How I feel

I really want all the crazy, bad juju that came along with this last full moon to be done.

Wow. And from Newsweek, too...

A really interesting article from Newsweek about gay marriage and the Bible.

Top comment of the day on Kos...

In response to a good diary about the Newsweek article on the Bible and gay marriage, gladkov makes a good point...

If we "constitutionalize" what the Bible says about marriage:

A. Marriage in the United States shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in
addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)

C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a
virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)

D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden.
(Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any State, nor any state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)

Another good one, in response to above comment:

"I love the story of Lot and his daughters... It's got to be, what, 10,000 years old? And the lie is still just as obvious as if it were yesterday.

"Yeah, guys. Hey. Look at me, I survived that whole Fire and Damnation thing that took out Sodom. Boy am I a lucky bastard. Yup, just me, my 2 daughters, and my 2 grandsons."

"What's that? No, no just the five of us. Up there in the mountains for, oh, about a year now."

"Huh? Oh, um, that. Well ... you see... my girls, they just REALLY like kids. Can't get enough of them. So, uh, when we were up there, they used to get me REALLY drunk, see. Because he had a whole bunch of wine in that cave, let me tell you. Just and tons of wine, you see. And ... where was I? Oh, yes. They got me drunk. And I just blacked out and don't remember anything. And 9 months later, these 2 bundles of joy came along."

"What? Of course I didn't know what was going on. But yeah, at least twice. And in all likelihood, it must have happened a dozen, two dozen times. Hey, tell you the truth, this whole last year has just been a blur for me. But, my little girls sure do love babies. And what can you do, huh? Daughters, they drive you crazy but you love them anyway, right guys? Praise the lord."

Kosher chicken Palauans

More trouble for immigrant workers in Postville, Iowa. This story just kills me. For those who don't know the backstory Postville is a small town in Iowa that first made news when the local slaughterhouse was bought by a group of Hasidic Jews from the East Coast, who proceeded to move into the small town, causing all sorts of ruckus. Yeah. Slight culture shock.

Anyway, in May there was the largest immigration raid in the US, with ICE arresting almost 500 people, 389 of whom are still awaiting trial to be deported. Their families are stuck, and generally not able to find work. After shutting down some operations, Agriprocessors imported some workers from Palau. Here's where the story above picks up.

More Postville links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/opinion/13sun2.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051702474.html

And then Baby Jesus cries...

From Graph Jam.

Brianne's Game

7 Things I Say Often:
1. Wanna go skiing?
2. Gettin' craaazzyy...
3. Look at the little duker. I want one.
4. ...o, sea...
5. Dammit!
6. Well, in an abstract sense,....
7. Wanna drink some wine?

7 Things I Did Before: (before what?)
1. Moved. A lot.
2. Bit my nails
3. Shaved my head
4. Skiied
5. Rode a horse almost every day
6. Studied music
7. Politicked

7 Things I Do Now:
1. Ski
2. Go to non-mandatory meetings
3. Spend time with friends
4. Work for a nonprofit the same time as I am trying to start another one
5. Get excited about politics/snort political dust
6. Dream of owning a house
7. Listen to lots of music and lots of podcasts

7 Things I Want to Do:
1. Sing more
2. Have a baby/adopt a baby
3. Get elected to Frisco Town Council
4. Learn more languages while I travel
5. Find money for a community greenhouse
6. Climb more big mountains
7. Build an off-the-grid house near my mom, preferably on a bit of land so my dog can run!

7 Things That Attract me About (Some Members of) the Opposite Sex:
1. Good arms and working hands (callouses are hot!)
2. Thoughtful
3. Funny
4. Not jealous or possessive
5. Loves dogs/horses/animals
6. Loves kids
7. Likes to cook with me while listening to Hip Hop

7 Favorite Foods:
1. Kim Ba salad/ #14
2. Falafel completo
3. Navratan Korma
4. Crockpot mac and cheese
5. Anything I can eat with my hands
6. Anything without eyes (except potatoes)
7. Mangos

A $5,000 ticket to somewhere....

