Mending the mittens

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The things my parents knew and tried to pass on to me are exactly the kinds of practices that appears to have been forgotten (or maybe never known) by so many in the world. My parents lived by things they knew worked because they were handed down to them (like growing a garden for healthy food) or because of first- hand experience (like living within your means and using things until they were completely, beyond-repair used up). Such things have been rediscovered, in part because of the Great Recession, but in truth they never went out of style.

I have chosen to live what I considered a pretty simple life. I don’t do lots of traveling or buy lots of “stuff.” I walk many places (although I admit I could do more.) I try to support small local businesses, cook the majority of my meals, garden, can, generate minimal landfill-destined trash and recycle. I keep the thermostat at 68 or lower in the winter and 75 or higher in the summer. (Please let the record show that I would prefer to have my windows open for fresh air when possible, but that is unfortunately an engineering impossibility where I live.) 

So about four years few years ago I felt I was doing a good thing buying mittens made from recycled sweaters. It was a better choice than buying new gloves and so I bought some for gifts too. I was wearing someone else's discards that a local artisan had breathed new life into. All good, right?

Fast forward to this winter. I decided to take one of those huge online classes through Coursera. It was from Johns Hopkins University and titled An Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public Health. (I highly recommend it, but I digress…) As part of the first week’s assignments, I was directed to take an assessment of my environmental footprint. Confident that I would be a better-than-average citizen of the world, I dutifully and honestly typed in the answers requested at The Global Footprint Network “Disappointed” barely described how I felt when I learned that despite my efforts, if everyone in the world lived as I did, it would take the resources of 3.6 earths to sustain us. Clearly, I was not living as sustainably as I had thought, mittens or no mittens.

Fast forward again to two weekends ago when a friend who I had given a pair of those mittens, chided me when I said I thought mine had completed their useful life after springing holes in both thumbs and having various other stitching unraveling. It seems she had repaired hers several times (something we used to do when I was growing up) and thought that I could get at least another year out of mine if I took the time to do the same. She was exactly right. That was a more sustainable thing to do and it hadn’t occurred to me.

It’s hard to accept that I’m part of the sustainability problem. My parents lived well on the resources of just one earth. And although it’s hard to see where any changes I could make could have a real, meaningful difference, doing nothing is not an option. I have to try. I have to mend the mittens.

Change

From my LinkedIn feed. I didn't catch where it came from or I'd credit it. 

Yesterday's pop up poster show about sustainable agriculture and the food system (continuing today, noon to 6pm at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, MI) was an interesting experience and possibly an experiment. First, there was a lot of positive feedback from guests, from the manager of the venue and from the people who took time out of their days to be "resources"and provide deeper information to people who stopped to chat and learn. Second, the conversations that took place not only exchanged information, but a type of energy flowed as well.

Like all manner of conferences, workshops, seminars, networking events, etc., although the participants may truly value the information they exchanged, the new connections they made, or the affirmation they received of their own current efforts, the most valuable thing that gets taken away is the energy. Whether invigoration and motivation of the newly interested  or re-invigoration and re-motivation of those who may have long been involved in trying to make a change, the energy is the thing.

However energy is a asset that can deplete quickly if not replenished occasionally. Of course "wins" help boost energy, but the need is greater when faced with disappointment, failure and frustration. It's easy to get focused on how big the problem is, how intransigent, how deeply rooted. So rather than let energy seep away in the face of those things, consciously choose to re-energize. Events like this show can boost your energy and ready you for continued action. Or if you are already energized, it's a place where you may inspire someone on the fence...or on the other side of it entirely. Come on down.

Lexicon of Sustainability - a story to tell

One of the images that will be on display at this weekend's Pop-Up Poster Show. Source: Lexicon of Sustainability website. 

This weekend, January 18-19 at Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, MI the second of four seasonal shows of Douglas Gayeton's amazing art will be on display. These images are part of a larger collection that combine images and words to tell the story of what sustainability in our food system means. I've been asked many time why I am putting these shows on. The answer is simple, to me anyway.

The project impressed me when I saw the images last summer in Goshen, IN. And being aware of many people who were interested in and doing sustainable agriculture or trying to address food issues, I thought these would be a way to possibly connect people of like interests as well as provide information to people who may not have considered some of these terms and the impacts and opportunities they represent. So I just did it. I made the contact to get the posters here and began to recruit others for spaces for shows and involvement during shows. My original idea morphed into seasonal shows which seems to be a good thing as they can potentially reach more people and keep the topic out there. I've been amazed and incredibly humbled by the support provided by people opening their venues, taking their time to be present as hosts (first show) and resources (this show) as well and the extraordinarily generous support of people providing graphic, PR and social media support. No one is getting paid. This is something that people believe in so they are involved. And this creates a really strong connection.

Looking ahead, there will be a Spring show and a Summer show. They too will be volunteer efforts. The question is what then? What will come out of four seasons of shows that will have occurred by the end of Summer? People can make a difference so if you come and connect with someone and have an idea, follow it. Maybe others are out there. Make connections. If you want people to work on issues, work on them yourself. Involve others. Keep trying. And as Ghandi said "Be the change you want to see."

Hope to see you this weekend!