DAY 425
Last week, I had a great Skype session with a new friend/colleague in Education City in Doha, Qatar, Chris Silva. He is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Residence Halls there - a new position - and he gets to do all kinds of cool projects to teach and learn about sustainability. So great to have first hand commentary and comparison of what important things are happening around the world to take better care of our planet!
Weeks ago when we met at the LeaderShape Retreat in Chicago, Chris told me about some exciting initiatives he is promoting to change perceptions and behavior around water and local food - in particular to change the perception that "nothing grow in Qatar because it's too hot". Look at all that grows there:
Egg plant; zucchini; Chili peppers; tomatoes; gourds; cabbages; bell peppers; cauliflower; lettuce; corn; broccoli; green beans; carrots; different types of herbs; green onions and mint. (thanks for this Chris!) Nice list, huh?
This last chat, Chris shared some of his ideas for implementing a campaign to educate staff and students about the safety of drinking tap water in Qatar. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of plastic bottles going into their landfills -I share that goal! Apparently the tap water in Qatar is quite safe and in fact is above the standards of the World Health Organization. In spite of that fact, just like many places in the US, the perception is that tap water is not as good (safe) as bottled water... I am sure the whole scenario is much more complex than this and that changing perceptions actually requires a culture shift not mere behavioral changes.
By the way...this info from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN:
Qatar is a small peninsula in the Persian Gulf covering an area of approximately 11,000 km2 including a number of small offshore islands. It's maximum length is about 180km along the north-south axis, while the east-west width is 85 km at its widest point. It is bounded by the Persian Gulf on all sides except in the south where it touches the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Check the map :)
The movement toward more sustainable living is international...turns out, it is a small world after all...
More to come - have a Nothing New Day! Kristin
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
You Say Tomato
DAY 419
Had a great conversation today with Wegman's manager about the lack of local foods right now - usually there is something at this point but the (too much) rain has delayed Spring planting for our farmers. I appreciated the concern the manager had for the farmers and the time he took to talk with one other guy in produce AND make a phone call...then guided me to some local greenhouse on-the-vine tomatoes, NY apples and potatoes. Yay!
As soon as I can I will get to the public market as well as my little Fairport market to see what else is growing.
My garlic is coming along - just waiting for the leaves to dry back. From what I have read, it will be sometime in July and it is a test of patience and faith to harvest at the right time...then there are all kinds of next steps to cure and store the garlic - who knew? Best advice so far:
"To remove the garlic, take a flat shove and gently loosen the dirt around them. Garlic can bruise easily and bruised garlic does not keep well. Don’t bump it, don’t bounce it. Don’t drop it."
I had no idea it was such a delicate operation - will keep you posted.
I am making my final *new* purchases this weekend - including some garden supplies...very exciting yet oddly relieving to know I am going back to Nothing New...
Bye for now - have a Nothing New Day!
Kristin
Had a great conversation today with Wegman's manager about the lack of local foods right now - usually there is something at this point but the (too much) rain has delayed Spring planting for our farmers. I appreciated the concern the manager had for the farmers and the time he took to talk with one other guy in produce AND make a phone call...then guided me to some local greenhouse on-the-vine tomatoes, NY apples and potatoes. Yay!
As soon as I can I will get to the public market as well as my little Fairport market to see what else is growing.
My garlic is coming along - just waiting for the leaves to dry back. From what I have read, it will be sometime in July and it is a test of patience and faith to harvest at the right time...then there are all kinds of next steps to cure and store the garlic - who knew? Best advice so far:
"To remove the garlic, take a flat shove and gently loosen the dirt around them. Garlic can bruise easily and bruised garlic does not keep well. Don’t bump it, don’t bounce it. Don’t drop it."
I had no idea it was such a delicate operation - will keep you posted.
I am making my final *new* purchases this weekend - including some garden supplies...very exciting yet oddly relieving to know I am going back to Nothing New...
