Authors

Whether you’re building your own sustainable home from scratch, or just looking for a few simple changes you can make to make the world a better place, we know where you’re coming from. We offer a forum for thoughtful dialogue on how to interpret current events, explore ways of developing earth friendly habits that fit your lifestyle, and find products and services that meet the highest standards of organic production, animal protection, and fair trade. Miomarmo is a guide for formulating and following your beliefs into practical habits of action.

Richard Mansfield writes about the small changes one person can make in everyday living to improve the world and one’s own quality of life.  His professional experience  is in business communications.  Where is Rich coming from?  His thinking is framed by the belief that just about everything you need to know about morality, ethics and aspiration you can find in The Sermon on the Mount and The Wizard of Oz.  If you want to go deeper, then The Great Gatsby, Deliverance, Abe Lincoln, The Beatles, and The Godfather are good to know, too.  He recognizes that there are a great many paths to "truth" through many different cultures and gurus, but the paths that lead to somewhere good are built on love, humor, and respect.  He likes to think that you learn to support yourself and your family and friends by learning how to let them support you.  There’s a short list of things he knows something about and then a gigantic list of things that he wishes he knew something about.  He knows something about New Jersey, American literature, Phillies baseball, the history of cinema, old crappy TV shows, and all the stuff he does at work.  He wishes he knew more about about healthy living and saving the planet.  So, he wants to pursue these subjects in this blog and share this learning adventure with anyone who’s interested.

Chintan Parikh has been a vegetarian all of his life and a programmer for about ten years.  His long standing faith and educational background lead him to write about vegetarianism, organic food, technology, science, alternative energy sources, environmental issues worldwide and spirituality.  Chintan was born in Bombay, India, went to college in the United States and then emigrated.  He still enjoys cricket, but the Yankees and the Giants have won a place in his heart as well.  When not developing web applications, Chintan is most occupied with his family and developing an ever expanding circle of friends.  He invites you to explore a scientific and spiritual perspective on the most challenging issues and choices facing humankind today.

Nichole Chobin likes animals.  She claims that she likes them better than people, and there is much evidence to support that claim, but her close friends find it hard to believe that she would choose her Pomeranian companion, Abby, over them in a dire circumstance.  (We hope we never find out for sure.)  Nichole focuses her interest on issues concerning our relationships with pets and peaceful coexistence with the local fauna.  Professionally, Nichole manages day to day business affairs for a merry band of website developers.  She likes everything about vampires, which are a kind of animal.  If there is a book, movie, or TV show about vampires, she’s in.  It can be said that Nichole has attained a high level of knowledge in the areas of home design, girl drinks, and desserts.  But for the purposes of this blog, she will explore practical approaches to protecting our animal friends in a world of sometimes complicated choices.

Dany Petraska spent most of her life on the West Coast glad to be able to call a landlord when something broke, but now she and her husband are currently building their own timber-frame home that will run solely on wind, solar, and microhydro power.  Dany now lives in the mountains of New England, where the spirit of American individualism was best exemplified in Thoreau, Emerson, Adams, and Nathan Hale.   Although she doesn’t consult Walden Pond for building tips, she is out to maintain a practical balance of living in harmony with nature while still being able to earn an income, eat, stay warm and watch movies at home.  Dany has long experience in business communications and currently works with a team of website developers as an internet commuter.  An environmental activist was once ask how we can best help to save the planet, and his answer was simply, "Stay home."   Dany will be focusing her attention on how to make the most of this advice while making sure your carbon footprint fits your foot.

Élena Nazzaro has three preschoolers and lots of creative energy. Her posts will focus on organic food/organic living, starting a garden, yoga, voting with your wallet (making choices at the store), sharing recipes, crafts out of recycled materials, and raising global citizens – kids who are aware of the world around them and take an active part in helping it stay beautiful. Art, music, faith and a Sicilian ancestry are the essential elements of what makes Elena tick. As art director for a merry band of website developers, Elena uses her skills in color, composition and illustration to bring creative zing to her projects. As the director of a busy household, she adds the same zing to the everyday adventure of creating an environment of love and learning for a growing family. Elena is a big fan of visual arts, Medieval culture, puppets, fairy tales, and acts of random sidewalk chalking. Through this blog she hopes to bring to light the many things we can do to bring beauty and harmony into our otherwise chaotic lives.  It’s kind of like Martha Stewart meets Erma Bombeck.  You decide.

Matty: I’m a dog. I was invited to participate in this forum by my human, Rich Mansfield, because, he said, “we want diverse perspectives here at Miomarmo.” My role is to take the tough questions from other animals–not just dogs–about their relationships with humans and the environment. What is my perspective?  I’m your garden variety house dog.  I was a shelter dog before good old Rich claimed me about two years ago. I’m probably 3 or 4 years old. I have it pretty good in my current situation, but all is not chew toys and cheese snacks in this Valhalla. Rich and I have issues that I’ll be sharing with you. You may count on me to be perfectly frank about green diets, proper medical attention, and some touchy subjects like inter-species communication. And, of course, I will be sharing with you my emailed questions from other animals from all over the world.