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Beloved Reader,

Since 2017, when I first published this book, the personal motivations for practicing a thrifty low-footprint lifestyle have increased, as extreme weather and economic precarity are hitting more & more of us.

And, the planetary benefits of reducing our (collective) footprint were demonstrated (though accidentally) via the sharp reduction in consumption during the Covid shutdowns.

Over time, it’s become more and more clear that what we do to benefit the planet and fellow beings, benefits ourselves as well.

Onward, fellow DEEP GREEN citizens!

PS. By the way, disaster forced 2.5 million Americans from their homes last year. (Aidan Gardiner; New York Times, Feb 22, 2024.) “Many of those displaced also reported food shortages and predatory scams, according to new data from the Census Bureau.”

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other jottings:

The past few years have increased the need for a low-footprint lifestyle, and the past few years have validated its effectiveness. Increase the need, as in increasingly severe weather and severe financial inequality. Validated, as in the Covid shut down saw various indexes of climate health improve as humans stayed home and reduce their consumption.

Both encouraging and discouraging factors have increased since I wrote this book back in 2017.

On the one hand, intensifying natural disasters and extreme weather have made the stakes higher. As have the intensifying financial inequality, income inequality to make a low footprint lifestyle. Extreme weather events of the past have become more routine.

On the other hand, we had evidence during the Covid shut downs that reduced human activity in the consumer sector could have a market effect on climate factors admissions. We were nowhere near 10% of the US average, my ballpark guess I would say maybe our footprint in the USA dropped to about 50-60% of our typical average as manufacturing and commuting decreased. And yet we had market improvements in emissions indicators.

Edition of “The Ethicist” column (New York Times; check out the column if you haven’t already — it’s quite engaging) that has had my attention recently:

A comfortably-off middle-class woman is in a “solid citizen” mode of high dudgeon because (she assumes) her mother-in-law has not saved for retirement and is going to be a financial burden on her and her husband. “My mother-in-law hasn’t saved for retirement. Are we on the hook?“

Even just the comments section by itself is well worth the read. Some of my comments made it into the mix. And I’m relieved to say I was not the only one who pointed out that not only is there more to life than saving for retirement, but they are also other forms of wealth that she can deploy in retirement to start a new type of occupation that would be less demanding on her body than horse training.

Also, I’m glad that several of us pointed out that working at a labor job that doesn’t offer cushy benefits, and/or working at a job that is one’s passion instead of just any old office job, is not some kind of selfish indulgence. All types of work are needed in this world.

Among the commenters who pounced with middle-class HOA-401(k) outrage on this “irresponsible” woman, many seemed frankly just bitter. Like, I’ve saved and sacrificed blah blah blah and I didn’t get to do what I wanted blah blah blah, so why should somebody else? There’s this big assumption that she’s going to be a financial burden.

Question that. Question it always.

And if you are one of the people who (like me) have taken a not-very-financially-secure path, don’t assume that you will be a burden on others, and don’t buy into the demoralizing judgments of others.

There are ways to take responsibility, including financial responsibility, even if one does not have much money. I have written extensively about these things in my book and on this blog, and spoken about them in my talks and videos, and will continue to do so.

As just one example, she could teach riding to rich kids. Or start a horse themed café. It was even pointed out that this mother-in-law might even be a very worthy entity for her son and daughter-in-law to invest in, as in a business.

And I pointed out that she might be great at caring for grandkids, and might have some great stories, and might be kind of person they would want to have living under their roof.

By the way, for people who retired from their bland cushy office job that was not their passion, and worked and toiled away all their prime of life, it’s not too late in your retirement to do something worthwhile such as start the bookstore or café you were afraid to start, make the art and music you wouldn’t devote time to because you thought it was financially unstable.

PS. I’m not saying that an office job can’t be someone’s passion. It’s possible to have both.

But our society places way too high a premium on money money money. And so called “security.” (I actually think it’s not that secure to stockpile a bunch of money. It just becomes something that can get sucked away by a medical bill or other large beast of the centralized industrial complex.)

Self-expression and living one’s purpose is not an indulgence. I would say it’s more of what the planet needs.

No, not really. Just being facetious. But my real point is that sometimes some thing we said five years ago or last year or even five minutes ago, turns out to be some thing we wouldn’t say now. Or maybe we would find a better way to say it. Or maybe we realized that the audience we chose was not the right audience, and we caused unnecessary suffering, waste of energy, etc.

So, what I do when this happens, which happens more often than I would like since I pretty much spent almost all of my days working as a communicator… Is I do my best to make it right, and then I move forward with the new awareness.

In that spirit, if something I’ve said in a previous post just doesn’t sit right or just doesn’t work for you, I totally support you in ignoring it!

Different words to find different audiences, so I generally won’t delete a post unless I find that it’s actually wrong or would be considered significantly offensive.

This post is not about any particular post of mine. It’s just a general public service announcement. And, I always welcome your feedback. My goal isn’t to be cute, funny, popular, or the best. Although most of us would probably like to be those things. The real goal is to be of service to you, my fellow Earth guardian, eco-warrior, green soldier, or whatever you prefer to call yourself!

Might climate-change comedy help tackle the movement’s messaging problem; serve as an onramp to collapse-awareness?

Using humor to face up to tragic or difficult times is nothing new. Now, some comically minded people are taking up climate change as a topic for their humor.

(Aha, so there are others besides me! I’ve attempted some stand-up comedy in my local club, and I’m in the process of writing a humorous novel on zombie apocalypse / climate doomer type theme.)

