writeaboutwarming

I was listening to Science Friday on NPR today, and Ira Flatow said that increasing numbers of people now understand that climate change is really happening. He or a guest remarked that many of those same people ask, What can I do to improve the situation? Since that's a subject I haven't written about in awhile, and since there is so much each of us can do, let's talk about it. Where to start - what we eat? what we wear? what we drive? There are right answers to each of those questions. If you're eating conventionally grown food, that needs to change, because foods that "require" chemicals to be grown are killing all of us, both because of airborne pollutants, and because of the poisons that wind up in our bodies. While it is difficult to eat a diet that consists only of organic foods, there are so many organic options (especially produce, dairy foods, and meat) that you should acquaint yourself with what's available. The end result will be healthier bo...

February 21, 2011 – My wintertime project was to learn to knit socks, which I have – at long last – done. I am a purely visual thinker, and visualizing how to turn a heel or knit a gusset just wasn’t happening. After knitting and tearing out innumerable times, meeting with another knitter, and repeated visits to Youtube, I managed to stumble upon www.cometosilver.com . Her step-by-step pictures, accompanied by understandable instructions, have gotten me the rest of the way there. I now have one entire pair of handknit socks to my credit! This is by way of preparing for Transition, you understand. Socks are something we all take for granted until we no longer have them. Warm feet make a huge difference to me during the winter, and I already knew how to knit, so knitting socks was the obvious next step. Knitting will always require yarn, so preparing for a sockless future requires stashing yarn, as well as accumulating a complete arsenal of double-pointed needles. ...

December 15, 2009 – I’ve made lots of compost piles over the years, but none in the last ten. I decided a few weeks ago I was overdue. Blessed with an abundance of wooden dowels – the remnants of previous projects – I set to work (though I did have to buy chicken wire). There’s an area alongside our patio that must measure 5’x3’. It was perfect because there was mulch on top of the black plastic I’d used to keep away the weeds during my fruitless attempt to grow a mountain laurel. I understand that compost will decompose in sun or shade; this spot gets a bit of both. I’d refrained from composting out of laziness, I guess. I never wind up with as much as I think I should, and amending the soil in my vegetable garden with green manure and peat moss seemed easier. I still think so, actually. However, letting all those fall leaves go to waste seemed a shame. These days, we need to recycle whenever the opportunity arises. So – the 4’ dowels sank into the soft soil ea...

July 26, 2009 – How interesting – I had to read The Ecologist online to find out that the Cincinnati City Council passed a law requiring “environmental justice permits” of businesses operating in the city. It’s not clear from the article whether all businesses will have to obtain the permit, or just new ones. The permits are a response to the well-known habit of businesses that pollute locating near the poor. While the new law puts Cincinnati in the forefront with regard to protecting its citizens from environmental injustice, this position could quickly be undermined by the fact that there is incontrovertibly NO money available with which to enforce the law. Was this merely an attempt to give the appearance of having acted on behalf of voters? Sponsoring city council member David Crowley worked on the measure for four years, withstanding aggressive opposition from the business community. Based on the lack of funding, however, it would appear that Crowley’s mettle will continue ...