Author: jennynazak

In my upcoming tragi-comic novel ALONE AT THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE WATCH PARTY, the main character, a failed eco activist, hates cars.

The immediate reason is that her entire family was killed in a car crash some years prior to the time-frame of the story. (This detail is pure fiction, not based on anything that actually happened in my life.)

But, the ongoing and deeper reason is because of what car-centered design has done to people and communities. In her ongoing, seemingly futile effort to demonstrate that there are alternatives to depending entirely on automobiles for transportation, our well-meaning protagonist gets herself into all sorts of absurd situations. Stay tuned!

Over in the Florida Women for Kamala Harris group on Facebook, someone suggested we shouldn’t be using “weird” as an insult.

Yes, we do have to be careful to not cross the line into being out-of-touch, condescending elitists — à la the “deplorables” thing.

Also, the OP said it’s not playing well in the disability community. That is a very valid concern, enough to make me think twice about using weird as an insult even in this political spirit.

And, the other day, Ally Henny cautioned against inadvertently shaming people who just happen to be into some harmless kink, fetish, or sexual desire that doesn’t fit the mainstream.

But, I do think there’s a place for lowbrow goofy insults and humor. In fact, it may be the most effective thing.

Yes, theoretically the right thing to do is break down their talking points; counter their narrative. As in any political arena. However, their so-called “narrative” is basically bully fascism, and that isn’t very amenable to counter via rational talking points. People who believe a certain way will, when confronted with rational talking points, just dig in their heels deeper.

Something I have seen time and time again as a climate activist. I think what happens with really horrible scary stuff is that people shut down. People almost just can’t listen to the facts. So, undermining the “bad guy” side in a humorous/emotional way is another way to get in. And it might be more effective. Fascists/authoritarians demand to be taken seriously and seen as big bad dudes, and as the absolute definition of what should be normal. Using the word “weird” totally undermines that.

Sometimes you really just can’t argue with people at all, no matter how cogent and well-informed your talking points are. So maybe the emotional “weird” thing is a way to crack the fortress.

Fascists and bullies and authoritarians like to be taken very seriously and seen as the essence of manhood and normality. What better way to take the wind out of their sails then by dismissively referring to them as “weird.”

Also, we are allowed to joke and have fun! Just because we are involved in a serious task does not make it any less valid to joke and have fun. In fact, maybe it becomes even more necessary. It builds cohesion and keeps us wanting to stay active in the cause. And, let’s face it, people who are having fun are more likely to attract more followers to their cause.

Re “weird”, I like what Parker Molloy (The Present Age) has to say: “Democrats aren’t just scoring political points. They’re shifting the entire conversation about what’s normal in America. They’re saying it’s normal to be accepting, to be diverse, to live and let live.”

And, if the word “weird” is too problematic, maybe we need to bust out our best imitation Valley Girl accent and call big mean bully things and people “Soooo tooootalllllyyyy bogusssss”!

First time ever, attempting to make nut milk. It turned out really good! The nuts I used were almonds. A while back, there was a glut of almonds in the neighborhood. I know it sounds weird but they were all these 2-pound bags of almonds going around the free food distribution supply-chain, so much so that even the people who depend on the free food distribution as their main source or only source of groceries were leaving the bags of nuts.

So, I would literally pick up bags of shelled almonds that had been left in boxes at the curbside or whatever. I was like, this is insane! And yet, at the same time, who can use 2 pounds of almonds? Even if you have a big family it might be a challenge. At one point I had like 10 pounds of almonds!

A neighbor and I explored the possibility of making candied nuts and selling them at the farmers market, but that proved to be unwieldy and not economically viable.

So, several pounds of almonds have ended up living in my fridge and freezer and in a jar in my cabinet. Finally yesterday it occurred to me to try making almond milk. I found a very easy recipe, here, from Minimalist Baker: https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-almond-milk/

In addition to nut milk, the recipe produces a wonderful by-product: almond meal, which can be used in recipes for brownies, cookies, breads, and more. It’s popular with people who are trying to reduce or eliminate gluten from their diet.

You can add anything you want to flavor the the almond milk. I added cardamom, cinnamon, and some dried pepper flakes. (I added them at the soaking stage so they really had a chance to permeate. The milk is thick and creamy, and it has a nice kick to it.

Check out the photos of my almond milk adventure here.

(Posted in response to a vulgar AI image meme I saw posted on an acquaintance’s feed, depicting Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris in a shaming way. I will not share nor link the image. <horror emoticon; nausea emoticon>

The person posting this is a middle-aged woman like myself. And is a woman of color. Though I don’t know her well, she definitely comes across as deeply tender and compassionate IRL. When I read further down to a long comment she made, It became clear that she is feeling utterly and completely demoralized and frustrated.

