We live only a few blocks away from the elementary school that I attended for 5th and 6th grade. On occasion, our evening walk take us by the school.

Recently, we decided to visit the schools central courtyard to see the vegetable gardens that our good friend Kate helped organize. Kate is a teacher at Western Hills, and clearly hasn’t settled into a ‘business as usual’ approach to education.

I honestly wasn’t expecting to be impressed with the garden. I pictured a bunch of cobbled together beds that were poorly maintained. It was after all summer, and school wasn’t in session. Surely the students would completely forget about the garden while they were spending endless summer days in front of the TV.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Rounding the corner an endless and lush garden came into view. It is one of the most wonderful things that I have ever seen. At the far end is a bright mural, accenting the frame of institutional walls and windows that house the gardens. Wandering through the gardens was awe inspiring, everywhere we looked there were more and more veggies ripe and ready for harvesting. Clearly the students were born with green thumbs, because their efforts put Corey and my little plot to shame.

Kate was generous enough to answer some questions about the garden, and I wanted to share them with you.

How did you get the idea to start a student garden at Western Hills?
Four of us went to the National Magnet Conference in Las Vegas two years ago. While we were there, we were discussing what to do with the courtyard. We wanted to create an outdoor classroom of some sort. We liked the garden (especially the vegetables and herbs idea) because it goes really well with our push to be a leader in Wellness Education in OPS.

How did the students respond the idea?
The kids have always been very excited about it. That is really the element that makes this project so successful. It was the teachers, teachers’ families, students, and parents all working together to create this garden. We would work after school, on Saturdays, and throughout the summer.

How do you blend classroom curriculum with the garden?
We have done it a couple of ways. We use it for math a lot. It helped the kids understand measurement a lot. They had a hands on experience of measuring the depth of the soil for seeds to be planted. Also, over summer school we had the kids each choose a plant to measure and record it’s growth each week. We also use it for science, obviously. We had electives about gardening, worms, and soon we will use the produce for a cooking class as well as a wellness class.

Do you have anyone that you would like to thank?
Well, Lowe’s for sure and also the landscape designer. Also all the wonderful parent volunteers that gave so much of their time over the summer.

When the invitation showed up in the mail, we knew this was an event we couldn’t miss. The premier of the documentary film I.O.U.S.A. was to take place in downtown Omaha at the Holland Performing Arts Center and be broadcast to over 400 theaters across the country. After the film, a round table discussion featuring Warren Buffet, Pete Peterson and David Walker would provide insights into the film.

The event didn’t disappoint, our evening was spectacular on all fronts. After a brief introduction by the film’s director, the lights dimmed and my eyes opened wide in anticipation. The film clearly explained the state of our nation’s current financial crisis. It drove home the importance of not only national policy, but also personal responsibility.

I.O.U.S.A. examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States and its citizens. America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions.

The numbers were staggering, the nation now has over $53 trillion in total liabilities, and that isn’t going anywhere soon. The nation’s budget is far from balanced, running a deficit year after year. Currently, our national dept is equal to 64% of our GDP and growing. Within 20 years, it is projected to exceed 100%.

In 2008, the Congressional Budget Office projects a deficit of $357 billion ($553 billion excluding the Social Security (surplus). That estimate reflects the impact of the economic slowdown and legislated stimulus efforts, but not pending supplemental funding for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other purposes that could add more than $180 billion in deficit spending over the next two years.

The federal budget should serve as the fiscal roadmap for federal policy making. However, the budget and its related process have major weaknesses when it comes both to understanding and to managing the
financial condition of the United States government. The annual budget process focuses on the immediate budget year and largely discounts the future implications of current decisions. Decision makers do not devote the same level of scrutiny to future impacts as they do to current costs.

The film’s graphics did a fantastic job of offering a clear understanding of the scope of the problem, how issues are interrelated, and where the crisis is headed. As a way of throwing the staggering number in perspective, the $53 trillion was put into more understandable numbers. They calculated the burden to:

• $175,000 per person living in the United States
• $410,000 per full-time worker
• $455,000 per household

As the film ended, citizen’s were challenged to demand that Washington policy makers begin to address these issues. Rethink our priorities. We should focus on critical societal needs and programs and policies that work. In addition, we should not assign responsibilities to the government that we personally are not willing to pay in taxes. And also recognize that there are no easy answers.

