by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I have a twin sister - yes, we are “identical”. Although we currently live on other sides of the U.S., we are very close and speak every day. We are the same, yet different. Two halves of a whole. I have distinct memories of making “pairs” of our hands and feet by placing a right and a left of each together. That image has always stayed in my mind - it made me feel both happy and strange at the same time.

An in depth study of the psychology of twinship will tell you that despite, or because of, such a strong bond, twins can face identity and dependency issues throughout childhood. My sister and I didn’t stop dressing alike until 7th grade and I remember being rather confused at just how it would work. Because few of our friends could tell us apart, we shared the nickname of simply, “twin”, something we accepted without protest.

However, my life as a twin has overall been mostly good stuff. We share a closeness that is difficult to describe. Although twins are often less alike in personality than would be assumed (differences develop subconsciously to complement or “complete” each person), there is a deep and unrelenting connection of sameness. Although we’ve lived apart for years, my twin and I still share an innate “knowing” - one that includes not just emotions, but dreams, ideals and values. In short, I have an “other” - in an existential or, “I Heart Huckabees” kind of way.

I’ve relied on this relationship in varying degrees, but never quite like I do right now. As my emotions swing from hope to despair and back again during this historical time of upheaval and violence on and to the planet, I am grateful for the one person who is always there - who gets it. We take turns ranting, raging, crying and then building each other up with hope for the future. We share ideas and commitments that will help make change happen. And we talk about it with open-mindedness, curiosity and encouragement.

People crave conversation and connection - you don’t think people hang out in coffee shops just for coffee, do you? Explore the idea of deepening your social and personal relationships with others. We can’t change the world - or how we feel about it - alone. You may not find your “other” in a twin way, but you will most likely find a lot more than you expected.

For more on starting conversation, visit YesMagazine.org/ConCafe

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Where do real activists live and hang out? On Campus!

Almost 600 U.S. and Canadian schools are fast becoming the new eco-heroes as they organize campaigns for clean energy, recycling and more. A survey shows that incoming freshman are increasingly concerned about the state of the environment than the future job market. Students are overwhelmingly excited about working in environmental movements. “We see it as the challenge of our generation,” says Rachel Ackoff, a Swarthmore College student and activist in an interview in Sierra Magazine.

Colleges are among the biggest energy users (and employers) in communities and they have the opportunity to create demand for eco-friendly products and clean energy. And this next generation seems ready to put their money where their mouths are. In the largest turnout in school history, students at the university of Memphis voted to raise their fees to pay for renewable energy (Sierra Magazine Nov./Dec. 2007).

More than 200,000 seniors at over 100 colleges have signed the “Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility”, promising to consider sustainability along with salary at any job and to work to improve the practices of any company that employs them (graduationpledge.org).

Is anyone else getting goosebumps? If you want to be sincerely impressed and inspired, read more about the top ten green colleges named by Sierra Club last month. (Number One? Oberlin College in Ohio). Categories measured range from clean energy purchases to eco-efficient building, recycling practices, bike-friendly campus to cafeteria food choices. CFLs are being passed out along with condoms and competitions for lowest water and energy use between frat houses and dorms are all the rage.

The list of campus activism campaigns are growing, becoming more challenging, creative and fun along the way - just the way college should be! Students know how to market their ideals to peers with group names like, RecycleMania, I Heart Slutty Paper (non-virgin), Break The Addiction Challenge and Do It In The Dark events. There’s nothing like school spirit to advocate change.

These influential institutions can hopefully lead us all into the future with optimism, creativity and the willingness to work together for change. If you want to find campus groups in your area, go to Campus Climate Challenge. Go Team.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Wait a minute! I am unsettled by the sound of a common refrain that I’m hearing coast to coast. It rings of good intentions, an element of surrender and the faint background hum of fear. That is, the plan to buy some land and build a “green/sustainable” house and be more, you know, “self-sufficient”. I listen to these friends and neighbors with interest and sometimes envy. But, after hearing this familiar idea in increasing numbers, I had to take pause.

We’ve all been there. It sounds so easy, neat, clean and safe, doesn’t it? Just get the hell out of dodge, (ie: the hectic and crowded city), buy up a few cheap rural acres, take the animals/kids, grow some vegetables, raise a few chickens, get a few solar panels, a couple rain barrels and you’re set. In theory, this sounds like a responsible, self-sacrificing, green-minded decision. I know because I’ve entertained such fantasies myself. Then I woke up.

I hate to be the one to burst the bubble, but, when in comes to eco-mindedness, this plan has several major flaws. First, a few acres of land per family is a damn big footprint - there are not nearly enough rural land to go around for all these brave souls, willing to rough it on their own. Second, when people started buying up acres and putting houses there, it used to be called “suburbs” - widespread neighborhoods followed by roads, gas stations and strip malls. Thirdly, unless you’ve really thought through the idea of self-sufficiency, you’ve now added a lot of miles and carbon emissions between you and your work, schools and the rest of good ole’ civilization. What resources and emissions may be saved or reduced by investing in being supposedly off the grid, may be lost in commuting miles. So much for sustainability.

