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We Are What We Eat—And So Are Our Cities

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I watched a great TED presentation today at lunch by architect Carolyn Steel—except she wasn’t talking about steel skyscrapers, she was talking about food. More specifically, Steel examines how food has shaped our cities over the course of civil history.

It gets really interesting when she also shows us the moment in time when the relationship (begun 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent) changed irrevocably. Funny how a little thing like the steam engine altered the course of civil history within a decade (maybe less).

As summer appears on the horizon (or, if you live in the Pacific Northwest, spring appears on the horizon) and its bounty begins to flood our farmers’ markets, it’s important to remember just how important they were to our survival for so long—and, if Carolyn Steel is right, how critical they are for the future. Enjoy!

Three Things That Give Me Hope

I’m an avid NPR listener. But twice this week I had to change the channel, because I just couldn’t handle the news. I was better off hearing the new Rihanna song for the 13th time in one morning. I know I’m not alone in this either. With enough content available on the Internet to keep us continuously reading, consuming, viewing and gaming for several lifetimes—and with more being created every second—it’s sadly much easier to find a story about corruption, greed or scandal then one of hope, triumph or justice. Lucky for you, I’m a trained journalist—which means I’ve got digging skillz. And I dug up three initiatives that have me excited. I’m not trying to cover up all the harsh realities of our world with this, but rather remind us there are people working hard to create positive change and that hey need our support to continue working. So, if you had to turn off the news today, this post is for you.

P.S. If you really want to stop hearing those stories, considering supporting one of these organizations or another you believe is serving a crucial need in our world.

Architecture For Humanity (AFH)

Architecture For Humanity/Design Like You Give A DamnArchitecture For Humanity won me over with their tag line—design like you give a damn. Um…HELL YEAH?! After a deep dive into their organization and the privilege of conversing with their enigmatic CEO (that’s Chief Eternal Optimist, mind you), Cameron Sinclair, I can tell you that this is a group that is getting shit done and making good on their endeavors. Many of us have lofty perceptions of the role of architecture and design play in our society. We uphold the Frank Lloyd Wrights and Shepard Faireys with such awe. Yet, so many times high design only works for elite projects that serve a very narrow (and usually wealthy) subset of a population. It would seem that design is for the rich—not so if you’re an AFH sort of human being.

If you’re a believer of designing (and living!) like you give a damn, this is an organization I highly recommend following and supporting. They’re doing good work that matters.

Hantz Farms

Hantz Farms LogoBefore Detroit become Motor City USA and long before it became a symbol of the deteriorating US urban manufacturing core, this central Michigan region was an agrarian utopia. Its fertile soils fed thousands and supported a thriving culture of farmers. Today, Detroit is struggling—but it is not alone. There is a contingency of citizens hell bent on staging a comeback for Detroit. From neighborhoods joining forces to create safe passage for school children to and from class, to the innovative urban agriculture revival Hantz Farms is leading, the people of Detroit are determined to make their city better than ever.

What I love about Hantz Farms is that it simultaneously addresses so many issues: The demise of the family farm; lack of access to affordable, healthy, unprocessed foods; inequitable opportunities at green jobs; lack of cost-effective, clean energy options; the cycle of unsustainable business practices; struggling local business cultures; and inefficient dispersal of government resources. Hantz is investing in the future of Detroit by purchasing vacant or nearly abandoned lots and restoring purpose to the land. Keep in mind these are not issues unique to Detroit. Every large US city is working on this same set of issues, just from various positions on the spectrum. What if we started repeating the Hantz farms model? In Oakland, Cleavland, New Orleans, Riverside and St. Louis? Hell, just about every major US city has a district that could vastly benefit from programs like this. It’s something to think seriously about.