The discussion that followed the film was interesting, but also strange. One member of the audience opened with a question that made me wonder if he had even watched the film. He asked, ‘Does anyone really want to live in a world where we all exercise fiscal responsibility?’ How bazaar?

I was absolutely impressed by Pete Peterson and David Walker, but was befuddled by Omaha’s own Warren Buffet. He just came across like a booster for the US financial system. He kept rambling on about the size of the ‘pie’ in order to help the audience understand that we could count on growth and continued prosperity. He was no better than the guy who asked the opening question…did he even watch the film? The he made some statements that totally reflected the Horatio Alger Myth, implying that we can all be billionaires if we just work a little bit harder.

I was so happy to hear the thoughts of Peterson and Walker, both of whom came across as grounded and insightful. They drove home the reality of our current financial crisis and discussed the practical issues which we must face in order to slow or stop the impending disaster.

The messages of the film was just one more reminder of the importance of Simple Living and a sustainable financial life.

If you are a numbers person and want to see how the film’s data played out, click here to download the complete citizen’s guide on the Financial Condition of the US.

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Simple living and a sustainable life, there are so many reasons to commit. It is natural for someone who first approaches these concepts to believe that they are just about the environment. While the environment is an essential concern, the benefits of these choices extend into many other areas of life. Health, happiness, and serenity also result, but financial freedom should not be overlooked.

The content below is largely a reprint of a story posted yesterday on CNN Money, written by Geoff Colvin. I thought it was an important story to share, being that a crisis may be approaching, and I believe that answers can be found in a sustainable life.

We made it through the bursting of the Internet bubble and now the bursting of the real estate bubble. Next we may be approaching the end of the most worrisome bubble of all: the standard-of-living bubble.

That conclusion comes from the latest data on credit card debt. It’s growing fast, but the problem is bigger than that - and to understand what it means, we have to take a few steps back.

For the past several years, the average inflation-adjusted total pay of American workers hasn’t been increasing. That means we haven’t been building a foundation for increases in our living standard. You might be tempted to say that by definition our living standard couldn’t have increased, but that’s not quite right. Even with stagnant real incomes, we can always live a little better every year through borrowing and pretending that our living standard is still rising, just as it was for decades.

So the Great Bull Market made us feel rich, and we felt justified in saving less and borrowing - and spending - more.

After stocks collapsed, home prices took off, making us feel rich all over again. So we continued saving less and spending more, creating the illusion that our living standard was still rising. In 2005 our personal savings rate went negative, but even that didn’t slow us down, because our homes were still appreciating - and rising home values meant that household net worths weren’t declining.

Of course, we don’t hear those assurances anymore. Stocks are back where they were eight years ago, and home prices are where they were five years ago. But personal debt is much higher than ever before, and average pay is still going nowhere in real terms. So now how do we live as if our living standard is still rising?

That’s where the credit card reports come in. Last year, just as the subprime crisis happened, credit card debt took off. The home-equity ATM had been shut down, so people turned to the last source of easy money they had left, the most expensive debt on the menu, credit card borrowing.

Since credit card debt has been growing much faster than the economy - more than 8% in last year’s third and fourth quarters and over 7% in May (the most recent month reported)- people are apparently using it as a substitute for income. Thus, for the past year or so we have still maintained the standard-of-living illusion.

But a big crunch is coming - and here’s why. Credit card debt, like mortgage debt, gets bundled, securitized, and sold off by banks. Citigroup, one of America’s largest credit card lenders, just reported that it lost $176 million in the second quarter through securitizing such debt. That happens when the buyers of those securities observe rising delinquency rates and rising interest rates, and decide the debt is worth less than Citi thought. More generally, the amount of credit card debt that is securitized nationwide has plunged by more than half in the past five months because it’s getting riskier. That means credit card issuers will be charging customers higher interest rates, and since the banks can’t offload as much of the debt as before, they’ll have less money to lend to cardholders.

