It’s time for a short break for me! Company has come to town – seven women I have not seen since high school graduation in 1972! The last thing I want to worry about these next few days while we have an amazing reunion (and recovery days afterward!) is posting to this blog, Twitter and Facebook. I’ll be back next week with a couple guest posts and hopefully some writing of my own.

I have gone back to school to be a Residential Planner. It will expand my real estate business, but it’s very time-consuming. And I miss getting up and writing in the morning! I have a few weeks off from school, so I hope to get caught up with desert verde, too, and bring you some original writing.

Meanwhile, go through the drop-downs in the navigation menu at the top of the page, and read Eco-living Tips, the Solar Building Series, and facts and news about Eco Building. Check out the Nature Quotes and Book selections, and visit the ads on the right side of the page to help keep this blog alive! There is lots to see while I’m gone a few days!

Big is not beautiful anymore. American home square footage has been ballooning for years, but that’s got to end.

In our patriotic efforts to live up to our international reputation of being over-consumptive, we are living in way more space than we need. We have media rooms, master suites, walk-in closets that can be mistaken for bedrooms, and extra living and dining areas. I grew up in a house, some of which was reserved for company – formal living and dining rooms. I never understood that excess. It eventually dawned on my parents that they actually lived in about 1000 square feet, and they built their final house accordingly.

My first house, as a single 30-something, was a 16′x24′ passive solar post and beam saltbox in New Hampshire. It had more space than I needed – full basement, two stories and a cozy reading loft on the ‘third floor.’ Utility bills were low. Being passive solar, it did not need supplemental heat on sunny winter days. Being small, it did not take much wood to keep it comfortable at night.

I now have children, and my house is about 2000 square feet. The space has served us well for the last eleven years. We have lived in every inch of it, and I even remodeled to reduce my energy bills and improve the traffic pattern and heating/cooling air flow. As the kids are growing up and moving out on their own, though, I am drowning in the extra room. I am ready to downsize.

A friend of mine owns a pumice passive solar duplex, one side of which is 665 square feet. It is one bedroom and a full bath with a petite kitchen, a living room and a storage room with a washer and dryer. I had this listed for sale a couple years ago, and every time I was in it, I said to myself, ‘I could live here with no kids.’ It was just enough room. If it was still for sale, I’d probably buy it.

Extravagance vs Simplicity

Why do we think bigger is better? Ask yourself that as you consider these parts of home ownership:

> cost
> maintenance
> cleaning
> utilities
> waste

Do you really need more of all those in your life? Right. I didn’t think so.

Downsize Without Sacrifice

> Make sure you have storage space. Not too much, otherwise you’ll continue to fill it up with ’stuff,’ and stuff is what we are trying to get rid of!

> The furniture must be to scale. Small room, small furniture. That is why the pumice duplex seemed so spacious – the kitchen was small but complete, and the living room furniture fit in the space it was given.

> Built-ins take up interior wall space, not living space. Use them. Double-duty built-ins, like a bench that is storage below, are very effective and space-saving.

> Get rid of your stuff! Have yard sales, and donate to churches and battered women shelters. Visit second-hand stores, freebox and recycling center regularly. Dump your stuff! The less stuff you have, the less room you will need. My rule is if I have not used something in six months, I get rid of it. If that makes you nervous, use one year as a timeline.

> Raised ceilings, which I don’t recommend for heating purposes, give the illusion of more space. Raise them if you must. Just don’t tell me about it.

The Benefits

> Save money on utilities and maintenance.

> Save money on your mortgage or your rent.

> If you are building, you will cut costs with less material.

> If you are building, you will create less waste (good for the landfill).

> If you are building, you will have a smaller footprint, eating up less of the planet’s precious vegetation.

> Reduce your carbon footprint and save our natural resources.

Next time you move or build, think big by going small.

Like the rest of the world, I am horrified at the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.

I am horrified that:

> BP did not have a plan for a disaster such as this. How could they have not foreseen the potential and had a fix in place?

> Our government is acting so slowly. Is this our MO? Why do we not jump on environmental catastrophes as soon as they happen?