B Corporation

I got pretty stoked when I came across B Corporation and B Labs in my work. It was a rough afternoon of trying to maintain productivity, when I really just wanted to find out everything about them. Here’s what I’ve got so far—and why I’m so excited. B Corporation is an organization that is cultivating an entirely new breed of business. It’s a set of standards, certification and philosophic viewpoint that puts public benefit above shareholder returns and corporate profits. And it gets us another step closer to truly sustainable businesses becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Two states have already passed tax laws that give certified B Corporations preferred status (Maryland and Vermont). This is huge, however unfortunate, our business culture today requires financial incentives for many key players to make moves towards being better corporate citizens with genuine concern for their impact both up and down stream. B Corporation is very smart to include this in their strategy for achieving a BCorps stronghold on 5-7% of US GDP within a generation.

Now, don’t you feel a little bit better about the world?

 

Zero to 60 in 2.5 Seconds of Spring

Spring came early to the Northwest this year—Thank God Almighty. 65 and sunny is pretty much unheard of for February in Portland, unless of course we’re in an El Niño pattern, which—SURPRISE!—we are. Environmental scientists may very well point out that there can be disadvantages stemming from such a weather pattern (such as a reduced salmon catch due to warmer Pacific Ocean waters), but I’m not complaining one bit. I’ve been revelling in the warmth and light, and putting on my best pouty face on the days the rain returns. Too many years in the South for college have spoiled me. I’ve forgotten who raised me.

The other reason I’m so stoked that Spring is here—I’ve got a renewed sense of purpose for my year of “Kill it. Crush it. Own it.”

I’m motivated to get things moving. I once again crave knocking the snot out of myself on a run through the Southeast hills. I’m finishing projects that I started five months ago and let sit through the winter (see photo at left; one of two dressers I decided to re-finish in October. I just completed number one ha ha).

The sun is out and I want to be BUSY. I want to walk places in my sassy new cow girl boots. I want to sweat out all the winter toxins at hot yoga. I’m itching to plant our first round of veggies in the garden. IKEA is calling me to redecorate my room. My blog, which has sat dormant for two long, cold months, is demanding to be updated and used as a platform once more.

And here’s the thing—I feel compelled to give into each and every Spring stirring that moves me. I’m powerless to stop myself from barreling out of hibernation at full speed, zero to 60 in 2.5  seconds. Beat that SSC Ultimate Aero!

Am I totally crazy? Did somebody slip me something in my comfort tea this winter? I won’t press charges. Promise. I’d probably give you a big, fat hug and then ask you where you got the good stuff!

I don’t know about you, but I feel my best when I have 20 projects in the works, six more percolating in my brain and an unlimted supply of inspiration to be a human verb every day when I wake up. Spring seems to get under my skin in the best possible way. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some serious itching to do!

Blame Drew’s Cancer? Well…OK then!

Drew Olanoff/BlameDrewsCancer.com Photo Credit: Redcouch.Typepad.com (Global Neighborhoods Blog)

I blame Drew’s cancer:

For hungry people in a world with plenty of food for all

For women still not being paid an equal wage to men in the so-called best country in the whole damn world

For Toby Keith, ignorance, and over-zealous fear-mongering

For Homelessness

For corporate corruption + executives that don’t respect the infantry (or the middle class)

For Monsanto + Cargill

For racism

For global warming + its consequences

For Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Mylie Cyrus and any other crappy pop celebrity who makes men expect women to be drama queens + selfish Barbie dolls with no brains

For Aids

For Hitler

For Mao, Stalin, Kim Jong-Il and every insecure dictator who feels the need to oppress millions to support his (their are no hers that I can think of…yet) own ego

For drug wars and unfair trade

For rape and genocide

For people who think they’re better than you (they’re not)

For Fox News

And Glenn Beck. And Nancy Grace too.

For deforestation and desertification

For Tiger Woods , Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan—plus any other big shot who think fame entitles them to cheat on a woman and have it be OK

For really bad car dealership commercials and really bad drivers

For every incredible book that Hollywood ruined with a mediocre movie

For my alarm going off at 7:00am when I’d like it to say 9:00

For my Christmas tree coming down tomorrow and my house no longer smelling like sweet, spicy fir.

Whew! That felt good. Drew, I hope you feel better after that ass-kicking I just unleashed on your cancer. If not, I’m sure I can round up some help and we can give it another go!