Bye for now - have a Nothing New Day!
Kristin
Monday, May 9, 2011
Green Clean
DAY 417
Hello - been a while...miss you!
I am sort of hanging out these two months before starting Year 2 of Nothing New...still have a few new things to buy and then will "go back" to Nothing New. I feel a little bit like I am out of the wilderness to get provisions before going back into the woods. Quite a different wilderness in Fairport, NY compared to perhaps a Walden Pond or Antarctic trek - an adventure, nonetheless. I will track my two months off of spending and report accordingly later...should be interesting.
I am getting ready to plant Year 2 of my garden - need to get seeds and dirt (new). Decided to keep the overall garden space as is - attractive metal stakes and chic wire fencing intact even though I really want to switch out to a cuter white picket version, bigger with more raised beds - that will have to wait til next year. A few more things to get my bike back in working order and a few goodies to get back into swimming again and I will be all set. Starting May 20, I will have to make do with what I have (plenty). Cool!
In the meantime, I continue to search for greener behaviors, methods, and products to ultimately reduce my impact on the planet. I just found a new green dry cleaner for what little I do get dry cleaned. A new shop called "Martinizing" (remember "One Hour Martinizing"???) - a ramped up franchise version of the older company who now uses a process called Green Earth Cleaning http://www.greenearthcleaning.com/. The owner, Todd, totally gets it and is a delight to talk with about being green. Prices are reasonable plus they take back hangers and the plastic bags for reuse and recycling. Yup. Like it! Check out his shop:
12 Courtney Drive
Fairport, New York 14450
(585)425-4242
More to follow - have a Nothing New Day!
Kristin
Hello - been a while...miss you!
I am sort of hanging out these two months before starting Year 2 of Nothing New...still have a few new things to buy and then will "go back" to Nothing New. I feel a little bit like I am out of the wilderness to get provisions before going back into the woods. Quite a different wilderness in Fairport, NY compared to perhaps a Walden Pond or Antarctic trek - an adventure, nonetheless. I will track my two months off of spending and report accordingly later...should be interesting.
I am getting ready to plant Year 2 of my garden - need to get seeds and dirt (new). Decided to keep the overall garden space as is - attractive metal stakes and chic wire fencing intact even though I really want to switch out to a cuter white picket version, bigger with more raised beds - that will have to wait til next year. A few more things to get my bike back in working order and a few goodies to get back into swimming again and I will be all set. Starting May 20, I will have to make do with what I have (plenty). Cool!
In the meantime, I continue to search for greener behaviors, methods, and products to ultimately reduce my impact on the planet. I just found a new green dry cleaner for what little I do get dry cleaned. A new shop called "Martinizing" (remember "One Hour Martinizing"???) - a ramped up franchise version of the older company who now uses a process called Green Earth Cleaning http://www.greenearthcleaning.com/. The owner, Todd, totally gets it and is a delight to talk with about being green. Prices are reasonable plus they take back hangers and the plastic bags for reuse and recycling. Yup. Like it! Check out his shop:
12 Courtney Drive
Fairport, New York 14450
(585)425-4242
More to follow - have a Nothing New Day!
Kristin
Friday, April 22, 2011
Swimming Pending New Suit Still Needed
DAY 400
I am afraid the "six word memoir" concept has taken over my brain. Will use in moderation I promise (6 words).
I have decided to start swimming again after watching my 9 year old nephew, Jonathan in a couple of meets now. He is GOOD and I'm not jus sayin that because he is my relative and gets all his talent from me - haha. I have gone to a few of his Saturday 7am practices, watched him prep himself to race - event/lane/heat written on his arm with a sharpie, cap, goggles and shake out the arms and legs - and cheered him on for the brief seconds he flys, strokes, and freestyles his way to the finish. This along with flashbacks to my high school swimming days, reminder of past fitness in my life and the recent spotting (not stalking) of Dara Torres (2008 Olympian at age 41 among other achievements), I am prepped to go to my town rec center and get my @#* back into the pool.