The list of people or organizations that gave more than $5,000 to pass Prop 8 in California. I think maybe I won't be investing my imaginary money in any of their companies. Bastards. Enjoy the long trip.

Ciao número 1

My faith in Alaska has been (partially) restored. Bye, bye felon!

Love me some Banksy

Feels Like Rain

Feels Like Rain

It was later on that she determined
The man she needed was Blues.

She had been through them all—

Jazz was too sparse and erratic,
Left her feeling unfulfilled.

Classical was overwhelming,
Sometimes arrogant, and smelled of
Fireplaces and worn books.

Country wrote sweet love songs
For dim dance floors, but even sweeter songs
For goodbye.

Punk made her feel young
And ready to conquer,
But she forgot how to be silent.

Her last man,
He was Folk.
Like a quiet Sunday morning with the
Staccato of snow spiraling silently
On the other side of the window.
He said beautiful things
In a beautiful voice,
Perfect satisfaction in the crescendo,
Sometimes even goosebumps when he whispered
Soft words of love down her shoulder.

But he did not make her feel the way she did
When she brushed arms with the Blues.
He started slow, soft, almost like a cry out.

Baby, I been missin' you so long now.

The notes dripped from his fingers,
Flowed in smooth rivulets
Down the neck of his guitar,
And puddled at his feet.
His voice wrapped firmly around
Her small waist,
Tangled itself in her hair.
Her breath pressed against her chest,
Waiting to explode
As his voice became more frantic
And the notes came so fast that they became one.
Now it was a howl,
Low and deep in his throat.

Baby, oh baby, I been missin' you.

Slow, he whispered. Slow.
She sucked in her breath.
Blissful suffocation.

All the man she needed.

Crazy thoughts... :)

The past couple of days have been a little overwhelming for various reasons, but most of all because all of a sudden, I'm starting to settle down. In the past two days, I've decided I am going to start looking for a house. To buy. Here. And get a dog. Not necessarily in that order. I called Brianne last night to make sure that I'm not going crazy, and she assured me that I'm not, so I guess I'm not.

On Tuesday, I went to Denver for a conference and on the way, just happened to have time to stop and ride my horse. For those of you who haven't ridden or don't understand the connection, I can't do the experience justice. If I were to say anything, I would say it's a religious experience. Not to blaspheme, but given my atheistic tendencies, I'm not too worried. I've never felt that way in a church.

Anyway, I try to get on a horse as often as I can, and on one horse in particular. Ruby is a little red horse (I said I would NEVER have a little red horse) who belongs to my friend, Jim. I've been lucky for the past year and a half to get to ride her whenever I can get down there. She keeps me sane, and probably helps keep me here. My time riding her is my best thinking time. And I had a great ride on Tuesday.

Which brings me to the point of this post, and a little insight into the cloudy brain of Heather. It was a gorgeous Colorado day and I got to thinking (bad, bad idea) that maybe I don't want to leave for a long while. I'm getting more accustomed to these thoughts, but to be perfectly honest, it has been a bit of a mindfuck over the past year not having the urge to flee into the unknown. When a central part of your identity is based around constant movement and transition, it knocks you off balance to actually be satisfied where you are.

I went to Mom's house after riding and got to spend a little time with my amazing mother, who is my best friend and greatest supporter through all my journeys. She has total faith in me in spite of my sometimes disorganized life. We talked and she gave me hugs and by the time I left, I felt pretty ready to start the process of trying to find a house.

Brianne says I am not crazy, but I have to admit, I'm a little scared about doing this all on my own. In the long run, though, I know I can live my life the way I want it to be. I've never really fallen into other peoples' expectations, so I'm not sure why I should start now. Whew! I should wave a banner or something. :) Umm, Brianne and Mamacita, thanks. When I'm totally in debt in my new house with my new dog, eating Kraft mac n' cheese and baked beans, I expect visits.

