by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

It’s that strange time of year in Mid-Winter -  a time that brings in and up feelings that seem to exist both inside and outside. One day the cold feels exhilarating, the next day it just feels, well, cold. One day the possibilities of change and new encounters seem endless and the next day, it’s just, well, Winter, and everything radiates stillness.

Being from Minnesota, I still have an equally strange love affair with this time of year – and by definition, that includes the tendency to be thrilled, annoyed, infatuated and disillusioned with the whole ordeal. But, it also means that I’m in it for better and for worse, in sickness and in health. And there’s a lot of health in Winter, if you keep looking – and lots of it is still LOCALLY produced!

Our local and commuity Farmers are still growing and raising. Chickens are laying eggs and I’m still enjoying the milk from the CSA. In my attempts to maintain my diet of mostly local foods, my intake of greens is now limited to kale and collards, but it’s not a bad way to go. I had ventured from vegetarianism to occasional consumption of local meats, but then found more mental and physical comfort sticking with the abundance of local dairy products I have access to and am back to a mostly meat-free diet.

Other local choices this Winter – we stocked up on the Anson Mills grains from South Carolina before Winter set in, as well as pounds of raw butter that I keep in the common freezer in my community. Local honey is still in the cupboard and I’m ready to tap into my first home kombucha brew this week, though I’m still stuck with purchasing my sauerkraut from the co-op until I get down to more fermentation projects of my own.

I hear so many people speak of the Winter blues, or of the “waiting” they are doing for Spring, when they will go back to the way of life they are more comfortable with. Of course, as I’ve learned, there’s not much to be learned or lived where you are only “comfortable” and there’s something to be said for the challenges we face in Winter. Ask the Farmers. They will tell you all about it.

All we have to do is think about it. Stay tuned in to the cycles and to your community.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Snow fell the other morning – those big, fat, quiet flakes. There’s no denying Winter’s approach – or the onset of holiday cheer and conflict. Some of us process the holidays more than celebrate them, but love it or not, it’s part of our culture – part of our life.

Greening the holidays has not been so painful – in fact, I’m hearing more about the way people are remaking their experience into one that is more quiet and meaningful than they’ve previously known. Less eating, less stress, less buying yet more giving  – less being more has not been an elusive concept to grasp.

What is your biggest question this year when it comes to your holiday re-processing? Gifts? Food? Travel? Or is it to tree or not to tree? In my eco-infancy years, I opted for an organic farm-raised tree – it was beautiful but expensive and still something that I had to watch wither away in the end. The year of the ice storm brought the opportunity for a wealth of fallen boughs, put in pots in every corner of the house and yoga studio. The next year, I covered two old wooden rocking chairs with lights and homemade decorations. I chose an outdoor tree last year and covered it with edibles for wildlife.

The Cardboard Christmas Tree is here and it’s not only recycled, reusable and recyclable, but it’s bursting with creative potential for family and friends. The cut-out pieces are included, in a variety of holiday shapes – ready for your creative touch. And, you have to admit, it’s got that modern-chic look! The Cardboard Christmas Tree was designed and developed by Cloud Gate Design, a Chicago-based design house founded by two friends, Dan Green and Nick Ng.

The tree is shipped flat and profits from sales of The Cardboard Christmas Tree are donated to Trees for America, where for every dollar, a tree is planted in a damaged forest. Purchase here.

(Photo from Sustainable is Good)

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

ONE YEAR in to IKEA’s program to reduce bag use at stores by 50%, the results are in – instead of cutting use in half, 92% of customers chose reusable bags over disposable plastic. Last year, IKEA motivated both reluctant and forgetful consumers by both offering a truly affordable reusable bag at checkout (.59) and charging 5 cents for use of traditional plastic bag. All proceeds went to American Forests, to help plant trees to restore forests and reduce CO2 emissions. As of October, 2008, IKEA has upped their call to action – only reusable bags will be available at their stores, eliminating all paper and plastic options.”No More Free Bags (REALLY!)”

Most people agree with the idea, though plastic bags are a long way from disappearing altogether. The disappointed among us are people use retail-produced bags at home for trash and cat litter. The problem? Those plastic bags take up to 1000 years to biodegrade – once again, we reach a crossroads of harsh reality of the conveniences we’ve become accustomed to. Biodegradable trash bags are available – we just have to get used to the higher cost. In my experience, what felt like sticker shock quickly subsided when I realized that with less consumption and more recycling, I’m sending only 1 trash bag to the curb per month. Really.