Getting away from it all, part or full time, sounds attractive but with the current and growing population, it only compounds the problems for the environment. We’ve already seen these issues materialize in all the people owning second or vacation homes, cabins, lake and mountain properties, an indulgence that, including travel, more than doubles each individual footprint.

Maybe you are the solitary type, but pulling yourself out of neighborhoods may not be quite the ideal you imagined. The local farmers who do it are exceptional people who have chosen not just to get away, but to serve the surrounding communities. The rest of us, like it or not, thrive on productive, stimulating and intellectually challenging jobs, connections and experience that exist within a thriving community. And most of us want easy access to movies, restaurants and other conveniences.

David Henry Thoreau, said “Large or small, cities, especially done in a common sense, ecologically-minded way, serve people and the environment well.”

We can reinvent city life by working together to have less roads, less noise and pollution through small living and shared accessible big spaces. Co-housing communities or mixed use communities provide convenience integrated with nature. We can have food-producing gardens and we can get off the grid. But self-sufficiency is a misnomer, especially when applied to one person or family at a time. It takes a village to build a more sustainable and healthy life for more people. We are already home.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Let’s start off 2008 with a review and summary of the basics. Call it what you’d like, going green, Eco-living, sustainability, the bottom line comes down to one thing -

No Impact Man puts it simply as: DON’T WASTE ANYTHING.

Think carefully about not only what you do, but what you have and what happens in the process of having and you’ll see that this covers everything we’ve ever heard about getting “greener” and, more importantly, it’s not complicated at all. It applies to our food, water, vehicles, houses, electronics, clothes, etc.. and all of our habits.

If you’ve been taking steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, keep going. If you haven’t started, do it now. If you’ve done all you can at the moment, tell 10 people about it. I promise that you will make a difference and you’ll smile more. To help you along, here’s a review of the basics:

Peak oil is coming - Get a bicycle, drive green and drive less, fly less.

Peak water is already here - turn off the damn faucet! Even California’s governor, Arnold, “terminates” excess water used by his kids in the shower.

Go for the CFL’s - It saves money and CO2. Here’s an up to date guide to CFLs for all occasions from Grist.

BYOB - Bag and Bottle, that is. Americans throw away more than 60 million plastic bottles each day. It takes around 1,000 years for them to biodegrade. More than 10 million barrels of oil are used to produce bottled water every year in the U.S. (not including transportation). Most tap water is just as safe as bottled water, but if you prefer to abstain from both, get a filter for your tap. I’ve been using Living Water Systems for years. Go to Klean Kanteen for portable stainless steel water bottles.

It’s cool, it’s easy, it’s important - bring your own reusable bag every time you shop and keep plastic and more paper out of landfills. It started at Ikea, spread to San Francisco and Paris…this year, even Whole Foods Market is swearing off plastic bags at check-out.

Stop junk mail and recycle paper. 1/3 of our landfills contain paper (unable to biodegrade normally).

Eat and Buy Locally. It’s about your community and the environment.

Now you’ve got a good start. Get creative and motivated about your life and love for your planet. Our future depends on us. To find out more you can do, go here.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Like everyone else over the past two days, I’ve been thinking (a lot) about the new year and our so-called “resolutions”. And in the process, I realized that resolutions are actually Re-solutions. This should be obvious. The history of the world involves confronting problems and finding solutions. But our solutions for comfortable ways to eat, work, live and get around have grown out of proportion and perspective - and with it, so have our lives. Becoming distracted by desires and indulgence, our modern-day solutions are now killing us and the planet (and making many of us unhappy). We need Re-solutions. Fortunately, there are smart people busily forming these new ideas. The only thing left is for all of us to see the truth and do the work.

So, it was one of my Re-solutions last year to create a socially and sustainably-minded blog that would share the logic and excitement of these new ideas for our world. I made a promise, last New Year’s Day, to reveal the unpopular truths, but to do so in a positive, Re-solution-oriented way - one filled with news, information and hopeful thoughts about the future. In the process, I have met many people on the same path and learned a lot.

I learned how to live with less A/C. I learned to improve the gas mileage in my car by filling the tires with nitrogen. I learned that hybrid cars are good, but driving less is better. I learned how to eat and drink almost entirely eco-friendly and local. I learned that a 26-second shower gets me just as clean as a 2-minute one. I learned how to make my own toothpaste. I learned that commuting by bicycle is smart and fun. I learned that what is good for the environment is good for the soul. I learned where to recycle more and waste less and then I learned how to recycle more and waste less all over again. I also learned that there are a lot of amazing people out there who share my hopes and are willing to embrace change.

My hope for everyone for 2008, is the openness and courage to listen, learn and share new ideas - everyday. To keep growing and manifesting our intentions for a more healthy, happy and sustainable future. To resolve to Re-solve.

Let’s ring in the New Year~