Photo credit:
ms.lume on flickr
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..." Charles Dickens
Life is big and it is no surprise that something as depressing as recession and something as hopeful as environmental greening can easily/naturally go hand in hand.
1. Don’t be afraid: This is a tough one, I struggle with it daily. The news of looming layoffs and cutbacks hits very close to home for me, my family and friends. It is important to channel all of that wonderful energetic “fight or flight” energy into something creative in our lives. Taking walks and Green Hour activities are a must, they cost nothing and net much. Bravery is very green, take my word for it!
2. Look around: I have been surveying my home and surroundings, looking into junk drawers, basement, attic, garage and am finding useful things that I had, quite frankly, forgotten I own. Most of us certainly don’t need more stuff, lets get reacquainted with our possessions have some fun with what we’ve got. Art Exhibit Swap and themed Swap Meets are excellent fun!
3. Get creative: Have designated Date Night at home or with friends and family, Pot Luck Dinners and Eco-Brunches are a great ideas. Simple things like meeting with friends for Salon Gatherings and themed Book Club meetings/parties.
4. Repurpose your energy: Take time for Art and Craft projects (liberate that junk mail and those Metro cards!) and pastimes which support your inner artist/child (everyone has one). Remember you don’t have wait for a party to Dance!
Be Well and Happy and remember, we are all in this together!
How to green your detergent usage
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you are such a ray of sunshine, lucy, and you are the queen of reuse, recycle, and reduce! your art and your home are a testament to your creativity and imagination. i love that you not only see the silver lining in every cloud but if you see it missing? you paint it in! /miles of smiles ...
This is so lovely, Lucy! I'd print it out but I'm going paperless ;-) so I will simply bookmark your encouraging words instead.
you are definitely embodying the adage of creating opportunity out of challenging times. your spirit is infectious indeed. i think we have an opportunity to really rethink how we live on this earth. it is a perfect time to reduce and reuse.
It is a great time to reflect on what is really important and downsize "stuff". Homemade as well as fixing old stuff is good. A friend blogged about homemade holiday gifts, but it applies generally http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2008/10/homemade-holida...
Remember your friends who have dreams and support them with your love and actions. I find tithing my time to my friends and their projects to be some of the best spent time I've had (I gift about 10 hours a week) - if there aren't enough projects I use the time for reading. My goal is to be poorly read, but rich with friends.
Wonderful post! This encapsulates everything we believe at Green Hour -- that the most important moments in lives are extremely recession-proof, require no batteries or instruction manuals, and have nothing to do with material wealth. Thanks, Lucy!
Anne Keisman
Green Hour
Thank you Karen, I love being bookmarked!!!
Dear friend Trish, I love being "green" pen pals xoxoxo!!!
Steve, Your devotion to your friends is truly inspiring and the grace you radiate by means of of the seeds of friendship sown, is a huge part of what is greening our world. Thank you!
Dear Anne, I believe that initiatives such as Green Hour are the bedrock upon which true change is built. Thanks to you and all of the folks at Green Hour for their inspiring work to illuminate a nation and inspire the world.
Have a Beautiful day one and all!
Tech advance helps!
SEE: http://theinfochief.com/
A £2 energy-saving lightbulb that lasts for 60 years has been developed by scientists at Cambridge University. The researchers have designed a bulb that is three times more energy efficient than today's best offer and can cut lighting bills by 75 per cent.The bulbs are 12 times more efficient that conventional tungsten bulbs and three times more efficient than compact fluorescent "energy efficient" bulbs. They can burn for 100,000 hours and they illuminate instantly and can be dimmed, unlike energy efficient bulbs.