Author: jennynazak

“As the suburban development pattern gobbles up more land, it channels people who want to experience nature into fewer and fewer places. The last remaining wildernesses are ‘flooded’ with people. This has led to stricter national park management, including reservation requirements. One of the best ways we can protect our most iconic wild places is by protecting the wild places closer to home from the land-hungry Suburban Experiment. People who love wild places should be Strong Towns advocates too.” — from latest edition of Strong Towns email newsletter

And I would add: Suburban sprawl development is extremely difficult to fight, because of the various economic distortions that subsidize such development.

As inhabitants of the wealthy industrialized nations, our next (last?) frontier is to rewild already-developed areas, including our own urban/suburban home sites, rural sites longtime industrial-ag use, and so on.

Great piece by one of my favorite bloggers, David at Raptitude:

“Consumers complain about the creep of inflation as though it’s some impersonal, natural force, like tidal flooding or high winds. But it’s driven by human choices. Some of it’s surely due to orchestrated price-fixing, artificial shortages, and other corporate-side conniving. I have no idea how much can be attributed to those things, but I do know that some of the inflation, maybe enough of it to make all the difference — comes from the sort of consumer-side entitlement I demonstrated during my errand run that day.

“It wasn’t just unwise to say yes to the ludicrous price they were asking, it was wrong. I paid them to keep their prices ludicrously high.

“We commit this sin anytime we buy anything we don’t absolutely need at a price we think is ‘too high.’ Too high for what? Too high for me to buy it, or just too high for me to buy it without grumbling about inflation?”

Read the rest here https://www.raptitude.com/2023/03/dont-buy-the-six-dollar-cauliflower/

On a related note, I do the same with refusing to buy certain products because of the excess packaging or for other reasons (such as product not having replaceable components or being repair-friendly).

Furthermore, we can and should draw the line at accepting unreasonable working conditions, or entire unreasonable jobs. The buck stops here, literally, with us.

BTW speaking of jobs, we always have to make plans so the “masters” have as little leverage as possible to force us to work. I remember during the Covid shutdowns when people working in certain industries deemed “essential” (which the government got to decide) were forced to continue to go to work under hazardous conditions. I’m pretty sure they were “only” threatened with losing their jobs, but that’s not a position we want anyone to be trapped in. And as things start to get more squeezed, we could find the overlords trying to actually criminalize job-leaving. We can’t plan for every possible twist of madness that might be enacted by plutocrats who are used to having all goods and services available 24-7 on demand, but we can build buffers for ourselves and our neighbors. Self-employment is one option. And it’s getting to be a better deal, as the security that used to be the main selling point of a “regular job” gets less and less secure. Time for us all to stand up for creative and occupational freedom!

In summation … In capitalist-industrial societies, we ordinary people often fall into looking to the people at the top of the food chain to change things, but we shouldn’t hold our breath waiting. They (government, corporations, bosses, the owner class) don’t have as much to gain from changing the status quo as we do. (And in many cases they might have something to lose, or at least strongly believe they have something to lose.) So, it’s us, the masses, who actually have more leeway to say no, and more to gain from it.

Sometimes a push-from-below that at first comes across as rebelliousness or spoiled-brattery, is actually a much-needed reality check that ends up helping everyone — even those who felt initially annoyed or inconvenienced by the push.

What if we refused to keep volunteering our time to nonprofits that are, however unintentionally, undercutting the development of good ecological jobs?

What if we (those of us who are in a position to do so) refused to buy any more vegetables packaged in plastic?

What if we refused to sign up for any more in-person conferences, now that we know how great and how much less of a drain on our time & wallets virtual conferences are?

What if … What would you add?

The eco event was sweet and lively with nonprofits & businesses providing information and resources about rainwater collection, bees, native landscaping and other practical beautiful ways to help address the environmental crisis.

Notably absent were any of the people I perennially hear screaming on social media, “WHY isn’t ANYONE doing anything about the ENVIRONMENT?”