The squeeze has already started, which is why Congress is in the process of passing the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights, which would prevent issuers from changing rates and terms without warning, among many other provisions. But bottom line, the credit card money window is going to start closing - and soon.

So now what? It’s hard to see where consumers can turn next. Home prices seem highly unlikely to start rising again soon. Stocks? You never know, but the Great Bull Market looks like a once-in-a-lifetime event. Homes and stocks are households’ biggest asset classes by far. There isn’t much else to borrow against.

It may be that the standard-of-living bubble finally has to deflate. Sustainable increases in living standards have to be earned, not borrowed, and that means performing ever higher value work that can’t be outsourced. We haven’t been meeting that challenge very well; doing so will probably require much more and better education for millions of Americans, which takes time and money.

The result may feel like deprivation, but I don’t see it that way. Who knows - we might even find that living within our means and saving a little money actually isn’t so bad.

Found this little gem on Urban Velo. I’m so glad to see Gary Fisher investing in the cycling lifestyle with gusto.

When I was working at Fisher, I had the great pleasure of spending time with the man himself. His wild energy and boundless imagination were difficult for me to keep up with sometimes. My philosophy at the time was to listen intently, and take notes furiously. Because I always walked away with a list of ideas that may or may not change the world.

Gary was traveling a lot at the time, and came back from the Netherlands and Asia raving about all of the utility bikes that crowded the streets there. He started talking about the joys of riding slow, and totally integrating bikes into life.

We took a few of his ideas and started creating some city bikes, but nothing that fully captured his vision. Then, after I left, the Simple City came out. That bike was certainly a step closer to Gary’s vision. Now I see that the El Ranchero is in the works.

The El Ranchero is a ‘long-bike’, built to carry massive amounts of cargo. The bike is long for stability and capacity, but when designed properly, still handles well and is relatively lightweight. According the the Fisher designer:

This project was done as a pure concept. We recognize the potential of long tail bikes as a real solution to people’s everyday needs. Everyone needs transportation and everyone needs to transport their stuff. We’d like to help people with that task by making the whole scenario easy. It’s another part of One World - Two Wheels.

Our research showed a real need for people to carry their kids to school, soccer practice, or with them while they run some errands. The supermarket, home improvement store, and transportation to work were some of the common scenarios. To make this all easier, we added a dedicated child’s ‘cockpit’ complete with saddle, bars, and foot pegs. The bags keep your stuff dry, swallow a week’s worth of groceries, and instantly fold up to keep the bike narrow when not needed. We also added a front bag to keep some of the smaller items in easy reach and it’s detachable so you can take it with you. While loading up everything, the double kickstand keeps the bike planted so there’s one less thing to worry about.

I gathered from a friend that just got back from the GF factory show, that this bike is on the list for production. But i wouldn’t expect to see it in the showroom soon. I have a feeling though that Gary is going to be pushing hard to make it happen. Plus, I trust that Aaron, Chris and Mikey up at Fisher are also going to fight the good fight to make it happen. Good luck fellas.

I came across a story in the NYT about how David Byrne and the New York City Department of Transportation, in conjunction with New York art gallery PaceWildenstein, have unveiled nine unique bicycle racks designed by DB and installed in various locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

David Byrne is of course the artist many of us were introduced to through his work in the art rock band Talking Heads.

An avid bicyclist for almost 30 years, Byrne was invited to join the panel of jurors selected by the DOT to judge a design competition for outdoor and indoor bicycle racks. In recent years his interest in bicycles has expanded from riding them to thinking seriously about the role they play in urban life, as he has started making connections with politicians and international design consultants keen to keep cars from taking over the city.

Byrne is even writing a nonfiction book called “Cycling Diaries,” scheduled to appear in 2009. But soft-spoken, curious and culturally omnivorous, he’s never quite been the celebrity spokes-model type. Besides, he said, “I don’t think people are going to switch over to bikes because it’s good for them or because it’s politically correct. They’re going to do it because it gets them from A to B faster.”

He has a similarly plain-spoken explanation for his own riding. “It’s a little faster than walking,” he said. “It feels good if the weather’s O.K., and if you see something that interests you, you just stop.”

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When I go to public events on Green Transportation, I am always surprised to learn that many people are discouraged about riding to work because there is no place to lock their bike.

