Miomarmo

One Way to 'Celebrate' the Anniversary of a Loved-One's Passing

Today we are thinking of someone very special. The founder of this site (and our company) died one year ago today. We are spending the day remembering, but the day feels heavy. We miss Rich. We wish he was here instead of us sitting here remembering him, searching our emails for messages we received from him, and passing around photos. We are telling the funny stories, and the sad stories. I remember afternoons in NYC with him after a client meeting (though I won't say what we were doing!). I remember watching movies with him on his couch one night. I remember when he sent the entire staff, and their significant others, to see Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Broadway. I remember how he made me think, how curious he was about the world and life, and how strongly he communicated his opinions!

So, as with most people we miss when they're gone, we start to think of others in our life we've lost. I remember my grandmother and grandfather. When my grandmother passed away my grandfather was, of course, devastated. To make the anniversaries of her death less of a day of mourning, and more of a day of celebrating he announced that every anniversary of her "death" would be a birthday in heaven. The first anniversary was her First Birthday in Heaven. Then her Second Birthday in Heaven. He imagined how wonderful it was for her there, in heaven. Because he loved her so much, where she was (paradise) was much more important on that day than where he was (sad to be without her).

You may or may not be helped by thinking about a "heaven," but we can all find it in our hearts to celebrate life, even after someone's gone. They will forever be a part of YOU, of your life's story, and of your now and future as you have been blessed with knowing—and loving—them. I would love to think people could be happy when they think about me after I'm gone. And I'm going to find a way to do that for my friend Rich today. Happy First Birthday in Heaven, Rich.

Panasonic's Lithium-Ion Storage Cell for Home Use

Panasonic recently purchased Sanyo, which has some very advanced and clever battery technology. Through this partnership, they have announced that they will be the first to produce a lithium-ion storage cell for home use. Even better, they say it will be released in 2011.

The biggest hurdle is not so much harnessing power from wind or solar, but to store that energy for use when the sun is down and the wind is calm. This will be an awesome thing if it comes true.

Years ago when we first dreamed of living where we do (including the need for alternative power based on our proximity to available power lines), they were promising that there would be whole-house fuel cells any time now. Then they talked about solar film that would be so cheap and plentiful, you could paper your house with it and produce all the power you'd ever need. Those manufacturers are still out there, but we have yet to see anything that you or I could purchase. Maybe this time our dreams will come true?

In related news, GM announced yesterday that it has built the first lithium-ion battery for their Chevy Volt.

1 Billion Without Clean Drinking Water

Hard to imagine not having access to clean drinking water? 4,000 children die every year from diseases brought on by unsafe drinking water. Without access to running water, many have to turn to rivers and streams for their water, and this where the problem lays.

Proctor & Gamble's PUR Water Filtration has partnered with the Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program for today's climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, called SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT, to help raise awareness for this problem around the world. You can follow their progress (climbers include actress Jessica Biel, actor Emile Hirsch, and others) on their site here. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340'. You can even Tweet the team during their journey!

The PUR sachet is one solution that CSDW wants to continue to deliver to those who need it around the world.

We all need to feel grateful for the safe drinking water that most of us have. Here are a couple of important tips to remember for your safe drinking water:

• Ten of the most popular brands of water were found to have 38 different contaminants. They don't have to include any labeling about this, nor tell you whether it's natural or processed water, so your safest bet is filtered tap water. And, since all tap water producers are required to publish their water quality tests, you can look up your location at the Environmental Working Group's National Tap Water Atlas.
• Stay away from #7 (recycling number) plastic bottles to carry your water around. And don't re-use plastic water bottles from the store as bacteria can form. Instead, try one of the many stainless steel bottles now available, or find a plastic bottle other than the #7s.
• When traveling abroad where you're not sure of the water's purity, consider ice to be contaminated as it's typically made from local water sources. Also, avoid brushing your teeth with tap water.
• If you have a well and are not on a town/city water system, have your water tested by a lab.

