Author: jennynazak

From Strong Towns: #TrickOrTreat as a barometer for walkability; community:

“It may seem that on the surface we are merely trading one place to hand candy to kids for another place. But it goes beyond that. The change is about our collective choices prioritizing cars without considering the consequences that impact a broader range of American life.”

— It’s also about the importance of kids having some autonomous activity time:

“It may seem that on the surface we are merely trading one place to hand candy to kids for another place. But it goes beyond that. The change is about our collective choices prioritizing cars without considering the consequences that impact a broader range of American life.”

— And it’s very much about our dysfunctional car-centric street design:

“We shouldn’t be changing our holiday tradition because of our dangerous streets; we should be changing our street design. This Strong Towns Approach goes beyond just Halloween. Traffic circles, street trees, curb extensions, and other traffic-calming measures can be installed to make our places safer all year round.”

Read the full article here: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/10/30/trick-or-treat-is-worth-saving

And, another StrongTowns article, this one from 2018: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/11/1/whos-afraid-of-trunk-or-treat

“The decline in trick-or-treating in recent years certainly isn’t because kids have gotten any less interested in free candy. But it may have something to do with a loss of social cohesion in our neighborhoods and cities—and that has plenty to do with the ways we’ve designed our built environment.”

This article touches on another major public-health issue as well:

“… a study that analyzed social connectedness and risk of heart attack. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and found that participants who lived in the areas identified as having the most social cohesion had a 67% less chance of having a heart attack than those who lived in areas with low social cohesion.”

Happy Halloween, Samhain blessings, felicitous Fall Festival, or whatever you celebrate!

We have had no trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood in some years. Tonight I’ll be headed to the citywide trunk or treat event with my little handcart bearing sweet snacks. We have to work with what’s available as far as creating community. And I appreciate that the city is doing this.

Update: It was a sweet, fun, beautiful event. The kind of thing that really makes me love my city. I bet there were a couple thousand people there. And some very creatively decorated cars along with all the great costumes.

“Literally no one is self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is a myth.”

So true!! Thank you for this @Live in Love — And also thank you to @Local Food Movement which is where I found this post shared.

Most people who I hear talking about “self-sufficiency” are only focused on the material aspects of our human needs. Many people are completely ignoring community, self-expression, and other deep-seated human needs.

Yes, maybe there are a few people who could move out into the country alone and grow potatoes and survive somehow with no other people and no art, music, etc. But who would want to? If that’s all there is.

I actually think that whole trip about “wanting to get far away from all other people” is in most cases a trauma response and a white thing, but that’s a subject for another post.

(I’ve actually had some of my fellow white people in permie circles feel guilty about using resources to play music and make art, since we are supposed to be full-time focused on growing all of our own food by ourselves, right?) <scary-face emoticons>

And regarding the whole “rural” aspect, which I often hear in conjunction with “self-sufficiency” … Some people might legitimately belong out in the country, but most of us probably do not. We need to stop gentrifying and colonizing rural land, and repair the torn fabric of community reliance and human connection in our own neighborhoods!

Today’s NY Times online edition served up two articles highlighting the #footprint & other problems associated with high volumes of online shopping; cargo shipping.

Of course the best thing any of us everyday people can do is be very discerning about what, and how much, stuff we choose to purchase, be it online or in person.

1) “The City That Never Sleeps … or Shops in Person” (NY Times; Guest essay by freelance writer Sonja Anderson)

“A package enjoying its last mile on an e-bike doesn’t mean it hasn’t been made from plastic in another country, flown or shipped to this one using oil or coal and packaged in a plastic envelope or cardboard box. Waste abounds (even if recyclable, this material rarely finds new life). If we want to do better for the environment, we shouldn’t be taking steps to enable more e-commerce, but instead considering how much we could help ourselves by not buying online.
That seems simple, but our problem runs deep. Americans have been nursing a shopping addiction for a while, and e-commerce has only deepened our problem.”

2) “Shipping Contributes Heavily to Climate Change. Are Green Ships the Solution?” (NY Times; by Ana Swanson)

“The ship, commissioned by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, was designed with a special engine that can burn two types of fuel — either the black, sticky oil that has powered ships for more than a century, or a greener type made from methanol. By switching to green methanol, this single ship will produce 100 fewer tons of greenhouse gas per day, an amount equivalent to the emissions of 8,000 cars.