NY Times recently reported that, “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced this month that he would push for a 6-cent fee on each plastic bag, both to raise as much as $16million/year for the city and to steer New Yorkers toward greener practices.” With effortful ease, times are changing. Be Here Now and we can reap the rewards to come.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Maybe it’s the election-connection, or perhaps the position of the planets, but I’m feeling hopefully restless. And, despite my loud heralding of the merits of traveling less and vacationing where you live as the foolproof way to help the environment (tone-down and tune-in) …I admit it… I have travel-itis. My musings reach far and wide – from a familiar yearning for the Northeast, Northwest to across the continents all the way to Europe and Morocco. My heart is open and my eyes feel wide. An offset flight up North won’t do it this time. I’m feeling the pull of the open road and the of mystery that leads. With some trepidation, I’ve started making plans…

So, it seems, have many independent-minded, free spirits who have made the trade – from homes to RV’s – a downsize and an upgrade to a smaller life in a bigger world. (I lived for a time in an RV, which I mostly left parked in a campsite because it quickly became obvious that at 8 – 12 mpg, there was no room for eco-comfort in moving around too much. But, a few environmentally-committed RVers are changing all that by retooling motor homes in “green” to live the adventure and to promote eco-awareness as they travel.

Solar panels, water catchment, veggie-oil fuel and recycled materials make up much of what could be considered an almost carbon-neutral way of travel, if not life. The website of one family on a “Living Lightly Tour”, not only documents their innovative systems of living off the grid, but a lifestyle that reaches farther into communities and ideas we are all beginning to acknowledge and share:

Ideas for Living Lightly:

• Smile
• Buy Used
• Live Smaller
• Eat Less Meat
• Share Your Stuff
• Use Natural Cleaners
• Line Dry Your Clothes
• Avoid Disposable Items
• Eat Locally Grown Food
• Use Cloth Shopping Bags
• Reduce Your Consumption
• Use a Reusable Water Bottle
• Conserve Water and Electricity
• Walk / Ride Your Bike / Carpool

Go back to the top of the list – maybe it’s that planet thing again, but I felt something click. It’s about sharing, moving, seeing and growing. And sometimes, Going.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’ve been biking a lot more this year and I’m pretty happy about it. Daily commutes downtown, to stores and services like the bank and post office. To the coffee shop, to visit friends, to social events and my legs think nothing of those miles these days, which feels good, too. I’ve learned more about the right gear to get around conveniently and feel more confident.

Hmm, Confident? Cocky may be more like it. Ride a lot and you can begin to get a bit too headstrong about traffic – after all, I’m on my bike to rise above this carbon-emmitting mess, right? Well, not really. When you are on a bicycle, you ARE traffic. Although I wouldn’t say I’ve had any  truly close calls, I have caught myself taking chances for no good reason – you know, crossing at a red light because there are no cars in sight, riding through a parking lot to turn a corner, hopping onto the sidewalk and back onto the street when it seemed more convenient. Fortunately, I woke up – before I caused an accident. I now ride with my bike AND my head in the right place.

Of course, there is much that can and should be done on the driving side. Drivers education programs and testing should include important information when it comes to sharing the road – a big part of the safety equation. More and better-designed bicycle lanes, intersections and shoulders will go a long way towards creating harmony in the way we get around.

Still, there is a lot of good news for cyclists in this comprehensive article on Safe Streets, by Alan Durning, where he reminds us that not only is commuting by bicycle safer than you think, but “Not Pedaling Can Kill You”. Whether you ride now, or are considering it, this article is a must-read. Because the truth is, when you look at facts and figures, bicycle commuting is actually safer than any of us think. Statistics show that while bicycling is increasing, crashes are not. Bicycling is also safer that getting around by foot – pedestrians are 3 times more likely to be killed by a motorist per mile than cyclists.

Much of cycling safety seems to depend upon the rider – one survey shows that 80% of bike wrecks involve falling or colliding with something other than a moving vehicle. (Come to think of it, my only significant wreck was with a mailbox.) For more on this, read The Art of Urban Cycling: Lessons from the Street, by Robert Hurst.

If you’re still a cycle-skeptic, or a risk-taking rider, read the full article where you can wrap your head around the information above and much, much more. It could get you into a more fit world and body and help you keep both wheels on the ground.

There really are no coincidences. No mistakes, no accidents. This is how the journey happens, I promise. Just remember to keep your eyes, mind open.

There I was, in the woods with the dogs (again). We somehow disturbed a nest of yellowjackets – the dogs got the worst of it – those buggers burrow right into their fur. We got into a creek fairly quickly and I was pulling the stubborn bees off the dogs as fast as I could. I felt a few stings on my hands, but kept going until a bee found it’s way down the back of my jeans  – eek – sorry, girls, you’re on your own now! We finally outran the swarm and collapsed on the grass near the house.

