Divorce your car?!

As noted in a December blog, this year I plan to commit to being more contentious about saving fuel; be it by car pooling, riding my bike/walking or simply clustering travel for shopping needs and other errands when possible.

Yesterday I stifled the urge to drive to the grocery store to pick up ingredients needed for beef stroganoff. It was a cold Minnesota morning for the mile long hike to a Cub Foods store. It was just below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m pleased to report it turned out to be a nice walk in the sun and fresh air. I took my backpack to carry the groceries. It was my only real exercise of the day.

I've been reading the book "Divorce your car: Ending our love affair with the automobile", by Katie Alvord. I found at a used bookstore in Bayfield over the holiday. It is providing inspiration for me to be much more resistant about getting into the car for a drive. In addition to the numerous environmental problems caused by cars, the increasing gas prices are also making driving a much more costly means of transportation. A big upside to walking or biking is the physical and mental health that comes with exercising outdoors.  It might also be a whole lot safer.

While I'm not ready to fully divorce my car just yet, I'm working diligently on a separation.

Panda dung made into sculpture

I delighted to read an article in the LA Times about a sculpture made entirely of Panda dung of Venus De Milo.  The artist, Chinese sculptor Zhu Cheng, used dung in sensitivity to the environment (its biodegradable, right?). She also incorporated a dozen young helpers who weren't afraid to get their hands dirty.  Up next for artist Cheng and her young friends is a full sized sculpture of Michelangelo's David.


Eco sole in snow

 This environmental art reminds me of the Tibetan Buddhists that create beautiful mandala sand painting, which they destroy shortly after completion. They destroy their creations to highlight the temporal nature of things. Many indigenous peoples create such ecologically friendly art. They don't seem to have permanence as a primary aspiration for their artistic endeavours.

At left is my artistic effort with the natural elements.  It is a picture of my footprint in the morning snow.  Like the snow, the print is temporal in nature.  Thanks to digital photography, the image is only electronic. 

As I get nearer to my expiration date on this planet I'm thinking more of how I can leave less waste behind.  This includes everything from plastic bags and Styrofoam cups to used automobiles and electronics.  I shudder to think of the huge pile of waste that I've created living in the USA, with our vast material abundance. As one who has been a reasonably good American consumer, sadly the creation of much trash has been a part of my legacy.

So it is that I can appreciate the creation of art out of Panda bear dung. I'm pleased to report that it also brought the artist $50,000.  Environmental stewardship pays!

Getting off the Internet and outsourcing self-control

Author Katherine Ellison decided she needs tools from the Internet to keep her from being distracted by the Internet.  She wrote about this in an article, Hooked on the Internet, in the LA Times.  Ellison knows first hand how distracting and addicting the Internet can be, without some sorts of controls. As Stephen Covey has so eloquently described, often the urgent signals we get from phone calls and emails take our focus away from more important daily or long-term goals. 

Charles Hummel notes "The vital task  rarely must be done today, or even this week.  The urgent task calls for instant action. The momentary appeal of these task seems irresistible and they devour our energy. But in the light of time's perspective, their deceptive prominence fades. With a sense of loss we recall the vital task  we pushed aside. We realize we've become slaves to the tyranny of the urgent."

The marketing communications giant JWT has dubbed 2011 as the year to watch for 'outsourcing of self-control'. In their list of 100 things to watch in 2011, JWT noted the following at #25... "Studies showing the benefits of taking time away from the multi screen environment are encouraging people to de-tech for hours; even days at a time.  Look for more employers, schools, media outlets and parents to endorse media downtime.  These mindful  breaks from digital input will be intended to relieve stress and foster creativity."

While the Internet is a powerful tool, it can easily become addictive.  Here's to a balanced 2011, on and off the net!  I'm heading outside for a walk...

Dump use of term “mentee”

In a StarTribune article “Say What? A guide to words worth using and losing in 2011” it was noted how hundreds of new or invented words are born daily to the English language. One of the words that born perhaps 20 years ago, when formal mentoring became popular, is “mentee”. This word was created to describe the role of a person being mentored. Lightsey Darst, a poet and writing instructor aptly notes that the term mentee is “ugly, and you can’t 'ment' someone. Plus it sounds like the singular of Mentos”. To this I would add, if one no longer has a mentor, would that make him or her a 'dementee'? Ouch!

Instead of the term mentee, other words such as friend, youth, student, apprentice, or even protégée can be used. Here’s to a mentee free 2011 filled with lots more mentors!

Happy 1-1-11 to all! More scenes from Bayfield, Wisconsin



Barn along Brownstone Trail

 
 

Snow covered plant by Lake Superior shore



Squirrel meal remains





Ice chunks forming on Lake Superior



Scenes from Bayfield, Wisconsin

Old piers by boatyard

Beach by Reiten Boatyard

Winter maple leaves

Getting a tow through snow!

Winter tracks



Nordic skier at Theodore Wirth Park



Frocked tree at Theodore Wirth Park

Snowshoe trail being made across pond

Nordic skier at Theodore Wirth

Animal tracks and photographer

Aren't tracks in the snow a beautiful thing? They allow you to see where animals/humans have been traveling, and yet are also temporary.  With another snowfall or thaw they soon disappear.