As a solution, here is another funky bike storage system to check out (remember this?). The Bike Tree addresses several issues: it stores your bikes high up in the air, for all the world to see, and thieves to be foiled, it makes cycling accessible, and it keeps bikes protected from the elements.

How does it work? Simply. You use a smart card that identifies you, and a bike hook glides down. Place your front tire in there, and up the bike rolls until it’s securely stored above, with a dome over the top to keep it dry. What if you need an indoor location, and the ceiling is too short for such a device? They also have another one, that has a more elaborate locking system.

Who would use this? Individual commuters, bike sharing services and people who are already good about using trains rather then their car, but there’s the few miles between their house and the station.

I’m guessing that the Bike Tree hasn’t made it to market, or at least this is the first that I have heard of it. But regardless, an interesting solution to a common problem.

Source: Ecopreneurist

A couple of garage sale discoveries has fueled my new hobby. First, I found a great pair of binoculars for $4 at a sale just down the street. Then, a few weeks later, I came across a Duncraft tube feeder priced just right at $10.

Not long after finding the feeder, I hurried over to Wild Bird Junction to seek some knowledge and some seed. I found both. What a welcoming place.

Since then, I’ve built 3 additional feeders out of scrap wood and some other odds-and-ends I had sitting around the house. I can now gaze out my office window to watch the daily lives of my neighborhood wildlife.

This morning I read for an hour or so (conveniently enough from the conservation classic A Sand County Almanac), and then slipped onto my back deck with a cup of coffee to watch the birds have their morning feed. As I drained my cup, the sun was warming the upper branches of my neighbor’s crabapple tree. Seeing movement, I lifted the binoculars and saw 7 Bluejays clustered at the top feasting on fruit. What a great way to start the day.

Then, over breakfast, Corey and I heard a very compelling show on NPR. Speaking of Faith featured an interview with author Eckhart Tolle about his book The Power of Now. The interview was amazing, and we both sat through the entire hour. We were riveted by how clearly the author spoke of the challenges and joys of life. He stressed the importance of living in the now, and the new life that can be found in the environment.

After listening, Corey and I decided to go hiking. We wanted to be in the woods, and share a natural experience. We decided to go to a little used trail at Lake Cunningham (not exactly a lake at the moment, but that is fine by us). The lake bed is not a tall grass prairie bounded by stands of cottonwood. We wandered casually along the trail, taking the time to enjoy the sites and sounds of the place. We saw some really cool birds, including a Hairy Woodpecker and a pair of Great Blue Heron. As we were looking at some House Sparrows near the top of a giant tree, we saw a bundle of fur in a crook. Bringing it into focus, we saw the a curled up Raccoon taking a midday nap.

All in all it was a great morning. I enjoyed spending time outdoors with my wonderful wife, and of course appreciated my time with the birds.

New data from the Department of Transportation reveals that driving slid for the eighth straight month in June.

According to the DOT, Americans drove 12.2 billion miles less in June than they did in June 2007, a drop of 4.7 percent. That’s the largest monthly drop since the decline began in November.

A press release from the DOT says that, since November, Americans have driven 53.2 billion fewer miles than they did over the same period a year earlier, a drop that is more pronounced than the drop that occurred during the 1970s, a era marked by severe gas shortages. Rural travel has fallen 4 percent since late last year, while urban driving has fallen only 1.2 percent.

The biggest declines seem to occur in big states with wide open spaces. Driving was down 6.1 percent in Alaska, 6.2 percent in Kansas, 7 percent in Maine, 7.7 percent in Montana, 6.7 percent in Nevada, 6.9 percent in Washington, and 6.8 percent in Wyoming.

The Associated Press supplements the DOT’s data with a poll of the over-50 crowd, in which more than two-thirds say that high gas prices have prompted them to drive less.

Four in 10 said they have used public transportation, walked or ridden a bicycle more frequently since gas prices have risen, according to the AARP poll, which was being released Wednesday.

Elinior Ginzler, AARP’s senior vice president for livable communities, said she’s concerned that communities don’t have adequate sidewalks, bus shelters, bike lanes and public transportation options as more people look for other means to get around.