If you haven’t checked out Drew Olanoff’s story—it’s incredible. Social media for social good and kicking some cancer bootie at the same time. Please, please, please go visit his site, follow @DrewFromTV and @Livestrong and blame Drew’s Cancer for something on Twitter. Drew Carey is donating $1 Million when @DrewFromTV and @Livestrong collectively reach 1,000,000 followers. And Drew Olanoff (@ThatDrew) is working to donate $1 to Livestrong for every tweet that blames his cancer for something whack as well! We’ve all been touched by this disease somehow and it’s up to us to make a cure happen. Here also is video of Drew Carey + Drew Olanoff on CNN together (evidently you can’t grab the code from a CNN vid to embed—a bit anti-journalistic to me, but whatev! I blame Drew’s cancer for that too!)

P.S. Drew, I totally have a flying monkey! Funniest thing EVER.

Andrew Revkin Breaks It Down: Climate Change + Slow Drip Theory

andrew_revkin

Andrew Revkin (photo credit: UN.org)

Tuesday, I scored big. Another manifestation success story for this little girl. Last minute, I got access to tickets for  New York Times writer + Dot Earth blogger, Andrew Revkin‘s talk at Portland State University. It was a two hour long eco-geekout for me—complete with tweet coverage for the GoGreen Conference (through whom I got the tickets due to the great generosity of Eleek). You can read those tweets on Twitter by searching for #revkinPSU.

The meat of my eco-geeking was looking at climate change from a “big picture” perspective that was very serious and incredibly thoughtful, but not hyper-dramatic. Instead, Revkin held a compelling dicussion on what’s happening with climate change, the controversies in the science behind it, ways governments are handling (or running from) the situation, and how news outlets have covered what he calls a “slow drip” phenomenon over the last century.

He spoke on this slow drip phenomenon quite a bit. It was a new analogy for me, one that resonated in its apt description of our dilemma. A slow drip process is one that occurs so gradually,  you don’t notice the issue at first. Usually, things don’t seem so bad, so you just put up with it. Except at some point, you know it’s going to be unbearable. Human nature lets us keep hoping that we can push off dealing with catastrophe just a little bit more before we absolutely must do something about it. A practical person would take care of the issue before it becomes a full on crisis, but we’re human beings — we’re inherently irrational — so we wait until everything goes bananas and have to work a helluva lot harder to get back on course. Sound familiar?

Revkin also brought up another challenge associated with slow drip issues: Just as it took us hundreds of years to cause this devastation, getting things back to how they were (or better) will take time too. At some level, he asserts, we must accept this will be our reality for the foreseeable future and figure out how to work within our new paradigm. We have to get used to living on a planet, “in the state of extreme flux.” The Katrina-level storms, the melting of glaciers and the polar ice caps, and the extreme medical side-effects of chemical pollutants aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

It’s a grim assessment of the situation, but that’s where we’re at.

It leaves Margaret Mead’s concerned citizens wondering what they can do to enact real change.

So glad you asked, because I’ve got you covered (you know I always go big!). Revkin was kind enough to answer that very question for us on camera.

Enjoy. I sure did.

How To Make A Statement 101

dsmithhschoolheadshotThis is what I’m talking about people!

Brain tumor hits and your insurance won’t cover the treatments you need in order to live? Speak up or die trying! Fight like hell. Force their hand if you have to.

Dawn Smith is doing just that. Through the power of her voice, she was able to exert enough pressure on CIGNA, her health insurance provider, to get some of the tests + treatments she needed to to live with her brain tumor. Dawn’s a smart cookie though. She knows change doesn’t come easily, so she’s headed to Pittsburgh to have a candid conversation + make a lasting impression on CIGNA.

Tomorrow, Dawn arrives at CIGNA headquarters, where she’ll attempt to meet with CEO Edward Hanway to discuss the intense pain and suffering that is fostered by their broken system—pain and suffering she has experienced first hand, despite being a model customer of CIGNA. She’s also bringing with her hundreds of messages of support from her fellow Americans in prescription pill bottles. Talk about a making an impression.

