by Tao Oliveto

What did you do with your lightbulb-free hour on Saturday night? After working on those all-important hug and cuddle skills, we took a walk around our magically dark and quiet neighborhood. Although at first I fidgeted with the idea of an imposed hour of darkness, I discovered it felt great to have an opportunity to slow down and be more still. Jerry and I made a pact to try our own candlelit earth hour every weekend and see what happens.

The event, called “Earth Hour,” started in Sydney, Australia, last year, when 2.2 million people and 2,100 businesses turned off their lights. Organizers say that this year it spread to about 380 cities and towns in 35 countries. This simple group action reduced the city’s energy consumption by more than 10 percent – the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for an hour.

More than that, it provided another way to get people thinking about how small acts in large numbers can affect the world.

WE can all make a difference.

by Tao Oliveto

My voice is a bit shaky today, but I’m determined to still find a way to use it to write this post.

I’m feeling stuck and baffled by the line culture has drawn, somewhere in the proverbial sand, that says something like, green is good, but talking about it isn’t. I’m frustrated by a culture that says, atta boy, keep up the good work saving our water, our air, our health and our animals – we need you out there – just please don’t tell me about it – or ask for my help. And for God’s sake, don’t preach – it’s really annoying and gets in the way of everything.

On the other hand, I’ve patiently listened to people rant and judge each other over taxes, high gas prices, being cut off in traffic or the loud music from the neighbor’s house. I’ve also listened politely while they boast about their new car, house, computer or ipod.

Yet, somehow, reacting to the ways we are all wasting our limited supplies of water, polluting energy or abusing animals and land at factory farms – is simply not acceptable. And you’d better not get too excited – in public, anyway – about that rain barrel or your reusable grocery bag…

Just today, No Impact Man wrote, “To be enviro, these days, is to be cool, ethical, caring and driven by values. And as people become aware that enviro-concerns are really human concerns, that toxins in our environment mean toxins in our bodies, and that a happier planet makes for happier people, the importance of green…is only going to increase.”

I believe this on most days. That people will begin to understand that it’s about taking care of what will all need to survive and be healthy and be willing to listen and talk to each other about Change. Not so much today – today I don’t feel so “cool” in my enviro status. I feel confused about how to walk that line between saying too much and saying too little.

The good news, as I was also reminded this morning, is that I do feel “ethical, caring and driven by values”. And I really want people to be happy and healthy.

Maybe things will be alright after all.

Brian D. McLaren is an author, activist, speaker and pastor. His life, work and experience has convinced him that everything must change, mostly the way we live as consumers.

“Consumerism is the notion that the more we consume the better off we will be. As I explain in Everything Must Change, it’s the supreme idolatry of our times. It places my temporal wants at the center of my own little universe. As the dominant way of deriving meaning, it is responsible for countless neuroses fed by corporations whose shareholders insist on ever-increasing profits, and it is responsible for near runaway exploitation of this earth’s natural resources.”

In my experience, living more sustainably has been a kind of relief – an opportunity to slow down, to quiet the runaway ego and gain perspective on what I really want from life. Living smaller, slower and with less “convenience” has left me feeling more whole, healthy and in tune with life than ever.

Paul Hawken says living sustainably should be easy and natural – like “falling off a log.” No Impact Man says it’s harder if you have less money or live in a community that does not support a sustainable way of life. I think they are both right. Simplifying your life by driving, buying and wasting less is available to everyone. Everyday in my town, I see people who are willing to share space, share cars, ride bikes and have less. And they seem to do it while working less, nurturing relationships, pursuing goals and having fun. But it’s true that sustainable alternatives to necessary goods and services need to be made available to everyone in order for real change to happen quickly.

We can have a life that’s more authentic, happy, healthy and sustainable by forgetting about what we have and focusing on what we do. It’s not about the money or the sacrifice. But it is about changing our own habits and then supporting each other in doing what it takes to push our culture into a place where it is easy and natural to change.

“After ending one year or living without electricity and creating no trash, NIM says And so, I’ve decided that for myself, in choosing my path forward in my continued experience as No Impact Man, that my individual attempts at environmental living are not sufficient. As much as I’ve come to believe in the incredible power of a life lived in integrity with one’s values, and as much as I’ve seen evidence of the differences each of us can make with our life choices, I’d also like to think we have the power to make those same choices and benefits available to everyone. “

He’s talking activism, of course, making yourself heard. We’re getting greener and cleaner. We’re starting to talk to each other. Let’s take on the next step and get together about schools, communities and cities and groups being a force for change. Use your talents, use your passion and use your voice.

by Tao Oliveto

As you know from this blog, my commuting habits are a work in progress. I’ve been journeying from Prius to biodiesel, with a lot of bicycle and a little mass transit in between. I mostly live, play and work at home or within a radius of 5 miles, making it not much of a sacrifice to get around by bicycle and bus. The most regular driving I do is to get my dogs to the trail head. My biggest mileage involves a 45-mile roundtrip one day/week to work in another town. Ouch. I don’t enjoy this trip and it’s not just the eco-guilt – being in traffic is a tense and disconnected experience – something I didn’t notice so much when I was driving regularly.

If I’ve been this happy with my car-lite lifestyle, I often wonder what it would be like to go totally car-free? Chris Balish, journalist and nationally-known lecturer on the environment, sustainable development and green living, reveals all – including the true costs of owning a car, in his best-selling book,

“How To Live Well Without Owning A Car: Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get more Mileage out of Life.”