“More Americans age 50-plus are trying to leave their cars behind but face obstacles as soon as they walk out the door, climb on their bikes or head for the bus,” Ginzler said.

While a drop in driving is certainly positive from an environmental perspective – it directly translates into lower greenhouse gas emissions and more breathable air – all this suggests that many Americans, particularly those living outside of cities, are getting squeezed by high gas prices.

Maybe our energy crisis is also, in part, an infrastructure crisis. If more of us had access to public transit, if more of our neighborhoods had sidewalks and safe bike lanes, if more of us could buy our necessities on Main Street instead of at the strip mall on the outskirts of town, then our baseline would be lower, and maybe the spike in gas prices wouldn’t hit us so hard.

A lot of Americans would like to see these kinds of infrastructure improvements. One survey found that 40 percent of households would like to live in walkable urban areas. And, as I noted in my blog post in May, a survey by Rodale Press found that 40 percent of Americans say they would bike to work if they felt it was safer, and a 2008 Zogby poll found that 53 percent of Americans would take mass transit if it were close to their home and work.

But it seems that there is little political will to curb America’s car culture. Even as record ridership is straining mass transit, transportation officials seem more concerned about maintaining roads. In late July, amid worries that decreased driving is depleting federal funding for road upkeep, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters proposed a short-term solution of borrowing money from mass transit funding.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Reuters had an interesting piece recently on Bangladesh’s thriving Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) recycling industry. The small South Asian country exported more than 20,000 tons of PET flakes, the shredded version of plastic bottles, last year sorted from the 3,000 factories across the country dedicated to recycling. The industry generated about $10 million in 2007 and has grown annually at a rate of 20 percent.

Once the PET bottles have been sorted and crushed, the flakes are exported to China, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand. Importing countries use the flakes to make Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF), which are used in spinning mills as a base material for clothing, pillows, carpets and polyester sheets.

There are several criticisms of PET as a material, but as long as it is in use it is good to have a recycling outlet. As a marketer, I’ve been impressed with the output. I wear recycled PET lanyards when I represent Harvest at events, and have ordered custom versions for clients as well. I’ve been really impressed with the comfort, graphic clarity, and durability of the material.

Around the world, about 1.5 million tons of PET are collected per year, the majority of it in Europe. Petcore, the European non-profit organization that champions PET recycling, predicts that in Europe alone, collection will exceed one million ton by 2010. In Bangladesh, the sector is also creating much needed jobs for thousands of poor children and women who survive by collecting at least 100 tons of PET bottles per day.

Source :: Treehugger

Among the early-adopter segment of eco-conscious consumers, The Intelligence Group has observed a new trend called “precycling” and believes it will grow.

Consumers who precycle aren’t just content with throwing cans and bottles in the recycle bin and letting waste management sort it out. With increasing consumer interest in sustainable living, those engaged in precycling aim to avoid products that create more superfluous stuff. This could mean everything from buying bulk in order to avoid excess packaging to reusing everything from water bottles to shopping bags (the latter of which has caught on with retailers and the public at large).

In its May Cassandra Report, The Intelligence Group found that 45% of trendsetters and 14% of mainstream consumers have “cut down on bottled water purchases” in the past six months, while 49% and 16% respectively have “cut down on use of plastic bags” during the same period.

Precycling evolved out of a trend the market research and consulting firm spotted in 2007, which it called “wasted.” This is when it noticed excess was emerging as a dirty word. People were looking for ways to pare down packaging and/or repurpose it, for starters. As examples, think Pom Wonderful’s reusable bottles and Chaco footwear’s program that offers customers a 20% discount when they send in used but clean shoes, which are donated to developing countries.

It is becoming a more popular viewpoint that recycling cans, bottles, paper and such is an antiquated misuse of energy, so precyclers remove themselves from junk mail lists, read paper-based media online and even carry around “precycling kits” consisting of cloth napkins and silverware—anything to reduce waste and not contribute to the recycling bin.

“It’s not just about how you dispose of [products and packaging] anymore,”  said Melissa Lavigne, director of marketing for The Intelligence Group, which is a division of CAA. “It’s about being conscious about products you buy in the first place. That’s the idea behind precycling.”