Replacing Electrical Appliances

We are moving into our off-grid house this month. We've been preparing for this for years now and one of the things I've had to do is find alternatives to the electrical appliances I use now as I'd like to keep these little luxuries. I have found a few alternatives:

Coffee Maker: I've used a regular Mr. Coffee for 15 years now—the same one (good review for a Mr. Coffee, right?). What I like about it is it keeps a pot of coffee hot for 2 hours and turns off by itself as a precaution. My replacement for this (and yes, I have a home for the old one with a friend who doesn't have a coffee maker) is the "Acid Reducing Flavor Enhancing Coffee Hourglass" from Hammacher Schlemmer. It brews the coffee slowly using gravity and a stainless steel filter (and no electricity). Once it's filtered it keeps for two weeks and you simply add hot water to it a cup at a time. Or, make a whole pot and store it in a thermos. The added bonus is no more paper coffee filters. And, this slow brewing process removes that acidity from the coffee, which is what can hurt your stomach.

Lighting: Often you'll find yourself turning on a light simply to get from point A to point B without tripping on anything or running into a wall. We designed our hallways and stairs to get as much natural light as we can, which includes a window in the stairwell. But, at night it's still dark so what we've done is add solar powered lights (can even be the same ones you use in your garden) just inside the window so it stores solar energy during the day and lights up our stairwell at night. We plan on adding a few in other rooms as well. We also have all solar outdoor lights.

Alarm Clock: You can get a battery powered clock, but you can cut out the power all together and get a wind-up clock. I've ordered a Westclox Big Ben retro clock (turns out Westclox has a fine reputation for wind ups). I will have to remember to wind it at night, but that's a very small price to pay.

Clothes Dryer: No dryer is needed. In fact, the United States is the only country in the world that thinks dryers are actually "necessary." Other countries rarely use or buy dryers, regardless of their ability ($) to buy one. This is the #2 energy sucker (#1 is your refrigerator) in your home, so this will make a huge difference for anyone looking to save energy.

We will keep our eyes out for other things we can use "free," which for us means hot coffee on a cloudy day! And, like the clothes dryer, I'm hoping there are some things I'll just decide I don't need at all: TV? Hair dryer?

Free day at National Parks tomorrow!

Tomorrow, September 26, is National Public Lands Day when entrance to all 391 National Parks is free.

What are you waiting for? Plan your hike/picnic/getaway now!

Kids quote contest from Earthbound Farms

Organic growers Earthbound Farms are having a great contest for kids! Complete the sentence "Thank you for choosing organic. It matters to me because... " The winners will see their quote on a label of Earthbound Farm's organic salads, receive a $500 savings bond, and have $500 donated in their name to the nonprofit environmental organization of their choice (there are eight to choose from). Sounds like a great way to educate and capture the wonderful clear way children have of getting right to the heart of things.

If you and your family would like to enter the contest, click here to check it out!

And while you're on the site, test your knowledge of organic farming and you could win coupons good on Earthbound Farm's products. (Don't worry, they give you reading material!) We did this and the coupons arrived almost the next day - just in time for our trip to the store!

Go bento!

Sophie's very excited about having LUNCH at school. We are going bento to have as little waste as possible. No plastic baggies, no paper, and apart from this special lunch, she'll be eating leftovers from (planned ahead of time) dinner.

I'm excited too - it's a chance to get creative in the kitchen and make sure they're eating healthy at school. Plus it's fun!

Sophie's lunch, clockwise:
Watermelon balls
Purple cabbage salad
Little container of soy sauce
Veggie sushi rolls with carrots, cabbage, cucumber, and avocado
Annie's bunny grahams

Not pictured: Her water bottle and chopsticks (she wants to bring them!)

Angela is bringing her own container of sushi rolls for a snack (again, she wants chopsticks too, but she's actually pretty expert with them)

Peter wants pretzels and goldfish crackers today. Tomorrow they've all requested roasted chickpeas for snacks.

Anyone want recipes? :)

Exercise Your Right to Hang Out

I've written about this before here, but I just saw a trailer for a new documentary called Drying for Freedom.