This book covers every topic, question and driving alternative in detail and includes resources and testimonials from others living car-free in the U.S.. The new ideas on car-pooling, car-sharing and car-rental were especially interesting. For instance, bringing home heavy garden supplies like potting soil in the Spring, runs to the Farmers Market on Saturdays or weekend hiking are the obvious times to get your friends together in one vehicle. Renting a car on a weekend for projects or trips is not a crazy idea – especially if you are sharing the cost with others. Did you know that most taxis allow pets if they are in carriers?

What expanded my view beyond car-ownership more than anything was cost. I was shown that my car that I’m so proud to let sit idle (not idling) much of the time, is costing me an average of $700/month. What? Then I did the math – it’s true.

This book covers the driving habits for everyone in cities or suburbs, of every age and income level. I found it especially fun and interesting reading the lengthy chapter on dating without a car. Chris’s list of ideas for car-free dates alone is enough to nominate him most eligible bachelor, though, a visit to his website made my head spin. This guy lives it up and gives it up for the environment.

By Phil Reckard, Chapel Hill, NC

A global meditation is being called by many different people and groups during the equinox of March 20 and the Full Moon of March 21. This two-day event is roughly the midpoint of two super-dynamic global energetics “caused” by Saturn in his oppositions to Neptune over the past few years, and Prometheus (Uranus) over the next few years.

The main feature at this upcoming equinox and Full Moon is a Grand Cross on Good Friday March 21, involving the Sun and Moon (opposed each other) at right angles to the separating Mars/Pluto opposition. Usually, a Grand Cross is a challenging configuration with at least four planets “at odds” with each other – a cross-current of competing energies loaded with potential conflicts. This Grand Cross even seems to conflict with the equinox of the day before, traditionally a time to celebrate new beginnings for those of us in the northern hemisphere, signaling the start of a new growing season.

The Full Moon is exact on Friday, March 21 at 2:40 PM (EDT), but any time Thursday or Friday would be when someone somewhere in the world will be joining in this meditation, either alone or in groups.

As with any ritualized meditation, clarity of intention is essential whether we want to send or receive love, send blessings for world peace, removing barriers, getting unstuck, working for self improvement, seeking an epiphany, wanting guidance for becoming an agent for positive change, all of the above, or whatever else is on our minds. A suspension of our belief systems might also be needed as you’ll see.

Peace, joy, and love to everyone. Let’s make something very wonderful happen!!!

(Artwork in photo by Michael May)

By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

There’s smart people…and then there’s the knock-down, drag-out brilliant sort that come along once in a lifetime – and fortunately for the rest of us, David Suzuki’s timing is perfect. A full professor for 32 years and author of 43 books, he is still an internationally respected geneticist and professor emeritus with UBC’s Sustainable Development Research Institute. Among other numerous awards, he has received 20 honorary doctorates from Canada, The United States and Australia. First Nations people have honoured him with six names, formal adoption by two tribes, and made him an honorary member of the Dehcho First Nations.

Dr. Suzuki co-founded the The David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, a science-based Canadian environmental organization, focused on four program areas – oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and the Nature Challenge. Visit the website and sign up for the weekly newsletters. My favorite is Science Matters, where Dr. Suzuki examines how changes in science and technology can affect our lives and the world. Suzuki writes on the topics of the moment, including carbon offsets and biofuels. He also offers an educated, honest but hopeful perspective. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

“It means it’s time to dig deeper…We already have the public’s attention, but now we need to get serious about solutions. Large-scale changes [also] require corporate and government leadership. But here, too, individual action can have great power. Politicians and business leaders know the public is concerned, but they are slow to respond unless really pushed. If you really want to make a big difference in 2008 – push them. Push them hard. Change is underway. Real change is happening. Let our leaders know there’s nothing that can stop it.”

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I have great respect for anyone who can plant and grow things, professionally or otherwise. As much as I live (quite literally) to hike, bike and hang outdoors, I’m not so great with a shovel and hoe (they still use hoes, don’t they?). However, when we industrialized the garden biz, we got a little carried away. There are as many gadgets and gizmos for garden-lovers as there are plants.

Take those plastic pots that your new plantings come in – about 300 million pounds of them end up in landfills. It seems reuse or a compostable version would be in order. Volunteers in St. Louis, MO took charge of the pot problem in their area with the Botanical Garden recycling program. Over the last decade, they have collected more then 300 tons of plastics from nurseries and landscapers which have then been made into a wood-like product that has many uses.

Plans for new collection centers and drop-off sites are in progress, a stimulus for similar programs around the country. For more information, visit mobot.org.

While you’re thinking greener gardening, remember to think Permaculture – go native, go natural, lawn-free and eliminate the need for wasteful irrigation.

Speaking of heroes, athletes seem to be naturals at it. And many of them continue to shine long after they leave the winner’s circle.

Tennis now steps up to the plate net with the announcement of GreenSlam, a organization promoting socially and environmentally responsible change through the power of sports. Founder, Billie Jean King, tennis legend and social activist, is no stranger to using her voice for good. She has teamed up with llana Kloss, CEO and Commissioner of World Team Tennis, to move professionals, along with the entire tennis industry, towards GreenSlam standards.

With programs that include global ecologically supportive athletic events, “green-collar” work/study opportunities and cleaning up roadways, GreenSlam reaches into all aspects of the sports world, including its fans.

Prince Sports stepped into the ring court as sponsor, along with the Tennis Industry Association and Firm Green Energy Inc, a leader in renewable energy initiatives, big names that go right to the source.

“If the billions of people who live and love sports take just one single step, we can win back our planet.”
- Billie Jean King.

Love. Set. Match.