Of course, precycling isn’t replacing recycling completely, especially in its more abstract forms. Consumers are all for donating or reselling their electronic gadgets, for instance, thanks to eBay and other Web resources. Lavigne said, “We asked people how many think of the resale value when they purchase a product, and 49% said they do.”

Source: Brandweek

Since World War II, Midwestern farmers have been encouraged to use machinery, chemicals and government policies to ramp up crop and livestock production to feed the growing population and economy. But since then, many farmers have felt the harmful effects of this quantity-over-quality production model, and have started to investigate how to make their methods more sustainable.

During the past few decades, small organizations promoting sustainable agriculture have been popping up and banding together across the Midwest to create a patchwork of information, support and tools for those interested in taking part in the sustainable agriculture movement.

Groups like the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and its lobbyist sister group the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition started promoting ideas of sustainable farming in 1988. The coalition is made up of farm, food, rural, religious and conservation organizations that work together to advance grassroots sustainable agriculture perspectives within the Department of Agriculture.

Other organizations, like the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service and the Foundation for Agricultural and Rural Resources Management & Sustainability, provide resources, create programs and host conferences and workshops for communities and farmers interested in sustainability. MOSES hosts one of the largest annual farming conferences in the country, provides an organic farming directory, and supports a host of educational projects to support farmers who want to transition from traditional to organic farming.

Information providers, like the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA), offer farmers a database of searchable success stories and informational links about how farms are choosing to invest in renewable energy and in efficient machinery that saves water, conserves fuel and protects the soil.

According the Union of Concerned Scientists fact sheet on Renewable Energy and Agriculture, tripling U.S. use of biomass energy could provide as much as $20 billion in new income for farmers and rural communities, and reduce global warming emissions by the same amount as taking 70 million cars off the road.

Solar and wind power are two other renewable energy solutions that are helping farmers and our environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists:

Solar heat collectors can be used to dry crops and warm homes, livestock buildings, and greenhouses. Solar water heaters can provide hot water for dairy operations, pen cleaning, and homes. Photovoltaics (solar electric panels) can power farm operations and remote water pumps, lights, and electric fences.

Wind energy alone could provide 80,000 new jobs and $1.2 billion in new income for farmers and rural landowners by 2020. Each turbine uses less than half an acre, so farmers can plant crops and graze livestock right next to the turbine’s base. Some farmers have also purchased wind turbines; others are starting to form wind power cooperatives.

Farmers generating and using renewable energy creates a win-win situation that is just the tip of the iceberg for the Midwest sustainability revolution. When I imagine a bright green future for my childhood home, I can see myself traveling back to Wisconsin from Seattle on a high-speed, zero-emissions public transportation system (like France’s TGV). I can see wind turbines slowly spinning above the fields and small-scale farmers working together to share in creating methane digestors to power their farms and neighboring towns. I see fewer acres of cropland being used by megacorporations for things like corn syrup production, and more communities buying their food straight from local farmers.

The future could be home to sustainable Midwestern communities, working together to create a local food and energy economy. I would like to see us start today.

Source: World Changing

Fontenelle Forest (FNA) is easily our favorite destination in the metro. FNA owns and manages 2,000 acres of conservation land and 26 miles of marked trails. Depending on the trail you choose, you can explore various ecosystems including oak savanna, prairie, and wetlands.

Corey and I like to mix it up. We often start the day at the visitors center, and follow the winding trails through the hills. But on occasion, we head for the Gifford Farm trailheads and wander through the wetlands.

Last week was our eighth wedding anniversary, and we decided to celebrate with an early morning hike. We chose the wetlands, and picked a trail that we hadn’t walked before. It was wonderful. The trail took us through marshes teaming with life. There were little toads hopping out of our way as we trudged through the tall grass. Then the trail transitioned into the forested floodplain, under a canopy of ancient trees.

We were thrilled to be out in nature, and thoroughly enjoyed the morning.