> Animals are dying probably horrible deaths, and not just the ones we see wash up on shore, like birds, fish and dolphins. The mud on the gulf floor is (or was…) teeming with life. We have lost a lot we can’t even see.

As I tried to look at the big picture, an ecological picture, I saw that this oil is part of the earth’s make-up. It churns miles below the crust, although I don’t know its ecological purpose. The oil is just as much a part of the earth’s ecosystems and processes as the animals it is killing.

It’s just in the wrong place.

Think about it. Here is a beautiful, natural substance from miles below the ocean floor showing itself to us, showing us its power. It is a small yet significant part of the earth, no less important than a flower, mountain or cloud.

It’s just in the wrong place.

We should have no disdain for the oil. It’s not the oil’s fault it is wreaking havoc. It did not ask to be drilled and brought to the surface for our greedy use, just as redwoods did not ask to be cut down for lumber. It is not an invasive species encroaching on a space that suits its needs.

People say the oil is awful, but it’s not! It’s not the oil! The oil has a purpose, but it’s not for drilling, burning in cars and killing people over. Don’t blame the oil. People are causing these problems, not the oil. Point fingers at the greedy corporations and politicians who constantly manipulate the planet for their pockets. Mother Nature needs to be left alone to her processes.

The oil is just in the wrong place.

And that is a very humbling thought.

I don’t get much city exposure, but when I do, I’m amazed at how many cars and people occupy the planet. I was in a crowded mall the other day and followed that with a zany Trader Joe’s experience.

It dawned on me we will never make everyone energy- and consumption-conscious. Middle America will always want the latest fad in clothes, cars, shampoo and furniture. Manufacturers know this, and change their lines, not only in the name of creativity, but also to keep the public wanting/needing their items to keep the money flowing. This is capitalism simplified.

The consumption is horrifying. People shop for the sake of shopping.

Can we get the general public to stop buying ‘unnecessary plastic objects,’ as Nanci Griffith says about the ubiquitous Woolworth’s and its inventory in the intro to Love at the Five and Dime on One Fair Summer Evening? She talks about a gig she goes to in England. When she gets off the plane and heads towards her hotel, the cab rounds a corner, and lo and behold, there is Woolworth’s, an American icon. The sight of it made her want to stop the cab, run in and ‘fill up my suitcase with unnecessary plastic objects.’ That’s quite a statement on consumption!

Do you want to help the planet and all living species, including yourself? Stop repeating the mantra, and cut back your consumption. Here’s how.

> First, be sure you actually need an item. What do we need? Food, clothing, shelter. Don’t buy something if you don’t need it!

I used to be an impulsive shopper. A catalog would come in the mail, and I would buy something that immediately caught my eye. I’ll say 99% of the time, that item would never get used. I had to train myself to mark a catalog with what I liked, then put it aside to revisit in a few days. When I went back to it, 99% of the time, I did not need that item. I saved money, resources and my dignity. I had to learn to do this in stores, too, even second-hand stores. Find something attractive, think on it, then revisit it. Most of the time, I’d go home empty handed.

> Shop with a list, and stick to it. This helps you buy things you actually need, even food, further cutting down on impulsive shopping. For sensible food purchases, I make a menu, and shop accordingly. Little food gets wasted, money is saved, and meals are balanced.

I go yard sale-ing with a list. Yard sales are conducive to impulse shopping – so much great stuff and so cheap! Know what you need and look for it. Don’t bring home a bunch of stuff for the sake of buying used!

My eco-sin confession ~> I’m a compulsive book-buyer. My wish list on Amazon is huge with books I’ve looked at and almost bought, so I’m getting better. There have been eras, though, when my shelves were lined with interesting books I never read.

> Buy used goods. What I have always called ‘the other side of the equation’ is now called ‘embodied energy’ – the energy used to create new goods. We can calculate our carbon footprint based on our home energy bills, the food we eat and the cars we drive. The embodied energy spent in purchasing new items needs to be considered just as heavily. If we are buying used items, embodied energy is not expended.

