Well, we are midway through March, and my change is going well. I cut up an old t-shirt to use as "family cloth" and I love it! So soft and it cleans well. Occasionally I just forget and use toilet paper, but that doesn't happen often.
As far as using my vintage hankies to blow my nose on... I haven't had much occasion to use them! I haven't been sick and I don't have allergies, and I haven't cried much this month. :) I did use them a couple times at the beginning of the month. At first I felt weird blowing my nose on such pretty, delicate fabric - but hey, useful things can be pretty too, right? And they are super easy to launder, along with my cut up t-shirt squares.
A couple challenges I've run into: Sometiems I don't have enough of my t-shirt cloths to last me til the next laundry day. I could of course easily solve this by cutting up another shirt. The more major challenge is this: I'm moving at the end of the month. My boyfriend N and I are currently renting the finished attic of a house, and we have our own half bath upstairs. Thus the other members of the house aren't subjected to our weird toilet rituals, including the family cloth and "if it's yellow let it mellow." I'm moving because N is doing a six-month farm internship about 2 hours away from here, and I need to live somewhere cheaper. So the new house is smaller, and has only one bathroom. I met the roommates on Craigslist, and while they seem concerned with environmental issues, I was too embarrassed to bring any of this up.... We'll see how it goes.
There are really good things about this house though, and these are a big part of the reason I chose it.
1) It is small. There will be 3, sometimes 4 people living there, and I'm excited to share the small space. Small means less heating and lighting, less building materials that went into the house, etc. etc. I've been obsessed with Tumbleweed Tiny Houses for several years, so moving into a smaller house is a step in the right direction for me!
2) The owners have spent the last three years fixing up the house, and installing all energy efficient appliances: washer and dryer, fridge, dishwasher, etc. Woohoo! A big change from my current house.
3) There are chickens!! Five of them. I've been wanting chickens, but since I move around so much I didn't think it was really feasible. I'm so excited to move into a house that already has them, and to try my hand at caring for small livestock.
4) The backyard is sunny and has two big garden beds, with room for more. My current house is shaded by two immense Doug Fir trees, and only has a small area suitable for gardening. I'm so excited to get in there and plant a big veggie garden! There's also a compost pile already going. My current house has a worm compost bin, and I love that. I would want to set up one at the new house, but I have a feeling that the chickens will probably eat a lot of my kitchen scraps.
So overall, I think this move will be a positive one environmentally, even if I do wimp out and stop using the family cloth.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Coffee Cozy
I'll admit it, I haven't been knitting or crocheting much lately. Unless I have a specific project in mind, I have a hard time shelling out the money for nice yarn. And I know that I don't really need a new sweater or scarf or whatever. So my needles have been sitting idle.
Then a couple days ago, I saw N wrapping his french press in a towel to keep it warm. He doesn't do this every day, since he usually drinks his coffee immediately. However, it gave me the perfect excuse to whip up a quick project with some stash yarn.
I just single crocheted until the piece was long enough to cover the glass portion of the french press. Then I added some buttons out of my button jar, and it was complete! Voila! French press cozy in about 20 minutes. Please don't judge me for not weaving in the ends. N likes things to look a little rough, and I gladly accept the excuse, because I secretly despise weaving in the ends!
Then a couple days ago, I saw N wrapping his french press in a towel to keep it warm. He doesn't do this every day, since he usually drinks his coffee immediately. However, it gave me the perfect excuse to whip up a quick project with some stash yarn.
I just single crocheted until the piece was long enough to cover the glass portion of the french press. Then I added some buttons out of my button jar, and it was complete! Voila! French press cozy in about 20 minutes. Please don't judge me for not weaving in the ends. N likes things to look a little rough, and I gladly accept the excuse, because I secretly despise weaving in the ends!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Weekend Adventures
We've been having some great warm weather and sunny days here in Portland lately. Of course I've been a little worried that spring is coming too early, that we might get a hard freeze and everything would die, that global warming is making crazy things happen. All of these things might be true, but being a Southwestern sunshine-loving girl, I am just grinning and soaking up every minute of it. Riding my bike is fun again!
And so I've been having some fun pedal-powered outings. Last weekend N and I set off for Kelley Point Park, a nice 8 mile jaunt from our house. It was an interesting ride... Partly through the Columbia Slough/wetlands, and partly on the side of crazy industrial high-speed roads. That's just how North Portland is. It was my first time out to Kelley Point, and it was definitely interesting...
We walked along the little beach at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.
We could see Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens really clearly. We could also see ship yards and industrial waste.
There were a lot of cormorants.
We had a delicious picnic lunch on the beach. Homemade bread and egg salad open face sandwiches with arugula from the garden. Yum!
Of course no walk on the beach would be complete without a little monkey business from N.
Striking his best Lewis & Clark pose.