It’s a bold, gutsy move. And it’s exactly the kind of action we need in America. But I’ve yakked on long enough. You need to hear Dawn’s voice, not mine.

Things That Get Me Going…

i+want+a+jobThings that get me going—this is one of them. Intelligent, educated, deserving citizens struggling under the oppressive weight of poverty. The weakening of the American Middle Class is a disturbing and growing trend. Since moving to Portland and seeing the vast array of people struggling with homelessness and poverty (among others–drug use, abuse, etc.) I’ve been meaning to revisit the issue. It seems especially relevant now in light of a recent report by Charles K. Rowley and Nathanael Smith on the United States’ potential journey into Third World status. It breaks my heart that we’ve let it get to this point. We’ve figured out how to fly, how to put a woman in space, replace a heart, grow a stem cell, talk loud and clear to somebody thousands of miles away–but we can’t figure out a way to make sure everyone who wants the basics covered gets them? What’s up with that?

My bus commute is a daily reality check. What I can tell you is that we’ve really got some work to do if we want to live up to the ideals expressed in our founding documents and the American Dream. How can we rewrite the rules to fit today? Where will small actions lead to major impacts? I’d really love to hear your ideas.

One of mine—cutting out the “I gotta get mine” mentality. It’s disgusting, selfish and guess what? It doesn’t work. This little recession we’ve got going on is proof of that. We’re in it together. I’m not suggesting communism or socialism, just transparent, fair + ethical capitalism, which is far from what we’ve had. Every American deserves the opportunity at a job that will allow them to put quality food on the table and a roof over their head, let them get medical assistance when they’re sick and provide an education for their children. Whether they take that opportunity is up to them, but it should be there. It shouldn’t be elusive—it’s the mother-effing American Dream!!! We can’t survive without that dream alive and well. It is who we are. It’s in our blood. We have to fight like hell for it.

But with eight million jobs cut in the U.S. in since December 2007, that dream has dimmed like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. Nothing can save Tink but a conscious, sincere and faith-in-ourselves-filled clapping of the hands.

Well, here we are, our light is dimmed, but it isn’t dead. We have a choice to make: fight or flight. I think it’s an easy choice to make. The way out? Bold moves, a heady dose of innovation and an all or nothing attitude. Full force. Total community participation. Unwavering commitment to the common goal. Clap those hands until you can’t clap no more.

Oh yeah, the sheer possibility of what we can accomplish is another thing that really gets me going. It makes me want to move. Makes we want to act. Makes we want to work for it.

We can all do something. One thing. One thing multiplied by 300 million can produce some depressing results—or impressive ones. It’s up to us to choose.

One thing? Is that really to much to ask? Or are we just going to settle?

Time to start hustlin’.

A 12-Year-Old Girl Will Save The World? Duh!

Enough said.

“Testing, Testing, 1,2,3…Can You Hear Me Now?”

Dave Chapelle makes a surprise visit at Pioneer Square in Portland (Via @riotgrrrl6161)

Dave Chapelle makes a surprise visit at Pioneer Square in Portland (Via @riotgrrrl6161)

I’m pretty damn sure Dave Chappelle wasn’t planning on hanging out with 5-10,000+ of Portland’s finest tonight. Rather, I’d put a reasonably large bet on him being stashed away in some swanky hotel room at The Heathman, drinking Blue Label and crackin’ jokes when his manager came in and told him we were all waiting, expecting him to show up. WE, the PEOPLE brought him out that hotel room. What was he supposed to do? Be a big fat jerk and not come? That’s crazy talk.

I won’t lie, it was more exciting in the hour we waited for him than once he actually showed up. The mini-amp and plug in mike were…let’s go with underwhelming. My computer speakers are louder than that crappy excuse for a sound system. But then again, as a kind Po-Po informed me, no permit, no sound. Looks like the party was doomed from the start.

