE REQUESTS over the past TWO YEARS, I am still receiving the catalog.

So Betty's research unearthed this call line: 1-877-FTC-HELP to report egregious abuses of marketing companies who ignore your requests to JUST SAY NO. Hope it helps!

BWB


FTC Consumer Alert
Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Consumer Protection Division of Consumer & Business Education
Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and Email: Where to Go to “Just Say No”
Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail, including pre-approved credit card applications? Fed up with getting telemarketing calls just as you’re sitting down to dinner? Fuming that your email inbox is chock-full of unsolicited advertising? The good news is that you can cut down on the number of unsolicited mailings, calls, and emails you receive by learning where to go to “just say no.”
Credit Bureaus
The credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to “opt-out” of having pre-approved credit offers sent to you for five years. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit
www.optoutprescreen.com for more information. When you call, you’ll be asked for personal information, including your home telephone number, your name, and your Social Security number. The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit.
In addition, you can notify the three major credit bureaus that you do not want personal information about you shared for promotional purposes — an important step toward eliminating unsolicited mail. Write your own letter or use the sample letter on the last page of this Alert to limit the amount of information the credit bureaus will share about you. Send your letter to each of the three major credit bureaus:
Experian
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
Attn: Consumer Services Department
TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094
Equifax, Inc.
Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374-0123
Direct Marketers
Telemarketing
The federal government has created the National Do Not Call Registry — a free, easy way to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register your phone number or to get information about the registry, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1‑888‑382‑1222 from the phone number you want to register. You will get fewer telemarketing calls within 31 days of registering your number. Telephone numbers on the registry will only be removed when they are disconnected and reassigned, or when you choose to remove a number from the registry.
Mail
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service (for a $1 fee), your name will be put on a “delete” file and made available to direct-mail marketers. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that do not use the DMA’s Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA’s Mail Preference Service, go to
www.dmachoice.org.
Email
The DMA also has an Email Preference Service to help you reduce unsolicited commercial emails. To opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial email from DMA members, visit
www.dmachoice.org/EMPS. Your online request will be effective for five years.
Department of Motor Vehicles
The Drivers Privacy Protection Act allows states to distribute personal information only to law enforcement officials, courts, government agencies, private investigators, insurance underwriters, and similar businesses — but not for direct marketing and other uses.
If You Have a Complaint
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1‑877‑FTC‑HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Sample Opt-Out Letter (Send to addresses on first page of this Alert.)
Date
To whom it may concern:
I request to have my name removed from your marketing lists. Here is the information you have asked me to include in my request:
FIRST, MIDDLE & LAST NAME
(List all name variations, including Jr., Sr., etc.)
______________________________
CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
PREVIOUS MAILING ADDRESS
(Fill in your previous mailing address if you have moved in the last 6 months.)
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
______________________________
DATE OF BIRTH
______________________________
Thank you for your prompt handling of my request.
______________________________
Signature
July 2008

Betty's October column in Abode: Reduce your driving!

Enjoy this column here at Betty's blog or read it in this month's Abode: www.c-ville.com

Charlottesvillians everywhere are finding ways to downshift their driving. To skip a trip, choose a ride you take on a weekly basis and get creative.

To maintain your level of awareness, keep a fuel log.

Then trade your four wheels for two and bike or walk.

Not viable? Jeff Greer, Senior Systems Engineer at LexisNexis, saves up to 35 miles a week using the Charlottesville Transit System bus or free trolley.

Our local rideshare program (www.rideshareinfo.org) makes carpooling easy. Commit to once a week and the “guaranteed ride” program ensures you won’t be left stranded. And parents: check to see if your school is registered with the schoolpool which matches drivers for you.

Have you heard of hypermiling to maximize fuel efficiency? Consider making small adjustments in your driving techniques for a week: shifting into neutral when reaching top speed, staying within speed limits, eliminating quick starts, and turning off the engine when idling for more than a minute and see the positive results.

Talk to your boss about the possibility of four-day work week or working from home. Select departments at UVA and Charlottesville City have promoted this fuel-saving change.

Marleigh Baratz, a county resident, began a “call before you go” system on her block. Before going to the store, she phones neighbors to see if they need a couple items (to be reimbursed), helping others to avoid unnecessary trips. Better yet, take advantage of retail relay (www.retailrelay.com): a newly launched online service, where you click, pay, and make one trip to pick up your local goods.

Eliminating one weekly ten-mile trip will save you over 2,000 miles a year and up to $550 in gas.

Sitting around the dinner table...

Today was just one of those days. Totally off balance. Too much "running around." That's when I think Kermit was right, it's not easy being green. I am finding that the pace of your life plays a huge role in earth-friendly behavior. Going slow helps me to go green. The nice thing about my friend, Betty, is that she realizes that some days are like that, especially in the lives of working families with young children.

So when the kids and I sat down together at the table tonight, we finally had time to reconnect.