I am making the decision to my a new suit, cap and goggles - these are such *personal* items - so getting them used is not interesting to me. Got advice from Jon on the best color for a suit - green, black or blue is best.
Starting May 18 I will head back into my second year of Nothing New fueled by renewed energy from the pool chlorine, gardening successes and the vision of further financial stability and freedom. Yay!
Have a Nothing New Day! Kristin
I am afraid the "six word memoir" concept has taken over my brain. Will use in moderation I promise (6 words).
I have decided to start swimming again after watching my 9 year old nephew, Jonathan in a couple of meets now. He is GOOD and I'm not jus sayin that because he is my relative and gets all his talent from me - haha. I have gone to a few of his Saturday 7am practices, watched him prep himself to race - event/lane/heat written on his arm with a sharpie, cap, goggles and shake out the arms and legs - and cheered him on for the brief seconds he flys, strokes, and freestyles his way to the finish. This along with flashbacks to my high school swimming days, reminder of past fitness in my life and the recent spotting (not stalking) of Dara Torres (2008 Olympian at age 41 among other achievements), I am prepped to go to my town rec center and get my @#* back into the pool.
I am making the decision to my a new suit, cap and goggles - these are such *personal* items - so getting them used is not interesting to me. Got advice from Jon on the best color for a suit - green, black or blue is best.
Starting May 18 I will head back into my second year of Nothing New fueled by renewed energy from the pool chlorine, gardening successes and the vision of further financial stability and freedom. Yay!
Have a Nothing New Day! Kristin
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Live Free or Die
DAY 399
Had a nice talk with student employees at the University of New Hampshire about Nothing New - thanks Dave Zamansky and crew! Cool discussion along with a learning opporutunity for me that people seem way more interested in my actual experience perhaps than in the leadership implications...hmmmmmm....good to know!
My 7.5 hour drive to NH from Rochester gave me tons-o-time to think, dream and marvel at the lack of driving finesse on US highways. I actually saw a woman leaning back on her arm with her eyes CLOSED. For real. I honked at her and she "woke up" and showed me her "angry eyes". I also had the pleasure of listening to some classic New England NPR (NPR always sounds hipper in New England) and got inspired the the idea of a "Six Word Memoir"...check it out...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430
The idea is this (from the website):
"Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."
In this spirit of simple yet profound brevity, the online magazine Smith asked readers to write the story of their own lives in a single sentence. The result is Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs by famous and not-so-famous writers, artists and musicians. Their stories are sometimes sad, often funny —and always concise."
Here a a few of mine from today - in the spirit of Nothing New and that less can indeed be more -there are no real rules - one or several 6 Word Memoirs a day (or in your life) is perfectly acceptable, offered freely and of course, never judged...
Malted milk eggs not as hoped.
Overnight success fifteen years of toil.
Choices made vulnerable life of love.
Rooted in faith free to live.
You know it’s gonna be alright. (Thanks Bob Marley)
And one more:
Enough in the garden is enough. (Deep, I know)
Your turn...
Have a Nothing New Day! Kristin
Had a nice talk with student employees at the University of New Hampshire about Nothing New - thanks Dave Zamansky and crew! Cool discussion along with a learning opporutunity for me that people seem way more interested in my actual experience perhaps than in the leadership implications...hmmmmmm....good to know!
My 7.5 hour drive to NH from Rochester gave me tons-o-time to think, dream and marvel at the lack of driving finesse on US highways. I actually saw a woman leaning back on her arm with her eyes CLOSED. For real. I honked at her and she "woke up" and showed me her "angry eyes". I also had the pleasure of listening to some classic New England NPR (NPR always sounds hipper in New England) and got inspired the the idea of a "Six Word Memoir"...check it out...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430
The idea is this (from the website):
"Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."