That being said…wow. Nature threw some challenges at us. The mosquitoes were punishing if we stood still, but for once, other insects took the role of ‘most annoying’ away from this little winged pest. As we entered the forest, it became perfectly clear that we were the first people to pass on this trail that day. About every 20 paces I went crashing through a spider web, and I loathe spiders. After a couple of, I’m sure comical, experiences of trying to swipe webs off of myself I decided to pick up a long stick to sweep the trail as we went.

That process went on for about 2 miles of hiking. It was slow going and a little frustrated. It definitely took our focus off of the natural experience.

When we finally saw the trailhead that led back to our car, we were totally relieved. That was when Corey began to brush herself off, only to discover that she was literally COVERED in ticks. I’ve never seen anything like it. We brushed her off as best we could, but it they were tricky little buggers.

A few days later, there are no lingering problems. We both had insect bites of various types, but nothing serious.

Don’t let this discourage you, it isn’t going to keep us away. It was just a reminder that the ease and convenience of our daily lives must sometimes be sacrificed if you want to enjoy the peace of nature. We had a great experience and have already picked the trail that we are going to hike next time.

On Saturday, Corey and I attended a meeting of the Omaha New Urbanism & Sustainable Development Meetup Group (website). The meeting brought together a diverse group of people whom all share a vision for vibrant and livable neighborhoods in Omaha.

The conversation was riveting, and those in attendance were up to their elbows in real-world experience. The members are clearly out in the community making change happen.

‘New urbanism is an American urban design movement that arose in the early 1980s. Its goal is to reform many aspects of real estate development and urban planning, from urban retrofits to suburban infill. New urbanist neighborhoods are designed to contain a diverse range of housing and jobs, and to be walkable.’

Those of you who read my posts regularly already know how I feel about sustainable development. And if you check out the links to the right of this you will find several interesting resources on sustainable communities and transportation.

There are a couple of new urbanist developments in the work in Omaha right now. Omaha By Design has a nice online feature where you can learn more about Midtown Crossing and Aksarben Village. It is great to see these pedestrian friendly neighborhoods being born. They promise to bring excitement and new personality to the heart of the city.

As a side note, during the meeting we talked a bit about the Place Game. This program is hosted by Omaha By Design (see above), and teaches us how to evaluate our neighborhoods.

The Place Game is based on the key factors that make a great public space. These factors were identified 30 years ago by William H. Whyte in his book, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

Check out the Place Game to see examples and learn how to play. And stay tuned for more from the New Urbanism group. Their plans are coming together for a really cool hand-on workshop in October.

Business ideas are all around us, and sustainable entrepreneurs are using these ideas to create a world they want to live in.

Rugula Appenzeller is owner of the green business Hank&Cheef. Using organic cotton ethically sourced from Turkey, Hank&Cheef has brought back the handkerchief, finally. Kudos to them for reinventing an indispensable but forgotten product. I hope they are successful.

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Source Future of Business

Sometimes aimlessly wandering around the internet actually yields something meaningful. I know…hard to believe.

I stumbled across GreenYour as a link from Harvard Business Online, and was immediately drawn into the endless pages of coolness.

The idea is really cool. The banner of the site is simple, it starts, ‘Green Your…’ followed by a text box. In the box is the phrase, ‘Type anything you want to green.’

Everything I searched for generated a solid list of articles and resources to help me green up.

For the beginner, there is a convenient icon menu that allows you to search by category. It is a good way to feel out what you will find in more personalized searches.

I’ll let the marketing speak give you the more formal explanation of what the site is all about:

While the gravity of the world’s environmental problems is increasingly obvious, we think it’s still far too hard to find clear information on how to take small – or large – steps towards solutions. To help, we’ve created an interactive resource with carefully researched facts, tips, and products that can help you green your life every day.

Leveraging open-source content development tools, we’ve built a platform on which writers and researchers can collaborate around specific issues and share their expertise. So far, we have developed more than 100 subject areas with more than 500 green tips. However, we know we have only scratched the surface. There are many more subjects to address, plenty of products and resources to add, and areas that require additional research and guidance.

This is where you come in. We are inviting individuals and organizations with deep environmental backgrounds to contribute their expertise. We also encourage anyone passionate about green living to share tips or products with us. So join us as we work together to expand this resource for a greener anything — and everything!

Bookmark the page, and stop making excuses that being green is too hard.