One way we begin that process is to take a moment's pause to show gratitude for our food. My son loves to lead this:

"Earth, who gives to us this food, Sun, who makes it ripe and good,
Dearest Earth, Dearest Sun,
We won't forget what you have done."

After we share each other's best and worst of the day, we start to talk about what we are eating. Since we've done a farm share and worked in our garden as well as friends' gardens, my kids are getting pretty good at the "Where did this come from" game.

I think this is a great way to talk about not only how food came about (the farmer planted the seed, the seed grew with good soil, sun, water, and then ripens and is ready for harvest), but also helps kids learn that food grows in all different conditions. Our potatoes and garlic came from the dirt. Our green beans came from a vine. Our rice is a grain, which had to be hulled. And we chose to eat something that was once living: a fish.

It's also fun from a nutrition standpoint. If I've learned anything from kids, they really love to learn and know the right thing to do. My four year old asked for broccoli first at the bakery the other day!

The discussion doesn't stop there, because it's very likely the food took an extended journey to us. Today I bought a small filet of farm-raised fish (aka "brain food") for the three of us, but it was not from the U.S. - an unusual purchase for us these days in our desire to lessen our "foodprint", but again today's pace played a role: I hadn't pre-planned dinner so I rushed the selection process.

My green lesson for today for myself and you all, my friends:

Dinner is a great time to reflect on food as a family and connect with where our food comes from.

Gratitude feels good and helps us tap in.

It's not about perfection, it's about practice. Today we did too much, so tomorrow we will slow down and be more mindful of our choices.

In-joy,
BWB

Ruby takes her first ride in a long time!

I finally got on my bike (Ruby) today!

My bike and I, we have taken an extended hiatus from each other since my college years in Salt Lake City, where we would head to the foothills or mountains or southern Utah (you may have heard of Moab) any chance we could get.

Being in a period of expansion, having two kids and pets, has derailed my bike adventures for the most part with exception of riding the neighborhood or renting bikes on vacations. But Betty continues to inspire change in me (and I hope you as well), as I utter a Betty mantra: "Are you doing something better today than you did yesterday?" Step by step.

Just like most things in life, starting is half (if not more) of the battle.

After telling myself I "should" get on my bike, then the pep talk from Howell, and the adornment ceremony, using various bumper stickers (Trees on Fire, Burn Gas AND Calories, and Better World Betty) and the purchase of the perfect dinger (which can warn other riders, pedestrian, and cars that Betty is on the loose), not to mention the shift in clothing mindset (I mustered a pair of my mom's old running tights and a bright colored t-shirt), I was ready.

So last week I show up and in my rush to drop my preschooler off on time, I've forgotten my helmet and realize my bike seat is at home on my front lawn and the ACCT map of Cville is in the kitchen! Back to the drawing board. (The return movement is important too. Don't give up - stay engaged)

Today the stars aligned (and my mindfulness arrived), though, and I found a beautiful bike path from my son's preschool to my work station - the downtown mall. I find I mostly travel to the same local shops in close proximity to each other: Preston Ave Shops, Cville Coffee, ACAC, and the downtown mall, all bikeable. I'm lucky. The real question for today was could I stay off the 250 bypass (ever increasing traffic of free bridge) and the wonderful answer is yes! The even better part of that answer is that the path includes beautiful views of the rivanna and centuries old birch and oak trees as well as wildflowers. Though the path is circuitous and thus will take longer (like the green-living path in general), it will be well worth it. Especially as the leaves start to change: one of my favorite times in Virginia.

Howell said the next time I should take you all with me on the ride - strap a web-cam to Ruby's handlebars! Hmmm. That could be interesting.

BWB


From me (a novice) to you:

*What to wear: Safety first, be seen! (Sorry eco-fashionistas!) I picked out the brightest piece of clothing I could find (which didn't exactly work - it's a tank top the bright happy yellow of Sweden's flag). Also my usual attire was posing a slight problem: I noticed this morning I don't have anything that isn't too tight to ride a bike in or jeans with too flappy bottoms (turns out Howell was ready with his rubber bands, I mean special techno-geek pant-leg ties)

*Planning: It's important to consider your commuter path. Howell suggested to drive that path first with new eyes. Considering the visibility and accessibility on a bike. Note: ACCT (Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation) has a bike mentor program ready and waiting to help you.

*Trial run: It's important to get out there and try it, preferrably with a biking buddy. See what routes work, what routes don't depending on what your needs are. Find the safest routes. Time your trip to see how commuter biking can fit into your schedule.

*Have fun: the more fun we have doing something, the more likely we will continue to do it.

*Most important: stay alert and defensive and present while biking!

Your favorite green thing to do...

The Veggie Fest was an absolute joy of an experience. Cville Weekly graciously sponsored Betty's booth and the event was a grand success. Adrienne and I talked to so many people, gave away lots of "green recipes," shared information about how to use the website as a tool for your green life, and above all enjoyed the beautiful rain on/rain off day. We also encouraged people to share their favorite green thing and here are the results from you all (I'm sorry I didn't get first names and ages).

