Posted this on my out of Gaia blog last week.

Trash from week 2 weighed in at 1.22 lbs - which is nearly 3 lbs. less than last week. Most of the savings came by planning ahead - taking coffee in my own mug - thanks Next Door - and packing a thermos of milk for lunch. Those "to go" cups make a big difference. I've even switched to a mug if sitting in the coffee shop!

Planning ahead makes a huge difference. In all fairness, this weigh in did not include all of the junk mail - like last week. There is a place in town - EarthWorks - that takes mixed use paper for a small fee of $.08 per pound*. They shred it and send it to an outfit that makes some sort of outdoor equipment. Deb says the next step is to "follow our trash" to see where it really ends up! That might take some serious planning.

One thing for certain - this exercise showed me that just thinking about waste makes a huge difference. It effects the choices I make.

*Mixed paper  - over the course of 3 weeks - weighed in at 7 lbs.

Phew!!! Gross is right. The odor was beginning to raise a few eyebrows. Ya think I should have rinsed out the milk cartons and yogurt containers? Here's my total trash accumulation for a week - 4 lb 1.5 oz. It would have weighed a little lower but my 15 year old alarm clock broke on Thursday - I loved that clock.

A couple things about this first week of the experiment surprised me. Number one was how much more aware I became about alternative choices. There is something to be said for experiential learning. My brain focused on choices for the future. There were a couple times mid-week that I wanted to switch to a reusable coffee cup. But to set a base trash weight (BTW), I had decided that business as usual was best. Secondly, this was a "light" mail week - and still it added a lot to the gross total. Really torn between ending direct mail solicitations from my favorite causes or finding a local recycler that takes mixed paper i.e. junk mail. Thirdly, there were a ton of places I visited focused on reduce, reuse and recycle. Either I was just more aware or there is something in the air.

Future forward design for the world you inhabit - Inhabit

No Impact Man - a family in NYC challenging current convention and behavior. The blog that inspired my experiment.

Sustainable Living with a Lighter Footstep.

Trashformations - a blog about fun and easy ways to live green.

THE spot to learn more - Co-op America - Economic action for a just planet. Membership is a bargain!

Here's my garbage from 1.11.2008. I won't bore you with each item but I'd say its about average. A combination of coffee cups, sandwich wrapping, a couple straws, napkins and an emery board. The sand was worn of it so I tossed it. This also is today's mail - mostly junk.

In order to reduce my ecological footprint, I need to recognize it's size. Here's the plan - I'll collect all my trash for two weeks. Photograph it daily and blog about it daily. The first week is intended to focus my brain on how much garbage I create. In the 2nd week, I'll try to reduce it. Simple, right? I'm stealing the idea from Frog Design and Tess' Trash Challenge. I currently recycle newspaper, magazines, plastic, glass, tin, aluminum and clothes I haven't worn in a year. I'm going to try to live smaller still.

I'll admit to being obsessive enough to tackle this challenge. There is a finite amount of space on this rock in space we call home. About 66% of it can be considered productive which means it is capable of meeting all our needs and absorbing all our waste. Based on current world population, there are about 4.45 productive acres per person per year. The average global citizen has a footprint of about 5.56 acres per year. This will come as no shock but the average US citizen footprint is about 23 acres per person per year. We got big feet.

Try one of these sites to learn more and do more about your footprint.
Adventures with Bobbie Bigfoot - set up for the kid in all of us. If everyone was my Bobbie, we'd need 1.8 planets. Bit of a surprise!
Best Foot Forward: Bringing Sustainability Down to Earth - UK based calculator - if everybody lived like me, we would need 2.2 planets - YIPES!
Ecological Footprint Quiz - site is upgrading to new quiz. A lot of technical info on the concept of ecological footprint.
Conservation International - 10 question quiz which takes a couple minutes. I discover my score is 49. My title is Eco-Apprentice. Already I can see ways to be reduce my footprint mostly in the food choices I make.
The Green Office:Carbon Offsetting - Geared toward those who manage an office with multiple workers. I may try this at work - on my break time, of course :)

I like Frog Design and my local One Man's Trash.