Not to get too far ahead of myself, but I live in my dreams. It hasn't led me too far astray thus far. And as long as I have good friends and mountains (and Ruby), I might as well stick around. Plus, ski season is here, so I'll be well distracted from reality for at least the next few months...

Much love. hdc

Eartha Dreamin'

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about dreams. Maybe it’s because of the coming of winter, the end of a long election season, or High Country Conservation Center’s recent move to our new office, but change is in the air, and I’ve been daydreaming about what the future holds.

For those of you who know us at HC3, this may not come as a surprise. We are dreamers, all of us, and none of us dream small. Sometimes you have to bring us out of the clouds by flashing shiny things in our face (aluminum cans work well, especially if you put them in the trash can!)

In fact, where most offices have a list of “tasks” to be done, we have our “Dream List,” with the requisite colorful letters and cartoon stars. Some of the things on the list are small—one day on Summit Freecycle and we found the bar code scanner we’ve always wanted (once we figure out how it works, that is).

Some of them are not so small—we’ve still got a way to go to reach our dream of a carbon-neutral Summit County with a fully functioning energy farm, where people come from all over (on bicycles, of course) to see what a truly green community looks like.

A few weeks ago, we were joking about our status as dreamers when it hit us: as unreachable as they sometimes seem, our dreams are actually coming to fruition! I am writing this column from our lovely new office, an office that, just two months ago was a penciled-in scrawl on the Dream List (added by a friend of ours, since we were afraid to jinx ourselves).

The snow is falling lightly on the windows, perfectly complementing the beautiful recycled glass ornaments that hang from the display window of yet another one of our unreachable dreams—Eartha’s Green Shop, purveyor of all things eco and chic, is now open for business. Yes, that’s right. We now have our very own storefront with recycled and eco-friendly gifts. Check another one off the list!

Things here at HC3 are always busy—we’re moving steadily forward with our Sustainable Building Code, energy audits and trainings, Latino outreach, and Sustainable Business Program, all of which were once zygotes of dreams that are growing into little sprouts of conservation goodness.

We have some really big dreams that keep us awake at night and keep us inspired every day: a sustainable Summit County with vibrant local, independent businesses; a community greenhouse that provides locally-grown food all year round and lets families and neighbors get their hands dirty while they learn about where their food comes from; a reuse center where people can find the perfect missing window of their dream home; no more plastic bags and water bottles!

It is yet to be determined whether the dreamer tendency is genetic or learned, but it runs strong in our office. If you’re ever in need of a break from every day life and maybe need a little inspiration, or if you have dreams of your own, please come visit us in our lovely cabin at 518 Main Street in Frisco. We’d love to have you.

Hope...

So, so happy...

A perfect election night, surrounded by my friends and strange kindred spirits. Every one of my candidates won, I have renewed faith in my community, and the world is a little different today than it was yesterday. This little light of mine... Except, what in the hell will I do with myself now that I don't have election stuff going on. I really need to get a...dog?

Since I have apparently been sucking at words, I guess I'll do some pictures. Always a little strange to me that, no matter how much people see me as a talker and social person, I can't seem to get it down enough on paper to actually express where I am in my life. And since I've been a little lonesome lately, it seems to be multiplied. Thank goodness for pictures.

The DNC... very much liberal goodness!

Me and Aunt Becki getting excited!
More to follow....

Speaking with the Enemy

Here is a link to the Red Blue Road Trip episode in Frisco. This was a documentary presented by al-Jazeera and featured people around the country (including me!) talking about why they vote the way they do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWNL6lrXOv8

They were very nice guys...

Tales of the Grease Highway

A couple of my great eco-friends just returned from a trip to the Oregon coast, but this wasn’t just another summer road trip. Traveling in an old school bus fueled by vegetable oil, they spent only a couple hundred dollars on diesel fuel and traveled over 2,000 miles.

Due to the underground nature of their adventures, their names have been changed to protect their identity. “Sally” and “Joe” have gypsy souls and have dreamed of driving around the country in a bus for many years. But gas prices seemed to be crushing this dream year after year. Who could afford, monetarily or consciously, to travel long distances in a big bus that gets only 8-10 miles per gallon?