The peace demonstration was lively with beautiful flags, banners promoting love and unity; a core of people who have gotten very organized — and I was just meeting them all for the first time.

Notably absent were any of the people I hear perennially screaming on social media, “Where is the OUTRAGE [in regard to recent white supremacist demonstrations]? Why isn’t anyone SPEAKING UP?”

They are. We are. You can too.

Whatever issue is bothering you, there are most likely people already on it (usually because they or their communities are more immediately affected). They are not hard to find. Get involved.

P.S. And on that note … It’s VERY humbling to recognize that, long LONG before I myself arrived on the scene as an eco activist (“formally” speaking, I would say sometime in the early to mid 1990s), other people were very very busy doing the heavy lifting. Particularly, indigenous peoples who protect ecosystems and are defending their very lives and homelands.

Speaking of humbling, this morning I opened up a newspaper-style publication that had been sitting for a couple years on my bookshelves and then for a week or so in my Little Free Library. It was an edition of Planet Drum from 1999. You want humbling; check out Planet Drum Foundation. Their publication itself may not be available online but I got a couple of their print issues by writing or calling Planet Drum. They may or may not have any left.

As just one example of humbling, this newspaper-style publication from 1999 had an article about decolonizing the environmental movement. 1999! Do you know when I first started being aware of decolonization and talking about it publicly? I think it was sometime in … 2020!

Believe me, whatever issue(s) are keeping you awake at night, people ARE working on those issue(s), and whenever you or I arrived on the scene, people were organized and working long before you and I got here. This is not to shame you but to encourage and motivate you.

Further Exploration:

• Planet Drum Foundation: “Planet Drum Foundation was founded in San Francisco, CA in 1973. In association with community activists and ecologists, Planet Drum(*) developed the concept of a bioregion. Planet Drum works to research, promote and disseminate information about bioregionalism, a grassroots approach to ecology that emphasizes sustainability, community self-determination and regional self-reliance. Through its projects, publications, speakers, and workshops, Planet Drum helps start new bioregional groups and encourages local organizations and individuals to find sustainable ways to live within the natural confines of bioregions. We believe that people who know and care about the places where they live will work to maintain and restore them.”

#jennyscorner #porousproperty #501house #community #bananagrams #BikeWeek

I started the Community Bananagrams experiment this morning as part of my ongoing project to spark joy, add to the store of peace & trust in the world, and build community via my little corner of “porous property” at the northeast corner of Harvey & Oleander. And of course to indulge my fellow Bananagrams fans. <wink>

Interestingly, the game on the table solves a problem i was not trying to solve at that moment, which is … “drive-by dumping”: people in cars using my corner as some kind of charity dump spot for their huge boxes of unwanted clothes & books! And even sometimes food! <deer-in-headlights emoticon>

Theft has not been an issue & neither has vandalism. Just a bit of litter here and there once in a while (other than the boxes of “bulk charity” which i then have to figure out how to dispose of without a car — usually i just hoist the heavy boxes into my wagon and lug them to the church down the street, or dump them on the empty lot next door for people to pick thru before trash day, at which time i load the remaining junk into my elderly neighbor’s trash can while I am putting out his trash at the curb).

Note about book donations: They go INSIDE THE LIBRARY. ON THE SHELVES. No exceptions. And please do not cram them. If it’s too many to fit, then distribute them around to the other Little Free Libraries — we have many around town. Or take them to your church or thrift store. Or, check out Little Free Library for tips & resources on how to start your own library.

Note about clothing & food “donations”: Please. This is a private residence. Please take your unwanted stuff to the appropriate organization. You have a car; use it.