Mother Earth’s natural process is recycling. She is constantly turning her products into new products with other uses – rocks become soil, dead trees are homes for birds, dead animals are food for other animals. We need to follow her example and recycle everything into a new use.

> Don’t buy something to upgrade to green. If you have an item that is functioning but maybe not so eco-friendly, do not replace it with the green version. Wait until it dies and needs replacing. Exceptions to this may be appliances that will cut your energy use. The new refrigerators and front-loading washing machines save enough energy to offset their manufacture in a short period of time. To buy something ‘green’ for the sake of being green, though, is contributing to the problem of consumption and ends up not being so green after all.

> Pay attention. Be aware of your purchasing habits. Research where items come from, consider the emissions of shipping and manufacture, and recycle the goods you are replacing.

1970 was an incredible year for tumultuous and benign events.

> The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created.
> The first Earth Day was on April 22.
> The Beatles disbanded after releasing the album, Let it Be.
> The Concorde made its first flight.
> The first woman jockey was in the Kentucky Derby.
> Apollo 13 made its historical and almost tragic flight.
> Crosby, Stills & Nash won a Grammy.
> Joni Mitchell played her final concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
> The Who’s ‘Tommy’ was performed at Lincoln Center in New York.
> Christine McVie joined Fleetwood Mac.
> The voting age was lowered to 18.
> Janis Joplin made her debut.
> The movie, Catch-22, was released, and M*A*S*H debuted.
> (source)

Lots of great music back then! It was integral to the times.

Amidst all of that, though, the one event that has stuck with me all these years is the killing of four students at Kent State University in Ohio.

When Nixon invaded Cambodia on April 29, I was a 16 year old sophomore in boarding school in Greenfield, MA. A few activists got most of us to walk out of school that day and hitchhike about 30 miles to Northampton for rallies, speeches, music, getting high and rebelling. There must have been a couple hundred girls on the interstate with their thumbs out. What a sight! We returned by dinner time, and spent the evening talking about what we learned and accomplished that day.

The anti-war movement had been gaining momentum for several years. It kept escalating and felt frenetic, a fast and furious upward spiral to keep on being vocal until we were heard. I can’t put words to what was going on, but when I see history shows on tv, the emotions come back.

But I can’t name them.

A few days later, students at Kent State were protesting against Nixon’s invasion, just like we had. Out of fear, the Ohio National Guard opened fire on them. Four were killed; two were protesters, two were students going to class.

I was … shocked … stunned … horrified. I felt like I couldn’t move, and everything suddenly seemed silent. I couldn’t make sense of what had happened, but it felt like this was the beginning of the end of the protesting, the movement, the revolution and the war. It seemed to be a turning point. The frenetic pace seemed to have ended in one afternoon.

And so much was taken away from us.

When I went to college two years later, we had an exchange program for the month of January. Some kids were gone, and some new ones came. It was experimental and felt very weird.

One of the women who came to live in my dorm was the sister of Allison Krause, one of the students killed at Kent State. Some googling gave me the name, Laurel. I don’t remember that as her name, but it was a long time ago, and I remember little from those days. My memory tells me she was very quiet and kept to herself. I felt that she was very sad, and I let her be. I don’t remember engaging with her much, but I do remember her presence, and it moved me. I was honored and humbled to ‘know’ her.

Every year since then, on May 4, Kent State has come into my mind. As I was writing my piece last week the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, I realized Kent State was another 40th year anniversary. The times and the event are clear in my mind and still move me, and now I have a 19 year old daughter of my own. I can’t imagine the pain, not just of losing a child or sibling, but of losing one in turmoil such as we saw during those times.

Last night, I came across this fabulous article from the Daily Kos. They came up with the same info I did while I was googling Kent State and put it together really well. Please read it.

You can follow Laurel on Twitter and read her website. It’s far from over for the survivors, their families and everyone else who was there.

In 1998, I was in a weekly writing group. It was public with frequent drop-ins, which made each session different. Travelers and impulsive writers and artists would show up among the usual six or seven of us.