I air dry my clothes. I prefer it outside, but when that's not possible, I dry them inside. I LOVE hanging my laundry. When I'm outside pinning my clothes to a line, I am happy. It's like I'm transported to another world. A world where pinning a t-shirt just right is the most important thing you can do at that moment.

I realize you may not feel the same way. But you too can air dry your laundry, yes, I know you're busy and there's no room and it makes your jeans and towels too stiff and it's winter, but here goes:

• You can hang your laundry outside in the winter, even in the cold northeast (down to about 20 degrees, or hang the laundry indoors to add moisture to dry winter rooms).
• For apartment dwellers, there are many new lines you can adapt to out-your-window hanging (or just hang it indoors). Here are some more tips.
• For those without adequate lawn space, there are wall-mount lines. 
• Teeny tiny apartment? Check this one out, or this one if you have a balcony.
• At my last apartment (no laundry room, no yard) I used one of these pulley systems and loved it. 
• If you live where hanging your laundry is banned, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Twelve states have banned condo and homeowner associations from banning clotheslines. Check out Project Laundry List to find out more about what you can do to change these rules in your state.

And, if you balk at the cost of any of any of these, get this:

• 6-10 percent of residential energy consumption goes towards the electric clothes dryer.
• Clothes dryer fires account for about 17,700 structure fires, 15 deaths, and 360 injuries annually. The yearly national fire loss for clothes dryer fires in structures is estimated at $194 million. (via laundrylist.org)
• You can make a difference with just a small step.

Do you hang your laundry outdoors? Indoors? Is it something you'd do if it was easier somehow?

Crafting on the cheap

As a mom of three small artists-in-the-making, I am always on the lookout for good craft ideas. I just discovered Dollar Store Crafts, a website that shows crafts you can make with, well, stuff from the dollar store, as well as loads of recycled and free projects from things you probably have around the house. They show how you can take something simple and/or cheap and turn it into something absolutely lovely. The categories make for interesting searching as well. Some of my favorites, which all can be made from recycled stuff and even trash:

• How to make beautiful Kanzashi flowers using leftover fabric scraps and a button.
• Fork curtain tiebacks.
• Make a Trashcycled Hermes Birkin Bag - I think the homemade one is so much better looking than the real one!
• Create a field of paper bag mushrooms (and then make friends to live underneath them).
• Make a bracelet out of an old cassette tape. I so totally want to make this!
• Create your own beads from plastic soda bottles. Colorful and fun!
• An adorable peg doll necklace from clothespins - we make fairies with ours, but these look fun too.
• And for the incredibly ambitious: The Alien Abduction Lamp!

Resetting to Zero

I recently made a purchase at Gaiam.com (like I need more yoga DVDs!) and noticed in the checkout that I had the option of offsetting the environmental impact of my order. What a great idea!

I live pretty remotely so do a lot of online shopping when I can't find what I need locally. I've often worried about the impact this has as far as the materials used for shipping, transporting the merchandise, etc. so the offer to offset my impact was answered with my resounding "YES!". The button I pushed said "goZero my Order." I love it.

Gaiam is offering this through a program called Go Zero which is part of The Conservation Fund:

"The Conservation Fund is dedicated to advancing America's land and water legacy. With our partners, we conserve land, train leaders and invest in conservation at home. From our headquarters in Arlington, Virginia and our field offices across the country, we've saved land in all 50 states—over 6 million acres of wild havens, working lands, vibrant communities and more."

The Go Zero program makes it simple and economical for individuals, corporations, or even entire communities to first measure their carbon dioxide emissions, learn helpful ways to reduce those emissions, and then offset the remainder by planting trees.

The Philadelphia Eagles worked with the fund to calculate and then "zero out" the carbon emissions associated with team travel on Delta Airlines for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. As a result, The fund has planted thousands of trees in two locations: the Eagles Forest, located at Pennsylvania’s Neshaminy State Park and Red River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana.

The Go Zero site also has a calculator where you can determine your estimated annual carbon dioxide footprint, which is the sum of the carbon dioxide that is produced by your home energy use, auto transportation, and air travel.

My Gaiam order (one DVD plus one "gift" for me) cost me $2 to offset it. A small price to pay, I say.