Stop Global Warming Virtual March
12/07/07

GREEN SHOPPING IDEAS
Happy Holidays! And here's to a green New Year! Below are our very own green suggestions!

Cool Planet Jewelry: Each piece of our partner Cool Planet Jewelry's Stop Global Warming collection is made from recycled precious metals using earth-friendly manufacturing techniques. Men's and women's collection includes bracelet, necklace, cufflinks, and stud set. Wear the jewelry and spread the word on this important issue. Buy Now.

Simple Flip Flops: Simple Shoes offers a StopGlobalWarming.org edition of their Toepeeka flip-flop, made with ecologically-friendly materials and packaged in a bio-degradable bag. Proceeds from the sale benefit our organization. Buy Now.

Greensender.com: A great green movement starter pack! Included are a few useful items that will help anyone to incorporate green practices into their daily lives. The Greensender box includes an eco-friendly aluminum SIGG water bottle; a reusable grocery bag; an energy-efficient cfl light bulb; and an organic cotton t-shirt. Buy Now.

41Pounds.org: Help a friend or family member cut out their junk mail, and have a tree planted in their name. Click here to sign up.

The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming: A book for kids of all ages with facts about global warming, loads of photos and illustrations, and suggestions for combating global warming in homes, schools, and communities. Buy Now. For other great DVD and book ideas, check out our Resources page.

Spiralfoundation.org: The non-profit S.P.I.R.A.L. Foundation (stands for Spinning Potential Into Resource And Love) offers beautiful handmade goods crafted from found objects and recycled scraps. Click here to check out their wide variety of recycled products that will make great gifts for everyone on your list.

Experience/Donation Gifts: What better way to help the environment than to give gifts that don't require packaging? Try tickets to concerts or sporting events, or a museum membership. Even better, give a gift membership to an environmental organization. Your donation helps support groups that fight on your behalf for the good of our planet. A few suggestions: NRDC; The Sierra Club; and the National Wildlife Federation.

HOLIDAY TIPS

Ditch the Plastic Bag: Another useful idea for your holiday shopping trips is to bring your own reusable canvas bag, foregoing those one-time plastic shopping bags. Here in Los Angeles, December 20, 2007 will be recognized as "A Day Without A Bag" as part of a grassroots education and action effort to encourage consumers to not accept plastic bags while holiday shopping.

Skip the Gift Wrap: Whatever you give, be sure to cut back on holiday waste by using alternatives to paper gift wrapping, almost none of which is made from recycled materials. Use the least amount of packaging and wrapping as possible. Newspaper, fabric scraps, scarves, reusable boxes, tins and jars are great wrapping ideas. If you do buy wrapping paper, always choose recycled and save wrap and bows for re-use next year.

Our partner IdealBite has some fresh ideas for a greener holiday season:

Go Towards the LED: Watch your holiday energy bills flatline by switching to strands of LED bulbs - they use 90% less electricity than traditional holiday bulbs.

Shop in the Buff: Online, that is. Despite their size, e-commerce warehouses use 1/16th of the energy used to operate retail stores. And even overnight air shipping uses 40% less fuel than the average car trip to the store.

 

For more of their great holiday tips, check out Idealbite.com.

Keep Marching!

Laurie David
Founder
StopGlobalWarming.org

This post is titled with a question and ends with one. If you want to skip the detail - I know you're busy - cut to the chase and read the last paragraph.

Not that any of you should listen to a newspaper guy who decided to ride a bike 477 miles in the humidity of Iowa cornfields...but unplugging for a couple weeks does your soul a world of wonder.

No phone...no internet...no ipod. I lived like a pig - although the end of day shower was delightful - talking and eating my way across Iowa as part of a "carnival on wheels". Estimates to the number of riders go as high as 20,000 and I must have talked to 1/2 of them. Working on my social skills at every opportunity :) Thanks to each of you who stopped by while the "Gone Fishing" sign was out and left comments. You know that's what keeps One Reader and one blogger going. Special thanks to you who talked about me :). Judging from at least one post - and my email box - it appears the Age of Conversation is bolting its way into people's minds. Way to go AoC community!