But a solution popped up on the internet a few years ago. Joe read about people running diesel vehicles on vegetable oil and researched the topic for hours on end each night. It turns out that there are a lot of people running old school buses on vegetable oil these days.

Running an engine on vegetable oil sounds a little wacky, but there’s actually science behind it. Rudolph Diesel originally designed the diesel engine to run on peanut oil — the change to a petroleum based engine was an afterthought. In today’s diesel engines, at the right temperature (170 degrees) vegetable oil reaches the right viscosity to power the diesel engine.

So a new dream was hatched and Joe set out to find a solid school bus with a diesel engine. Craigslist provided the answer and Joe found an old Keystone shuttle bus down in Longmont for sale. The bus had already been converted to an RV (meaning that the seats were removed, and a sink and other livable amenities were installed) and had a great engine (a DT466) for the conversion to veggie oil.

Big bus parked in their back yard all winter, Joe began researching the systems that would allow them to run the bus on vegetable oil. Golden Fuel Systems from Missouri seemed to have the most complete and tested systems for the price, so Joe and Sally purchased a 60-gallon heated tank for the veggie oil that used the coolant lines from the engine to circulate heat to the oil.

The tank has a heated fuel pick-up and a heated filter to keep the veggie oil hot. The veggie fuel lines are also wrapped with the coolant lines to ensure that it’s the right temperature before it reaches the engine. A simple port switch allows them to start the bus on diesel and drive just enough to warm up the engine and the veggie oil, switch to veggie for the bulk of travels, and then switch back to diesel to turn off the engine.

System in place and tested, they hit the road. The first big fill up of veggie oil in Summit County was relatively easy since they dine at (and have periodically worked at) many of our local dining establishments and knew who to ask and where to find good, clean waste vegetable oil.

Figuring that resort communities bring both fine tourists and fine restaurants, they headed over to Steamboat to top off the tank and fill up some reserves before they headed north. Scoping out some grease they ran into a problem — much of it was spoken for, with people’s names and numbers on the drums. The veggie oil word was out!

Just as they were about to call one of the numbers to inquire about spare oil, the smell of French fries and the sound of a diesel engine pulled up. A fellow greaser pulled up, knowing right away that there’s only one reason to be examining grease bins behind a restaurant.

After a few moments of gleeful chat about engines and the American diet, the fellow greaser offered to sell Sally and Joe some pre-filtered oil for $1/gallon. They filled up and hit the road, feeling part of a bigger (and underground) movement.

Sally and Joe ran that old school bus on veggie oil all the way through Flaming Gorge, and up to Jackson, Wyo. During that stretch, Sally worried that while camping at night, the vegetable oil reserves may attract unwanted visitors to the bus. Sure enough, one night Sally heard some little critter rummaging around (and apparently licking) the veggie oil off the spare containers. Aside from that, all was quiet.

Sally and Joe stopped in Jackson, Wyo., (another resort community) to fill up. A sushi place and a high-end bistro provided the fuel to get them all the way through Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Again, they met a fellow greaser while pumping and filtering oil behind the bistro. This time, the fellow greaser was part of a co-op that was collecting the oil to turn into biodiesel (a process which turns the vegetable oil into a fuel that can be poured directly into diesel tanks without any engine modification).

Chuckling all the way through Yellowstone, they imagined bears emerging from the woods to follow the scent of tempura and tourists suddenly craving some fried food and heading in for lunch. But it was smooth sailing.

Sticking to their plan of hitting resort communities, they headed through Big Sky, Mont., and all the way to Hood River, Ore. finally to reach the coast — almost the whole way on vegetable oil. The only mishaps were a few gag reflexes that Joe experienced after opening some less than desirable grease bins (especially potent in the hot sun and after an evening of imbibing beer with old friends) and minor spill on the wood floors of the bus.

Sally says she needs a full set of coveralls to protect her clothes from grease stains for the next trip and Joe is already working on Version 2.0 of the bus (to be renamed to Grease Lightning) that will have more storage for veggie oil for longer distance travel.