*I plant trees and gardens
*I use cloth diapers
*I use fecal waste from my pet to enrich both the compost heap and garden plot directly. Turning compost frequently and breaking matter up to better enrich garden soil.
*I wash out and reuse ziplock bags as containers
*I dry clothes on the clothes line
*I decline a bag in the store when purchasing a handful of items
*I follow a vegan lifestyle
*I am a veg head!
*I recycle (from Bohden)
*I play in the rain (I do too!)
*I am careful not to waste water
*I use a tankless water heater (check American Tankless)
*I don't use plastic or paper bags
*I compost
*I use 1/2 c baking soda, followed by 1 cup vinegar and shut drain for unclogging. When the fizzing stops, I add hot water for 1 minute
*I don't cut down trees (Bohden, 4 yrs old), Please save the land for animals and don't build lots of houses
*For my automatic dishwasher, I fill half-full with a detergent and then shake baking soda over dirty dishes, then start!
*I unplug all appliances and things including the coffee pot when not in use. I also burn candles and use night lights instead of other lighting.
*We recycle!
*I don't receive bank or store receipts anymore!

THANKS EVERYONE!

Update on the No-Buying Pledge: Month Nine

This post is dedicated to the first (non-family member) fan and supporter of Better World Betty, my dear friend Eva out in Colorado. She is a continual inspiration to me. We had our phone date today and she wants an update on the no-buying pledge. So, here goes.

I left you on June 6 - a post describing my minor infractions (around six in number), the last one being couple of beach goodies. Aye, there's the rub. I have two kids with gear needs! So far we've managed to utilize last season's baseball pants, my mom's free body-for-life bag (for his baseball equipment), and gently used toys and books for bday gifts (ah the birthday parties).

Here are August and September's divergences:

#7: I didn't buy everything on the back-to-school list (four dozen pencils!! no way), but did need some new items that we considered essential: two new outfits, new tennis shoes, new art supplies (we shopped the best Michael's alternative: Studio Art and Craft House), and a couple of required folders.

#8: Orange baseball socks and a protective cup for being catcher (dad's didn't exactly work). Plastic does have its place. :-)

#9: This month my prison pen-pal requested new clothes she could wear for a job interview (huge step) and they will allow me to send her some! I went to one of the local discount shops and bought her two versatile outfits and a sweater for the winter. Difficult not to go hog wild here, knowing the rough road she continues travel. I trust these clothes and the love and compassion accompanying them will serve her well.

So Eva wants to join me in this pledge. She asked if I've started a no-new-buying club. (cool idea) She also offered to design a sticker I can put on my car after the year is up. I told her to start designing it (she's an amazing artist). "This is so huge!" She is so sweet. "You need some way to proudly display you accomplished this at the end of the year."

So what are the guidelines? They started out hard and fast: Nothing new for a whole year. Just the essentials - food and shelter needs. The only minor tweak I discovered once our dishwasher stopped working was that it was important to allow for tweaks in the green direction. This fall we will be purchasing a new energy-efficient, water saver clothes washer. Surely an eco-smart thing to do in lieu of our old one that keeps tearing our clothes and likely uses too much (cold only) water.

It's so interesting because at first I would be at a shopping place and see something in a window and go ooohh, I "need" that. (kind of like what used to happen when I got all those catalogs in the mail) And then I would think "aahh - the no buying pledge strikes!"

But now I don't even notice. It's quite liberating. It only comes up when someone says, "Oh just go to Target and buy another one," which is quite common notion in our culture. Just go buy another one.

And when I feel the retail therapy urge, I might head into one of my favorite consignment shops and buy a new top. Everyone likes to have something new every once in a while. Balance and perspective is so important from a personal sustainability standpoint.

The other tool I have utilized since the pledge has been giving the gift of services - instead of giving my pregnant friend new baby gear she doesn't need (this is her third), I'm giving her a triple deluxe interior/exterior car wash (commercial car washes use 50% less water than home washes).

I do have one purchase I am really struggling with: a new ipod. My beloved husband ran over my ipod accidentally when we were unloading the car from a vacation and I inadvertently left a tote in the driveway ("I thought you got it" - "I thought you did!") It's worked since June, but died two weeks ago. I ask Betty, how am I supposed to cook and do dishes without music? That's essential, right? I wonder how much recycled content they are putting in Ipods these days anyway. (That's another rule: recycled and gently used items are fair game). Hmmmm. What's a Betty to do?

Eva asked about Christmas. That should be interesting. Stay tuned...

In-joy,
BWB

p.s. One thing I would do if I were starting new with the pledge is to track the money saved. All those times I thought - ooh I want this. And walked away. I used to be a sucker for the colorful little notepads in the grocery store or cutesy stickers. (I found an eco-jot 100% post consumer recycled cutesy notepad at Studio Art a few weeks ago and I'm using that)