Plugging back in is another story altogether. Something about the lows that follow the highs, I'm sure. Plus this thing called "work". They say the first step is the toughest so consider this return post my first step back to reality. Life was so simple for a week...wake up...pack up camp...toss my bags on the truck...eat...have coffee...climb on the saddle...talk...climb off the saddle...talk while eating...climb on the saddle...eat while pedaling...talk some more...pedal some more...arrive in camp...have a beer...pitch my tent...talk some more...eat some more...rinse and repeat...for 7 glorious days. Here's the photo album if you wanna check it out! Tags and titles soon to follow.

I made the acquaintance - and gained the friendship - of a terrific person and fellow blogger/writer/journalkeeper. Joe from Chicago - just another one-legged bicyclist - literally saved my ass with some well timed advice - combine this and this for soothing relief :). Joe's journal is here...you need to register at greatestjournal.com to leave comments...but the most recent entry shows the determination it takes for this ride across the corn fields. His user info page tells the great story of his amputation. And this photo shows the famous dip in the Mississippi River 'tween Iowa and Illinois. Every once in a while I run across an individual who impacts my life more than they'll ever know. The impact is not particularly easy to verbalize. Definitely it becomes part of our shared humanity. It all started waiting in line for lasagna at the end of a 70 mile bike ride.

Can you write about a person who touched you in a similar way? Maybe you can't define the "how" - but its well worth trying.

*crosspost at One Reader at a Time.

We have the ability to make one another feel better - each and every day. The number of people who offer that gift to me - the worthiest of human traits - is far too long to list to write here. Sometimes the people are strangers never to be seen again. Other times, they are friends and family. More and more it happens virtually over this new fangled internet thing :). Every time it happens, lives are touched.

This reflection on humanity began a couple Fridays ago. I was standing in line at a fast food joint located in a food court. Normally, I carry a lunch but Friday is my day to eat out. A perfect stranger approached me:

Perfect Stranger: which of these restaurants is better?
Me: They are both equally good - it depends on what you're hungry for.
Perfect Stranger: We're visiting from Edmonton, Alberta, and attending a basketball camp. I have four 16 year olds. They are hungry.
Me: This one offers a little bigger portions. That one has a shorter line.
Perfect Stranger: The one you are going to looks good. What line of work are you in?
Me: I work at the newspaper and am in marketing. Are you in town for Hoopfest? Does the camp form a couple teams to play?
Perfect Stranger: No, it's a coincidence. The kids wanted to attend the Gonzaga camp. We had no idea there was this much activity this weekend in your town. I read your paper this morning. It's good.

I liked him right away :) And so it went as the line got shorter. We shared conversation. I felt like an ambassador for Spokane. He felt welcomed. I learned about Edmonton and how the economy is exploding. Plus a little about his work. He said "thanks" and we were on our separate ways. We made a better day. Or did we make the day better?

Episode Two: On Independence Day, I went for a bike ride - training, you know - and stopped for a Starbucks. (side note: notice how its not coffee anymore, its Starbucks - HA!). It was a gorgeous mid week morning where most workers in the US have the day off - except for the baristas. I'm sipping my coffee at an outside table, guarding my bike and watching people come and go. Some are happier than others.

Perfect Stranger: How's your ride this morning?
Me: It was great! This is my favorite part - sitting and thinking how beautiful the world is from the saddle of a bicycle (Admittedly, I was philosophizing a bit ;)
Perfect Stranger: What line of work are you in?
Me: Newspapers - and you?
Perfect Stranger: Retired - when I was 59.
Me: I have a few more years until then. You better get some coffee. (some say I'm too bossy - LOL)

He came back, sat down and thus began 45 minutes of face to face conversation. I thought I could talk?!?!? Seems he has a son at Fort Lewis (other side of the state) who is Green Beret and a daughter nearby. His pride for both of them shone bright. He's spent the better part of 15 years traveling about after selling his ranch in Texas. Really liked Oregon but was fascinated with the country just north of here and south of Canada. Again, I felt like an ambassador saying things like "This is a hard place to leave once you settle in".

Once again days are made better through communication, sharing and opening ourselves.