Here's hoping for some more outdoor adventures this weekend! What are your plans?
And so I've been having some fun pedal-powered outings. Last weekend N and I set off for Kelley Point Park, a nice 8 mile jaunt from our house. It was an interesting ride... Partly through the Columbia Slough/wetlands, and partly on the side of crazy industrial high-speed roads. That's just how North Portland is. It was my first time out to Kelley Point, and it was definitely interesting...
We walked along the little beach at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.
We could see Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens really clearly. We could also see ship yards and industrial waste.
Of course no walk on the beach would be complete without a little monkey business from N.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
March One Small Change
I've recently been inspired by Hip Mountain Mama's One Small Change group, where people commit to one attainable ecological change per month leading up to Earth Day. I've decided to make my change around paper products.
Now, I consider myself to be pretty good with paper. I never use paper towels, avoid disposable plates, napkins and cups like the plague (I usually will bring my own mug, and sometimes plate, to meetings or lectures). I usually dry my hands on my pants or shake them dry in public restrooms. I assemble every scrap of paper (receipts, envelopes, ...) and scribble lists, notes and directions on them before recycling... Etc, etc.
There is one area of my paper use, though, that I have been reluctant to address, and that deals with bodily fluids. Yes, I buy recycled toilet paper and use it very conservatively, but I'm still using paper every time I go to the bathroom or blow my nose. So I've decided to try out this whole "family cloth" thing, but only for number 1 right now. Baby steps, people. I cut up an old t-shirt, and I'm ready to go! And my pretty collection of vintage hankies that I used to use only as an accessory casually tucked in a pocket? Yes, I will be wiping my nose with them.
It's time to get over my squeamishness for more important things. I'm glad that Hip Mountain Mama and all those other One Small Changers have finally prompted me to take this step that I've been contemplating for awhile!
Wish me luck!
Now, I consider myself to be pretty good with paper. I never use paper towels, avoid disposable plates, napkins and cups like the plague (I usually will bring my own mug, and sometimes plate, to meetings or lectures). I usually dry my hands on my pants or shake them dry in public restrooms. I assemble every scrap of paper (receipts, envelopes, ...) and scribble lists, notes and directions on them before recycling... Etc, etc.
There is one area of my paper use, though, that I have been reluctant to address, and that deals with bodily fluids. Yes, I buy recycled toilet paper and use it very conservatively, but I'm still using paper every time I go to the bathroom or blow my nose. So I've decided to try out this whole "family cloth" thing, but only for number 1 right now. Baby steps, people. I cut up an old t-shirt, and I'm ready to go! And my pretty collection of vintage hankies that I used to use only as an accessory casually tucked in a pocket? Yes, I will be wiping my nose with them.
It's time to get over my squeamishness for more important things. I'm glad that Hip Mountain Mama and all those other One Small Changers have finally prompted me to take this step that I've been contemplating for awhile!
Wish me luck!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Permaculture Classroom
This weekend I had the privilege of hearing Michael Becker speak at Portland State University. He is a middle school math and science teacher, who has pioneered a truly innovative outdoor classroom.
As an aspiring educator, I was so inspired by his program! I was homeschooled as a child and have recently learned about and developed an interest in the philosophy of unschooling. While these educational models can be great for individual families, I don't think they are feasible for the majority of households in the United States. With this in mind, I have been mulling over how some of the aspects of these educational models could be incorporated into a more traditional school setting. Like giving children some control over what and how they learn. Or allowing them to learn at their own pace. There is nothing that irks me more than a teacher standing at the front of a room, forcing everyone to learn and regurgitate the same thing! When I was homeschooled, my mother did choose our curriculum, but I still had so much more free time to pursue my own interests. I also got to learn at exactly my own pace. I didn't have to wait for 25 other kids to finish the writing assignment before I could do something else. If I didn't understand a concept, I could go back over it, instead of being rushed on with the rest of the class.
It seems to me that so much time in the modern classroom is spent doing crowd control. With the current high numbers of student/class, teachers feel that they have to keep a tight rein on their students or chaos could break out at any moment. This results in strict rules, everyone being forced to do the same activity, and squelching creativity.
But I digress. Let me get back to Michael Becker. His classroom embodies so many of the ideals I would want for my own classroom when I'm a teacher! Although many schools now have gardens and garden programs, what I think is unique about his program is how much control and influence the students have. They learn about science and math in practical, hands on ways. The students design and implement their own projects. They do all the research, build models, write grants, etc. His outdoor classroom has a few different parts. One is getting the kids out into nature, where they doing fun activities like snowshoeing. They also partner with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to collect data. His students study streams and collect data. They are also working on a glacier recession study. This provides them the opportunity not only to get outdoors, but to dig deep into a habitat, learn how it works, and then interact with professionals in the field. So cool!