I was a brand new single parent. My kids were four and eight. I was struggling to suddenly care for everyone, as well as two dogs, by myself. This group was my release, my me time.

One summer day, we each wrote a prompt on a small piece of paper, tossed it into a hat, then drew one. We did a 10-minute freewrite, ten minutes of non-stop writing, even if it’s not on your topic. You keep the pen moving to a timer.

Here is my writing, unedited.

Prompt: Write about a favorite nature experience.

Laughter – so natural, so beautiful. We are having a real good time here today. We always do. It’s easy to be with people who are easy. Yeah, right. Let’s do that sentence over. Rather, let’s do that thought over.

Laughter is natural. I often think of nature as the outdoors – plants, animals, seasons. But nature is also the intangible parts of us – writing, music, laughter, art – anything expressive is nature. It’s not man-made. It is us being us – not necessarily at our best, but being open, expressive, sharing. All nature to me.

I sure needed to laugh today. It’s often hard to ease up with strangers, but each time I’m in that situation, I find it’s not so difficult after all. My laughter today is stress release. Makes me realize I need more adult fun, more grown-up contact and experiences, instead of the stresses of everyday life. There is nothing inherently funny about packing three lunches and getting everyone ready and out of the house by 8:45 AM. Displeased children don’t make for a good laugh, either. Well, they do a few months later. More than once I’ve said, “I’m laughing now,” when I tell a household story. But to just crack up at a one-liner, someone’s clever, quick wit, only happens in a group of adults. And today there is no one eavesdropping, saying, “What do you mean, mama?” or “What did she say?” or “Why is that funny?” Those curious little minds just wreck the moment, and I get annoyed instead of enjoying a good old natural, expressive laugh.

(More on World Laughter Day.)

Jan 5, 2010

For several years, friends and I have been talking about moving to a new place. There is talk of retirement, warmer weather, smaller homes with less maintenance, easier living. Sounds like heaven, right? It does, until we get practical and begin to really think it through.

Packing up and moving is easy. Figuring out where to move is hard, and part of that is wondering how to meet new people in a strange town. I have met most of my friends in Taos through my children. They are parents of other children, caregivers, coaches and teachers. When you have an empty nest and move, how do you start over?

Couple that dilemma with being self-employed, and you will have one new resident feeling very alone.

I have been checking out the Verde Valley in Arizona for a couple of years, and after 22 years in Taos, I am serious about moving there.

May 1, 2010

This past week, the new anti-immigration bill, SB1070, was passed and signed into law by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Law enforcement is allowed to ask for documentation of citizenship of anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant. If you have dark skin, you may be detained. This has created outrage around the country, and there is a call for a boycott of the state.

> Parents are pulling their children out of universities.
> Travel plans are being changed.
> Sports schedules are being disrupted.
> Conferences and conventions are being canceled.
> Businesses are looking elsewhere.

Hmmmmm…… Where does that leave me? I think this law is horrific with its racism and discrimination. Our politicians live in fear of anybody that is not white and wealthy. I grew up in a family like that, and I think it’s disgusting. Can I live in a state that tolerates that same thinking?

I have gone so far with this potential move to:

> start cleaning my yard and house to sell it.
> research ways to meet people (local chapters of the US Green Building Council and American Solar Energy Society)
> look into homes and apartments to rent
> look for jobs
> find out where the organic food is
> take the Verde Valley phone book from the hotel to continue my research
> look into the requirements to get my real estate license

When I was there in March, I sat barefoot by the Verde River for several hours, soaking up the sun and scenery. I wrote about how I felt very comfortable there, since much of it is like Taos. I was reminded of sitting by the Rio Grande last November and churning out this essay. I came home and started ‘the move.’

This week, I wondered if I can live with this new law. Do I want to boycott Arizona? Would I be cutting off my nose to spite my face to not move? What would I be doing to my daughter, who really wants to move there? Can I spend another long, cold winter here (it was 16 degrees this morning!)?