BEE STING REMEDY: Within about 15 minutes, I was able to give the homeopathic remedy, Apis Mellifica, and a dose of baking soda dissolved in milk to all of us. (It works great if you can act fast!). Ayla’s eye swelled but went down again within 30 minutes of dosage and, as for me, I barely knew I was stung after an hour (I normally react to all bee stings with long-lasting pain and swelling). Moral of the story? Keep these remedies on hand, especially in the Fall, when some bees become more aggressive. But, the story has really only begun…

At this point, I realized I had thrown the leashes somewhere in the woods. I bravely returned to the scene of the crime that evening, but since the leashes were leather and the color of the ground, I couldn’t locate them. This is when the unfolding began. Need leashes…but I don’t want more toxic nylon or leather…time to search for more sustainable options. Of course, Hemp! I knew they were available, but I didn’t know how much I would learn and be inspired by the company which offered me the most simple, undyed version.

Rawganique made my day. Not just with the discovery of their many good for people and the planet products, but with their inspiring, hopeful and unambitious story of life and work. The founders of Rawganique, Touch Jamikorn and Klaus Wallner, former accomplished academics, set out to share information on sustainable living for humanity and the environment – and a way to live lightly and work mindfully. Living completely off-grid on Denman Island, BC, they co-founded a “human-scale” family business in 2000, replacing bad goods in the marketplace by offering products and clothing made of naturally organic and sustainable cotton, hemp and linen.

Their About Us page reads like a good book – one that leaves you hopeful and encouraged to find your own way to peace and balance in your life and in your work. They don’t take all the credit for finding their way to success, health and wholeness, but share the names and ideas of those who have guided and inspired them along the way. After all, this is how it works.

Watching. Listening. Sharing. Growing. Healing. All from a few bee stings~

My long-time friend, nutritionist and guest blogger, Greg, has moved to CO. Here’s his latest update!

It’s been 7 weeks since landing in Glenwood Springs, CO, my new home in the Rocky Mountains and being car-free could not be any easier.

With free local bus service that runs every day and great bike lanes, I am impressed. I commute to work by bike and take the bus on rainy or on the soon to be cold winter days. Many people use the bus and more and more are jumping on board. The buses run every 30 minutes and start at 6am and finish at 9pm.
If you want to access the nearby towns of Carbondale, Rifle, Basalt, Snowmass and Aspen, pay a small fee of $2-$6 and sit back, enjoy the scenery and relax. Aspen is 40 miles north of Glenwood Springs and the buses that run between the various towns keep running until 1am. (WOW!)

Some of the buses accommodate bikes and I took advantage of this a few weeks ago by riding to Aspen and riding home on the Rio Grande Trail, a 40 mile pedestrian/bike trail that follows the Roaring Fork River. It’s nearly all paved, with a small section of hard pack dirt for about 5 miles. It’s a beautiful trail and that’s not all. The Glenwood Canyon Trail goes for 15 miles through the Glenwood Canyon, following the Colorado River.

I rode that one last month for a beautiful 30 mile round trip.

Add the hiking trails that start right in town and this place is a gem.

The Boy Scout trails starts on the 8th street, three blocks from my house. It gains 2700 feet in three miles, going from 5700 feet to Lookout Tower, 8400 feet. From there, the Boy Scout trail splits into two other trails that journey on for many more miles.

To top it off, the Amtrak station is right downtown and it is staying busy. One day, I will jump aboard and go on down the line to Denver, for a 5 hour majestic trip through the Rockies.

Go Car-FREE-DOM!

Peace, Greg

By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

It’s a good sign when instruments of change evolve from an idea (generally dismissed) to a trend (reaching selective groups) to a full-blown movement. I think of “movements like waves  – they are powerful, exciting, and hard to stop. And, movements make history.

It appears the housing shift from “Bigger is Better” to Less is More has gained ground and energy. More and more, I hear and read stories from people who are denouncing the life of working too much in order to have what, in the end, is simply, too much, accompanied by the realization that life quality is not related to quantity. With energy costs rising dramatically, some people are being drawn in by finances, but others are simply fascinated by the idea of compact dwellings. Are we cave dwellers by nature after all?

From recent NY Times article, Gregory Paul Johnson, a founder of the Small House Society, says there is more than a muse at work, citing not only a economic slowdown, but a kind of crisis of meaning. People want their lives and their time back and living smaller is one big step towards that end. Some crave “balance” while admitting that their luxury living situation was motivated by “prestige” and now feel a pull to improve their lifestyle while “walking the walk.”

Though the demand for the smallest of small (Tumbleweed Tiny House Company sells prefab homes of less than 200 square ft) is increasing significantly, most people can acheive their downsizing goals by living in a reasonable 1000 square feet of space or less.

For more information, visit my previous post here. (The above is a photo of my future home!)

LIVE SMALLER. THINK BIGGER.