Here is what I commented in response to her post:

First, let me say above all I understand your disillusionment with the establishment party system. I share that disillusionment.

As a deep-green environmentalist (who is often viewed by fellow environmentalists as being too extreme) and left-leaning anarchist (who thinks that the people who are known as “liberals” today are actually just another flavor of conservative), I too do not identify with either of the establishment parties.

And I will always keep working toward a country where we have a real choice.

That said, when I saw this image I felt sick to my stomach. Posting this kind of shaming imagery about another woman is to me an example of the “mean girl” culture. And I know from your comment that you share my aversion to mean girl culture. (I knew that already, as you are such a deeply kind and compassionate individual.)

Not everyone is going to share our politics. And yes, it gets deeply frustrating and demoralizing when both of the establishment parties seem to be two flavors of the same oppression. [Added later to this blog post: I guess I would characterize it is sort of a blend of elitism/classism and authoritarianism.]

But we can’t lose sight of the fact that there are still differences. One party at least is not actively trying to take away all of our rights to our bodies and trying to shut down our right to protest and express ourselves. One party won’t take us further down the path to fascism that we are dangerously sliding into.

The challenge for us everyday people is to always keep working, whoever is in office. To use our voices to oppose war, misogyny, genocide, the carceral system, environmental destruction, everything else that the big political parties and corporations have such a huge vested interest in. We can’t ever stop pushing for the highest good. I am here with you.

Much love to you.

Further Exploration:

• Yesterday I made this TikTok video attempting to explain to fellow lefty anarchists why I am enthusiastically voting for Kamala Harris, a member of an establishment party. I certainly know to expect negative reactions from fellow lefties. As I say in the video, I’m not arguing. By which I mean, I totally get all of the arguments why I should keep voting for who I really want instead of an establishment candidate. It’s that same old same old debate. I have often voted for the “third” candidate. And, I’m not condemning any fellow lefties for choosing not to vote establishment. Again, I totally get it.

“One of the worst things, I feel, that my friends with money do is keep money in banks, stocks, bonds, treasuries, etc., thus loaning money to some of the most powerful Earth destroyers.”

A very astute comment by my Permaculture colleague Andy Firk, an educator/activist who is widely known and recognized for his wild-plant walks and for stewarding Bamboo Grove in Arcadia FL (among his many contributions to regenerative community).

I replied:

Absolutely 100% agree with you regarding the harm of keeping money in banks or other financial instruments! I only keep enough in the bank to serve as a convenience portal for paying bills etc. And I own no stocks, bonds, CDs, 401(k)s, or anything else related to Wall Street.

A few years ago, I was inspired by you and took a page from your book. You had shared about how you handle money, and I thought, “That is brilliant, And I hope I have the courage to do that if I ever get two dimes to rub together”.

Not that I’ve ever had a lot of money, but at one point I came into a significant amount of money and needed to be able to use it wisely and ethically.

I used the vast majority of it to purchase a house free and clear. (Up until then, I had been an economically precarious renter for most of my adult life.) And, I use this home to provide stable low-cost housing not only to myself but to 2 housemates. And to provide various services and amenities to the neighborhood.

I tithed a chunk of my inheritance out to my community, and continue to share with the community as I’m able.

And, I make microloans to my friends, and micro investments in creative ventures.

Your example helped inspire me to stay true to my values when I came into some money!

Bill Mollison is so correct when he says that where we keep our money is an extremely important aspect of Permaculture. He might’ve even called it the most important aspect.

Regarding air travel [Andy was referring to his trip to Scotland, and being upset by the high footprint, but mitigating it in ways such as donating money which was used to plant 20,000 trees], my understanding is that a person can take one flight a year to Europe or across the USA and still stay within a sustainable footprint. As long as we are very careful in other areas of our lives. Which obviously you are!

And regarding mitigating the eco footprint of air travel, no method is perfect, but planting trees and so on is a sensible approach that offers many benefits.

Thanks for all you do, and thanks for caring!

DEEP GREEN house is my domicile, and the unofficial headquarters for Daytona Beach Permaculture Guild. And it’s a demonstration site for Degrowth, Deep Adaptation, and the 90% Reduction Challenge.

I am grateful to my two “civilian” housemates for choosing to dwell in this low-footprint-living lab. By renting the two big bedrooms, not only do they help me with the overhead expenses of a house, but also, they serve as a “reality check” to me, of the boundaries of what can be considered reasonable and practical for everyday humans.