While I was debating this, I read an article at Mother Jones last night about the Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio. This abusive, lying, racist, holier-than-thou-and-above-the-law sack of s**t is planning on running for Governor! And he is the favorite! Didn’t we just suffer through eight years of a presidency like that?! I swore if McCain and Palin got into office, I would leave the country.

Now, maybe I could live with this immigration law, but I could NOT live in a state where this ‘man’ rules. No no no no no. Granted, he’s not the only contender, but it is definitely something to consider and pay attention to!

I will continue to watch things unfold in Arizona and see what happens. I thank the universe for people like Sheriff Clarence Dupnik and the lawsuits filed by Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. A bright light does shine!

I’ll keep prepping my house for sale, see what comes of it, and follow my intuition, which is all I can do.

As you know, I am not very materialistic. I don’t buy things if something functional is already in place. I don’t need to be fashionable and switch out my clothes and furnishings according to the latest trends. There are more important things than things, and I choose to put my energy into them instead.

It helps that I am resourceful. I think I picked up this trait from my mother. She could rework anything into something else. Even though she had money and was an active participant in the post-WWII consumption, she was a frugal recycler in her own small way.

That said, I’d like to share with you my sitting area on the back porch. It’s not fancy, but it works. I spend sunny summer mornings here with coffee reading, writing or just looking at the views and letting my mind wander. Many a cold beer has been consumed in the shade here on warm evenings. When friends come to visit, I bring out a portable camp chair.

> The chair is from my mother’s house. This was a full set of outdoor furniture – dining table and chairs, a coffee table, easy chairs and a chaise lounge. It filled our screened porch when I was a kid in the 60s. My brother has most of it, and I have two of these chairs. The other one is where the afternoon sun shines, great for spring, fall and winter.

> I bought the bamboo table at a yard sale in 1996 for $1. ‘Nuf said.

> In my recent and continuous spring/moving cleaning, I emptied the green milk crate of small flower pots and took them to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Voila! Instant side table.

My lifestyle is not for everyone, but I want to make the point that we don’t need to be constantly purchasing new things to be happy. When you are tempted to go shopping, ask yourself if you really need that item, then try to repurpose something else instead. Alternatively, go to a yard sale or thrift shop and buy something someone else was thoughtful enough to keep out of a landfill.

When you buy second hand or hang onto things you have until they are no longer usable, you reduce emissions by eliminating the need for a new item to be manufactured and transported. Lower your emissions, consumption and carbon footprint by repurposing what you have or buying used.

When you spend less on unnecessary items, you obviously save money. Americans go to work to support their shopping habits. I know in this economy, many people are struggling to keep their homes and feed their families. The evil credit card, though, has allowed us to purchase things we do not want or need but feel we must have. It lets us live lifestyles we cannot truly afford. If we could get out from under our credit cards and live on what we actually make, we would be living a lot more simply and maybe working less.

I have more second-hand furniture.

Happy recycling/repurposing/thrifting/yard sale-ing!

In honor of Earth Week and Earth Day last week, PBS aired a lot of informative, interesting and well-put-together documentaries. Here’s what moved me.

Food, Inc. (POV) – I already knew most of what was in this documentary, but it was informative to the masses who never ask where their food comes from. If you have not seen it, do. I bet you will seek out organic, local, humanely raised meat after watching it! Question your butcher and your favorite restaurants, too. What you eat out is harder to control than what you prepare at home. Take it a step further and stop eating meat altogether, if you’re interested in truly reducing emissions and your carbon footprint.

DIRT! The Movie (Independent Lens) – Having a degree in horticulture, and gardening professionally and personally for the last 30+ years, I knew most of this information, too. Soil Science was my favorite class. Because of test phobia, I chose to write a 20 page paper on soil formation instead of taking an exam. I almost went on to study further, but all the jobs were in government, and I was clear that was not where I wanted to be.

I resonated with DIRT! The Movie. I know what it’s like to stick your nose in a handful of forest soil and come away like you’ve just smelled deep purple lilacs. I know the feeling of amazement watching a compost pile do its thing – kitchen scraps, grass trimmings and plant stalks gradually turning to black soil that goes back into the garden. This is nature at its core, and the very act of soil generation shows us how the planet takes care of herself. Watch this movie to see the why and the how of aiding that process.