But it’s all good. It definitely gave us all something to do on a Tuesday night other than watch TV and drink beer, albeit very very good beer. It was just such a waste of a crowd. Think about the possibilities of that scene. We were primed and ready for something great. It was unrehearsed, organic, community. There were people drinking whiskey and getting naked (and arrested for getting naked) on the roof of Starbucks for God Sake!!! No, this was real. No marketing or advertising gimmicks to ruin the moment. Just grassroots, networking and word of mouth proving weight in gold–or maybe iPhones. Everything is so intentional and scripted these days–even so-called reality TV. When we get a glimpse of the unexpected, the spontaneous, the surprise with no ulterior motive to be found–we have no choice but to form a Twitter flash-mob and surround it. It’s such a rare and precious gift. I suppose, that, in and of itself, is what really made tonight special. It wasn’t Dave Chappelle (sorry Dave). It was people gathering around a mustard seed of a possibility. If you were there and saw how many people showed, I’m sure you can attest that we grew those grassroots into a tree. And that’s pretty fucking cool if you ask me.

Let’s just hope the rumor starters pick a venue where we don’t need a permit next time!

A Memo: On How NOT to Inspire A Revolution

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A Memorandum: On How NOT To Inspire A Revolution

To: The Supreme Leader & Co.

From: A little girl with a big voice

Judging from your actions leading up to and following the recent elections in the great Islamic Republic of Iran, I can’t help but believe that you must have somehow missed the memo on how to effectively avoid a revolution these days. Since nobody wants to see total chaos + anarchy—and with both quickly ensuing—I felt compelled to make sure you got this very important one ASAP.

You simply must have missed that memo. Why else would you done so many self-sabotaging things in such a short span of time? Just FYI: Avoiding revolution + a coup d’état doesn’t usually involve apparently sloppily skewing election results (Really, did you have to make Ahmadinejad win by THAT large a margin?).

“Avoiding Revolution For Dummies” also doesn’t involve additional clamping down on freedom of speech two weeks before voting day. Why, for goodness’ sake, did you have to choose censorship of Facebook, which excepting Twitter, is THE most popular media topic on the planet? You have to be aware the Facebook is akin to online crack for young people, which make up 60% of your population? Oh well, maybe you missed that memo too. Shutting down Facebook? Bet you wish you could get a re-do on that one. Not shutting down Twitter as well? Well, enough said. We all have our off days.

While we’re on the topic of poor strategic decisions, here are some additional things you might want to avoid: Shutting out and/or arresting respected foreign journalists covering protests (It reeks of corruption, desperation + something to hide), arresting the daughters of respected clergy/government leaders who brought you to power and/or allowing your military + paramilitary forces to injure or kill women* (people will rally around the safety of women, which is hard to believe I know, seeing as we are “inferior”), tear gas, dropping chemicals on your own people from helicopters (Is it really wise to sink to the level of Saddam Hussein?), not allowing people to peacefully assemble (because denying their right to express their dissent is the PERFECT way to weaken their resolve to fight the status quo), and last—though certainly not least—placing all your eggs in one increasingly unpopular + alienating basket (i.e. backing Ahmadinejad come hell or high water is probably NOT your best bet considering the rising dissatisfaction with his record within the Iranian populous and leadership–not to mention he isn’t your most beloved politician after this whole botched election thing).

Still, I fear this memo may be coming a bit late for you. And since you keep shutting down cell service, valid ISPs, and are hacking around Twitter like a 14-year-old techie genius with something to prove, you might miss this one as well. Frankly, considering the major blunders of the past few weeks (or 30 years, depending on how you look at it)—not to mention your atrocious record on women’s rights, freedom of speech, political transparency and international hate-mongering—I’m not sure you are up to the task of ruling a nation of such historical importance, cultural imminence and future potential. Perhaps it is time for a change in Iran. Perhaps, it just might (maybe!) be time to listen to the voices of the people rather than your own fears. I firmly believe in granting each of us equal opportunity. Unfortunately you may have just missed yours.

* This is especially important considering the high numbers of cameras in the streets capable of capturing such atrocities, spreading the video across the world and hardly earning any sympathy for your cause. It’s just a thought.

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