“The effect of global shipping on the climate is hard to overstate. Cargo shipping is responsible for nearly 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions — producing roughly as much carbon each year as the aviation industry does. …

“Shipping is surprisingly efficient: Transporting a good by container ship halfway around the world produces far less climate-warming gas than trucking it across the United States. …

“That incredible efficiency has lowered the cost of transport and enabled the modern consumer lifestyle, allowing retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Ikea and Home Depot to offer a vast suite of products at a fraction of their historical cost.

“Yet that easy consumption has come at the price of a warmer and dirtier planet. In addition to affecting the atmosphere, ships burning fossil fuel also spew out pollutants that reduce the life expectancy of the large percentage of the world’s people who live near ports …”

shopping; shipping; cargo

Housing is one of the key categories of overhead costs-of-living that we can benefit greatly by — as my friend and fellow permaculture activist Eric Brown puts it — “crushing.”

In my talks and writings, I have often talked about how I was able to creatively turn a one-bedroom apartment into a two-bedroom, in order to be able to get a roommate to share expenses with.

The roommate would get the real actual bedroom with the door, and I carved myself a little micro room out of the living room. The “walls” of my roomette were tall bookcases etc.

It was actually quite cozy and pleasant. I enjoyed the creative aspect, and there are certainly advantages to having pretty much all of one’s possessions at one’s fingertips!!

Nowadays, I live in a house, which I was fortunate to be able to purchase in 2018. But I get to continue to indulge my love of tiny spaces, while also providing a stable home for other people.

The photo on the right shows my current micro room, which I have in my house. It’s the tiniest room in the house at 6 1/2′ x 7 1/2′. It used to be a utility room but I don’t have a wish to have to deal with my own washer and dryer. I washed everything by hand, and the housemates use laundromats or laundry services. (I very occasionally use a laundry service as well, for large items.) 

My room is accessed from the kitchen. The entrance sign says “Jenny’s office,” but it serves as office, studio, and bedroom!

My housemates get the two large official bedrooms, while I get to continue to indulge my love of tiny cozy spaces!

You can see photos here on my art & design page on Facebook.

#housesharing #microdwelling #lowfootprintliving #DEEPGREEN #community #spaceefficiency

It struck me today: Never underestimate the potential for asynchronous following!

This is for all of you who are out there trying to help situations in the world by communicating via writing or any other medium; and who sometimes get discouraged when your efforts do not seem to be reaching very many people.

As someone who has only ever had a micro following, I sometimes feel disappointed and guilty that I am not really reaching people and not really being effective.

However, one thing I have been noticing is that posts, and radio shows and so on, often have a persistent existence. Many things are stored online. And oftentimes, I will notice somebody “liking” something that I have posted or has been recorded some months or some years back.

So, being that the real goal is not to have followers per se just to feel like a celebrity, but to actually make a difference, this is very encouraging and it’s something worth reminding oneself.

Audience reach is not just a thing in that moment; it’s a thing that extends over the axis of time as well.

(post topic tags: second home; goodwill; community-building)

Here’s another question that came “from the wild” this week. An Internet acquaintance posted this on FB, and I took it upon myself to insert my eco/permaculturist perspective even though I’m pretty sure the questioner is a civilian.

Q: “Any tips on winterizing a house? First time and going to be working on winterizing a house in Maine. Seems like a steep learning curve for someone from Florida.”

My initial response: “Why is a person from Florida winterizing a house in Maine if you’re not going to live in it? I know, I’m nosy but I just can’t help it! I guess what I would do if I were in that position is get help from locals.”

Their response to my response: “We are buying a second home.”

And my answer: “Oh. In that case, I would probably pay a local to do the winterizing work (and/or pay them to show me how), and also allow a local to stay on the property rent-free as caretaker.”

(post topic tags: ethical finance; questions from the wild)

This one is “from the wild,” so to speak; someone in my circles posted this on their personal page and I took it upon myself to provide my answer.

Question: “What brokerage do you use/prefer for your financial management and investments? I’m deciding between Schwab and Fidelity.”

My response:

Because of certain eco-spiritual beliefs that I hold, I completely refrain from investing in financial instruments. (Especially anything tied to Wall Street.)

However, I have a Permaculture design colleague who has done some deep research into ethical investing options, including many localized investment funds etc., and I think you and many other people in our shared circles might find it helpful to check out her website.

Laura Oldanie offers a huge wealth of free content too, along with her books and classes and personalized sessions. Visit her at Rich Resilient Living, https://www.richandresilientliving.com

As Laura words it: “I teach reluctant capitalists how to cultivate true wealth & financial resilience on a climate challenged planet.”