Earth Days (American Experience) – I had to watch this history of Earth Day four times, because I loved it so much. This was the history of the current environmental movement, and it all took place in my entire lifetime.

After World War II, there was a prosperity boom. Suburbs began their sprawl, convenience was the norm, cars were big, and oil was cheap. We also mistakenly believed oil would always be cheap and plentiful, so we used it. Our society was based on it – cars, airplanes, electricity, cities. The smog grew thick in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and our health was threatened by the environment for the first time ever.

Abundance was another keyword of the 50s. Materialism equaled success. Consumption began its out-of-control path, creating the need for more manufacturing plants, energy, oil and transportation.

The Industrial Revolution started this problem, but the prosperity- and abundance-laden 50s catapulted the earth into a cloud of smog.

I was born and grew up in this era. I lived in a suburb with a freezer full of Clarence Birdseye frozen fruits and vegetables and Swanson frozen tv dinners.

My dad drove a few miles to work every day and came home for lunch. My mother drove to town whenever she felt she needed something. She’d make a trip for groceries, and come home. Then she’d go out for stamps, even though she’d passed the post office on her first trip. Maybe she’d go out for shoes later in the day, and if we needed something after school, we’d drive to get it. In the evening, maybe we’d go to the mall (called a ’shopping center’ back then).

The car and what was perceived to be plentiful oil allowed her to do this. And she was not the only one! The 50s were an illusion of freedom, and no one saw the consequences.

‘I voted for the interstate highway program, which I see now is a great mistake.’ Stewart Udall

The 60s

In the 60s, DDT was sprayed liberally in neighborhoods as a convenient way to kill annoying bugs. It was also killing the not-so-annoying varieties as well as the iconic American Bald Eagle. Our national symbol was the first animal on the newly created Endangered Species List.

Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, and this was the beginning of awareness about the ecological devastation caused by pesticide use. Carson showed the interconnectedness of every living thing on the planet and how annihilating one part affected all parts. Our alienation from nature was more than evident. This book is a must read. It was, pardon the cliche, a catalyst for change.

‘I truly believe that we, in this generation, must come to terms with nature, and I think we’re challenged, as mankind has never been before, to prove our maturity and mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.’ Rachel Carson

Rebellion

By the late 60s, ‘the revolution’ was in full swing. Hippies were rebelling against the establishment – government, greed, corporations, cities, money, war, and anything considered traditional and tech-y. The back-to-the-land movement birthed egalitarian communes and simple, natural, spiritual lifestyles with the earth as the centerpiece.

Out of that anti-establishment, back-to-the-land movement came Earth Day in 1970. It was a political act to say Screw You to government and corporations and to bring awareness to their negative affect on our planet. The message was Greed and ecology don’t mix.

Earth Day speeches were about the exact same issues we have today in the exact same words – energy independence, energy conservation, solar, over-population, air pollution, carbon, energy efficiency, overuse of natural resources, Middle Eastern oil.

What has changed?

The rest of the 70s saw President Nixon create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), President Carter put solar panels on the White House, and Americans suffer through the ‘oil embargo’ of 1973. I put that in quotes, because I’m not sure it was real, but it did show us that we were (and still are) at the mercy of the Middle East. Our country was crippled when the price of gas quadrupled in the time span of a few months.

President Reagan took office in 1980, and one of his first acts was to remove Jimmy Carter’s solar panels from the White House (’We lost 30 years.’ Hunter Lovins). He also slashed the budgets of agencies doing environmental work. Any vestige of the rebellious and productive 60s and 70s was gone, and we’ve never regained that momentum.

My Place in It All

What moved me about Earth Days is that I have lived through and witnessed the entire history of the modern environmental movement. I was born into the problem and, proudly, naturally and enthusiastically, became part of the solution. The guests in the show, political and environmental activists in the 60s and 70s, clearly spoke of my experiences and convictions, and that was warm and comforting. I felt like we had grown up together!