A lot of my work day-to-day at DEEP GREEN house involves doing experiments, and sharing what works and what doesn’t. Various areas of experimentation include cooking, water conservation, electricity reduction, and clothing.

One of my ongoing pesky clothing challenges, as the heat and humidity seem to become increasingly severe with each passing summer, is to find types of garments and fabrics that are wearable by people living without air-conditioning.

Now, one might think there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Just look at what people were wearing in the tropics, before air-conditioning. And in many cases still are wearing.

Unfortunately, ready-made garments of extreme-heat-friendly fabrics are not that easy to find even in thrift shops and freeboxes. At least not in my part of the USA. You just don’t see that much of the oldtimey standbys like seersucker and gauze. A lot of things nowadays are made of polyester and nylon. And even the cotton isn’t a sure bet. A lot of cotton comes in the form of T-shirts, which I am finding to be almost unwearable as the summers get hotter. I’ve noticed it for the past couple of summers especially.

Even linen wasn’t seeming to do the trick. Maybe the piece of fabric I tried from my collection of remnants was woven too tightly, but whatever the case, something just wasn’t working. The top I improvised last night was maybe a step more comfortable than a T-shirt, but I still could not bear to have against my body.

Ditto with the top I tried putting together from an old scrap of rayon.

Interestingly, one garment that I have been finding sort of bearable is a pair of swim-shorts made of a polyester fabric. (As with almost all of my clothes, it was diverted from the waste stream.) I still get sweaty, but the fabric doesn’t hold a bunch of sweat, and dries quickly. It’s helpful to be able to take a dip in the ocean, or dump a bunch of rainwater over myself, and then run around doing yard tasks and voilá my shorts are dry in no time.

But this morning, I finally had a real success.

Well, it took me a while, but I finally got around to cutting up this old hippie-print curtain that I inherited a few years ago from a friend who was throwing it away.

For a while I was using the curtain as a breathable partition between kitchen and guest bedroom, but this summer I have been using it as a lightweight bed-sheet (for when the nighttime temperature goes below 79F, which seems to be the cutoff point where it’s cool enough that I want a sheet over me).

I can still use it as a bedsheet, but as of this morning it’s also a viable outfit for extreme heat & humidity without air conditioning. The feeling on my body as I’m sitting here typing this is like night and day from every other type of garment and fabric that I have tried.

I will probably cut the length of the dress part to be calf-length. I may cut the length of the tunic, or may leave it at its correct length, which is hip-length.

In case you can’t access the post on my Facebook page (DEEP GREEN book by jenny nazak) to see the pictures, it comprises a wrap around my chest that is then tied with a soft cord made of old T-shirt fabric. And, over that, a tunic made by cutting a hole in a rectangle of the same fabric. For riding a bicycle, I will additionally want to make some kind of bloomers/pedal-pushers out of the same type of fabric.

The challenge will be to source fabric. I try not to buy anything new. For many reasons, which I have often written about in here. So, I’m going to use that ancient skill of curbside goddess manifestation, which always brings blessings from the waste stream.

But, for now, I’m super content to just enjoy the success. I am sitting here typing, and I don’t feel excruciatingly uncomfortable. Sweat is not pooling all over my body. In fact, I am downright comfortable! Even more comfortable than I felt last night when I snagged a bit of coolness by fanning myself while not having any fabric against my body.

To be clear, it’s not like I suddenly just discovered the existence of gauze! But, it’s something I haven’t been seeing out and about for seven years. And when I do, it seems to only come in hippie prints which I don’t prefer. The one I’m wearing right now is tolerable because it’s a relatively low-key blue and white print. And, because it’s an initial success, which I can now build on by hopefully finding solid-colored gauze in the waste stream or thrift shop. My color preference will be a moss-green or similar.

Personally, I think it would be prudent to put attention onto retrofitting our homes and other buildings so that they are more habitable without air conditioning. There are many DIY retrofits, such as shades and awnings and curtains, as well as adding trees and trellises for shade and heat mitigation.

Also, a great way to economize and reduce dependency is to think of air conditioning as something you can get for free by going to a public building library or a shopping mall. And keep your home use to a minimum. This may help you acclimate to heat conditions. And, the heat will give you a reality check on what’s really viable as far as clothing and such.

I also want to talk about a low-tech, oldtimey type of “air-conditioning” known as a breezeway. If you can manage to add a breezeway to your home, or to the communal space in your neighborhood, etc., you will be adding a cooling feature while also helping to build community, as maybe more people will be willing to hang out outdoors together. If your city or other local government still has funds left over from Covid assistance or other federal programs, you could encourage them to invest it in durable cooling structures such as shaded pavilions, and breezeways.