I don’t mean to sound ungracious, but I’m simply not equipped to serve as a free KonMari for anyone’s 50 pounds of Fortran manuals and pulp romances, or rusted hurricane-ration cans of lima beans that no longer spark joy. Plus, that corner table is for socializing! Anyone local who might happen to stumble upon this post and be in the position of needing to unload a bunch of stuff, please text me and I’ll be happy to give you a list of bulk donation outlets so you can save yourself the time and gasoline of an unproductive trip. BTW it is possible that the highest use for a box of Fortran manuals (other than an IT museum if you know of one) might just be compost. The carbon in the paper balances out the nitrogen from all those fruit and veg scraps, coffee grounds, shrimp shells and other “greens.”

Finally, please ENJOY my little corner in the spirit in which it is intended! It’s about It’s about sitting in the shade; connecting with each other; building trust, joy, community …
… and a Bananagrams group <wink; banana icon; yellow heart>!
BTW we have board games, cards, & other games available for the community’s enjoyment too!

Update!! I had planned to check on the game throughout the day, but w various things I was mostly out of the neighborhood for almost 12 hours. Came home tonight to find that someone had added a word!!!

To see the Bananagrams game and my “porous corner,” check out my slideshow on tiktok or my post in BNW News.

#CrankyEnvironmentalist #GreenSmackdown

Compiling a list of answers to this question I get (mainly from my fellow old white ladies, and interestingly enough it’s mostly the “liberal, eco-minded” ones asking this).

(Warning: Some of the answers might get a bit salty. You have been warned.)

• Magic carpet.

• The same way I always get here.

• Alive and in one piece, thank Goddess!

• My private jet.

• The way I got here was I decided I wanted to be here, and I made my transportation arrangements accordingly.

• There’s no way I can answer that question; any answer I have will be wrong. If I say I arrived by car, you get to use that to justify your decades of unquestioned car-dependent lifestyle. If I say I arrived by bicycle or foot, you get to go into your song and dance, coo and exclaim how much you “admire” me and how I’m so “unique” blah blah blah — in short you get to continue to marginalize me, treat me like a novelty or zoo animal. As opposed to a real live person who is modeling resilient, viable, practical options.

• But enough about me! What’s your transportation plan for your old age? How many more years do you plan to keep driving?

• I got here as best I could, given that our me-generation focused on our own individualistic convenience and comfort, and didn’t do enough to dismantle our society’s car-dependence and other structural oppression.

• Wrong question! What are you really asking?

• You might enjoy my upcoming workshop. It’s especially for us middle-aged women. On how we can stay independent and avoid becoming dependent in our old age.

I love when fellow Boomers tell me I’ll change my mind, wise up, understand knee pain, etc “when I’m older.” I’ve got news for them: I AM OLDER ALREADY, I am one of you. #60Pride #SeniorCitizen #CroneEnergy #OKFellowBoomer

And BTW I *do* know the knee pain — also beginnings of arthritis in hands etc. I sure appreciate my body more than I used to when I was young! I have my vices but am making more of an effort to take care of this physical vessel.

If we hate the super loud but joyful noise of bikers, racing, festivals, music, our neighbor’s parties … but don’t hate the day-in, day-out, deafening industrial noise from leafblowers, edgers, chemical sprayers, and other heavy mechanized equipment invading our neighborhoods to impose HOA-type “McLandscaping”;

If we hate the traffic from Bike Week and other festivals a few weeks a year, but don’t hate the endless traffic to the big-box consumer tabernacle stores, 365 days a year, generated by the demands of our car-dependent, resource-hogging American lifestyle …

Hmm … Think about that!! Could it be that we hate hearing other people have fun when the daily default lifestyle is such a dreary soul-suck? And if so, could it be that we need to remove the unnecessary drudge and busywork from everyday life, so we can add more joy?

PS. This post probably is mostly addressed to people who are homeowners, retirees, or both. A lot of the people who are renters/workers in tourist areas appreciate events for the income they provide. Not just abstract, civic-booster rahrah, “tourists bring money to our county” income … but actual, immediate household income, as in, “This Bike Week gig will help me catch up on bills, and maybe even afford a special treat from the Steak Tips vendor.”

#walkingourtalk #realitycheck