A Little Catch-Up

Since I've been the laziest blogger in the world, I decided to post some of the Ask Eartha Steward articles that I help write for the Summit Daily News. It'll give you a little insight into my life, and maybe even provide some new earth-loving advice... Glad to be back.

It never stops at the Conservation Center. Don’t get me wrong, the incoming recycling questions, inquiries about composting in the mountains, and increased interest in the future of renewable energy keeps us going while reminding us that people really do care about what happens to our natural environment.

Sometimes, however, it is just as important to take a break and look at what we’ve accomplished, open our eyes again to the positive steps that we’ve made, and remember that it does indeed make a difference. Today, I’m going to do just that. I decided to step away from the “how to’s” and jump to the “why we do’s.”

Some people decide to take lighter steps on our planet through waste reduction and sustainable living efforts because they want their community, surrounding landscapes and favorite hiking spots to stay the way they are and only change for the better.

Others make these choices for their kids and for future generations. Still others want to invest in organics and eco-friendly habits for healthier bodies and minds. And maybe you follow an earth-loving routine for all of the above reasons or have an even better excuse.

Why we do it seems to drive us to do it in the first place.

Every week Eartha strives to give you statistics, scientific proof, and/or benefits along with the tips and suggestions for being “green.” You don’t have to be a rocket (or garbage) scientist to see that keeping trash out of the landfill helps the earth. Buying recycled is a better choice. Using less energy conserves resources. These are also the “why we do’s.”

Even as I’m sitting here writing this article, I’m smiling because half a dozen hummingbirds are buzzing around my head. This morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and felt a little vulnerable to any challenge heading my way. I read through several Eartha questions and couldn’t seem to grasp what I needed to talk about.

As the hummingbirds continued to playfully dive bomb me, my attitude flipped around and I found myself loving life. Loving life … maybe that is another reason why people mold their life choices around the earth’s needs. So, I did some research about loving life and I found the most amazing website — dhlovelife.com.

Daryl Hannah, actress and environmentalist, established DH Love Life as a blog that educates and inspires earth stewardship. The weekly short films are absolutely charming while sparking initiatives to make real changes at home and in your community. Hannah’s videos show real life eco-heroes that have made a beneficial impact on the earth through their everyday eco-steps. You have to believe that doing anything at all for the environment is doing something — and again, it does make a difference.

From worm farms and plastic bag art to french-fry grease fuel and organic makeup, DH Love Life aims to support the “why we do’s” with the justification of loving life and loving earth — so why not cherish it?

Why do we find ourselves elbow deep in garbage trying to make sure that glass bottles and tin cans are properly recycled? Why do we wake up at the crack of dawn to ride our bikes to work (beyond the gas prices)? Why do we house and feed a thousand decomposers in our kitchen pantry? What attracts us to the organic strawberries and peaches at the Farmer’s Markets? Why do we care so much?

Your answer may be different from the next person’s but I’d like to think that we are all connected in the fact that we love life. We care because we want our skies to remain true blue, our landfills not to overflow into neighboring parks and trails, our wilderness to stay pristine, our drinking water to taste fresh and chemical free, and our bodies to be toxin-free.

Whatever drives you to throw away less, use natural products, compost your food waste, plant a tree, go solar, ride your balk, bring your own bag, buy used, shop local, eat organic … are important little steps you can take for the earth instead of yourself. To all those little (and big) earth steppers, I just want to say thank you!

There may be hundreds of reasons for the “why we do’s.” But I can’t really think of one good reason for the “why we don’t.”