Before I saw this, I’d been wondering what my part is in the modern environmental movement. I often feel as though the history has been forgotten, as though the environmental movement just started in the last few years. The history is important! It is who I am, and when people don’t care about that history, I feel invisible and start wondering:

> What is my role, aside from continuing to live lightly?
> I know where I came from, but where am I going?
> Where do I fit in?
> How can I not feel so stagnant?
> What do I have to offer?

What is my role among the 21st century environmental activists, who research environmentalism, teach it and apply it to their lives? I am a 20th century environmentalist, having been been there from the beginning. Where is my place today?

I still haven’t answered those questions, but having spent several evenings with Stewart Udall, Rachel Carson, various scientists, the creators of Earth Day, the author of The Population Bomb, Hunter Lovins, Stephanie Mills and several others, I feel grounded, like my foundation has been rebuilt, like someone understands me. I feel I can move forward, but I’m just not sure to where.

I do see that this is the problem:

‘Every morning, six billion people get up, have breakfast, and go to work, do their thing, and come home at night. Environmental problems emerge out of daily life. The solutions for environmental problems are also rooted in daily life. We need six billion people to get up and have a different consciousness and do things differently.’ Dennis Meadows

And that this is the solution:

‘You owe a responsibility to your children, your grandchildren and their children.’ Stewart Udall

I recommend watching Earth Days to see how it all got started.

I’m not doing a Green Building Recap this week. Instead, in honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I’d like to list my favorite women green tweeters.

This week, TreeHugger created the Best of Green Reader’s Choice Awards, but I noticed women were quite overlooked in the nominations. I found a teeny handful of women tweeters hidden in the eight categories. The nominated men are are my friends and colleagues and deserving of the recognition, but there are plenty of informative, life-changing green blogs and tweet streams written by women. I messaged @treehugger, but got no response, so I figured I’d honor savvy, bright, hard-working women on my own. I’d like to thank Tim Hurst (@ecopolitologist) again for posting a list of his favorite female green tweeters in observation of #IWD.

These are the women’s green Twitter streams I read and learn from daily:

@biofriendlyblog (Tara was nominated at TreeHugger, but I had to repeat the kudos!) Bio: Author of Biofriendly Blog and freelance online marketer/advertiser. I am interested in the environment/green issues, my kids & animals.

@stephhicks Bio: Energetic blogger, mom, runner, lawyer, diabetic, into SEO and social networking. I blog about the environment, green living and solar energy. Life’s peachy!

@Ecosaveology Bio: Mom w/Teens, Organic Sustainable Green Eco Tips-Techy-Traveler-Veggie-Foodie-Coffee/Tea-Minimalist-luv wood rocks & life-SMM

@1txsage1957 Bio: Liberal Blogger, Lesbian, w/ MultipleSclerosis peacemonger, activist, buddhist, citizen journalist, political, truth teller-seeker, friend, green fiend, etc. ☮

@EsmaaSelf Bio: wilderness hugging pew-sitter; meat eating, animal loving organic gardener; trail warrior; fantastic original recipe creator, minimalist who goes quiet weekends

@greenmodernkits Bio: Prefab Green Homes: Copeland Casati is a bandit in real life. Prefab house kits for all! Green building for the rest of us.

@annamunoz Bio: Wildlife biologist and doctoral candidate. Lover of jackalopes and mountain slopes; red wine and sunshine; wide open spaces and bustling places.

@myEARTH360 Bio: Eco news & tips for an earth-friendlier lifestyle. PLUS eco action updates, eco product info & exclusive offers.

@sgneist Bio: Mother, Graphic Designer & Magazine Editor into Sustainability, Nature & Sky (hang & paragliding) Last project: my Gardening Blog http://sgneist.wordpress.com/

@thesmartmama Bio: Mom Author Consumer Environmental Attorney Lawyer CPSA CPSIA Prop 65 XRF lead in consumer products expert green non toxic healthy living former engineer

@greenfudge Bio: Climate Change, Ecology, Nature, Environment, Controversial issues, Politics, Non Profit, Human Rights, Preservation

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