In this spirit of simple yet profound brevity, the online magazine Smith asked readers to write the story of their own lives in a single sentence. The result is Not Quite What I Was Planning, a collection of six-word memoirs by famous and not-so-famous writers, artists and musicians. Their stories are sometimes sad, often funny —and always concise."
Here a a few of mine from today - in the spirit of Nothing New and that less can indeed be more -there are no real rules - one or several 6 Word Memoirs a day (or in your life) is perfectly acceptable, offered freely and of course, never judged...
Malted milk eggs not as hoped.
Overnight success fifteen years of toil.
Choices made vulnerable life of love.
Rooted in faith free to live.
You know it’s gonna be alright. (Thanks Bob Marley)
And one more:
Enough in the garden is enough. (Deep, I know)
Your turn...
Have a Nothing New Day! Kristin
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Black Bean Quest
DAY 397
Just when I was convinced and had all but given up on finding black beans grown in NY State, there was a ray of hope this past weekend!
This belief (now a confirmed myth!) was bringing me down. In my second year of Nothing New I am working hard to eat only locally grown seasonal foods with very few exceptions. I have also decided to go back to being vegetarian. My big concern is protein because I cannot eat soy and dairy so I have been thinking deeply about beans (in my free time).
I had dashed hopes for local beans given what I thought was a fact. Based on the research I had done last summer, I really thought that black beans were not grown here... Along with the longest winter ever this has been a real downer, man. Perhaps I should have tried harder. I must forgive myself and move on.
As I was mentioning my protein/black bean woes to some lifetime Rochesterians on Saturday, I received this response, "What? We have black beans here, what do you mean you can't find black beans grown in NY?" He was a tiny bit upset and in disbelief, as if I had suggested that paper is made from cheese.
He gave me a farm name and the farmers name...well, that was easy!
So the NBBINY (No Black Beans In NY) myth is busted! Right up there with the Easter Bunny and that you can die from eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coke, the Black Bean mystery is solved.
With a little research on the WWW, I found my source. One phone call to John at NY Beans and I was on my way to Caledonia, NY to buy 25 pounds of black beans grown in my 100 mile radius. Woot!
http://nybean.com/
The only other thing I will check on is how to buy directly from the farmer...but maybe he sells to NY Bean first...I will keep you posted.
Black Beans - yay! No more dread, the cloud is lifted! Joy! Rapture!
Have a Nothing New Day - Kristin
Just when I was convinced and had all but given up on finding black beans grown in NY State, there was a ray of hope this past weekend!
This belief (now a confirmed myth!) was bringing me down. In my second year of Nothing New I am working hard to eat only locally grown seasonal foods with very few exceptions. I have also decided to go back to being vegetarian. My big concern is protein because I cannot eat soy and dairy so I have been thinking deeply about beans (in my free time).
I had dashed hopes for local beans given what I thought was a fact. Based on the research I had done last summer, I really thought that black beans were not grown here... Along with the longest winter ever this has been a real downer, man. Perhaps I should have tried harder. I must forgive myself and move on.
As I was mentioning my protein/black bean woes to some lifetime Rochesterians on Saturday, I received this response, "What? We have black beans here, what do you mean you can't find black beans grown in NY?" He was a tiny bit upset and in disbelief, as if I had suggested that paper is made from cheese.
He gave me a farm name and the farmers name...well, that was easy!
So the NBBINY (No Black Beans In NY) myth is busted! Right up there with the Easter Bunny and that you can die from eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coke, the Black Bean mystery is solved.
With a little research on the WWW, I found my source. One phone call to John at NY Beans and I was on my way to Caledonia, NY to buy 25 pounds of black beans grown in my 100 mile radius. Woot!
http://nybean.com/
The only other thing I will check on is how to buy directly from the farmer...but maybe he sells to NY Bean first...I will keep you posted.
Black Beans - yay! No more dread, the cloud is lifted! Joy! Rapture!