Here are links to the postings - and influencers - for this entry:

Jackie Cameron - if you haven't checked Jackie's blog you really should. The link points to her entry on "How do you make people feel"?
Phil Gerbyshak - the make it great guy. Phil posted a question on LinkedIn (not sure if you can get there without membership but try - let me know). He got 43 answers (and counting) on how to make a bad day better.
Mack Collier - About the same time Phil posted his question, Mack put this post up. It's a question on the value of two social networks - MyBlogLog and LinkedIn. At least part of the value is in how we make each other feel.

Jackie closes her post with this quote attributed to Maya Angelou. I close with it, too:

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.

Here is an exercise in art and community. It's Street Music Week in my town, Spokane, WA. The scheme is a dream of Doug Clark, one of the columnists for The Spokesman-Review*. Doug sends out a plea for musicians to come downtown and play for an hour. His column, plus his getting into communities of musicians, results in a pretty fair turnout - upwards of 50 players on street corners. One guy even lugs a piano down on the back of a flat bed. Most of us will remain unrecognized and never be able to quit our day jobs :) - Support a busker!

I consider it an exercise in community for three outstanding qualities:

• A community is inclusive - Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level. Kids are always the best - they have no fear. True community must welcome a variety of voices - in this case sounds. I play a bit on the guitar - mostly with a rag tag bunch of bluegrass pickers from the Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association. This is the second year for me to join the fun.
• A community is sharing - At some point, playing music is about having people listen. Hopefully, it is enjoyable. The smiles - rare as they are from some people - are priceless. We were playing "You are My Sunshine" and a couple carrying a2 month old baby happened by - what timing! Music comes from the heart. Sure you have to learn notes and chords and tunes - but you need the desire to begin the practice. At some point in every music makers life is an "influencer" who shared the love of the sound. Strong community is centered around the desire to share and pass along.
  
• A community is caring - all proceeds from this week are donated to 2nd Harvest Food Bank. In order for a community to grow in strength, it must care for everyone in the community. Similar to the welcoming characteristic, it goes beyond welcoming. Once a member is part of the community there is need for genuine care.
  

There are varying degrees of red tape that most cities require musicians to unravel. Here you can buy a license which is good for 90 days. So long as you don't block a doorway or harass people on the sidewalk, it's cool. Doug wrote a story Tuesday expressing how tough it is to stand on a street corner and play music. Essentially he talks about the rejection of people walking by without any acknowledgment. Most people are busy and have limited time for lunch break. There are days when all I want to do is get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Maybe its time to slow down?

Here's the part that blows my mind. Even virtuoso violinists like Joshua Bell can't get people to stop. Read the Washington Post story from an April experiment. This is a man who commands $100 for a seat at a performance. His playing will send chills through every living cell inside you.

It makes me wonder whats happened to our senses? How does it impact our communities?

BlueWaters Bluegrass Festival - See you there?
Trailer Park Girls - the MySpace thing
Joshua Bell - the youTube thing - over 1000 people = $37-40
Paul Sings Opera - more YouTube - trust me, if you've not seen this guy, it will send you over the edge - even if you have seen it...WOW!

*full disclosure - that's the paper where I work :)

Dr. Margaret Wheatley is on tour - not quite the same as Dylan, the Rolling Stones, CSNY or Iggy and the Stooges. Much as I'd pay to see BobbyD (within reason, of course) its better for my ears to listen to her. Her dreams and vision of community and organizations are part of a new story we can share. I think and write a lot about the journey we're on. Its a journey with many paths. If she's in your town, check it out!

I was privileged to hear Meg speak Friday afternoon. President Emerita of The Berkana Institute, I was introduced to her work 5-6 years ago through the book "Leadership and the New Science". If I were to review this book in one sentence - "We live in a world of chaos becoming connected". She's an extremely readable author especially for the non-scientist - me. Dr. Wheatley has newer books that taking her beliefs deeper and broader - so dig in. You should dig somewhere else if you prefer technical business, economic, leadership or marketing reading though. If your looking for answers all I can say is expect questions.

Her current slide talk begins with this quote:

"There is no power greater than a community discovering what it cares about".