PS. With anything related to reduction, be it living without a car or living without air-conditioning, some people can take it as an effort into shaming them to reduce their footprint. Rest assured, I am not trying to shame anyone.

Because of the way our “modern” buildings are made, and because of some less-than-optimal landscaping and city-planning practices, it can be virtually impossible to live without air-conditioning. Also because our modern clothing isn’t optimized for the ambient, non-climate-controlled temperature. And, because dress codes and social norms (largely rooted in colonialism) enforce some very uncomfortable and impractical types of clothing and fabrics. What I am trying to do here is help ordinary people escape crippling expenses and extreme vulnerability.

I keep seeing these horror stories on my social feeds, of how people of modest means are being forced to shell out thousands of dollars to repair or replace an air conditioner. I’m like, really, are you guys that much wealthier than I am? And I really doubt that so many of us are in such a cushy financial position as not to find that a struggle. Plus, being dependent on air conditioning makes us so psychologically vulnerable. People are constantly worried that the air conditioning might go out, let alone if it actually goes out.

I’m not trying to tell you to do without air conditioning if you don’t want to, but I hope that some of my posts and comments will encourage you to explore ways of reducing your dependency on AC (and other very energy-expensive and money-expensive conveniences).

Further Exploration:

• “What is Gauze?” https://thefabricofourlives.com/cotton-fabrics/gauze “You’re probably familiar with the cotton gauze bandages in your first-aid kit, but this thin, sheer fabric is also used to make loose, unstructured dresses and blouses, curtains and baby carriers. Because of its open, airy weave, this is the perfect fabric to wear during hot summer months.”

My apologies for making a post that will only be relevant to the tiny subset of humans who live in one particular state of the United States and who want to grow food in their yards. But I get a lot of questions about this and I wanted to provide people with a static url. So, here is what I just posted on a friend’s page in response to her frustration with trying to grow things in Florida. By the way, if you are an aspiring residential gardener living in Florida, you don’t have to think about a greenhouse, because we are pretty much living in a greenhouse ha ha.

1) Organic methods for vegetable gardening in Florida, second edition; book by Ginny Stibolt and Melissa Markham. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813068763 I give a particular way to Ginny’s advice because she is also among Florida’s leading experts on native plants and climate-wise gardening.

2) Totally crazy easy Florida gardening: The secret to growing piles of food in the sunshine state; book by David the Good. https://www.echobooks.net/totally-crazy-easy-florida-gard.html

3) Facebook group: Florida Food Forest

4) Facebook content creator and business: Transforming Florida Yards. She’s in south Florida but a lot of her information is good here in central Florida as well.

5) Also, make sure you are buying seeds that are best able to grow in Florida. Here is one seller who is widely regarded. Seed the Stars / Ryan Diggle on Facebook (and he sells via his Etsy account Seed the Stars).

6) For calorie crops in Florida, follow Josh Jamison on Facebook — He provides a wealth of information and sells some starts as well. He is supposedly working on a book but I’m not sure when it’s supposed to come out.

7) Also, resist the temptation to think you have to move out of your house and go buy a bunch of land. That’s a good way to wear yourself out and waste a lot of resources. You will be surprised at how much food you can grow on a fraction of an acre. Google terms: urban homestead; container gardening; food forest garden in pots.

8) Not everything needs sun. You can start seeds in a garage or other dark area before they need light. Also in your garage or other dark area, you can be cultivating mushrooms, starting micro greens, growing sprouts, incubating kefir, and more.

9) all of the above not withstanding, I have generally gotten away from growing cultivars. If you don’t have a green thumb it can be a lot of work to do it alone. If there were neighbors wanting to garden together, I would prefer to do that rather than try to grow my own. In the meantime, I have gotten very into foraging for nutritious food that grows for free. Many people call them “weeds,” but in fact they are food and medicine.

10) Growing trees and native plants in one’s yard helps create the “infrastructure” that will in turn make it easier for people in a neighborhood to grow fruits and vegetables in their yards. Trees and native flowers and other native plants provide habitat for beneficial insects, spiders, frogs, and other fellow creatures who can be a great help in a garden.

11) As weather extremes continue to get more extreme, temperature mitigation and shade via trees and vines will become an increasingly essential feature of a garden. Plus, it just makes it prettier and more fun to hang out in the yard. And the more you hang out in your yard, the better you’ll get to know the plants and animals who live there, and be able to hang out with them and work with them.