“Climate Change Is No Laughing Matter. Or Is It?” (Hilary Howard; nytimes.com)

“Comedians, no strangers to tackling difficult and taboo subjects with humor, are increasingly turning their attention to the climate crisis. …

” … Mr. Williams, who lives and works in Brooklyn, now makes comedic videos about the environment. He is part of a growing movement that takes on the climate crisis with humor. From Hollywood movies like Adam McKay’s ‘Don’t Look Up’ to independent sketches on YouTube and TikTok, comedians — no strangers to tackling difficult subjects — are increasingly looking for punchlines in one of the greatest existential threats ever to the planet. …

“‘Academics are trained to write in their own language, sending you to the dictionary every three words,’ said Sarah Finnie, the founder of the 51 Percent Project, an initiative at Boston University that aims to help people communicate better about climate change. ‘Humor is a really great way to kind of calm the Doomerism and the panics that can paralyze people.'”

Solar ‘Spairments continued! Using the inverted lid of the pot as an auxiliary cooking vessel is something I have often done. For example, to cook soup in the main pot while doing a grilled-cheese sandwich or quesadilla in the inverted lid.

Today, I did an additional version of the two-tiered cooking thing.

I had a teeny bit of macaroni and a teeny bit of pancake mix (both left to me by a friend/neighbor who moved back to her home state).

So I mixed up the pancake mix in the top, and put the macaroni to boil in the bottom. Cooking is progressing well. I pushed in the round edges of the pancake to make a more uniformly thick square which will hopefully then finish cooking more evenly.

BTW when people move, often they leave behind a lot of food because the food is heavy and/or doesn’t travel well. I particularly feel sad when people of modest means have to leave behind food. We might as well not let it go to waste! It can be used in cooking, or fed to the garden, whichever is appropriate and most needed.

Other valuables I inherited from my friend’s move back to her hometown included numerous bottles of condiments such as a popular brand of barbecue sauce.

We miss our friend and neighbor very much — she was a light of the neighborhood and always wanting to feed people — but she seems happy in her new-old place, with family and childhood friends nearby. And we are keeping in touch by phone and text.

Facebook memory served up to me this morning, blast from the past! I totally forgot that I had made this whimsical Valentine’s Day cartoon, of two pink snow-persons cuddling, amidst pink, heart-shaped falling snow.

12 years ago, feels like much longer in many ways!

As always: Anyone is welcome to download & print my art for your own use! including printing on a T-shirt or mug or whatever.

If you sell something and make significant money, feel free to cashapp me lunch or a cup o’ coffee or whatever if you feel moved to do so — but it’s not required.

(That offer may change as times change, but I’ve been offering this for years and I am happy to be able to offer it til further notice!)

The only restriction: Just please use the whole image intact, including my signature.

Also please note, this offer applies only to MY artwork. Please do not download, print, or otherwise use any artist’s artwork without their permission!!!

Sometimes all it takes to save a broken object from landfill — turn it into something that can be used for many more years — is a little cleaning-up, and a needle and thread!

This is a nice little insulated cooler bag that just needs some TLC. (Plus maybe some cute personalized touch like a decorative tag with a flower, astrological sign, person’s initials, favorite animal, etc.)

My latest art project, studio 501 (reviving my Planetary Citizen brand), is focused on creating new value for discarded objects and single-use plastic materials.

And fostering self-expression by showing people how to do after-market embellishing of discarded items, turning them into cherished objects and in some cases maybe even heirlooms!

Stay tuned for more posts like this!

#Studio501 #TrashToTreasure #BeachCleanup #ProtectOurOceans

I wrote the following this morning as some possible text for a “mission statement” to put as a tag or insert on each item that goes out into the world:

(A revised version February 16):

Greetings Fellow Planetary Citizen!

In this throwaway society, we constantly see useful things tossed away. It hurts the planet and hurts our hearts.

Here at our little seaside studio, we give cast-off things new life by turning them into one-of-a-kind pieces: treasure-boxes, potion-jars, bags, key-charms, and more.

If you received this piece as a gift and it doesn’t quite suit you, but you don’t want to send it to landfill, please feel free to re-gift it!

Or, return it to 501. We’ll upcycle it into a new piece for a new owner … And YOU, if you like, can pick out something else from our current selection. Or get credit toward a future item.

With love — for the planet and for YOU,

jenny

studio 501

We live by the beach, where we often find single-use plastic containers and other stuff that is still useful.

We take joy and satisfaction in creating cute and useful objects from these materials.

Hope you will enjoy this piece. When you are ready, please consider keeping it out of landfill in one of the following ways:

• Re-gift it

• Or, return it to studio 501. We will remake it into a new piece for a new customer — And YOU will receive a $10 credit on future purchases of studio 501 merchandise!

From materials that were thrown away, we create gift tins, medicine boxes, jewelboxes, mini worlds-in-a-tin, friendship jars, shopping bags & handbags, scarves, vial-necklaces & other jewelry, keychains, and other fun & useful items.

(Yes, by the way, we do custom work too! And we offer DIY workshops so you can learn how to make your own!)

It’s amazing what gets tossed up by the sea, blown by the wind, washed by the sun. And what a little creativity and love can add!

Edited version:

Studio 501/Planetary Citizen

Greetings fellow earthling!

We live by the beach, where we constantly find discarded items that are still useful. So many things tossed by the sea, scoured by the sand, blown by the wind!

From these cast-offs, we create decorative & practical one-of-a-kind items.

We hope you enjoy this piece. When you wish to let it go, please consider keeping it out of landfill by either:

•Re-gifting it; or

•Returning it to studio 501. We’ll remake it into a new piece for a new customer.

And you’ll get a $10 credit toward Planetary Citizen merchandise!