Have a Nothing New Day - Kristin
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
I Can See Garlic from My House
DAY 369
I planted garlic in the fall and now a miracle is happening in my garden! I went out on Sunday to push some dirt around to feel like I was “gardening” and then I saw them... 8 of the 12 garlic cloves I put in the ground in November sprouting up about an inch above the soil. And the gardener was happy. Today, I did a “from my kitchen window” glance around the backyard for branches, squirrels and cardinals and realized I could see the garlic sprouts from there! Very exciting.
It really is a life metaphor to see something survive and thrive through what seemed like the longest, coldest, grayest winter EVER. Plant something, let it sit and see it sprout. Simple, profound.
So as I make plans for an expanded 2011 garden with kale, tomatoes, butternut squash, more basil and more lettuce, I can see how this whole grow your own food thing can be addictive. Don’t worry, I will not be getting chickens and goats at this point. I will leave that to the experts! OK Wendy Thomas??? Check out Wendy’s great blog “Lessons Learned from the Flock” at simplethrift.wordpress.com. I bow down to all farmers and animal tenders and to the time and energy and love it must take to raise animals - I mean really, my cats Buddy and Curtis are a little bit of work, but they are pretty self-sufficient.
I am a big fan of goat cheese, I must say...hmmmm....OK, I promise – no goats...I will leave that one to Missy Martz! Missy gave me a million dollar gift recently – a precious bar of goat’s milk soap that she MADE. With some help from her goats of course. I just about fell over when she gave it to me...I cannot imagine what it takes to take care of the goat, get the milk and THEN make soap. I am in awe. I have the bar in a spot of honor to admire it daily – I almost don’t want to ever use it! It is a symbol of all that is right with the world...
I am still deciding how to “do” year two of Nothing New – I think I will continue with the numbering of days...I also need to decide how I am going to NOT spend money in Year Two.
Meanwhile, I am going to get some sleep and dream about garlic and goats...Have a Nothing New Day! ~Kristin
I planted garlic in the fall and now a miracle is happening in my garden! I went out on Sunday to push some dirt around to feel like I was “gardening” and then I saw them... 8 of the 12 garlic cloves I put in the ground in November sprouting up about an inch above the soil. And the gardener was happy. Today, I did a “from my kitchen window” glance around the backyard for branches, squirrels and cardinals and realized I could see the garlic sprouts from there! Very exciting.
It really is a life metaphor to see something survive and thrive through what seemed like the longest, coldest, grayest winter EVER. Plant something, let it sit and see it sprout. Simple, profound.
So as I make plans for an expanded 2011 garden with kale, tomatoes, butternut squash, more basil and more lettuce, I can see how this whole grow your own food thing can be addictive. Don’t worry, I will not be getting chickens and goats at this point. I will leave that to the experts! OK Wendy Thomas??? Check out Wendy’s great blog “Lessons Learned from the Flock” at simplethrift.wordpress.com. I bow down to all farmers and animal tenders and to the time and energy and love it must take to raise animals - I mean really, my cats Buddy and Curtis are a little bit of work, but they are pretty self-sufficient.
I am a big fan of goat cheese, I must say...hmmmm....OK, I promise – no goats...I will leave that one to Missy Martz! Missy gave me a million dollar gift recently – a precious bar of goat’s milk soap that she MADE. With some help from her goats of course. I just about fell over when she gave it to me...I cannot imagine what it takes to take care of the goat, get the milk and THEN make soap. I am in awe. I have the bar in a spot of honor to admire it daily – I almost don’t want to ever use it! It is a symbol of all that is right with the world...
I am still deciding how to “do” year two of Nothing New – I think I will continue with the numbering of days...I also need to decide how I am going to NOT spend money in Year Two.
Meanwhile, I am going to get some sleep and dream about garlic and goats...Have a Nothing New Day! ~Kristin
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