Attack of the Locavores

Last Friday at the Frisco marina, under a gorgeous blue sky, I sat at a locally owned restaurant, listening to great local live music, and marveling at our unique community. It was a perfect end to a Summit summer day, which started with one of my favorite summertime activities—the farmer’s market. I like going to farmer’s markets not only for the local fresh produce and homemade goodies, but also because they are great places to see community-building in action. It is the natural habitat of the “locavore,” a person who strives to eat food grown or produced locally or regionally, and a species which, although recently rediscovered, has been encouraging local food connections for centuries.
These days, environmental sustainability and resource conservation are the most commonly cited reasons to support local food producers. And while buying food locally does a lot to reduce our ecological footprint and conserve non-renewable resources, there are many other reasons why buying locally or regionally is a great option.
Local food production helps strengthen regional economies and protects local jobs, small farms, and independent business owners. The local food movement has seen a resurgence in the past few years, and we here in Summit are beneficiaries—our local farmer’s markets join more than 2,000 others that have started up since the mid-1990’s. Although Summit County will never be known as the breadbasket of Colorado, the vendors represent many local and regional food and craft producers, artists, and great organizations (did I mention we have our very own booth offering all things eco and chic?) A trip to the farmer’s market is not only a family-friendly way to get some shopping done, it’s also a great way to meet some of our (lower altitude) neighbors, and connect with more Summit community members.
Another good example of a locavore-friendly effort is community-supported agriculture (CSA), long popular in Europe and other parts of the US, and now a burgeoning movement in Colorado. CSA’s take on many forms, but generally, they allow consumers to purchase advance shares in a local farm’s annual production, and either pick up their shares or have them delivered. It encourages people to become active participants in the production of the food that they eat, share in the risks and rewards of the growing conditions, develop a more personal relationship with the farmers who grow their food, and learn more about local seasonal crops.
Here in Summit County, it can be a bit of a challenge to buy locally all year-round, but as many locavores will attest, buying local or regional food doesn’t mean giving up food grown in more distant regions, but rather favoring local foods when available. And while it may seem that buying locally cuts back on your cooking options, many people find that learning more about what grows regionally during different seasons often represents more variety, not less, as they discover new local varieties and taste the delicacies that nearby farmers can grow without the worry of the supermarket-driven market. And, conveniently enough, there are many books and websites that offer local, seasonal recipes for every time of year!
Another great side effect of locavorious habits, and one that many of us who didn’t grow up with fresh produce might not realize, is that food tastes better when grown locally. Locally grown fresh food is consumed almost immediately after harvest, so in most cases, it is fresher and riper when bought from a local farmer’s market, just as it would be from a home garden. Plus, buying fresh food reduces or eliminates the need for chemical preservatives to extend shelf-life.
Most supermarket produce in the US is picked by an unknown farmer 4 to 7 days before it hits the veggie bins, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this is only the produce that is grown in the country, not taking into consideration how long it takes for produce grown in other parts of the world to hit our mouths! The environmental, economic, and community implications of this large-scale, agribusiness-oriented food system will have long term effects here in the high country. By becoming better locavores and buying our food from local producers whenever possible, we become a stronger community by helping preserve the planet’s resources, becoming more in tune with our Colorado seasons, and supporting local business owners. I’ll see you at the farmer’s market!

Changes

Hello lovely people.
I wanted to get in touch with those of you who have supported me so much since I came back to Summit County, and whose friendship and guidance I greatly appreciate. This is just a short note to let you know that I have resigned from my position at the FIRC after several months of careful, and hard, consideration. I am sad about the decision, but also liberated since I can now spend more time pursuing the things that make me passionate: community organizing, policy advocacy, and immigrant rights, (and singing the blues!!) Times will be lean for a bit, but my heart was pretty clear in its message to me, and those that know me know that my head rarely wins. Still, I really did think about this decision long and hard, and I am sure about the decision.

Now, the pitch. See, I really am a politician at heart! I would love to hear from any of you about jobs that open up here in the county that you think may fit me. I believe very much in the Summit community, and I don't plan on leaving. Also, I will be getting in touch with folks soon about a volunteer organization that several folks and I have been organizing to advocate for immigrants in the County. In other words, to expand upon my SIRFI experience. Any support or advice you can give will be greatly appreciated as we travel an unknown road.

More soon, just wanted to get out a huge thank you to all of you who support me and push me to be a better person...