As I sat in the law building lecture hall (she was the first to point out the irony of the set up as all good conversation happens in a circle), it struck me that discovery is constantly evolving. A community (insert organization anywhere you feel like it) no sooner gets what it wants then its on to the next thing. Its through this action where we engage each other. The relationships we develop during this evolution are what allow us to discover our true humanity. It is the people and the connections who make the community powerful. And the community is not a flow chart but a mish-mash of interconnections. I kept thinking of all the directions blogging and linking can take us. The image in the upper left reminding me of spheres of influence conversation in August and January. Its part of the story.

Wheatley talked about leadership principles that are found in healthy communities. Think about these as you build conversation and community on your blog. Think more critically about the principles as they impact your organizations.

• People only support what they create. We have a strong desire to belong to anything we had a part of building. It begins with relationship. We are creative by nature but deny it too often for any number of reasons. Let it flourish.
• People only act responsibly when they care about the community. When people care about the success of the organization they act as if what they do really matters. How they act, what they say and how they think. When a community is lead by loving and caring it is healthy.
• Depend on diversity. The greater number of eyes, ears and voices - the better. Who is missing? Widen the circle by learning more stories. You can't dislike someone once you know their story. Its loud, its messy, it works!
• Listen - listening is healing. Try to listen and not preach. Who fights that one? I know I do. Remember we are weaving and reweaving relationships of success and influence one comment at a time.
• Everybody is an expert in something. You never know who will be critical to success.
• The solutions to the problems are already here. They just haven't been re-discovered
• Expect leadership to emerge from anywhere. Expect to be surprised when you see it.
• Learning must be the primary value. We never stop learning from our experience. Problem is we forget what we learn too often. Ever do the same thing expecting something other than the same result?
• Recall people to purpose. Why do we do the things we do? Why is it worth it to pour your heart into the work? Remind each other the reasons. I'm going out on a limb here. At least one purpose you blog is so your readers find occasional value in your thoughts and ideas. You have many others - what are they?

Remember that whatever the problem might be - community is the answer. We have the chance to make community the norm in our organization. Speak out on the issues you care about.

Yes, it may seem a silly question. Yes, it may seem a poor heading for a post. And yes, it may have been more appropriate to have this up yesterday or the day before. But something odd happened to me at a Toastmasters meeting yesterday - and its worth a blog post.

Yesterday was International Women's Day 2007. Every year on March 8:

"...International Women's Day (IWD) is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. IWD celebrates the collective power of women past, present and future."

In some ways, it surprises me is there is not more notice given this day - at least in the US. In other ways, it's not so surprising. Our male dominant culture - dare I say sexist - often times views recognition of women's power as threatening? insignificant? propaganda?

What got me thinking about empowering women - again? still? - was a posting by Frank Sennett - a Spokane blogger. Last month he put up a good summary of his newspaper story at  Women in the Blogosphere. The full story can be found here. To summarize, reports and stats may say the "Men continue to dominate the blogosphere's most prominent real estate" but he share's pretty convincing evidence that ain't the case! And I certainly find myself reading and interacting with terrific blogs written by women.

Then I stumbled onto Shawns post at The Good, The Bad, and The Green. WOW! Here is a guy can put his own journey in perspective. Read it if you dare!

Which leads me to the question posed during Table Topics. TT is a portion of the standard Toastmaster meeting where you are given a couple minutes to speak extemporaneously. Its a nervous time even for accomplished and confident speakers. Think on your feet and try to speak:) The Topic Master queries - "Bob, what is the one stereotype of women you most often hold?"

Can you say adrenaline rush? or heart pounding horror? I took a deep breath. Imagine a schoolyard filled with women. Each woman represents a male held stereotype - fickle, flighty, moody, weak, object, trophy, maid, domineering, emotional - you get the idea. Throw a rock into the yard and whoever it hits - I am guilty of holding that stereotype. Let me stress, its not about guilt. I'm a male in a sexist culture. Its about recognizing biases. Must have struck a chord because I won the award for Best Table Topics! (I sure was shaking!)

I celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and the wonder of gender differences. But this is about equality and recognizing we ain't there yet. Every day we have the chance to get closer. Thanks for allowing me the chance to jump on my podium.

606, 000 views in 10 days - that's a lot.