The other aspect of his program is their gardens at the school. Michael teaches kids about the permaculture model, and to think about systems and how everything is connected. They started out by building a native plants arboretum in a shaded location behind one of the buildings. It was a blank canvas when they planted 150 native trees and other plants. Now four years later, the area is teeming with life! They have spotted 50 different bird species, over 300 different bugs, and there are 20-30 plant species growing that they did not plant!
Then they built an edible garden, and partnered with a local farmer's market to sell their produce. The next plan in the works is a huge green house. They have installed a solar panel that will power the greenhouse. The kids actually got to help wire it in, and learned all about that process, as well as energy generation and conservation. They have had to be creative in coming up with ways to run their entire greenhouse on the energy put out by that solar panel. They will put in tilapia tanks to act as a heat sink to absorb heat in the summer, and radiate it out in the winter. They can use the nitrogen rich water as fertilizer, and one kid even came up with a plan to make algae bricks and burn them as fuel.
Literally, this was all the children's idea, and they have designed every step of the process, even learning calculus where necessary! Sixth graders! I was so impressed. When you give kids the freedom to dream and explore, they can do incredible things. Obviously, these kids have excelled far beyond state standards, and it's because they enjoy what they are doing and they are doing real work. For instance in Math, they are given real problem solving activities, tasks and projects to learn, instead of the abstractions most kids struggle with. Not only does it show them why all this stuff is necessary and useful, it's a lot easier to understand a concept when you're actually doing it, rather than just thinking about it.
Any thoughts? Have you had experiences like this either learning at home, or in a school?
As an aspiring educator, I was so inspired by his program! I was homeschooled as a child and have recently learned about and developed an interest in the philosophy of unschooling. While these educational models can be great for individual families, I don't think they are feasible for the majority of households in the United States. With this in mind, I have been mulling over how some of the aspects of these educational models could be incorporated into a more traditional school setting. Like giving children some control over what and how they learn. Or allowing them to learn at their own pace. There is nothing that irks me more than a teacher standing at the front of a room, forcing everyone to learn and regurgitate the same thing! When I was homeschooled, my mother did choose our curriculum, but I still had so much more free time to pursue my own interests. I also got to learn at exactly my own pace. I didn't have to wait for 25 other kids to finish the writing assignment before I could do something else. If I didn't understand a concept, I could go back over it, instead of being rushed on with the rest of the class.
It seems to me that so much time in the modern classroom is spent doing crowd control. With the current high numbers of student/class, teachers feel that they have to keep a tight rein on their students or chaos could break out at any moment. This results in strict rules, everyone being forced to do the same activity, and squelching creativity.
But I digress. Let me get back to Michael Becker. His classroom embodies so many of the ideals I would want for my own classroom when I'm a teacher! Although many schools now have gardens and garden programs, what I think is unique about his program is how much control and influence the students have. They learn about science and math in practical, hands on ways. The students design and implement their own projects. They do all the research, build models, write grants, etc. His outdoor classroom has a few different parts. One is getting the kids out into nature, where they doing fun activities like snowshoeing. They also partner with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to collect data. His students study streams and collect data. They are also working on a glacier recession study. This provides them the opportunity not only to get outdoors, but to dig deep into a habitat, learn how it works, and then interact with professionals in the field. So cool!
The other aspect of his program is their gardens at the school. Michael teaches kids about the permaculture model, and to think about systems and how everything is connected. They started out by building a native plants arboretum in a shaded location behind one of the buildings. It was a blank canvas when they planted 150 native trees and other plants. Now four years later, the area is teeming with life! They have spotted 50 different bird species, over 300 different bugs, and there are 20-30 plant species growing that they did not plant!
Then they built an edible garden, and partnered with a local farmer's market to sell their produce. The next plan in the works is a huge green house. They have installed a solar panel that will power the greenhouse. The kids actually got to help wire it in, and learned all about that process, as well as energy generation and conservation. They have had to be creative in coming up with ways to run their entire greenhouse on the energy put out by that solar panel. They will put in tilapia tanks to act as a heat sink to absorb heat in the summer, and radiate it out in the winter. They can use the nitrogen rich water as fertilizer, and one kid even came up with a plan to make algae bricks and burn them as fuel.
Literally, this was all the children's idea, and they have designed every step of the process, even learning calculus where necessary! Sixth graders! I was so impressed. When you give kids the freedom to dream and explore, they can do incredible things. Obviously, these kids have excelled far beyond state standards, and it's because they enjoy what they are doing and they are doing real work. For instance in Math, they are given real problem solving activities, tasks and projects to learn, instead of the abstractions most kids struggle with. Not only does it show them why all this stuff is necessary and useful, it's a lot easier to understand a concept when you're actually doing it, rather than just thinking about it.
Any thoughts? Have you had experiences like this either learning at home, or in a school?
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